Deadeye

Mrs Giraffe is not fond of guns. She grew up in a house dominated by a gun fearing wussy, her mother. Her dad hunted a little, but he didn't pass it on to his daughters. He eventually quit, and his guns gather rust and dust somewhere. So Mrs. Giraffe didn't grow up as a shooter. I've been trying to get her to shoot a little, over the years. She had only fired a .22 until the other day.

Saturday, I decided she was going to have to shoot my .45 auto. There had been a large male Alaskan malamute around the place raising heck and abusing my new puppy. She called all the neighbors and nobody claimed him.

I told her to shoot him. She didn't want to. We don't have a dog catcher out in the country. I could have taken him to town but the dog cowered in fear every time I tried to handle him. I was afraid he would bite me. He usually left shortly after I got home.

The dog would be gone a couple days and then come back. One day after he had been a nuisance for over a week, the dog began grabbing the puppy and shaking it, and tossing it in the air. This was The Last Straw. She got the puppy into the house before he killed it. (the puppy is not housebroken, and I am allergic to cats and dogs, so he can't live inside.) She decided the dog must be killed. But she told me she didn't know how. I got rid of the it when I got home.

I had showed her how to operate my .45. She still remembered. But she had never shot it. She could have shot the dog if she needed to, but I think she was afraid, and she's never shot anything living. I threw a pop can out on the snowbank. She took aim and fired. I couldn't see any snow fly, I suspected she had missed by a mile. Then I noticed the hole through the can.

At least she can defend the house if she absolutely has to. I will try to make her more comfortable as time goes on.

Wherein the M4 is criticized.

I had thought that the new piston ar's that are so fashionable right now were somewhat of a gimmick. Yes, the principle of not pooping where one eats* does make sense. I also thought that the current platform was working pretty well, but apparently this is disputed by some. I don't particularly feel the need to upgrade, as I don't live in the Iraqi desert, and I ain't got the money anyway.

* This refers to the AR's gas impingement system which routes propellant gases and therefore residue back into the action as a means to operate it.

H/T Concerned American

Licentiousness

Brother Difster has attacked licensing:

The only reason for government based licenses is that governments like to have control and other people in various professions want to artificially limit competition.

I don't necessarily disagree with him that licenses are used to reduce competition. That is definitely a downside, and in some cases is intentional. That is not the reason for licensing. Licensing is used for professionals who require a certain amount of knowledge or skill to perform their profession.

I'll use land surveying as an example. On occasion I have heard of people who have set their own property corners. They will helpfully show you where they are, and how they went about putting them there, with their Stanley tape measure, no doubt. Obviously they don't know it is illegal to do this. We would listen politely and then ignore them. Even if they are in the correct place, they don't hold any legal validity. They must be set by a licensed Surveyor for that.

There are methods, and standards of care, and some legal knowledge that is required to properly perform a survey. Some expensive equipment, that the average guy doesn't have.

If a license wasn't required, joe shmoe could go out and set his car axles for corners, and they would be just as valid as anyone else's, despite their being 5 feet off from the correct location. The next door neighbor, not liking the lack of precision, could go out and set his own, leading to a dispute. That would be one benefit to licensing. Land Surveyors sometimes get it wrong, but not nearly as often, and respect for the license will prevent some disputes. There are correct procedures that are used for establishing lost corners that a licensed individual must know. There are standards for setting monuments, that display the surveyor's name and license number so the monument is identifiable as to what it is, and who put it there.

Now could a private firm certify land surveyors? I suppose. So you hire one endorsed by a private firm because you want it done correctly, and your neighbor hires a bum off the street and slips him and extra five to take an extra five feet. Who decides which one is right? More needless court action.

With regards to Engineering. Do you want to live in a building designed by a licensed engineer who met the requirements for obtaining a license, or do you want to live in the one designed by an idiot who bought the drafting software? Nobody would ever lie, overstate their qualifications or experience would they? Sure your family can sue him after you are dead. But they won't collect, he won't have any money, and you will still be dead.

How about the engineer who has been in practice for 40 years, has a stellar reputation, but isn't up on the latest information? We are required to have continuing education to keep our license. I will admit, the continuing education as it is right now can be a joke. The threat of having your license pulled is also an incentive to be careful, in cases where lives may not be at stake.

As far as private certification, yes it could work in theory. But then you have the opportunity for someone to fake the certification, or competing endorsements. One costs a lot of money and you have to prove you know your stuff, the other you can get out of a cracker jack box. Anybody can make up a website telling how they've been certifying the best doctors for decades. Worse, there is no way to stop malpractice, and in some cases, malpractice is in the client's best interest.

As for the government using licenses as control? The problem is not licensing, it is over-reaching government. Some occupations really don't need licensing.

Now the system of licensing is far from perfect. (I should know, I've got two of them.). Sometimes the barrier of entry is too high, and sometimes there is an old boy network in control of the process, as I am lead to believe about a state to my east. Lawyers have licenses, and look at what boon to the public that is. Most professions predate licensing.

However, sometimes barriers to entry are not just for limiting competition. They are sometimes used to keep the morons out. Public safety is a good reason for licensing, even if it is just a hairdresser spreading lice.

More government stupidity

When legislators get cute.

State lawmakers in South Dakota have introduced legislation that would require all residents aged 21 and over to purchase a firearm beginning in 2012.

This is nothing more than a stunt. Requiring someone to buy a gun is no more constitutional than requiring them to buy insurance.

Or is it? You see this is a state law, not a federal one. While the feds are prohibited from these over-reaching laws by the constitution, the states are not so long as they don't do anything otherwise prohibited. So the law may actually be legal.

Which is why the following quote actually makes the lawmaker look the fool:

"Do I or the other cosponsors believe that the State of South Dakota can require citizens to buy firearms? Of course not. But at the same time, we do not believe the federal government can order every citizen to buy health insurance," Wick told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Anyway, I think it would be hilarious if it passed as is.

Elk

Res showed his elk pictures. Here is some my brother took this year. The elk are out in an area burned in the Jasper forest fire, the largest in Black Hills history. My aunt took some pictures of a couple of huge bulls, and the deer that we shot, but I am supposed to fix their computer in order to get them.

Probably irrelevant

Like Obama's citizenship, or lack thereof, the Leviathan will probably ignore this. It's unconstitutional anyway, so that fact that the amendment was never actually passed can't possibly mean anything to them.

What's a Snooki?

Apparently, in places that are not flyover country, or at least have cable, there is a television show called Jersey Shore. While not having actually seen it, I believe it follows the typical reality show formula, showing bad people at their worst, with this show excelling in this regard.

Then there's this gal Snooki from the show, who wrote a book, most likely in the manner Obama wrote his.

I have to say there are some funny parts, but I am talking about the Amazon reviews, not the book.

Happy New Year

2011 started with a bang. My father in law had open heart surgery, we just brought him home. My sister in law got married in the hospital so that he could attend.

So we made the papers and the local news, apparently it made good PR.

It finally occurred to me, dense as I am, that things could have been much much worse than they turned out. So I guess I can't complain about what a bad year it is, actually its pretty darn good.

I hope everyone else is doing OK.

Deer hunting.

This deer, in a matter of minutes bags a dog and nearly bags a cat. I felt a little sorry for the dog, but the cat was a missed opportunity.

On the elusivness of wapiti.

Just got back from an elk hunting trip in north central Colorado. We didn't get an elk. Three of the four of us had elk within bow range, but we couldn't seal the deal. I had a calf at 15 yards, and didn't shoot. I'd heard a bull bugle, and got ahead of them, so I knew he was around somewhere. He never showed.

I don't have the words to describe the disparate feelings of dejection and frustration, yet wanting to do it again, and how it is good to be home but it sucks to be back here.

Anyway, it was an experience I'll remember and hopefully can do again sometime.

Anybody want a dog?

I was talked into taking home a stray black lab about a month ago. He isn't working out. He won't stay home, and the neighbors, while not as trigger happy as El Borak., have expressed that they'd prefer he didn't show up at their place. I take it to mean that their fingers are getting itchy. He barks. He appears to have hip dysplasia. He really has no useful attributes, but he is a nice dog.

He is gunshy, and I shoot once in a while, so I don't think that endears him to me. I tried putting the stay-home-shock-collar on him the other day, and he took off yipping all the way to the neighbors. Those things don't work well if you don't train the dog, so that is my failure, not his. I picked him up a mile south. He spends his time tied up to the doghouse, lest he run off.

I told Mrs. Giraffe he had to go, and she said she'd find a place for him. Time is up tomorrow, but I think he will get a stay for another week.

Sorry dog, I gave it a shot.

There's a reason for these things.

There's usually a reason, or at least an excuse, for the draconian laws passed by our various governments. In many cases, the medicine is worse than the cure.

For example,divorce laws favor women. The men are raped with regards to finances and child custody. In most cases, society would be better off if no fault divorce had never come about. But then, once in a while, we come upon a specimen that would probably serve as exhibit A in favor of these laws.

Keeping the example of divorce, we have my brother in law. Soon to be ex brother in law, if events follow their present course.

This is a male (I guess I should not call him a man) who has not held down a meaningful job in a decade. He has not made more than $10,000 in any year since I don't know when. To compensate for his lack of income, he has spent them into bankruptcy. That was a few years back. He has done it again, but I don't know if bankruptcy is possible so soon after the last one. Some laws have been added to the books that make it more difficult and less beneficial as well. Generally speaking any financial decision has been 180 degrees from common sense. They are upside down on their subprime financed house. They run up a bill at daycare till they get kicked out, rinse lather repeat. Note that on days that he doesn't work he still sends the kids to daycare. Any attempts at financial assistance are immediately squandered to buy more things.

You might ask why my sister in law chooses to stay with such a wonderful provider. Well it is probably due to his outstanding moral character. Except for two affairs in the last few years, (neither girl over 18 years old, barely beat the statutory minimum on one) and numerous other relatively minor infractions he is a paragon of virtue. I'm not going to even start on his parenting skills.

He does have dreams, though. He wants to be a police officer. May God save us all if he ever slips through that background check.

In short he is a narcissistic, predatory, child-man. I should probably be in prison for his murder if I was a better man myself. At least he doesn't take drugs, yet if he did, he couldn't hardly be a worse husband or father.

In her defense she is stupid. That's probably an uncharitable way to put it. She has a learning disability from brain damage at birth. She was and is an easy mark, I guess. She doesn't reason well.

But, she has reached her breaking point, and if she is able to successfully resist his alternately abusive and begging behavior, she will be rid of him. All in all, she will be much better off.

It occurs to me that if her parents had had any say in who she married, none of this would have happened.

NRA: Weak little sister

This has nothing to do with why I'm no longer an NRA member, but it is another reason I won't rejoin.

Now that she's more than a week old.

Ta Da!!!!




I do good work.

I'm not the NRA

Although I could be.

Picking up the slack for El Borak TGIF Edition.

Dont forget to mail your census forms.

Picking up the slack for El Borak 2.0

****One day my mommy was out, and my dad was in charge of me. I was maybe 2 1/2 years old. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a gift, and it was one of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room reading the evening news when I brought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After several cups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home. My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup of tea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!' My Mom waited, and sure enough, here I came down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy; and she watched him drink it up. Then she said, (as only a mother would know), "'Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get water is the toilet?"*****

Picking up the slack for El Borak.

Q: Have you heard about McDonald's' new Obama Value Meal?
A: Order anything you like and the guy behind you has to pay for it. -O'Brien

Q: What does Barack Obama call lunch with a convicted felon?
A: A fund raiser. -Leno

Q: What's the difference between Obama's cabinet and a penitentiary?
A: One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society. The other is for housing prisoners. -Letterman

Q: If Nancy Pelosi and Obama were on a boat in the middle of the ocean and it started to sink, who would be saved?
A: America ! -Fallon

Q: What's the difference between Obama and his dog, Bo?
A: Bo has papers. -Kimmel

Q: What was the most positive result of the "Cash for clunkers" program?
A: It took 95% of the Obama bumper stickers off the road. -Letterman


Air Force One crashed in the middle of rural America . Panic stricken, the local sheriff mobilized and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the disaster was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hulk left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. The sheriff and his men entered the smoking mess but could find no remains of anyone, including the President.

They spotted a lone farmer plowing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to the man's tractor.

"Hank," the sheriff yelled, panting and out of breath. "Did you see this terrible accident happen?"

"Yep. Sure did." the farmer mumbled unconcernedly, cutting off the tractor's engine.

"Do you realize that is the airplane of the President of the United States ?"

"Yep."

"Were there any survivors?"

"Nope. They's all kilt straight out," the farmer answered. "I done buried them all myself. Took me most of the morning..."

"President Obama is dead?" the sheriff shouted.

"Well," the farmer grumbled, restarting his tractor. "He kept a-saying he wasn't...


But you know how bad that sumbitch lies."

For Nate

I hear he likes these things.



UPDATE: Sorry kids, there's been a terrible accident.

troll baiting, for sport

Farmer Tom put up a post about atheists and the intellectual thrashing thereof.

Wouldn't you know it, soon the resident ankle biter shows up.

I thought I'd preserve it, since Haloscan is leaving us tomorrow.

rusncap: Wow. Mickelson's response may be the most retarded thing I've seen in several weeks... and I've heard portions of Palin's speech. I'm glad you like it, FT. For the record, the Iowa pigs, though less hardy than their Haitian counterparts, are still smarter than you and Mickelson. Put together.


Giraffe: Wow. Mickelson's response may be the most retarded thing I've seen in several weeks...

You must be one of those less evolved species.

rusncap: I hate to inform you, Giraffe, but all humans are the same species. You just happen to be one of its less intelligent members. But, as those of us who actually bothered with learnin' things know, every gene pool has a shallow end.

P.S. Just because stupidity is couched in sarcasm doesn't make it any less stupid. Just makes it more desperate.

Giraffe: every gene pool has a shallow end.

You blithering moron. You just made the same argument that you are attempting to make fun of Mickelson for.

rusncap: Erm, no Giraffe. I didn't. It's too bad you don't understand biology. Just because you're in the shallower end of the gene pool (I'm joking, of course, just because you're stupid does not mean you're inbred) does not imply that you're a different species.

Oh, and Mickelson didn't make actual arguments. His only coherent statement was that Christians also donate to charity, which is true.

Giraffe: Yes, you did.

You said I am in the shallow end of the gene pool. He said Haitians are in the shallow end of the gene pool (although he was utilizing a literary device known as sarcasm. Look it up.) There are also so nice quotes from the atheist hero Darwin regarding different races and which end of the gene pool they are in.

Are you sure you are not a chimp?

rusncap: No, retard. He said "sarcastically" that Haitians are a different species. If you don't understand the difference between "shallow end of the gene pool" and "different species", you might want to go back to H.S. biology. Then again that's not such a bad idea.

As for Darwin, what's he got to do with anything?

"There are also so nice quotes" -- English isn't your first language, is it?

Giraffe: "Some" nice quotes. Work with me.

I'll spell it out for you. Hector Avalos selected Pat Robertson to make fun of. He did this because Pat isn't representative of mainstream Christians (although Hector can pretend he is) and said some things that are easy to make fun of. That way you can smear all Christians using an extreme example.

In response, Mickelson selected atheist hero Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary theory, and made fun of some of the wild and crazy things that he said. The funny thing is, these are some of the actual implications of the theory you are expousing here.

You come along, and try to make fun of me, unwittingly using the same argument that Mickelson used sarcastically.

Giraffe:......using the same argument that Mickelson used sarcastically.

You know. The one you said was "retarded"

At this point, I had to leave. Suppose he'll follow me back here?