The Clue Meter

QOTD, 01/27/2012

2012-01-27T01:38:00.000-08:00

The Talmud
"Never expose yourself unnecessarily to danger; a miracle may not save you...and if it does, it will be deducted from your share of luck or merit."

From "Motivational Quotes."

Wow. Just... wow. I have this strange image involving Talmudic Scholars serving in Zahal...

Do they have grizzly bears in Arizona

2012-01-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

'Cuz Governor Brewer is lookin' kinda like a Mama Grizzly right now...

Prepping and computers

2012-01-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

Aside from the current prepping activities, such as arguing about whether a Maxpedition Fatboy or a 5.11 Tactical PUSH makes a better Every Day Carry bag, or debating the relative merits of a CRKT as opposed to a S&W or United Cutlery "tactical pen" on Emergency-Preps or EDCforums.com.

Uncle posted a link to a fairly thorough discussion of the topic at MD Creekmore's Survivalist Blog.

Some commenters (at Uncles', not Creekmore's) were dubious as to the value of a computer in a SHTF situation. Others (including yours truly) pointed out that a computer, especially a long battery-life netbook, is an excellent way to store a huge reference library in a small space. Since you have a computer already--unless you're reading this at work or in a library--why not get it ready to take with you if TSHTF but it is not TEOTWAWKI?

It is quite possible, for example, that you will bug out (or be evacuated) and find yourself where there is some degree of connectivity, but a long queue for actual online time. If there's wifi, you're online. I saw little use for Facebook, until I was talking to folks who had family in the area of Missouri where the tornadoes tore through last year, and they all used Facebook to stay in touch. Being able to log on to the site and not have to wade through email is fairly convenient for that purpose, it seems. (If your family member has no blog, that is...)

I'm not really going to discuss any of the recommendations in the article, other than to observe that I like John Haller's suite of PortableApps on a USB stick. If you get a large enough USB drive, you can use someone else's computer and never have to use their software... (I have a high-capacity "toughened" USB drive on the lanyard holding my Emergency Worker ID for amateur radio with the Portable Apps suite and a bunch of reference documents. Encrypt it with a "strong" password, and add scans of vital documents. Repeat as necessary for each member of the family.)

Uncle had a good point about a smart phone being able to replicate most of that usability in an even smaller footprint. The key word there is "most." Ditto for a tablet--there are things that even a netbook will do better than either of those. I can sure type this faster on the ASUS keyboard than I could on either my Droid or my Vizio tablet. And, while you can get alternative means to charge the phone, tablet, or ebook reader, the computer can also charge them, and, if you are connected to the mains, it can do so while you do other work. (Or take a break. Most Bug Out Bag packing lists include a deck of cards or a book for a reason.)

Admittedly, if The Event involves a large enough EMP or a CME and you don't have your electronic devices in Faraday Shields, may very well turn out to be little more than paperweights. But a lot of our preps are based on "what-ifs", and a lot of those "ifs" are mutually exclusive; that doesn't stop us from making plans for each of them.

QOTD, 01/24/2012

2012-01-24T15:24:00.000-08:00

Note to the starry-eyed: Any "human right" that requires the labor of other people is just another brick paving the road to totalitarianism.
Zombie, S.F. Puts the "X" Back in Xmas.
I suppose it should have been a QOTD for 12/10/11, but I just spotted it now.
NOTE: Some photos in that post may be NSFW.

Tab Clearing

2012-01-24T15:04:00.000-08:00

Technically, this is actually "Inbox Clearance", I send myself links to blog about...
And, Jeeze, Louise, these are from weeks ago. Bad blogger, no coffee!
Instapundit » Blog Archive » WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: Detroit just looking worse and worse. “Rampant incompetence, administrative chaos and clueless mismanagement.… Metaphor for the American auto industry, too, I think.

Instapundit » Blog Archive » WALTER RUSSELL MEAD: In North Korea, The Dynasty Holds Firm…. Lenin is... Well, OK, we can be pretty sure that he isn't spinning in his grave, but as a metaphor...

Half of World’s Richest 1% Live in America – Obama Wants to Change That | The Gateway Pundit And look where the "rich" bar is set here!

A Week’s Worth of Self-Defense | Power Line
Related: Instapundit » Blog Archive » MORE TRAPS FOR THE UNWARY: Marine Faces Fifteen Years Behind Bars for Unknowingly Violating Gun Law…
And did you hear the one about the guy who tried to talk his way out of an illegal weapons charge in NY by claiming to be a Navy SEAL, so they locked him up for a mental eval... and he really is a Navy SEAL?

How Samuel Morse Got His Big Idea | Around The Mall Pretty good for a moderately successful painter...

And in case I was still in any doubt about retracting earlier statements to the effect that I could live with "President Santorum": Santorum: Gun Wrongs | Daily Pundit

OTOH, I was never happy with Romney: Instapundit » Blog Archive » ROMNEY AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE: A look at his Big Dig crisis management….

Holy cow, don't I ever open that email account?! It Figures. Obama Stimulus Failed to Create Jobs But Allows Government to Snoop into Your Child’s Personal Information | The Gateway Pundit

Instapundit » Blog Archive » OBAMA IN WONDERLAND: The Top Five ‘let them eat cake’ moments of the Obama White House….

I had a bunch of stuff on those Marines who were photographed, or recorded, urinating on dead terrorists. (Or "alleged" terrorists, I supposed.) Deleted the links, but... IMHO, even someone who is given to saying that a dead body is just an empty vessel, and what happens to it is of no consequence, would probably agree that this was stupid. Disrespecting the dead, even if it is a bunch of baby killing goat rapers is poor form, and can easily fall into the realm of providing aid and comfort to the enemy if it gets out. Where were their NCOs?
Yes, I'm more concerned about the damage it does to our cause than I am about actual disrespect to a bunch of baby killing goat rapers. So what? Are you telling me you're not?

Download this now!

2012-01-24T12:52:00.000-08:00

Before Lucas nukes it from orbit! (It's the only way to be sure...)

I LOL'd.

PIPA Update

2012-01-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Note the PIPA Tracker at the rioght (your right) side of the screen:

S. 968: Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011
Introduced May 12, 2011
Sponsor Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Status Reported by Committee
Last Action Jan 23, 2012: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to S. 968 withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate.
View S. 968...
Powered by GovTrack.us

"Unanimous consent..."

Rrrrrrr rrrraaaahhh rrrrrrggghhhhnn! {Shakes bowcaster}

(Ironically, Lucas seems to have all the linkable sound and video clips that are appropriate to a Wookie suiter celebrating a victory locked up, and/or expunged.)

Say it ain't so!

2012-01-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

From Daily Pundit comes this Shocker!

Obama Violated Legislation He Signed When He Killed Keystone Pipeline | The Lonely Conservative

Happy Birthday...

2012-01-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

Tamara.

Which means it is, once again, time to wish the greatest firearms inventor of all times a happy belated birthday.

One of these I'll start entering blog-significant dates into a calendar...

Show Starbucks Some Love on Valentine's Day

2012-01-24T00:56:00.000-08:00

From Sebastian: Starbucks Appreciation Day

Police Use of GPS Devices Limited by U.S. Supreme Court - Businessweek

2012-01-23T22:42:00.000-08:00

Police Use of GPS Devices Limited by U.S. Supreme Court - Businessweek

h/t Daddy Bear

ADDED: CNET's analysis: Why Supreme Court's GPS ruling will improve your privacy rights

Ouch

2012-01-23T12:51:00.000-08:00

You may remember these from last week:

Now that it's safe to go closer, here are some details:

Sigh.

RIP Etta James

2012-01-23T11:33:00.000-08:00

Don't know how I missed this.

GOAL Post 2012-3

2012-01-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

From Joe Waldron:
GOAL Post                                                                           2012-3

Legislative Update from Olympia                          20 January 2012

     NEW BILL FILED

     HB 1006 MAY BE RESURRECTED

     PUBLIC HEARING ON SB 6123 RESCHEDULED)

     PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED

     PUBLIC TESTIMONY 101

     MY LAST WORD ON HB 2202 AND SB 6123

     LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFORMATION

(My apologies for the late distribution. I just got back from the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades (SHOT) in Vegas. Busy times. But I spoke with a dozens of Washingtonians there, refugees from the snow, many of whom were WAC or WSR&PA members.)

The legislative schedule for the past week was turned upside down by the snow event.

The legislature has yet to publish the cut-off calendar on its web site. The first cut-off will occur at the end of the first week in February. Theoretically, all bills that have not passed out of their original policy committee are supposed to be considered dead for the remainder of the session. But there ARE exceptions.

Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45) has filed House Bill 2589 which appears to be a technical bill addressing illegal possession of a firearm -- technical in the sense that it rewords existing law.   Unless someone can give us a good reason why this change is necessary, GOAL will go on record opposing the bill.

While at the SHOT show, I was talking with a few individuals from the Knife Rights organization (kniferights.org). One of them told me he was told HB 1006, a bill banning most knives with blades over 3.5" in length, may be resurrected during this session. We'll keep an eye out for it.

The public hearing scheduled for SB 6123 (NRA license plate) on 18 January was a casualty of the snow. It has been rescheduled for a hearing by the Senate Transportation Committee on 26 January at 3:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1.

The House Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on House Bills 2347 (spring-blade knives), 2471 (firearm purchase) and 2589 (unlawful firearm possession) on 25 January at 8 a.m. in House Hearing Room "A." Interesting how they skipped over HBs 2098, 2099, 2137 and 2481, all good pro-gun bills. The committee chair has total control over which bills he chooses to hear.

The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a public hearing on Senate Bill 6179 (spring-blade knives), also on 25 January, at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1.

The public is allowed, even encouraged, to attend public hearings and to volunteer to speak in support of or opposition to bills under consideration. A sign-in sheet is available on a table just inside the hearing room. You can sign in in support or opposition to a specific bill, and indicate whether or not you wish to testify. Keep in mind time is limited, and the committee chair has total discretion as to who he chooses to call on.

Public testimony should be limited to three minutes. Try and focus your comments on one or two points -- that keeps it short and sweet. If someone else has already made that point, move on. DO NOT criticize the motives of individuals on the other side of the bill. Keep in mind that while you are likely testifying for yourself as a private citizen (you can't speak for an organization unless that organization's officers have authorized it), your comments will reflect on the gun-owning community as a whole. Public hearings are recorded and aired live as well as being available for recall. And the mainstream media like nothing more than to show the world how "radical" and "extremist" gun owners are. Keep the camouflage for your hunting trips; you don't have to wear a suit, but attire should be clean, pressed and presentable.

(I typically use the royal "we" in GOAL Post, reflecting the PAC's observations and positions on bills. The following is my personal opinion, although several GOAL trustees agree with me.)

My (personal) comments about the two NRA license plate bills drew sharp attention from several GOAL listers last week. This will be addressed this one last time unless the bills move forward. If that occurs, we will reconsider our position. For the record, I have been a life member of the NRA for nearly four decades. I have worked with the NRA on a number of issues, including as Chairman of WeCARE, the political action committee formed in 1997 to SUCCESSFULLY oppose anti-gun Initiative 676. I am an NRA-certified firearm safety instructor and a former NRA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC). The NRA is the 900 pound gorilla in the fight to protect our right to bear arms, sharing that goal (pun intended) with several other organizations, national,. state and local. (At last count, I am a current life or annual member of 18 gun-rights organizations. And, for the record, I am a former paid employee of the Bellevue-based Second Amendment Foundation and the former executive director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and currently serve as their legislative director. I am also a current or former elected official of five gun organizations, including the WSR&PA and WAC.)

While I have no problem with a dedicated NRA license plate in principle, I believe there is a better way to "show the flag" as it were. That is with a generic "Second Amendment" plate. First, it's harder for anti-gunners to vote against the Bill of Rights than it is to vote against one specific organization, especially the NRA, which many anti-gunners consider to be the devil (or worse). Second, I believe broadere support will be generated for a Bill of Rights/Second Amendment plate than for one recognizing a single organization. Third, I believe the revenues generated by a specialty plate could be better utilized keeping alive the Washington's unique self-defense reimbursement statute (the hunter education program is already supported by Pittman-Robertson funds and hunting license revenues). While at SHOT, I spoke with several NRA officials, one of whom told me he believed the revenues generated by NRA plates in the half-dozen or so states that have adopted such a plate go to the NRA Foundation.

The Second Amendment is what it's all about. It was there long before ANY of the other organizations came along, to include the NRA. ALL of them are committed to the preservation of the Second Amendment. And that's where I believe our focus should be. That's the last time I'll address this subject unless one of the bills moves forward.

Once again, here is the link to contact your elected legislators: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Just type in your address and links to your State Senator and two State Representatives will be provided.

BILL STATUS:

The following are ALL of the gun-related bills filed during the current 2012 regular session.

Bill #        Subject                Sponsor        Status
HB 1006 Knife ban                              Appleton (D-23) H. Jud.
HB 1508 Range protection                       Takko (D-19)    H. Jud.
HB 2067 Repeal of self defense restitution     Hunter (D-48)   H. W&M
HB 2098 Short barreled rifles                  Blake (D-19)    H. Jud.
HB 2099 Short-barreled rifles and shotguns     Blake (D-19)    H. Jud.
HB 2137 Guns in vehicles                       Blake (D-19)    H. Jud.
HB 2202 NRA license plate                      Takko (D-19)    H. Trans.
HB 2347 Spring-blade knives                    Dammeier (R-25) H. Jud.
HB 2471 Firearm purchase                       Goodman (D-45) H. Jud.
HB 2481 CPL reciprocity                        Goodman (D-45) H. Jud.
HB 2589 Unlawful firearm possession            Goodman (D-45) H. Jud.

SB 5697 State agency gun security devices     Hargrove (D-24) S. Jud.
SB 6123 NRA license plate                     Hatfield (D-19) S. Trans.
SB 6179 Anti-switchblade knives               Kastama (D-25)   S. Jud.
SB 6272 Right to self-defense                 Stevens (R-39)   S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, Jud. = Judiciary, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS (see note in narrative)

HB 1006    OPPOSE
HB 1508    SUPPORT
HB 2067    OPPOSE
HB 2098    SUPPORT
HB 2099    SUPPORT
HB 2137    SUPPORT
HB 2202    SUPPORT IF AMENDED
HB 2347    SUPPORT
HB 2471    SUPPORT
HB 2481    SUPPORT
HB2589    OPPOSE

SB 5697    NEUTRAL
SB 6123    SUPPORT IF AMENDED
SB 6179    OPPOSE
SB 6272    SUPPORT

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

25 Jan        HBs 2471, 2347, 2589        House Judiciary Committee
8:00 a.m.    House Hearing Room “A”    John L. O’Brien Building

25 Jan        SB 6179            Senate Judiciary Committee
1:30 p.m.    Senate Hearing Room 1        John A. Cherberg Building

26 Jan        SB 6123            Senate Transportation Committee
3:30 p.m.    Senate Hearing Room 1        John A. Cherberg Building

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!

            1-800-562-6000   TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or "goalwa@cox.net" with the words "Unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list's admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

             Monroe             18-19 February
             Puyallup            25-26 February

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."

                Article 1, Section 24
       Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2012 Gun Owners Action League of WA

Terrorist fire-bombings on non-Christian Middle Eastern-Based Religious Facilities

2012-01-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

Did you think I was talking about Muslims? Zoroastrians? Bahai?

No, at last count four, count 'em, four, synagogues in New Jersey have been fire-bombed.

If it WAS "Religion of Peace" facilities, no doubt we'd be hearing all about it.

h/t. Who linked to and also to.

Really?

2012-01-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

Winter/Holiday dinner for Mrs. Drang's office last night. (Turns out to be easier to get space in January than December, go figure...)

One thing I learned is that members of the party of Evil are ecstatic at the thought of a Newt Gingrich candidacy, because they are convinced that His Imperial Majesty can totally pwn him. Easily.

I refrained from pointing out that Obama's fine in a debate as long as the teleprompter works and the other guy stays on script, but there's no evidence to suggest that Gingrich will do that. And as for marital issues, does the party of Kennedy(s) and BJ Clinton really want to go there?

Irony, or something

2012-01-21T13:36:00.000-08:00

Watching the feeding frenzy at various bird feeding devices in our backyard and the neighbors' just now, it occurred to me: Suburban America is made up of houses which were built and/or landscaped by people who grew up on a farm somewhere chasing feathered rats out of the fields and breaking their backs keeping non-cash crops from growing there.
And got drafted, came back, got out, and got a job in The City.
And got a house where bird feeders, bird houses, and bird baths were emplaced liberally (so to speak), and all manner of ornamental, non-edible plants were carefully grown.
Was that a new gentility, or an act of rebellion?

(Mrs. Drang's father grew up on a farm in Kansas, mine on a farm in Michigan. I may be generalizing, but I figure that at least half of all households in America are no more than two generations from working a farm somewhere...)

From The Office of Senator Cantwell

2012-01-21T12:28:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Drang,

Thank you for contacting me this week about the internet streaming of copyrighted material. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

I would like to give you an update as to where the proposed legislation is in the process. The Protect IP Act was scheduled to go to the Senate floor for a procedural vote on January 23, 2011. Due to the effective grassroots advocacy and public outcry against the bill, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has pulled the proposed legislation from the floor calendar.

I appreciate Senator Reid's decision to postpone a vote on the PROTECT IP Act. America's economy thrives on innovation and freedom of speech. We can't afford to rush an Internet policy that could trample on our innovation economy. This week, the American people clearly spoke and their voices were heard. As we move forward, I'll continue to advocate for a policy that protects both creative content and online freedom of speech.

Now, I encourage Congress to consider the OPEN Act, which addresses illegal piracy and security while keeping the Internet open for free speech and innovation. The OPEN Act would build on the existing legal framework for resolving unfair acts in the importation of articles, including those that infringe a valid and enforceable U.S. patent, copyright, or trademark. Through the International Trade Commission, violations of digital trade can be investigated and websites found to be "willfully" and "primarily" infringing on copyright material can be shut down. The ITC will create a transparent and adversarial process where all parties would receive due process and IP rules can be consistently applied. Neither the Stop Online Piracy Act in the House nor the Protect IP Act in the Senate allow for similar due process.

Thank you again for contacting me to share your thoughts on this matter. You may also be interested in signing up for periodic updates for Washington State residents. If you are interested in subscribing to this update, please visit my website at http://cantwell.senate.gov. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,
Maria Cantwell
United States Senator

For future correspondence with my office, please visit my website at
http://cantwell.senate.gov/contact/

Curse you, Infidel!

2012-01-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

h/t DBS.

Monster Hunter 6 says

2012-01-21T10:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the party, pal! as all the non-gun-nuts discover just how over-intrusive government regulation can be.

Tam adds William Wallace to the mix, and points us to SOPA Opera Update: Opposition Surges - ProPublica, which says "Both SOPA and PIPA have been indefinitely postponed." ("SOPA Opera" is one of those phrases that makes me say "I wish I'd thought of that!")

LOL -- Updated, w/screen caps

2012-01-21T01:36:00.000-08:00

The current deal on Steep and Cheap--which ends about the time I hit "post--is for a

Kershaw Knives 7' Fillet Knife

Under "Product Features" it says "Recommended Use: Fishing."

I don't know where they go fishing, or what for, but there's gotta be a reality show in there, if they need a filet knife that's ten inches longer than I'm tall....

Update!: It was late, I had a nice vigonier going...
But wait! Steep and Cheap is operated by Backcountry.com! Maybe...
Yep.

Kersahw "seven foot fillet knife" on sale @ Backcountry.com. But wait! There's more!

Kershaw "nine foot fillet knife" on sale @ Backcountry.com

TIMBBBERRRRRRR!

2012-01-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

Crap.

:-(

Yesterday morning

This morning.

Close-up.

The hits just keep hitting -- UPDATE: HOW LONG CAN YOU TREAD WATER?

2012-01-19T09:12:00.001-08:00

Power's out. Quarter-inch coat of ice everywhere. Mrs Drang stayed home from work, but "emergency personnel", so need to make the attempt.
Sigh.

UPDATE, next morning: Roads are a mess, ice and snow and slush. Fortunately, this weather is keeping the idiots off of them. For once, the roadsides are not full of cars whose drivers just gave up and walked, and what few of them I saw, were mostly not SUVs.

I spent half an hour or so ~~scraping~~ clearing ice from cars; I broke my scraper, had to use Mrs. Drang's and the handle end was more useful than the scraping end--I used it to pound on the quarter-inch thick sheet of ice, to break it up.

The "neat old tree" I posted a pic of yesterday took some serious damage.

The Winter Weather Advisory is still in effect, until 1000, which was extended form 0400, which was extended from...
And there's a Flood Advisory as well, now, for pretty much all of Western Washington from north of Seattle on down to the Columbia.

* The rainfall that is forecast and the snow melt that is possible could drive the skokomish and Chehalis rivers above flood stage between Friday night and Saturday evening. If flooding does occur... it will likely be minor.
* All areas could see excessive surface runoff with ponding of water... ponding around clogged drains or culverts... and/or small streams going over their banks. Worse area flooding could occur in spots... particularly in the areas of deep lowland snow and heavier rain like the southwest interior.
* Snow melting into the soil and the upcoming addition of rainfall will increase the threat of landslides. The USGS Seattle landslide index and the Washington landslide index do not account for snow and snow melt at this time so will likely be lower than they should. {Emphasis added. DWD}

The Chehalis river, especially, is always a concern, and it is quite likely you've seen pictures of it flooding.

We are fine, albeit chilly. Mrs. Drang is staying home from work again, what she was able to accomplish over the last couple of days amounted to a few phone calls verifying that banks and cold storage facilities were either closed or were nuder minimal staffing/operations themselves. Fur persons are confused, of course.

2 More Snowpocalypse Pics

2012-01-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

Just to get an idea. I had to run a couple of quick errands, and took these:

Clearing snow off the hood of the Drangmobile. Good view of the ice crust.

The library wanted to make sure everyone knew why they were closed...
Um, that's a snowman, sorry for the crummy cell phone photo...

Road Alert - King County Road Services Division

2012-01-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Road Alert - King County Road Services Division
Lists closed roads.

Meanwhile, back at Snowpocalypse 2012...

2012-01-18T14:01:00.000-08:00

Been snowing since sometime around OMG-thirty, Mrs. Drang braved the approaching glaciers and went to work. Got lonely, and is on her way home now, too bad bus drivers will just blow by people running towards them waving and shouting...
Pics from Neue Schloss Drang:

The Drangmobile was completely snow-free when I got back from wherever I went yesterday.

Today was supposed to be trash day...

I don't think any birdies are going to bathing or drinking from this bath for a few days...

A souvenir from Mrs. Drang's father's Naval service? I never asked...

This is my glass/metal recycle container. Note how much snow piled up on the lid after I put it out last night. Note the depression in the snow from where I removed my paper/cardboard recycle bin.

Hood of the Drangmobile. Not sure, but I think you can see the crustyness of the sleet on top of the snow...

Neue Schloss Drang has an L-shaped floor plan. This is the East-facing wall and roof...

...and this is the South-facing wall and roof.

The driveway has enough snow on it that, for the first time in years, I am feeling a twinge of guilt for not shoveling immediately. Thing is, it's supposed to continue snowing for a day or more, then warm up and turn to rain. So, I dunno, do I take council of my aching back, or of my deep-seated Protestant Work Ethic...?

Letter to my congresscritters

2012-01-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Dear Congresscritter*:
Vote no on SOPA/PIPA.
In fact, don't just vote "no", do everything you can to drive a stake through the heart of anything resembling SOPA/PIPA, and bury it in a crossroads by the dark of the new Moon.
Your constituent, Drang

*Except that Patty Murray's doesn't seem to have intert00bz. Is she boycotting, or does the notoriously "stupidest person in Congress" not have a connection...?

The Day The LOLCats Died

2012-01-18T11:52:00.000-08:00

Sounds like SOPA is dead, or, at least, undergoing serious rewrite.

House Kills Sopa. “In a surprise move today, Representative Eric Cantor(R-VA) announced that he will stop all action on SOPA, effectively killing the bill. ( h/t Instapundit.)
THE HILL: Internet piracy bill’s future uncertain as House returns. “The future of the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has grown murky as House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) has all but declared the bill dead, but the measure’s sponsor, Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), has vowed to push ahead.”(Also h/t Instapundit)
SOPA sponsor undeterred by conservative opposition, websites’ blackouts | The Daily Caller

From that last:

“Right now, the focus of protecting the Internet needs to be on the Senate where Majority Leader Reid has announced his intention to try to move similar legislation in less than two weeks,” said Issa Tuesday.
PIPA is sponsored by Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who swatted at the opposition of Wikipedia and Reddit in a statement.
“The PROTECT IP Act will not affect Wikipedia, will not affect Reddit, and will not affect any website that has any legitimate use,” said Leahy. ” A foreign rogue website is clearly defined as one that has no real purpose other than infringement.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/01/17/sopa-sponsor-undeterred-by-conservative-opposition-websites-blackouts/#ixzz1jqDcwqCd

Ah, yes, the old "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" argument....

I notice that among the outfits pushing this Internet Blackout today*, most of them would be regarded as liberal/progressive in nature, despite that the sponsors of this monster have been bought and paid for by Hellywood--the whole point is to protect the residuals of the poor 99%'ers in the entertainment industry. But Moveon.org is listed right up there.

I understand that it has been said that His Imperial Majesty Barack Hussein Obama would veto it even if passed, but still, any congress critter who votes for it should be run out of office on a rail.

SOPA: H.R. 3261 on THOMAS
According to GovTrack, here are the original co-sponsors of SOPA:
Lamar Smith, (R-TX 21) Sponsor
Cosponsors:
Mark Amodei [R-NV2]
Joe Baca [D-CA43]
John Barrow [D-GA12]
Karen Bass [D-CA33]
Howard Berman [D-CA28]
Marsha Blackburn [R-TN7]
Mary Bono Mack [R-CA45]
John Carter [R-TX31]
Steven Chabot [R-OH1]
Judy Chu [D-CA32]
John Conyers [D-MI14]
Jim Cooper [D-TN5]
Ted Deutch [D-FL19]
Elton Gallegly [R-CA24]
Robert Goodlatte [R-VA6]
Tim Griffin [R-AR2]
Tim Holden [D-PA17]
Peter King [R-NY3]
John Larson [D-CT1]
Ben Luján [D-NM3]
Thomas Marino [R-PA10]
Alan Nunnelee [R-MS1]
William Owens [D-NY23]
Dennis Ross [R-FL12]
Steve Scalise [R-LA1]
Adam Schiff [D-CA29]
Brad Sherman [D-CA27]
Lee Terry [R-NE2]
Debbie Wasserman Schultz [D-FL20]
Melvin Watt [D-NC12]
Ben Quayle [R-AZ3] (withdrawn)

GovTrack only shows one co-sponsor as having withdrawn his support, but several others are said to have jumped off the bandwagon; the question is, did they do so because the hoi polloi are unhappy, or because there was stuff in there they couldn't support...?

PIPA: S. 968 on THOMAS
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Sponsor
Co-Sponsors:
Cosponsors:
Lamar Alexander [R-TN]
Kelly Ayotte [R-NH]
Michael Bennet [D-CO]
Jeff Bingaman [D-NM]
Richard Blumenthal [D-CT]
Roy Blunt [R-MO]
John Boozman [R-AR]
Barbara Boxer [D-CA]
Sherrod Brown [D-OH]
Benjamin Cardin [D-MD]
Robert Casey [D-PA]
Saxby Chambliss [R-GA]
Thad Cochran [R-MS]
Chris Coons [D-DE]
Bob Corker [R-TN]
Richard Durbin [D-IL]
Michael Enzi [R-WY]
Dianne Feinstein [D-CA]
Al Franken [D-MN]
Kirsten Gillibrand [D-NY]
Lindsey Graham [R-SC]
Charles Grassley [R-IA]
Kay Hagan [D-NC]
Orrin Hatch [R-UT]
John Isakson [R-GA]
Tim Johnson [D-SD]
Amy Klobuchar [D-MN]
Herbert Kohl [D-WI]
Mary Landrieu [D-LA]
Joseph Lieberman [I-CT]
John McCain [R-AZ]
Robert Menéndez [D-NJ]
Bill Nelson [D-FL]
James Risch [R-ID]
Marco Rubio [R-FL]
Charles Schumer [D-NY]
Jeanne Shaheen [D-NH]
Tom Udall [D-NM]
David Vitter [R-LA]
Sheldon Whitehouse [D-RI]
Jerry Moran [R-KS] (withdrawn)
Again, GovTrack only shows one co-sponsor, Jerry Moran of Kansas, has withdrawn, but in the news Marco Rubio has announced he can't support this abortion.

I note that, while there are a lot of "usual suspects" there, there are a few names that surprised--and disappointed--me. I must confess to being pleased that no congress-critters from the Evergreen State are on the list, and that the only Michigander on the list is a Usual Suspect.

Obviously, anyone on these lists should be targeted for de-election; if they have publicly withdrawn their support and repudiated the bills, they should have their feet held to the fire.

***

*I never did react well to peer pressure...

The sky is falling!

2012-01-18T01:26:00.000-08:00

Or, not. As a change-up from Snowmageddon, I present:
Yellowstone: The Anatomy of a Supposed Volcanic Conspiracy | Wired Science | Wired.com
and
Scientific Doomsday: Ways the World Could Actually End | Wired Science | Wired.com

Meanwhile, at Tamara's recommendation, I picked up Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . . (9780670019977): Ph.D. Philip Plait: Books from the library today.

"Shortrange Forecast Discussion"

2012-01-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

Gee, I'm glad I looked at this...

SHORT RANGE FORECAST DISCUSSION
NWS HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL PREDICTION CENTER CAMP SPRINGS MD
330 PM EST TUE JAN 17 2012

VALID 00Z WED JAN 18 2012 - 00Z FRI JAN 20 2012

...WINTER MAKES IT PRESENCE FELT ACROSS MUCH OF THE COUNTRY EXCEPT THE SOUTHWEST...WHILE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FEELS THE BRUNT WITH HEAVY SNOW...

AFTER SPRINGLIKE WEATHER AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED A COLD FRONT EASTWARD ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES...COLDER AIR WILL FOLLOW BEHIND AS THE FRONT MOVES OFF THE EAST COAST ON WEDNESDAY.

WHILE RESIDUAL SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS WILL PRECEDE THE FRONT OVER THE SOUTHEAST...COLD TEMPERATURES WILL COVER MUCH OF THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE COUNTRY BY WEDNESDAY MORNING.

A COMPLEX FORECAST SITUATION IS SETTING UP OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AS A SERIES OF STORM SYSTEMS INTERACTS WITH THE COLD AIRLODGED OVER SOUTHWEST CANADA INTO WASHINGTON AND OREGON.

AS ONE STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES THE WASHINGTON/OREGON COAST BY WEDNESDAY MORNING AND AFTERNOON...SNOW COULD BECOME HEAVY
ESPECIALLY ACROSS WESTERN WASHINGTON INTO INTERIOR OREGON...WHILE WARMER AIR CHANGES THE SNOW TO RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF WESTERN OREGON ON WEDNESDAY.

SNOW LEVELS ARE NEAR SEA LEVEL TODAY BUT WILL RISE SIGNIFICANTLY ON WEDNESDAY AS WARMER AIR MOVES RAPIDLY INTO WESTERN OREGON. THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS OF THE OREGON CASCADES SHOULD SEE VERY HEAVY SNOW AMOUNTS WHILE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOW WILL LIKELY FALL ACROSS SOUTHERN WASHINGTON...NORTHEAST OREGON AND THE CASCADES INTO WESTERN IDAHO. WESTERN WASHINGTON COULD ALSO SEE VERY HEAVY SNOWFALL AMOUNTS.

CONTINUED ONSHORE FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TO WASHINGTON THROUGH THURSDAY WHILE SNOW LEVELS CONTINUE TO RISE ACROSS THE COAST/VALLEYS OF WESTERN OREGON AND WASHINGTON. SIGNIFICANT SNOW
WILL CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT OVER THE CASCADES INTO CENTRAL AND EASTERN WASHINGTON INTO IDAHO/MONTANA/WESTERN WYOMING AND NORTHERN UTAH. MORE THAN 10 FEET OF SNOW IS FORECAST NEAR MOUNT RAINIER THROUGH FRIDAY.

IN THE EAST...A SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN NORTH OF NEW YORK ON TUESDAY NIGHT AND PASS NORTHEAST OF MAINE BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW WILL LIKELY FALL ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MAINE WHILE SCATTERED AREAS OF SHOWERS WILL PRECEDE THE COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWARD FROM THE LOW. THE HEAVIEST SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSHOWERS WILL LIKELY FALL ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST WITH MOST OF THE SHOWERS MOVING OFFSHORE AS THE FRONT CLEARS THE COAST BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. ONLY A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS ARE LIKELY OVER FLORIDA AS THE FRONT ADVANCES SOUTHWARD INTO THURSDAY.

KOCIN
GRAPHICS AVAILABLE AT www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/basicwx/basicwx_wbg.php

I suppose this explains the panicky Seattle Times headline I posted about before.

Note that the report and graphics posted may be updated by the time you click through.

Flash Crowds!

2012-01-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

Or mobs, if you prefer.

#Riot: Self-Organized, Hyper-Networked Revolts—Coming to a City Near You | Magazine

Larry Niven was there first. See also "The Last Days of The Permanent Floating Riot Club."

How meta is this?

2012-01-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

So, remember the Literal Eclipse of The Heart video? In which the lyrics to Bonnie Tyler's one hit, Total Eclipse Of The Heart, are rewritten to match the original video? (Which was pretty weird, as they tended to be back then...) No? Well, here it is again:

(The video is of a cat watching the video, due to Sony having no sense of humor...)

I still crack up at "It started out as Hogwarts and wound up as Lord Of The Flies..."
Well, it seems someone has taken the lyrics to that version, and changed the video to match, using clips from Dr. Who.

Notes, downloadable version: zeborah | Fanvid: Literal Eclipse of the Heart
h/t Video: 'Total Eclipse of the Heart' Literal Version Meets Doctor Who | Underwire | Wired.com

Clear, sober analysis...

2012-01-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

Was just at Safeway picking up a loaf of bread to turn into garlic bread to go with spaghetti for dinner, the Seattle Times' headline for today is MEGASTORM LOOMS FOR SEATTLE!!!11!

Naturally, the aisles were packed--at 2 PM!--with people stocking up on chips and dip and beer. All anyone could talk about, the manager was checking "What time can you be here for your shift tomorrow...?"

The Times seems to have backed off their rather, um, spectacular prophecy...

The Weather Beat | Less snow in the forecast? It's 'evolving.' | Seattle Times Newspaper
How much snow could fall in the Seattle area Wednesday now appears to anybody's best guess.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service on Monday predicted between 6 and 14 inches to fall, the heaviest snowfall in decades. This morning, though, meterologist Allen Kam said that the area should expect between 5 and 10 inches.

Granted that five inches of snow is a lot for here...

...Still , the forecast now says we will see more snow Thursday, although that's not in the NOAA/NWS Advisory posted on Weather Underground: Warnings for Seattle/Bremerton Area, Washington.

Who are you?

2012-01-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

And what have you done with Mossberg?

Makes me want to get rid of my Mossberg 500 shotgun in shame...

True Tales of Survival: Hugh Glass

2012-01-17T01:43:00.000-08:00

Tales of Survival: Hugh Glass, Mountain Man, from the Cheaper Than Dirt! blog.

I wrote an essay--in Korean!--in my Intermediate Korean class about how I felt that the mountain men were the archetypal Americans. I have no idea to this day why the course designers felt that concepts like "archetypal" were important for military linguists, let alone any clue what the Korean word for the concept is.

Anyway. Let me tell you what a badass Hugh Glass was: Chuck Norris was his padawan...

It's beginnin' to look a lot like Fimbulwinter

2012-01-17T01:07:00.000-08:00

I know, doesn't scan. And anyway, it isn't really, not with only two or three inches falling over two days or so. OTOH, this is the longest I can remember seeing it snow continuously since I first came to the Puget Sound region; it is supposed to continue through Wednesday evening.

Anyway. I bet I know some folks who, if they were to read this post title, would immediately start working on the rest of the lyrics...

(While I don't know that I know any Asatruar, I am certain I know some people who know some people...) (And I certainly know a bunch of filkers.)

"My Hometown Is Better Than Yours « Rottin' in Denmark"

2012-01-17T00:22:00.000-08:00

Except it's not my actual hometown, 'cuz the day for claiming that about Detroit is several decades past.*
My Hometown Is Better Than Yours « Rottin' in Denmark
And not a caption is hyperbole. Not a one. Including the ones about how great the Seattle city government and traffic are.

Comments are a hot, as well.

h/t MRS at Random Nuclear Strikes.

*And would read more like Chuck Norris Facts: "Detroit is so bad that when Al Capone tried to move his operation there, the Purple Gang scared him away. Not only that, he paid them to come whack people who really pissed him off."

Damned Bureaucrats

2012-01-16T19:41:00.000-08:00

People keep asking me why I say plaintively--well, plaintively, for me--that I really want a Toyota Hilux, when I can just get a Toytoa Tacoma, and "it's the same truck."

Well, it's not, Uncle Sugar won't let you import a Toyota Hilux.

These episodes of Top Gear (seen this evening on BBC America) show why I want one:

The Army bought a bunch of Hiluxes--Hiluxi?--during Desert Storm, and the EPA and DOT combine wouldn't even let the Army bring them back stateside afterwards. Some wound up with US Forces Korea; the MPs at 2^nd Division were driving them.

Amazing how fast a turbocharged diesel can go...

Snowmageddon Update

2012-01-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

So, it's been snowing--albeit gently--pretty much all day. Which is great, if you're looking for an excuse to not do some chores, but never mind...

Consulting Weather Underground and WeatherSpark, they both say the snow will continue (90% chance) through to Wednesday afternoon, and then change to rain (90% chance) through to next Monday.

I wonder if we can get a getaway fare to Hawaii...?

GOAL Post 2012-2

2012-01-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

From Joe Waldron:
GOAL Post 2012-2

Legislative Update from Olympia
13 January 2012

LEGISLATIVE CUT-OFF CALENDAR NOT YET PUBLISHED

PUBLIC HEARINGS CONDUCTED ON HB 1508 AND SB 5697

SEVERAL NEW BILLS FILED

PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR SB 6123

NOTE ON HB 2202/SB 6123 NRA LICENSE PLATE BILL

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

LEGISLATOR CONTACT INFORMATION

The session cut-off calendar has yet to be published. Under the cut-off calendar, bills have to clear certain hurdles or they are considered dead for the remainder of the session (with exceptions, of course). The first policy committee cut-off should be around 4-5 February. Bills that have not passed out of their policy committee at that point are theoretically dead for the session.

Public hearings were conducted on HB 1508 (range protection) and SB 5697 (state-approved gun locking devices). The hearing on HB 1508 went very well, I thought. There was solid testimony in favor, but the associations of counties and cities definitely did not like it. Almost every bill heard by the House Judiciary Committee this week is up for executive session (a vote) next week. HB 1508 is NOT on the exec list at this time. Committee chairs have total discretion as to which bills are heard, and which bills receive a vote. It appears that the public hearing may be as far as Chairman Pedersen is willing to let this one go. That does not bode well for all the other pro-gun bills sitting in his committee.

SB 5697 applies to "official" firearms only, and has no impact on private firearms ownership, so I'm dropping attention to it at this time. If it is somehow twisted to apply to the rest of us, I'll bring it back.

I'm also dropping from the bill status list all of last session's bills, until or unless they're brought back up in this session.

Several new gun or arms-related bills were filed this week. HB 2347, by Rep. Bruce Dammeier (R-25) would allow individuals with CPLs or active duty military personnel to carry spring-blade (switchblades and some others) knives. The current exemption only applies to law enforcement officers. For those who have yet to discover the utility of a fast opening knife in a defensive scenario, these knives form a legitimate and sometimes critical defensive tool. HB 2471, by Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45) is the NICS alternative "fix-it" bill to waive background checks for CPL holders. HB 2481, also By Rep. Goodman (D-45) amends the current reciprocity statute to recognize CPLs from some states that issue carry licenses to individuals under the age of 21, but only of the licensee is 21 or over.

SB 6123, by Senator Brian Hatfield (D-19), is a mirror image to HB 2202, the NRA license plate bill. It is scheduled for a public hearing in Senate Transportation on 18 January. SB 6179, by Senator James Kastama (D-25) changes the definition of "spring-blade knife" to simple "switchblade;" it does NOT grant an exemption to CPL holders. SB 6272, by Senator Val Stevens (D-39), addresses the inherent right of self-protection and prohibits the state from tracking firearm or ammunition possession or intrusion by the state into the domicile or vehicle of an otherwise lawful citizen.

A public hearing has been scheduled for SB 6123, NRA license plate, by Sen. Brian Hatfield (D-19) by the Senate Transportation Committee on Wednesday, 18 January at 3:30 p.m.

HB 2202/SB 6123, NRA license plate. I first learned of this bill in early December on a visit to Olympia. Getting a license plate specifically recognizing the National Rifle Association is a commendable goal, And a nearly impossible one in the current legislative make-up. Sadly, like it or not, "NRA" is a four-letter word to Democrat leadership in Olympia. I suggested to one sponsor of the bill that it be changed to honor the Second Amendment in general. This defuses the "NRA" issue and broadens the appeal of the bill from NRA members to members of all gun rights groups, as well as to those who belong to NO group. And it makes it harder for the anti-NRA types to vote against a fundamental element of the Bill of Rights, recently affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States. For that reason, GOAL's position on 2202/6123 is listed as "SUPPORT IF AMENDED." This will undoubtedly be greeted with dismay by some of our readers. But politics is the art of the possible. A Second Amendment license plate stands a far greater chance of passage than an NRA plate, pure and simple.

The "GOAL Position on Bills" section will only list those bills filed this session or under active consideration.

Once again, here is the link to contact your elected legislators: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Just type in your address and links to your State Senator and two State Representatives will be provided.

(ADMIN NOTE: I'll be at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas next week, returning home on Saturday, 21 January. GOAL Post will likely be distributed Saturday night. If any of y'all are going to be there, please stop and visit at the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) booth #16753)

BILL STATUS:

The following are ALL of the gun-related bills filed during the current 2012 regular session.

Bill #   Subject                                             Sponsor              Status
HB 2067 Repeal of self defense restitution     Hunter (D-48)      H. W&M
HB 2098 Short barreled rifles                       Blake (D-19)        H. Jud.
HB 2099 Short-barreled rifles and shotguns   Blake (D-19)        H. Jud.
HB 2137 Guns in vehicles                         Blake (D-19)         H. Jud.
HB 2202 NRA license plate                         Takko (D-19)      H. Trans.
HB 2347 Spring-blade knives                    Dammeier (R-25)   H. Jud.
HB 2471 Firearm purchase                         Goodman (D-45) H. Jud.
HB 2481 CPL reciprocity                       Goodman (D-45)    H. Jud.

SB 5697 State agency gun security devices Hargrove (D-24)    S. Jud.
SB 6123 NRA license plate                     Hatfield (D-19)      S. Trans.
SB 6179 Anti-switchblade knives                Kastama (D-25)     S. Jud.
SB 6272 Right to self-defense                  Stevens (R-39)         S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, Jud. = Judiciary, Trans = Transportation, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS (see note in narrative)

HB 1508   SUPPORT
HB 2067   OPPOSE
HB 2098   SUPPORT
HB 2099   SUPPORT
HB 2137   SUPPORT
HB 2202   SUPPORT IF AMENDED
HB 2347   SUPPORT
HB 2471   SUPPORT
HB 2481   SUPPORT

SB 5697   NEUTRAL
SB 6123   SUPPORT IF AMENDED
SB 6179   OPPOSE
SB 6272   SUPPORT

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:
18 Jan       SB 6123   Senate Transportation Committee
3:30 p.m.   Senate Hearing Room "1"   John A. Cherberg Building

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!
            1-800-562-6000   TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" with the words "Unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list's admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

Monroe   14-15 January
Puyallup 21-22 January

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."
Article 1, Section 24
Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2012 Gun Owners Action League of WA

Snowpocalypse 2012, Cont'd

2012-01-16T01:54:00.000-08:00

it may have stopped snowing at Neue Schloss Drang about the time I left for work, the storm moving north a little slower than I, but it started up again shortly thereafter, or so I am told.

Compared to other places, of course, the less-than-half-a-foot we got everywhere in the Puget Sound region barely qualifies as a snowstorm at all. I notice that, when folks in places that don't consider it winter until they've had two or three dustings like this snort, they never ask say, Los Angelenos or San Franciscans how they think they and their neighbors would react to what is, so far, a relatively minor winter storm even for Puget Sound.

Anyway. Got out to the employee parking lot at the Salt Mines at midnight-ish, and there was very little snow on the hood of the Drangmobile, and a couple of inches on the roof. I had to pry the driver's door open...

...and it wouldn't latch shut...

I don't believe I blogged about this at the time, but a little over a year ago I had to have... Y'know, I'll bet there's a lot of readers who, if I admit that the Drangmobile is a pre-Obamamobile Blazer, would be able to finish that sentence for me.

Anyway, apparently Chevy uses cheese for door hinges. Good, sturdy cheese, but the hinges are still crap, and eventually, you'll have to replace them.

If you're not aware of the problem, and don't get it taken care of in time, you may have to have other work done, too.

I did NOT get excited when the door wouldn't latch. I just started the engine and cranked the defroster, peeled the windscreen cover off--leaving behind a thin skin of ice, but but was still easier to deal with than the full monty would have been--and then discovered that I couldn't get the passenger door open. (The windscreen cover goes inside at both sides, attaches to inside of windscreen with suction cups.) Well, that was easy, I opened the window and pulled. That one came open, windscreen cover removed, door closed and latched...

The latch on the driver's side door was frozen in the closed position, my Gerber Artifact sufficed to pry it open enough to close and latch the door. Ice scraped from back window, note to self: Get rear defroster fixed.

The parking lot could not be described as a skating rink because skating rinks are usually flat; no way a Zamboni has been anywhere near this place. 4 Hi out the gate, and on out to the main drag. (I only use four wheel drive once or twice a year, but when I need it, it's worth the expense...)

Surface arterials and freeway were wet but free of ice, despite the fact that Washington State Department of Transportation said that pretty much all road surface temperatures in the Puget Sound region were pretty much all below freezing. (I checked before we released the crew.) Side streets were slick. Very little traffic, and no idiocy seen, I assume that no one who didn't have to hit the road did so.

On the way home it started to snow again.

Snowpocalypse Update; #OccupyFail

2012-01-15T12:20:00.001-08:00

Stopped snowing shortly before I left home; roads wet but clear.
Caught up to the storm on the way in, seems to be slowly moving north.
Ever since I started working Sunday afternoons, there has been a clutch of protesters at the main intersection; at first, they were what I called "Hugs for Hamas", as they seemed mostly interested in giving* Islamo-Fascistii whatever they want at the expense of Civilization, but lately they have been Occutarding as well.
They can't seem to Occupy Snowmageddon, though, so that's one thing we have going for us.

*Typo caused by using software keyboard on cell phone to compose post corrected...

Snowpocalypse 2012

2012-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

As I was driving home from work last night/this morning, I was thinking that this was the most overblown Snowmageddon we've had in months. No snow at the Salt Mines, the barest half-hearted flurry on my windshield that could have easily been missed, a couple of Maytag Repairman-lonely snow plows wandering around looking for work... Then I got passed by a couple of cars with several inches of snow on them, so someone was getting the white stuff...

Woke up to this in the backyard:

The first picture is straight out the back door, the second at an angle towards the street. As you can see, degree of coverage depends on how sheltered the grass or pavement was: By the garage or under the tree, there's grass exposed; in a more central spot, the grass is barely sticking up. (This picture simply does not do that neat old tree justice...)

Here's the view from my kitchen window as I started getting my lunch ready for work:

Same view, same camera settings, about 15 minutes later:

Current Weather Advisory:

Winter Weather Advisory
Statement as of 8:11 AM PST on January 15, 2012

... Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 10 PM PST this evening...
The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for snow... which is in effect until 10 PM PST this evening.
* Some affected locations... Seattle... Tacoma... Bremerton... and Shelton.
* Timing... snow showers... locally heavy... will persist into the evening hours.
* Total snow accumulations... up to 3 inches.
* Impact... near or below freezing temperatures will result in some icy roads this morning.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Winter Weather Advisory for snow is issued for The Lowlands when 1 to 3 inches is likely to fall in 12 hours.

I think I'd better pack an overnight bag...

More?! WTF?!

2012-01-15T01:52:00.000-08:00

Groan..not again! Operation ‘White Gun’ another ATF foul-up? - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com

"Don't be jealous of my EDC"

2012-01-15T01:36:00.000-08:00

Sometime folks obsess a little about their "Every Day Carry"...

SO, no kidding, there I was, shopping online for a new EDC pouch, when these popped up on Shooters NorthWest...

Snowmageddon Update

2012-01-14T02:29:00.000-08:00

Weather Underground says it's gonna snow, some, patchy, here-and-there, starting tonight and continuing through Wednesday. Or not: A lot of that is listed as "Chance of snow."

Weather Spark says a 40% chance of snow through Tuesday, changing to rain Wednesday. (Neat graphics there, BTW,and thanks to Ry for pointing me at it. No mobile phone/Android implementation yet.) (Weather underground just launched n Android app.)

Current weather ~~advisory~~ statement:

Seattle/Bremerton Area
Special Weather Statement
Statement as of 3:53 PM PST on January 13, 2012

... A cold front will bring colder air behind it Saturday morning for a chance of lowland snow showers...
... A series of active storm systems next week will bring periods of winter weather to western Washington...

A cold front will cross western Washington early Saturday morning. The air mass is expected to be cold enough so that snow levels will lower below 500 feet. Scattered rain or snow showers
will become more predominantly snow showers Saturday night and Sunday. These hit and miss showers will likely produce spotty snow accumulations of two inches or less across western Washington.
Areas with more persistent shower activity like the Puget Sound convergence zone could have locally higher accumulations as well as areas with a little elevation.

Next week... a series of stronger and wetter frontal systems will move across the Pacific northwest... starting around Monday. These weather systems will bring a threat of significant snow to The Lowlands. The exact track and strength of the systems that will bring this winter weather threat are uncertain at this time.

Please monitor latest forecast for additional information.

Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for Washington Issued by the National Weather Service. Five different winter weather advisories...

Cliff Mass' Weather Blog: The Upcoming Snow and A Clearer Picture. Includes pretty pictures that I don't fully understand...
...and a quote one doesn['t really want to hear from a meterologist:

Well, after one of the most boring winters I can remember in a while, we are about to start experiencing some interesting times.

Oh, dear...

sigh

2012-01-12T17:02:00.000-08:00

SNOWMAGGEDON!!! SNOWPOCALYPSE!!1!!ONE!

It's supposed to start snowing Saturday evening. Depending on which forecast you look at, it may be "flurries"*, "showers", or just plain old "snow". But not a "blizzard"*, so what the heck?

Well, on Tuesday I had to deal with the fact that folks around get all freaked out and drive 40 in a 60 when it's sun ny and dry out, and have no idea how to drive in snow, which, if you will review posts I've made in past winters, you'll see that there's a certain amount of meteo-geograpical** sense to that.

To summarize the points, each neighborhood has it's own micro-climate, or more than one; plus, it generally starts snowing in the afternoon when it's warm enough that the snow melts; it continues to snow, the temperature drops, the melt freezes, and now you have snow on top of ice...

...Those neighborhood micro-climates? They're caused by a network of valleys and ridges and hills, just right to make it a lot of fun to drive in, when the road surface is packed snow over ice...

*BTW, did you know that up until sometime in the 19^th Century a "snow flurry" was a very heavy snow, and a "blizzard" was a light one? Not sure when they got reversed, but that's why a fighter will land "a flurry of blows"...
Blizzards are still my favorite treat at DQ, though.
h/t to Bill Bryson for linguistic geekery.
**I suspect I just coined a term that will never be used again by anyone...

An observation

2012-01-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

The proper way to condition the rechargeable battery of a brand new electronic device is to completely drain and recharge it.

If you want to drain the battery of your brand new Android tablet, I have found no better tool for the job than Angry Birds.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it...

Better to light a candle against the darkness...

2012-01-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

...than to reflect on the increasing irrelevance of your organization, and the futility of taking a metaphor literally.

Weer'd Beard reports that the Coalition to Disarm Law-abiding Americans thinks that a candlelight protest will somehow stop the blood in the streets.

Yeah, I know, "What blood in the streets?" (See previous post.)

Anyway. Behind the times as I usually seem to be, here is the photo I took and was supposed to post on January 8^th:

We have candles, but they're mostly the great, big pillar types that we use for emergency lighting during power outages, and are too unwieldy to move around for artsy photos, so I used my Surefire Z2 instead. I think it has sufficient candlepower.

For good measure, and speaking of lighting a candle metaphorically, the pic on my Droid is of me helping teach an NRA Personal Protection class.

Colt Combat Commander, Surefire Z2, Columbia River Knife and Tool M16-10Z, and Droid. Both mags are Pachmayr Stainless 7-round jobs with base pads I got when I picked up the .45; the mag pouch for the spare is Safariland.

For good measure: A Week’s Worth of Self-Defense | Power Line

The Blood Dance gets lamer and lamer...

2012-01-12T11:56:00.000-08:00

Dave Workman reports: How will CeaseFire spin this? Homicide no longer among leading death causes - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com

From the "Duh" File

2012-01-12T00:26:00.000-08:00

North Korea Reportedly Punishing Those Who Didn't Sufficiently Mourn Kim Jong Il | Fox News
Who'd'u thunk it? Oh, yeah, I woulda: More on the Croaking of Junior

Further previous coverage:
!!!
What could possibly go wrong?
More north Korean stuff
Pics from junior's funeral

These Are My People

2012-01-11T10:09:00.001-08:00

A Girl and Her Gun: An Open Letter To The Anti-Gun Folks

On this day in history...

2012-01-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense.

Good reason to post this again:

Verisimilitude

2012-01-09T22:03:00.000-08:00

So, the other day, SayUncle reported that he had been watching Firefly on DVD, and found it Gorram annoying that the profanity was rutting contrived. "Cuss like you mean it!", he said.

He was immediately inundated with comments--well, it would be an inundation here, over there it would be a light day--explaining that it was done to include Science Fictiony swearing while avoiding the censors, because, after all, it's the future, and a sort of American-Chinese hybrid future in a different star system, so what did he expect?

I think they might have emphasized the future/science fiction part more. In an essay on writing SF--it could have been from his James Forrestal speech at Annapolis--Robert A Heinlein (pbuh) said that he recommended establishing right away that one's story is not set the current day; he said that his favorite was the phrase "The door irised open." Certainly, the Heinlein "juveniles" that opened with the teenaged son driving the family helicopter home made it pretty obvious, too.

Different authors handle it in different ways. In his Known Space series, Larry Niven has one planetary culture adopt the fashion of the Assymetric Beard: Half a sideburn, half a mustache, partial goatees, etc.* Meanwhile, on Earth,pills were taken to change one's skin and hair color, and even to apply patterns to the skin, as sort of temporary, painless, whole-body tattoos.

It's not always necessary to make the differentiation, of course; if the story opens with soldiers in powered armor, , or someone using a teleportation booth or flying with a jetpack, let alone on a starship, it's pretty obvious.

However, if the story line can be described as "Space cowboys", then Measures Must Be Taken...

*I had already been thinking about this when I saw Uncle's post, because I had managed to miss about a two-inch long, eight-of-an-inch wide section of beard when shaving before work the day before. Not visible in the mirror, but obvious to the touch...

GOAL Post 2012-1

2012-01-09T10:38:00.000-08:00

From Joe Waldron:

GOAL Post 2012-1

Legislative Update from Olympia                          6 January 2012

     SPECIAL SESSION: NO ACTION ON GUNS

     2012 REGULAR SESSION STARTS MONDAY, 9 JANUARY

     LEGISLATION 101: HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW

     BILLS FILED IN 2011 REMAIN ALIVE

     BATFE APPROVES NICS ALTERNATIVE STATUS, HOWEVER...

     PARK INCIDENT MAY SPUR GUN BILL(S)

     NEW BILL(S) FILED

     PUBLIC HEARINGS SCHEDULED ON HB 1508, SB 5697

     CONTACT INFORMATION FOR YOUR LEGISLATORS

     LEGISLATIVE CUT-OFF CALENDAR TO BE PUBLISHED

The Special Session of the Legislature that convened on 28 November 2011 adjourned on 14 December 2011. No action was taken on any gun-related bills.

The 2012 Regular Session of the Legislature convenes on Monday, 9 January, for the Constitutionally-required 60 days (short session). At this time, it is scheduled to end no later than midnight, 8 March.

The legislative process is fairly simple. With some exceptions, it's a five step process:
1. A bill is assigned to a policy committee (usually Judiciary for gun bills) for consideration.
2. If it passes out of the policy committee, it goes to the chamber (House or Senate) floor for a vote.
3. If it passes the original chamber, it goes to the opposite chamber to a policy committee.
4. Again, if it passes the policy committee, it moves on to a floor vote.
5. If it passes out of both chambers, it goes to the governor for her signature, veto or partial veto.
Exceptions include bills that require fiscal action -- they go through additional fiscal committee hearings. And bills that are amended in the second chamber must be approved by the first chamber, or go to a conference committee to resolve differences.

The legislative explanation may be found at http://www.leg.wa.gov/legislature/Pages/Bill2Law.aspx

Because the legislature works on a two-year (biennium) schedule, bills filed in 2011 that did not pass out of committee are still alive through the 2012 session and may receive action. For that reason I have listed all 2011 bills in the "Bill Status" section of the GOAL Post.

Recognizing that SHB 1923, signed by Governor Gregoire last year, requires successful passage of a NICS check as part of the CPL clearance process, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) approved Washington as a NICS alternative state. This means that anyone who possesses a CPL issued after 22 July 2011 is exempt from a NICS check. Unfortunately, achieving full NICS Alternative status is a two-step process. Now that ATF has agreed to waive the federal requirement for a background check for "new" CPL holders, state law must be changed to exempt the state requirement for a similar background check. A draft bill to accomplish this is being circulated as I write this.

Sadly the New Year unfolded with the murder of a Park Ranger at Mt. Rainier by an apparently deranged young man. A photo of the man was published in the Seattle times, with the multi-tattooed individual holding a MAC-10 and what appears to be a Saiga shotgun (AK-47 look-alike) across his bare chest. Coming at the beginning of the legislative session, this may move to the top of the gun control agenda. Previous attempts by the gun control lobby to pass an "assault weapon" ban have all ended in failure, starting in the 1990s and most recently a couple of years ago.

At this time two new firearm-related bills have been filed: HB 2137 by Rep. Brian Blake (D-19) would allow individuals to secure legally-possessed firearms in a locked vehicle while parked in their employers parking lot even when company policy prohibits weapons possession. HB 2202 by Rep. Dean Takko (D-19) would create a specialized license plate with the NRA logo and words "National Rifle Association." Funds generated by the account would go to the state Fish & Wildlife Commission to be used for hunter education.

A public hearing on HB 1508, Shooting range protection, by Rep. Dean Takko (D-19) will be conducted by the House Judiciary Committee on Thursday, 12 January at 10 a.m. in House Hearing Room "A." Firearms safety should be at the top of everyone's agenda, gun owner and non-gun owner alike. A safe place for recreational shooting and a safe place to conduct firearms safety training serve society as a whole. HB 1508 would "grandfather" existing shooting ranges from new, restrictive ordinances. Range protections bills have been passed twice in the past 18 years, only to be vetoed by the governor.

A public hearing on SB 5697, state agency gun security devices by Senator Jim Hargrove (D-24) will be conducted by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, 13Jjanuary at 1:30 p.m. in Senate Hearing Room 1. SB 5697 would require the Attorney General to establish minimum acceptable standards for firearm locking device(s) to be issued to anyone in the state who is armed by state or local government in the performance of his or her duties.

You can contact your elected legislators by several means. Links to legislative district information and legislators' telephone and e-mail addresses may be found at http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx
Just type in your address and links to your State Senator and two State Representatives will be provided.

One of the first steps taken when the legislature convenes is adoption of a legislative cut-off calendar. These dates determine when a bill must pass out of its policy committee, or out of the originating chamber (House or Senate). The first policy committee cut-off will likely occur the first week in February. This calendar will be adopted on Monday or Tuesday, and it will be published in next week's GOAL Post.

BILL STATUS:

The following are ALL of the gun-related bills filed during the 2011 regular session. "Dead" bills may be revived in future sessions.

Bill #        Subject               Sponsor                 Status
HB 1006 Knife blade length                             Appleton (D-23)     H. Jud.
HB 1016 Suppressor use                                 Blake (D-19)         Gov. signed
HB 106 6 Black powder storage and transport   Bailey (R-10)         H. Jud.
HB 1238 CPL age requirement lowered             Orcutt (R-18)       H. Jud.
HB 1400 Firearms on snowmobiles                  Ross (R-14)          H. Jud.
HB 1455 Restoration of rights                          McCune (R-2)      Gov. signed
HB 1508 Range protection                               Takko (D-19)        H. Jud.
HB 1628 CPL background checks                    Kirby (D-29)         H. Jud.
HB 1638 Harmonize state/federal law for CPLs Goodman (D-45)   H. Jud.
HB 1729 State agency gun security devices      Hurst (D-31)         H. Jud.
SHB 1923 CPL qualification                            Goodman (D-45)   Gov. signed
HB 1990 WA Firearms Freedom Act                Shea (R-4)            H. Jud.
HB 2067 Repeal of self defense restitution    Hunter (D-48)       H. W&M
HB 2098 Short barreled rifles                          Blake (D-19)       H. Jud.
HB 2099 Short-barreled rifles and shotguns    Blake (D-19)        H. Jud.
HB 2137 Guns in vehicles                               Blake (D-19)        H. Jud.
HB 2202 NRA license plate                             Takko (D-19)        Unassigned

SB 5112 Suppressor use                                 Hatfield (D-19)     S. Jud.
SB 5313 Juvenile weapon possession               Kline (D-37)        S. Jud.
SB 5418 No duty to retreat                             Becker (R-2)        S. Jud.
SB 5592 College weapon prohibition                Shin (D-21)         S. Jud.
SSB 5634 CPL background checks                 Hargrove (D-24)     S. Jud.
SB 5697 State agency gun security devices      Hargrove (D-24)     S. Jud.

Key to abbreviations: HB = House Bill, SHB = Substitute House Bill, SB = Senate Bill, SSB = Substitute Senate Bill, Jud. = Judiciary, W&M = Ways & Means

GOAL POSITION ON BILLS

HB 1508    SUPPORT
SB 5697    NEUTRAL

Remainder to be determined

HEARING(S) SCHEDULED:

12 Jan        HB 1508     House Judiciary Committee
10:00 a.m.    House Hearing Room "A"    John L. O'Brien Bldg (JLO)

13 Jan        SB 5697    Senate Judiciary Committee
1:30 p.m.    Senate Hearing Room 1        John A. Cherberg Building

LEGISLATIVE HOT LINE: You may reach your Representatives and Senator by calling the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-562-6000. Toll free!!! The hearing impaired may obtain TDD access at 1-800-635-9993. Also toll free!!!

            1-800-562-6000   TDD 1-800-635-9993

OTHER DATA: Copies of pending legislation (bills), legislative schedules and other information are available on the legislature's web site at "www.leg.wa.gov". Bills are available in Acrobat (.pdf) format. You may download a free version of Adobe Acrobat Reader from Adobe's web site (http://www.adobe.com). You may also obtain hard copy bills, initiatives, etc, in the mail from the Legislative Bill Room FREE OF CHARGE by calling 1-360-786-7573. Copies of bills may also be ordered toll free by calling the Legislative Hotline at (800) 562-6000. You may also hear floor and committee hearing action live at http://www.tvw.org/ (you need "RealAudio" to do this, available free at the TVW web site).

By reading the House and Senate "bill reports" (hbr, sbr) for each bill, you can see how individual committee members voted. By reading the "roll call" for each bill, you can see how the entire House or Senate voted on any bill. The beauty of the web site is that ALL this information is available, on line, to any citizen.

GET THE WORD OUT: If you want to subscribe to the GOAL Post by e-mail, send a message to "jwaldron@halcyon.com". Please pass GOAL Post on to anyone you believe may have an interest in protecting our rights. Better yet, make a couple of copies of this message, post it on your gun club’s bulletin board, and leave copies with your local gun shop(s). PERMISSION IS HEREBY GRANTED TO DUPLICATE OR REDISTRIBUTE GOAL POST PROVIDED IT IS REPRODUCED IN ITS ENTIRETY WITHOUT TEXTUAL MODIFICATION AND CREDIT IS GIVEN TO GOAL. I can be reached at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" or by telephone at (425) 985-4867. Unfortunately, I am unable to mail hard copy GOAL Post to individuals. Limited numbers of hard copies MAY be available at the Second Amendment Foundation book table at WAC gun shows.

If you believe you have received this e-mail in error, please e-mail me at "jwaldron@halcyon.com" with the words "Unsubscribe GOAL Post" in the subject line. I will remove your name immediately. Keep in mind GOAL Post is also published on several gun lists. If you received GP via a list, you must contact that list's admin to unsubscribe.

Upcoming WAC gun show(s):

             Monroe              14-15 January
             Puyallup             21-22 January

"The right of the individual citizen to bear arms in defense of himself, or the state, shall not be impaired, but nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing individuals or corporations to organize, maintain or employ an armed body of men."

                Article 1, Section 24
       Constitution of the State of Washington

Copyright 2012 Gun Owners Action League of WA

A Noble Undertaking

2012-01-09T00:45:00.000-08:00

How Scottish Scientists Re-Created a Hundred-Year-Old Whisky | Popular Science

Consider the source...

2012-01-04T23:20:00.000-08:00

...does anyone besides ~~Colonel Tigh~~ John McCain and Mitt Obamney think John McCain's endorsement will help Romney?

Further thoughts on Iowa

2012-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

Over at Tam's. Read the comments, too. Ass-you-me'ing you haven't already, not many folks come here that don't go there. (And I promise not to whinge about the reverse not being true...)

The way I see it, with those percentages, it is effectively a three-way tie for the GOP position, which is effectively a defeat for the GOP Gentry and their Fair-haired Boy, Romney.

Unfortunately, as Bill Quick has pointed out many times at Daily Pundit, the GOP, AKA The Party Of Stupid, seems bound and determined to serve us up a crap sandwich: If the Fix is In, it won't matter how many state swing Paul or Santorum, we'll still get Obama Without A Tan.

Which could well be the end of the GOP.

J'Accuse

2012-01-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

LawDog says The Emperor and his minions are nekkid.

Thoughts on Ioway

2012-01-04T01:47:00.000-08:00

Re: The results of the Iowa Republican Caucus, as reported by the Des Moines Register, as of 1:40 am, CST.

High muckety-mucks within the GOP have been quoted, and even recorded, as stating that Romney will be the candidate this year.

So winning the caucus by a whole 8 votes is actually losing.
If this was a Democratic caucus, they'd be producing "previously lost" bags of ballots until the Inauguration.
Sucks for the high muckety-mucks that the voters didn't get the memo.

Santorum came out of nowhere. Whoever he has working for him, deserves a raise. (And Perry should fire whoever he has running his campaign.)

Gingrich is probably as PO'd about Santorum as Romney should be. (So the Bachman back-stabbing may have been for naught. Good.)

Maybe the other candidates need to reconsider their position on socially conservative positions. (I don't necessarily hole with all those positions, myself, but the other candidates should be thinking how to not agree while still appealing to the social conservatives...)

And Romney really needs to work on this, what with having set the standard for what became ObamaCare, and having firmly established himself as a gun banner.

"No Preference" 135 votes, "Other" 117 votes, and Herman Cain 55 votes.

Email I received from one of the Tea Party organizations predicts that Rick Perry and Michelle Bachman are about to drop out. Almost a certainty that Santorum will pick up those votes, if they do. And that Romney is soooo hosed if that happens...

Honestly? I wish Sarah Palin was running. Among the contenders on the ballot in Iowa, I'd probably go for Perry or Gingrich--but Santorum will do.

2012 Iowa Republican Caucus Results

2012-01-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

2012 Iowa Republican Caucus Results, from the Des Moines Register.

That's the Des Moines in Iowa, not the one up the road, here in Washington.

"Stepping forward for a ‘Fallen Ranger’"

2012-01-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

A Park Ranger was murdered at Mount Rainier National Park this last weekend. The murderer had previously shot 4 people at a party in Seattle. Gun banners immediately started the obligatory blood dance. Because, you know, killing people isn't already illegal enough.

Stepping forward for a ‘Fallen Ranger’ – a gun rights forum - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com

Reading

2012-01-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Working my way through Niall Ferguson's War of the West--about halfway through now. While many refer to the 20th Century as The American Century, I get the impression that Mr. Ferguson feels that England could (and should) have prevented a lot of the true tragedies from happening.

John Billings' The Two-headed Eagle, his third story of Linienschiffsleutnant Ottokar Prohaska of Kaiserlicht und Koeniglicht, er, the Austro-Hungarian Navy, before and during WWI. This one takes place during the five-month-or-so interlude when Otto was on the beach, if that phrase applies when a submariner is taken from his pig boat and seconded to the Air Corps.
These books read somewhat like the Perils of Pauline, if Pauline had been an Eastern European subject of Emperor Franz Josef. I can't fathom the amount of research that had to be done to write these. (Assuming it wasn't just made up from whole cloth, which, I suppose, is not impossible for the details regarding the Austro-Hungarian navy before and during WWI...)
Also, for some reason I picked up the first title in the series expecting it to read sort of like the officer's version of The Good Soldier Schwiek. Aside from detailed descriptions of the arcane bureaucratic nightmare that was the Austro-Hungarian Empire in it's dying days, not so much.

How To Be Invisible, JJ Luna. I think I saw this recommended on Instapundit. Some good advice here, the emphasis on staying legal distinguishes it from similar publications from Paladin Press or Loompanics or the like.
The writing style is bit off-putting for me, too much quoting of newspaper items, with details including names and the like. Too many news reports cited. Also was a bit turned off by the paragraph on page 4 about how many firearms there are in America, and the statement about how much more crime there is here than in Europe... Hmmm, last time I looked at the statistics, it sure looked like crime here was at a lower rate than there...
Also a lot of reference to "personal enemies."
Author resides in the Canary Islands.
I guess, if you think that "invisibility" is the ideal form of safety...

How far to bug out, and where...?

2012-01-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Mr. LibertyNews on the Shooters' Northwest forum linked to this article--Should you leave the USA before the collapse? Words of wisdom from someone who tried--which contains some cautionary advice regarding leaving the United States before things go "smash."

I haven't traveled as extensively as this guy says he has, but my reaction to folks who say things like "I've had it, I'm leaving"--whether they're running from the IRS, ATF, George Bush, or Barack Obama, has always been "Where are you going to go?"

"Oh, when we visited Freedonia, it was great!" "You were there for a week as a rich American tourist, will they let you stay? Will they grant you citizenship? How will you make a living?"

I'm so mean, smashing peoples' fantasies...

"Clearly, the (gun) laws are too strict here"

2012-01-02T02:59:00.000-08:00

Or, How To Tell We're Winning, Part XCIII: NY City Councilman: ‘Clearly, the (gun) laws are too strict here…’ - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com

"Progressives and the Ron Paul fallacies"

2012-01-02T02:30:00.000-08:00

Progressives and the Ron Paul fallacies, by Glenn Greenwald, in, of all places, Salon.

It reads like Mr. Greenwald is helping draft articles of impeachment against His Imperial Majesty, Barack Hussein Obama...

How to tell we're winning

2012-01-01T01:45:00.000-08:00

Lead article, with full color photo, from the FRONT PAGE of the Saturday, 31 December, 2011, SEATTLE TIMES:
Local News | Renton shooters recreate Old West, live ammo and all | Seattle Times Newspaper
The Seattle Slimes running a positive article about Cowboy Action Shooting.

I do declare, what is this world coming to?

Oops. I mean, Hoopy Near Yar!

2012-01-01T01:11:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not drunk, it's been a rough week in the Salt Mines. Which may explain why, when I saw all the fireworks as I left work at midnight-ish, my first thought was "Independence Day, already?"

Anyway. As the cats cower under the furniture, I am at a loss as to why I didn't think to set this to auto-post at Midnight. Preferably Midnight Zulu/GMT/UCT. Oh, well.

ISTR that, in the album liner notes, whichever one of the Tannahill Weavers that was writing--Dougie McLean?--commented that one rarely hears more than the first verse. The rest of it is a little sad, so the tone of the Tannie's version may be appropriate. Here are the "English" lyrics, per Wikipedia:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.
CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.
CHORUS

† Dine: Colloquial, "Dinner time."

Anyway, here's hoping that 2012 will be a better one. Shouldn't be hard, but I suspect we'll be saying it is, in retrospect...

F-35s

2011-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

Here's the text that was in the email:

This video is fresh (for the public). It was made just six weeks ago in the Atlantic, just off Newport News (Hampton Roads), Virginia .

These are the latest sea trials of the F-35B on the USS Wasp. They were very successful, with 74 VL's and STO's in a three week period. The media and the program critics had predicted that we would burn holes in the deck and wash sailors overboard. Neither of which happened. You will notice a sailor standing on the bow of the ship as the jet rotates. That was an intentional part of the sea trials.

The USS Wasp is an amphibious assault ship designed to embark a Marine Expeditionary Unit. It is capable of simultaneously supporting rotary and fixed wing STOVL aircraft and amphibious landing craft operations. For this test deployment the USS Wasp was outfitted with special instrumentation to support and measure the unique operating environment as the F-35B conducted short takeoffs and vertical landings.

No catapult...... No hook .............

The shape and scope of warfare – worldwide – just changed.

Interesting combination of uniforms there. I thin k that, if I was on flight deck duty, I'd wear my oldest uniforms that were authorized to wear them out...

Pics from junior's funeral

2011-12-28T20:46:00.000-08:00

Business Insider has some Insane Pictures From The Funeral Of Kim Jong-Il
It segues into a collection of north korean propaganda. Someday I'll get my little collection scanned in and posted...

h/t Rantberg

"Going to have to watch this one"

2011-12-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Daddy Bear says Going to have to watch this one:

The Indianapolis Star is reporting that a Kroger store manager reacted to someone putting something up to the back of one of his employees and demanding that she go to the back office by shooting the thug in the face. Said thug has reportedly shuffled off this mortal coil.

Not surprisingly, Kroger seems to have a "No guns in the workplace" policy, as do most businesses. Being in Indiana, employees are allowed to keep firearms in their locked cars while at work, but companies are allowed to prohibit them in the workplace. I don't have a problem with that, by the way. Company premises are usually private property, and what a property owner wants to allow or not is up to them....

Like the title says, I'll be watching this one. My family shops at our local Kroger a lot. But if this manager is fired, I'm switching to somewhere else. I left Walgreens after they fired a pharmacist for defending his life, and I'll leave Kroger too. Not calling for a boycott. I'll leave it up to everyone else, but I sure won't be giving them any more of my money.

No Kroger's stores in the Pacific Northwest. But Kroger does own both Fred Meyers and QFC; if Krogers takes an anti-gun, anti-self-defense/defense of others tack by firing the manager, I will call for a boycott.

Interesting

2011-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

Australia Looking for a Few Good [US] Veterans | Military.com
Applications closed in November, but still, it's interesting that, as US forces draw down, the Aussies want to hire them back...

Call it the Anti-meme

2011-12-28T01:03:00.000-08:00

Fer cryin' out loud. Tam posts a list of the 15 most played tunes on her ipoo'd, and the next thing you know everyone's doin' it.

Am I the only gun blogger who doesn't have a playlist/ipod/MP3 player? I've thought about getting one, but the only time I'd listen to it would be when I was on a plane, which doesn't happen often enough to make it worthwhile. I loaded a bunch of tunes on my Droid, and. Never. Ever. Played. Any of them.

Maybe if I had a car with an accesory jack on the audio system.

Maybe.

Floating Riot @ Mall of America

2011-12-27T23:59:00.000-08:00

Where was Gecko45?

So bad it's bad

2011-12-27T22:12:00.000-08:00

We're talkin' Plan 9 From Outer Space bad.
The Man from Planet X (1951) - IMDb AMC's synopsis says "Alien asks Earthlings for help, gets blasted by bazookas."
They leave out the really horrendous sets, the even worse FX, and the fact that the "help" the alien asks for is to assist his "dying planet" invading Earth...

Next up: Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966) - IMDb, the second Dr. Who movie starring Peter Cushing as The Doctor.

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

Except, since I was working Sunday, Christmas Day, it was actually Boxing Day Dinner. The sacrifices we make...

Three-rib roast, baby potatoes, asparagus,
and ~~bait~~ I mean ~~fish eggs~~ I mean caviar as an appetizer.

Yalumba Hills Shiraz/Vigonier blend, 2008

This is a strawberry liqueur Mrs. Drang made last year.
Pretty strong at first, it has mellowed with age. ~~Unlike me~~.

Who knew roasts of beast now come with
those stupid little pop-up doneness indicators?
We used a thermometer, just to be sure...

To our surprise, we only had one cat circling the table during the appetizer stage--Sparrowbane, who is responsible for any typos, since he's "helping" with my typing--and one during the actual beats part. That was Ratbane, and I'm not sure he wasn't angling for going outside, not roast beast scraps. Don't know how much beast scraps there may be for kitties later, but I doubt there will be much in the way of fish eggs for them; Mrs. Drang may work in the seafood industry, but she doesn't get that much of it.

"The American Revolutionary Era Origin of the Second Amendment's Clauses"

2011-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

The History of the Second Amendment's Clauses

More north Korean stuff

2011-12-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

From Dear Leader to Marilyn Monroe, defector mocks Kim | Reuters

Analysis: What's the plan if North Korea collapses? | Reuters

As for the second link, I'm not sure there is a plan. There may be a set of contingencies, maybe a recognized set of "what if's?", but... plan? Or maybe it would be better to say, we probably have plans, the ROKs probably have plans, the Japs may or may not have a plan, the ChiComs...? (I'm sure the Russian plan is to grab whatever opportunities may come along.)

For years, the Republic of Korea had an official policy encouraging of working towards Reunification. Then they saw what happened to West Germany post-reunification, and had second thoughts. Then the famines of the 90s happened, and they had to re-re-consider.

Not that they ever actually said "We've decided that reunification may not be in the best interests of the Korean people." No, they feel the rift too deeply, especially since, pre-1950, the majority population was north of the 38^th parallel. So, officially, Reunification was always going to be a Good Thing, even if the ROK government wasn't quite working as assiduously towards that goal as they once had.

But when it's not just a matter of "I wonder how cousin Yong Nam is doing?" but "I wonder if Yong Nam has eaten lately, or been eaten?", it get a little more difficult to be pragmatic...

In the early 80s one of the Korean TV networks had a show. IIRC it was supposed to be a one-off, but it turned into a series, lasted a year or more. It had a simple premise: Folks who had fled from the north would get on holding a sign with their name, their home town, and which relative they were looking for. Thousands of families were reunited.

I saw a couple of episodes, the guy who ran the junior NCO lounge had it on: These two guys are standing there next to each other, announcer starts reading sign for guy #1, halfway through guy #2 gets this look like he had been tased, looks at the other guy's sign... They were brothers.

They had to suspend that show, no one in the studio could go on. We also had to send Mr. Chae home for the day, after buying him a couple of drinks.

Lee Sung Man, ("Syngman Rhee" to most westerners) liked to claim that Koreans are the Irish of Asia: They are very passionate, love to drink and sing, and have had centuries of oppression by outsiders. "Centuries", ha!: One of our lessons when I was in the Intermediate Korean course at DLI was about Korean history, and started out with the phrase "Korean history is a five thousand year tragedy."

I suppose you could say this is just more of the same, but you probably shouldn't say it in front of a Korean...

UPDATE: I guess this could be considered "more of the same", too: The Chosun Ilbo (English Edition): Daily News from Korea - N.Korea in Frantic Preparation for 2012 Celebrations

Several North Korean spies have been arrested for plotting to assassinate South Koreans involved in anti-North Korean campaigns, National Intelligence Service Director Won Sei-hoon told a National Assembly audit Tuesday.

And New sign of rising power for new North Korean leader’s uncle - Arab News

Both h/t Rantberg, where you'll find a lot of relevant stuff.

Paging Dirtcrashr!

2011-12-26T20:14:00.000-08:00

Aloha, Ore. couple wakes up to man beating them with tiki torch | KOMO News

Might be handy....

2011-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

KB6NU shares a link to the 2005 version of the Motorola U.S. Standards and Guidelines for Communications Sites (Motorola R56) as a downloadable PDF.

Website of the day

2011-12-26T19:33:00.000-08:00

Fast N Furious Investigation

h/t Dave Hardy

"The Corruption of America"

2011-12-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

Porter Stansberry's The Corruption of America
. Quite long. Has an extensive section on how Democratic mayor Jerome Cavanagh murdered Detroit. Good intentions and all that. Certainly turned the city of my birth into a reasonable facsimile of Hell.
h/t Kevin.

QOTD, 12/26/2011

2011-12-26T18:11:00.000-08:00

Except it was posted several days ago, not sure how I missed it.
Chris:

...We're against people who want to run things.

It's from one of his mega-posts, so you really need to Go Read The Whole Thing.

Does this mean self-defense is a mitzvah?

2011-12-26T15:35:00.000-08:00

Hanukkah and Self-Defense | Shooting Illustrated

I LOL'd. Srsly.

2011-12-26T14:43:00.000-08:00

I think it scared Mrs. Drang and the cats.

h/t Joe.

Evolution

2011-12-26T13:51:00.000-08:00

Carteach0: The Elsie Pea...... Pocket pistol evolution

Mrs. Drang purchased herself one of these. Maybe someday she'll let me play with it--now that she has revealed to me that she did so.

Most guys try to hide their gun purchases from their wife, my wife hides her gun purchases from me....

"Wherever You Are"

2011-12-25T11:42:00.000-08:00

UK Military Wives' Choir has Greatest Hit:

h/t Gateway Pundit.

The “Military Wives” choir from Great Britain has marched to the top of the charts, taking the coveted Christmas number one spot. Their single, “Wherever You Are,” sold 556,000 copies in the last week, more than the rest of the top 12 combined, the Official Charts Company said.

Looks like they have a few tracks for sale on Amazon, hint,hint...

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T11:31:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from all of us at Schloss Drang
Even though this sums up my normal approach to the holdiays

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!
I sincerely hope you have an enjoyable holiday surrounded by loved ones.

Me, the rain is falling, the wind is blowing, and I am getting ready for work. But Mrs. Drang likes the first installment of gifts--we both have stuff which "should" be delivered this week--and the cats are having fun playing with discarded gift wrap, so Merry Christmas.

Caliber Development

2011-12-24T01:41:00.000-08:00

I suppose it should be "calibre"...

In a comment to my post "Philosophical differances", recent recipient of a Tamalanche!, the subject of the US overriding the UK's desire for a smaller caliber for battle rifles came up in comments.

THE .256 BRITISH: A LOST OPPORTUNITY tells that tale.

According to the Wikipedia article on the M1 Garand rifle, the minimum caliber that was specified for the replacement for the M1903 Springfield rifle was .256--!--, but a .276 was settled on--until Chief of Staff General Douglas MacArthur directed that a .30 (.30-'06) rifle be pursued, "in part because there were extensive existing stocks of .30 M1 ball ammunition."

My first gun, paid off @ $20 dollars a week until I turned 18 and could pick it up at Neumann's Gun Shop, was an M1 Garand.

The push to replace the M1911 .45ACP pistol with a 9mm in US Service was underway when I enlisted in 1980; testing was going on when I arrived at Ft Ord, CA, and double-dog dared the Army to ditch perfection¹ with some Euro-weenie poodle-shooter, and purchased myself a Colt Combat Commander.

I'd say "that turned out well" in a snarky manner, but, y'know, it did: I never did get used to the bulky, blocky Italian beast they replaced it with, but I still enjoy shooting John Moses Browning's (pbuh) masterpiece. (Although, considering the sheer magnitude of his oeuvre, can we really say that?)

I may have told this story: As we were deactivating a unit in Korea, we had an ammo bunker full of .45 ACP to dispose of, and no units in Korea with .45s. All us NCOs were offered the opportunity to go to the range and, um, dispose of it in the proper manner. There (IIRC) 4 or 5 of us, sharing the range with a company of MPs who had just replaced their .45s with M9s. I qualified Expert, as did most if not all my colleagues.

The MPs all bolo'd.

Worse, 5 years later I was attempting to qualify with an M9 at the exact same range, and so did I.²

1. Yeah, I know. Some of you agree whole-heartedly, and some of you are clutching your pearls and gasping prayers to Saint Gaston.
2. In my defense, in the interval, I had managed to qualify with an M9 during two other assignments; the Army had at least three different courses of fire for the pistol.

An Open Letter to Friends

2011-12-23T00:31:00.000-08:00

If I get any email from any politician's campaign, but especially the sort of thing described below, from His Imperial Majesty, not only will you cease to be considered a friend, but I will explore reporting you for SPAM or other violations.

(The)form for the Obama Campaign's) "inspire" solicitation asks for an email address for your donation muse so that the campaign can "send them [sic] a message letting them know they inspired you to donate." The Obama campaign is deliberately sending spam to people who never signed up for it. You can also give a donation "in memory of" someone, and the site still asks for an email address. You can take the politician out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago out of the politician.

You'd think he and his minions would have gotten the idea after the second or third time they tried these creepy, vaguely Big Brother-ish schemes had failed that maybe The Chicago Way doesn't cut it when you get away from the Loop...

h/t James Taranto, WSJ, via Insty.

What could possibly go wrong?

2011-12-21T18:18:00.000-08:00

Exclusive: North Korea's military to share power with Kim's heir:

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea will shift to collective rule from a strongman dictatorship after last week's death of Kim Jong-il, although his untested young son will be at the head of the ruling coterie, a source with close ties to Pyongyang and Beijing said.

This'll help how, exactly...?

2011-12-21T18:13:00.000-08:00

State considers adding ADD to medical pot list: State officials will consider a request to allow medical marijuana for people with attention deficit disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

National Defense Authorization Act FAQ: A Guide for the Perplexed

2011-12-21T16:33:00.000-08:00

Lawfare › NDAA FAQ: A Guide for the Perplexed

Not quite time to start panicking, but there ARE some worrisome bits.

Wormhole? Stargate?

2011-12-21T15:51:00.000-08:00

Well, no, alas, it's "only" gravitational lensing...
APOD: 2011 December 21 - A Horseshoe Einstein Ring from Hubble.
h/t Alfred Centauri, HAL watches from afar | Daily Pundit

Modern Dilemmas

2011-12-21T15:34:00.000-08:00

I forget where I saw this, it was in the last day or two:

At what point should you inform your date that you are armed?

I dunno. When I was first introduced to Mrs. Drang, she had just received her first Concealed Weapons Permit, and filled out her first 4473 for her first gun. So it never came up.

UPDATE: It was on Instapundit.

The Elements of Style

2011-12-21T13:04:00.001-08:00

The Elements of Style from Jake Heller on Vimeo.

Well, isn't this special? UPDATE

2011-12-20T20:51:00.000-08:00

Constitutional Expert: “President Obama … Says That He Can Kill You On His Own Discretion" Without Charge or Trial (CSPAN segment with that quote at the link.)

I've disputed such claims before. The National Defense Authorization Act contained some verbiage that some found worrisome, but I disagreed, on the grounds that the phrase "neither expands nor limits current authority" means just that, but many were interpreting "Neither A not B" to mean "A but not B."

Then again, Obama seems bound and determined to make my mockingly referring to him as "His Imperial majesty" reality.

UPDATE: Looking up "Constitutional Law professor Jonathan Turley" on Wikipedia, we learn that he is" frequently regarded as a champion of liberal and progressive causes", and "someone who speaks truth to power". (That phrase always makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit, it usually means "supports libtard causes no matter how silly.")

OTOH, it also says

However, Turley has a strong libertarian streak and sometimes infuriates the left^[10] with a contrarian position.^[22] For instance, he has said, “It is hard to read the Second Amendment and not honestly conclude that the Framers intended gun ownership to be an individual right.”^[8] In May 2009 the Daily Kos said that, "Jonathan Turley is an embarrassment!" because Turley had suggested that supreme court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor was not "brilliant" enough for the job.^[22]^[31] Moreover, Turley testified in favor of the Clinton impeachment.^[32]
In another commentary that outraged progressives, Turley defended Judge Henry E. Hudson's ruling declaring the individual mandate unconstitutional for violating the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, saying: "It’s very thoughtful—not a screed. I don’t see any evidence this is motivated by Judge Hudson’s personal beliefs. . . . Anybody who’s dismissing this opinion as a political screed has obviously not read the opinion."^[23]

So maybe he should give lesson on ConLaw to His Imperial Majesty...
h/t to Langenator on Bill Quick's Emergency Preps board for the additional G2...

Did you even know?

2011-12-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

Elmo's response to Holder claiming racism as a motive for the Fast 'n' Furious investigation:

This whole thing was a bit of a shock to me--not because it's strange for a liberal politician to cry racism when caught breaking the law, but because, getting almost all my news from print sources, I had no idea Holder was black.

1% OF HOLIDAYS GET 99% OF EGG NOG!

2011-12-20T00:28:00.000-08:00

Larry "Monster Hunter" Correia delivers the annual Christmas Noun:
THE CHRISTMAS NOUN « Monster Hunter Nation
THE CHRISTMAS (NOUN) 2: THE (NOUN)ENING « Monster Hunter Nation
The Christmas (Noun) 3D: The Gritty Reboot « Monster Hunter Nation
CHRISTMAS NOUN 4: OCCUPY CHRISTMAS NOUN « Monster Hunter Nation

Lipstick on a pig?

2011-12-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

GLOCK 22 “Statue of Liberty” Pistol | The Firearm Blog

Introduced	May 12, 2011
Sponsor	Sen. Patrick Leahy [D-VT]
Status	Reported by Committee
Last Action	Jan 23, 2012: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to S. 968 withdrawn by unanimous consent in Senate.