Col. David Hackworth
1930-2005
1930-2005
Thursday, May 05, 2005
California Bans Internet Use?
"The bill by Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach, which now moves to the Assembly, would prohibit use of computer-assisted hunting sites, bar such sites from operating in California and prohibit the importation or exportation of any animal or part of an animal killed using computer-assisted hunting."
Look, I'm not a hunter. I also happent to think that Internet hunting is ridiculous. But if you want to do it, that ain't my call.
What worries me is, how are they gonna know? Set up some sort of monitoring for all internet traffic? Block it at the ISP? What else will they intercept or block?
Or is this, as I suspect, simply more posturing calculated to gin up public hostility to gun owners by exploiting the emotions stirred up by a "virtually" non-existent "problem"?
I'll tell you one thing--if I belonged to the California Sportsmen's Association, Safari Club International or the Outdoor Sportsman's Coalition of California, all of which support this nonsense, I'd quit and never send them another cent.
Talk about useful idiots.
Look, I'm not a hunter. I also happent to think that Internet hunting is ridiculous. But if you want to do it, that ain't my call.
What worries me is, how are they gonna know? Set up some sort of monitoring for all internet traffic? Block it at the ISP? What else will they intercept or block?
Or is this, as I suspect, simply more posturing calculated to gin up public hostility to gun owners by exploiting the emotions stirred up by a "virtually" non-existent "problem"?
I'll tell you one thing--if I belonged to the California Sportsmen's Association, Safari Club International or the Outdoor Sportsman's Coalition of California, all of which support this nonsense, I'd quit and never send them another cent.
Talk about useful idiots.
The Perfect Mothers' Day Gift...
Jennifer Freeman of Liberty Belles tells us what that is.
Assuming, of course, that Mom isn't one in a "Million."
Assuming, of course, that Mom isn't one in a "Million."
Ve Haff Vays of Making You Talk…
…even if you don’t.
“Scientists from Japan and the United States have figured out how to read a person's mind by remotely measuring brain activity, extracting information of which the subject is not even aware. Science fiction? No. It's real.”
I got this from KABA Newslinks—a daily stop that ought to be part of every gun owner’s routine. I often enjoy the remarks posted by readers more than the story they’re commenting on.
As with all technological developments, including guns, this will be used for good or ill. It’s the “ill” part that worries me.
“Scientists from Japan and the United States have figured out how to read a person's mind by remotely measuring brain activity, extracting information of which the subject is not even aware. Science fiction? No. It's real.”
I got this from KABA Newslinks—a daily stop that ought to be part of every gun owner’s routine. I often enjoy the remarks posted by readers more than the story they’re commenting on.
As with all technological developments, including guns, this will be used for good or ill. It’s the “ill” part that worries me.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
GUNS Magazine: May 1955 Issue
"The Legend of Davy Crockett"
"The Scotch Pistol Mystery"
"A Six Shooter for TV Cowboys"
What's not to like? And it's free!
The May 1955 issue of GUNS Magazine is now online in .pdf format.
Inherit the Windbag
"Sounds like the Old West is returning to the Sunshine State!" Ron Reagan intros in his MSNBC discussion panel on Florida's new "stand your ground" law.
Ron mugs. Ron grimaces. Ron laughs at his own wit ("Snarf, snarf, snarf!").
Ron argues that the average person doesn't have the training or the judgment or the intelligence that police do, to know when it's appropriate to use lethal force.
Ron doesn't think a regular person would have time to react appropriately to an attack. Interestingly, Ron's guest and fellow citizen disarmament fanatic, Richard Aborn, argues just the opposite--he's against Florida's bill because he thinks people need to deliberate and cogitate and think about consequences and weigh and evaluate and think some more before deciding to consider responding to an immediate, life-endangering threat.
Ron speculates that if he pulled a knife on a woman and she responded by retrieving a gun instead of a wallet from her purse, he could take it away and use it against her.
I'm sure I could find some people who would love to see him try. Hey Ron, any time you want to give a public demonstration, have your people call my people.
"By the way, you're not packin' heat are ya?" Ron asks his other guest, CCRKBA's Alan Gottlieb. "Because if I ask you a threatening question I don't want you drawing down on me! Snarf, snarf, snarf!"
Yeah, maintain the bigoted lie that peaceable gun owners are prone to violence when they don't get their way. Hopefully, in the future, now that he has the benefit of hindsight for this sort of question, Alan will use it as an opportunity to correct the record and educate the viewers instead of laughing along with such catty insults.
"Untrained amateurs are notoriously bad at recognizing threats and responding to them with a cool head," Ron claims with authority. "The last thing we want is someone who's never been in this sort of situation before waving a gun around firing off rounds."
Right, Ron. Tell these people they were wrong.
"Hey everybody," Ron concludes, "I love to say this when we do this sort of segment. Keep your powder dry. Snarf, snarf, snarf!"
What a talentless moron. What a prime example of how inheriting a famous name puts totally unworthy people in the spotlight.
So, Ron, how does it feel to be MSNBC's answer to Paris Hilton? Snarf, snarf, snarf!
Ron mugs. Ron grimaces. Ron laughs at his own wit ("Snarf, snarf, snarf!").
Ron argues that the average person doesn't have the training or the judgment or the intelligence that police do, to know when it's appropriate to use lethal force.
Ron doesn't think a regular person would have time to react appropriately to an attack. Interestingly, Ron's guest and fellow citizen disarmament fanatic, Richard Aborn, argues just the opposite--he's against Florida's bill because he thinks people need to deliberate and cogitate and think about consequences and weigh and evaluate and think some more before deciding to consider responding to an immediate, life-endangering threat.
Ron speculates that if he pulled a knife on a woman and she responded by retrieving a gun instead of a wallet from her purse, he could take it away and use it against her.
I'm sure I could find some people who would love to see him try. Hey Ron, any time you want to give a public demonstration, have your people call my people.
"By the way, you're not packin' heat are ya?" Ron asks his other guest, CCRKBA's Alan Gottlieb. "Because if I ask you a threatening question I don't want you drawing down on me! Snarf, snarf, snarf!"
Yeah, maintain the bigoted lie that peaceable gun owners are prone to violence when they don't get their way. Hopefully, in the future, now that he has the benefit of hindsight for this sort of question, Alan will use it as an opportunity to correct the record and educate the viewers instead of laughing along with such catty insults.
"Untrained amateurs are notoriously bad at recognizing threats and responding to them with a cool head," Ron claims with authority. "The last thing we want is someone who's never been in this sort of situation before waving a gun around firing off rounds."
Right, Ron. Tell these people they were wrong.
"Hey everybody," Ron concludes, "I love to say this when we do this sort of segment. Keep your powder dry. Snarf, snarf, snarf!"
What a talentless moron. What a prime example of how inheriting a famous name puts totally unworthy people in the spotlight.
So, Ron, how does it feel to be MSNBC's answer to Paris Hilton? Snarf, snarf, snarf!
Gun Control=People Control
Writer William R. Tonso informs me that he's just published an anthology.
"Gun Control=People Control [is] a short collection of my pro-gun essays that have been published over the past twenty years in such publications as Reason, Liberty, Chronicles, and Gun Week . Three of the essays analyze the mainstream media bias against guns, two deal with guns and popular culture, four analyze the roots of the people-control agenda of the gun-prohibitionist movement, and two are spoof pieces. This collection is intended to be a think piece, not an up-to-date chronicle of the activities of the anti-gunners.
"[I]t's received favorable comments through reviews in America's 1st Freedom and Gun Week, and an interview on Larry Pratt's radio show. I'm scheduled to be on the NRA's Cam and Company tomorrow.
"The public can get the book through AuthorHouse, Amazon, or ordered through any of the major book stores.
"I'm a retired sociology prof and lifelong gun enthusiast who has written quite a bit on the social and cultural aspects of the gun issue."
Sounds good. I inserted a link in Prof. Tonso's name, above. Click on it and check out some of his work on the internet. If you like what you see, there's a book waiting to be bought.
"Gun Control=People Control [is] a short collection of my pro-gun essays that have been published over the past twenty years in such publications as Reason, Liberty, Chronicles, and Gun Week . Three of the essays analyze the mainstream media bias against guns, two deal with guns and popular culture, four analyze the roots of the people-control agenda of the gun-prohibitionist movement, and two are spoof pieces. This collection is intended to be a think piece, not an up-to-date chronicle of the activities of the anti-gunners.
"[I]t's received favorable comments through reviews in America's 1st Freedom and Gun Week, and an interview on Larry Pratt's radio show. I'm scheduled to be on the NRA's Cam and Company tomorrow.
"The public can get the book through AuthorHouse, Amazon, or ordered through any of the major book stores.
"I'm a retired sociology prof and lifelong gun enthusiast who has written quite a bit on the social and cultural aspects of the gun issue."
Sounds good. I inserted a link in Prof. Tonso's name, above. Click on it and check out some of his work on the internet. If you like what you see, there's a book waiting to be bought.
Seraphic Trigger Time
Screenwriter, novelist and blogger Robert J. Avrech teaches three Orthodox Jewish boys to shoot.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
New "Eloi Award" Nominee
May I have the envelope, please?
And the winner is..."Death March" survivor and gun ban activist NANDY PACHECO!
And the winner is..."Death March" survivor and gun ban activist NANDY PACHECO!
Dianne Feinstein's Monumental Hysterics
"'For instance, a sniper atop the Washington Monument (with a .50-caliber rifle) could target anybody or anything within a four-mile radius, including the White House, the Capitol, every building on or around the Mall, and aircraft flying in and out of Reagan National Airport,' Feinstein said in a statement."
Senator, have you toured the Washington Monument lately? It is one of the most visibly guarded structures in the visibly guarded Capitol. Half the windows on each side have been sealed off from public viewing because they now contain "Homeland Security" surveillance cameras and equipment.
If someone truly wanted to do damage to this nation and its institutions, they'd gain political power and subvert the Republic from within.
But you know that, don't you?
Senator, have you toured the Washington Monument lately? It is one of the most visibly guarded structures in the visibly guarded Capitol. Half the windows on each side have been sealed off from public viewing because they now contain "Homeland Security" surveillance cameras and equipment.
If someone truly wanted to do damage to this nation and its institutions, they'd gain political power and subvert the Republic from within.
But you know that, don't you?
Not Afraid to Call a Spate a Spate
"LOS ANGELES, May 2 - A spate of apparently random highway shootings in recent weeks has left at least four drivers dead and several more injured in Southern California and has prompted the authorities to increase undercover police patrols on the region's roadways, the busiest in the world.
"Since early March, there have been at least seven shootings on highways in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties, three of them this past weekend alone."
Sounds like California needs some more gun control laws.
[Use BugMeNot to avoid site registration.]
"Since early March, there have been at least seven shootings on highways in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside Counties, three of them this past weekend alone."
Sounds like California needs some more gun control laws.
[Use BugMeNot to avoid site registration.]
Monday, May 02, 2005
Lawman Likes Eye in Sky as Monitor
Well, no duh!
Except I don't recognize state agents spying on sovereign citizens as lawful.
I prefer to think of them as "edictmen."
Except I don't recognize state agents spying on sovereign citizens as lawful.
I prefer to think of them as "edictmen."
Oxygen Control: A Good First Step
George Goble is a senior systems engineer at Purdue University who had an interesting hobby.
He liked to entertain himself and his friends by lighting a charcoal grill using liquid oxygen. His exhibitions started getting noticed in the local press and then on radio shows. Humor columnist Dave Barry wrote a column about it that gained national attention.
The authorities were not amused, probably because, despite telling others not to try this at home, Goble also warned them: “[A]n ignition source, such as a lit cigarette or one glowing coal, must be present before pouring on the LOX. If charcoal is PRESOAKED in LOX first, an explosion will result. One briquette presoaked in LOX is approx equiv to 1 stick of dynamite.” [Emphasis in original.]
Well, we can’t allow that kind of power to be trusted in the hands of “We the People,” can we?
“Two years after the act,” Goble wrote, “the local fire dept was not very happy with the fact, after seeing this web page. They now consider it ‘use of explosives,’ therefore I am not lighting any more grills.”
Not content to squelch the practice of his hobby, authorities didn’t even want him talking about it. Not only don’t they want people to have that kind of power, they don’t even want them knowing it exists. Linking to his original webpage results in the following:
“The people in charge have requested this web site be removed. 2/6/2003 –ghg”
It would have been nice if he had told them to go to Hell and started his own mirror site, but I can sympathize with his hesitancy to jeopardize his career.
But thanks to the miracle of The Wayback Machine (how can you not feel warmly toward people who pay homage to Mr. Peabody?), much of Goble’s original home page can be retrieved, although many of the links and movies appear to have been lost.
Enjoy. And remember—don’t try this at home.
Or do—it looks like fun if properly conducted by someone who knows how. Just don’t blame me if you blow yourself up and burn the place down.
He liked to entertain himself and his friends by lighting a charcoal grill using liquid oxygen. His exhibitions started getting noticed in the local press and then on radio shows. Humor columnist Dave Barry wrote a column about it that gained national attention.
The authorities were not amused, probably because, despite telling others not to try this at home, Goble also warned them: “[A]n ignition source, such as a lit cigarette or one glowing coal, must be present before pouring on the LOX. If charcoal is PRESOAKED in LOX first, an explosion will result. One briquette presoaked in LOX is approx equiv to 1 stick of dynamite.” [Emphasis in original.]
Well, we can’t allow that kind of power to be trusted in the hands of “We the People,” can we?
“Two years after the act,” Goble wrote, “the local fire dept was not very happy with the fact, after seeing this web page. They now consider it ‘use of explosives,’ therefore I am not lighting any more grills.”
Not content to squelch the practice of his hobby, authorities didn’t even want him talking about it. Not only don’t they want people to have that kind of power, they don’t even want them knowing it exists. Linking to his original webpage results in the following:
“The people in charge have requested this web site be removed. 2/6/2003 –ghg”
It would have been nice if he had told them to go to Hell and started his own mirror site, but I can sympathize with his hesitancy to jeopardize his career.
But thanks to the miracle of The Wayback Machine (how can you not feel warmly toward people who pay homage to Mr. Peabody?), much of Goble’s original home page can be retrieved, although many of the links and movies appear to have been lost.
Enjoy. And remember—don’t try this at home.
Or do—it looks like fun if properly conducted by someone who knows how. Just don’t blame me if you blow yourself up and burn the place down.
Sunday, May 01, 2005
It Takes "The Village"
One of my all-time favorite TV shows was "The Prisoner." I really identified with the plight of Number Six--always thinking of new and creative ways to gain his freedom, continuously being thwarted by the power and treachery of his captors, but never giving up--talk about an allegory for freedom activists.
The dialog in the opening sequence pretty well sums things up:
Where am I?
In The Village
What do you want?
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling. We want Information.
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new Number Two.
Who is Number One?
You are Number Six.
I'M NOT A NUMBER! I'M A FREE MAN!
(Mocking laughter)
I always thought of this series as a sequel to "Secret Agent," but that was never stated--it just seemed to make sense. And in the final episode, Number Six more than made up for John Drake's aversion to carrying a gun, when it becomes, as Claire Wolfe speculates, "time to shoot the bastards."
There were rumors back when "Braveheart" came out that Mel Gibson was discussing a movie version with series star Patrick McGoohan, but I haven't been able to find out any more about that than just chatter.
Pity. A remake would be cool, and Gibson collaborating with McGoohan would do it right.
The dialog in the opening sequence pretty well sums things up:
Where am I?
In The Village
What do you want?
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling. We want Information.
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new Number Two.
Who is Number One?
You are Number Six.
I'M NOT A NUMBER! I'M A FREE MAN!
(Mocking laughter)
I always thought of this series as a sequel to "Secret Agent," but that was never stated--it just seemed to make sense. And in the final episode, Number Six more than made up for John Drake's aversion to carrying a gun, when it becomes, as Claire Wolfe speculates, "time to shoot the bastards."
There were rumors back when "Braveheart" came out that Mel Gibson was discussing a movie version with series star Patrick McGoohan, but I haven't been able to find out any more about that than just chatter.
Pity. A remake would be cool, and Gibson collaborating with McGoohan would do it right.
If a Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...
...what's a picture of words worth?
It's definitely worth referring you to.
the ten ring has a photo of Barrett Firearms' "No California Agencies" policy taken at the NRA Convention.
It's definitely worth referring you to.
the ten ring has a photo of Barrett Firearms' "No California Agencies" policy taken at the NRA Convention.
Yow!
"Colt Anaconda, .44 Magnum in stainless steel...$1000
"Millett Red-Dot sight...$120
"Having it explode in your hands without getting hurt...Priceless"
My guess is somebody needs to check their reload measurements. They're damned lucky they didn't lose a hand or more.
[Thanks to Dennis Walker for the tip.]
"Millett Red-Dot sight...$120
"Having it explode in your hands without getting hurt...Priceless"
My guess is somebody needs to check their reload measurements. They're damned lucky they didn't lose a hand or more.
[Thanks to Dennis Walker for the tip.]
Saturday, April 30, 2005
RebelFire 1.0
Out of the Gray Zone
I just ordered the new novel by Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman.
The first 100 people to order get an autographed copy. I hope mine made it in under the wire. If not, I'll have to mail it to them with return postage--either way, I intend to get those autographs.
Obviously, I can't review something I haven't yet read--but I have tremendous faith--earned based on past performance--in their exceptional ability to lead, educate and inspire us.
I ask everyone reading this to acknowledge that these people deserve material rewards for their first-rate labors. If you're like me, and have gratitude toward those who bring us ideas, perpective and insights, you'll want to keep those efforts coming.
What better way is there to do that than by giving yourself a gift?
Everybody wins!
That's the way it's supposed to work.
I just ordered the new novel by Claire Wolfe and Aaron Zelman.
The first 100 people to order get an autographed copy. I hope mine made it in under the wire. If not, I'll have to mail it to them with return postage--either way, I intend to get those autographs.
Obviously, I can't review something I haven't yet read--but I have tremendous faith--earned based on past performance--in their exceptional ability to lead, educate and inspire us.
I ask everyone reading this to acknowledge that these people deserve material rewards for their first-rate labors. If you're like me, and have gratitude toward those who bring us ideas, perpective and insights, you'll want to keep those efforts coming.
What better way is there to do that than by giving yourself a gift?
Everybody wins!
That's the way it's supposed to work.
Finger-Lickin’ Foolishness
Many thanks to FreedomSight for bringing another solemn day of reverence to my attention. International Respect for Chickens Day sounds like the type of holiday worthy of a paid day off for government workers.
I usually respect mine Original Recipe, but get Extra Crunchy when I feel like living dangerously.
But in all the hooplah, let’s not forget an often-overlooked minority. Please set aside a moment of silence during the festivities to Respect Headless Chickens, too.
Mike will thank you for it.
Oh, never mind. He has his own festival the third weekend in May.
I usually respect mine Original Recipe, but get Extra Crunchy when I feel like living dangerously.
But in all the hooplah, let’s not forget an often-overlooked minority. Please set aside a moment of silence during the festivities to Respect Headless Chickens, too.
Mike will thank you for it.
Oh, never mind. He has his own festival the third weekend in May.
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