Full Moon tonight? Howling anyone?

Would love to tell you about my Appleseed Shoot at Castle Rock, but my wife says I need a shower and to get some rest. I don't complain, I had roast turkey, stuffing and trimmings for dinner after the drive home. I leave you with Kelly and his M1 Garand, don't you know he was having more fun than most? Well, I do, take my word for it he had two great days shooting his M1A and M1 Garand, and he was still smiling when he downsized to his Ruger 10/22. The young fellow knows how to have a good time.

How did mild mannered Clark Kent use that phone booth?

I am switching gears from Library Keeper to Shoot Boss, and I am just as far behind as ever. The shoot box did arrive, and my wife moved all fifty-three pounds of it inside from the porch. It doesn't have every thing I wanted, but more of some stuff and it will all keep to the next one whatever I don't use. My range clothing is laid out, the rifles cased, the other stuff already in the Caravan, it will need fueled up tomorrow very early, only two hour drive down I-5. I opened both IAAR and AAR on the Appleseed forum, and established a link on this blog to get to the public one. One last check in the morning of the load and the paperwork - I have to file everything upon completion with the folks back East, which will be fun, since Monday I have to do inmate payroll and the October reports, I did send off the end of October stuff today.

Oh, on my being Superman, my heart doctor says I am wasting my money and his time unless I come up with something better than a faint, once. I do like that opinion. I did report for my brain scan, to see if I had one, if it was taken over by demonic possession, if an alien life form is living there and spying on humankind.... results will be Monday. I do know that I really can relax deeply, that MRI machines are noisy, and that hospital gowns that open in the back are only for the convenience of the staff in covering patients, not in making patients happily securely dressed.

Thoughts on Registration...

Among the chores for today, was getting my updated car tags for the Caravan, and the kind benevolent government only asks thirty dollars for the tags, and then adds on bunch of fees and donations (?) until it totals out to $105.75. I went to a commercial place and paid them three more dollars for instant ratification. So I can legally run the roads of Washington and reciprocal governments that recognize the plates and want my lawful conduct doing good things in their neighborhood (Idaho, Canada, Oregon, Mexico and such). Since it has also been seven years that I have owned and operated the car, I get new plates with a new number - glad I don't use many motels that want me to remember that old number cause it is gone now. The Caravan is now 571 ZPP, and that could be for Zippy, but we all know about Caravans and Earl, Zippy might be correct for the Trusty Triumph but only on Earl's wilder days.

Then onward for registering my two rifles on Fort Lewis, and since I have a new tag number updating that on Fort Lewis, too. So I am giving the clerk all the forms, cards, numbers and best guesses, yes it is a twenty inch barrel, overall maybe thirty eight or thirty six inches. They didn't care about magazine capacity, and I didn't either. When they ran the Provost Marshals Office Ft. Lewis, WA Weapons Permit it runs onto a second page, I now seem to have too many firearms - fifteen is all that went on page one, one slid onto page two. I know there are many gun toting folks upset or straight out fearful of the government having too much knowledge about what weapons are where, and since the Commander at Fort Lewis (who has never thought through the implications of having registered weapons coming on and going off base - and not allowing unregistered weapons on base unless they belong to law enforcement folks) doesn't allow me to use the Post Ranges for my recreational shooting without being registered - I am content to register. When you look at my long history (over fifty years worth) with firearms and the number of crimes and injuries I have inflicted with the same --- I have to admit only when issued a weapon by the United States government has any living thing come to an end or grief, all my personal registered firearms haven't hurt anything that I wasn't hunting, with permission. So you see, registration does work - not that Earl would be a responsible sane adult male - some may think that was an oxymoron - but registering my firearms has kept them from terrible acts and accidents - 100% of the time registered. It really does work.

Now last point of today is that as mis-read and understood as the 2nd Amendment of the Constitution seems to be (I have family members that don't read it the same way I do, and my mother has a whole different set of views about law) isn't the government glad that we didn't write something like "The government has no Right to keep or bear arms against the People, every assumption of such a Right by the government must be infringed". Yeah, and when you think about that just a bit, can you truthfully tell me why POLICE have fully automatic weapons? I understand the military use and the tactics and training to make them effective, but POLICE?

You do remember not to trust the Government...

I am getting old and I keep forgetting that the Government is not on my side - that is important, I only have two friends because I trust them, everyone else is suspect and below them is the government which I KNOW is trying to take all my extra for themselves.

I bring this up since I went to shoot at Fort Lewis Range 15 today. Having spent lots of time with my rifles over the past few months I thought it was time to shoot my carry pistol. I grabbed the case and away I went, passing all the bicyclists on their way to Portland from Seattle. When I got to the range I asked for a box of 9mm, and they didn't have any. So your government (of the people, by the people and for the people) doesn't have what it takes to run a good range. They do own sixty percent of General Motors Company, and that could be where all the 9mm is hiding.

Well, it is my fault, not the government's, so I shot what I brought and hit the target with every bullet, fifty percent of them in the black. It has been a bit since I was shooting double action short barreled firearms at twenty yards. I do have rounds in the pistol case: .22 LR, .45 APC, 9mm Luger. I am now placing forty-five and nine millimeter in the ammo box in the Caravan.

Why I ever trusted the government, they have done this to me before but I think they will get better the next time, and it doesn't happen.

Aren't they working on Universal Medical and the Economic Stimulus? Yeah, sure they are.

Just wanted you to know, they were paying attention

I check what is written, and blog posts, and I watch for real people I would have loved. Got to be happy in life, there are so many Great Ones. Yeah, and he knew about shooting, well and for cause. Hope Heaven is happy, another good one to man the walls, watch from the towers and hold back the darkness.

Do read the story about the M1.

Okay, how do you pretend to be a real Gunny...

if you aren't shooting?

Well, you come home and the mail has the NRA Store pamphlet, an advertisement from MidwayUSA (with a Whisper Air Rifle flashing at my buying bug), and Washington Arms Collectors' GUN NEWS. See, I must still be some kind of a Gunny, I am getting all the paper.

Speaking of paper, I took all the extra stuff out of my wallet before I went off to Hawai'i, and now I haven't my Concealed Pistol License from the State of Washington - I have lots to carry but no paperwork yet to make anyone pay attention. Piles of procrastination everywhere. I will dig into them after some breakfast and serious exercise and jogging. My goal is to be the coolest skinny old man in town, so all the long legged red heads will pay attention - they aren't doing more than shaking their head at the OLD MAN, which I am right now.

Still, I have certificates....

So what were you living for today? cause it is done.

I find that writing the President is good for me and the exchange of views - since the Credit Card Bill of Rights is approved and the President is proud of it I wanted him to say he was proud to sign the same bill and allow loaded weapons in the Parks - like he knows that responsible gun toting adults will be up to the concern of the ones that aren't competent enough to trust themselves and their neighbors with loaded weapons. Do you think he will listen? Nah, me neither.

I do continue to fall apart, getting old is a product of breathing, if one stops breathing I understand one stays locked into that last moment of your life and some one's memory. So as a piece of me breaks I don't see replacing it, just struggle on with what I got and breath in and exhale - using those respiratory pauses for shooting almost up to the best of the weapon in hand.


Library work was fine, not very remarkable but fine -- no one in my library turned anyone in to the police (but in a corrections center, the snitch isn't appreciated much and putting inmates in Segregation is often protective custody). They found some $2000 for each institution to spend on more materials for our collections, our plans have to be to our supervisors before the 1st of June, I want to do the shopping by that time. So we started making a wish list, new hardbacks of popular books should eat that money up quick, I am going to look into a new bookstore instead of Half-Priced Books.

Weather working on Spring looking like Summer, it is over halfway through May and yes the pink Dogwood and Azaleas are blooming in the backyard - but it is a cool moist coastal day. Still I go for the fuel efficiency and saving the Nation from Saudi, Iranian and other bad guys' oil riches, and I ride the Trusty Triumph and smile as I roll on that throttle - one of these days I am going to slip and pop up into a Wheelie and go into shock. Over 15,019 miles when I return home.

What I was most looking forward to today was jogging, which is a good sign of my coming back to me, the one I liked better than that hibernating fatter fellow I have been. Most days I will walk thirty minutes or two miles, but never felt that was enough except to prove I could still walk - and it was always refreshing on my mind - and my wife likes to do that with me which is a bonus. Since Sunday morning I have been jogging daily and looking forward to that time breathing heavy and sweating well and slogging along like I was a reckless paratrooper of long ago and far away... well, in my mind any way.

When I returned from Nam in 1971 they stuck me in the 82nd Airborne Division, as a LEG, and I was so happy to hit the pavement daily and run Ardennes. It wasn't enough, when I went to Jump School in Fort Benning I had shin splints in both legs (fire bases in Vietnam don't have jogging tracks), but limping on both legs isn't noticeable. After getting back to Fort Bragg and into married I started getting serious about road work for conditioning for karate matches and general fitness. It stuck pretty good, and if I had really understood sugar, fats and health I wouldn't have done marathons at 240 pounds - when I should be a very healthy 180 pounds of mean ol' me.

No matter, I have jogged for the last four days and intend to continue through Friday, breaking for Appleseed Shoot on the weekend and starting Monday all over. I am only a little compulsive and not obsessive ever... maybe. I found forgotten coins on each jog, and today there was a young dog chasing along the fence barking at me furiously - I immediately identified with the older dog that came from his spot in the sun kind of limping along with deep Woof or two - just enough you know he is still in the game. Yep, still in the game. Time to go and work on the M1 and the firing positions and dream about long legged redheads or placing all my bullets in tighter groups... only one is a dream the other could be reality.

The noise level is reaching election pitch...

Media is sounding alarms over the shootings, but not enough sorrow. Their entertainment isn't changing from murders, shootings, violence, solving crimes, sex, and the romance of going wrong to presenting moral, uplifting and enriching products to fill the screen. Yes, I do know where the Hallmark Channel is, but I don't normally watch that, and I don't watch most of the trash either, I have too many DVDs and videos with what is enriching when I have the time to be entertained.

Time magazine's cover offered the way to victory in Afghanistan, but I remember the victory in Vietnam they supported and I know Vietnamese that suffered for it. The picture was good, and if that military man would only take his cigarette smoking twenty-five feet away from the doorway it will be legal in Washington State (if he were a prisoner he couldn't smoke).

My wife watching a Korean soap opera commented on my girl friends (you know who you are out there) and I looked at her and laughed - then realized that four couples on the show were talking about their cheating spouses and love interests. Asians have a completely different take on civilized behavior, but because she is presented with the various situations she puts her husband (once a fine figure of a man) in their position and gets a bit miffed and jealous - and I am not worthy of being written into a drama - certainly not about the war between the sexes. It made me think of one of my war stories.

I participated in Vietnam, mostly on a firebase in the middle of nowhere. And there were some Vietnamese that wanted me dead and gone and did discourage me and my fellows from staying - only two major rocket attacks during my ten months there - four rockets each time, four months between reloads, only one did significant damage to a personnel bunker - but I only needed the one to become really impressed with 122mm rockets, knowing the Soviets launched them in salvos. A sister firebase not far away, Firebase Mary Ann, was attacked by sappers in the night and it was up close and personal and not for America a good day. When the Monsoon showed up and the roads washed into muddy mess, and the helicopters couldn't fly for resupply we ate through the food to the C-rats, so that was my war, not much but all mine.

A Major from Battalion came out to inspect, visit, see the Battery and the troops - one of those things good officers will do. He met our commander and First Sergeant, asked questions, looked at the CP, the mess hall, the maintenance area, (probably the facilities for body functions - the officers had a special separate one - although the burning waste smelled the same), and then he started looking into the personal personnel bunkers, to see how we slept, pictures on the walls, books we read and stuff we valued. He did finally lose it, his temper and his cool, when he saw the hunting bow with broadhead arrows one of the gun bunnies had mounted on a twelve by twelve support beam above his bunk. The Major couldn't believe we didn't have better and complete weapons control like they did in the super large headquarters support base where he came from. He tore the bow and arrows from the beam and ranted and raved about the lack of discipline and leadership - and took himself and his good leadership to his aircraft and off our firebase.

I went to the rear twice, once for a two week leadership school, and once for a promotion board, and both times I had to put on my shirt (and wear it all day!) and turn in my M-16 rifle and ammunition until I got ready to leave, or we would be under attack and I would get to line up and be re-issued the rifle and weapon and told where to go fight. That go fight wasn't practiced so I could spend all my time drunk or drugged out of my mind (I didn't) when I didn't have to pay attention to school or my future. They did have a pretty big fraggin' problem in that large headquarters and support base - any is a large problem, but that base was much more than it was at the little base I lived at, and the Major was very aware of how little protection all those locked up weapons and ammunition did for him as he walked the night between the O Club and his hooch, or trailer. On my firebase in the middle of NOWHERE someone threatening another soldier with a weapon wasn't tolerated - we tolerated drug abuse, drunks, disrespect of a humorous vein (smile when you say that), but someone grabbing a weapon with ammunition (all of our weapons had ammunition) would be jumped on by eveyone close, weapon taken, soldier secured and a helicopter and MPs called for to remove said threat. Never got to shoot outs, mostly whatever was the trouble got fixed off base by doctors and UCMJ.

So I don't care if everyone gets issued a weapon and ammunition, and they are responsible for their use and conduct, been there and done that and we didn't wear t-shirts until the cold rains returned. About that registering weapons thing, I have always carried my weapons with numbers registered, and when the government in its greatness issues me a fine modern or historic semi-automatic or automatic (although that is not my first choice) rifle or machine gun I will honor their numbers all my days. Time for breakfast and I never did get to my point, what you think is keeping you safe in major cities Chicago, New York, Washington DC, isn't - Seattle with concealed carry and stuff has a much lower murder rate than those cities and it isn't because of the Latte stands where the lasses wear so little...

Earl goes to the Gun Show in Puyallup...

Looking for Hispanic Gangsters buying weapons for the Drug War in Mexico. Didn't see any.

Looking for rifles that I just had to have. Didn't see any. Did see many that were beautiful, but they wouldn't be lonely for long, and I am still dancing with my own thank you.

Went looking for peace and quiet, but the Gun Show isn't the local library - large crowds of people packed like PETA wouldn't do to your beef still on hoof. Yes, I thought that mooing and horns would have worked. Met one of the Corrections Officers from McNeil Island and talked crowds, military shooting (1903 through M1) and reloading.

Didn't find any ATF agents in undercover clothes working the crowd for Obama - the things I don't see when I am looking. Did see lots of Pro Gun and Anti-Obama bumper stickers, didn't see any from American Hunters & Shooters Association - they didn't even have a table. The number of Friends of the NRA having dinners and raffles were as numerous as the counties of Western Washington - except I don't think I saw King County nor Seattle - but sometime I think there are only dead voters there and all the workers commute in daily - but I have been wrong before.

Did watch a gunsmith mounting a scope (I still haven't got one and am interested), did see some nice leatherwork for all the stuff I NEED (okay I don't need) but it was so good. Did think that for my motorcycle I could get a scabbard and a carbine - then thought about how that would work the next time Gravity grabs me, my bike and my inattention... nope. Gravity Rules! Still another day and a half to go.

I received my renewed Concealed Pistol License...

and no matter what the anti gun crowd says - no child has been shot, not one suicide in this home, and I have never been involved in a gun fight in the street, at the Mall nor during someone else's road rage. Of course, I respect life and fine shooting and good weapons of many kinds, that and the fact that more good things are done with the firearms than what the criminals do with them.

Today is the first day of Spring, 80% chance of rain, highs in the fifties - yes, that is motorcycle riding weather for Earl. No, I don't put on my rain suit until I have soaked to the skin, then I put on the rain suit. Work was fine, ordered the last of the books, correctly and then thought someone was telling me I had done something wrong (but it was shotgun management style - blast away -- a little birdshot bursting everyone's bubbles) and I had to learn how to submit my travel for the conference and that is all new - this being an old man is so frightening when they add easier software to help me. Okay, I am not scared, but don't like looking like an idiot to the computers - I have seen the Terminator in action, and I felt like an idiot while I played with the entries and the computer kept telling me I was wrong I couldn't go back in time - and I am looking at the machine thinking I almost wish I could.

I got two good rides in today, the rain hit before I woke, while I worked in the library, and before I left to ride home- I even saw the SUN, briefly between gray towering clouds pushed by high winds and sea gulls. Still I get a nice feeling that after a few more wicked weeks of Western Washington's Winds and Waves (the ferry slams into the floating docks!) it will really be Spring and more fun than I deserve. My vacation time has been approved for the Boomershoot!

Only one last thing to write about, opening the door to the house, seeing my wife cooking in the kitchen and her smiling and telling me that I have to take CPR training - cause her heart isn't working very well today. She got leveled, went to her doctor and then on to work, and her blood pressure is high and the results of her other tests aren't back yet. But she wants me to worry about her coming heart attack - okay, dear, put it right there beside the other stuff on the procrastination pile. I did tell her to put the salt shaker back down and don't add any salt to the dinner, there is enough in the meat naturally. I do know CPR, just don't certify frequently.

You did notice I haven't written about the President and World Shaking events? Notice that this starts with something seemingly important (the 2nd Amendment and Concealed Pistol License) and gravitates right up to the only thing that is critically important in my life - hot coffee, nice steak and vegetables and my loving wife. Yeah, I know what I might lose sleep over.

How did my day go... well, I am a Rifleman... now!

It started out pretty good, beautiful weather, nice drive to Monroe, and we get to set the range up, three shooters and three instructors. I started with my M1, and for the one inch target my five rounds tore it up needed to move the sights slightly right, yes I dropped one. And then they went out, and their own way and I borrowed a rifle to fire the qualification with. Now I know more about 10/22s than I had before, but after cleaning up the magazines and ammunition I did on the second AQT make 219 and qualified for my Rifleman patch. Nice rifle but I want to fix the loosening sights on my M1 Garand, I do like it to work and I know it can do much better than I have been doing with it so far. Still, I - the shooter - did qualify and will get even better now the four minute mile has been broken... okay, just the 4 moa barrier. Will go over my documentation (BOOKS!) for guidance on the sights and locking them in. My next working with Appleseed is the 7th and 8th of March weedend, on the line, for my personal shooting I will have to work out on Range 15 of Fort Lewis on the weekends. I found shooting in the Carhartt Duck Bib Overall great! plenty of room, no pulse bump from constricted arteries and compressed fat, and the sitting position was easy to achieve a Natural Point of Aim and lock in and engage the targets. I will be doing all my serious rifle shooting in that gear - not that I am ever going to get that serious, but I might get some National Match sights for the M1 Garand.

Since it was such a beautiful Spring day and the motorcyclists were all out playing and traveling I stopped at a Harley-Davidson dealer to look at overpriced and very heavy motorcycles, HOGs - you know. I like some of the designs, but why the plastic look? gray plastic? is it a Glock thing? Anyway, if I were to advise H-D about their products I would get rid of the gray plastic plumbing look, but since I am not buying they are not listening. Oh, forgot to get Lotto tickets today I won't be moving off the Trusty Triumph any time soon. The best part of my visit to the dealers was the smile from the young lady, and I did nothing to deserve it but I smiled back anyway, she must have thought my bib overalls were cool... or that I was so harmless, like a grandfather... cool.

It's NOT the real LAW....

NO GUNS ALLOWED IN DC!

A few people don't like that idea, but that's the way it has to be. It's not me, folks, it's the law, and we will not break the law in any way, shape, or form; that's not who we are. We are here to change the law, not to become criminals. This march will be peaceful and law-abiding. End of story.

The above is from the 2nd Amendment March, and that is why we need another education system, the Law started with establishing the Constitution, and it went downhill from there. Before there was a Washington D. C. there was the approved and important Bill of Rights tacked on to the Constitution. Okay, quibble a bit, the establishment of the District is before the ratification of the Bill of Rights, but what you see as Washington D.C. was still mostly good intentions and plans for a swampy area around the Potomac River when the Bill of Rights was debated and accepted as the necessary part of the new government. So the real law breakers are all those swearing to defend the Constitution and enacting laws against the Rights of the People.

This is good to look at closely, it is the second time I have run into People of the Gun, trying to be good law abiding citizens and make changes in bad law and bad politicians and our temporary rulers. It is good to have real discussion, assemble without arms and provocation, and it is very important to maintain your citizenship because once they make you a riotous, dangerous, gun toting, felon you lose all those rights that they disregard already. And I don't think violence will cause much except death and destruction, so I don't hold with the fool stuff of taking up arms against much of anything. If you want to make more points disregard those fools in power - all the criminals are. Look at what the government is doing for illegal immigrants - every one a law breaker. Look at what they do for drug abusers and alcoholics. One day they will decide that carrying a gun is an addiction and we will receive treatment programs after we are caught. In Vietnam they are called Re-education Camps.

Back to basics, the idea and the activity of a mass demonstration in Washington, DC in support of the 2nd Amendment is a great idea - participate! Those that have to carry guns go to Arlington, Virginia and walk the among our heroes in their rest, talk to the dead that carried weapons in defense of our future and their past. Yeah, I know it is a National Park and someone will say bearing arms there is disrespectful, but they have been wrong before and probably will be again. If you go to DC, always visit Arlington and walk the graves and talk to the fallen, read the stones, know that your Founding Fathers were all in rebellion against the King over things like the right to keep and bear arms, taxes and self government (law breakers extraordinary!). Ask yourself where they would be standing if we were holding a peaceful demonstration in support of the basic law for Federal Government, I know Hamilton and Jefferson wouldn't be seeing eye to eye, but they did get their differences expressed and cobbled together a fine document. Go to the Demonstration, one warm happy body, at peace with self and the potential of America - Land of the FREE, Home of the BRAVE. Just remember, if you weren't so nice, you would be carrying, if there were not such fools in charge -- it wouldn't be against the law it would be an adult requirement. Vote them out in 2010.

Hibernation ended here today...

I have to get out there and stimulate the economy. Sure fuel prices have been creeping back up, still I had to cut the lawn and get rid of the leaves, attack the moss, stomp on the mole hills before they become mountains. And I know why bears are grumpy when coming out of hibernation, they go twist the wrong way when whacking a tree with dead bees and no honey, and they hurt their back, that's why. I was going to exercise gently and then go shoot, but responsibility got in the way. The yard looks a bit better, and after my left-over lunch (which I carefully ate around the rice and potatoes) my wife says she will take me out to dinner tonight - some pagan ritual probably - never know about Korean Baptist ladies.

I ironed my shirts and pants last night while watching men and women in a bit more than nothing dance and jump around the squared circle charming the chumps (yes, I was one paying attention - looking for the famous Ranger Chokehold), anyway, about my shirts and pants - it is time to buy replacements. Shirts, long sleeve, button down collar, size 16 1/2 33-35, color white, light blue or french blue, 100% to 80% cotton (six of them). Trousers, Dickies work trousers with cellphone pocket on right leg, reinforced knees, color steel or silver - but not white nor gray, 34 x 32, (six of them). That should help me look better, get my wife off my back a bit, and stir that economy. Those new shoes I bought, the Teva ones with the spider on the heel are very nice - one more pair of those. I also want a pair of Carhartt Duck Bib Overall to wear when I go shooting, seems some folks don't want the militia movement cammo worn and I have this weight and belt problem making my sitting shots bounce with my surging pulse beat. Love having a beating heart, just don't want the compression of my fat against the arteries to affect my shooting. Speaking of shooting and the economic stimulous package...

In the home are five clips of eight rounds of 30-06, and four loose rounds in the grab and go ammo can (.22 also but I never count them). In the Caravan are eighteen clips of eight rounds of 30-06, and sixteen rounds in a box, in one ammo can, and sixteen boxes of 30-06 (20 per box) and one box of Federal 30-06. Hardly enough for the depth of the Depression and Uncivil Disturbances about to show up at my front door. Nor is it enough to punch all the paper and steel targets I need to practice upon to get better at this American Rifleman position I aspire to... So I figure about five hundred dollars to CMP will get me about 1384 rounds of 30-06 in the ammo cans - with a give or take on the shipping costs. A couple more bricks of .22 would be good, the .45 APC and 9mm Luger are enough until I start shooting them for competition (never: too old, too slow, too un-needed - you know why men want bigger guns). Anyway, there are another hundred rounds of 30-30 and of 30-06 for the hunting rifles, and all kinds of bird shot and slugs for the shotgun.

Well, too much possibility of rain to wash the Caravan, although after a bit of reading I may sneak out and grease the chain on the motorcycle, bring the tires up to pressure if they aren't and prepare for sunshine riding on the Trusty Triumph, so much to do and only so much of me.

It is Friday, and bad things are happening by law...

Two cases need attention, and fixed, the government is out of control on both of them - and it stands out like a criminal act against us in our peaceful life - this is not normal nor correct. Sailorcurt offers his following of the Ryan Frederick case on his blog Captain of a Crew of One and The Sensible Progressive is following Phillip Dominguez in California. Coast to coast the war on little Americans continues. What would have happened if the SWAT attack on Dominguez's home and family had ended in the death of one of the assault force? Nothing good, any death for stupidity is wrong. Don't you wish the Police swore to "Do No Harm" as well as protect the public? What do they swear? Or is it going to always be "They" against them? or us? or you? or just against me?

Saint Peter! don't call me for I can't go...

I owe my soul to the Company store. What is it about listening to the good Reverend say: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" that drives me to pay my bills, reconcile my accounts and post my Quicken -- and then know that Tennessee Ernie Ford had me pegged before I was old enough to vote? One fist of iron and the other of steel, if the right one don't get you then the left one will... yeah, sure.

Getting ready for tax time, and clearing the paper clutter, trash day is tomorrow, and although I am sure if I die before I wake - my wife has all my assets and insurances to cover everything I owe, but if I don't die then I am going on loading that number nine coal, forever... about that high toned woman - slipped right by me, didn't notice her, no wonder I am so broken.

Well, it will all be better in the morning, I don't think I am directly paying a 150 million for the party in Washington, DC. I know I am not invited, I am still carrying a weapon or two, and I do have to go to work to pay the bills, taxes and prepare for the worst. No one is bailing me out. No one has read the 2nd Amendment the way I did, so they made all these laws and regulations to infringe upon my Right. Silly people, hold that regulation up in front of you next time someone points a firearm at you - if the Law is several pages thick it might work.

Dear Senator, about Law Enforcement & Firearms...

Taking the time to ask your support of the 2nd Amendment. Especially the first part of the well regulated militia defending the free state. I believe that is often glazed over, but all your voters and potential voters are supposed to be in that militia and there aren't enough public shooting ranges, common use weapons and ammunition in storage for the citizens that don't have their own. This is something that should be fixed pretty soon, one never knows when the militia would be needed. Certainly need a participating public in securing the defense of the nation. We also need to get rid of all the laws that infringe upon the right of the people to keep and bear arms - some of us can afford the weapons and the ammunition to maintain our proficiency. Thanks for your time and your great service. Earl

AHSA have you met them yet, shooting?

Ah, something good to send one's fellow Americans. And no, I don't think they are telling me the truth about many things; they haven't sponsored any hunts, shoots, range building, high school rifle teams, repealing of any gun control laws nor listed the politicians that are for the total 2nd Amendment. So, they aren't my answer to the coming reasonable discussion - but I know some voters that would not like to see Pro-Gun Pro-Obama on the same bumper sticker everywhere.

A thought: the POWER of ONE is important to remember. If you teach one child the four rules of firearms safety - it is a win for the Gun. If you take one person and teach them how to get sight alignment, sight picture, pause, focus on front sight, caress the trigger and hit the target as aimed upon. That is one more win for the Gun. I don't care what size the firearm, air gun, spring launch, number and caliber of the round - safety, respect and proficiency in personal technique, one hole in the target from one bullet launcher and one shooter that ONE is a win for the Gun.

When the rest of the world gets strange, go shooting...

This day is a bit different and I had the time to ride my motorcycle or go shooting or watch football. Too cold to ride, too early in the playoffs to watch football, so I went shooting. I will have to admit that there was snow on the ground, it was cold, but I don't normally move quickly while shooting so the wind chill wasn't.

I started on this target, at twenty-five yards (75 ft.) the kind of target I shot at in Junior High Rifle Club, in the gymnasium. My Stevens is a low wall block, single shot, with a GI sling, if you looked at the picture it is like the center rifle with the sights from the bottom rifle. It is a fine rifle with a minor extractor problem, and no more windage remaining in the rear sight -- one day I will have to get that fixed. (Don't you just know that windage would be a word that Microsoft and Blogger don't understand nor spell correctly?). The first seven rounds were for finding the zero, my sling tension and practice the six steps of the shot. Then after checking the target (walking through the snow) settling down to firing one shot per circle, top left across, down across, down across and bottom left across. I was in rhythm by the last five and called the two drops and missed one in the second shot, wasn't in pattern to call it. In other words, sloppy, and I hang my head in shame - it was easier in the gym on the mat with the shooting jacket and the coach. I wasn't a coffee drinker then either. That is enough in the excuse department.

Then I changed target, going to the 100 yd (reduced for 25 Meter Qualification) - standing with hasty sling, ten rounds and fired a 42 of 50. Changed targets and fired the 200 yd (reduced for 25 Meter Qualification) and fired from the sitting position, 46 of 50. Major struggle, getting into the position finding the Natural Point of Aim, and reloading (it was single shot and broke the shoulder free for each reload), and the pulse surging against gravity (forgot to loosen my belt and lose thirty pounds of stuffing in this turkey). But I was pleased and one good practice with only thirty seven bullets mean I have thirteen to use in warmer weather.

Hope your shooting is going well, this is the New Year and practice (dry fire and live) will make me improve one day. And before I forget, thank you very much for carrying and caring.

What did you get for Christmas? wha'dgetyur wife?

One of the dreaded questions after the holidays? What did you get? What did Santa bring you? What did you get your wife? I say dreaded because I have whole issues with those questions and a real phobia about that portion of this celebration. One of my wife's responsibilities is to keep me civilized to the point of giving appropriate gifts when needed - she does that just fine. Well, I am almost impossible to civilize beyond a certain point, but she fools me into better behavior well.

About the gift I received, as always the sure knowledge that Christmas is about the babe born to bear my burdens - not the mortgage, the car payments, the food on the table and such - the burdens I build by my guilt and sin - which are normally the same, and if - as I often think, being old, that I am not up to my usual sinful worst (youth so foolish) - then I am way up there in the weight of my guilt for all that I was, am now and shudder to think that I could be. I will cherish that gift of a Savior forever.

And what did I get my wife? Well, I drove her to my church for Candlelight service at ten last evening. The church was full of music, Christmas colors, families re-united for the holidays, friends absent to their families far from here, it was warm and bright and we sang and prayed and thought about the light of the world, in a sanctuary full of candles and love. Not too impressed with that gift are you? Well, unless I was driving she hadn't been out of the house for two weeks, she does have women that like to see her at my church (no, I always behave but old men, stag, at the back of the room are as problematical as teenage boys at the back of the room to knowledgeable women). Since driving was my gift, the only one that counts, I drove to her church this morning at ten for their service - in Korean and English - I loved the subtitled Sermon, when the Pastor spoke Korean the English was on the screen above his head, when he was speaking English the Korean words were displayed and everyone could keep up. All the hymns were written in both, and you could sing out from the heart in the language you speak to God with, I always like that. I am amazed at how many Korean words I have lost since the last time I listened and tried using them. Use it or lose it - one day it will all be gone. About six times the number of people from the candlelight service, the Sun being out and perhaps the roads more drivable - although I have been watching people needing a push and help in several places I have driven recently, my Caravan has been fine. Her church is much larger and richer than mine - the Salvation is exactly the same, go figure, it doesn't pay to start too soon (you forgot about that burden of guilt above - start earlier!).

Lots of re-united families at church, and old school friends meet and talk about what college and working in where ever is like, and who is in the service and overseas and where. Both our churches have large old retired military, and youngsters of appropriate age to serve, so they do. If my son weren't so well married I would have been looking harder at the beautiful young ladies, but I will leave that to those who need to play match-making. I did get trapped into a real hug with a young lady last night, she meant well but gosh that disturbed my harmony within the universe of Earl. She never noticed the pistol, but then who would carry a pistol to church? What you don't look for nor identify was never there, basic principle of hiding in plain sight. I know I never look to see what others are walking around with, unless it is in the appropriate place for shooting activities. At church I check out the age of the personal Bible, the translation and the depth of the smile and the warmth of the greeting and conversation as we work in the kitchen or on something, I make coffee and do dishes with one of my friends mostly.

Well, the telephone has started ringing, my son and daughter-in-law sent some gifts which get put to use immediately, although the one I really want to wear to the range come warmer times, it is almost a wanna-be shirt, but then I was never associated with that group and I am already much too proud a paratrooper for my head to fit most of my head coverings. A matching coffee mug, so cool, so cool. For any that worry I was armed in church - it was probably my Leatherman Wave or my Canon digital camera - for those that think everyone carries, should carry and numbers me among the chosen few that do - nothing happened that would have needed more than gloves and a snow shovel these last few weeks so figure all that bulky stuff in my clothing is the weight I have been piling on with festive eating. There are still cookies waiting the visitors that can make it up the frozen hillside to our home, y'all welcome to have a few and save me a little more burden of guilt.

I care and I wake early because of... we all carry

Of all the things to wake in the middle of the night about - is that 2nd Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. You know, the one that the current Federal Government infringes upon regularly with regulations and law enforcement. I had best write my Congressman, Adam Smith, and my state representatives (and no, I don't know who won those offices - I am a self-centered political slacker and they couldn't be important could they? - were they in the news?).

I go to bed and I wake up in the night because I am carrying the Nation and thereby the World upon my shoulders. I have to bailout rich bankers, automobile manufacturers, and helpless old people, young people, dysfunctional people and elected officials that stray for sex, power and money. They are all part of the burden I have on my shoulders. Sigh, and I can't sleep knowing they must have my attention and care, and I must carry that for the remainder of my life. I get told that the current economic crisis is my fault for failing to borrow more and spend like the young fool I grew out of...

The Second Amendment says that a well-regulated militia is important for the security of a free state -- and there aren't enough rifles for every militia member, and there should be. The local government of the Colony of Massachusetts bought and stored muskets for those that couldn't provide their own, in the 1770's. What happened to that? Every little county subdivision should have an armory for the people's arms and ammunition. Somehow I am certain the current government of Massachusetts is failing to carry on its traditional role as a supporter of freemen.

So, Congressman Adam Smith, I want the government to assure public ranges, with known distance targets to six hundred yards, or if you must - six hundred meters. I want at least one per Congressional district - enough firing points for the number of citizens bearing arms for quarterly qualifications. I want the government to issue each militia member a thousand rounds of ball ammunition per year, to be fired and replaced in units of two hundred and fifty rounds in the quarterly practice and qualification. I want the public education system to teach firearms safety in elementary , rifle marksmanship and civic responsibility in middle school along with driver's training and sex education (although what some folks call sex education is certainly not in my definition of human reproduction systems).

I also want all those laws that infringe upon the people's right to keep and bear arms repealed. Now is already too late, but tomorrow is a good day to start. We can get this right and I can go back to sleep knowing that there is a government program that I can support, only participate in quarterly, and is doing something for the majority of law abiding good citizens - that are carrying the burden of the Nation and the World, we can all sleep better at night knowing we can read and follow the basic instructions in English of our Constitution.