Testing

Is this thing on?

Friday Night Music

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a big Max Stalling fan. SO for tonight, we're going to go with Max singing "Never Need to Fall in Love Again" Hope you like it.

I'd search the trailer parks first

Escaped convicts are of course a menace. You should know that already. You should also know that, in this life, there are certain behavioral indicators that should raise red flags. One such indicator would be a yellow and primer '81 camaro sitting on blocks in the weeds behind a trailer. Another indicator would be inbreeding.

While Welch was visiting her fiance and cousin, McCluskey, at the Arizona State Prison in Kingman in June, a random search of Welch and her vehicle turned up marijuana, heroin and drug paraphernalia

Despite this drawback keeping them from being accepted by polite society, Welch and McCluskey are still out there on the run, like a Stephen Hunter novel gone wrong. I wish there was a lesson to be learned here, but damned if I know what it is.

Wouldn't it be nice?

I had a dream the other night. Gov. Perry commissioned L. H. McNelly the Fourth to form a special battalion of Rangers to go down to the border and settle things down. L.H. the Fourth had the exact same facial hair and jacket that L.H. the First showcased in the portrait on the dust jacket of The Life and Times of a Fighting Man. I showed up and stood in line behind a man named George Durham and in front of a guy named Jack Hayes. Recruits brought their own weapons, but ammunition was provided. Everybody seemed to be carrying either a 1911 or a Walker Colt on their hip. I was issued a bunch of old Lake City ammo for my Remington 7600, which was apparently what my subconscious though was most appropriate after magically giving it a detachable 15 round box mag.

Anyway, we were all ready to go make Texas proud when my alarm went off and I was reminded that, in the year 2010, we don't defy Washington to go into Mexico and recover stolen property, let alone to protect it here.

Friday Night Music

For some reason, I can't ever find decent videos of whatever my current Aaron Watson song may be. So I'll go with one of my first favorite Aaron Watson songs instead. Here he is, with "Reckless"

There's a lesson here, someplace

Out in Arizona, one group of jackasses has legally taken up arms to deter the crimes of various foreign jackasses. This marks the first instance of Mexican nationals crossing into our county to see the donkey show.

The Constitution supports the right of American citizens to bare arms. It also supports their right to think whatever jackassery they want to believe. And, it supports the rights of the media to fasten upon whatever negative aspects they can find on the side they don't like, and paint everybody with the same brush.

And of course, they'll take any opportunity they can find to misinterpret gun laws.

The patrols have been occurring on public land, and militia members have no real restrictions on their weaponry because of Arizona's loose gun laws.

This amounts to the same thing as all the registered guns you hear about on cop shows. Verbal chicanery to make people believe in nonexistent laws. Arizona does have favorable carry laws, but there's nothing legal there that isn't legal in any other free state. Just because D.C., wait, I mean Chicago, err, places that have enacted unconstitutional laws don't allow things doesn't make Arizona's laws "loose". Unless you're comparing them to the gun laws in, say, Nazi Germany or China.

New Shooty Goodness

I bought a barely used Colt Gold Cup today. Unfortunately, I have to go out of town early tomorrow morning for work and won't have a chance to shoot it until my return. Range report and pictures to follow.

Friday Night Music

This week, how about Brad Hines singing "Please Don't Push Me Down Again"?

MHV

Larry Correia is a literary genius. His breakout debut novel, Monster Hunter International was made of cool. His follow up, Monster Hunter Vendetta , doesn't let up on the cool, ratchets up the action, and manages to add even more heart.

Since it isn't out in stores yet, just as an e-arc, I don't want to give anything away, but I liked it. A lot.

Friday Night Music

The greatst song ever written, in the history of the world, about cock fighting. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Joe Ely singing Tom Russel's "Gallo del Ciello"

Week in Rearview

Hurricane Alex dropped some pretty heavy rains on my part of the world, and a lot of mud resulted. We had a Link-Belt 8670 parked on a job site that that was turned into soup. We left it to dry, but last night more storms were coming, so we had to get it to solid ground before things got worse. Even though this wasn't taken in a mirror, and even though I was in my brother's truck, this counts as a week in rearview post.


These are the ruts. It sunk to the outrigger beams, which it turns out do a pretty good job of scraping mud flat.

Eh

I recently read my dad's latest copy of American Rifleman and saw an article on some new offerings from Taurus.

First off, I have to admit that I think the circuit judge is kind of neat. Couldn't tell you why though. I think the super long cylinder looks out of proportion on a revolver, but not so bad on a long gun. If it was in 20 or 12 gauge I'd be all over it, and am still curious anyway, despite having absolutely no need for a .410. Not because I think it is in any way better than a pump, but because of a Louis Lamour book I read a long time ago where the hero had an old Colt's revolving shotgun. SO anyway, I think Taurus probably has a product here that will continue the succes they are having with the judge line.

Next, also on the non-negative side of things, the ranch hand is a mare's leg. Which I want to have one of these days, even though it combines the drawbacks of both a rifle and a handgun. It's cool. As I asked before, who has ever been cooler than Steve McQueen?

That's the end of the good. Taurus/Rossi, sensing the demand of an untapped market, has decided to bring us...a Marlin 336 and a NEF Handi-rifle. Seriously. A Winchester 94 might make sense. Winchester stopped making them. But a Marlin? They're still in the business of making those new. Pawn shop gun racks are full of them. It's not hard to find the genuine article. I'll admit, there are improvements that can be made to the basic marlin product, but does anybody really think Taurus/Rossi/Brastec/WhoCares is really going to do it? Assuming they aren't, I don't get this at all. And a handi-rifle? I bought mine for something like a hundred and thirty bucks and am pretty happy with the bang for the buck there. Is there really so much demand that the folks at NEF can't meet it? Isn't NEF owned by Marlin these days? Does this make sense to anybody?

How's a Marine General supposed to talk?

Marines are supposed to be ready to fight.

"Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot. ... It's fun to shoot some people."

Marines are supposed to protect the weak.

He directed that sentiment toward "guys" in Afghanistan "who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil."

"You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them,"

Like Clint Smith said on 60 minutes, "Some people need shooting." As much as it may suprise people in Chicago and New York, a man who has been succesful in the Marine Corp, and succesful in the business of war, is probably going to agree to that sentiment. If he didn't, he'd have become an accountant. And I've never heard of anybody commenting that the accountants have landed. When you need to figure your taxes, that's when you need an accountant. When you need to fix a leeky pipe, you need a plumber. When you need to win a war, that's when you need a warrior.

And for the record, Marine Generals are supposed to talk like Chesty Puller.

"We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem."

Stupid

I just saw a commercial for a satellite provider who shall go unnamed. A guy stands in front of the Alamo and says "Behind me one of the biggest battles in Texas history took place. Every day ---- fights for the people of West Texas against the forces of high cable prices."

I think I'm actually a little bit offended.

What a Wonderful World

I had a case of food poisoning over the weekend. Unable to keep anything down, I was more than a little dehydrated. At one point, as I was laying in the floor somewhere in between the bathroom and the couch, a thought entered my mind. It inspired me to send the following text message to my brother: Damn them to hell for no longer making Lemon Ice Gatorade.

I drink a lot of gatorade as it is. This is Texas, and I have a sweet tooth and spend most of the day outside. But nothing they make now compares to Lemon Ice.

Anyway, to get to the point of my story, today, no longer delirious, my brother and I were joking about it, and we mentioned starting a facebook page to bring it back. Turns out there already is one.

Friday Night Music

Just because it's one of my absolute favorite songs, I'm putting it up one more time. Here are Marty, Bill, Robert, Tom, and Rich. This ones called the Corpus Christi Bay.

Cool shirts

I was at Gander Mountain a while back and picked up some Columbia shirts from their PFG lines. I have to say that I really like them. A button up PFG shirt has goofy pockets, so I got the polo shirts instead. They're vented in the back and cool to begin with. I've worn them in some very hot weather and been impressed. I also like the fit in the top of the sleeves at the shoulders. They're roomy enough to move around in.

Anyway, I'm a big enough fan now that I'd probably pay full price, but if you can find them on clearance they're definitely worth buying.