Quote Of The Random Interval

It is difficult to fight against anger, for a man will buy revenge with his soul. Herecleitus.

Schoolhouse Rock

iTunes has 22 episodes of Schoolhouse Rock! Interestingly since it's two 11 episode packages that they don't have "Good, Good Eleven".

The American history portions are really interesting from my jaundiced modern eye. They are refreshingly upbeat, positive and patriotic! The USA is a good place, full of good people in these educational cartoons. A place one wishes to live and emulate.

Quorum Call

I mentioned a while back that very few people actually voted to plant Mr Bush's ass in the White House.

Something on the order of 50% of the people eligible to vote bother to register and only 50% of those who register bother to actually vote and then 50% plus one of them decide who is elected.

The US Congress has a quorum requirement of 50% showing up before they can vote on something. The voting public is averaging 25%, with 35% being noteworthy enough to make the news! 25% is not a quorum by Congressional standards, why is it OK during a general election?

I know that there is no requirement for a quorum, or even that anyone vote at all. It just seems that there are 225 million Americans who say, "Not those guys!" every single election (and end up with whoever the remaining 75 million pick).

NOW, my tripwire issue is firearms. There are an estimated 100 million gun owners in the US. Pretty damn clear to me that they are not out there voting because we keep getting people who are anti-gun on the ballot and winning elections.

It's The Risk I Take For Trying To Help

Michele Evermore is having a rough time.

She's found a web page that expresses the situation she's just left. That's good!

Unfortunately for me I expressed an opinion in the comments on her blog that such pages are ALWAYS about the man being the abuser.

This led to a mini-debate with another commenter.

The page Michele Evermore referenced was showing an abuse tactic where the abuser gets the abused to defend themselves and then plays the victim card. The pronouns are all male for the abuser and female for the abused. The problem I have with this is this tactic is used far more often by the fairer sex against men. Mind games and mental abuse are firmly in the female sphere. Yes, Michele Evermore has found three guys in a row who do this behavior. No, it's not common for men to be this way, it's more common for men to use physical abuse.

To understand why the page Michele Evermore found bothers me; take this phrase (not from what she referenced), "The never ending argument. A topic that angers both sides and various levels of discussion occur until an agreement is reached. To the average male, this settles things. To the average female, this signals that she is tired of fighting for now and is taking a break." Inserting gender pronouns creates an inflammatory posture that is not necessary to describe the abuse and excludes people of the offending sex from gaining solace from the advice. Saying it this way, "To one side, this settles things. To the other, this signals that they are tired of fighting for now and are taking a break." allows you to describe the behavior without assigning blame to an entire sex. If you have no problem assigning blame to an entire sex, you are a bigot.

And as a straight, white male, I am sick of the bigotry from just about every single victim class on the planet. I am white, so I am responsible for racism. I am straight so I am responsible for homophobia. I am male so I am responsible for sexism.

I am not a racist, homophobe or sexist. I refuse to accept the blame for the actions of others.

On Standards

My recent grapple with an Apple Airport Extreme wireless router brought this out.

The Airport Extreme does not talk to the Westech ADSL modem that Verizon provided us. Our Linksys router has no problem with seeing the modem, when it's working.

Tech support on both sides blamed the other side for the DHCP being implemented incorrectly.

I mentioned this to Geff, who postulated that one of them had gotten the RFC wrong. Something I said led him to say that it was even possible that Apple did it right and Westech AND Linksys did it wrong.

Since Belkin and Linksys see the modem and Apple cannot, and if the Airport Extreme is in compliance with the RFC I would say that adherence to the standard is worthless. I've done some searching online and found that it's a Verizon/Apple problem. Belkin, Linksys and NetGear have all managed to figure out how to talk to Verizon's equipment. It's just Apple, primly sitting in their Ivory tower, that cannot.

If everyone else is doing it wrong, but it works and you are doing it right and it doesn't work I don't give a shit that you did it right. Congratulations! you made a $192 paperweight that consumes electricity.

The total lack of instructions included in Apple products is also galling. Actually, there are instructions, they are useless. They are definitely geared at someone who only bought an assembled router because he didn't feel like taking the time to hit Radio Shack for the parts to make their own. Linksys, by contrast, includes screen shots of what you should be seeing as you start things up.

The single dual color status light on the Airport Extreme reminds me of something I saw on Venture Brothers. The control room of the Gargantua-1 space station has a white monolith in it with a light labled "PROBLEM"! The instructions tell me that if the amber light is blinking, there's a problem...

The Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel Saga Continues

Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel took it well when they arrested him. Resigned is how I would put his demeanor.

His eldest son, Orca Shitheel, first accused his ex-wife of calling the cops on Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel. Now he has accused Harvey in the comments on her blog.

First things first, Orca Shitheel: Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel did indeed commit the crimes that he was convicted of. Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel did indeed violate his probation by leaving Florida and moving to Iowa. The reason Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel is in jail now is not because he was turned in by an "anonymous female caller" but because he violated his probation! If he had recognized his marriage to Tracy as a lost cause two years ago and finished his probation the police would have had no cause to arrest him.

Secondly, when one is a fugitive from justice, one must accept that one might be arrested at any place or time. The likelihood of being arrested increases as you get closer to the jurisdiction that issued the warrant for your arrest. That means that even if Iowa and Florida don't wish to pay for extradition when your records are pulled that does not mean that Pasco County, Florida will not snatch you up when you drop into their laps. And when such a Sword of Damocles is over your head, you make damn sure everyone who knows you are in the area of the original warrant is someone you can trust to not call the police! EVERYONE.

It was an "anonymous female caller." That is all the hard information there is about who called. That person had to know that Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel was here and either my last name or our address. That's a pretty damn small pool of people. Additionally, they need a reason to turn him in, a motive. All of the people with grudges, don't seem to have the address.

Fishy things:

Crackwhore Shitheel (ex wife of eldest son) saw him the day before and as soon as they parted company she stopped answering her phone. She seemed unsurprised that Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel had been arrested when I asked her the next day, before anyone here had time to call anyone. She acted suspicious, but doesn't really have a reason to screw him.

Orca Shitheel and Totally Clueless Shitheel (eldest son and his wife) sure seem worked up over this. Slinging accusations all over the map. And isn't Totally Clueless Shitheel a female? It sure seems like they are protesting too much. Almost like they have a guilty conscious. But they also don't seem to have motive to do this.

Ashamed Shitheel (daughter) is a female. She knows our last name well enough to tell the cops how to find here. I've heard that she's mad a Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel for something about Orca Shitheel. I don't know what, just a rumor. If she is mad, then she did have motive. I just don't see her caring enough to do anything to him.

Escapee Shitheel (ex wife #2) is a female, she's got motive, she knows where I live. She seems to have let bygones be bygones and did seem genuinely surprised that he'd been arrested when The Lovely Harvey talked to her.

Crab Slinging Skank (ex girlfriend) has motive. She's a female. I don't think she knows my last name or address, but anything is possible. This is where I would put my money since I am not exactly hiding where I live.

Mrs Shitheel No. 3 (current wife) is a female, doesn't seem to have a motive, definitely knew where he was the whole time. If it's her then she deserves an Oscar for the performance after the arrest!

Sneakey and Spiteful (former best friends of Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel's) know where I live and have a motive. I am uncertain if they knew he was coming down.

Any other women in Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel life?

If it had been us we would certainly not have allowed him to stay here. Harvey and I are none too fond of the cops and don't want them here, ever. We would also have made a point of calling the police before he could go to his football game on Sunday, we're vindictive! We took Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel at his word that things had been settled and stuff had expired.

It's The Apoxyclipse

Everything that glowbul warmering has ever caused

Well Mrs Shitheel No. 3 Is Still Here

Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel was arrested for his probation violation last night.

Two counts of probation violation and no bond because of his extreme flight risk.

Just Because It Made Me Smile

when criminals in this world appear
and break the laws that they should fear
and frighten all who see or hear
the cry goes up both far and near
for Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!

when in this world the headlines read
of those whose hearts are filled with greed
who rob and steal from those who need
to right this wrong with blinding speed
goes Underdog! Underdog! Underdog! Underdog!

speed of lightning, roar of thunder
fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!

Pity Party For Thag

Well, not really.

Today is a bit rocky. Today is my mom's birthday. First one since she died and I am in a foul mood.

In typical man fashion I want to curl up in a cave, lick my wounds and be left alone.

Dumbass Fuckwad Shitheel and Mrs Shitheel No. 3 are in from Iowa. It's not their fault, but their presence is invasive and not entirely welcome under the circumstances.

I'll be OK, this is part of the grieving process, it just sucks. Suckage is also part of the grieving process.

Belief

Dead Link to The American Interest Read the whole thing.

In affairs so dangerous as war, false ideas proceeding from kindness of heart are precisely the worst. . . . The fact that slaughter is a horrifying spectacle must make us take war more seriously, but not provide an excuse for gradually blunting our swords in the name of humanity. Sooner or later someone will come along with a sharp sword and hack off our arms.

--Clauswitz

Oh The Imagery

"Hillary says "Tom Harkin's been working like a Trojan" on a farm bill."

Prolly not the best choice of metaphor. All that pops to my mind are the Trojan Horse and condoms.

And those both mean someone is getting fucked.

Gaming

My enthusiasm for gaming dropped precipitously after dealing with Chris Underwood (a known asshole) last September.

I really stopped paying attention to the forums about GURPS.

Recently I went to peek again.

There's a thread about the new edition of High Tech where someone complains that .40 S&W does more damage than .45 ACP in the new rules (2d+2 pi+ for the .40 and 2d pi+ for the .45). .40 S&W does NOT do more damage than .45 ACP. In fact it falls almost perfectly halfway between .45 ACP and 9mm Parabellum.

The rules gods began posting justifications for the anachronism. The main argument is that the author developed a consistent system for determining damage and since GURPS only allows for two bullet size modifiers (pi+ for x1.5 damage and pi++ for x2 damage) and since pi+ begins at .40 caliber then we are just going to have errors like this. A well respected poster suggests that there really should be a x1.2 damage step to account for .40 S&W's actual behavior. The rules gods say this is too complicated, or is unneeded extra complication.

Essentially the rules gods have chosen; "It's wrong, but is wrong consistently," as an argument. The older values were not debated, it seems that the system developed by the author didn't account for the previous fiat stats being reasonably accurate and creating a system that generated numbers that matched them. Oh, the 3e values gave .40 S&W and .45 ACP identical damage (2d+ cr which would be 2d pi+ in 4e) and different ranges (150/1900 vs 175/1700). Not quite right, but nobody was complaining.

Other posters have justified .40 S&W as being a TL newer than .45 ACP, so it deserves more damage. Perhaps it does "deserve" more damage from being a more recently developed round, but it doesn't actually DO more damage. The TL advance in this round has more to do with getting the cartridge packaged smaller than could have been done with a .40 cal round in the previous TL. The authors stats for the .45 GAP match the .45 ACP, which it should. .45 GAP is two TL newer than .45 ACP and is much more compact for the same velocities with the same bullets.

I tend to wish for the x1.2 damage step but accept that the damage rules are very coarse and when rounding things can get strange around the break points.

One thing the new system allows for is .357 SIG bullets getting the same damage as .357 Magnum rounds of the same weight and velocity.

www.nrablacklist.com

I am not a big fan of the NRA. I prefer to give my money to GOA and JPFO.

But this site is just damn funny.

Awwwww, poor widdy celebrities! You state your desire to disarm about half the nation, especially "fly-over", and you end up on the largest organizations that opposes that idea's web page. Gee, I just can't find any sympathy.

Why? For one, many of you are hypocrites. Lots of celebrity gun owners who don't want me to own a gun. Lots of celebrities have armed security details.

Are you worried that I will not go to the theater and watch your latest diatribe against America? Do you think that I will miss my chance to be indoctrinated to the bloody bosom of socialism?  Or is it you merely object to someone having caught you saying what you said?

Of course, the site is just one complaining about teh eval NRA having a list, not really the celebs complaining.  Gun control works!  Just ask the mall shooter in Omaha!

The Lovely Harvey's New Gun

The Lovely Harvey's was made in 2006, mine was made in 2007. They have changed from roll markings to laser etching in that time.

Here they are together. Mine is on the right, The Lovely Harvey's is on the left. T-Shirt is from Anvil Arms of Lakeland, Florida.

SIG Pics

Some pics of the aforementioned SIG-Sauer P232.

This is a SIG-Sauer P232, 1.2 lbs loaded. It tucks right in and the grip is about perfect for me. No safety as such, just a decocker and a DA/SA operation. There's a loaded chamber indicator as part of the extractor. Magazine release is in the butt, so reloads are a bit slow. .380 ACP is just enough for most self defense applications, much better than .25 ACP!

Three unrelated guns linked through ACP. From left to right; Colt Junior in .25 ACP, SIG-Sauer P232 in .380 ACP and Springfield Armory M-1911A1 GI in .45 ACP. If I get a .32 ACP gun to round it out, Harvey WILL kill me, unless it's a gift.

New Kids In The Hall

I got me a new carry gun. The M-1911A1 doesn't sit comfortably when driving the Vette. The Colt Junior is comfortable, but can't really be counted on to stop an anemic mouse let alone a goblin. Something in .380 ACP or 9mm seemed in order.

Marv is happy with his FEG PA-63 in 9x18mm Makarov. It doesn't quite fit my hand.

I handled a couple of guns in .380 ACP. Walther/S&W PPK/S, Bersa Thunder 380 and SIG-Sauer P232. The SIG fit my hand best. I was concerned with the quality of the other two.

A friend of mine, LibtardLenny, is convinced that the S&W made PPK/S are not as well made as the genuine German Walthers. The internet is convinced of quite the opposite.

Garry has a friend he shoots with quite frequently who had a Bersa flat fail to operate. His Bersa was broken as well, but I didn't know it was merely a worn recoil spring from a couple of thousand rounds use.

The Bersa would have been the cheapest option in .380 at $265. The SIG and Walther were about the same price, SIG being $520, the Walther being $550. The PA-63 would have come to about $250 after I did the mods that Marv had done to make it a decent shooter.

There's nothing really wrong with 9x18mm Makarov, except a definite lack of variety for loads. And I don't think I have ever seen a box outside a gun show. That's a bad sign.

So, I bought the SIG P232 in blue.

The Lovely Harvey is seeking her conceal carry permit. I suggested she give the P232 a feel to see if it fits her hand, she said that it does.

Garry doesn't like his SIG P232, and is willing to sell it for $450. I think I shall get it for her.

Kinda neat, we'll have matching guns!

Dogfights

I've complained about this show before.

They are getting much better.

The control surfaces are moving now! They even seem to be moving in a manner that would cause the maneuvering shown on the show.

Problem is, the aileron on an F-4 Phantom only moves down. On a Cessna, to roll one aileron goes up, the other goes down. On the Phantom, one goes down the other stays put and a spoiler on that wing deploys.

Guess what the ailerons are doing on the show.