Because they might hurt a criminal with it

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Phil Kadath

Kevin Kelly’s StreetUseBlog posts about the UK’s “National Knife Amnesty” program where the home office called for it’s citizenry to turn in their hand-held edged weaponry.

Almost 1500 items have been turned in, and StreetUse has pics of some very nasty looking homemade items that Britons were using to protect their homes.

The key word in that sentence was “were”. They are now in the hands of the constabulary and the Britons are even further disarmed.

That noise you hear is the criminal element in Britain laughing their asses off. Their prey has declawed themselves. Again.

Found at Uncle’s place.

Posted in The Left is Never Right | Leave a comment

Oh, that liberal media!

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Phil Kadath

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer comes out as pro-racism in the Editorial Board’s column on the case currently in front of the SCOTUS that questions the Seattle School District’s use of race as a mitigating factor in school choice decisions.

We hope the justices uphold an appeals court decision allowing schools to use race as a small factor to break some ties in the school assignment plan. U.S. children of all backgrounds benefit from learning, playing and relating to one another in classrooms that are as similar as possible to the communities in which they live.

First of all, it wasn’t a “small factor” it was the last factor. If a caucasian child and a hispanic child were up for the last spot at a given school, it was not given to the caucasian child. Simple as that, which is why it is in front of the SCOTUS.

The life lesson that the PI’s editors seem to have missed is that two wrongs do not make a right.

In a perfect world, we’d agree with ignoring race. Unfortunately, the country has a long history of conscious, legal discrimination once justified by the pseudoscience of racial classification. The hateful, comprehensive U.S. apartheid system continues to affect how communities are organized, where families live and what schools children attend. Some Americans think that, because most apartheid laws were gone by 1970, the issue is closed.

And in 99% of the country, it is.

There is no reason to bring partial or reverse-apartheid laws onto the books to “make-up” for mistakes of the past. Someone still suffers under these decisions. But because the ones who are benefiting were the previous sufferes and the tables are turned, the PI is OK with that.

Oh, that liberal media!

Posted in Academia and Other Nonsense | 3 Comments

Imperialism in Action

Posted on December 5, 2006 by Phil Kadath

While the left cries about American Imperialism and mocks our efforts to hand democracy off to nations that have never seen it, their model of diplomacy, Fwance, is killing people with aircraft delivered munitions in central Africa.

French fighter jets bombed a rebel-held town in Central African Republic on Thursday, and rebels pulled troops out of another town after fighting with government forces, a rebel official said.

(snip)

Central African Republic, a poor country of 3.6 million people in the heart of Africa, has been ravaged by coups and army mutinies since independence from France in 1960. Unrest in Sudan’s Darfur, which neighbors the country, has added to instability in both the Central African Republic and Chad.

Numerous other right-wing blogs have noted that no one is holding their breath in waiting for world-wide outrage at France extending it’s foreign policy in a far away continent. Which is good, because we’d only end up with a lot of people in the hospital from attempted self-induced asphyxiation.

But the world is only silent because, of course (and thankfully), France is not America.

While this story is really nothing to laugh at, I did actually laugh when I read what I could only guess was the punchline:

Yao said rebel forces pulled out of Ouadda fearing a French onslaught.

Who ever guessed that they’d ever see those last two words in that particular order?

Posted in Order of the imperial upraised middle finger. | Leave a comment

A-AAR

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Phil Kadath

The After-After Action Report.

Once again guys, thanks for stopping by over the weekend and I’m glad that you enjoyed yesterday’s AAR. I’ve gotten the rifle cleaned up and scoped for your enjoyment.

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Now for what I’ve decded to do to fix the problem I had on Friday: This scope that currently sits on the rifle is temprorary. I bought long time ago off a guy at the range when he couldn’t get it to sight in for $20. My guess as to his problem was that he refused to notice that the dials were marked backwards, and I was right. Once over that little hurdle, it worked perfectly and I’ve installed it temporarily on just about every scoped rifle I own until they get their permenant optics.

Jimro mentioned the IOR-Valdada 6x Super M2 scope and I must admit that I have had my eyes on that one since I started thinking about picking up an HK clone. I’ve decided that I will be getting one with the built-in .308 Bullet Drop Compensator package sometime after the first of the year. ACOGs are just too damn expensive at $950 – $1300 and their .308 options are limited to say the least (they prefer .223 rifles).

I am also going shopping for some new Iron. Sights, that is. Both Trijicon and XS Systems manufacture aftermarket nuke sights for the G3 clones. They range from $50 (for front post only Trijicons) to $120 (front post and rear ghost rings from XS). Worth checking out.

The reason for this decision is that now that I look at it more closely I can swear I can see the front post leaning a bit to the left. I’d show you a picture of it, but I’m not a good enough of a photog to get a shot you can see. We’ll replace the front first and see what that does. Afterwards, we’ll try the rears. And actually, the XS folks say that their rear sights are both finger adjustable for windage and elevation, so maybe we’ll skip waiting if I decided to go with their set-up.

For those who don’t know, while the CETME has an adjustable front post, the HK has not. It is pinned into the hoop and while the outline is as sharp as a knife edge, it doesn’t move. It’s stamped steel so I wouldn’t be surprised by it being off-center. The rears are non-clicking finger adjustable for windage, and a tool is needed for elevation. Total pain in the ass and if I can dump it without spending $400 on the HK 4thGen 1200 yard sights I will.

As for cleaning the fluted chamber, that was a cinch (watch this Tom). I connected three pieces of a standard military M1/M14 cleaning rod (the one with the folding T-handle) and screwed the adapter for my shotgun patch-holding bit into it. I wet the chamber down with Hoppes with that set-up, unscrewed the shotgun bit and put one of these onto it. After that, I swabbed it out with one of these.

Abracadabra, ooh-laa-laa shiny. Inserted the cleaning rod guide and went to town on the barrel with Barak’s carbon fiber .30cal rod. Done in six minutes flat. I may be a lazy American, but I am foremost an American. That is why we win.

I went looking on this here interweb for the port buffer, even though my brass wasn’t all that mangled, but I haven’t been able to find any except for one at one of the auction sites. Does anyone else have a clue as to where to find them, or at least how much to bid on the one for auction?

And now down to the important part: The Name. I read through all of the suggestions (thank you everyone) and because of the cleverness of it, liked “Hans” as submitted by DFWMTX (you should have your psuedo-prize email in your inbox). However, after talking it over with the voices in my head, I have decided to just call the rifle “The Hun Bastard”. It’s action was designed and patented by a Polish engineer, stolen by Germans, perfected in Spain, then it returned to Germany for upgrades, was licensed throughout the world and this particular rifle was manufactured on Portugese equipment in Connecticut.

I’ll be going to the range again next weekend to zero this scope. More range reports then as well.

I also cleaned the 10/22.

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To answer Steve’s question, I haven’t had the time or $$$ to upgrade his internals. He’s always been sub-minute of rodent with his factory internals, so it just hasn’t been that important. Btw, this will be the fourth optic I’ve had on it. It too has had the 6x that now sits on The Hun Bastard on his scope rail.

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | 2 Comments

Something Disgusting This Way Comes

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Phil Kadath

Joe Huffman points out that the new two-thirds majority Dem Washington Legislature will be re-sending a state-wide semi-auto rifle ban down the pike this upcoming session.

The short version of the legalese below is that nearly all semi-auto firearms are to be banned. If already have such a firearm you can either turn it in, with no compensation, to the police for destruction (once such an evil gun has been in the hands of private ownership it cannot ever again be trusted, even in the hands of the police), register it, or deactivate it. The registration option means you have to not only allow the police to visit your assault weapon storage facility yearly you have to pay them to do that and to do a yearly background check on you. 

While we do have enough “Blue-Dog” Democrats in the Legislature that it will very likely see a quick death (though that hasn’t stopped me from making some calls, as should the rest of you WA residents be doing right now), I am absolutely incensed that it has made it as far as to actually be written up in legalese. See Joe’s place for the complete text, if you can handle your stomach turning at their bigotry.

They not only included semi-automatic rifles, with no exemption for thumbhole stocks as in the national AWB, also included were pump-action firearms and all shotguns of either semi-auto or pump action design. Under this bill, the only long guns that wouldn’t have to be registered would be muzzleloaders, single shots rifles and shotguns, multi-barreled long guns and lever rifles.

This is after the Washington State Supreme Court just got done ruling that the private ownership of firearms is an individual right.

If they don’t feel that they can trust me with my rifles, then I absolutely do not feel that I can trust them.

I Will Never Register My Firearms. I Will Never Surrender My Firearms.

Posted in Evil walks the earth | 10 Comments

A Question of Instruction

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Phil Kadath

Over the weekend I posted about this communications breakdown by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s office. One of the points I made was about teaching children to defend the homestead in the event of trouble while the parents were out.

Our good man Rivrdog made some good points in his comment, but questioned the variables in training a child to pull watch duty. While not attempting to prove RD wrong, below the fold I will relay some anecdotals that solidify my belief that adolescents are fully capable of that job.

Continue reading →

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | Leave a comment

Those Who Do Not Learn From History…

Posted on December 4, 2006 by Alaska

…well, you know:

There is a theory that says that the process of institution building by outsiders will consist in the building of some sort of a structure, its apparent collapse when the foreigners leave, and the emergence of something indigenous out of the ruins and experience.

–Extension in the Andes: An Evaluation of Official U.S. Assistance to Agricultural Extension Services in Central and South America, by E. B. Rice, MIT Press, 1974, ISBN 026218071S, p. 423

I found this interesting study while delving further into the garage this weekend. (I can see the floor again!) It covers US activity from 1942 – 1967, and the conclusion, no matter how hard the author tries to skate around it, is that the entire program failed miserably — a rather stunning indictment considering the length of time covered! Why did it fail? Category Error:

The US … model that American technicians attempted to transplant … perhaps could have succeeded under conditions similar to those obtaining in the US in the 1940s and 1950s. The land grant structure was firmly rooted in the US by then, there was a backlog of new technology to disseminate, the systems of rural credit and farm supplies had extended to all counties, most farm families had one literate member, and extension agents could count on a wide radio audience. [By contrast, the agents should have] worried less about methods and more about improvising production programs for farmers who had no credit, no markets, no neighborhood fertilizer dealers, and who were visited rarely if at all by professional agricultural people other than the agent himself. (p. 425.)

Gee, can anyone think of a current situation in which we might similarly be focusing our efforts incorrectly due to category error?

Oh, BTW, in cleaning the garage I’m being ruthless about tossing books I’m not likely to read again before I die. This is one of them. Anybody wants it, shoot me an email before Friday and it’s yours.

Posted in Academia and Other Nonsense | 3 Comments

Live to Ride for Toys

Posted on December 3, 2006 by Phil Kadath

RNS Special Correspondent The Mom attended the South Sound Toy Run yesterday.

For those unfamiliar with it, a few thousand folks on their Harleys and Hondas get together and bring toy donations for the United States Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” program which hands out toys to children who aren’t getting much at Christmas year. I don’t know for sure just how many years they’ve been putting this on, but I can remember at least six of them.

This year was at least as large as those of the past, if not larger.

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This may be the only time of year and the only event where Goldwings and Choppers can be seen side by side, with the chaps and bandana crowd not even audibly poking fun at the in their puffy touring suits. And any event that can help that happen has got to be a good thing.

Btw, if you have $26500 sitting around and have all the guns and ammo you think you’ll need and don’t want to give it to me, this bike was still for sale at the end of the day, as I understand it.

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While I stand firmly behind the belief that mechanical art and red should ever be mixed, that is one absolutely gorgeous motorcycle.

Posted in Heroes, Comrades and Brothers | 5 Comments

I Sight

Posted on December 3, 2006 by Phil Kadath

Range trip concluded. The new PTR 91 functions very well, though I must admit that I am a bit disappointed in the sights. I’m investigating as to what else to do with them, seeing as how the closest I can get to a zero with them is 8MOA high and 8MOA right.

In Boston’s Gun Bible, the author warns that some of the front posts on the CETME guns are 5-6 degrees off center and that he has seen them being anywhere from 12-24 MOA off because of it, but everything here arpears to be in proper order, so I’ll be taking it to the smith to see if he can find something wrong and also getting a scope, probably a 4x Hensoldt, as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I may just use the cheesy B-Square mount that came with the gun (w/lots of Loctite) and put a spare 6x (w/the MP8 Recticle) I have laying about on it and go back to the range next weekend for sighting in duty again.

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I put each of the seven mags through their paces to try and discover any feeding issues that the previous owner had spoken of. Only one had a difficulty, with it attempting to feed the last two round simultaneously. It only happened once and I couldn’t replicate it with any of the other mags, or even with that one a second time. But, it has been quarantined so as to not give any of the other mags any ideas and I’ll continue testing next weekend.

In other gun news, I took the 30mm red dot optic that had come with the PTR 91 off, thinking that putting a red dot on a .308 was like dropping a Geo Metro 3-cyinder engine in a Cadillac. Silly me.

But no matter, I found a very good use for it by sliding it onto my 10-22.

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The dot only goes down to 8MOA in diameter, but at 50yds it is a solid “Minute of Rodent” accurate. Plus I still have room on the scope base to side-mount a small light for after daylight pest control.

All in all, not a bad day at the range.

I had heard from numerous individuals that the G3 was a bit of a meanie when it came to recoil. I did not find this to be the case, with the gun giving the kickback of an average Garand. Nonetheless, I have taken these folks’ advice and have ordered myself a BufferTech recoil buffer this morning and it should be here and installed by next weekend’s range trip.

I also keep reading reviews of some people thiking that G3 is heavy. Those guys need to start working out or something because the rifle handles quite well for me (though I don’t think I’ll be telling them that since their sights work and mine don’t as of yet).

So, did anyone else go shooting this weekend?

Posted in Have Gun, Will Travel | 6 Comments

Steamy

Posted on December 3, 2006 by Professor Booty

After the picture I posted yesterday, I received a couple emails with a very familiar question.

Every time I post up a picture of what I like to call “Snow Booty”, a number of the gentlemen out there write to ask about the best method for warming up after being out in the cold. While I don’t mind, I sure do wonder about the memories of these men.

So let me explain that, while I have my prefered methods, there are a number of them that work well. There is the “Core Method” that warms up the insides with items like soup, and there is the putting on of warm, dry clothes. While eachof these, like I said before, work well, I think that the best method for warming up after an extended time out-of-doors in the snow is a nice hot shower.

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I guess that it does really depend on who you were out in the cold with though, doesn’t it?

Posted in Kewel! | Leave a comment