lessons

History Repeats Itself…

…not unlike chili after too many onions.

(an excerpt quoted from a guest commentary in the Albany, Georgia Herald c/o Free North Carolina blog)

The “War of Northern Aggression” that followed was an epic struggle in which the South outnumbered 3 to 1 and with most manufacturing located in the North fought heroically and valiantly for INDEPENDENCE from the tyrannical, despotic, and dictatorial North. Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan, Hunter, Custer and other Yankee officers were WAR CRIMINALS of the most vile type. They murdered, raped, tortured, robbed, stole, plundered, pillaged, and burned their way across the South. After destruction of the South, Yankee terrorists and psychopaths carried out a war of extermination against the Native American Indians. Yet modern liberals and dishonest Northern historians have attempted to claim the “Moral High Ground” for the North because slaves were freed following the war by the 13th Amendment. The Northern radicals, fanatics, zealots, and hypocrites did not free the Southern slaves for humanitarian reasons. They freed them so they could be given the right to vote and be used and manipulated to keep corrupt Northern politicians and carpetbaggers in power.Former Confederates were prohibited from voting.

Fast forward to June, 2013.  Regardless what one may think regarding the above guest commentary, we now have a situation wherein American citizens must have identification to conduct banking transactions, purchase firearms, to drive, and obtain required insurance…but for voting it isn’t required, because doing so discriminates against the illegal aliens and Chicago residents who vote multiple times for the socialists mandating these policies.  And, of course, the illegal aliens are encouraged to move North to increase the voter rolls.  And obtain other benefits.

Funny how successful ‘policies’ of the past repeat themselves.

For A Good Time, Call The KGB…

…the GRU, NKVD, MVD, Stasi, MSS – or the FSB (the current incarnation of Russian intelligence apparat)

It seems Borepatch has determined the FSB is using their own version of Google, and is quite happy with their algorithms.  Welcome to YANDEX.   He says:

1. Russia has a bunch of excellent computer scientists, and Yandex seems to have picked up a bunch of them.  The Russians always excelled at algorithms (I’d go so far as to say that their mathematics training beats ours handily), and search is a game of algorithms.  I’m told that the Russian language is more difficult for computers to deal with than English (it is an inflected language, unlike ours), and so the Yandex algorithms originally developed for Russian really shine when aimed at English sites.

2. It gives me very good results – for most things I’ve been looking for, better than Google.  Google’s blogsearch has become a joke, which is perhaps a testament to Google’s internal lack of focus.  I find that bloggy related searches are much more productive on Yandex.~

~And now we come to what brought me to Yandex in the first place: Google is evil.  We all know it.  Furthermore, Google seems to be playing footsie with the US Government Intelligence Agencies:

One privacy advantage Yandex has which Google never will: Yandex does not do business with American intelligence agencies.  I do not like the fact that Google has become an arm of US intelligence agencies. It is to their credit that Google discloses their relationship with the US government (most of Silicon Valley is in bed with the spooks, but they don’t talk about  it). It is the surveillance  state that I abhor. Yandex may very well be doing the same thing with the Russian government, but the FSB is a much smaller threat to American civil rights than our own spooks. While I see no imminent dangers from the all-seeing eye, and I am far from paranoid, the US is going through a weird time right now, and history is a dark and bloody subject. Do I really want the future government  to know what websearches I was doing in 2010? No, thanks,  tovarich.

Paranoia?  I don’t think so.  And, just for S & Gs, I ran Guffaw in AZ on Yandex.

20 returns on the first page – only one in Russian.  Only one about guffawing, and not the blog.  Seems focused, as Borepatch intones.

I’m thinking of using this occasionally (instead of BING), just to annoy the three-letter folks in bed with Google. Otherwise, what good is a “uncensored” Internet?

Hell, I’m already on ‘the list.’

The Dog House

I now share a house with my roommate, a cat and three dogs.  This is not about the animals.

Keri Russell

My roomie and I were watching ‘The Americans’ (an excellent show about the KGB in Reagan’s USA), and she was remarking about Keri Russell, who plays the female lead.  (Quite a stretch from Felicity, huh?)

And she took note of a small imperfection on Ms. Russell’s upper lip.  Not surprising, as Ms. Russell is quite beautiful.  And inquired, “What’s THAT about?”

Being the know-it-all I sometimes pretend to be, I suggested it was an intentional flaw – as one may not notice beauty without a minor flaw with which to compare it.  (I don’t remember, some philosopher…anyone?  Bueller, Bueller?)

And my roommate, who is quite fetching herself asks me, “So, what’s MY flaw?” -  with a big smile.

OOPS.  Danger, Danger, Warning, Will Robinson!

Of course, she does have them one, but I’m not about to tell her!  Perhaps it’s constantly denying her beauty.  A real modesty and self-deprecation that makes her even more attractive.  After all, if she thought she was all that, she’s be insufferable.

But, please don’t tell her…

Love/Hate Cops

I have a love/hate relationship with cops.

On the one hand, I hate extremely dislike the ever-encroaching laws permitting law enforcement to run roughshod over our rights.  I’m not speaking of doing a Terry frisk (for weapons) and finding a baggie and making an arrest (although that does bug me), I’m speaking of those things many of us have written about:  NSA wiretapping, Internet monitoring, no-knock warrants, warrantless GPS, cameras everywhere, checkpoints etc.

On the other hand, I still contend that while most local police do their job – and some use it for abuse, others go above and beyond.

Paying it forward

Hayden Carlo of Wylie was pulled over recently for an expired registration

Asked why he hadn’t renewed, the married father of two told the officer that he had no excuse, other than times have been tough.

“It was either feed my kids or get this registration done,” he told Channel 11.

The officer wrote him a citation and tucked a little something extra into the envelope: a $100 bill. The gift brought Carlo to tears.

I’ll call this a late Birthday gift for me.

We, as humans, have amazing compassion. Helping our fellow man doesn’t require the force of the state to make us do what is required or what is right.

God bless this officer.

Speaking as someone who lived on the edge of poverty for years, and was ticketed many times for Not Current Registration, I can relate.  Part of my problem was (and is) I just hate giving the government money!  But I just know this officer is a good person.  Perhaps, it was the Christmas spirit?

h/t Tango, Robb Allen

The Triumvirate On Gun Control

There has been much gnashing of teeth in the past few days over the most recent school shooting.  Surely, the fact that I must use the term ‘most recent’ gives one pause.  Or the term ‘school shooting’ that doesn’t involve marksmanship practice.

And the Internet is all abuzz with sorrowful pleas for ‘they’ to do ‘something’.  I believe it’s human nature in that we all feel so helpless when such things occur.  We want ‘something’ to be done.

The President himself just released his proposals, including another assault weapons ban, a magazine capacity ban and restrictions on private sales of firearms.  (Of course, none of these measures would have stopped the homicidal, unbalanced criminal from the recent massacre of innocents.)

I’ve mentioned recent events a couple of times, and even wrote a couple yet unpublished posts, but many other bloggers have addressed the issues in a much more eloquent and informed manner than I.  If you’ve not seen these three recent postings, you should go to the links and read.  And think about what you have read.  And hope The Nation has enough wisdom to absorb these things, as well.  Links and excerpts below…

A Couple of Elephants by Old NFO

~The mental health community has morphed away from actually treating and committing people due to numerous lawsuits by, among others, the ACLU.  Also, due to ‘privacy’ concerns, many institutions will not report a person with mental health problems to NICS or even to local police.  You can go find articles that point out that the ONLY way to get someone committed is to have charges filed against someone.~

~A few school systems use School Resource Officers (SROs) who are either retired LEOs or are LEOs specifically hired to work in schools both for security. those SROs are armed, have full police powers and are directly connected to the local police departments via radio if they need assistance/backup.

Many were funded under programs from the Federal Government after Columbine…

However, those programs were de-funded by the current administration.~

Stop Teaching Our Kids To Kill by Dave Grossman, Lt. Col. USA (ret.) (via Maddened Fowl)

~Research on the background of our juvenile mass murderers show they have one thing in common:  they ALL dropped out of life and filled their lives with nothing but violent movies and violent video games.  The sickest video games and the sickest movies are very very sick indeed.  And the sick sick kids who immerse themselves in this “entertainment” are very sick indeed.

~And it is a world-wide phenomenon!  Germany has had two mass murders in their high schools with body counts that beat Columbine.  England had a massacre in the kindergarten class in Dunblain Scotland, tragically forecasting Sandy Hook.  Canada had the Taber, Alberta school massacre.  Finland has had three school massacres.  In Norway the killer got on an island and killed all their kids.  In China killers are going in the classrooms with knives and gutting and hacking the kids.  In Belgium a sicko got in the day care center and hacked 12 babies in the cribs, dressed as the Joker from the Batman movie.  (All those European gun laws made THEM real safe, eh?)

And we though it wouldn’t happen here!?

And you think its over now?  The worst is yet to come.  We will reap what we sow for a generation to come…. Until we stop teaching our kids to kill.~

Feeling Good by A Girl and Her Gun

~My extra bag of rice, my gun, my ammo, my kerosene heater are of real value to my survival. I used no government funds to purchase those items. In fact the purchase of those items only helped contribute positively to a failing economy. I have never harmed a single person. I am of no threat to you. Your desire to label me crazy and limit my rights will only serve to put me at more risk and it has ZERO chance of doing anything for you other than to make you feel good.

Please forgive me, but your facade of happiness just isn’t worth my life. I won’t hand it over without a fight.~

The mental health crisis/real school security, video games as parenting, and the desire to absolve our guilt – to feel better – all need to be addressed and solved, lest these behaviors continue.  And lest our rights be taken away for no good reason.

PS - Bobbi punctuates EVERYTHING with common sense!

~Know the facts.  Know the “official facts” even if you choose to doubt them — and get expert advice.  The “rifle found in a car” was contentious issue here at Roseholme Cottage, until Tam found video of it being removed: it’s a scary, black…pump-action shotgun! She was pretty sure of make and model from the low-rez image, thanks to her years shooting and working at gun stores. (Remember, the media talking heads reporting this stuff know a lot less about guns than you do — and they’re being briefed by police who are used to dumbing things down for them.)~

~Know your audience.  In my blog, I can talk about the deterrent effect of removing legal barriers to teachers and school employees being armed if they chose to be (and qualify for whatever carry permit their state offers!).  In the lunchroom at work, not so much.  Don’t be That Guy; we can’t afford it just now.~

OKAY, that’s really four, not three!  Regardless, take a few minutes and read each of these wise bloggers’ entire posts.  I’d say doing so is for the children, but that would just be pandering.  It’s for ALL OF US!

The Politics of COOL

Well, the Nation has re-elected the incumbent.  In spite of allegations of stealing tampering irregularities of votes (e.g. some voting districts in Ohio reportedly had 0% Republican turn out!) we got what we deserve.

Americans historically don’t like politics, and this time around is no different.  We suffered through 18 months of vile political attack ads, then went into the booth, held our respective noses and pulled the lever.

And what did we get for our trouble?  COOL.

After all, American Tradition shows us we vote for the coolest guy.  How many generals, admirals, war heroes and other military folk have run for President or Vice President, because for most of this country’s history such people were thought of as cool?  Does this mean they are qualified civilian administrators and policy makers?  Not necessarily.

The advent of modern telecommunication, computers, the Internet and email, coupled with the anti- (fill-in-the-blank) movement, another dimension has been added.  Just like cinema of the late 60s/early 70s reflected the counter-culture, so did politics.  And cool took on another facet.

Suddenly, the cool guy wasn’t the former Army General or the guy whose PT boat was sliced in half by a Japanese destroyer, it was the guy who reluctant served, or the guy who didn’t even serve at all.

The anti-hero.

Suddenly, it’s Dustin Hoffman instead of Audie Murphy; Peter Fonda instead of John Wayne.  William Jefferson Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama instead of George Bush (either one).

There was a time that American ideals meant a Norman Rockwell painting, not a poster from Mother Jones.  Suddenly it was okay to hold high office having admittedly done marijuana and cocaine in one’s youth.  Instead of just drinking.

And we got what we deserve.  The anti-hero.

Off-Hand Shooting

I’m left-handed.  Sinestral.  Strongly so.

My right hand is only good generally for using a computer mouse.

Back-in-the-day, when I was an armed security guard, I carried left-handed.  Many of those years I used my friend Dave (the genius mechanic’s) Ruger Security Six – as I was gun poor.

We security folks even participated in competition, not unlike IPSC competition, but one had to be a licensed security guard to participate.  (Burns, Pinkerton’s, Del Webb, all the big Valley security folks were invited.)

And I was dead-on with my right (OFF) hand, unlike most of the folks who couldn’t shoot their own foot with their left hand, if required to do so in the stage.  Whenever there was a weak-hand stage, I was brought up to the front, because I as capable of actually doing it.

This was because I practiced with my right hand, both supported and unsupported.

Do YOU practice with your off hand?  Both supported and unsupported?

In the real World, it might become necessary to shoot with your off-hand.  Let’s hope not.  You need both feet! 

“Ees gun, ees not safe!”

A few other blogs this week have pointed out the idiocy of people acting unsafely with firearms.

Specifically, blank-shooting firearms.

Immediately, a couple things came to mind:  1)  The Four Rules – see right sidebar for specifics, and

2)  Jon-Erik Hexum

Mr. Hexum was a rising young star in the 1980s.  Deep voice, great physique, okay actor.  I remember reading in a TV Guide interview that while he cut a striking figure, he was not (and I quote him) “Not just another drop-dead clothes horse.”
Obviously, though, he’d not heard of The Four Rules.

(from IMDB)

However, on October 12th, 1984 after a long and draining day’s shooting on the set of “Cover Up: Pilot (#1.0)” (1984), Hexum became bored with the extensive delays and jokingly put a prop .44 magnum revolver to his temple and pulled the trigger. The gun fired, and the wadding from the blank cartridge shattered his skull, whereupon the mortally injured Hexum was rushed via ambulance to hospital to undergo extensive surgery. Despite five hours of work, the chief surgeon, Dr. David Ditsworth, described the damage to Hexum’s brain as life-ending. One week later, on October 18th, he was taken off life support and pronounced dead. However, Hexum’s commitment to organ donation meant five other lives were assisted or saved with organs harvested from him. The youthful & charming Hexum was dead at only 26 years of age.

I believe it was Jeff Cooper who told a story of a Russian discussing the ‘safety’ of a particular firearm.  He said, “Ees gun, is not safe!”

We cannot stress this enough.  Firearms (EVEN blank firearms) are dangerous tools.  Just as with chain saws and other tools, there are safety protocols.

Penn Jillette

Firehand directs us to a CNN opinion article authored by Penn Jillette.

Mr. Jillette is a magician, a comedian, an actor, firearms owner,  and a(n) (in)famous atheist.  He is also quite astute and is a libertarian.

From the piece:

It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness.

People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered, and if we’re compassionate we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.

Can I get an AMEN?  I assume this wouldn’t offend Mr. Jillette’s atheistic sensibilities.

h/t Irons in the Fire, CNN

Arab Spring – Celebrate It!

courtesy AFP/Getty images – U.S. Consulate, Benghazi Libya

GEE, whoda thunk?  (misspelled for effect – see previous post)

Yesterday was a horrific anniversary for our nation.  If you saw my post (and the posts of many others) you’d have read about the loss, dilution, forgetting of American Culture and History, and the consequences we have reaped.

Then, the news arrived…

Violent protests in Cairo over a largely unviewed film alleged to insult Mohammad.  And the rocket attack in Libya, killing our ambassador and three other staffers.  American flags burned, buildings looted and our citizens and officials killed.  Coinciding with the anniversary of September 11.

The administration reportedly issued an apology for offending Muslims, and is sending in the Marines to beef-up security.

An apology?  Seriously?

“The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. Today, the 11th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Americans are honoring our patriots and those who serve our nation as the fitting response to the enemies of democracy. Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others.”  (U.S. State Department)

The President did say he strongly condemned the ‘outrageous’ attack.

Of course, this is the paradox.  Just because we supported the removal of the previous regime(s) doesn’t automatically mean the replacements will be U.S. friendly.  No matter how much money and materiel we bribe aid them with!  Sadly, this is a lesson we have never learned.

I’ve stated before political correctness will be the death of us.

I’m not for starting wars.  But, I am for protecting ourselves and our citizens.