Facebookin'

Over on the lower left side of the blog you'll see the Facebook thingy.

Just thought you should know.

I'll be out the rest of the day, you all have a good Friday.

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Best. Endorsement. Ever.

Not that I've had any problem backing Sarah Palin, but getting this guy to speak up for you has to count for something:

Sarah Palin
By Ted Nugent

Her rugged individualism, self-reliance and a herculean work ethic resonate now more than ever in a country spinning away from these basics that made the U.S.A. the last best place. We who are driven to be assets to our families, communities and our beloved country connect with the principles that Sarah Palin embodies.

....

I'd be proud to share a moose-barbecue campfire with the Palin family anytime, so long as I can shoot the moose.

Indeed
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Veterans Airlift Command

Their home page says it all:

Imagine returning home from combat facing devastating injuries and long term hospitalization - in a facility hundreds of miles away from your family.

Imagine somebody brings you together.

I love this country.

Thanks to Instapundit for the pointer.

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Headline of the Day

Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland apologizes to Dez Bryant for asking if his mother was a prostitute

Way to set the tone there, Jeff.
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Words are weapons...

... sharper than knives

Tam abandons her usual reserved self and lets it all hang out. Good one, girl! I'm taking notes....

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So, why is the .38 Special only .357 in diameter?

Over at his place, Jay put up a quick-and-dirty explanation of caliber. Seeing that, I got to thinking about the age-old question "Why are .38 Specials only .357 in diameter?"

That is the Age-Old Question, isn't it?

I knew it had something to do with conversion from cap and ball to cased bullets, and I thought I heard something about conversion from black powder to smokless thrown in somewhere, but I really didn't have it all together. If someone were to ask me the Age-Old Question, I wouldn't be able to answer it to my satisfaction.

So, I started digging around the Intertubes. My search started, naturally with the .357 Magnum. Just kidding. It started with the .38 Special, which led me to .38 Long Colt, which in turn led me to .38 Short Colt. All this led me, finally to the explanation I was looking for. It was there all along, mentioned in each article - the heeled bullet:

Many shooters wonder why a .38 caliber firearm actually shoots bullets of diameter .357 inches, and a .44 caliber firearm shoots .429 inch diameter bullets. In both of these cases, the name of the caliber derives from older heeled-bullet designs, and the name was kept even when the bullet was shrunk to fit inside the case. The .38 S&W cartridge, for example, dates to 1877 and has a nominal outside case diameter of .380 inches, while the inside of the case is .357 inches. Older .38 caliber cartridges, like the .38 Long Colt, did use a heeled bullet, so rather than create a new ".35" or ".36 caliber", Smith and Wesson kept the designation ".38" even though it no longer accurately reflected the bore diameter.

There you have it!
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State Employees Might Have Their Pay cut by 5%

That's what the Governor says.

Gov. Phil Bredesen warned Thursday the state may have to cut employees' salaries by 5 percent if lawmakers reject his plan to eliminate a sales-tax cap on most single big-ticket items costing above $3,200.

And you though service was lousy at the DMV now....

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It's Monday

I got nothin.

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Sunday Music

Before there was Judas Priest, there was Spooky Tooth:



Spooky Tooth - "Better by You, Better Than Me". Continue Reading

Are You Ready for Some Football?

So am I, unfortunately all we have going on right now is the draft. Which is good, at least for the Titans, who drafted Derrick Morgan last night. He's the prototypical Titans Defensive End, skilled, with a strong work ethic and big time motor. He's going to fit right in.

And how about Tim Tebow going to Denver in the first round? I know some folks are happy.

Speaking of the NFL draft, here's something to read:

The NFL Draft, Decoded

RULE 1: DOPE SMOKERS ARE A BARGAIN

Before the draft, teams spend far too much time worrying about the “character” issue, when the real question to ask is much narrower: “Can this player make it through his four- or five-year rookie contract without missing actual games due to incarceration?” Guys with drinking problems or who throw cell phones at their girlfriends’ heads or get pulled over driving 110 with loaded unregistered pistols in their glove boxes are bad bets. Guys who just stay home and smoke weed while giggling at Manswers are not.

Thus: Always draft the guy who falls in draft position due to a positive weed test. In fact, if a guy is regularly smoking buttloads of weed and he’s still kicking ass in Division I football, grab that motherfucker quick.

Teams who pass on such players almost always regret it; Randy Moss and Warren Sapp are two classic examples, and last year there was Percy Harvin, Minnesota’s fast-as-hell wideout, a steal at pick 22. But what about the NFL’s drug policy, which makes league suspension or banishment a consideration? The reality is that in the age of the Whizzinator and delightfully rare random testing, not many guys are going to make it all the way to their third (i.e., banishable) positive drug test before their rookie contract ends.

Hell, even Ricky Williams didn’t get suspended until after his fifth season, and nobody, not even Tommy Chong, likes smoking weed more than Ricky Williams.

Shamelessly stolen from Music City Miracles, the best source for Titans news on the Intarwebs.

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Blogiversary

Squeeky's blog turned three the other day!

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C.O. Arms Scorpion - Second Generation

First - ever pictures of the Second Generation C.O. Arms Scorpion:

Looking at the one at their website, you can see the trigger is new, there's checkering along the front of the grip. The slide stop and safety has been worked so they don't protrude as much.

Here's the owner's carry piece, an AWP with aftermarket grips. Hey, even the owner likes a little personalization, ya know.



We were at a local park when these pictures were taken. the guns were in the trunk of Tom's car, and neither of us felt like we should put them out on the hood for better lighting because we weren't sure if handgun possession was legal in that particular park.

We both thought it was, but still didn't want to chance it.

State preemption, anyone?


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I Talked With CO Arms

Yesterday I had a long talk with Tom of CO Arms, the only gun maker in West Tennessee.

CO Arms is a small outfit, located just south of Millington Tennessee. All contact info is on their web page.

While CO Arms is small (they employ about seven people in the shop), they are far from inexperienced. Tom estimates they have over 200 years of machine shop experience between them. The operation began as a gunsmithing/customization business, but when they ran into poor production standards from their suppliers, they decided they could do it all in house, and better.

So, the gunsmithing is on hold, and their sole focus is on making CO Arms pistols: the Scorpion, Shield (formerly the Stinger, renamed out of respect for the Les Baer pistol of the same name) and the AWP. Most of the work is done by CNC, but some hand machining is done and internal parts are hand fitted.

They also offer customization of their products, built to order. Tom says ideally, he’d like to sit down with the customer and discuss what all they want done, but he will do business by phone or email if necessary. Turn around time on a custom order is three weeks. (!)

I also asked him about a couple of things I read over at Linoge’s site. The testing at Tactical Response in Camden is still in the works, as is the spring shoot. Truth be told, Tom is the gun maker. Publicity and events and such are handled by his lovely fiancée Dee, and/or Josh at Blue August. Tom’s interest lies in making a good gun, which is fine by me.

While I hope to get in on the spring shoot, I’m really interested in the stress test. From what Tom tells me, they put about 2000 rounds through the pistol in two days, which seems like a whole lot to me. =) Tom says he’s personally put over 800 rounds through his in a day with no problems.

I hope to put a few downrange soon, as Tom has invited me to come out to the shop and take one out back for a little can shooting.

I plan on doing just that.

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2010 Tennessee Titans Schedule

Here's this years' schedule:

1 Sun, Sept. 12 vs. Oakland Raiders

2 Sun, Sept. 19 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

3 Sun, Sept. 26 at New York Giants

4 Sun, Oct. 3 vs. Denver Broncos

5 Sun, Oct. 10 at Dallas Cowboys

6 Mon, Oct. 18 at Jacksonville Jaguars

7 Sun, Oct. 24 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

8 Sun, Oct. 31 at San Diego Chargers

9 Bye

10 Sun, Nov. 14 at Miami Dolphins

11 Sun, Nov. 21 vs. Washington Redskins

12 Sun, Nov. 28 at Houston Texans

13 Sun, Dec. 5 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

14 Thu, Dec. 9 vs. Indianapolis Colts

15 Sun, Dec. 19 vs. Houston Texans

16 Sun, Dec. 26 at Kansas City Chiefs

17 Sun, Jan. 2 at Indianapolis Colts

That schedule gets pretty grueling after the bye week. Of course, if we get Albert Haynesworth back, the 'Skins game will be fun to watch.

Thanks to Music City Miracles for the info.

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Quote of the Day

This one comes from SayUncle, and ties in to yesterdays post:

I feel no need to distance myself from a psychopath like McVeigh because I’ve never felt any sort of association with him. So you can just fuck right off.

Yep.

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Could Have Picked a Better Date

I'm all for smaller government and gun rights, but today? Really?

The media is already painting the movement as a bunch of racist rednecks upset over having a black president, and then rallies are held on the anniversary of the OK City bombing?

That's serving up a big media "I told you so" on a silver platter, folks.

Gotta be smarter than that.

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Sunday Music

Another from the Wayback machine: Hawkwind



"Silver Machine" by Hawkwind. The guy singing? That's Lemmy, who went on to form Motorhead.

Speaking of Motorhead....



It was the last song Lemmy had written for the group before he was sacked. That's where the name came from.
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Weekend Cigar Blogging

Gonna talk about Cameroon wrappers here for a minute.

One thing that sets Cameroon wrappers apart is their origin - while most everything cigar originates from Central America (at least here in the Cuba-embargoing US), the Cameroon comes from West Africa. It brings a lot more to the table flavor wise, introducing spicy notes I usually don't run across in other cigars.

I'm really beginning to love these things. I first tried one when I began this adventure called cigar smoking last year, and I first liked one when I smoked an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story some time later. What I like about these cigars is their flavor profile changes over the length of the smoke, building into a crescendo of spice, cedar and tobacco. You have to slow down a tad toward the end (hard to do), or it'll get hot on ya.

I've now reached the point where the Short Story is a tad too short, so I've moved up to the Best Seller. We'll see how that goes.

Another Cameroon I like is the CAO L’Anniversaire Cameroon. It's a lighter smoke than the Hemingways, but nice nevertheless. It goes through some changes as well, but overall, it's milder than the others. Like the link review mentions, it's a bit spendy, for what you get. I got mine in a sampler, so the price wasn't apparent.

That's all till next week!

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The New Album by Slash?

I like it. Nice to hear Lemmy's dulcet tones again.

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Blogiversary and BAG Purchase

All in one, over here.

Congrats on one year blogging, Bob.

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The USS John P. Murtha?

That's what is being proposed.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has decided to name the Navy's newest San Antonio Class amphibious transport-dock LPD 26 the USS John P. Murtha. This is a slap in the face to every service member who bridled when Murtha publicly accused Marines in Iraq of intentionally killing women and children in cold blood.

I'd hate to be a Marine and have to ride in it. Then again, once it was time to disembark, they'd move out quicker than normal. =)

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It's BAG Day

... and I can't play. Woe is me.

Kevin's playing, sorta.

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Tax Day Tea Party

Got this in email today:

A Tax Day Tea Party Protest will be held on April 15th, 4:30 to 6:30 PM!

We will be meeting in front of the Wal-mart on Germantown Parkway in Cordova. From there we will fan out along the sidewalks in either direction. Bring your signs, your bullhorns and most importantly, bring your YOUR VOICES! WE THE PEOPLE WILL BE HEARD!

Contact us for further information or with questions at: events@midsouthteaparty.org

Our next General Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 29th, 2010. We'll be meeting at the Bartlett Station Municipal Center from 6:30 to 8:30 PM.

JOIN US FOR A GOOD TIME AND TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!

Visit us at http://www.midsouthteaparty.org/

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New Link on the Left

This one is for DCG, which is co-located with CO Arms. I really need to talk with these guys.

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Sunday Music

"Rock Bottom" by UFO. Continue Reading

Collection of Survival Links

MD Creekmore, over at The Survivalist Blog.net has an extensive roundup of links that cover all aspects of survival.

Everything concerning firearms and hand-to-hand to washing clothes and gardening.

It's definitely worth a look, because earthquakes, forest fires and hurricanes don't care if you're ready or not.

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Congratulations to DoubleTapper

DoubleTapper was voted best Foreign National Military blog at Milblogging.com.

Mazel tov!

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Two Movies...

... I plan on seeing this year. First, "The A Team":



This should be good. Plenty of over-the-top action, Murdock and BA for comic relief. It won't win any Oscars, but I doubt I'll be disappointed.

Then, "The Expendables":



This one has the highest disappointment potential. I mean, having all these guys in one movie is an action flick lover's wet dream, but will it deliver? Is it even possible?

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I Love Comments

Making the daily rounds, I ran across this over at Unc's site. following the link, I was pleasantly surprised by comments to the anti-gun screed put up by an almost-sockpuppet:

Guest Essay: More guns equals more gun violence

I'm not going to fisk, but I will point out some pertinent facts where the essayist "qualifies" himself:

I am a retired federal law enforcement officer who worked on gun-trafficking cases. My 20-year-old brother, Michael, was killed in an armed robbery on the CTA in 1972 when he was coming home from Loyola University. I have known several friends who were shot or killed with guns. I strongly support Chicago's handgun ban.

Sounds impressive, right?

Commenter "wild cat" sets the record straight (emphasis mine):

First of all Mr. Kulis, you should have identified yourself as being the past president of The Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence which takes its talking points directly from the playbook of the Brady Campaign to End Handgun Violence. Second of all, and most important, you claim to be a retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer. With such a title, you imply that you were on the front lines in law enforcement; busting druggies, tracking down murderers and getting into shootouts with bad guys. When in fact, you were merely a probation officer holding a desk job and unlikely to be involved with issues such as interstate gun trafficking as you claim.

Smack!

I love the Internets.

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Scary

Spring start-up has come off without a hitch. Both mowers started first try, got the pool opened and crystal clear in two days (a record).

Let's hope it's an indication of things to come.

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Happy Easter, Everyone

Here's to everyone having a Happy Easter, however they may do it.

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Sunday Music

Here's another 70's Progressive rock favorite, Angel:



"Tower" by Angel. Continue Reading

Bah, Humbug

I hate April Fool's Day.


April Fools!

god, that's lame. no humor tag for you! Continue Reading