Blog
Marksmanship
Sight In Your Rifle in Two Shots
Common sense, and a way to save ammo. I first heard this tip on Tom Gresham's Gun Talk radio show. Here is a video demonstration from the NSSF.
Culture
Here is yet another example of why keeping a free country secure is so difficult and expensive.
Prosecutors Decline Charges Against Artist Arrested For Wearing "Bomb Watch" In Oakland Airport
"The watch, pictured in the above police evidence photo, was seized from artist Geoffrey McGann, 49, after he placed the item through an X-ray machine at a security checkpoint."
"According to McGann’s lawyer, the watch, designed to look like a trigger
switch, was a harmless art piece--and should have been recognized as
such by TSA officials."
I disagree with McGann's lawyer. It's TSA's job to check this kind of stuff out. After taking the time to investigate, they know now what it is — the other passengers suffered a major delay, and the whole world knows that "artist" Geoffrey McGann has a single figure IQ! I'm for making these screwballs pay a special service charge to cover the total expense of having to deal with their antics.
-fl
Smart Phone Application
One of the problems that CCW permit holders encounter is the occasional "No guns allowed" sign on the door of a store or restaurant. Most of the time we just go somewhere else, but it would be nice to know ahead of time if our proposed destination does not allow firearms. There is an Android application, still in its infancy, that will supply that information. Some bugs to be worked out, and in need of more data. Of course, now all a predator has to do is get one of these lists and they know the places where they are least likely to meet interference.
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Working both sides of the isle
Transparency
A couple of email messages that I received recently included a message from one of my U.S. Senators. The message read in part: "I’m bringing your voice, your concerns, and your desire that elected officials put differences aside and come together to get things done. I’ve always tried to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to solve our most pressing problems."
The other message was a warning that stated "One more negative outcome of the inability of Congress and the Obama administration to reach an agreement on reducing the federal deficit may be the siphoning off of millions of dollars from wildlife conservation funding provided by the 10-11 percent tax paid on new firearms and ammunition under the 75-year-old Pittman-Robertson Act."
So, raiding the wildlife conservation fund, a designated fund established by added taxes on firearms and ammunition, in order to fund wasteful spending is now in the scheme of things. That is a difference that cannot be "put aside." Government is going to have to implement something that is more believable and trustworthy than status quo political rhetoric.
Assuming that trust cannot exist without transparency, this would be a good idea to start with. Of course, not everyone has time to mine data from government websites, which means that any success of a government oversight or transparency program will need to rely on truthful reporting; the facts need to be accessible and accurate. That's just the start!
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Finally over
The 2012 Election
I have to agree with a fellow pundit who said "the good news is, the likelihood of violent post-election civil disturbance just went down: those who made the threats to do so, just lost their motive." That is good.
Obama won a decisive re-election victory in the Electoral College. But, the popular vote was said to be, at or near, the third closest in U.S. history, which means that the relevance of the Legislative Branch is as high as ever. There is a very distinct moral crevasse opening up in this country. Those of us who weigh situations based upon their potential for violence still have plenty to worry about.
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Situational Awareness
Post-election Rioting?
KABC talk show host Larry Elder interviewed Thomas Sowell, who put words to the thoughts that many people are having regarding the potential aftermath of Tuesday's election. Sowell articulates an important fact in this interview. There are people who want to see this nation racially divided, and these people have enough influence to promote rioting.
Best to be prepared for the worst.
-fl
Navigation
The Gravity of Rule 5
Last April, West Coast sailors, and everyone else, were shocked by the loss of the S/V Aegean and crew in a race from Newport, CA to Ensenada; the second tragedy in as many weeks. The investigative report on the Aegean incident has been released.
The SPOT Connect track ends at 0136 PDT on April 28, 2012, at North Coronado Island....... Aegean hit the Island about 0134 PDT, or about 2 minutes before the last SPOT location transmission
Rule 5 of the Navigation Rules states that "Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision."
Had the crew of Aegean not violated that rule, they would probably be alive today. The report from the United States Sailing Association Independent Review Panel corroborates what most everyone was speculating.
R.I.P.
Getting Away
Sailor Hopes to Cruise Globe in 10-Foot Boat
A veteran boat-builder and sailor from Sweden is building a 10-feet boat that he will use to sail around the world without docking on land a single time.
Armed with a stack of books and 880 pounds of mainly sardines and granola, the 73-year-old seasoned boat builder plans to wedge inside what he affectionately calls a "survival capsule," and spend up to a year-and-a-half reading, writing, thinking and soaking up the wonders of nature.
"I'll be completely safe. It's like a ping-pong ball in the sea, it never breaks," Mr. Yrvind said while showing the boat in his workshop. "A small boat constructed the right way is always stronger than a big boat."
Nothing wrong with the 'small boats are rugged' theory, and Yrvind is obviously capable of handling the isolation. He might want to store some trail mix for desert. My main concern is his getting run down in a shipping lane; hope he has a good strategy for collision avoidance — and I hope his health holds up well.
Fair winds!
-fl