Powerful Audio: ‘Susan from Glenfield’ on Rush Limbaugh

Rush had a spectacular call today from a lady in California who poured out her heart and soul venting her outrage, pain and frustration on the failure of our government ‘representatives’ to protect our rights and freedoms, and their criminal neglect of the duties of the offices that they hold.

Without interruption, Mr. Limbaugh allows her to articulate what we conservatives feel at our core.   It must be heard to be appreciated.  Thankfully, Rush has posted the audio and written transcript of it to the free section of his website.

Please, go here to listen to it.  The segment is a bit long but the first 7 minutes will make you want to listen to the rest of it.

At the end, Rush comments that all our congressmen and senators should hear Susan’s call and the passion in it.  I agree; she certainly speaks for me.  I was cheering her as I listened.

Must Read: “I Am A Shooter”

I’ve often said that there are many that shoot but very few shooters.  If you are one of the few, you know what that means.

Brigid offers a reverent, articulate and moving piece about what it is to be a true ‘shooter’.   I highly recommend it.

I am a shooter

Edit: Apparently the above link is dead – try this one

Zombies in the Backyard!

Today, I went outside to enjoy my coffee in the brief coolness of the morning and was startled to find a (small) hoard of zombies!

“

Aahh! Zombies! (It's good thing I prepared for this.)

Thankfully I was prepared for just such an emergency.  Quickly shifting my coffee to my off-hand, I drew my pistol as I fell back to my fortified and well stocked bunker where my carbine stood ready to engage the threat from a position of relative safety.

A hapless IDPA target, having lapsed into condition white, was not so fortunate and fell victim to the hungry ghouls.

Zombie Targets about to eat IDPA Brain

The targets of course are from ZombieTargets.net and are available in four designs.  I ordered 3 packs of 10 of my favorite three (Chuck, Steve, and Bob) and was very pleased with quality of product, excellent customer service and the speed in which they were shipped.  They were even packed well: the targets came rolled in a sturdy mailing tube, bound with rubber bands and padded with foam – not a single crease in one of them could be found.  The targets themselves are printed on 60lb paper and measure 23″ x 35″.  Each target has subdued target zones that approximate scoring zones on competition targets.  [Of course, you and I know that only a shot to the brain pan will stop a zombie, anything else just wastes ammo.]  The quality of print is superb, detailing the artwork very well with sharp contrast.  If you look closely, you can see the bite mark on Bob’s arm that damned him to walk the Earth as a member of the undead.

It occurred to me that a side benefit of zombie targets (besides being way cool and fun to shoot) is that they are ‘image’ friendly.  Not that many of us care but…  Let’s suppose that you are standing around with a bunch of friends having a splendid afternoon turning money into noise and to mark the occasion, a buddy snaps a few photos of you on the line.  You take the photo to work and leave it on your desk.  If you had been using ‘other’ printed targets of bad guys in ski masks and such, those photos could later be declared by your hoplophobe co-worker as showing you at (horror!) a militia meeting.  However, with Zombie Targets you simply laugh at the buffoon and say, “Hey, I saw ‘I Am Legend‘. What have you done to prepare for the Zombie Apocalypse?”

.

Be Prepared. (But don't take all of Max Brooks' advice on firearms)

Update: I see that Sharp as a Marble has a piece about shootable zombies in color;   Zombie Nazis even.  So now there is choice for today’s zombie hunter: You can opt for  the 1968 Romero Classic Night of the Living Dead route (no digital colorization for me, thank you very much) or for the more modern interpretations such as Resident Evil, 28 Days Later, or better yet: Shaun of the Dead.

Pub?

Pub.

How to: Home Built Target Stands

I have been looking to build some target stands for a while now.  With the pre-made versions selling for as much as $60, I’d rather fabricate my own and have more money free to buy ammo.   Up until yesterday, I thought that I would use the steel angle iron from an old bed frame for the project. However, that was until I stumbled on the ‘scrap wood’ bargain bin at the local Home Despot.  In a fortunate case of being in the right place at the right time, I happened upon four 2’x4′ sheets of half-inch double-sided paneling for the outrageous price of $0.51 each!  [I think that they normally sell for about $10 each.]

With little more than the paneling, a scrap of 2″x 10″ pine in my garage, a circle saw and a hand full of deck screws I was able to fashion 5 target stands for under $10.00 (most of which was the cost of the screws).

The materials.

Using a speed square, circle saw, and a field expedient work surface, cut the paneling (can substitute plywood) into 9″ x 24″ strips and the pine board into 2 5/8″ blocks.  I sanded all cuts with a ‘sanding sponge’ to make the stands easier on the hands when assembled.

Strips and blocks

Pre-assemble with glue and clamp into a shallow box.  The long slot in the middle should be just under 19″ wide.  Pre-drill holes for screws  (prevents splitting)  at 1″ in and 1″ up from bottom edge and 1″ in and 1 1/2″ from top.  Flip the box and do the same again.  Use 2″ deck screws to secure.

Shallow boxes. Long slot allows for different widths of target.

For the feet of the stand, cut paneling into 7 1/2″ x 24″ planks.  Find the center and mark perpendicular line with speed square.  Mark screw positions at 2.5″, 4.5″ and 6.5″ from bottom edge.  (At this point I chose to cut the upper corners of the feet at 45 degree angles for cosmetics and to save possibly scraped ankles.)  Find centers of small edge of the assembled shallow boxes and mark at same distances.  Pre-drill for screws.  Apply glue and attach feet with deck screws.

Finished Target Stands

How do they work?  Pretty darn good; with a base of 24″ square and made of solid wood they are very stable.  I set up a homemade cardboard target, cut from a furniture box, stapled to 1″x 2″ furring strips.  There was a little play front-to-back due to the depth of the slot (using 2″ thick boards as spacers) .  To solve this I used cutting scraps of paneling as wedges.  Next time I’ll try stapling the target to the 1″ side of the furring strips instead of the 2″ side.

Target Fixed and Ready

Not wanting to wait to get to the range to test the stands I loaded up my Airsoft 1911 (KJ Works GBB-614) and thoroughly enjoyed the fruits of my labor.  Front sight, press, smile, repeat.

Update:  They also stack for storage.

Stackable for storage

Circling the Drain: UK punishes self-defense (again)

Further proving the England earned it’s status as the most violent country in Europe…

John Lott has the story of a man who defended himself and his family from thugs that invaded their home, held them hostage, and threatened to kill them.

For daring to fight back, the man may get life in prison for ‘grievous bodily harm with intent’ while the thug may get 6,000 pounds for ‘criminal injury compensation’.

In England, does water flow uphill in defiance of logic as well?

9/11/01 – 9/11/09

Never Forget

Please keep this a day of Remembrance.  Do not let it turn into another Earth Day.

Yeah, that ought to work…

BHO’s speech last night was insulting, narcissistic, divisive, trite and disingenuous.

Obama simply can’t fathom that we, The People, don’t trust him and aren’t buying his offal.  Obviously, if can’t convince someone of something, making your argument louder (while berating them) is the best way to convince them.

To top it off, he called forth the spectre of “Lyin’ in the Senate” Ted Kennedy (still dead, BTW) with a letter written from beyond the grave as his grand finale to rally the troops in yet another push to cram the largest power grab in history socialized health care down our throats.

Really?  Ted Kennedy is your trump card?!  Yeah, that ought to work…

Yep, BHO’s a grand communicator alright and the unifying power of his demagoguery is certainly on display.  If I wasn’t against it before (and I was against it; a lot!), I’m certainly without-a-doubt, no-holds-barred, unequivocally against it now.  I’m betting that today many more thousands are too.  Let’s see his approval numbers now.

As for Joe Wilson who rightfully called The Anointed One on his ‘misinformation’ (“You Lie!”): Damn it, man! Never apologize for telling the truth!

Remember last week’s outrage, the “I Pledge” video?  All those Hollywood sycophants ‘pledging’ various politically correct actions and allegiances, including “to be a servant to our President” [@ 3:54 if you want to skip to it].

Well, here’s mine:

“I pledge to work tirelessly, devoting all available resources and energy, to ensure that Barack Hussein Obama’s power base is banished in 2010 and to furthermore ensure that he is a one term President.”

Join me.

Update:  Larry Correia (author of Monster Hunter International, to be reviewed here soon) has an AWESOME play-by-play Snarkfest in true MST3K style of the whole speech.

READ IT ALL!

Call to Action: Knife Rights / Pocket Knife Ban – Write Your Reps Now!

I just (9/09/09) received this from Doug Ritter (KnifeRights.org):

URGENT ACTION ALERT – Write House Members Now!

Time for the Final Push to stop Customs Pocket Knife Grab.  We need you to write NOW!  BUT, not all of you…

We have a targeted list of leaders of the House committees that will be involved in the Conference Committee that will decide if Amendment 1447 is included in the final bill. We need you to write ONLY if you are from their state, OR if you travel to their states for work or recreation (hunting, fishing, camping, etc.). In other words, to get their attention, you either need to be a constituent, or someone who supports their constituents with your money spent there. The states are:

California
Illinois
Kentucky
New York
North Carolina
Michigan
Texas
Wisconsin

You’ll find a list of the targeted Congressmen with addresses, fax and web sites, along with links to a Model Letter to use to write the Congressmen and detailed instructions, here:

http://www.kniferights.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=1

or

http://tinyurl.com/ldwyum

Time is of the essence.  You need to write TODAY!

This fight is not yet finished. All our efforts can be undone if Amendment 1447 doesn’t survive Conference Committee, which is not yet assured. Your letters will be critical in garnering the support we need.  Please, do it NOW!

In cooperation with our coalition partners, we have scheduled a day of meetings September 16th on Capitol Hill with the House Conference Committee leadership. Your letters will help set the stage for those meetings.  There is also the chance that this Conference Committee will meet prior to the 16th.  In that case, these letters become even more critical in backing up our ongoing lobbying efforts. Please help us get this job done. Write TODAY!

Although he says to only write if your Rep is on committee – I disagree.  Everyone should write and do it NOW.

Changes to Texas CHL Law – Showing ID to Cops

As of September 1st, 2009 several laws regarding concealed handgun licenses go into effect.  One of these changes eliminates the penalty for failing to show a licensee’s CHL to a police officer when identification is requested.

The Houston Comical has a story about this:

A small change in concealed handgun laws has created safety concerns among Houston police officers who work the streets.

The new law removes the penalty for failing to show a police officer a concealed handgun license (CHL) when stopped by an officer who asks for identification. The law went into effect Sept. 1. Previously, if a person was carrying a hidden weapon and failed to present the CHL, they could lose the license for one year.

Houston police officers suggested that licensed handgun holders continue to show their credentials, even if not required to by the law. It will defuse any potential problems or miscommunications, they said.

In response to the article:

Yes, the penalty is removed but CHL holders still have a legal requirement to show their ‘other’ license if a police officer requests their ID.

I have spoken personally with a Texas Highway Patrol officer regarding this (at night on the side of a road, actually).  He told me that the annotation to your ‘file’ when pulled up on his computer simply places an asterisk next to your name. The asterisk notation is used to indicate that more information on the person exists. Unfortunately, the asterisk is not only used to identify CHL holders, but people with outstanding warrants too.

Somewhat of a conflict, right?  It’s hard to fault an officer for having a gut defensive reaction to seeing that ‘*‘ next to a name.  They do come in contact with the worst of our society very regularly and the cops want to go home safe every night.  How would you react if something flagged the person you are about to have contact with is either one of the safest people in town or one of the most dangerous?

With that in mind, I suggest that when complying with the requirement to inform the officer of your CHL, you include this specific verbiage: “I have a permit.”

Do not say: “I have a gun.”

It’s just good manners.

Obama throws Van Jones under the bus – only 30 more ‘czars’ to go.

Good riddance.

From Fox News (via Drudge):

The resignation of White House green jobs adviser Van Jones could ultimately embolden conservatives who are critical of the Obama administration for its reliance on “czars”

Well let’s hope so.