Old Boy

SEE IT.

Suicide Kiss - from Suicide Club

Because the dead shine all night long.

The video is probably NSFW. Shows blood, murder, implied sex, and a crazy haired cross dresser. Maybe you can scroll down so you can only see the subtitles, and listen to the song.


This song has been stuck in my head since I saw it.

I would advise against watching this movie (Suicide Club, not the video above :). You can watch it to say you've seen it, but really, that's all you get out of it. I would argue with more substance, but I've never had anyone disagree.

Go watch Oldboy instead.

See how long it takes you to recover after the credits start rolling.

Tally Hall - Good Day

Quote of the bitch slap!

This quote comes from Tam, who is a veritable cornucopia of bitch slappery.

From the comments on some Ozzie's bitch fest on America's gun culture.

I don’t really feel particularly threatened by anything; statistically speaking, I’ve pretty much experienced all the crime I’m ever going to experience if I stay away from bad neighborhoods after dark. So I don’t feel the need to own a gun for protection from baddies or terrorists or invading armies.

I feel the need to own guns because my doing so bugs the hell out of hippies halfway around the world so much that they write essays about it.

Cheers, mate! :)

I seem to remember an Ozzie who was making similar arguments...
What ever happened to him?

Didn't think to smile.

Usually when I'm working I have what could be described as a scowl on my face. I am by no means angry or upset, I'm just concentrating. When I left for lunch yesterday two of my coworkers were coming in as I was going out.

Coworker: Whoa! Haha, what's with the scowl! Who pissed you off?
Me: Hmm?
Coworker: What's up? What's with the angry face?
Me: Oh...
I pause, and actually have to think about how to smile for some reason.

I put on a soft smile, and warm look.

Coworker: Whoa! Haha! Complete turnaround!
Me: Sorry. I just didn't think to smile.



Obligatory...

And I came upon a doctor

who appeared in quite poor health
I said there's nothing that I can do for you you can't do for yourself

Dollar breaks 72 support

One of the reasons.

JR relates one of his reasons for carrying his firearm, and remaining active in politics.

Those Eyes

"Perfect" security of RealID defeated by teens

Teens Using Real I.D. Cards To Get Into Bars

Seems RealID is a great idea in theory (just like many others) that cannot overcome the hurdle of (say it with me) implementation.

The government couldn't implement its way out of an inflated balloon with a needle.

This is the only thing that subdues my fears of an all-seeing Orwellian government; that the government is so poorly managed from the ground up (seriously, they get paid more to waste money) that it would be nothing short of impossible to turn this hodgepodge of people officially compelled to do the bare minimum into that monolithic government that good old Georgie imagined.

Of course, that doesn't keep it from trying.

While it might muster a strong showing of cohesion here or there, undoubtedly you will find that the initiative was lead by ONE person very close to the people implementing, who has usually been given a lot of slack on the leash. But much like the new hire who joins a company with the drive to change the long-standing tradition of failure; this kind of successful management will soon be quashed by those within the system who fear, more than anything else, being measured by their... *shudder* success *spit*

I got your domestic terrorism right here.

Goth clothes 'prompted killing'

Certainly civilized nations can't expect citizens to resort to violence to protect themselves, and civilized nations can't be expected to prosecute "poor misguided murderers" to the fullest extent of the law, but in certain civilized nations you risk your life walking down the street.

Quite the civilized utopia you've got running over there.

If previous experience holds true, the 15 year old that played part in the killing will probably get a few years in jail and a few on probation.

For as much time as we spend trying to figure out effective methods of (ahem) rehabilitation, the two most obvious methods aren't to be touched with a 10 foot pole. Locking them up and throwing away the key, and the journey to room temperature.

GoDaddy silences RateMyCop.com

GoDaddy Silences Police-Watchdog Site RateMyCop.com

A new web service that lets users rate and comment on the uniformed police officers in their community is scrambling to restore service Tuesday, after hosting company GoDaddy unceremonious pulled-the-plug on the site in the wake of outrage from criticism-leery cops.

RateMyCop founder Gino Sesto says he was given no notice of the suspension. When he called GoDaddy, the company told him that he'd been shut down for "suspicious activity."

When Sesto got a supervisor on the phone, the company changed its story and claimed the site had surpassed its 3 terabyte bandwidth limit, a claim that Sesto says is nonsense. "How can it be overloaded when it only had 80,00 page views today, and 400,000 yesterday?"

"Having a website like that puts a lot of law enforcement, in my eyes, in danger because it exposes us out there," Officer Hector Basurto, vice president of the Latino Police Officers Association, told ABC television affiliate KGO.

Since undercover officers aren't in the database, and the site has no personal information like home addresses, that fear seems unfounded. Chief Jerry Dyer, president of the California Police Chiefs Association, voices what sounds like a more honest concern: that officers will face "unfair maligning" by the citizens they serve.

While I support transparency in any organization funded by tax payer dollars, overzealous local law enforcement bashing is to the detriment of the community they patrol. When cops are screamed at for doing their job (which they often are), they stop.

Look at LAPD.

On NASA

Space exploration seems hardly worth the investment compared to the return. While NASA has produced a number of inventions and discoveries which have improved our quality of life, we remain quite a ways away from floating houses on the moon.

Space exploration without the ability of faster-than-light travel seems a bit like masturbation to me. A great bit of fun, but ultimately pointless. At least masturbation doesn't cost 1.5 billion taxpayer dollars every time you fire off into space. (heh)

But when they release the most amazing pictures you've ever seen, and you can't help but gawk awe-struck as the vastness and beauty of the universe comes into brilliant relief, if only for one shining moment; you can't help but wonder if it just might be worth it.

USDOJ sends thinly veiled threat to blogger David Codrea

David Codrea, has been covering the trial of Ryan Horsley, owner of an Idaho gun store, who's livelihood and freedom are being threatened for minor clerical errors in his gun sales records.
(For putting "y" instead of "yes" and "n" instead of "no". Seriously.)

After trial testimony David A. Meyer, US Marshal Judicial Security Inspector, approached Ryan Horsley and told him to tell David about the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007.

Certainly this kind of unofficial, off-hand, third-party "advisement" was issued with the clear intention of intimidation. David Meyer didn't walk up to David, call him, or e-mail him and tell him he should be careful not to violate the law. And David Meyer would not announce his intention to arrest David Codrea prior to actually executing the arrest. There is only one way to interpret this kind of activity.

To instill fear, and to intimidate.

So is David Codrea cowering in a corner somewhere?

If you're familiar with David, you already know the answer...

He saw right through it, and came out swinging.

Just when you think the Fedgov is beginning to become acquainted with the law of unintended consequences; they do something stupid like this.

These semi-threats and intimidation tactics are harbingers of very nasty things for our first amendment rights.

I'm posting his response in its entirety, formatting and all, for a reason. Read it.
Also, note I've added a new tag.

Taking the Bait

An Open Response to

US Marshal Judicial Security Inspector

David A. Meyer

dave.meyer@usdoj.gov

I understand you took Ryan Horsley aside at the conclusion of trial testimony and instructed him to advise me of the Court Security Improvement Act of 2007, specifically, "Inspector Meyer asked me to contact you in regards to posting any information with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence against that covered official... "

In other words, this:

`Sec. 119. Protection of individuals performing certain official duties

`(a) In General- Whoever knowingly makes restricted personal information about a covered official, or a member of the immediate family of that covered official, publicly available--

`(1) with the intent to threaten, intimidate, or incite the commission of a crime of violence against that covered official, or a member of the immediate family of that covered official; or

`(2) with the intent and knowledge that the restricted personal information will be used to threaten, intimidate, or facilitate the commission of a crime of violence against that covered official, or a member of the immediate family of that covered official,

shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 5 years, or both.

`(b) Definitions- In this section--

`(1) the term `restricted personal information' means, with respect to an individual, the Social Security number, the home address, home phone number, mobile phone number, personal email, or home fax number of, and identifiable to, that individual;

`(2) the term `covered official' means--

`(A) an individual designated in section 1114; or

`(B) a grand or petit juror, witness, or other officer in or of, any court of the United States, or an officer who may be serving at any examination or other proceeding before any United States magistrate judge or other committing magistrate;

`(3) the term `crime of violence' has the meaning given the term in section 16; and

`(4) the term `immediate family' has the meaning given the term in section 115(c)(2).'.

Your message has been received loud and clear--along with your warning that you will not hesitate to come down and arrest anyone you suspect of violating this law. Before I give you my reply, I want to make it clear that my response is mine alone. Any retaliation is mine to face, and taking it out on the man who passed your message along at your direction will not be something you can now do outside of a brightly focused light.

That said, OK, I recognize bait when I see it. I'll bite. Here is my considered response. Now that you've snagged me, hang on tight.

First off, if you have anything to say to me, say it directly. Don't go presuming sovereign citizens are your personal messenger boys.

Second, how dare you?

Don't presume to have authority to impose any prior restraint on what I write. Don't presume to warn me about what you will or will not allow me to say.

For you to imply any of my work might be illegal is a vile slander and you know it--if it wasn't, I'd already be in custody (assuming I was allowed to survive the arrest). Hell, you even admitted as much, but qualified that while I hadn't broken any laws, people who comment on this blog might.

That ain't your call, either, Bub. Don't presume to tell my guests what they can say--I run this site, you don't. I don't moderate and pre-approve comments, so if you have a problem with that, take it up with Blogger, which provides this as a standard option.

I've made it clear on numerous occasions that I allow "comments except for those that are...something that could be legally perceived as a threat against a specific person other than myself..."

Those get removed. And I've even warned people against it.

I've also speculated that comments that may be perceived as threatening are invariably posted anonymously, and that trolls doing it could very well be agents provocateur attempting to bring discredit or worse to my site. Heck, they might even work for the DoJ--it's not like you guys don't hang out here at all hours.

But you apparently need to establish a plausible cover story. Let's see--the same mighty BATFU that sends armed invaders smashing into people's homes and businesses is just scared out of their jackboots over what's being said about them on... blogs, so they need to enlist a protector, that would be you, against "Homegrown terrorists".

That would be people like me?

I dunno, Dave. It seems more likely they don't have confidence Judge Lodge will arrive at the verdict they've invested--what--how many hundreds of thousands of dollars in(?)--so they're coming up with Plan B in case they don't get the vindictive satisfaction they crave?

And we know they don't like light being shined on their activities--hell, we knew that when they presumed to authorize whether or not reporters could be present when they conducted public business, and maintained that bloggers were not "Authorized Journalists."

For the record:

I've never threatened anyone nor encouraged anyone else to threaten any one. I don't threaten people.

I've never given out any specific identifiable information about any of the agents, inspectors or witnesses involved in this case.

Now we get to the word "intimidate" and boy, that's kind of like beauty, you know--in the eye of the beholder? I mean, that's kind of like the anti-gun loons who say they have a right to feel safe, like I have any control over how they react emotionally.

So with no watchdog press, and with this edict you're warning me about in practice, "intimidation" might be construed as taking of photographs of government agents in action who end up being witnesses. If this is now verboten, well, there's only one set of lights left to turn off: RKBA (look it up) bloggers.

Now I have on occasion meant to ridicule, like now, and even dare and defy, like..uh...now again.

So if you think you have grounds to arrest me for violating this new law you just had to issue an official warning on, if you think you can prove I'm out there doing anything illegal, immoral or fattening, well, y'all know where my taxes get sent to, so I don't think you'll have any problem finding me.

I think it more likely you're just engaging in one of those color of authority abuses to try to chill free speech. I think BATFU's tired of having their vindictive actions exposed and they wanted you to throw some fear out there to make it stop. Well, hell, why would you expect people who don't respect the Second Amendment to give a damn about the First?

Funny how unintended some consequences are, isn't it? Instead, here I am calling attention to things even louder. Say, do you think Judge Lodge will appreciate hearing about your ham-handedness in this? I'm going to write him and find out.

So here's the thing, Dave. If you want to take this further, just say the word. I won't talk with you on the phone unless I can record the conversation, or in person unless I have an attorney present, but you're free to email me back (dcodrea AT hotmail DOT com) as long as you know I'm going to post it at WarOnGuns. Aside from that, if you want to go even further and arrest me (and why would a US Marshal send me a warning that he was prepared to do just that if that wasn't the ultimate card in your hand?), I do hope you can conduct things peaceably, as I would have no intention of missing my day in court.

At the risk of sounding paranoid (right, BATFU fears people like me and my site visitors?), I want to establish a record that I will not physically resist. If anything transpires that says I did, it will be a lie.

Easy. I've got kids in my house.

So with all that out of the way, I guess there's nothing left to do but present you with this. I bit, so now it's your turn:





AFTERWORD:

This warning on the part of a federal marshal is chilling, and it was intended to be. By making specific mention of not just this blog, but of you who comment on it, and by warning us against something we've never engaged in, it's pretty clear what the intent was here.

Unlike many bloggers, I write under my own name. I do so because better men than me pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor, and bequeathed to me a sacred inheritance. If I am to consider myself even minimally worthy of their great sacrifices, I can do no less than strive to do the same--albeit with full humility in acknowledging my comparative shortcomings.

But I knew when I got involved in 2A activism many years ago that doing it sincerely would involve potential legal repercussions--from defying the state of California on registering my property, to chiding the City of San Francisco on their elitist hypocrisy and lawlessness. I do this not because I'm self-destructive, but because these are the agents of the state who rely on fear to impose their will, and I'm more resentful of that than I am afraid.

Governments are instituted among men to secure the blessings of Liberty. People should not be afraid of their government. I want to help dispel that fear. And I can't do that if I'm hiding in the shadows. I can't encourage others to do that--which is what we need if we're ever to secure meaningful reforms.

So I long ago made the decision that my Internet activities would be an open book. What I have written cannot be erased--at least by me. The good marshal here is free to look at everything I've ever said on this site and elsewhere, and he'll not find a shred of evidence supporting his decision to warn me--and you, the WarOnGuns correspondents--against committing a federal crime.

It's the same with emails. Many of you have written me and know I always make a good faith attempt to write back. And yes, at times I've wondered if some of my unknown correspondents might be trying to get me to write something imprudent. I've not only never taken that bait, but I don't even use encryption--something I've been urged to do, but my instincts say I will be better able to defend myself if I can demonstrate I've never tried to hide anything.

Regulars here will note that this post is a lot longer than I usually write. I did it because this time--with the specific mention of willingness to make arrests on the part of a federal LEO, I know making a post like this will not only anger him, but will get me as close to the line as I can get--knowing full well that this may still inspire him to increase the pressure, instead of just going the hell away and leaving me the hell alone.

Without meaning to sound paranoid, if the fedgov did decide I'd crossed their line with this and sent someone out to enforce their new edict against me, what do you think the chances are they'd send out someone to the home of a known "gun extremist" to politely ring my doorbell and hand me papers?

I figure my best protection at this point is to either let them cow me into silence, in which case this post would never have been written--or else shine as much light and bang as many pots as I can in case they decide to follow through. That's what I'm doing.

The ball is now in their court.

The floor is now open for comments. Careful now, both in what you say here and in what you say if you choose to email Inspector Meyer. As with so much else, and as he has made abundantly clear, intimidation and threats are the sole province of "The Only Ones," and they will brook no competition.

And if anybody wants to make a copy of this post, just as insurance in case there are repercussions, go right ahead.

UPDATE:

A scary thought occurred to me

I was thinking about ye olden times and how people would have a lot of kids because some were bound to die of disease, and/or more kids meant more hands to work on the farm/family business. I remembered reading how expensive it was becoming to raise kids, and figured most people just plain couldn't afford more kids.

Then I thought about welfare, and how having more kids gets you more money, and how people were MAKING MONEY by having kids they couldn't afford. The government We would be ARE paying people to be irresponsible.

We are rewarding people for being irresponsible.

I don't even want to think about what these welfare babies have in their future.

Seriously???

They can put a fucking man on the moon, but microsoft can't make the COMPUTER IN THE PALM OF MY HAND update for daylight savings time?!

Fuck you guys.

Modeselektor & Pfadfinderei - My mosquee is my cathedral

Oddly hypnotic.

Modeselektor - The Dark Side of the Sun and How to Field Strip an AK47



M.I.A - Paper Planes and How to Field Strip an AK47
Whoops, no embedding (for some damn reason) click here.

Perl coder, tech support, and part-time psychiatrist

I'm a polite person, and do my best not to speak ill of anyone I know, even behind their back. Frankly, I see no reason to get angry at anyone. I believe most people do what they do in good faith, or because they don't know any better. One part of being polite, to me, is looking at people in the eyes when they are talking to me, it was a respect thing when I was young, and it stayed with me. I'm quiet by nature, and when dealing with someone I don't particularly care to listen to, I learned long ago to simply reply affirmatively, nod, and listen. The result of neutrality, politeness, and attentiveness (real or feigned); is everyone thinks I'm their friend. They'll talk to me about things they don't seem to talk to other people about, and they'll feel better once they did because they got things off their chest without anybody judging them. People like people who are like them, and via simple half-hearted agreement, people like me.

This agreeability has extended to almost every area of my life, and has helped me accomplish things, and obtain privileges I doubt I'd have otherwise.

Strangely, this extends to customers over the phone. I've been praised by name in e-mails from our customers as someone who always helps, and gets the job done. Usually from Customers with whom I'd had minimal contact, and (honestly) didn't think I'd done that exceptional of a job for.

Just now someone from accounting (whom everyone strongly dislikes) called complaining about her computer. All she needed was a reboot, but she wouldn't consider the thought until I listened to her technical woes. This lead into her family woes. Which lead into her personal woes. After she was done, she rebooted, and thanked me vigorously for helping her. My part of the entire conversation consisted of affirmative grunts and liberal use of "mm-hmm" and "uh-huh." I did nothing, just as I'd done for her before. But she likes me. She has said I'm the only one in this company she doesn't have a problem with, and as head of accounting I know I've benefited from her friendship in ways I'll never know.

Sometimes I think it strange to have benefited so much from a mantra so simple as,
"Shut up, be nice, and look people in the eye."

Continual questions, and backwards clarity

I'm a questioning kind of guy, and always try to see things from different perspectives. But I don't just question the beliefs and decisions of others, I mostly questions the beliefs and decisions of myself. Whenever I lack conviction on something serious, I try to have my mind changed as much as possible. After reading posts or articles from people convinced they are right, I begin to formulate an opinion, and take a side. This decision is far from concrete, and will likely come under fire from a contributor with a stake in the claim; me. I'll read something else that makes great counter-points, and decide that I need to revisit my decision, or change it entirely.

This could go on for months.

But each time I revisit opinions, I develop more of an understanding of the argument, and more clarity on the matter. This leads to stronger opinions, and better arguing on the subject matter. But no matter how firm my beliefs may be, there will always be that nagging voice who will insist that my entire idea development process was wrong from the beginning, and was SO wrong that I can't even see how wrong it is.

When this happens, I have to revisit all the data, and evidence that lead me to my conclusion, so I can see if I come to the same conclusion. Frankly, this is why I keep this blog. (in addition to posting the occasional odd contrivance for my future review and amusement)

I read my blog a lot. I like to dig through old posts, and remember what I said at a certain time, recall a time or phase of my life, and enjoy the good points I've made because I honestly forget them. I also use these excursions to remember why I hold a belief. Finding a pointed post on the subject matter is like a quick shot of clarity for which the dissenting voice can have no riposte.

This will be one of those posts.

From Liberty comes this reminder on just why people who support the constitution should not support McCain. This quote is sharply worded for good reason; because there is no response.

I do not vote for candidates who shit on our Constitution. Period.

You may argue that by NOT voting McCain, you're voting for Hilbama, but you'd be wrong. A vote is an affirmative action; it is not something that happens by mistake or by accident. A vote is also completely boolean; you either vote FOR someone or you don't. There is no gray area in your vote, and no matter how hard you picture Ronald Reagan when you push that button for McCain, you just accomplished the same thing as a McCain supporter who thinks the constitution is just a goddamned piece of paper.

Thank you, Liberty. For your clarity, candor, and curses.

The Dog, the Cat and the Giant Squid

Don't worry; it has a happy ending.

UPDATE: fixed link

Don't fuck with Finland

They sure made a great rifle.

Life is good.

Who could complain?

So, what's this "Molon labe" thing about?

Molon Labe (or, more correctly; ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ) is roughly translated to mean "Come and take them" and was most famously known to have been proclaimed by King Leonidas at the battle of Thermopylae, in response to the command to lay down his weapons. Despite the odds, he was defiant because he earned what he had been entrusted to protect, and refused to surrender it without a fight. Even when faced with certain death.

You can never enslave a free man, you can only kill him. To those men at Thermopylae, and to millions of Americans, when given the choice between life enslaved, and death; there is no choice.

Breda was reminded of this fighting spirit by an unlikely source; a tiny mouse. A tiny mouse which she felt had more (pardon my word choice, but there is hardly a word which captures the spirit so adequately) balls than some Americans. Go read her account.

When you're done, read all the ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ links to similar stories at the bottom, and begin to understand what having the fighting spirit means.

The fighting spirit is something that has lain dormant in majority of Americans for quite some time now. Far too long for a country that was founded by it. It was heartening when I used to read stories about mothers mustering that spirit for the cause of protecting their children, but even that natural spirit seems to be becoming suppressed. When asked what the most dangerous place in the forest is, the answer comes quickly; between a mother bear and her cubs. Somehow it's natural to understand an animal fighting to protect what it loves, but humans are excused as being too civilized to resort to force to protect what they love. (though far too many fail to love themselves, it seems) The wolves and other animals who have disguised themselves as humans have taken note, and need only issue forceful requests to cause these civilized humans to roll over, and expose their belly.

How can a society survive when its citizens are so full of despair that they are not willing to fight even for their own lives? Listening to people lately makes me feel like I'm reading Atlas Shrugged. "What's to be done?" "Who can do anything?" "What's the point?"
"Who is John Galt?"

It disturbs me to my core to hear this sentiment echoed by coworkers, acquaintances, and even friends. Americans, world renowned (and world resented) for their can do spirit, twisting their faces into perplexing expressions of ambivalence before uttering the contemptible;

"Yeah, but what can I do about it?"

Resigned to their feckless existence, they look to people of power who promise dubious solutions to all their problems, if only they'll offer their dollars or their votes.
This is how kings are made.

We are all individuals, we are all just single faces among the 6 BILLION others on this water-covered rock hurtling through a cold, unforgiving space. But the world is changed by individuals. Our history books aren't filled with groups and ideas, they're filled with faces and names of individuals who stood up, above the crowd, and changed the face of the world. For good, or ill. These were people who knew that they mattered, and set out to make history. You too are an individual; you are not a group, a number, or a member. You are an individual, and you have the strength to change the world. Anyone who would tell you otherwise seeks only to eliminate you as competition. Fight for what you deserve, and if you don't think you deserve it, fight yourself until you do.

Never give up.
Never give up.
Never give up.

Fight.

No matter the odds.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

Phelps pwns CNN

Phelps tears apart a story CNN ran about a douchebag (who happened to be a Danish reporter) who was so caught up in his very important phone call that he trespassed onto the land of, and near the house of, an elderly Texan woman. Who (by the way) was understandably curious as to why this young man had meandered so close to her home, and asked that he leave. However, being elderly, and wary of a curious young man who could easily overpower her, she brought her firearm.

After unhinging CNN's hysterical article, Phelps decided he hadn't kicked enough ass, and started tearing up the comments.

Worth the read.

5 most badass presidents of all time

5 most badass presidents of all time

Damn! I had no idea! We gotta get some more of these presidents!

When plastic bags are outlawed...

Only outlaws will have plastic bags...

Strangely enough, this is NOT an environmental thing; it's just another misguided attempt to stop drugs. That's right folks, drugs.

"I want to sell these drugs, but Chicago banned plastic bags! I guess I'll just have to get a job at wal-mart, and become a contributing member of society."

Xavier's encounter at Wal-Mart

Encounter at Wal-Mart

Gave me shivers.

I handed Little Darling her bag and took her hand as we began to negotiate the maze of parked automobiles. I glanced back and saw that the two young men had spread apart, one on either side of us and to the rear. That is when I felt it. They had matched my stride and were circling me. Like an antelope, I knew I was being stalked by jackals, only I did not know why. Time was accelerating at head pounding speed, and Little Darling, blissfully unaware, was along for the ride.

I spun and drew my pistol from it's holster, keeping it at low ready, facing off the other young man who was quickly approaching me from behind. My thumb had already snicked off the safety and Little Darling, confused, peered from behind me.

The officer asked for my identification, and I presented my driver's license and my carry permit. At his request, I shut off my engine and got out of the Jeep. My knees were weak. I shuddered as I told the officer my story. I did not know why I was being herded and stalked, but I explained that I knew what was happening and felt it deep in my bones. I had been prey.

They had waited for a customer to purchase the object of their lust, and then followed the customer out of the store to score. My little girl's life and my own life had been threatened for a damned toy.

This morning, when I told her I blogged about it, she remembered the experience. Her comment......"Yeah, that was funny...." I asked her to elaborate. Funny it wasn't, I said, I was scared. She said, "I wasn't, I was with you." Such is the trust granted to us by our children. We should strive to deserve it.

Read it now.

I can take a hint.

I've been reading SurvivalBlog for a long time. Not really because the world's about to end, but because there's a lot of cool info on the site on a variety of topics. He's a proponent of buying silver and gold, and in the time I've been reading, he has also made an number of financial predictions, most of which have come true. One of the warning signs he mentioned was to watch out for when officials begin insisting the banks are strong. For a while I entertained the idea of buying a bit of silver, as an investment, but decided I should take a more traditional approach to investments. I began reading investment books, and found an author I liked, Robert Kiyosaki, and just started reading his book on investing theory.

Last friday I was listening to the radio on the way to work, and heard Bernanke say something to the effect of "Don't worry, the banking system is strong." Well, I hit SurvivalBlog today, and find this link, about Robert Kiyosaki recommending people invest in silver.

I can take a hint.

Lets see what happens...

Suddenly, I can shoot revolvers!

I wasn't sure exactly why, but I was never really able to shoot revolvers. Initial attempts resulted in difficulty staying on the paper. Continued practice culminated in 12" groups at close range. I asked for some help from the range workers, and was given tips on technique. Groups shrunk slightly, but remained unacceptable. Meanwhile my automatic shooting continued to become better, and better.

I'm not sure if the gun fairy showed up and sprinkled some revolver dust on me, but my last trip to the range resulted in leaps-and-bounds of improvement. In fact, it resulted in some of the best shooting I've done with a pistol ever. I was grinning like a kid with a great report card. (much to my girlfriend's amusement)


The revolver was a GP100, with which I wanted to practice since I could now buy one, but I wasn't expecting this. I wasn't even expecting a satisfactory performance. I don't know if it was the GP100, or if it was me; either way, a world of revolvers just opened to me, and it feels good.

Tank buckshot will ruin your day

Via The Firearm Blog, which continues to provide as it promises; Firearms not politics. It is much appreciated.

1993 and the law of unintended consequences

It seems gun background checks increased 5.3% in January.

What would cause something like that?

Lets look to history; 1993 to be exact...

So why the spike in sales in 1993? What happened in 1993?

The Brady Bill.

So here’s a cold, hard lesson for gun-grabbers. Pass gun control legislation, and we buy more guns. Watch for sales to continue going up.

Seems gunnies feel their guns are at risk...

Can't
Imagine
Why

Hilarious!

Garfield minus Garfield

Picture of the year

HDD + Movement = HIGH SPEED LATHE

GENTLE!

Thought I was the only one

How many of you type "ls" or "w" on your console for no reason when you're bored and don't know what to do?

I type 'll' 'ls' and 'clear' while I'm thinking about the command I need to type..

You're human garbage, but nice job.

Spammers are human trash. Spam accounts for a large percentage of internet traffic, and quite literally clogs the pipes.

But this spam was so creative, I just had to post it.

The spammer has used whitespace to make unspamlike words spell the spam message itself.

Bravo.

I feel like I should buy the trash he's peddling on principal.

bleh...

You might have noticed the utter lack of real content lately, (but if not, stop reading now, and prepare for more solid gold blogging) and I don't really have an excuse.

I'm not sure exactly why I have 5 long posts that remain incomplete. Maybe it has something to do with my disgust with how the political process has devolved into Beatlemania. Maybe it has to do with the fact that we're not winning.

...

I feel a bit better now.

Ignore those extremist "patriot" right wingers

...no matter how many times they're right.

Hey, those tin-foil hatters are still talking! Providing "facts", "videos", and "scans of FOIA released documents", lets ignore and marginalize them again. Those silly nut-jobs. Always with their conspiracies, and such...

$45? ...maybe...

Penny Arcade has an awesome hoodie. So awesome, indeed, that $45 is ALMOST a good price.

The origins are here in the misleadingly named comic, "I hope you like text."

Aaaaaand we're back!

Wow. It's always surprising to me how fast a fresh install of XP is. I mean, I'm a big Linux fan, but it's still nice.

Of course, after the 3 hours of downloading updates, it's not as fast. But it's still impressive.

I give it about a week.

It'll be Fedora 8 for now. I might put Ubuntu on it if Fedora fails to impress. Now to see if dwarf fortress is any faster on a fresh install!

Rebuild time!

I decided I had been without a backup for too long, and fearing loss of my very imPORtaNt data, I bit the bullet and bought a big hard drive and an enclosure. I wound up with a Seagate 750GB. I've been burned by Maxtor before (I used to think you were cool!), and decided Seagate was the only way to go.

Right now it's backing up almost my entire hard drive (80GB), and after it's done, I'll be giving this laptop the rebuild it has been needing. The windows partition succumbed to who the fuck knows what (my guess, DLL conflicts/mismatches), and was so crippled it couldn't even ping itself without dumping trash in the output (which, btw, is pretty fucked up). Since the Linux partition was working so well, I saw no reason to bother rebuilding the windows side. (which would also wipe the hard drive during the system restore "sledge hammer for a tack" process, requiring another repartition, and a fresh Linux install) But my GF has been missing some of her windows apps, and dwarf fortress needs some OpenGL updates to run faster (yes, somehow it's a window only roguelike), so it's time to take care of business.

At least my Linux user files, preferences, and configuration will be 100% restored as soon as I copy my backed up home directory. I need only worry about losing the tweaks I did to get the system running smoothly (video card, ndiswrapper, external video, etc) so I'll try to catch everything before I rebuild.

Maybe I'll even try a new flavor a Linux.

STRIKE THE EARTH!

A Dwarf Fortress post is coming.

You have been warned.

Quote of the McCain

Adult or two-year-old, freedom starts with a single word: "No." Tell "both parties" (of the six or seven or more) No! "Hold you nose and vote" is just a way to asphyxiate.

Well said.

From RobertaX

I just calls 'em like I sees 'em

Susan? It's been so long! What have you been up to?

Oh, hi James. Nothing really; I'm just getting some things for a dinner tonight.

Hot date? Good for you!

Well...

"Well" what?.. Wait-- you're not still with your old boyfriend, GOP?

Well, yes. We got back together.

Susan. You know what he did to you for those years.

No, it's OK now! He promised it'd be different this time. He's more compassionate now. Plus we have a good shot at some supreme court justices!

But McCain is-- is that a black eye?

Oh, well, yes. But it was my fault. We were talking politics, and I brought up spending, and the department of education, and the prescription drug benefit program, and then... Well. I shouldn't have questioned the party like that. I deserved it.

No you didn't! You can't let yourself be victimized like this! You deserve better!

But it's not like there are other winning parties out there! It's OK, he says things will be better once McCain wins.

You know that's not true. Look, I'll drive you back, and you pack your things. You need to get out of this destructive relationship!

I can't! He said if I leave him, the terrorists win!

There will always be terrorists, and there will always be excuses, but it's up to you to decide when enough is enough! The only person who will win if you stay, is him. You may have loved each other once, but HE changed, not you!

Fun fact about ET

I've never had a hangover.

(though not for lack of trying)

I only seem to get dehydrated. Little bit of water, and some food in my stomach, and I'm ready to take on the day. Strangely enough, my girlfriend has never had one either (and she can put a lot away). We thought our dehydration was a hangover until we asked a friend what a hangover was like.
We definitely don't get hangovers.

It shoots through schools.

Ownage courtesy of Tam

Kim du Toit provides a sticker reading;
I love my country
More than I hate
John McCain

Tam counters;
"I love my country so much that I'll screw it by encouraging the GOP to keep nominating tools like John McCain."

Change and Hope

Change is the future, change is the change of changing change. Change changes changing changers change. Change. Future. Hope. Hopeful change changes hope. Hope for change hopefully changes changes.

I can has be lead presidential candidate?

Going to class armed

Utah students hide guns, head to class

NOTE: While "The views expressed in this article are not necessarily those of CNN" CNN has been entertaining semi-pro-gun ideas lately. This seems to be a result of recent liberals becoming pro 2nd amendment. As Uncle says, we're winning.


Looks a lot like a Springfield mil-spec. Looks like Nick and I share a preference in carry firearms.

Nick says his gun doesn't make him feel immune from attack. "But I feel that I will be able to protect myself, and I'm confident in my training and my ability," he said.

And that's what it's really about. It's about improving your odds. Nick has the right to defend himself, if he defends himself and saves lives in the process, that's great; but at it's core, it's about Nick and his right to self-defense.

His confidence is not shared by fellow student Griselda Espinoza, who recently transferred to the university. Some 28,000 students attend the school, as of the latest enrollment figures.

"I feel less safe knowing that a stranger sitting beside me in class may have a gun in his or her backpack," she said.

"The only people that should carry guns are trained officials."

If she lives in Utah, it's extremely likely that she encounters people carrying firearms every day, and doesn't know it. While that fact might make her feel unsafe, it has not made her unsafe. She is entitled to fear anyone who carries a gun just, but I'd ask that she do some research on the facts (not the speculation) surrounding the approval of CCW laws.

However, she [Amanda Covington, Utah State Board of Regents spokeswoman] said the regents are opposing a legislative proposal to allow people with concealed weapons permits to have the weapons visible in public.

"We are worried that it may affect their [students' and teachers'] willingness or desire to go to or teach a class on campus," she said.

Open carry is quite different from concealed carry, but the results are the same. If you want to shoot as many people as possible, before turning the gun on yourself, are you more or less likely to choose a place where 1 in 10 people openly carries a firearm? But that's just a pragmatic perspective, from a social perspective, it's a little different. Most people DO feel a little strange about seeing non-threatening people carrying guns. There is only one thing that can be done about this; practice. It will be awkward at first, but when people experience open carry, and their fears go unrealized, they'll wonder why they ever felt the way they did. Many states approve open carry and concealed carry laws to choruses of dire warnings, only to experience either no change in crime, or (more commonly) a decrease in crime.

[Utah State Representative Curtis Oda] stressed that people with permits have gone through rigorous checks.

"When you see someone with a gun, you are looking at some of the most law-abiding people in the state," he said.

This is true with few exceptions. You won't hear opposition argue this point because it's undisputed. Opposition will instead argue that once armed, previously law-abiding citizens will be transformed into dangerous vigilantes, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Yet once the firearm is removed, these crazy people revert back to regular, law-abiding citizens just like everyone else. This straw man argument is very frequently used, despite the preponderance of evidence that disproves this theory, and in some cases, proves the opposite.

"If acts of terrorism continue on campus, then I will have no choice but to carry a concealed weapon," he said.

"But you see, that is where the problem lies: Everybody will end up carrying concealed weapons, and everyday problems will be solved with guns rather than words or even fists."

39 states in the US concealed carry permits are issued to any law-abiding citizen. The idea that arguments over how much change someone got back from Starbucks will turn into a shootout have been thoroughly disproven.

UPDATE: Looks like Marko's weighing in on the word choice of the title of this article. Concealed vs Hidden. I suppose he has a point.

Oh sweet Jesus

Working for an MSP, we do lots of technical work for a variety of companies. Some of these companies are high ranking members of their industry, and do important jobs for the country.

We are usually surprised by the poor state of some of these leaders of industry's networks. I mean, piss poor. Like, "How the hell are you the third largest distributer of [object] in the world?!"

This last one has taken the cake, baked a new one, and then fed the cakes through a paper shredder. It's unbelievable. Really. It has rendered us speechless on numerous occasions.

What does this customer do?

Well, the first word rhymes with "Bissell", and the second word rhymes with "re-fence."

There are no words to express the mixture of astonishment, fear, and discomfort I feel about this customer and how it performs it's job.

REPOSTERY!

It's more likely than you think.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUHOW NOT TO HOLD A REVOLVERUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUWHAT EVER YOU DO DONT CLICK ON THE PICTUREUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!

Hill + PETA = ROFL

Hill does some pro-gun pandering.

David takes note, and fans the flames.

I <3 my laptop

It's been about 5 years since I bought my laptop. I needed one, and best buy had a good deal on a bad brand. Except this brand had been recently acquired by Gateway, who proceeded to build the brand into something serious computer users would actually want. (you know, like FSB cache :p)

I bought an Emachines m5309.

The next model up had built-in wifi, and an extra 20GB. But given the price difference between the two, I went with the lower model, because it didn't think the next one up was as good of a deal.

It worked as my primary PC; and as a Linux user, a coder, a hacker, a gamer, and a tinkerer, trust me when I say that it worked HARD.

It played CPU intensive games for enough time to be measured in months, it stayed up countless nights downloading torrents and seeding, it has had at least 20 complete hard drive wipes and rebuilds, its hard drive endured many sessions of live repartitioning, it withstood different flavors of Linux challenging the video card with potentially dangerous settings, (that was mostly me :) countless bouts of tinkering by someone who loves to tinker, (I should note the difference between a dabbling tinkerer, and a professional tinkerer; the latter's hardware still works) it suffered jabs, rubs, and the occasional scrape on the LCD screen, for days it ran (legal!) scans and brute forces that I wrote myself (which meant multiple threads and maxing out resources), it survived a gauntlet of slides, slips, and downright drops (two really bad ones), and it did most of this while baking away on poorly ventilated, unforgiving surfaces with poor clearance (having given up its "feet" long ago).

It only has one flaw; the manufacturer made the elements on the heatsink too close together, and after prolonged use, they can become clogged with dust causing it to shut off during heavy usage. The manufacturer refused to fix it, so I've been popping it open and cleaning out the excess dust myself. I have to do it less than once a year; and it only takes 15 minutes with two tiny screwdrivers, and a q-tip.

It has cracks in the plastic and (cosmetic) pieces missing, the screen shows wear but still shows everything well, the CD whines a little when you use it;
but it keeps working.

I should note that this is what I expected of it.

Recently I've been feeling other peoples' pain when it comes to laptops. New Dells with honest-to-god bad RAM that they refused to replace or refurb hard drives they refused to acknowledge, Macbooks fresh out of the box with dead pixels or broken keys (!!!), Macs with bad hard drives being sent back again and again and again, and HPs and Sonys with all of the above times two (all of the above, except broken keys. That's pretty messed up of apple).

All these people having all these problems with all these different brands. People talking about extended warrantees on their laptops, and mailing it in twice or thrice for repairs.
Why wasn't I afraid of my laptop suddenly dying one of a million possible deaths?

Silly me, simply expected it to chug along merrily, all the live-long day.
Silly it, was happy to oblige.

Every time I look at its beaten case, or pick it up and listen to it creak, I entertain the idea of retiring it to some light server duty. But once I start using it, I wonder if it (or I?) would resent me for doing such a thing. Like an old mill worker, refusing to retire to a life of leisure. Purpose keeps him alive.

The purpose driven existence, and atrophy related dilapidation of tools. If we use them forever, they work forever. They never stop working, we just stop using them. If we don't use them, do they no longer work? If they are not broken, are we?

Maybe it's time to dig up some relics.

ZERO calls this weekend

For the first time in the history of... well, EVER; my phone made no work-related noises while I was on call. Not a silly customer, not a flapping VPN, not a shitty ISP, not even a false alarm.

Zero. A perfect score.

I was too sick to enjoy it, but wasn't sick enough to not appreciate it.

Sick and stuffed up.

My Chewbacca roar is suffering.

Another Gun Free Zone Shooting. Would you disarm?

POSIT:
You are a trained gun owner who carries a concealed firearm infrequently. You have a great holster, and a sub-compact firearm that makes concealment easy, and almost 100%. You have ZERO fear of being "outed." You got the permit just in case, but you really only carry it when you go into "bad" areas. You have a spouse, and 1.5 kids, live in an average house in a good neighborhood, etc, etc, etc. You get a job, accept a responsibility, or take a class that will require you to be on the grounds of the local University for 5 hours three days a week. You just hear about the 5th recent school shooting, and are understandably startled.

Do you carry your concealed weapon, on campus, in knowing violation of the "no guns" policy?

What if you were a full time student with a spouse and no kids? Would you risk expulsion and a possible local university black-ball?

I'm not talking about going Rambo on a shooter if one starts shooting a few buildings down from you, I'm just talking about you, looking out for you.

What if you were a teacher with one of your kids in your class?

What if the school was evacuated with no incident when someone called in a threat against the school three days ago?

This line of questioning is meant to help you discover your breaking point. At what point do you disregard the punishments of being caught, and break the rules imposed by the owners of the property you must tread upon?

Epic Lulz

We can has Yahoo?

And now, a fairy tale

Obama's Global Poverty Act

That's right folks, if we give people money, they won't be poor! So, if we give the WORLD .7% of our GDP, the whole WORLD won't be poor!

You too can feel self-important like Bono by simply filling a boat with money, and sending it to Africa. Of course, what happens to the money after it gets there is not your concern. Who cares if it funds warlords and the further oppression of the people it's supposed to save, you helped!

As a side note; if we can agree that the innocent are being oppressed in Africa, why don't we send them guns to protect themselves? We've already established that some of these guys are innocent, why not trust them to defend themselves?

Of course, if someone suggested such a thing, they'd counter that the guns could fall into the wrong hands... While they send money to Africa, and don't care if it reaches the right people.

The nanny state. Literally.

I was over at SR SC's place, and he was expressing his displeasure with the incredible passes Obama was getting from the media, the pundits, and any other closet communist with an axe to grind,

...but if I have to read one more article on how Barack Obama affects the people who go to rallies, and have it devoid of any real reference to the content of what Obama says... I’m going to crap my pants. Just crap them... here at my desk, and make gurgling noises.

JC quipped that SC need not worry about his excretorial misadventure.

I already crapped my pants. I think it was an accident though. I just “hope” Barack can wipe my ass for me and get my clothes clean. He says he can take care of all our problems.

It's sad, because it's true.

Don't ignore Kommiefornia. It won't just go away.

Gunnies have disdain for California (or Kommiefornia), and unfortunately, disdain for gunnies who live IN California. Many gunnies evacuate California for greener pastures, and join the non-Californian gunnies who wish aloud that California simply break off and sink into the ocean. In fact, the NRA has expressed disinterest in fighting some gun laws in California, simply because they don't think they'll win. This is hazardous.

As I've stated previously California is more than a place where crazy laws are passed, it's also a test bed for laws. Recently, microstamping passed Arnold "What's my party again?" Schwarzenegger's desk with his seal of approval. I warned that failure to fight these laws will result in them spreading to other states, and then being optioned as federal law. That is happening now.

So, gunnies; do as you please, but know that you ignore "Kommiefornia" at your own peril.

Bang bang! You're dead!

Rule 1: Treat all guns as if they are loaded
Rule 2: Do not point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy
Rule 3: Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target
Rule 4: Be sure of your target and what's beyond it

But hey, I guess rules are made to be broken.

Except YOUR rules, right?

No one is allowed to be armed. We're going to take all the guns...

For those who weren't quite sure, that's mayor Ray "New Orleans will be a chocolate city" Nagin

Via David

Please enter banking info to continue

There seems to be a lot of interest in checking your bank balance from your phone. Enough that I considered turning it into a service, but I keep wondering if people would be willing to provide their banking info to a unknown service just for the convenience. Though, being in the computer security field, I fear more that people WOULD be willing. That was why I supplied the code, so people could run it on their own boxes without having to trust someone else with their info. Also, I just remembered the legal requirements for storing that data. Bugger.

Maybe I'll just try to make the programs easier to run, and more accessible to regular users.

Scientist Valentine Cards

From MAKE

Inseparable Phone Book Myth

Are two phone books folded together inseparable?

Dear Fred,

Dear Fred,

How are you? I am good. But enough with the pleasantries; I have a question for you.

Seriously?

No, really.

Seriously???

Cuz, WTF, but also; SERIOUSLY?!

Hugs and refusals of party pandering,
-ET

Non Sequiturs in the News

Greg has a post up wherein he was inspired by a non sequitur he found in the news,

"Gun Buy-Back Doesn't Slow Wave of Violence in Oakland"

and decides to give it a shot,

# Kite flying children fail to have an effect on the number of tiger attacks
# Noise pollution doesn't make snails move any faster
# Copper content in pennies is still not an indicator of global warming

I'd like to play too!

"Mating cycles of Chilean dust mites don't make hippies get jobs"
"Lasagna consumption still has no effect on vehicle MPG"

Haha! This is fun! I'll do one more.

"Tax rebate fails to curb government spending and borrowing"

Aww... It stopped being fun.

Regulation meets Common sense

Liberty fisks a article about myspace with something that majority of the population seems to be lacking lately; common sense.

Ever feel like everyone around you thinks 2+2=5, and refuse to listen to any argument about it? It's particularly sad because all they have to do is count on their fingers to realize their mistake, but no one can stop their knee from jerking long enough to do so.

High school politics meets Presidential politics

Che Guevara Flags in Obama's Houston Office

OMG Che is SOOOOOO cool! He's leik teh most awesum dood ever! He freed the slaves from china!

A viable presidential candidate's office is not to be compared with the t-shirt of some round-eyeglassed, short bearded, 12th grade Leninite. This is sad.

Reality is scarier than nightmares

I had a strange dream wherein I had bugs living inside my foot. (???) I went to the doctor, and they pulled out a bug that looked like short, fat centipede. It grossed me out to the point that I wondered if such a bug existed. After a bit of searching, I found something that made me forget about my nasty bug, because this one was real.


Deep sea giant isopod will eat your face

Drop the (water) gun! NOW!

Armed police called to teen water fight


Oh England. You so craaazy!

Quote of the fighting spirit

There is an old saw, often quoted by the left, "speak truth to power." The heck with that. Spit in their eye. They blink just like everybody else.

From Mike

Interesting Post by Mike Vanderboegh

Mike Vanderboegh is known for his inflammatory style and choice of topics.

This essay is about the awkward stage. If you don't already know what I'm talking about, move along. Nothing to see here.

they went straight from the "awkward stage" to the concentration camps without ever firing a shot.

To its victims, the Tories, the [American] Revolution was truly incomprehensible. Never in history, said Daniel Leonard, had there been so much rebellion with so 'little real cause.'...

Quote of the I'll turn them in at 2000 FPS

Well, it's The Progressive, so I'm going to take that last line with a grain of salt. But I'll also hold onto some other grains in various measures...

Via David.

"This is an exercise in [citizen] obedience training."

UPDATED THE THIRD

"Leave our checkpoint IMMEDIATELY."
UPDATE: Click here for why this guy had such a short fuse.

You like the border patrol agent who took a picture of him taking pictures?
It reminded me of something from Rob's excellent post;

Take for instance the case of Ezra Levant, a Canadian publisher brought up before the laughable "Human Rights Commission" for the unspeakable act of publishing the Mohammad cartoons. Watch the videos he has of his ordeal. Watch how detached the "human rights officer" is from the whole affair. For her, it's just a job. She gets a sheet of paper that says do X, she does X. The fact that she is is a tine in the pitchfork of fascism is lost on her. The fact that she is instrumental in crushing free speech bothers her about as much as deciding what she will be having for lunch.

"Hey look, this dude's recording us! What a douche. I'll go record him! Heh. What's his problem?"

He has recorded this check point before, this is why he asked if she already knew who he was. He made this one about a month before the above one. It's worth watching.

"You can ask me what ever you want."
Note there are no orders issued, only forceful requests. Notice also that there was very little actual answering of questions. Questions were met with questions.

Check out this video at the same checkpoint. Note how the officer doesn't ask him to stop recording, but contends that by recording the exchange, he is creating a traffic hazard. Unbelievable.

I've also decided to add a tag that I didn't really want to add. This clenches it. The tag is Double-Plus Ungood

UPDATE: Hazel Stone, of The Line Is Here, is taking me to task in the comment section. The best way to change hearts and minds is with open debate! If you disagree, please attempt to change my mind, and allow me the same courtesy.
UPDATE: Blogi has joined the fray, with his keen ability to spot BS from a mile away!
also, that rhymes

This Weighted Companion Cube will accompany you through the test chamber.

The symptoms most commonly produced by Enrichment Center testing are superstition, perceiving inanimate objects as alive, and hallucinations. The Enrichment Center reminds you that the weighted companion cube will never threaten to stab you and, in fact, cannot speak.

The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube cannot speak. In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, the Enrichment Center urges you to disregard its advice.

Huffing and Puffing

While searching for a particular bit of writing at Marko's place, I found an old post on getting back into running. It seemed like a sound plan, so I've started the Couch-to-5K plan.

It sucks to realize you have the lung capacity of a chain smoking 3 year old. Especially when you used to run a lot.

I was dying the first two sessions, but finished per the instructions. This morning was the third session, and I noticed a slight improvement in my running. More notable was my elevated energy level afterwards. It's a good feeling I used to enjoy when I would work out 3 times a week with my sister before her work hours changed. Definitely worth the investment of a mere 20 minutes three times a week.

If you can't find 20 minutes to improve yourself three times a week; you're lying.

Begin slack-jawed gawk

Fred Thompson endorses John McCain

10 reasons why NOT to vote McCain

John McCain: The List of Infamy

Doesn't get much clearer than that.

Well, there you go.

If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, I think he'll be the next President of the United States. Put him next to McCain on a stage and a public obsessed with American Idol ain't going to pick the cadaver.

From Kevin

Roll-your-own Knife workshop!!!!!OMGOMGOMG

A coworker of mine e-mailed me last night while I was... waxing philosophical.

He told me he just got back from a $10 knife workshop, and included some pictures...



I then proceeded to wet myself in anticipation of next week's workshop.

I have been in need of a simple high carbon steel utility knife.

Being able to make it myself is beyond awesome.

Lemon + Vodka = WTFAWESOME?!

1. Fill a small glass with ice

2. Fill 1/3 with Lemon Juice (or use 3-5 lemon wedges and less ice)

3. Fill 2/3 with vodka

4. ???

5. FUCKING WIN!

Doesn't matter if you don't drink alcohol straight, somehow the simple addition of lemon allows you to drink copious amounts of vodka.
Getting you interesting in record time, and at minimal expense.

UPDATE: My sitemeter just exploded. Welcome visitors from Vodkapundit. See the sights, and enjoy your stay!

UPDATE THE SECOND: I had an opportunity to really get wasted explore this drink last Saturday, and found it to be sooper drunkifying wanting in no way. SR SC can attest to this.

Say it with S30v steel

Not THAT! Say, "Happy Valentines Day!"

Doug Ritter Pink Mini-RSK Mk-1s

Via TEOTWAWKI Blog.

Police: Don't fight violent robber/rapists

Victims Fight Back in Home Invasion

A family of four were barbecuing outside their garage when two armed robbers force their way in and ransack the place.

"The look in their eyes, especially when they started beating us in the back of the heads with the guns. It was kind of like someone would torture a little animal and then joking about how they were going to love killing us," said one victim.

These don't sound like the kind of guys you should trust to just rob and rape, and leave promptly with a tip of the hat.

Gun grabbers and professional victims insist that when threatened with violence, you should acquiesce to your attacker's demands, because if you fight back, they might get angry. (anything but that!) Most of these folks don't say what to do if what they want is to kill.

The men were pinned to the floor with shotguns. "It got ugly when they went back downstairs and decided to tell the women to undress their clothes," the victim added, "The girls were really crying and you could just tell that they were incredibly upset."

This is a terrible situation. This is the kind of thing that ruins your life. Even if you survive the attack, you will forever know that because you failed to prepare; terrible things happened to your daughter, damaging her for life. Even if you surrender, thinking they just want to rob you, you just missed your opportunity to stop them if they change their mind.

Fortunately, while these two pieces of trash were preparing to force themselves on the victims, they saw an opportunity to fight back, and most importantly; they did.

"I grabbed him, threw him down on the ground, grabbed a weight from the weight set and smashed him in the head."

The women also joined in the fight, hitting the suspects with a frying pan.

"One of the girls completely nude managed to grab a gun and shoot the guy in the chest area and in the leg."

Suddenly these unarmed, submissive victims burst forth with anger and fury, and strike these confidently armed goblins.

This is what I mean when I talk about the victim mentality. Resigning yourself to defeat at the first sign of force can only end badly. Fighting back with anything you can, in any way you can is the only option that offers chance of success.

These people should be put on pedestals as symbols of the fighting spirit all of us have. Symbols that proclaim;
"We will fight back when our lives are threatened. We will not bend for those who would threaten it. We will meet force with force. We will protect each other."

But the police don't see it that way.

The police are very cautious not to make this seem like a heroic act. They say fighting back can sometimes end with the victims being more seriously hurt.

There you have it folks. A cut-and-dry case, and the answer is the same.

Situation:
Armed robber/murderer/rapists force their way into your home, ransack it, beat you and talk about how they will enjoy killing you. They then prepare to rape your daughter in front of your eyes.

Official police recommended course of action:
Do nothing.

Wait a minute... I missed the part where the 911 call was made, and the police were screaming to their rescue. Oh wait; the armed rapists, didn't allow them to call 911. Well, how are the police supposed to help if no one calls them?

It doesn't get any more clear folks. Not only can the police NOT protect you, they don't like it when you protect yourself.

Get firearm training, and arm yourself. NOW.

Via SurvivalBlog

Rrrrrrr-ghghghghgh!

It's kinda funny when someone attempts a Chewbacca roar, and I counter with (what many have described as) an exceptional Chewbacca roar.

Well, that's not funny by itself; the funny thing is when I tell them I get a lot of practice at work.

Bill Ruger's rolling around in his grave

...and that warms my heart.

Ruger selling Mini-14 with 20 round magazine

Ok. I'll end my boycott on Ruger.

Mark III, GP100, and SP101, are go.

“no honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun…” and “I never meant for simple civilians to have my 20 and 30 round magazines…”. It has long been Ruger’s policy to limit sales of those items to Law Enforcement or Military purchasers”

Fuck Bill Ruger. I hesitated at my use of harsh language, but anyone who calls a citizen with more than 10 rounds in a magazine dishonest (and likely means much worse) deserves scorn. Call me a criminal because I have magazines that holds more than 10 rounds? Fuck you, and fuck anyone who insists an American must argue a need for anything they might want.

I might have to buy a Mini-14 just so I can have a high regular capacity magazine with the Ruger name on it.

Err-- shit. Forgot I still live in Ca which restricts purchase of regular capacity magazines... No thanks to Bill Ruger. I don't care, I'll just offer to buy one for someone out of state.

UPON FURTHER REFLECTION: Is the above paragraph healthy? I'm willing to give money away simply to spite a dead man. That's gotta be a mania of some sort...

Averting Trouble

James has a post up where he recounts a recent exercise in situational awareness.

It really doesn't take much effort to take a quick glance around you, and it can make a serious difference.

Hold your nose and vote McCain?

I spent most of my lunch hour trying to get through to Larry Elder's radio show. Larry is a self-described "Republitarian" and wanted to know how many people are going to hold their nose, and vote for McCain. Plenty of people called in and said they would rather stay home, or vote RP.

Larry argued that the stakes were simply too high in Iraq and the War on Terror to allow a Democrat into the White House.

If we HAVE to vote for the candidate who is strongest on the War on Terror, where does that leave us?

It's pretty fair to assume Republicans will always be tougher on the War on Terror, which means we MUST always vote for the republican who has the greatest chance of winning. Even if we don't agree.

The War on Terror has no terms of victory. We will never see a president stand behind the podium on a prime-time press conference, and announce victory in, and the conclusion of, the war on terror. If we caught OBL tomorrow, the war on terror would go on. If all current terrorist chatter stopped, they'd just start looking harder. We will likely never see the end of the war on terror, which means we will likely never see the end of Republicans arguing that the war on terror is the most important issue facing America, and that we MUST vote for them or else the terrorists win. Arguing we must hold our noses because of the war on terror is completely moot considering it allows no chance for change.

Might as well argue we must only vote for winnable Republicans because it is dire that Republicans win. Most Republicans aren't "My party, right or wrong!" but they seem to be becoming "My party, or else the Democrats win." I can only hope the Republican leadership wore out that card last election.

I thought Larry was beyond this kind of cheap trick, especially when he is hard on callers who compromised on the immigration issue to vote for Bush. I still think that deviation from the constitution and conservatism will do more damage to this country than Al "Suicide bombers wanted; inquire within" Qaeda could ever do.

A T-shirt I can agree with

Vote NOTA t-shirt


Who's the best candidate to lead America? None of the above.

I'll take 12.

.000374% of guns in America used for crime

There's a post up at Sharp as a marble inwhich Robb endeavors to change some minds with facts, history, and numbers.

Worth sending to your anti friends to get the conversation started. Don't be afraid to engage in a battle of wits regarding gun control; gunnies have facts and history on their side. Be sure to do your homework so you know what your opponent will say.

When you divide the number of crimes or homicides by the sheer number of actual guns owned, you'll see that the percentage of firearms used in these instances are so minute to be almost statistical noise.

look up the numbers for yourself. Is .000374% really worth trampling on everyone's rights? And what for? To get that number to .000369%? In economic terms, the ROI simply isn't worth it. Besides, guns are used by the citizenry to prevent crimes in upwards of 2 million times a year

but what about this lady? How many times do you hear of jealous ex's who can't take "No" for an answer killing out of jealousy? That 24 hours could mean life and death for some people, and it's quite common. VT wasn't as much tragic as it was sensationalized. For every Cho, there are thousands of these types of stories. In your quixotic effort to combat .000374%, you harm the many that truly do need a gun right then and there.

There are also some great things in the comments.

Tyranny in Red Tights

A must read.

If you could only read one thing today, make it this.

Guns in Schools

Terrorists sneak into an Israeli high school, and attack two counselors. They are quickly put down as the counselors return fire.

Americans don't like the idea of teachers carrying guns, because they think it's icky.

They proudly support the Air Marshal program, and undercover security guards in malls; agreeing that a trained individual with a firearm can surprise and stop a determined killer. But when you ask them about schools they curl into a ball on the floor, suck their thumb, and paw angrily in your general direction until you leave.

They know shootings happen at schools, and that terrorists have made their plans to attack American schools known, but they just don't want guns in schools, because it makes them uncomfortable. It's not that they don't trust armed citizens in schools, because they're against armed security guards too.

They just don't like the idea of living in an America where anyone in a school would have any NEED to be armed.

When told about other countries that have had success arming their teachers they counter; "Well, that's not America." How many more children need to die before you realize America has changed, and we need to socially evolve.

All the wishing in the world isn't going to change reality.

I wish no one had ANY reason to carry or own guns other than for recreation. But there is plenty of reason, and so there are plenty of people who do. Loudly countering, "Yeah, but that couldn't happen here." is the same as when people watch the evening news and tell themselves, "That could never happen to me." These people need to be reminded that it's not THEIR lives at stake, it's the lives of their children.

It's really not that complicated...

Would you vote for a Democrat with an "R" in front of his name?

Yes

OR

No

Improved homemade oil lamp

I saw a simple oil lamp on MAKE blog today, and thought it was a neat idea. After reading more about it I saw that the oil level had to be maintained as best as possible to keep the wick from burning out, and it suggested adding marbles to compensate for dropping oil levels. I tried to think of a solution that wouldn't require monitoring, and wouldn't have trouble pulling oil up the wick as the oil level fell.

I came up with a floating wick holder


It's pretty simple


Simple coat hanger metal bent into a wick remover



The floating wick is three sections of cork cut 1/4" thick, strung together with some craft wire, with a short piece of wick shoved through the middle. Use a bit of foil with a hole in the middle for the wick to keep the cork from burning.


Should work for a long time, and be easily refilled without extinguishing the flame. The wick can be rolled up twine as recommended at the link, but I just used a rectangle of shirt cotton rolled up. For different flames experiment with thickness of wick, and how much the wick sticks out of the cork. Should work with most oils, but apparently olive oil burns cleanly. Dunk the wick in the oil and heat the wick for a while until it starts burning, it might take a bit the first time. Extinguish it smokelessly by dunking it in the oil with the wire wick remover.

Stock up on that veggie oil for reliable emergency lighting.

Consider adding some craft wires sticking horizontally out of the wick in three directions to keep it centered in the lamp.

Klötzchenbeförderer will kill your pets.

This is amazing. Keep your eye on the gray disks.



Via MAKE

Portal: A Day in the Life of a Turret

The insanity is strong in this one.

Banana Phone is played very frequently in the NOC. Usually for extended periods of time... Very extended.

Me: *Queues up Banana Phone*
Coworkers: *sing along a bit*

20 minutes later

Coworker: You know, I'm pretty sure that's slowly driving me mad.
Me: Really? It makes me stronger.

EPOCH FAIL!

Damn hilarious!

UPDATE: Hint to google searchers; It's a wordplay on "Epic Fail!" and Epoch time (Posix/Unix time).

Ow ow ow ow, OW!!!

Doesn't matter how trained you are.

Doesn't matter how skilled you have become.

Doesn't matter if your friend said it was unloaded.

Complacency in firearm safety leads to accidents.

In addition to double checking my chamber, I think I'll start septuple checking.

Open up; Police!

Would you open your door to a stranger? Probably not.

Would you open your door to a stranger in a police uniform? I hope not, because it just got you shot in the chest.

It's very simple, identify the people through a window or peephole, and when they indicate or imply they are law enforcement officers, ask them which department, and then call that department with 411 to confirm they are who they say they are. Ask for badge numbers and last names, and confirm with the station. Use 411 or your yellow pages, don't call a number they give.

It's not something a lot of people think about (myself included up until a few years ago), but it's a safety thing. If the cops get indignant, tell them to fuck off, and call 911. Seriously.

While we're talking about people in uniforms, you know what happened when a bunch of fed ex uniforms went up on ebay? They sold out instantly. This is why you should have a handgun on your person when answering the door when you are not expecting visitors.