Government Cell Phone Program

I have a bone to pick. I would think this would be obvious, but from the attitude of many people, it either isn't obvious, or nobody really cares.

Have you heard of the "free phone" program the government is offering? People with low income, or inability to support themselves can go get a prepaid phone from the government, with a certain amount of talk time, free of charge.

Since when did a cellular phone become a necessity of life? Who's hairbrained idea is this? It ranks up there with the woman trying to get all gun owners to put a sign on their front doors saying "I own firearms". Wtf. Great idea. Advertise to the criminals, but I digress.

I wonder if the folks who supply the raw materials to build circuit boards work for free one day? Likewise raw mat'l for plastic cases that every single cell phone has to have. How about the factory worker on the line arranging electronic components for that circuit board. Does he or she work a day for free? The folks assembling the phone, packing the phone for shipping? There is some more raw material, and more people employed for the purpose of making paper and plastic shipping material. You also have the shipping companies, whether that is the USPS, UPS, the carriers hauling this stuff from one coast to another, raw or finished.

How about the cellular provider? It costs money to buy and maintain the equipment to provide a phone service, to pay administrative groups to run the company. Do all these people take an unpaid day of work out of the goodness of their hearts so that someone who is not working can have the amenities that they themselves must pay for?

The answer is a big, fat, no. These phones, this program, is paid for by somebody. You say, "yeah, the government does", right? Hm. Think about that for a second. Where does government money come from? Do they just print it? They just magically come up with more money, because they decided they needed it? Folks, it comes out of your paycheck. That's what the IRS does. It takes money from your paycheck to fund government activities. That "free" phone is paid for by your neighbor, your brother or sister, mother, father, uncleauntgrandmagrandpacousinfriendfoe... you get my point. Each year, someone comes up with a new way to "help" the general population with a new gov't program.

Each year, gov't has to take more and more money out of your paycheck to fund these ridiculous programs. Every time someone takes advantage of this, it costs you and me money. There are hundreds of these programs soaking up your paycheck. government spending is beyond out of control.

If these programs were not taking money out of your pocket, what do you suppose would happen? How would your quality of life be affected? What more would you have? What sort of memories could you make on vacations you aren't able to take right now? What sort of christmas gift could you have gotten your wife or husband or child last year that would have blown his/her mind?

Where would our country be if it would have just stuck to the rule book, as it did for so many years? For a very long time, our country grew and grew, became the richest and most prosperous country in the world, because it's citizens had control over their capital. Once "income taxes" came into being, things started going downhill. Politicians started being able to vote themselves raises.

That's not the government our ancestors fought and died for. That's the government that our ancestors fought and died AGAINST.

I had the opportunity to take advantage of this program a few days ago. I refused. I will not be a drain on society. I will not be part of the problem. I'll take care of my own things, my own self, even if it means a little bit of suffering, as if we really suffer today. Stand up, and make people aware of what they are doing when they stand in line to take "free" money from the government. Stand up, and say, "no, I won't have anything to do with that". Be an example. One person is ineffective alone, but if others see the fortitude, and follow example, all of a sudden that one person is one hundred, then one thousand, then one hundred thousand.

Free is never free. Free has to be paid for, somehow, somewhere.

Perhaps the tree of liberty is a bit thirsty.

America is waking up

I saw ,in the Virginia area, a sheet or blanket that someone had fastened to an old, broken down, billboard. It was white or light gray, written on it was the following: "Time to refresh the tree of liberty". It sent chills up and down my spine. For those of you who aren't familiar with the reference, Thomas Jefferson once said "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants". He was speaking of going to war with a tyrannical government, of taking back control of a country from power hungry politicians. Big Government, you ought to watch out, Americans are growing uneasy, and becoming willing to spill your blood.

Indecent (?) Exposure??

I don't remember where, exactly, I was at, but I saw something that floored me. I was driving down the expressway when a car drove past me around 5 mph faster than I was going. When I looked down, I saw a woman that was around 50-70 lbs overweight, wearing jeans and a button up sweater. Nothing wrong with that, right? This woman was pretty well endowed, and had arranged her sweater so that it was tucked under her, um... shelf. She had her love pillows in a black lacy overtheshoulderboulderholder, displayed for the world to see. Don't get me wrong, there are bikinis that show more skin than many bras, but come on. I guess she was proud of what her momma gave her...

I miss home.

That is all for now.

No Consistency

Here I sit, waiting for the wheels to start turning. We've had two loads to take, and didn't leave on either one. Now we've got a third load, which we MIGHT take.
I hate waiting. I hate not knowing what is going to happen from one hour to the next. Sitting is one of the very few things I don't do well. I have a job to do, a goal to reach, in order to get out of this training program, and I want it done. I hope things get better once I get into my own truck. This is friggin ridiculous. I should have been out of this yard three days ago. WTF!!!

Rest in Peace

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
- Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
- Why the early bird gets the worm;
- Life isn't always fair;
- and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).
His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well- intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife, Discretion, by his daughter, Responsibility, and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing

I don't know

Sorry, no title today. I'm not in much of a thinking mood. There are so many things going on out here that my mind is incredibly occupied. This company is really good at keeping people busy, even when they aren't doing anything. It's an amazing feat. I don't much care for that, though. It means I don't have a lot of time to think about things like home, and family, and important stuff like that. Not that I really have a place to call home right now, but you get my point.
There is so much beautiful country out here. I've only seen a little tiny bit of it, and I've only seen it during a short period of one season. I don't think I could ever get tired of the natural scenery. It's changing from day to day, whether it's because I'm driving through somewhere different, or the weather makes the appearance different.
It doesn't matter, though, because there are a lot of things going on at home that I want to be a part of. One person in particular I miss like crazy. I'm sitting here in the rain, two thousand miles away, wishing I could have just one hug from her. It's hard to take. Everything I see, I want her to see too.
My family is in the middle of the yearly get-together in the U.P. right now. I know they are waking up to some nice, crisp, early winter mornings, smelling the campfire and bacon and coffee, talking about everything and nothing, listening to nothing but nature whispering for miles around. I look so forward to that time every year. I don't even care much about the hunting. It's the solitude and companionship that mixes so strangely up there.
I suppose I should probably get to sleep, I'm gonna have to drive at some point tomorrow, and this is not going to make for a very good day. I'll sign off for now. Maybe there will be time again in the near future for more writing.
I like it out here, but I miss home.

For Little Lizzie

I've been asked a few times why I carry. I'm really awful when I'm put on the spot, so I usually say something like "it's legal", or "it's my right". When I open carry, I think I'm going to start saying something along the lines of "to protect my family and myself", or more likely "It's my right, It's legal, and I'm tired of being pushed into the closet by the people who are unnecessarily frightened by guns". It's the truth. Guns are not bad. The vast majority of gun owners are not bad. Most of us do reside in the closet, though, because society has been trained to believe a bunch of lies. I've run across the following story a couple times, and considered posting it. Now I've finally broken down and done it. It's a good read. Enjoy:


“Why do you carry a gun?”

If I had a nickel for every time I've been asked that question, I'd have, uh ... as many guns as his firearm-festooned Editorial Immenseness, Roy-Boy. It's been asked of me by all flavors of folks in all slices of society, with attitudes and expressions ranging from angry-arrogant to curtly-contemptuous, to brainless an' befuddled. My answers to it have sorta formed three phases in my professional gun-carrying life. During that first and longest phase, I answered all of 'em sincerely and articulately, often following up with stacks of historic and legal documents. After many years, I concluded only a semi-significant sliver of people even heard what I was sayin'. The rest had already made up their muddled minds.

Finally, I just got sick of it, and moved on to Phase 2. If those asking seemed to have teensy open spaces in their minds, I gave 'em S & A: "Sincere & Articulate." The more harshly-bleating sheep, however, often got exchanges like this:

"So," queried Snidely Snotworth III, lookin' down his unbusted but needed-bustin' nose, "Why do you think you have to carry a gun?"

"Well," bellowed the Brutish Neanderthal (that would be me): "Because you're not QUALIFIED to carry one. You haven't got the skills, the judgment, the sense of responsibility, or the courage for it."

This answer often popped out after I'd just returned from some Heart-Of-Darkness where every living soul knew that the difference between slaves and free people is having the means and determination to defend their lives, property and liberties. That meant having guns and guts and God-given rights. Most of those people would quite literally die fighting for the freedoms so many Americans casually give away, and proudly bear social responsibilities those sheeple * won't even recognize.

* Sheeple: Sheep-like people, many of whom deny the existence of wolves, and vote to pull the teeth of the sheepdogs who protect the flock.

The Voices

Then I matriculated to Phase 3, where I started having some fun with the Snidely Snotworth types. When they asked the Big Question, I'd go all hunchy-shouldered an' secretive, then lean in close and mutter, "Because of the voices, ya know?" "The VOICES?" sniveled the Snidelies, suddenly scaredy-cattish. "Oh, yeah, the voices ... They told me to be, you know, prepared for when the killer clowns come ... " I'd furtively goggle around. "The voices say the killer clowns are comin' ... They're cannibals, some of 'em, and ..."

About that time the Snidelies would be skitterin' away like mice on polished marble.

Yeah, I know, the "killer clowns" answer might not have been "helpful," but it did just as much good as giving S&A answers to the sheeple, and it was a lot more fun for me. I know you already know why we carry these cannons. But sometimes, just sometimes, we all need a little reminder. That includes me, and I've got one to share with you. One that got me where I live.

The Connor Clan has been nomadic, and we've lived in a number of places. In one of 'em, we shared a side yard and friendship with a young woman we'll call Miss Maine, and her knee-high daughter, Little Lizzie. Miss Maine quickly bonded with the Memsaab Helena. Clearly, Helena's Amazon-warrior spirit and skill with arms impressed Miss Maine mightily, and much of their time and talk revolved around that fierce self-confidence--and guns.

As for Little Lizzie, the munchkin almost duct-taped herself to the Mem's leg. She followed Helena everywhere, but always, always, kept glancing back to check on her momma, as though she were the worried parent.

There was something guarded, something hurt and defensive about both of them, and that fearfulness extended to me for a while. They got over it, thank God. Then I sorta became a moving bunker for 'em, representing cover and protection. Finally, we learned the story.

Miss Maine had been attacked--brutally and viciously. You don't wanta know the details. As with so many such crimes, it wasn't really about sex. It was about hate and domination, cowardice and cruelty. And an even younger Little Lizzie had witnessed it. I like to think the Memsaab and I helped them to recover emotionally.

Then one day Lizzie came and snuggled into my shadow, visibly disturbed. That morning her kindergarten had put on "Frighten The Munchkins Day." Some schools do a pretty good job of alerting children to predators--don't go with strangers and that kinda thing--but others do more harm than good. All they do is terrify the tots and give 'em no operating options. Lizzie already had twin tears glistening, ready to fall when she grabbed a tiny fistful of my trouser-leg and asked, "Connor-Sir, will you a'ways be here? Wouldja be here ... When the bad mens come?"

My knees cracked on the sidewalk as she slammed into my shoulder, shaking with sobs as the hot tears came, splashing my neck and searing into my soul. "'Cause I'm a-scared!" she choked, and clutched me tighter. Oh, GOD/Who would not--who could not--fight without fear, suffer without sense of sacrifice, and kill or die deliberately, using the most effective means available--to protect life, liberty and a Little Lizzie? For God's sake, who?

Those who would not are no better than the predators.

Maybe in Phase 4, when somebody pops The Big Question I'll just smile and say, "For life, liberty and Little Lizzie." You guys can fill in the details.


John Connors
Gun Crank Diaries
American Handgunner
August 2005
http://www.americanhandgunner.com/CGC705.html

DAMMIT!!!

I just realized that when I was broken into a couple weeks ago, they got some frickin jewelery! God, I wish I had been home!! ASSHOLES!!!!

Abbathee..abbathee..abbathee..uh, that's all folks!

Pissed off, hurt, angry, emotional, spiteful, unstable... generally unhappy. This just effin' sucks.

I don't know

It hasn't been perfect, but I thought we had it good. As time passed, and more promises were made and broken, I felt more and more hurt. I don't imagine she felt much different. I think, though, that it did much more damage than I wanted to believe. I told her today that I don't trust her. I know that she doesn't trust me either. I don't know what happened to make it that way, but I have an idea. I'm afraid it's over. I hope I'm wrong.

Global Warming

Did the title grab your attention? Well, get comfy, and open your mind, because there is more inside than just that.

Global warming is not just some made-up phenomena by the liberal leftists to scare the crap out of the general public. It is a documented fact. In the last twenty years or so the average global temperature has risen 1 degree, give or take a fraction. Now you're thinking, big fat deal, right? The difference between our current average global temperature and that of a minor ice age is a matter of 5 or 6 degrees. That's a difference of 15-20 %. Not such a small number all of a sudden. The controversy over the whole thing is whether or not it's a natural cycle of the earth. Earth has gone through many,many cycles of warmth and cold. Scientists know this through their studies of the ice cores they remove from the poles, among other things. They are not right 100% of the time, but they are right far more often than not. It is their job to understand the workings of the earth. Many factors play into how they arrive at the conclusions they have. Different gaseous concentrations in the atmosphere are present due to fluctuations in temperature, and the effect it has on plants and animals.

For most of history, earth has gone through her cycles without major deviations in influence from its life forms. For the most part, nature is very good at keeping an efficient balance. Overpopulation is dealt with through different levels and types of disease, starvation, and predation. In the recent history of earth, and this includes a very large number of years in relation to human history, there have been huge changes in habitation. The human brain has thrown a major monkey wrench into the cogs of nature. We have a unique combination of the ability for efficient communication, the capacity for abstract thought and problem solving, and the body parts to put it all to use. We have figured out how to get around nature's tools for population control. We can fix or circumvent most mental and physical diseases through scientific research and the use of synthetic substances, we farm to provide food for our growing population, and predation against the human race is nearly non-existent due to our ability to use defensive tools, and our habit of living in communities. This has resulted in a population explosion.

Let's zoom in closer to modern day. Are you of the camp that believes our presence here has no effect on our atmosphere? I challenge you to go into the woods, sit in a tent in 30 degree weather with a candle and a thermometer. Light the candle, watch the thermometer. An average candle will yield around 50 BTU's per hour. You'll be surprised at how much the temperature rises. The average furnace puts out around 90,000 BTU's. How's that for a little perspective? It doesn't take much. Now let's consider a few things. Some of this has been addressed, some possibly not. There are a lot of things you do throughout your day that creates heat. Some of the obvious things are: cooking, heating your house, and taking a shower (water heater). The heat from these activities has to dissipate somewhere. You know where? It goes into the air, or atmosphere, if you like that better.

The human body puts out between 250 and 650 BTU's per hour, depending on the level of activity. When you start your car in the morning, it dissipates heat generated through friction, and the burning of fuel. Your television dissipates heat by turning electricity into usable signals, as does your car stereo. Lights generate heat. The friction of the tires on the pavement generate heat in the tire and the pavement, all of which dissipates into the air. Everything you own was probably manufactured in some way, and in the manufacturing process, created heat, which had to dissipate into the atmosphere. Every single match struck, every lighter clicked, every cup of coffee brewed, has an effect on the temperature of the air around you. When I go to the range, and shoot off 200 rounds or so, every single time I pull the trigger, I cause a small explosion. Some of the heat from that explosion is absorbed by the gun, some is absorbed by the bullet, and much of it dissipates into the air fairly quickly. The gun also generates heat through friction. All of this has to "cool down" eventually. Have you ever picked up freshly fired brass? It's HOT! Think of all your family gatherings around the holidays, and how the room seems to warm so quickly when it's full of people. 20 people generating an average of 450 BTU's per hour each equals 9000 BTU's. I have a heater that puts out exactly that number, and heats a 20 by 20 cabin in November to a comfortable temperature, with no other help necessary. Carbon footprint?? Hmph! Try personal heat signature!

Get the point yet? Let's move on to point number two.

In the last few months, I've heard and read many things concerning water shortages all over our country. Our nation's water content has been higher in recent history (read several hundred years) than in almost all known history before. We traveled to this land mass, and began to slowly move westward and populate it, taking advantage of a seemingly endless supply of water. Now, in the last 20 or so years, water levels throughout our country, most notably in the dry southwest, have been decreasing steadily. If the trend continues, population centers are going to have to change. People will have to start moving closer to water sources, or spend huge amounts of money to figure out how to bring water in to places never before considered necessary to do so.

Are we on the downswing of an exceptionally wet cycle, or do we have something to do with it? Consider that a human being is approximately 60% water. The average human ties up around 13.5-15 gallons of water, just by being alive. Forget consumption for now. Just in living and breathing, the average human hauls around an astonishing amount of water. Our population is around 300 million, and growing. That works out to be 4.5 BILLION gallons of water, eating, sleeping, driving, and banking. Didn't know water could do that? Now you know. You, your family, and all of your friends are containers of water, just trying to get through your daily lives. While you are alive, you are hoarding that water, and it doesn't get returned to the earth until you pass on. Gives new meaning to the phrase "kick the bucket", doesn't it? Now consider, when a person is buried in a sealed casket, where does that water go? I was made aware, today, of the new practice of sealing a sealed casket in concrete. Now that water is REALLY trapped. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by sealing all that precious water away? I've always been one to want a natural burial of some sort, because my body is made up of water and nutrients that need to be returned to nature, in order to sustain the cycles. Lately, I've found that my desire for this has increased exponentially. Cremation may even be acceptable, as far as the water goes, because it would simply evaporate.

In earth's recent history, human population has increased in a frightening manner. The larger the population, the greater the burden on nature, and the more impact there is on the earth, and everything on it. I firmly believe that at the moment it became necessary to farm crops and animals to sustain human life, we were already overpopulated. At that point, we circumvented at least one of nature's most efficient tools at population control, and ecological balance. To think that our presence on this planet has no impact on our environment is not just ignorant, it's ludicrous, even bordering on stupid. Everything you use has to come from somewhere, and everything you do has consequences on something.

The Boy Who Cried Wolf

An Aesop Fable

A shepherd boy was in charge of tending a flock of sheep. Every morning he took the sheep to a meadow near his village. Every evening he brought the sheep back home. All day long he watched the sheep to make sure they were not harmed or didn’t wander off and get lost. One day the shepherd boy began to complain. “I am bored,” he said. “There is nothing to do but watch these silly sheep eat grass. Nothing different ever happens.” As he watched the sheep munching on the tall green grass, he had an idea. What fun it would be to fool the villagers. He would pretend that a wolf was attacking the flock of sheep. “Wolf! Wolf!” he shouted. The villagers came running with pitchforks and clubs to drive off the wolf. When they arrived there was no wolf. There was just the naughty shepherd boy laughing his head off. Again and again, the shepherd boy called wolf. Again and again the villagers came. Each time there was no wolf. At last, one day, a hungry wolf crept up on the flock. When the shepherd boy saw the wolf, he began to shout, “Wolf! Wolf!” He shouted and shouted, but no one came. The villagers thought the boy was up to his old tricks, so they ignored his calls. The wolf killed sheep after sheep before the boy finally drove it away. The shepherd boy finally learned that no one believes a liar even when he is telling the truth.

An Effective Fix

'Nuff said.

WAKE UP! PAY ATTENTION!

I'm getting absolutely fed up with the Federal Government. Congress is supposed to be limited to a certain number of jobs. These were listed at the time of the founding of our country. Go look them up. You'll find the listing in Article I, Section 8 of our great Constitution. I've even provided a link for you to the right.
You will not find anything in there about handing out money to private companies. Nope. Nothing about Health care. Nothing about social handouts. Our government has a specific list of tasks that, if stuck to, would render it much more efficient. I heard something on the radio a few days ago about a bill in congress designed to discourage and prevent voyeurism and illegal child and other pornography.
This bill states that cellular phone manufacturers would be required to make all camera phones make some sort of noise when taking a picture, whether the sound is disabled or not. The intent is to make the person taking a picture noticed. My phone already does this. I can't turn the damn noise off. I don't take "naughty" pictures, but I can't stand that noise just the same. I'm a fairly low profile kind of person, and would prefer to stay that way. Consequently, I don't use my phone camera much.
I do use my digital camera, it doesn't make a noise, and is barely larger than my phone. Therein lies one major fault of this bill. Another is that a determined person could defeat the noise one way or another anyway. How about tape over the speaker? How loud does the requirement say the noise has to be?
Every time I am near a place populated with children, most everyone has to practically yell in order to be heard. Fat lot of good a little clicky noise would do then. It is a ridiculous bill, and should not be in congress in the first place. Leave those things to the states, as our Constitution says to do. Social programs, as well.
Some people are legitimately receiving welfare, but far too many are just soaking up free money. How about an experiment? Close the Federal social programs down, and pass the responsibility to the states. See how many pick them up. Not all will. Those that do, will have an influx of people who want to take advantage of other peoples' money, then those who are making the money will move away. The economy may not collapse in that state, but it will recede. Bet on it. It wouldn't be long before those governmental social programs would be out the window. Ultimately, those programs would end up as charities, pandering for donations.
Likewise with these ridiculous proposals like this camera phone bill. Toss it out there for a few states to try out. See how many really think it's worth a darn. Then watch the crime rates in those states. My bet is that it would do little, if anything, to lower crime rates. The criminals will simply adapt. We are humans, and we are good at that.
Gun control laws are the same way. Leave my guns alone. If a man enters my home with intentions of using deadly force, or decides after he enters that he wants to use deadly force, against me or anyone in my home, my only options are to use deadly force, or die. Maybe watch family members or friends die. Government is trying to legislate away my right to defend myself and my family. If I do not have the option of using a gun against a gun or knife wielding intruder, and I perish as a result, my blood and that of my family is on the hands of the bastards who took away my right to life, and the defense thereof. Give me a law that says no one may own a gun, and show me a criminal who will abide by that. I will abide by it, and maybe suffer death or injury as a result.
As far as these monetary handouts, I've already blogged on that. I stand by my opinion. Let the companies who refuse to adapt suffer their fates. We will emerge stronger for it.
In Calhoun County, Michigan, a small item was placed on the agenda with a motion to pass. It had to do with support of a new "assault weapons" ban. Apparently, many phone calls were made concerning this item, and it was removed from the agenda before the meeting. Media even announced that it had been removed. Even so, nearly 300 people showed up to voice their opinion on the item. To put it shortly, the people were pi$$ed. I am proud of those people. Watch your local area gov't. You never know what might be getting shoved through.
Government has gotten way too big. They have their hands and fingers in our pockets, and in all kinds of things that they do not want to let go of. We have let this happen, through our complacency. We, the people, have become lazy, and take for granted that someone else will fight our fight. Guess what. That attitude is going to cost us, it already costs us. Start attending local government meetings. Watch meeting minutes online, watch agendas in your county or township. Show up when something you don't like pops up, or show up to show your support when something you do like pops up. YOU are in charge. NOT the elected officials, NOT the law enforcement, NOT the government. They are PUBLIC SERVANTS. THE GOVERNMENT IS SUPPOSED TO BE YOU.

Million Gun Owner March

The Million Gun Owner March (read and get involved) This is a January 4, 2009 News Release

Michigan Takes Lead in Organizing National Gun Rights Rally


The Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (http://www.mcrgo.org), the largest state-based firearms advocacy group in America, is laying the groundwork for a national rally in Washington D.C. next spring. The Million Gun Owner March will demonstrate broad national support for the recognition--and preservation--of the Second Amendment.

"In the wake of last spring's D.C. vs. Heller U.S. Supreme Court decision which protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for private use and the renewed importance placed on the issue of gun rights across the country, the time is ideal for this historic gathering of gun owners at our national and state capitols," stated State Senator Alan Cropsey (R-DeWitt), a member of the MCRGO Board of Directors.

"Our lawmakers need to understand that America's gun owners come from all races, genders, political viewpoints and economic backgrounds," added Chuck Perricone, MCRGO's Executive Director.

The Million Gun Owner March is the brainchild of Michigan based author and Second Amendment advocate, Skip Coryell (http://www.whitefeatherpress.com). Mr. Coryell recognized the need to speak up after receiving an e-mail from a distraught woman in Belgium who related the story of a knife attack at a daycare facility in that country following a draconian gun ban that left staff helpless. Many gun owners have expressed fears in recent months that legislation to restrict access to firearms for personal defense may soon be introduced in Congress and state legislatures.

"This is the beginning of a period of historic change in our nation's history and it is no time for the timid. This is a time for brave men and women to stand up and be counted. We want our children to inherit the same freedom our forefathers know. Freedom has to be protected or it will fail. We are at a crossroads. The time to act is now," explained Mr. Coryell.

Rock-n-roll legend and Second Amendment activist Ted Nugent reinforced MCRGO's efforts by adding his enthusiastic support for the march: "A Million Gun Owner March on Washington DC in the Spring of 2010 is indeed building much steam across the hinterland. All pro-Second amendment groups must be on board and perfectly coordinated. I would be proud to rally, promote, lead and speak to whatever degree the people so honor me with."

MCRGO is building partnerships with a variety of organizations around the country to plan the Million Gun Owner March in Washington for the spring of 2010. The day long rally will occur simultaneously with events at state capitols all over the United States and in many local communities. People interested in receiving more information about the event and volunteering to be a local organizer can register at http://www.milliongunownermarch.com beginning Friday, February 6, 2009. Questions regarding the event can be directed to Skip Coryell at skip@milliongunownermarch.com .

"Michigan is enthusiastic about taking the lead role in organizing this march," said State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-West Branch), the First Vice Chair of MCRGO. "We have already seen an outpouring of community interest and support for this effort from churches to union halls in every corner of our state. I encourage Michigan gun owners to help make history by offering their help for the Million Gun Owner March."

Get some Backbone

Prime Minister John Howard , Australia:
Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.
Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques.
Quote: 'IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians'.
'This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom'. 'We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!'
'Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture.'
'We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.'
'This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,
'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'.'
'If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.'

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.


No, the PM did not really say these things. Well, sorta. I really like the premise, though. I don't feel like going through and changing what needs to be changed, so I'm going to include a couple links for you to see for yourself. It's not necessary, because the meaning of the article is what counts. For those of you who are fact snobs, look here, and here.

Crappy day

Yesterday was a pain in my ass. First thing I did was forget completely about an appointment to go measure a job. I was supposed to be in Metamora at 9:00 am. I received a phone call at 9:34 while I was watching the weather channel and eating my bacon, eggs, and grits. "Hello, this is ***** **********". My response was "Oh, crap". I hurried up to finish breakfast, showered, and ran out the door. I bs'd with the homeowner for quite a while, trying to figure out what was best for him, then split. I hit the road around 12:30. I was supposed to go to Saginaw for another 12:00 MOC meeting with Steve. He was conveniently unavailable again. Same as last time. I had a little time now to get some laundry done, something I needed to do anyway. I went to meet Tiffany for lunch, then went home. I realized that I needed to rotate my tires before getting all cleaned up for the Daddy/Daughter dance later. I had just enough time. I rolled the car in the garage, and began to loosen lugnuts all the way around. The ones on the left front tire were on so tight that the breaker bar beat the hell out of my hands with the vibration, but they all came loose. The ones on the right front were just as tight, except one. THAT one was so tight, it would NOT come loose. I pulled so friggin hard on the breaker bar the the tire actually spun on the concrete, then the #*&%$*# chrome casing on the lugnut broke loose. That left me with a lugnut that has no proper sized socket. I fought and fought with that bastard, but it would not come loose. I finally had to give up, retighten the other lugnuts, and go get ready. By this time, I was going to be late. I went in and cleaned up, dressed up, and ran out the door in time to pick up my daughter ten minutes behind schedule. We went to the dance, had a good time, then went out for dinner afterward. I dropper her off at around 8:00, then called Tiffany. That's a whole other story, though. I never did get laundry done. At least I have a picture of me and Savanna at the dance...

Tired

After the last few long days of work, getting home late, and not sleeping, I'm worn out. It's 7:30, and I'm going to go crawl in. I was supposed to go to Midland today for an MOC dinner, but I came home after work, and passed out. I woke up about 15-20 minutes before I was supposed to show up. Dinner meeting is 80-90 minutes away. Oops. I guess I needed the sleep. Oh well... off I go for now.

Oh joy

Well, today was a laugh a minute. I woke up early for work, made my eggs and grits with bacon, brewed my coffee, and sat down to watch the weather, and wait for the phone call with directions to the job. My phone call came, and I was informed that the job got bumped a day. Matt called yesterday asking me a plumbing question. I explained to him over the phone how to fix it. He said he'd call someone, and have it done. He called back, and said it was going to cost a mint. I told him I'd try to help him after work today. Well now I have the whole day to go to Wixom to take care of his plumbing. I made a post on my favorite website, got showered and dressed, and headed down the road with a Fein tool, work light, and torpedo in the car. When I arrived, he showed me his plumbing. One of the 1/2" water lines had broken pretty badly under the end of his trailer. I guessed we would need about 6 feet of line, two couplings, and some glue to fix it. I told him we were going to get about 12-15 feet of line, 1/2 dozen or so straight couplings, 1/2 dozen or so tees, and 1/2 dozen or so elbows. I've been there with plumbing. We went to the Mobile home depot to get the supplies, where a salesman tried to talk Matt into buying several very expensive couplings, and some expensive line. In addition, he would have to get insulation to replace what was saturated and ruined, plus some plastic to provide the air and vapor barrier. They did not have the fittings I wanted, or the line, or the insulation. They did have the plastic, and some skirting. I said we had to go. From there, we drove to Home Depot, and located everything on the list. The bill came to around 80 bucks. The plumber Matt called quoted him that much per hour. We went back to the trailer, where I set the torpedo up to blow into the crawl space, and I fixed the broken line. After letting it sit for a bit, Matt went in and turned the main valve on so I could check for leaks. As soon as he did, I got a facefull of water from another broken pipe just outside my field of vision while I was watching the repair I had just made. I yelled at him to turn the water back off. He did, and I proceeded to cut the old line out, and replace it with new. Once that was done, Matt turned on the water, and I found another split pipe. This time I ended up replacing a tee, and several feet of pipe, but I used the last of the straight fittings. Once again, he turned the water on,and once again, I found another split. We left for Home Depot for more straight fittings. We returned, I fixed that one, Matt opened the valve, but this time it looked promising. After a few seconds of nothing, I watched water start to spray out of a split in a different line. This one was only 3/4 of an inch long, and I could see no other leaks. I cut out the offending line, and another tee, replaced it with new stuff, and tested the pipe again. This time, there was nothing. Finally, after about 6 hours, all the broken pipes were replaced, and we could begin the messy task of replacing soaking wet, urine scented fiberglass insulation. I cut most of it out to access the plumbing, so the task was fairly easy at this point. Once all the bad pink stuff was out, I started taping together the existing plastic, and replacing insulation one batt at a time. "Sew" up a couple feet of plastic with duct tape, and replace one batt, sew up a couple more feet, and install another batt, etc, etc. I used most of a 77 square foot package of fiberglass batting. After the final piece was in, Matt and I both began to install the new plastic sheeting to keep wind from blowing through the slit in the old plastic. To do this, we had to crawl through puddles, soaking wet fiberglass insulation, and what must be the worlds largest kitty litter box. By the time I crawled out from under that trailer, I was soaked to the skin in water that smelled like cat urine, I had dirt in my hood that smelled like crap, my face and eyes and lungs were so full of fiberglass that I could have sanded a table top with my cheeks, and I had been sucking kerosene fumes from my heater for around 8 or 9 hours. Matt was no better. I packed up my stuff, and hit the road. I wanted a shower. Matt had to wait for his water heater to heat up before he could shower. He shut it down to avoid burning out heating elements when his plumbing broke yesterday. I probably made the hour drive home and got a shower before he did. Now my eyelids are creeping southward, and my eyes are scratchy, from exhaustion as well as fiberglass.
Until next time...

Plow

I can't just leave this one... It's short, so I have time. I worked a really long day yesterday (a Sunday). I pulled into my driveway around 7:30. I opened the gate to my backyard and drove far enough off the driveway to be able to clear it. I no sooner got out of the car when I heard a voice say "excuse me, sir?". I turned to see a black man, 30-35, 5'9", 160 lbs, holding a shovel. I just looked at him. He asked "can I shovel your driveway for a few dollars?". At least, I think thats what he said. He was very difficult to understand. I told him I was getting ready to plow it. He said "plowit?". I said "yeah, plow it". He just looked at me. I said "plow??". He said " I don't know what that is". I was floored. I told him I was going to use my tractor to clear my driveway. He proceed to insist that he do it. We went back and forth for probably 90 seconds or so. I told him no numerous times, and that I didn't have any cash. I finally had to show him my empty wallet before he would leave.

Who the hell doesn't know what a plow is?

Overdue

Too much stuff going on lately to have time to post anything here. Hopefully I'll have some time to catch up this weekend. I have a page full of notes on things I want to write about, so Sunday should be a busy time for blogger! For now, I'm waiting on Steve to show up so I can go get the parts to finish up my Jeep. I blew out a wheel cylinder on the way to work this morning. The last 4 miles were nerve-wracking. No brakes. Then, after work, I had to drive about 8 miles to a party store to get a bottle of brake fluid. Before I left the job, I adjusted the emergency brake, and used a pair of vise grips to close off the brake hose leading to the rear brakes. Once I filled the reservoir, I had brakes enough to get me home. What a ride...

Von Maur shooting

This story is over a year old, but I just stumbled across it. It is a fascinating viewpoint from a person directly involved. I copied and pasted from the original blog, here.


Firsthand account of the Von Maur shooting


The Shack has the privilege of being able to talk with one of the witnesses from the third floor of the Von Maur store at Westroads Mall in Omaha.

On the condition of anonymity, he has agreed to tell his account of what happened. He will only be identified by the moniker NW.

I was given the first draft of this account Thursday morning, 12/6/07. The only changes that have been made were mostly grammatical and organizational. NW's account has not changed. He has opted to leave any inaccuracies (such as the gun identification) as it was originally written in order to properly show how the mind works in this condition.
I have agreed to post his story account as is, with only minor edits for spelling and grammar. The bulk of this was written about 14 hours after the event occurred. There is an update at the end.
His story presents an interesting issue for CCW holders in such a situation: Shoot or no shoot. Hide or flee. Help or don’t help.
Please look at the post after this account as I have put up a practice drill (The Von Maur Drill) that is designed based on this man’s scenario.
With that, I now turn the blog over to NW.

The shooting
I took a later lunch that day because I had a noon phone meeting with a company out of New York, apparently we’re not on the same lunch schedule. I also planned to take a one-hour lunch that day, instead of a 30-minute lunch, so I could go to Van Maur and pick up some gifts for my wife. We were both there on the evening of Dec 03 with my 1-year-old daughter, and my wife tried on some coats and showed me some bath robes she liked, so I knew exactly what I was going for that day. I asked a co-worker (named K for this story) for directions to Van Maur from my place of business. as she knew a faster route that would get me there quicker. I left work around 1:15 to 1:20 and arrived at the front doors of Van Maur at 1:35 (shooting -7), I remember specifically looking at my watch as walked in. I came in the south entrance to Van Maur, right by the elevators. I proceeded to 2nd floor using the escalator around 1:36 (shooting -6 minutes). I soon picked up a coat that my wife liked. I spent a couple minutes there because I was still not completely sure about picking the white coat or black coat. I checked my watch and realized time was running out, so I picked the white one. This was about 1:39 (shooting -3). Then I again took the escalator to the third floor.I went over to the bath robes near the bra section, which is by customer service. I was standing close to the north wall, by the east corner. I walked around the robes a bit to see if there were any last minute changes about what I wanted to get, then I proceeded to the rack of robes that my wife had expressed interest in. At this point I don't have a time line, but the events unfolded follows:
I heard gunshots, about 8. I knew exactly what they were, but my brain didn't want me to believe it. I looked towards the escalators because it sounded like they came from there. I could not place the direction the shots came from because I was surrounded by 4 walls and standing nearly in a corner. I stood there for maybe 8 seconds (time enough to change a magazine), then I heard several more shots. Somehow, then I focused in on the shooter. He was towards the south wall, in the east corner, maybe 30 degrees to my left. He was about 30 yards away. He was shooting towards the west and I had a nice side view of him.

He was wearing what looked like a solid green sleeveless vest, and was shooting a semi-automatic rifle. I could see sleeves of a shirt that did not match the vest. The vest did not look military or camouflage, but to me looked green. To me, at the time, I thought the rifle might be an AR15. One thing I noticed, it appeared that the empty shells were ejecting out of the left side of the gun instead of the right, which doesn't make sense and could of been an illusion. All I could see were mostly the black parts of the gun. The stock of the gun was the black frame style, instead of a wood stock. The shooter had brown or black hair, and I remember it being cut quite Short, but not buzzed. He had the gun up to his cheek and was shooting in rapid succession doing quick maneuvers with the gun. At first, It went through my mind that this guy was some sort of military and this was a terrorist attack. I could see the shells ejecting from the gun. The way he was walking and shooting, calmly, no yelling, made me think that there was more than one shooter and they were performing a "clean sweep". He was aiming down the barrel of the gun, and shooting rapidly. At this point, I stared for nearly 5 seconds, until I turned and ducked down and started running. I want to make note of this point in time, as I will come back to it. I was running towards the north wall and somehow making my way farther towards the east wall at the same time, putting myself in the corner even more. There were maybe five people who started walking fast looking in the direction of the shooter. I am not sure if they could see him or just heard the commotion. When they saw that I was running like heck, others started running, too. People were running into the dressing rooms. I got near the door and decided that is not where I wanted to be. I ran west a few yards uncertain of what to do or where to go. I was trapped. But then I focused in on an emergency exit and ran out of it. The alarm sounded. It was loud, but I think it was only an alarm attached to the door, not sure if it set the whole store alarms off, but they were loud shreiking alarms, not continuous, but a pulse type alarm. I ended up in some gray hallway with a set of stairs and very little room to move side to side. I ran down one set of stairs to 2nd floor. There was a door there and I almost went through it. But I heard more gunshots that sounded like they were on the other side of the door. I believe I turned and I jumped over the stair railing to the next landing, skipping the stairs completely. I do not remember the impact, and I do not remember if I jumped down a whole floor, or ran down the first half of the stairs and jumped down the rest. I am not certain of this point due to the fear I felt at this point after hearing more gunshots I thought was on 2nd floor, confirming in my mind there were multiple shooters. I ran down a small hallway and found a door to the outside, but it would not open. It was a double door with a push bar. At this point, I had to make a decision. Do I wait here or get out? I didn’t know what or who was on the other side of the door, and but I decided to go for it because I was trapped at the end of a hallway with no where to go. I pushed the door hard and it still would not give, so I kicked the push bar and the door flung open. I was now outside, on Van Maur’s loading dock on the east side, I looked to my right and there was a long trash can close to the wall. I jumped over a rail, off the dock between the garbage can and the wall. I ran along this until I came to the end of both the garbage can and wall. I then realized that I was still carrying the coat I was going to by my wife. For some reason, I decided to drop it, and probably ruined it. Then I ran out into the parking lot, which is between the mall and the parking garage. I didn’t know what to do next. I tried to call 911 on my phone with no luck. I yelled to some guy to call 911. Then I asked him if he had a gun I could use. I was freaking out, and in reality probably would not have gone back in. However, I was worried about someone picking off people in the lot, or coming out charging with guns firing. I had no idea how many shooters were in there. I borrowed a lady’s cell phone, and she was worried I was going to run off with it. But 911 was busy, so I knew people were probably called. It took FOREVER for the cops to get there, I estimated the time as10 minutes but the news says 6. During this time I did not know what to do. I almost just went for my car and left, but I realized that couldn’t be right. It was like someone pulled a fire alarm at the store, so I thought about just leaving and let everyone else figure it out. I decided that was the wrong thing to do.. I walked around to the north side and saw all the cops loading up. I yelled to them, “I saw what is going on. The guy has an M-16 type gun. If you need information, I can give it or else I am outta here.” A police lieutenant pulled me aside and I ended up in a cop car. Minutes later another witness joined me. She said she was right beside me on the 3rd floor before the shooting. We were both very shaken up. My lungs were burning because I nearly did a full sprint down 3 floors. The cold air hit my lungs hard. I was later taken to J.C. Penney and interviewed. At first, the interviewer was taking notes, but when he realized how involved I was I had start over, this time with a tape recorder running. I was then escorted to my car and I stopped back by work. I arrived at work around 4pm, which means my interview ended around 3:30 – 3:45.


My feelings

When I heard the first round of gunshots, I knew what they were but didn’t want to believe it. I tried to think that they were balloons or fireworks. However, I definitely took a defensive stance ready to run. When I saw the shooter, I stood there for nearly 5 seconds just watching. Why? First, he was firing 90 degrees away from me. The thing is, this image was nothing new to me. I see people shooting all the time at the range, on TV, in video games. But what my brain was having a hard time processing was that was Van Maur. Now back to the point I referenced earlier. Honestly, and as God as my witness, when I saw him shooting and as watched for a few seconds trying to figure out what he was going to do and what I should do, the thought that when through my mind was, “If I had a gun, I have a perfect shot.” Yes, a perfect shot. I had a full side profile, I was close, and no one was visible behind him execept a wall. I had a clear shot during the second round of fire. I told this to every cop I came in contact with. The interviewer agreed. When I realized that I had no gun, fear instantly struck me, along with anger, and severe panic. I ran hard. I did not think to try to help people, I just got out. While I was running, I kept hearing shots. In my mind, I could see myself getting shot in the back, bullets ripping through me and blood spraying in front of me. Interestingly, I was still able to make decisions. I knew the dressing room was a bad place. When I realized I was trapped in a corner, more fear set in and I almost went for the dressing room, but then I saw the emergency exit. I instantly started second-guessing that decision as well. For all I knew, there were more shooters waiting for people to try to escape. But realizing that I was wide open to attack, I ran out the emergency door. As I ran down the stairs, all kinds of thoughts started occurring. What if a shooter was coming up the stairs? What if one followed me down? Every decision I made was second-guessed, should I just stop or keep going? I kept going, and due to luck, I was fine. There was only one shooter, and he did not set any boobytraps.

Luck.

God.

Luck.

That’s all. My decisions were fairly limited and all I could do is go where the doors and hallways took me. After my interview, as I was being escorted by the cops to my car, I saw the nice, white coat still there by the garbage can. I pointed it out to my interviewer who was escorting me, hoping maybe he’d let me go pick it up to possibly save it. But, it was a lost cause. I would have gone back later and paid for it. This part of the story may be removed later, but I will have it here for now. I do not have a Concealed Handgun Permit. I have completed the training class, but I keep putting off applying for the permit because I think it is useless. In the places I would need a gun most, I am not allowed to have it. I will not be a person living in fear and not go to Van Maur because they don’t allow guns. My point that Open Carry needs to be easier in Omaha, and places like Westroads need to take down their “no guns” signs. If I had my gun deeply concealed, I wouldn’t have been able to draw it very fast. However, If I had open carried, I could of drawn instantly. Either way though, I could have drawn and taken a clean shot. However, in both cases, regardless of the laws, I am not allowed to carry a gun at all in Westroads Mall. If the laws did not oppress my rights, I would carry a gun most places (except work). I would certainly have had it in the mall as mall shootings have been on my mind since the incident at a mall involving a shotgun back in February. My wife is somewhat cautious about guns as is my sister-in-law. After this event, both are now pro-guns. In addition, I will never again be caught without a gun. I later learned from the news that people were shot at customer service (to my right) and the children’s section (in front of me, off to the left). This means it was only luck this guy did not target me, as I was closer to him than some of the people he shot. I have a second chance at life. What really irks my gut is that I was just there at Van Maur on Monday night with my wife and daughter. What if they were with me this time? Escape like I did would not of been possible. I am very angry at the city of Omaha and the mall for their stupid laws that nearly cost me my life. The laws protected no one, and in my opinion, caused people to die. Will I go to the media? Maybe. I can’t make a decision now because I am still shaken up. I got very little sleep last night. I need to let my head clear. Nothing I do right now is going to change the outcome and near brush with death. Right now I have been practicing with my .40 S&W Beretta, replaying the situation in my mind. I could have done it, no problem, no hesitation, no regrets. This was a test of my soul, and the results are in and I know them for certain. I am going to go buy some “gear,” then go to the shooting range for some target practice. My knnee hurts and my legs and lungs still burn. I cannot recall how high of jump I took, but I am going back to Van Maur to find out.

UPDATE 12/6/07 - I went to a local shooting range and purchased several silhouette targets. I then put the targets down range, to the approximate place I think the shooter would have been. It seems it may be between 40 and 50 meters based on my memory. I used my Beretta 90-Two (.40 S&W) and shot each target several times with 6 round magazines. I mostly aimed for the head because that is probably what I would have done in the mall, as I didn't know if he was wearing a vest or not. My accuracy to the head was about 4 out of 6, depending on how fast I fired. For the shots I missed the head, they still hit the neck or the chest. A few test cases, I missed the head by an inch. I would of been shooting up at a slight angle so the missed shots would of went higher than most people stand. I then took body shots and my accuracy was near 100% on the target, though not necessarily in the kill zone. I conclude I could have taken the shots with decent accuracy and been effective. I cannot predict the outcome, except that I would of rather been shooting at the killer, instead of crossing my fingers, turning my back, and running away. Even if I only wounded him, I could of run in closer for more accuracy. Call me crazy, it may be true, but running away like I did was more crazy and more risky with my life. I just got lucky. I do want to say that when I talk about that I could of stopped the killer, I am not trying to make a political statement. I am simply saying if I were allowed to carry a gun, I would have and I would have used it. That is a hard fact. I am not trying to be a hero and say that I would have tried to save lives. I am saying that I was trying to save my life, and if my family was there, their lives as well. There is nothing "hero" about what I am saying, it's about survival. I feel that I am alive today because of luck. I chose to run, but it was not a choice. I was forced to run. Many will say that is the right choice. I say it is the choice that requires luck. ALOT of luck with the position I was in. Use of deadly force at times may also require luck. But, it also depends upon skill, awareness, and practice. These are things I can control, and these are things I trust far more than luck

The statements I am making today are my own, and represent my personal views and my views alone. It may or may not be the views of my family, friends, employer, other professional affiliates, or anyone or thing affiliated with me in any way of form other than myself.


Thanks, NW.