Just got back from visiting Skeezer, Texas.
Thanks to him for having me and helping pay for the trip out.
FuzzyGeff was there (still is in fact) so we hung out and chewed the fat serious.
I had a great time.
Sure is a long dang drive though. Took 17:40 hours to get out there and 17:00 to get back. Overnighting in Biloxi might be the way to do it.
Did some shooting out there. My Russian Mosin-Nagant 1891/30 doesn't shoot near as nice as the Polish Mosin-Nagant M-44. Which is odd because the M-44 is a LOT shorter.
Geff got to renew his friendship with Weatherby.
Lots of outstanding food in Texas. Fuddruckers is about the best burger I have had in years. And the "fast food" bar-b-que is way better than most places here. Of course, Texas has excellent Tex-Mex.
Tried to go see the Steve Jackson Games compound! We started early and
FNORD
Wow! That was sure fun! As you can read, we had a great time!
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29 December 2006
19 December 2006
Sidebar
In my rantings you might think that I am a frothing Muslim hater. Nope. My problem with Muslims is pretty much the same problem I have with my own Government, they won't let me live my life the way I want to.
Catholics leave me alone.
The Mormons leave me alone, now.
Jehovah's Witnesses don't leave me alone, but they take no for an answer.
The list goes on.
I also come across as a raging republican sometimes. They are on the correct side of the gun debate, most of the time.
Gimme a Democrat who will lower taxes, promote gun ownership and not endorse guilt-racism and I will be a supporter!
I can usually get all three of those from a Republican.
Where I usually depart from the Democrats, aside from the gun thing, is I am also not a Socialist. Socialism doesn't work and variations on the Socialism theme have killed too many innocent people to trust it.
The religion-politics thing comes up again with "Social-Conservatives" this seems to be the new code word for "Right Wing Ultra Christian" now. As I allude in my tirades against Islam, I have no desire to live under a theocracy!
Not a single God has come forth to me with a revelation that convinces me that they are the one true God and that I should adhere to Their decrees. And according to the Holy Books of many of them, God made me this way, knows what it would take to get me on the team and doesn't. With that logic in place, the best I can come up with, IF the Christians are correct, is that God wants me this way for some inscrutable God reason. Who am I to thwart the Will Of God by believing?
The Republicans who cuddle up to the religious right piss me off. And it's not just them, show me a President who didn't do the Sunday church thing. Even Clinton did church on Sunday. Devout Christians don't let (or order) interns give them hummers under their desks, so...
The religious right wants to take away choices from me. For all I know, sucking cock and taking it up the ass is glorious fun. I don't know because I'm not gay. My gay friends just call it, "sex". Wanna bet it's not really all that different from the hetero experience? One huge difference though, can't "go forth and multiply" doing strictly gay sex. I'm betting this is the core of the issue. And the Leviticus warning about men and boys is about pederasty, not homosexuals. Read your book! I'm nearly an atheist and I have.
Religion is also how we got sin taxes and it's certainly what got Prohibition rolling. Try to remember that there were people trying to get tobacco banned long before we knew much about the harmful effects. But it's WRONG, people enjoy it and we are forbidden it by our imaginary friend so it must be made illegal!
Catholics leave me alone.
The Mormons leave me alone, now.
Jehovah's Witnesses don't leave me alone, but they take no for an answer.
The list goes on.
I also come across as a raging republican sometimes. They are on the correct side of the gun debate, most of the time.
Gimme a Democrat who will lower taxes, promote gun ownership and not endorse guilt-racism and I will be a supporter!
I can usually get all three of those from a Republican.
Where I usually depart from the Democrats, aside from the gun thing, is I am also not a Socialist. Socialism doesn't work and variations on the Socialism theme have killed too many innocent people to trust it.
The religion-politics thing comes up again with "Social-Conservatives" this seems to be the new code word for "Right Wing Ultra Christian" now. As I allude in my tirades against Islam, I have no desire to live under a theocracy!
Not a single God has come forth to me with a revelation that convinces me that they are the one true God and that I should adhere to Their decrees. And according to the Holy Books of many of them, God made me this way, knows what it would take to get me on the team and doesn't. With that logic in place, the best I can come up with, IF the Christians are correct, is that God wants me this way for some inscrutable God reason. Who am I to thwart the Will Of God by believing?
The Republicans who cuddle up to the religious right piss me off. And it's not just them, show me a President who didn't do the Sunday church thing. Even Clinton did church on Sunday. Devout Christians don't let (or order) interns give them hummers under their desks, so...
The religious right wants to take away choices from me. For all I know, sucking cock and taking it up the ass is glorious fun. I don't know because I'm not gay. My gay friends just call it, "sex". Wanna bet it's not really all that different from the hetero experience? One huge difference though, can't "go forth and multiply" doing strictly gay sex. I'm betting this is the core of the issue. And the Leviticus warning about men and boys is about pederasty, not homosexuals. Read your book! I'm nearly an atheist and I have.
Religion is also how we got sin taxes and it's certainly what got Prohibition rolling. Try to remember that there were people trying to get tobacco banned long before we knew much about the harmful effects. But it's WRONG, people enjoy it and we are forbidden it by our imaginary friend so it must be made illegal!
Just A Whisper
I have a bunch of old WW2 propaganda songs and radio spots. Really fun stuff.
My favorite though is one where the announcer is talking about how we're gearing up the war machine to fight. He names some production numbers like, "Thousands of rounds of ammunition..." and a second guy, almost in the background, says, "Just a whisper, wait until we shout!"
That's still true today! On Dec 8th, 1941 we started converting our economy to war production. For the next four years we almost nothing that couldn't be used to fight. The things that weren't weapons were mostly so that the factory workers could continue to get to work. The debts incurred were massive.
The military we have today with less than 5% GDP spent on it would kick our 95% GDP WW2 military's ass!
We Americans are a disunited mess. We fight among ourselves over things great and small and care not one whit about the rest of the world, unless the world insists we pay attention. Usually it's over something like the price of gas or how many Japanese cars we buy.
September 11, 2001 was something that, briefly, got us united. We quickly reverted to squabbling. GW Bush is no FDR, and by that I mean he didn't/doesn't get us motivated to face the foe and chase him wherever he hides, regardless of who it is and where.
Another 9-11 will get us fired up. Especially if some terrorist pops a nuke. We aren't going to want nuance, we will want BLOOD. We will want glorious retribution and pity the poor sap that stands betwixt us and those we hunt.
The US military at less than 5% GDP can take (if we skip nukes) all the rest of the world all ganged up on us. How long would a war really last if we plunked the whole economy into it? That's $12.31 TRILLION USD kids. ONE THIRD OF THE WORLD'S COMBINED ECONOMY. Just barely 5% of the world's population too.
When making comparisons between WW2 and GWOT be sure to recall we were all in on WW2. We were yelling at the top of our voices, now we've barely cleared our throats.
My favorite though is one where the announcer is talking about how we're gearing up the war machine to fight. He names some production numbers like, "Thousands of rounds of ammunition..." and a second guy, almost in the background, says, "Just a whisper, wait until we shout!"
That's still true today! On Dec 8th, 1941 we started converting our economy to war production. For the next four years we almost nothing that couldn't be used to fight. The things that weren't weapons were mostly so that the factory workers could continue to get to work. The debts incurred were massive.
The military we have today with less than 5% GDP spent on it would kick our 95% GDP WW2 military's ass!
We Americans are a disunited mess. We fight among ourselves over things great and small and care not one whit about the rest of the world, unless the world insists we pay attention. Usually it's over something like the price of gas or how many Japanese cars we buy.
September 11, 2001 was something that, briefly, got us united. We quickly reverted to squabbling. GW Bush is no FDR, and by that I mean he didn't/doesn't get us motivated to face the foe and chase him wherever he hides, regardless of who it is and where.
Another 9-11 will get us fired up. Especially if some terrorist pops a nuke. We aren't going to want nuance, we will want BLOOD. We will want glorious retribution and pity the poor sap that stands betwixt us and those we hunt.
The US military at less than 5% GDP can take (if we skip nukes) all the rest of the world all ganged up on us. How long would a war really last if we plunked the whole economy into it? That's $12.31 TRILLION USD kids. ONE THIRD OF THE WORLD'S COMBINED ECONOMY. Just barely 5% of the world's population too.
When making comparisons between WW2 and GWOT be sure to recall we were all in on WW2. We were yelling at the top of our voices, now we've barely cleared our throats.
17 December 2006
Something A Bit Lighter In Mood
http://www.asecular.com/%7Escott/misc/toilet.htm
I used those things in Germany more than once. I still wonder why they are made the way they are.
I used those things in Germany more than once. I still wonder why they are made the way they are.
Hopping Mad
I am fucking pissed!
We got our notice that our escrow account for the house insurance is short $1,600. We have to shit that before 01Feb07 or our house payment goes up $200 a month.
This is because insurers have discovered, via Katrina, that when something bad happens to the insured while the policy is in effect they have to pay. They are bailing out of Florida like rats off a sinking ship. There is only one insurer left, Citizen's. They are State Funded and can't refuse to write policies.
Once again the potential for something is being used as an excuse to stop doing something else.
And they keep telling us, over and over, that it was the cash outlays from Katrina that made them decide to no longer offer coverage here. Gee, yet again I am paying for someone else's fucking problem!
Why am I touchy about this?
I dunno. Could it be that I believe that one should only be punished for the bad things that one does and should not be held accountable for the actions of others?
And I am not talking about the Katrina victims right now. What happened to the requirement that an insurance company had to have assets enough to cover all their liabilities? And what happened to my friend's $120,000 in premiums since 1950 on his house? Could it be that having that much money laying about was too tempting to leave alone so they gave a huge chunk to Congress to get the laws changed to benefit only the insurance industry? It's especially galling because insurance is the only industry exempt from anti-trust. Look it up. They are also the only industry that I am required by law to purchase from. I cannot have a car or a mortgage without paying insurance. And now I am informed that they can just stop selling because they might have to uphold their end of the agreement? It's just wrong. It's like a life insurance company dumping you because you get sick or, worse, health insurers dumping because there was a bird flu epidemic in another part of the country.
And let's talk about the Katrina victims for a second. I read all about what happened to New Orleans three years before the storm hit. National Geographic had a detailed "what if" article. Gobs of money went into New Orleans to fix the things that needed fixing, Federal money. It wasn't spent on the things that it was meant for and somehow it's MY fault things broke? I don't control the weather and I didn't misappropriate the dike money. So, residents of Lake New Orleans, fuck off! I already paid for the levy that broke, you bought toys instead of shelter and I don't feel I owe you a penny more.
I have the same lack of sympathy for those who got nailed in the 1993 floods in the midwest. Surveys dating back to the 1800's point out every single place that flooded as FLOOD PLAINS! What part of FLOOD was so damned hard to understand? I have even less sympathy for people who didn't take the hint and got nailed again in 1996.
Don't get me wrong, if the risk increases so should the premium. And the premiums should keep pace with the value of the property. I have no problem about paying those. But the premiums should be going to some box labeled with my name. And the majority of it should return to me or be transferred to a new insurer if the writer gets cold feet and bails. Any insurance policy should become vested.
What we have now was the insurance companies having less than total ability to pay their liability and essentially borrowing from Peter (me) to pay Paul (New Orleans). Now they worry that I will get hit and they will not be able to borrow from Paul to pay Peter.
We got our notice that our escrow account for the house insurance is short $1,600. We have to shit that before 01Feb07 or our house payment goes up $200 a month.
This is because insurers have discovered, via Katrina, that when something bad happens to the insured while the policy is in effect they have to pay. They are bailing out of Florida like rats off a sinking ship. There is only one insurer left, Citizen's. They are State Funded and can't refuse to write policies.
Once again the potential for something is being used as an excuse to stop doing something else.
And they keep telling us, over and over, that it was the cash outlays from Katrina that made them decide to no longer offer coverage here. Gee, yet again I am paying for someone else's fucking problem!
Why am I touchy about this?
I dunno. Could it be that I believe that one should only be punished for the bad things that one does and should not be held accountable for the actions of others?
And I am not talking about the Katrina victims right now. What happened to the requirement that an insurance company had to have assets enough to cover all their liabilities? And what happened to my friend's $120,000 in premiums since 1950 on his house? Could it be that having that much money laying about was too tempting to leave alone so they gave a huge chunk to Congress to get the laws changed to benefit only the insurance industry? It's especially galling because insurance is the only industry exempt from anti-trust. Look it up. They are also the only industry that I am required by law to purchase from. I cannot have a car or a mortgage without paying insurance. And now I am informed that they can just stop selling because they might have to uphold their end of the agreement? It's just wrong. It's like a life insurance company dumping you because you get sick or, worse, health insurers dumping because there was a bird flu epidemic in another part of the country.
And let's talk about the Katrina victims for a second. I read all about what happened to New Orleans three years before the storm hit. National Geographic had a detailed "what if" article. Gobs of money went into New Orleans to fix the things that needed fixing, Federal money. It wasn't spent on the things that it was meant for and somehow it's MY fault things broke? I don't control the weather and I didn't misappropriate the dike money. So, residents of Lake New Orleans, fuck off! I already paid for the levy that broke, you bought toys instead of shelter and I don't feel I owe you a penny more.
I have the same lack of sympathy for those who got nailed in the 1993 floods in the midwest. Surveys dating back to the 1800's point out every single place that flooded as FLOOD PLAINS! What part of FLOOD was so damned hard to understand? I have even less sympathy for people who didn't take the hint and got nailed again in 1996.
Don't get me wrong, if the risk increases so should the premium. And the premiums should keep pace with the value of the property. I have no problem about paying those. But the premiums should be going to some box labeled with my name. And the majority of it should return to me or be transferred to a new insurer if the writer gets cold feet and bails. Any insurance policy should become vested.
What we have now was the insurance companies having less than total ability to pay their liability and essentially borrowing from Peter (me) to pay Paul (New Orleans). Now they worry that I will get hit and they will not be able to borrow from Paul to pay Peter.
11 December 2006
Surely, The Best Of Times
I entered Basic Training in the Army on 09SEP87. I did not know it then, but that was about the best time ever to do so.
I signed up as a tank crewman (19K) for the M1 Abrams. But because of when I went in, we got trained with the M60A3, M1 and M1A1. The Army didn't know where we were going to end up so they wanted to cover all the bases. Some of us were going to be sent to units getting ready to transition to the Abrams, so we needed to know how to crew the M60 until then. There were a lot of 105mm M1's in the inventory so we needed to know how to operate and maintain them. And the M1A1 was just starting to hit service, so on the off chance we got sent to a premier unit we needed to know what was different on the 120mm gun and NBC system. We got to spend extra time in the motor pool, extra time at the range and less time on the marching quad. Win win.
This odd cross pollination applied to other things too. The M60's commander's gun was a .50 BMG, M85. The Abrams uses an M2HB. Totally different guns. Then we got to train with both the M1911A1 and M9 pistols. And since sixty units were equipped with M3A1 submachineguns and Abrams units were equipped with M16A2s we got to go shoot both.
Gun geek heaven!
To think, at the time I complained with everyone else that it was cold and I was hungry, but it really was one of the funnest times of my life. Only now that I have the mundane to compare it to do I realize how much I was enjoying myself.
Of course, hindsight also tells me how miserable I was in my line unit. I'll take the mundane life I have over SFC Hinkel any day!
I signed up as a tank crewman (19K) for the M1 Abrams. But because of when I went in, we got trained with the M60A3, M1 and M1A1. The Army didn't know where we were going to end up so they wanted to cover all the bases. Some of us were going to be sent to units getting ready to transition to the Abrams, so we needed to know how to crew the M60 until then. There were a lot of 105mm M1's in the inventory so we needed to know how to operate and maintain them. And the M1A1 was just starting to hit service, so on the off chance we got sent to a premier unit we needed to know what was different on the 120mm gun and NBC system. We got to spend extra time in the motor pool, extra time at the range and less time on the marching quad. Win win.
This odd cross pollination applied to other things too. The M60's commander's gun was a .50 BMG, M85. The Abrams uses an M2HB. Totally different guns. Then we got to train with both the M1911A1 and M9 pistols. And since sixty units were equipped with M3A1 submachineguns and Abrams units were equipped with M16A2s we got to go shoot both.
Gun geek heaven!
To think, at the time I complained with everyone else that it was cold and I was hungry, but it really was one of the funnest times of my life. Only now that I have the mundane to compare it to do I realize how much I was enjoying myself.
Of course, hindsight also tells me how miserable I was in my line unit. I'll take the mundane life I have over SFC Hinkel any day!
07 December 2006
12 MILLION Get Citizenship For Breaking The Law?
OK, when do us gun owners get ours?
I wanna see a blanket amnesty that overrides all state laws that will let us have any gun. ANY gun.
That would include a pistol grip in California. Unregistered .22 in Massachusetts. Machinegun in Iowa. Mortar in Florida. And so on.
I wanna see a blanket amnesty that overrides all state laws that will let us have any gun. ANY gun.
That would include a pistol grip in California. Unregistered .22 in Massachusetts. Machinegun in Iowa. Mortar in Florida. And so on.
Pearl Harbor Day
Hat's off!
Today, 65 years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing nearly 2400 men.
This brilliant attack sealed Japan's doom.
Would that we could harness that rage again...
Today, 65 years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, killing nearly 2400 men.
This brilliant attack sealed Japan's doom.
Would that we could harness that rage again...
06 December 2006
Quote Of The Random Interval
An enemy of liberty is no friend of mine. I do not owe respect to anyone who would enslave me by government force, nor is it wise for such a person to expect it. — Isaiah Amberay
03 December 2006
Babs, Di? Suck My Rock Hard Throbbing Choad
The Springfield M-1911 A1 USGI shoots lovely!
The same cannot be said for the aftermarket magazines I bought at the gun show. BOTH of them dropped their floor plates after just a few shots. And the M-1911 mags don't normally have removable floor plates.
That really peeves me, something that simple shouldn't be hard to make. I will try calling the show vendor tomorrow and see if he will offer a replacement set.
Got a conceal carry holster coming. It's amazing how much cheaper and how many more styles there are for the 1911 than my Glock 21. The best one I could find for the Glock was Galco's Summer Comfort model. That same model is available for the 1911 and many more. Bianchi makes lots. Nearly every custom shop too. Kinda nice having a popular gun for a change.
Got two magazines from the same maker as the gun coming too.
And by the way, Fuck you and curses to everyone on this list: (Sorry Michele Evermore, your bestest buddy is on it). Bonus points to the commenter who can tell me what this list is.
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boren (D-OK)
Boxer (D-CA)
Bradley (D-NJ)
Bumpers (D-AR)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Coats (R-IN)
Cohen (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Danforth (R-MO)
Daschle (D-SD)
DeConcini (D-AZ)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durenberger (R-MN)
Exon (D-NE)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Ford (D-KY)
Glenn (D-OH)
Gorton (R-WA)
Graham (D-FL)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatfield (R-OR)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (R-VT)
Kassebaum (R-KS)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerrey (D-NE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
Mathews (D-TN)
Metzenbaum (D-OH)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Mitchell (D-ME)
Moseley-Braun (D-IL)
Moynihan (D-NY)
Murray (D-WA)
Nunn (D-GA)
Packwood (R-OR)
Pell (D-RI)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Riegle (D-MI)
Robb (D-VA)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Roth (R-DE)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Sasser (D-TN)
Simon (D-IL)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Warner (R-VA)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wofford (D-PA)
Abercrombie
Ackerman
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Andrews
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Applegate
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Byrne
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Zimmer
The same cannot be said for the aftermarket magazines I bought at the gun show. BOTH of them dropped their floor plates after just a few shots. And the M-1911 mags don't normally have removable floor plates.
That really peeves me, something that simple shouldn't be hard to make. I will try calling the show vendor tomorrow and see if he will offer a replacement set.
Got a conceal carry holster coming. It's amazing how much cheaper and how many more styles there are for the 1911 than my Glock 21. The best one I could find for the Glock was Galco's Summer Comfort model. That same model is available for the 1911 and many more. Bianchi makes lots. Nearly every custom shop too. Kinda nice having a popular gun for a change.
Got two magazines from the same maker as the gun coming too.
And by the way, Fuck you and curses to everyone on this list: (Sorry Michele Evermore, your bestest buddy is on it). Bonus points to the commenter who can tell me what this list is.
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Boren (D-OK)
Boxer (D-CA)
Bradley (D-NJ)
Bumpers (D-AR)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Coats (R-IN)
Cohen (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Danforth (R-MO)
Daschle (D-SD)
DeConcini (D-AZ)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durenberger (R-MN)
Exon (D-NE)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Ford (D-KY)
Glenn (D-OH)
Gorton (R-WA)
Graham (D-FL)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatfield (R-OR)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (R-VT)
Kassebaum (R-KS)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerrey (D-NE)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lugar (R-IN)
Mathews (D-TN)
Metzenbaum (D-OH)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Mitchell (D-ME)
Moseley-Braun (D-IL)
Moynihan (D-NY)
Murray (D-WA)
Nunn (D-GA)
Packwood (R-OR)
Pell (D-RI)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reid (D-NV)
Riegle (D-MI)
Robb (D-VA)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Roth (R-DE)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Sasser (D-TN)
Simon (D-IL)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Warner (R-VA)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wofford (D-PA)
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Andrews (ME)
Andrews
Andrews (TX)
Applegate
Bacchus (FL)
Baesler
Baker (CA)
Barca
Barrett (WI)
Bateman
Becerra
Beilenson
Bentley
Berman
Bilirakis
Blackwell
Blute
Boehlert
Bonior
Borski
Brown (CA)
Brown (FL)
Brown (OH)
Bryant (TX)
Byrne
Cantwell
Cardin
Castle
Chapman
Clay
Clayton
Clement
Clyburn
Collins (IL)
Collins (MI)
Condit
Conyers
Cooper
Coppersmith
Coyne
Darden
DeFazio
DeLauro
Dellums
Derrick
Deutsch
Diaz-Balart
Dicks
Dixon
Dooley
Durbin
Edwards (CA)
Engel
English (AZ)
Eshoo
Evans
Farr
Fawell
Fazio
Fields (LA)
Filner
Fingerhut
Fish
Flake
Foglietta
Ford (MI)
Fowler
Frank (MA)
Franks (NJ)
Frost
Furse
Gallegly
Gallo
Gejdenson
Gephardt
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gilman
Glickman
Gonzalez
Goodling
Gordon
Goss
Greenwood
Gutierrez
Hamburg
Hamilton
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hefner
Hinchey
Hoagland
Hochbrueckner
Hoekstra
Horn
Hoyer
Huffington
Hughes
Hutto
Hyde
Jacobs
Jefferson
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (SD)
Johnson, E. B.
Johnston
Kaptur
Kennedy (MA)
Kennelly
Kildee
Kleczka
Klein
Klug
Kreidler
LaFalce
Lancaster
Lantos
Lazio
Leach
Lehman
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lloyd
Long
Lowey
Machtley
Maloney
Mann
Manton
Margolies-Mezvinsky
Markey
Matsui
Mazzoli
McCloskey
McCurdy
McDade
McDermott
McHale
McKinney
McMillan
McNulty
Meehan
Meek
Menendez
Meyers
Mfume
Michel
Miller (CA)
Mineta
Minge
Mink
Moakley
Molinari
Moran
Morella
Nadler
Neal
Neal (NC)
Olver
Owens
Oxley
Pallone
Pastor
Payne (NJ)
Pelosi
Pickle
Porter
Price (NC)
Quinn
Ramstad
Rangel
Reed
Regula
Reynolds
Roemer
Ros-Lehtinen
Rose
Rostenkowski
Roukema
Rowland
Roybal-Allard
Rush
Sabo
Sangmeister
Sawyer
Saxton
Schenk
Schroeder
Schumer
Scott
Sensenbrenner
Serrano
Sharp
Shaw
Shays
Shepherd
Skaggs
Slattery
Slaughter
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Spratt
Stark
Stearns
Stokes
Studds
Swett
Swift
Synar
Thomas
Thompson
Torkildsen
Torres
Torricelli
Towns
Traficant
Tucker
Upton
Valentine
Velazquez
Vento
Visclosky
Walsh
Washington
Waters
Watt (NC)
Waxman
Weldon (PA)
Wheat
Wolf
Woolsey
Wyden
Wynn
Young (FL)
Zimmer
Comments:
3rd-Dec-2006 10:28 pm (local)
|
The people that voted for the Assault Weapons ban?
| |
ravenclaw_eric
4th-Dec-2006 01:47 am (local)
|
Close, but no cigar. Although I think that roll call vote is eerily similar to this one.
Hint, I just got a Handgun. It's of a caliber I can Control. Into my collection, it is Incorporated. | |
4th-Dec-2006 02:13 pm (local)
|
Oh-kay...I'd say it's senators and representatives who have gone on record as supportive of Handgun Control, Incorporated.
| |
4th-Dec-2006 02:20 pm (local)
|
It's the Yea votes for the Brady Bill.
It's this sort of list that puts most at odds with Michele Evermore. She worked in Harkin's office. Hearing about the good stuff he does was so like hearing about someone's friend who's a child molester, but donates half his paycheck to charity. The charity part is nice, but I want him to stop molesting children and be punished for it. The really funny thing is I would have continued to ignore politics if the dumbasses hadn't passed Brady. Now I have a political opinion, position and philosophy. Good work. |
30 November 2006
Another Great Idea
No-knock searches are in the news again.
So is robbers impersonating the police making a no-knock search.
The reason that the robbers are getting away with this tactic is the police are never punished for killing a resident who fights the break-in. So a law abiding homeowner will passively submit if he wants to live.
Here's my great idea: Make the police knock on the door, serve the warrant and do things peacefully until the suspects offer force.
Of course, real justice would be holding the state and its agents to a higher standard than the populace when using lethal force. Remember, when a cop pulls the trigger, it is not an individual person it is an agent of the state. And the state can better afford to lose discrete agents than an individual can lose their only life.
So is robbers impersonating the police making a no-knock search.
The reason that the robbers are getting away with this tactic is the police are never punished for killing a resident who fights the break-in. So a law abiding homeowner will passively submit if he wants to live.
Here's my great idea: Make the police knock on the door, serve the warrant and do things peacefully until the suspects offer force.
Of course, real justice would be holding the state and its agents to a higher standard than the populace when using lethal force. Remember, when a cop pulls the trigger, it is not an individual person it is an agent of the state. And the state can better afford to lose discrete agents than an individual can lose their only life.
29 November 2006
I'll Tell You What
I will find it a good deal easier to sleep at night with a full Democrat majority in Congress if we would stop catching their principal cheerleaders, the media, lying about just about everything.
First it was Dan Rather. Now we have the AP distributing stories from an Iraqi police captain who is, at the very least, an impostor.
Add this to the lies from the folks like Micheal Moore and one wonders if with supporters like this, should I be tarring the Democrats with the same brush.
Then we have Pelosi flexing her newly won wings and recommending people with major corruption in their pasts. Luckily, those nominations haven't flown, but isn't she the one who called the Republicans a "culture of corruption"? Pot, meet kettle. Once you make sweeping condemnations of the other team, you are going to be expected to hold yourself to a standard that exceeds those you are condemning.
Perhaps things will come out OK. The senior party membership should drop some of their vindictiveness. It was voters that took their majority away, not the people elected.
As I have said before, there is a lot of personal freedoms that only the Dems espouse. Like abortions. Like letting someone be gay. And it looks like the majority of the ones elected are not interested in gun control, but the leadership (Boxer, Schumer, and Feinstein) would love to see it back.
They fall on their faces when around taxes and foreign policy.
At one time I would have said that the Dems overspent and the Republicans didn't. Not any more!
And I will say it again, this election has a great deal more to do with people wanting to get rid of certain Republicans than a real desire to see a Democrat controlled Congress. But how else can we the people nuke bad republicans?
The time is ripe for a third party, even if it forms by taking over one of the existing parties, like the Socialists did to the Democrats after WW1. Maybe we could have Whigs again!
First it was Dan Rather. Now we have the AP distributing stories from an Iraqi police captain who is, at the very least, an impostor.
Add this to the lies from the folks like Micheal Moore and one wonders if with supporters like this, should I be tarring the Democrats with the same brush.
Then we have Pelosi flexing her newly won wings and recommending people with major corruption in their pasts. Luckily, those nominations haven't flown, but isn't she the one who called the Republicans a "culture of corruption"? Pot, meet kettle. Once you make sweeping condemnations of the other team, you are going to be expected to hold yourself to a standard that exceeds those you are condemning.
Perhaps things will come out OK. The senior party membership should drop some of their vindictiveness. It was voters that took their majority away, not the people elected.
As I have said before, there is a lot of personal freedoms that only the Dems espouse. Like abortions. Like letting someone be gay. And it looks like the majority of the ones elected are not interested in gun control, but the leadership (Boxer, Schumer, and Feinstein) would love to see it back.
They fall on their faces when around taxes and foreign policy.
At one time I would have said that the Dems overspent and the Republicans didn't. Not any more!
And I will say it again, this election has a great deal more to do with people wanting to get rid of certain Republicans than a real desire to see a Democrat controlled Congress. But how else can we the people nuke bad republicans?
The time is ripe for a third party, even if it forms by taking over one of the existing parties, like the Socialists did to the Democrats after WW1. Maybe we could have Whigs again!
24 November 2006
The Heat
I heard the ricochet and paused a moment before realized what that sound was. "A rifle! They fired a rifle at me!"
"Why are you acting thrilled at a sniper shooting at you?" Geff asked. Unlike me, he was behind the cover of the crawler's steel cab, using the binocular periscope to view the battle.
"Because if they are using guns on us, we've won! The only way for them to win is to start using our tactics and methods with their superior numbers. And they have begun using rifles!"
"You are still talking like that is a good thing. Them winning is a death sentence for you." Geff reached up and pulled me down below the edge of the cab's window.
"They aren't going to win. They can't, not really. They have to figure out all the tactics and strategy from scratch, they don't know what works and what doesn't yet. And they have to make too many changes to keep up with the trains for their logistics to beat ours. Remember, I went pro on Merlin. I studied logistics. We own The Waste, they can't operate there at all. We've got Caithness almost converted to a Constitutional Monarchy. Too many people know now. Even if they do manage to snuff me, we win."
"You're monologuing again."
"I know. There's something about myth parallels that forces leaders to do that, I think. We should ask those guys from Infinity about it sometime."
"Why are you acting thrilled at a sniper shooting at you?" Geff asked. Unlike me, he was behind the cover of the crawler's steel cab, using the binocular periscope to view the battle.
"Because if they are using guns on us, we've won! The only way for them to win is to start using our tactics and methods with their superior numbers. And they have begun using rifles!"
"You are still talking like that is a good thing. Them winning is a death sentence for you." Geff reached up and pulled me down below the edge of the cab's window.
"They aren't going to win. They can't, not really. They have to figure out all the tactics and strategy from scratch, they don't know what works and what doesn't yet. And they have to make too many changes to keep up with the trains for their logistics to beat ours. Remember, I went pro on Merlin. I studied logistics. We own The Waste, they can't operate there at all. We've got Caithness almost converted to a Constitutional Monarchy. Too many people know now. Even if they do manage to snuff me, we win."
"You're monologuing again."
"I know. There's something about myth parallels that forces leaders to do that, I think. We should ask those guys from Infinity about it sometime."
23 November 2006
Republics Are Hard Work
And Americans are lazy.
To make an informed vote in a republic you have to, first, understand how our government is supposed to work. Learning and understanding the US Constitution is both simple and difficult. It's difficult because we are now conditioned to look for hidden meanings and double-speak in law and government. The constitution was written in plain language. Language lacking in those hidden meanings.
It is not helped that some words have changed definition since 1789, however the plain meaning is the intended one. The authors left notes and explanations of every part of the thing! Those are primarily collected in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers.
Of course, to understand the Constitution, one would have to read the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers and the works mentioned in them. This is not an easy read for most people. It should be required though. It's necessary to truly understand just how far from the constitution our current form of government has gotten.
Once one has read and understood the supporting texts, one understands why the Federal Government had to wait until the Louisiana State Government had to first ask for assistance before FEMA and the like could intervene. It's called "The Federalist System," it's explained.
There are quite a few works referenced in the Federalist debates. Like "The Prince" and "Leviathan". One work that is definitely not mentioned is "Das Kapital"!
To make an informed vote in a republic you have to, first, understand how our government is supposed to work. Learning and understanding the US Constitution is both simple and difficult. It's difficult because we are now conditioned to look for hidden meanings and double-speak in law and government. The constitution was written in plain language. Language lacking in those hidden meanings.
It is not helped that some words have changed definition since 1789, however the plain meaning is the intended one. The authors left notes and explanations of every part of the thing! Those are primarily collected in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers.
Of course, to understand the Constitution, one would have to read the Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers and the works mentioned in them. This is not an easy read for most people. It should be required though. It's necessary to truly understand just how far from the constitution our current form of government has gotten.
Once one has read and understood the supporting texts, one understands why the Federal Government had to wait until the Louisiana State Government had to first ask for assistance before FEMA and the like could intervene. It's called "The Federalist System," it's explained.
There are quite a few works referenced in the Federalist debates. Like "The Prince" and "Leviathan". One work that is definitely not mentioned is "Das Kapital"!
22 November 2006
Quotes And Rants
"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.”—Samuel Adams
Building on that thought. I wish to be counted as Mr Adams' countryman, I would have taken arms against the crown. I may yet have to put my proverbial money where my mouth is on this score. I pray not.
But I would like to address those who would forge those light chains. DO NOT EXPECT ME TO THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE CHAINS ARE LIGHT! My problem is that you have chained me, not that they are too heavy. ALL chains are too heavy. Any chain is too great a burden for a free man to endure.
Should my prayers go unanswered, as they often do, I will do my damnedest to ensure that every link you forged will be around your ankles when the noose is about your neck.
Building on that thought. I wish to be counted as Mr Adams' countryman, I would have taken arms against the crown. I may yet have to put my proverbial money where my mouth is on this score. I pray not.
But I would like to address those who would forge those light chains. DO NOT EXPECT ME TO THANK YOU FOR MAKING SURE THAT THE CHAINS ARE LIGHT! My problem is that you have chained me, not that they are too heavy. ALL chains are too heavy. Any chain is too great a burden for a free man to endure.
Should my prayers go unanswered, as they often do, I will do my damnedest to ensure that every link you forged will be around your ankles when the noose is about your neck.
17 November 2006
Filk Me? Filk YOU!
Our Space Opera Goes Rolling Along
Words: Jeff Duntemann
Music: "The Caissons Go Rolling Along"
Bluster on, master race. Kick some ass in hyperspace.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Shoot that smerp (what a grouch!) Drag that broad behind a couch.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Fasten seatbelts please.
Here we go at 50 G's.
Scrape yourself up from the floor.
If this violence offends,
Burn a cockroach with your lens.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Not a rest-room in sight! (second cluster on your right...)
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Solitaire getting dull? Something's eating through the hull.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Batten down that stuff!
Negaspace is getting rough.
Should have camped out on Deneb 3.
Scramble eggs or scramble guts,
Just remember what is what.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Power up! Screens aglow! Battle stations! Here we go!
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Never lose your aplomb (try an antimatter bomb).
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Well it's Crack! Crack! Crack!
All the screens are turning black.
Shoot! What the heck do we do now?
Choose another from the stacks;
Half price on all paperbacks.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Words: Jeff Duntemann
Music: "The Caissons Go Rolling Along"
Bluster on, master race. Kick some ass in hyperspace.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Shoot that smerp (what a grouch!) Drag that broad behind a couch.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Fasten seatbelts please.
Here we go at 50 G's.
Scrape yourself up from the floor.
If this violence offends,
Burn a cockroach with your lens.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Not a rest-room in sight! (second cluster on your right...)
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Solitaire getting dull? Something's eating through the hull.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Batten down that stuff!
Negaspace is getting rough.
Should have camped out on Deneb 3.
Scramble eggs or scramble guts,
Just remember what is what.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Power up! Screens aglow! Battle stations! Here we go!
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Never lose your aplomb (try an antimatter bomb).
Our space opera goes rolling along.
Well it's Crack! Crack! Crack!
All the screens are turning black.
Shoot! What the heck do we do now?
Choose another from the stacks;
Half price on all paperbacks.
Our space opera goes rolling along.
16 November 2006
A Small Problem
The biggest problem with our two party system is that we cannot disagree with both parties and get anything done.
Take the recent election. Being fed up with the Republicans does not mean I am giddy at the idea of handing things to the Democrats. I'm willing to bet that I am not the only one who feels this way.
The problem occurs when the leadership of party A stops listening to the people who gave them their jobs. It's very difficult to get rid of an incumbent at the primaries. The national money will not be handed to a challenger at that stage. Then if the challenger bumps the incumbent off the ticket, very little national money will be given to their campaign almost guaranteeing a loss. There have been some prominent exceptions recently, but the rule stands.
So, we hate the incumbent, but can't be rid of it at the primary stage. Next choice, vote for someone else.
That usually works.
Unfortunately, that hands the position to party B for at least a term.
I posit that this is exactly what happened on 07NOV06. The rank and file Republicans either voted for the other guy, or stayed home. Democrats turned out in their normal numbers. The swing went Democrat.
BAM! We have a Democrat Congress.
What this does not indicate: A full-on endorsement of the American people of the Democrat platform. What it probably indicates is that people were rejecting the current incarnation of the Republican party and this was the only way to wake them up and get them to listen.
Which is a damn shitty way to make course corrections.
When you have only two viable parties, you create a situation where the rejection of A is a de facto endorsement of B. And when B acts like the got an endorsement, they tend to get nuked the next cycle.
And I will repeat what others have said, only about half the people who are eligible to vote bother to register. Of those who register, only about half of them bother to vote. The margins are about 51 vs 49% in most of these elections. The winner was decided by about 12.75% of the population. What that means is 87.25% of the electorate DIDN'T vote for the current agenda.
And that always makes me wonder why we bother to listen to what Congress says.
Take the recent election. Being fed up with the Republicans does not mean I am giddy at the idea of handing things to the Democrats. I'm willing to bet that I am not the only one who feels this way.
The problem occurs when the leadership of party A stops listening to the people who gave them their jobs. It's very difficult to get rid of an incumbent at the primaries. The national money will not be handed to a challenger at that stage. Then if the challenger bumps the incumbent off the ticket, very little national money will be given to their campaign almost guaranteeing a loss. There have been some prominent exceptions recently, but the rule stands.
So, we hate the incumbent, but can't be rid of it at the primary stage. Next choice, vote for someone else.
That usually works.
Unfortunately, that hands the position to party B for at least a term.
I posit that this is exactly what happened on 07NOV06. The rank and file Republicans either voted for the other guy, or stayed home. Democrats turned out in their normal numbers. The swing went Democrat.
BAM! We have a Democrat Congress.
What this does not indicate: A full-on endorsement of the American people of the Democrat platform. What it probably indicates is that people were rejecting the current incarnation of the Republican party and this was the only way to wake them up and get them to listen.
Which is a damn shitty way to make course corrections.
When you have only two viable parties, you create a situation where the rejection of A is a de facto endorsement of B. And when B acts like the got an endorsement, they tend to get nuked the next cycle.
And I will repeat what others have said, only about half the people who are eligible to vote bother to register. Of those who register, only about half of them bother to vote. The margins are about 51 vs 49% in most of these elections. The winner was decided by about 12.75% of the population. What that means is 87.25% of the electorate DIDN'T vote for the current agenda.
And that always makes me wonder why we bother to listen to what Congress says.
13 November 2006
Tacks Driven
When my Mom's Dad died, I got two old guns. An H&R .32 top break and a Remington 341A .22 bolt action.
The .32 appears to be really ancient and pre-smokeless. H&R continued to make black-powder revolvers well after the point where everyone else had changed over. It's not accurate and the firing pin pierces about every fifth primer.
The Remington is beat all to hell, the wood is dinged and the browning (not blueing) is about 40% worn off. Based on the shooting experience with the H&R, I expected the worst when I took it to the range Saturday.
I have a 0.312" hole for the first five rounds at 5 yards. The trigger is surprisingly crisp and it breaks like a glass rod. So I move the target out to 15 yards. About 0.75" for 12 rounds with a stringer at 1.5". So I move the target out to the max range of 50 yards. Group is about 1.5" for the next 13 rounds.
Can't beat that!
Our 1997 made Ruger 10/22 is 1.0" at 5 yards, 2" at 15 and 4" at 50. The 341A Sportmaster was made between 1936 and 1940. I would have to say that it aged well for the foul treatment that Grampa obviously gave it.
Even more fun, it holds 15 rounds of .22 LR in the tube magazine. It can also fire .22 Long (17 rounds) and .22 Short (22 rounds).
The .32 appears to be really ancient and pre-smokeless. H&R continued to make black-powder revolvers well after the point where everyone else had changed over. It's not accurate and the firing pin pierces about every fifth primer.
The Remington is beat all to hell, the wood is dinged and the browning (not blueing) is about 40% worn off. Based on the shooting experience with the H&R, I expected the worst when I took it to the range Saturday.
I have a 0.312" hole for the first five rounds at 5 yards. The trigger is surprisingly crisp and it breaks like a glass rod. So I move the target out to 15 yards. About 0.75" for 12 rounds with a stringer at 1.5". So I move the target out to the max range of 50 yards. Group is about 1.5" for the next 13 rounds.
Can't beat that!
Our 1997 made Ruger 10/22 is 1.0" at 5 yards, 2" at 15 and 4" at 50. The 341A Sportmaster was made between 1936 and 1940. I would have to say that it aged well for the foul treatment that Grampa obviously gave it.
Even more fun, it holds 15 rounds of .22 LR in the tube magazine. It can also fire .22 Long (17 rounds) and .22 Short (22 rounds).
11 November 2006
Veteran's Day
Buy a Vet dinner! (What I expect to get)
Shake their hand and say, "Thanks!"
Get 'em laid. (My personal favorite)
Buy them candy.
Buy them flowers.
Take them to a movie.
BUT FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE DO SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU APPRECIATE THE JOB THEY DID!
Shake their hand and say, "Thanks!"
Get 'em laid. (My personal favorite)
Buy them candy.
Buy them flowers.
Take them to a movie.
BUT FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE DO SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU APPRECIATE THE JOB THEY DID!
08 November 2006
Change Of Topic
I am good at scenes.
I have one. Alternate history setting, a footnote in its timeline, in 1940 the German advance across the Rhine was resisted by a battalion level force of unprecedented tenacity. The unit was not identifiably French. Much of the scant equipment found after the battle seemed to be of Soviet or Chinese manufacture. Much of it could not be replicated for many years, especially the radios. Who this unit belonged to pales under the question of, "Where did they go after the battle?" This token resistance is what the German High Command used as a reason to dispose Hitler and make peace with England and France. And until excavations in the mid fifties revealed the existence of Chinese manufactured examples of what we now know to be solid state electronic two-way transceivers, it was thought to have been merely a pretense.
I have one. Alternate history setting, a footnote in its timeline, in 1940 the German advance across the Rhine was resisted by a battalion level force of unprecedented tenacity. The unit was not identifiably French. Much of the scant equipment found after the battle seemed to be of Soviet or Chinese manufacture. Much of it could not be replicated for many years, especially the radios. Who this unit belonged to pales under the question of, "Where did they go after the battle?" This token resistance is what the German High Command used as a reason to dispose Hitler and make peace with England and France. And until excavations in the mid fifties revealed the existence of Chinese manufactured examples of what we now know to be solid state electronic two-way transceivers, it was thought to have been merely a pretense.
Excerpt From Bill Whittle http://www.ejectejecteject.com/
WAR OF THE BUMPER STICKERS
I’ve said before that living near the People’s Republic of Santa Monica gives you an unparalleled opportunity to see legions of people who can put their entire moral philosophy into a 3x10” piece of adhesive vinyl, applied to several tons of steel, hurtling down an eight-lane superhighway at six or seven miles per hour.
Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order:
Somewhere in Texas, a Village is missing its Idiot. I chose this one first since it’s the only one that has a particle of real wit. But the Bush is an idiot meme is very tired, and the most cursory look causes it to fall apart like -- how can I make them understand? -- like a lemon almond biscotti left too long in a grande’ caffe verona.
For starters, you can of course point to the fact that the man did graduate from both Harvard and Yale, but that was with a C average, and clearly, the idea of being merely in the middle of the pack of those getting advanced degrees from America’s two preeminent universities cuts you no slack from those community-college theater major drop-outs who love to level the charge.
So let’s leave that aside for a moment – Poppy’s connections and all that – and take a moment to look at this, if you will:
This is a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. It is a second-generation, supersonic fighter-interceptor. It cruises at 845 mph.
There were some minor aerodynamic problems with the F-102. For example, at certain power settings and angles of attack – like, say, take-off -- the jet compressor would stall and the aircraft would roll inverted. It is no picnic, skill-wise, to fly a modern F-16 with advanced avionics and fly-by-wire flight control systems. The workload on the F-102 was far higher. The F-16 has an accident rate of 4.14 occurrences per 100,000 flight hours. The F-102’s accident rate was more than three times that: 13.69 per 100,000 hours. 875 F-102A interceptors were built; 259 – almost 30% - were lost to accidents or enemy action while serving in Vietnam.
George W. Bush flew hundreds of hours in the F-102.
Now look at this:
This is the cockpit of the F-102 Delta Dagger’s successor, the F-106 Delta Dart (I could not find an F-102 panel, but they would have been very similar)
Now, picture yourself in this chair, at 40,000 feet, traveling at one and a half times the speed of sound. Now imagine that someone has painted the windows white – you are flying on instruments. Now imagine that not only do you have to be able to fly blind, by referencing these instruments, but that you also have to stare into that orange jack-o-lantern of a radar, and interpret a squiggle that will lead you to your target. Now imagine that in addition to not hitting the ground, or your wingman, and watching the squiggle, you also have to turn those switches on the right side panel to activate weapons systems, to overcome enemy countermeasures…without looking outside, as you hurtle through air at -40 degrees F, air so thin that should you lose pressure, you have about 4-6 seconds of consciousness before you black out and die.
I maintain that the instant George W. Bush closed that canopy and took off on the first of his many solo hours in an F-102, it is quite impossible that he was either an idiot or a coward.
Here is a random question from the instrument rating exam I had to pass a few years ago.
Refer to figure 91: Here
What should be the approximate elapsed time from the BOSEMAN (BZN) VOR to the DUBOIS (DBS) VORTAC if the wind is 24 knots from 260 degrees and your intended True Air Speed is 185 knots? (The magnetic variation is 17deg. E)
A. 33 minutesB. 37 minutesC. 39 minutes
(It’s C., obviously)
If he had been a civilian rather than military pilot, Dubya would have had to have passed 60 questions like this with at least 70% correct. Questions on weather, radio communications, mechanical systems, aerodynamics, pilot physiology, airspace, navigation and a hundred other things. But, since he was military, he also had to know how to operate that primitive in-fight radar, plus weapons systems, rules of engagement, electronic warfare, hydraulics, fuel systems…it goes on and on.
People like Michael Moore and Bill Maher and Keith Olberman would not be able to figure out how to close the canopy on an F-102. These people would be weeping with fear when those afterburners light up and you barrel down that runway hoping that engine doesn’t flame out and roll you inverted into the asphalt, or when you’re rocketing through the soup at 300mph watching two little needles chase each other, praying the next thing you see out the window is a runway and not a mountain goat.
George W. Bush is not stupid. It’s not possible to be a moron and fly a supersonic jet fighter, and everyone knows it.
What George W. Bush is, however, is inarticulate. English is his second language. From what I can see he does not have a first language. Abraham Lincoln spoke in simple frontier language in an age of rhetorical flourish. Like Bush, he was considered a bumpkin and an idiot, and like Bush, he realized that there were times when having people misunderestimate you repeatedly was a real advantage. That’s goal-oriented. That’s playing the deep game. That’s cunning.
I personally have gotten to the point where Bush’s malapropisms cause me to look at the floor and shake my head with an affectionate smile, in much the same way supporters of his predecessor used to do with every new revelation of coerced sex from former employees. He is what he is. But he is a damn sight more intelligent than the graphic designer in the Mini Cooper with the Village Idiot sticker. Me, personally, I look at the man’s entire catalog of flaws in the same way Lincoln looked at Grant and his drinking: I can’t spare this man. He fights.
So to me, anyway, given the above information I feel that anyone calling President Bush a moron and an idiot comes off sounding like…well…a moron and an idiot.
On Mr Whittle's post: I have in my possession, a flight model for an F-102A for MS Flight Simulator 2004. Anyone who knows me knows what a flight sim junky I am and how much simulated flying I do.
I have the reality up as far as it will go!
I can't fly this thing! I can fly the F-106A. I can fly the F-105. I can fly the F-100 and F-104 (both known for being difficult mounts).
I have recovered an F4U-1C from a flat spin, I can't land an F-102A.
I have a model of the F-102A for Wings Over Vietnam, a sim not known for its realism. The F-102A is STILL hard to fly. Difficult to get the nose on and even harder to get weapons on.
And all of this is without g loads and the threat of death.
Just A Short Message
Three things for the Democrats.
1. Finish the war. FDR did.
2. Start that gun control shit again, Molon Labe!
3. Don't think about impeachment proceedings, you will only bring shame on your house.
1. Finish the war. FDR did.
2. Start that gun control shit again, Molon Labe!
3. Don't think about impeachment proceedings, you will only bring shame on your house.
04 November 2006
Let's Hear It For Joe Sixpack
I was thinking about some of the politics I have read and the people that tend to write it.
There is a common disdain for "Joe Sixpack" among what I call the Ivory Tower types.
Why?
Find a nice wide river. OK, Ivory Tower, how do you cross it? If you do anything but swim you are using the fruits of Joe's labor. He's the guy that torqued the bolts and poured the concrete. He might not be able to design it, that's not his job, nor would he want it. Joe likes to work with his hands.
I was a drafter, a midway position between Joe and the engineer. I can neither design, nor build a bridge. But I facilitated the communication between them so that bridge could be built. Joe doesn't speak, or want to speak, Engineer. But the engineer can't build the bridges without him.
All Joe wants at the end of the day is a good meal, a beer, a place to drink it and someone to share his life with.
So, when you cross a river dry, when you drink clean water from your tap, when you flip the light switch and the bulb lights up, when you eat food that you didn't have to hunt or gather yourself. Thank Joe! Especially thank him if you cannot even begin to build a bridge, purify water, make electricity or farm.
And by they way, Ivory Tower, he holds you in far more contempt than you hold him. He can drive down the road to the bridge and see what he made. He can see that the hospital is not choked with the victims of parasites in the water. He can see the streetlights have power and houses are warm in the winter. He can look around at a restaurant and see people enjoying their meals. He wonders what you look at with pride. He will also wonder how you can be proud of the things you are proud of if you try to explain it to him. He understands the pride the engineer has in designing the bridge. He understands the drafter's (my) pride in drawing it. He understands the pride of building it. He does not understand the pride in funding it with other people's money.
Perhaps this is the disconnect point. He wants to know what you built. He doesn't hold the engineer or the drafter in contempt, he knows that he is their hands. He enjoys that these men of education cannot realize their dreams without him. He doesn't mind interdependence.
He wants to be shown, what doesn't exist without you? What exists because you do? Be careful before you answer, you have to pick something that will impress him. Providing welfare so that someone down on their luck can weather the bad times and get back on their feet will impress him. Providing welfare to a 13 year old mom with a 26 year old mother and 39 year old grandmother and not one job between them will not. He will want to know why they don't have enough pride to get jobs. He might understand why they can't find a job, but he won't understand why they don't look.
Originally Posted on my LiveJournal; comments reproduced below.
There is a common disdain for "Joe Sixpack" among what I call the Ivory Tower types.
Why?
Find a nice wide river. OK, Ivory Tower, how do you cross it? If you do anything but swim you are using the fruits of Joe's labor. He's the guy that torqued the bolts and poured the concrete. He might not be able to design it, that's not his job, nor would he want it. Joe likes to work with his hands.
I was a drafter, a midway position between Joe and the engineer. I can neither design, nor build a bridge. But I facilitated the communication between them so that bridge could be built. Joe doesn't speak, or want to speak, Engineer. But the engineer can't build the bridges without him.
All Joe wants at the end of the day is a good meal, a beer, a place to drink it and someone to share his life with.
So, when you cross a river dry, when you drink clean water from your tap, when you flip the light switch and the bulb lights up, when you eat food that you didn't have to hunt or gather yourself. Thank Joe! Especially thank him if you cannot even begin to build a bridge, purify water, make electricity or farm.
And by they way, Ivory Tower, he holds you in far more contempt than you hold him. He can drive down the road to the bridge and see what he made. He can see that the hospital is not choked with the victims of parasites in the water. He can see the streetlights have power and houses are warm in the winter. He can look around at a restaurant and see people enjoying their meals. He wonders what you look at with pride. He will also wonder how you can be proud of the things you are proud of if you try to explain it to him. He understands the pride the engineer has in designing the bridge. He understands the drafter's (my) pride in drawing it. He understands the pride of building it. He does not understand the pride in funding it with other people's money.
Perhaps this is the disconnect point. He wants to know what you built. He doesn't hold the engineer or the drafter in contempt, he knows that he is their hands. He enjoys that these men of education cannot realize their dreams without him. He doesn't mind interdependence.
He wants to be shown, what doesn't exist without you? What exists because you do? Be careful before you answer, you have to pick something that will impress him. Providing welfare so that someone down on their luck can weather the bad times and get back on their feet will impress him. Providing welfare to a 13 year old mom with a 26 year old mother and 39 year old grandmother and not one job between them will not. He will want to know why they don't have enough pride to get jobs. He might understand why they can't find a job, but he won't understand why they don't look.
Originally Posted on my LiveJournal; comments reproduced below.
Ravenclaw Eric said: "I have to agree with you here, despite being more the "Ivory Tower" type myself. I've never understood the contempt that a lot of the coffeehouse proletariat have for real working people."
Anonymous said: "It is very interesting how people, once they have attained a certain level of money and isolation from the common person, will look down upon and criticize those without - even if that is how they started out. Add to that the individuals like the "Ivory Tower" types who are so disconnected from actually "doing" anything constructive themselves and it does paint a pretty sad picture.
I strongly believe that welfare should only be given as an intermediate and TEMPORARY step towards pulling oneself out of financially difficult times. Requiring that anyone on welfare perform some sort of service or task while on welfare is also something that I strongly believe should exist - even if it is something simple like sweeping a section of the street they live on or picking up trash in a park once or twice a week.
Too bad most of the "Ivory Tower" types wouldn't even understand, let alone try to change, this if they saw it..."
Michele Evermore said: "This is totally my problem with a lot of the people I have worked with. Especially right now, my boss who has a Master's and is constantly calling me worthless for not having one. Meanwhile, she's trying to head a poverty reduction project. Looking down on people, and then "trying to help them" is exactly the problem with these people you are calling Ivory Tower.
generational poverty happens in many ways because no one expects "certain kinds of people" to really be able to get a job and function in the world. but in reality, the only thing that is really useful to them in the long run is getting work experience. Otherwise, even if your heart bleeds for the 13 year old mom and 26 year old grandmother, you're still being an asshole and not doing them (or the taxpayers) much good if you create a system that doesn't push them toward a real job.
This entire project I am working with is not about building a damned thing. It's about making people talk to each other more, like the overeducated people in nonprofits do. because if you talk like they talk, then you will be like them, and then you'll be rich like they are. They are really THAT disconnected from reality. Because just like being poor can travel from one generation to another, being an over-educated elitist snob does too.
And they don't understand WHY joe sixpack (who I think is me more than the overeducated people are) thinks they are full of shit.
What the towns in my program need is someone to explain to people how to start a business. How to leverage cheap loans to build the shit that needs built. But they are very steadfast in their refusal to provide any technical assistance at all. "BEcause the process works, and if they have the right communication process, the answer will have to be right." Um, yeah. Unless they want to do any one of a thousand god-awful stupid things I've seen communities come up with to solve all their woes.
Real technical assistance could happen at a fraction of the cost of this program. but nooooooo. We have to have 3 different patented processes of talking. i could go on for days but it just makes me angrier and angrier."
30 October 2006
Car Guy Oddities
We in the Hot Rod community tend to be a conservative bunch. Face it, we fear change enough to keep driving, in some cases, seventy year old cars. To these guys I have a NEW car, mine is 16 years old.
Another bit of strangeness that comes up from time to time is the "Buy American" meme, also known as, "I ain't gonna buy no damn furrin cars!" I guess "American" can mean North America, because there are a lot of "domestic" cars made in Mexico and Canada. I love the guy proudly thumping his chest about how he supports the American worker by buying a Chevy Camaro. The Camaro was made in Canada for its last ten years, and in 2008 will be made there again. I read a letter to a magazine about how another guy would never buy an import and was going to be buying a new Pontiac GTO.
Another bit of strangeness that comes up from time to time is the "Buy American" meme, also known as, "I ain't gonna buy no damn furrin cars!" I guess "American" can mean North America, because there are a lot of "domestic" cars made in Mexico and Canada. I love the guy proudly thumping his chest about how he supports the American worker by buying a Chevy Camaro. The Camaro was made in Canada for its last ten years, and in 2008 will be made there again. I read a letter to a magazine about how another guy would never buy an import and was going to be buying a new Pontiac GTO.
The Pontiac GTO is made in Australia.
It drives me insane that these guys can't do even a bit of basic research.
It drives me insane that these guys can't do even a bit of basic research.
Gay Marriage
http://rivrdog.typepad.com/rivrdog/2006/10/nj_gay_marriage.html
The above link is quoted in full below.
NJ Gay Marriage ruling Unconstitutional
If the State Attorney General for New Jersey isn't in court(s) today to file a complaint against the NJ Supremes, he's missing a bet. He's also failed the citizens who elected him.
These NJ Supremes evidently don't take their Separation of Powers very seriously. There may even be a Federal civil rights violation here that could lead to the impeachment of the justices on that bench, for violating their Oaths of Office if nothing else.
It's not important WHAT the justices ruled, but it's VERY important that they ORDERED THE NJ LEGISLATURE TO PASS LEGISLATION WITHIN 180 DAYS.
In our system of government, that is impossible, or is supposed to be impossible. The Founders set up three branches of Government, and carefully delineated their powers so that one branch could not become pre-eminent or omni-potent. This action of the NJ Supreme Court fails that principle, and we're not talking some fine legal nuance here, they just cut the heart out of Separation of Powers, the most important legal concept in our Constitution.
A court may void laws that a Legislature writes. That happens all the time and is one of the chief duties of a court. The court may even SUGGEST to a Legislature that a topic is ripe for legislative consideration. A court may even make orders that have the effect of legislation, in the absence of it, but a court may never order a Legislature to pass legislation.
Also implicit in this ruling is a veiled threat to the Governor. His Attorney General will undoubtedly tell him that he shouldn't veto any legislation that comes out of this ruling, since it is clear that the Justices meant for it to be passed.
So, in one ruling, the NJ Supremes illegally usurp the function of the NJ Legislature, and improperly intimidate the Governor.
If there's a NJ State version of Treason (there is in Oregon), there is Probable Cause to believe that these Justices have committed that felony.
It matters not if the subject of this illegal ruling was Gay Marriage or Selling Moldy Bread, the US and New Jersey Constitutions have just been badly abrogated, and someone needs to answer for that.
The MSM, of course, have totally missed the point, jumping into this issue as if it was a collegiate debate, and totally ignoring the broken Constitutions. They are a perfect example of our broken educational system, and that's yet another tragedy.
I am NOT opposed to gay marriage.
I AM opposed to the State telling me what a marriage is.
That is neither here nor there.
What I am getting deadly sick of is liberals trying to circumvent the constitution.
First time I noticed it was with gun control. They tried to get around the second amendment by passing a law. Doesn't work and it's not like there is no way to change the constitution to make what they want possible. Just pass an amendment nullifying the 2nd and all constitutional challenge is gone.
Now we are full on into legislating from the bench.
It's getting to the point where shooting them all would be a decent start.
29 October 2006
Resolve
Geff, "There's nothing that is forcing you to return."
Me, "Yes there is. You were all my guests when it happened."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"But it happened in my house. To my guests. I have to try."
"What will you do?"
"To find them? Start killing the primitive pinheads until I find them. If I run out of pinheads before I find them it will be just too damn bad!"
"Can you limit yourself to the Ministry of Serendipity and those who support them directly?"
"Sure."
"I'm in.
Me, "Yes there is. You were all my guests when it happened."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"But it happened in my house. To my guests. I have to try."
"What will you do?"
"To find them? Start killing the primitive pinheads until I find them. If I run out of pinheads before I find them it will be just too damn bad!"
"Can you limit yourself to the Ministry of Serendipity and those who support them directly?"
"Sure."
"I'm in.
27 October 2006
Day One
OK, roll against ST to open the door," I instructed Tim.
"13, missed," he answered.
CRACK!
"Wow! That storm is getting bad! If this was hurricane season I would say it was a hurricane," I said.
"In December it's very unlikely for temperatures to get warm enough for a hurricane to form," Geff intoned, "Besides," he grinned wryly, "I checked the web page, I have it on good authority that it is a clear star filled night. No iridium flare though."
"Let's just game, if the roof comes off I have insurance!" I state with false bravado.
CRACK! BOOM!
Silence.
For a moment, nobody moves. The music is still coming from the computer, but the light is wrong.
It takes us a second to notice, except for the computers everything electric has stopped. I almost say "blackout" until I notice the sun is shining brightly through the windows. At two AM. Um, something is definitely wrong.
"13, missed," he answered.
CRACK!
"Wow! That storm is getting bad! If this was hurricane season I would say it was a hurricane," I said.
"In December it's very unlikely for temperatures to get warm enough for a hurricane to form," Geff intoned, "Besides," he grinned wryly, "I checked the web page, I have it on good authority that it is a clear star filled night. No iridium flare though."
"Let's just game, if the roof comes off I have insurance!" I state with false bravado.
CRACK! BOOM!
Silence.
For a moment, nobody moves. The music is still coming from the computer, but the light is wrong.
It takes us a second to notice, except for the computers everything electric has stopped. I almost say "blackout" until I notice the sun is shining brightly through the windows. At two AM. Um, something is definitely wrong.
I Wanna New Gun
One that will blow away!
I have a Daewoo DR200 in .223 Remington 1:12 rifling.
It's a rare gun and if I break something, like the firing pin, I will be shit out of luck for parts.
It has a lot of good points, like the magazine being the same as an M-16 or the piston gas system being taken from the best parts of the FAL and AK.
5.56x45mm M193 is prolly more than enough to stop the average goblin.
I have considered an AK clone in 7.62x39mm, but they aren't known for their accuracy. An SKS has a better reputation for accuracy, but the magazine doesn't suit me. The ergonomics of either isn't all that great either.
A couple of companies are offering AR clones in 6.8x43mm SPC. It has the thump that 5.56x45mm NATO misses and is accurate and ergonomic. It has the AR gas system, which sucks, but has the vast array of accessories that are available for the normal AR. Plus the lower (the part the BATFE thinks is a gun) can be used with any AR upper giving the option of using 5.56x45mm NATO if I want.
Looks like I can sell the Daewoo for about what an AR kit would run.
Next problem would be ammo and magazines. .223 is cheap and available ($15.79 for 50). AR mags are running $15 for a USGI 30 rounder. 6.8x43mm SPC magazines are running $43 for a 25 rounder. Ammo is $15.49 for 20 rounds of 115 grain ball.
I have a Daewoo DR200 in .223 Remington 1:12 rifling.
It's a rare gun and if I break something, like the firing pin, I will be shit out of luck for parts.
It has a lot of good points, like the magazine being the same as an M-16 or the piston gas system being taken from the best parts of the FAL and AK.
5.56x45mm M193 is prolly more than enough to stop the average goblin.
I have considered an AK clone in 7.62x39mm, but they aren't known for their accuracy. An SKS has a better reputation for accuracy, but the magazine doesn't suit me. The ergonomics of either isn't all that great either.
A couple of companies are offering AR clones in 6.8x43mm SPC. It has the thump that 5.56x45mm NATO misses and is accurate and ergonomic. It has the AR gas system, which sucks, but has the vast array of accessories that are available for the normal AR. Plus the lower (the part the BATFE thinks is a gun) can be used with any AR upper giving the option of using 5.56x45mm NATO if I want.
Looks like I can sell the Daewoo for about what an AR kit would run.
Next problem would be ammo and magazines. .223 is cheap and available ($15.79 for 50). AR mags are running $15 for a USGI 30 rounder. 6.8x43mm SPC magazines are running $43 for a 25 rounder. Ammo is $15.49 for 20 rounds of 115 grain ball.
25 October 2006
More Yrth
"You have GOT to see this!" I exclaimed to my friend.
"What now?" He replied irritatedly, it being the hundredth time I had bothered him in the last hour with my project.
"They work now."
"Really?"
"They" being what I taken to calling a gun golem. A four legged self deploying maxim machinegun. Our round might even be interchangable with .308 Winchester, but I don't have any to compare it with. Heck, calling the gun a Maxim is stretching the truth, but it's water-cooled and long recoil actioned with a toggle style lock. I never could figure out Browning's bolt accelerator.
"Shoot the target with a two second burst!"
The animated steel creature pivoted slightly and twitched it's "finger" on the trigger. A short burst emanated from the gun and a promising number of the rounds hit the wood.
"Not exactly a sniper, is it?" Geff asked.
"Nope, but it doesn't have to be. But it's not afraid of taking fire and a reverse missle or two doesn't really phase it." I rapped the hard metal of its leg, "Isn't having tons of steel fun?"
"Yes, if you say. Want to see what I have been doing?"
"Sure"
"We now have an answer about using illusions to make a computer. It works and they are FAST. I think that I can even get them talking to each other in a network. And magic communication seems to be instantaneous too, there is no lag sending a message to the moon and back."
"Cool!"
Meanwhile, on the moon...
The outworlders could not escape this time!
The ministry had finally located their gate in Tredroy.
"Odd," the ministry mage thought as he stepped through, "I feel very light, as if I was in water." But he was clearly in a small room with two heavy steel doors, one to each side, and with a small sign hanging on the wall in front of him. The door to the left had a small green light coming from a glass sphere above it, the right side door had a red light. Both doors had a small round window in it, the green lighted door had a warm light shining through it and the red lit door was black.
"Please listen to the message and finish the sentence. WARNING! Do not speak until you are ready to finish the sentence. WARNING! Spell use is forbidden in the entrance, use of lethal force has been authorized by the base commander." the sign said in red letters on a white background in the outsider's "English". "They don't expect me to be able to read their sign! Fools!"
A voice began to speak, coming from all around him, "My baloney has a first name, it's..." in English.
"What in the name of the Emperor is 'bah loan ee'," he thought. Turning to his left, the mage noticed that neither door had any form of knob or handle.
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
Touching the doors and walls revealed that the door with the green light was far warmer than the walls or door with the red light.
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
What could the trick be? It would have to be simple, something trivial to them. What had the contents of that house had in it?
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
The meat! That was it! 'Bah loan ee' must be how they pronounced 'bologna'! This must refer to the name on the package!
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
"Oscar!" the mage shouted triumphantly.
"Now opening outer door." The door with the red light opened with almost a snap, all of the air in the small chamber going with it. The wind was furious, pulling at the mage's robes, but only for a moment, then nothing. No sound and a terrible pain in his eyes, ears and chest. Desperately attempting to cast a spell to transport him home as...blackness.
"HA! I really love this thing!" Geff was nearly choking on his laughter as I entered the entrance room. He was looking out the port hole in the outer door that led to the surface of the moon, "We got another one in the trap!"
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
"Oh Es See Ay Arr," I say.
"What now?" He replied irritatedly, it being the hundredth time I had bothered him in the last hour with my project.
"They work now."
"Really?"
"They" being what I taken to calling a gun golem. A four legged self deploying maxim machinegun. Our round might even be interchangable with .308 Winchester, but I don't have any to compare it with. Heck, calling the gun a Maxim is stretching the truth, but it's water-cooled and long recoil actioned with a toggle style lock. I never could figure out Browning's bolt accelerator.
"Shoot the target with a two second burst!"
The animated steel creature pivoted slightly and twitched it's "finger" on the trigger. A short burst emanated from the gun and a promising number of the rounds hit the wood.
"Not exactly a sniper, is it?" Geff asked.
"Nope, but it doesn't have to be. But it's not afraid of taking fire and a reverse missle or two doesn't really phase it." I rapped the hard metal of its leg, "Isn't having tons of steel fun?"
"Yes, if you say. Want to see what I have been doing?"
"Sure"
"We now have an answer about using illusions to make a computer. It works and they are FAST. I think that I can even get them talking to each other in a network. And magic communication seems to be instantaneous too, there is no lag sending a message to the moon and back."
"Cool!"
Meanwhile, on the moon...
The outworlders could not escape this time!
The ministry had finally located their gate in Tredroy.
"Odd," the ministry mage thought as he stepped through, "I feel very light, as if I was in water." But he was clearly in a small room with two heavy steel doors, one to each side, and with a small sign hanging on the wall in front of him. The door to the left had a small green light coming from a glass sphere above it, the right side door had a red light. Both doors had a small round window in it, the green lighted door had a warm light shining through it and the red lit door was black.
"Please listen to the message and finish the sentence. WARNING! Do not speak until you are ready to finish the sentence. WARNING! Spell use is forbidden in the entrance, use of lethal force has been authorized by the base commander." the sign said in red letters on a white background in the outsider's "English". "They don't expect me to be able to read their sign! Fools!"
A voice began to speak, coming from all around him, "My baloney has a first name, it's..." in English.
"What in the name of the Emperor is 'bah loan ee'," he thought. Turning to his left, the mage noticed that neither door had any form of knob or handle.
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
Touching the doors and walls revealed that the door with the green light was far warmer than the walls or door with the red light.
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
What could the trick be? It would have to be simple, something trivial to them. What had the contents of that house had in it?
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
The meat! That was it! 'Bah loan ee' must be how they pronounced 'bologna'! This must refer to the name on the package!
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
"Oscar!" the mage shouted triumphantly.
"Now opening outer door." The door with the red light opened with almost a snap, all of the air in the small chamber going with it. The wind was furious, pulling at the mage's robes, but only for a moment, then nothing. No sound and a terrible pain in his eyes, ears and chest. Desperately attempting to cast a spell to transport him home as...blackness.
"HA! I really love this thing!" Geff was nearly choking on his laughter as I entered the entrance room. He was looking out the port hole in the outer door that led to the surface of the moon, "We got another one in the trap!"
"My baloney has a first name, it's..."
"Oh Es See Ay Arr," I say.
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