Friday, September 30, 2011

Hmm...D'you Think If You Shot a Muslim With Jew Ashes...

...he'd end up in Muslim hell?

A pair of Alabama conservation enforcement officers think they've come up with the perfect way for avid hunters to honor their loved ones for eternity.

Officers Thad Holmes and Clem Parnell have launched Holy Smoke LLC, a company that will, for a price, load cremated human ash into shotgun shells, and rifle and pistol cartridges.

It's the perfect life celebration for someone who loves the outdoors or shooting sports, Parnell says.


PSH in 3...2...1...

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish

Looks like we got a big Al Qaeda fish this morning, congratulations to the Obama administration.

Seems like Obama has had better luck killing Al Qaeda guys that Bush did. Bush got the one guy in Iraq, whatzisname, and cleared out Saddam and Sons, but seemed to lose interest after that. Obama, as crappy as he's been on the economy, won't go down as useless as Jimmy Carter because at least Obama hasn't hesitated to kill America's enemies abroad.

update: They took out Samir Khan, too?

HUMPBOT TIME!


Robot libido by sabotage

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Arrival

I Do NOT...Er...Um...He Does NOT!

"How to tell if a politician really tweets."

Oh, that's easy. Just reply to the tweet and make a wild accusation, e.g., Congressman X visits glory holes at Interstate Highway Rest Areas.

Speaking of Object Lessons...

...check this fellow out.

I have no idea if that's a legit video; if it is, the guy needs to spend a few days in church thanking the Deity that he's still alive to review his incredible stupidity.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

This One I'm Conflicted On.

"Milkshake Attack Meets Bullets In Return"

Two teens told Wilmington police that they were shot at after throwing a milkshake at a car while on 17th Street on Tuesday night.

The 16- and 17-year-old boys reported that they were stopped at a traffic light at George Anderson Drive shortly before 10 p.m. when they thought it would be funny to throw a milkshake out their SUV’s window at a car beside them in the turn lane, according to a press release from the Wilmington Police Department.

That vehicle pulled behind their car and shot at them several times before speeding away, the teens reported to police.

Officers found four bullet holes in the SUV’s rear hatch and one in the rear panel.


OK, as a responsible gun owner I know what I'm supposed to say: that minor criminal mischief does not justify using deadly force in return. No one's life is worth the satisfaction of retaliating for someone's act of immaturity.

Still, at the same time, no one was hurt. The teens' vehicle was shot in a way that endangered no one inside, which may have been blind luck, but just as easily could have been intentional, a very pointed object lesson. Maybe the two teenagers involved will think twice before repeating their stupid behavior.

It's not fun to have objects thrown at one's car, especially at speed. I once had an egg hit my windshield while I was driving about 35mph, and until I realized it was an egg splattered on the winshield I thought someone was shooting at me. At a traffic light one evening I had trash thrown into my open window from the car next to mine. And late one night as I drove to work some 20 years ago, something more serious happened:

Work was a dozen miles away, and my route was along what was then a country backroad, unlit by streetlights. I was the only car on the road that night, until a car pulled out directly in front of me from a side road, forcing me to slow down. It was a Camaro, with loud music playing. The Camaro made no attempt to come up to the speed limit, and seemed to be intentionally trying to force my car to drive to a speed dictated by the Camaro. When I could safely pass I began to do so, only to have the Camaro speed up to prevent it. I fell back behind the Camaro again, at which point he began braking and slowing again. I made a second attempt to pass, only to have the process repeated. Stuck again behind a slowing and braking Camaro, I pulled out the Smith & Wesson 640 that I kept in my briefcase, rolled down the driver's side window, transferred the 640 to my left hand, and, aiming the gun at the sky above the Camaro, cranked off a single shot. The driver, no doubt watching in the rear view mirror, saw the flash and heard the gunshot, and stomped on the accelerator, deciding that the game he was playing was not worth getting shot over. He was quickly out of sight ahead of me, and I had no further encounters on my way to work.

So, was I justified in shooting? You tell me. It's possible that the Camaro was simply driven by a stupid teenager, with no malice in his heart other than making me late for work. Maybe his intentions were more serious. We'll never know. I never saw the story mentioned in the newspaper or on TV, so he obviously reported nothing, nor did I.

You have to make the best decision you can, based on the information you have available to you as it occurs. Having a gun along increases the number of options available to you in a crisis situation, but does not make the choice of options any easier on your conscience.

Not Yer Usual Pit Bull Story

In Carnegie, Pennsylvania, a pit bull named "Cobain" ran to get his master, Lassie-style, when he discovered an old woman who had fallen into a ditch.

In journalism you have your dog bites man scenario, which is deemed to not be newsworthy, while the man bites dog story is very newsworthy. In this case you have the dog doesn't bite woman scenario, which wouldn't be newsworthy, either, until you note the breed involved: Pit Bull Doesn't Bite Woman is, in fact, newsworthy.

Headline of the Day

"Man ‘murdered neighbour with a chair leg for making fun of his man-boobs’"

Sorry, no pic of the moobs.

On the bright side, UK gun control worked, since Mr. Brown had to kill his tormentor with a chair leg.

Today's Poll

Which has more teeth, the Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis...or a possum?

Here's Giada:



Here's the possum:



And here's the poll:

Which Has More Teeth, Giada De Laurentiis or a Possum?
Giada De Laurentiis
Possum
  
pollcode.com free polls 



(possum pic found here.)

Well, Dude, Look On the Bright Side...

...at least it was a negligent discharge, not a premature ejaculation.

A man on a first date here in the Queen City had a gun accident in a South Park parking garage.

Yet another one of those magical handguns that goes off by itself. Don'tcha just hate it when they do that?

Snake On Crack

See, I can prove it:



Pretty good size for a Garter Snake.

Ha Ha! Just Joking!

Don't you ignorant wingers know a JOKE when you hear one? Ha ha!

As happens whenever a Democrat is caught red-handed saying something either incredibly stupid or incredibly bigoted, the backpedaling begins as soon as the shit hits the fan:

"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover," Perdue said.

"The one good thing about Raleigh is that for so many years we worked across party lines," she continued. "You want people who don't worry about the next election."


Well, I think we know at least ONE politician who'll have to worry about the next election, since she barely squeaked into office in 2008, and that only because of Barak Obama's coattails. Those coattails don't exist anymore.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hmm. Didn't he Meet Jesus, the Palestinian Carpenter's Son...

...in a famous scene from that movie?

Based on the novel by Lew Wallace, the period drama revolves around Judah Ben-Hur (Heston), a Palestinian nobleman [bold font by Big Hollywood] who is enslaved by the Romans, engages in one of the most thrilling chariot races ever captured on screen, and even encounters Jesus Christ.

Ya think Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas would claim Jesus or Ben-Hur as Palestinians?

Your Musical Interlude

The late Steve Goodman, treating maudlin songs irreverently:

Now That's a Revenue Stream I Can Get Behind...

...so to speak.

ALBANY, Ga. -- Officials in Albany, Ga., say the city's ban on saggy pants has generated nearly $4,000 in fines in less than a year.

City Attorney Nathan Davis says 187 citations have been issued and $3,916 in fines collected since the ordinance went into effect Nov. 23, according to the Albany Herald.

Yet Another White House Gaffe

Well, hell. Anyone could make that mistake. Colorado and Wyoming are both rectangular-shaped western states, and they're neighbors, and...

Here, see for yourself:

No, The OTHER Rectangular One.


I wouldn't point these out, but for the fact that, had it been done by the Bush White House, or one of the Republicans running for President in 2012, the MSM would point to it as proof of...something. Retardation, I suppose. Well, sauce for the goose...


h/t Jammie Wearing Fool

Ouch Headline of the Day

"Father who forced the NHS to give him a sex change by doing it himself with a Stanley knife."

He...um...found a short cut that he took advantage of.

Second Accusation? No Comment.

President Obama was heckled in Los Angeles.

Well, it's not every day the president gets heckled as the Antichrist at his own fundraiser.

That happened last night to President Obama at the House of Blue in West Hollywood, Calif. -- from the front row, no less.

"Christian God is the one and only true living God!" the man shouted at Obama as security moved in. "The creator of Heaven and the Universe!"

As guards dragged the man out -- and the crowd chanted, "four more years! Four more years!" -- the protester yelled out: "Jesus Christ is God, Barrack Obama is the Antichrist!"

You'd Need Batteries By the Case

But tell me you wouldn't buy one of these.

h/t Knuckledraggin' My Life Away.

You Should Call Your Band "The Graverobbers."

You sociopathic bastard, you.

SEPTEMBER 26--A Wisconsin cemetery worker allegedly removed a valuable Fender guitar from the casket of a 67-year-old Army veteran who died last week and had told family members that he wanted to be buried with the instrument, which was his “pride and joy,” according to court records.

Steven Conard, a 39-year-old grounds worker at the Allouez Catholic Cemetery, was arrested Saturday and charged with felony “theft from person or corpse.” Conard, who plays in a band, reportedly confessed to stealing the Fender Telecaster when confronted at his Green Bay home by Brown County Sheriff’s Department deputies.

“This isn’t something I normally do,” Conard said, according to a Circuit Court criminal complaint. “I just have a respect for fine musical instruments.” The cream-colored guitar was recovered from Conard’s living room, where the instrument was on the floor “in plain view.”


Yah. And no respect for the dead.

h/t Drudge.

Bright Orange For the Croc*

Snappy, a captive crocodile in Australia, has turned orange after damaging the water filter to his enclosure.

Pic:



There's also a video at the link.


*extra points for the person identifying the inspiration for the blog post title. Answer in Comments.

Who Joins the Military?

Contrary to what Senator John Kerry or writer Stephen King would have you believe, it's not the dumbest Americans, or the poorest.

In 2008, using data provided by the Defense Department, the Heritage Foundation found that only 11% of enlisted military recruits in 2007 came from the poorest one-fifth, or quintile, of American neighborhoods (as of the 2000 Census), while 25% came from the wealthiest quintile. Heritage reported that "these trends are even more pronounced in the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program, in which 40% of enrollees come from the wealthiest neighborhoods, a number that has increased substantially over the past four years."

Indeed, the Heritage report showed that "low-income families are underrepresented in the military and high-income families are overrepresented. Individuals from the bottom household income quintile make up 20.0 percent of Americans who are age 18-24 years old but only 10.6 percent of the 2006 recruits and 10.7 percent of the 2007 recruits. Individuals in the top two quintiles make up 40.0 percent of the population, but 49.3 percent of the recruits in both years."

What about the charge that our Army is disproportionately black? This too is false, as is clear from data for fiscal 2010 available on the Army's website: Whereas blacks comprise 17% of Americans ages 18-39 with high school degrees, they represent only a slightly larger proportion of enlisted soldiers, at 21%.

Meanwhile, whites were significantly overrepresented among enlisted Army personnel in 2010. While 58% of Americans 18-39 years old are white, 64% of the Army's enlisted men and women are. Whites are underrepresented to a minor degree in only one category, in which blacks are overrepresented: Army officers. While 74% of 25-54 year-olds with bachelor's degrees are white, 72% of Army officers are white. While 8% of 25-54 year-olds with B.A.s are black, 13% of Army officers are.

Is it true that with a shaky economy, blacks have been driven to enlist in the Army in dramatically increased numbers? The 2010 numbers say otherwise. While 60% of 18-24 year-olds with a high school degree are white and 17% are black, 64% of new enlistees are white and 19% are black.

Why do myths persist despite all the evidence? One reason is lack of firsthand exposure to the military: Doing a journalistic embed with American troops or visiting a U.S. military base—or simply having some friends in the military—would disabuse my acquaintances of their beliefs.

This detachment is the result of a withdrawal of our urban elites from military service. And it suits the interests of many members of the urban elite to believe that the military they do not join is composed of poor, uneducated victims of an unfair society.

The hidden assumption in this myth is that an institution that is heavily black is an inferior institution. The myth of the ghetto Army is as nastily racist as it is false.


I really excerpted more than Fair Use dictates, but I think it's important to make that point.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Shipwreck Blog: SS Gairsoppa

A WWII UK cargo ship torpedoed by a German submarine, carrying silver worth £150m.

That silver wouldn't have been worth anything near that much 10 years ago, or even 5 years ago.




I don't know why, but for some strange reason this story makes me think of the fact that Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

You KNOW You're a Loser...

...when Maxine Waters chides you for going "off the teleprompter."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said President Obama got carried away in an address to a Congressional Black Caucus dinner where he said supporters should "stop complaining" and start fighting.

"I think [Obama] got carried away. He got fired up," Waters said Monday in an interview with MSNBC. Obama "got off script and got a little bit beside himself, but I certainly don't believe that he thinks the Congressional Black Caucus is sitting around in house slippers and bed slippers and whatever those things are — I don't own them and I don't understand the image that was described there."

Waters added that Obama just went off his planned remarks in his speech.

"I think he just got a little bit off the teleprompter," Waters said.


He really is the SCOAMF!

h/t Weasel Zippers.




And by the way, I know that Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy without having to read it off of a teleprompter.

Arch West, Inventor of Doritos: R.I.P.

He was 97. His casket will be sprinkled with Doritos.

No, that's not a joke. They're really doing it.

I didn't know that Doritos had been around since 1964, though. I thought a little later than that. As I remember, the initial flavors were plain and Taco. Nacho Cheese came a few years later, and became the big seller, of course.





Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy. As far as I know, he doesn't eat Doritos.

Leave Grandpa's Beer Alone!

When 71-year-old Jack L. Poole's girlfriend, 47-year-old Holly S. Morris, tried to take Jack's beer away, he went and got his gun.

Luckily for Holly, Jack's aim wasn't too good, and he's now locked up in the Dixie County Jail.



I heard a rumor that Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy. Is it true?

Not Yer Usual Hunter

It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out that if you're driving a Cadillac with spinning rims, you're probably not really interested in hunting game.

A man driving a Cadillac with spinning rims caught the attention of other hunters who mostly drove pickups into the Hatchett Creek Wildlife Management area Sunday morning.

What got the attention of a wildlife officer looking for the man’s area hunting permit were the other items the man had with him -- vodka, cocaine, marijuana, a pair of thong panties and some lotion.




Have I mentioned yet today that Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy? Yes, I see that I have. Well, you can't mention it too often, if you ask me.

For All You Firefly Fans...

...this story found at Reason magazine.








Also, I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't mention that Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

Your Chance To Own Rat Island

Peace, Quiet and Solitude for Sale

This week, the Appraisal takes a boat ride to Rat Island, a privately owned patch of vacant land that will be auctioned on Sunday. Granted, it is on the small side (2.5 acres), and it lacks electricity, running water and the usual residential amenities. But it does offer privacy, quiet and marine views from a rocky outcropping near City Island in the Long Island Sound.

And here's a map:


View Larger Map

Could you imagine building your own James Bond Villain fortress out there?



And, speaking of rats, Patrick Leahy is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

He's Got Jews On the Brain

President Obama's latest gaffe:




also: Patrick Leahy Is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

And They're Being Prosecuted For Which?

The ticket fixing, or the racist remarks?


Just a reminder: Patrick Leahy Is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Arrival



I'll be busy reading for the rest of the day. Have fun in my absence.


In other news: Patrick Leahy Is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

The Boy Is Big Enough For a .22, At Least

Lord knows he shouldn't have to face down a mountain lion with only a sheath knife.

BOISE, Idaho A 10-year-old Idaho boy who came face-to-face with a mountain lion in rural Boise County escaped with minor scratches - and concerns that his friends at school wouldn't believe his story, according to state wildlife managers.

The boy came across the mountain lion while searching for a missing hunting dog with his father near their home in a rural subdivision about 15 to 20 miles northeast of Boise. The boy ran from the predator but stumbled and fell. It was then the mountain lion took a swipe, scratching the boy's arm and hand.

The child then yelled to his father and stood up, pulling out a hunting knife, which made the predator back down and gave the dad enough time to fire off several shots from his 9mm handgun to scare the lion away, O'Connell said.


Excuse me, "scare the lion away?" The lion just attacked his son, and he's going to worry about the lion's welfare? *shakes head sadly*

Boy is old enough for a .22, at the very least. Give that boy a Ruger 10/22 and I bet he'd have had him a dead cat in short order, and a rug for his room.


Incidentally: Patrick Leahy Is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy.

NC BBQ Chain Sends BBQ To Texas Gov. Rick Perry

I mentioned here that Texas Gov. Rick Perry, currently running for President, has pissed off NC BBQ fans by describing some NC BBQ he ate (from King's BBQ in Kinston, NC) as "worse than roadkill." Now a NC BBQ chain, Smithfield's Chicken 'N Bar-B-Q, has sent the Governor some of their BBQ to try, presumably he'll have a better opinion of it now that he's running for President and subject to MSM scrutiny of everything he says (unlike, say, Barack Obama when he was running for President).

I have to guess that the Governor is going to be receiving a lot of BBQ from NC restaurants in the near future, as outraged Tarheels try to convert him to the NC BBQ style of chopped (and slawed) pigmeat BBQ with vinegar-based BBQ sauce. Frankly, I prefer Texas-style beef brisket BBQ myself, although NC BBQ is good, too. We'll see how the story shakes out, especially when Perry comes to NC to campaign.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Can We Have A Meme, Please? It's For a Good Cause.

"Patrick Leahy Is Eric Holder's Punkass Flunky Boy."

Copy, paste, and post to your own blog. You owe it to Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry, ICE Agent Jaime Zapata, and over 200 Mexican Nationals, many of them law enforcement.

Today's Earworm...

...is from Ennio Morricone:



(I used it in a blog comment and liked it too much to not post it on my own blog, just because it's such a good earworm. Not all earworms are evil.)

Update: I can whistle the theme on the low octave, but not the high octave. How about the rest of you? Give it a try and let me know how you do.

December 22, 1984

I think that December 22, 1984 is when there came a fundamental change in the psyche of the average American citizen. That was the day in a New York City subway car that Bernhard Hugo Goetz shot four Usual Suspects who were preparing to rob him. The Goetz incident resulted in a couple of things, both of them good: it aroused sympathy for the normal, law-abiding citizen forced to defend himself when the State failed to defend him; and it reminded the State, in this case New York, of any government's primary responsibility: to protect its citizens from both external threats (war) and internal threats (crime).

The armed self-defense right now enjoyed by millions of Americans only came after the Goetz case, with Florida being the first to liberalize carry laws, just 2 years after Goetz. Now, in 2011, Illinois (the state that gave us President Obama) is the last state that refuses the law-abiding the right to go armed legally.

It was also after Goetz that New York City, shocked out of its complacency by the reaction to the case, began to clean itself up and crack down on street crime. Now the subways and Times Square are safe for the law-abiding to go, and the city has experienced a renaissance as people are willing again to live there.

All because a nerdy, nebbishy white guy decided one day in 1984 that he was tired of being a victim and not being in charge of his own destiny.

Nice Shootin' There, Tex

Down in Lancaster County, SC, a Usual Suspect shot himself in the leg during a robbery.

After a detailed investigation it was determined that Darick and Joel McGriff approached the victim on Pleasant Plains Road and went around to the side of the house with him, according to a release from the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office.

Darick McGriff then demanded that the victim give him the property in his pockets. Darick McGriff took a quantity of cash from the victim and demanded additional property.

Darick McGriff then attempted to pull a handgun from his pocket and accidentally shot himself in the leg.

Both the McGriff’s fled the scene. Both have been charged with armed robbery. Darick McGriff was also charged with possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.


If you've seen this video on YouTube, it probably went down very similarly.

Star Trek: The Search For Snoopy

Amateur astronomers, schoolchildren and NASA staff are teaming up to try and locate the Lunar Module known as "Snoopy," which was jettisoned into space during the Apollo 10 lunar mission.

Apollo 10 was a practice run for Apollo 11, which successfully landed on the lunar surface a few months later. Apollo 10 actually deployed its lunar module, which was made up of two parts: the landing section, which was crash-landed onto the lunar surface, and the ascent section, which was jettisoned into space, presumably to assume orbit somewhere within the solar system.

Scooby-Dooby-Do Snoopy, Where Are You?

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Eric Holder: We're Going To Close Gtmo!

Really! We promise! Cross our hearts and hope to die!

Yah, ok.



h/t to Borepatch for this tip on how to shorten a YouTube video. Worked like a charm!

Don't Stop Believin'

Neal Schon of Journey is in love.

Will it last? Well...



Hey, Neal, you're being played like a fish. She's going to leave you, Neal, and you're going to look like a fool. What's that, Neal? I can't hear you:

Wow, Guess They'll Be Looking For a New Manager...

...at this particular Chik-Fil-A:

According to the CMPD police report, thieves were able to take $6,726, an iPad valued at $700 and a 400-pound safe containing $2,200 after breaking in through an unlocked drive-thru window.

In Janet Napolitano's Department of Homeland Security...

..."freedom of information" is an oxymoron.

Chairman Darrell Issa of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said that, talking of the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S botched Operation Fast & Furious.

h/t Sipsey Street Irregulars.

Headline of the Day

"Turban bomber kills ex-Afghan President Rabbani."

Turban bomber. Turban bomber. Where has that come up before?

Oh, yeah:



I guess some Muslims viewed the Westergaard cartoon as an insult, while others viewed it as inspiration.

Nicholas Cage, BLOODSUCKING FIEND FROM HELL!!111!

According to an eBay seller, anyway.

Judge for yourself:



My question is this, of course: if a vampire can't cast a reflection in a mirror or a shadow, how can he be photographed?

Burgermeister Speaks

"Hmm, looks like Wendy's is changing its hamburger."

NEW YORK When Wendy's decided to remake its 42-year-old hamburger, the chain agonized over every detail. A pickle chemist was consulted. Customers were quizzed on their lettuce knowledge. And executives went on a cross-country burger-eating tour.

The result? Dave's Hot 'N Juicy, named after late Wendy's founder Dave Thomas. The burger - with extra cheese, a thicker beef patty, a buttered bun, and hold the mustard, among other changes - will be served in restaurants starting Monday.

"Our food was already good," said Denny Lynch, a Wendy's spokesman. "We wanted it to be better. Isn't that what long-term brands do? They reinvent themselves."


I guess that Burgermeister will have to make a Wendy's run sometime next week.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Whip It Out, the Meme

Og is starting a meme, and since I'm more a knife guy than a gun guy, I can participate in this one:



Seen in this photo are a Spyderco Ambitious, a Wenger Commander SAK, a limited-edition Boy Scout pattern made by Keen Kutter, and a Drover by Blind Horse Knives. I typically carry the Spyderco and the Boy Scout at work, the one clipped to my pocket, the other in a belt pouch. The Wenger SAK goes into a belt pouch that also contains a butane lighter, compass, cell phone, dental floss, chapstick, flashlight, magnifier and some meds. I don't wear the belt pouch while at work, but keep it with my briefcase.

At home I typically wear the Blind Horse Knives Drover, with the Wenger SAK available in the belt pouch if I go out.

The Victory

Gun rights of the Second Amendment, now being published in law textbooks and taught to aspiring lawyers.

h/t Snowflakes In Hell.

Kid Off the Grid

Did he and his father really live in the wild parts of Europe for all these years?

No phone! No lights! No motorcars! Not a single luxury! It's primitive as can be!

There's an upside, though, too: No Tax! No TSA! No Daily Commute to Work!

(Of course, there is also a possibility that the whole story is a hoax.)

Too Black To Be Red

The Cherokees have thrown out the...um...dark red members of the Tribe.

Murder/Suicide With a Happy Ending

Because he left the murder part out, and simply committed suicide.

Of course, he forced his ex-girlfriend to witness his gruesome death, but hey, at least he didn't kill her, right?

Happy ending. Or will she remember that evil act for the rest of her life, seeing it in her mind's eye daily?

Did he, in the end, cause her more misery by allowing her to live rather than kill her?

It's Talk Like Robert Newton Day!

Here's Robert Newton, chewing the scenery in the movie Long John Silver:

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Where the Wild Things Are

In North Carolina, apparently.

A list of places you can see strange and wondeful critters, from Alpacas to Wolf-dogs.

Ha Ha, It Don't Count, I Didn't Say "Robbery"

The Gumby robber says it isn't a robbery if you don't say "robbery."

Sorry, kid, but that's not how the law works.

The Fundamental Problem With the UK...

...is that the police can't figure out who is the victim and who is the criminal.

I though that this wasn't supposed to happen with a Tory Coalition Government?

Otero County, New Mexico Vs. Smokey the Bear

Via Sipsey Street Irregulars comes this tale of a county taking on the federal government over a decision to cut trees in a National Forest over the Forest Service's objections.

Just heard by phone from Bob Wright on the Otero County Chainsaw Rebellion today. About 300 folks showed up to defy the Feds and the Feds blinked. Congressman Pearce cut down the first tree and then it was cut into 2" slabs and handed out to members of the crowd as souvenirs by the Otero County Sheriff Benny House.

The Feds came into town a couple days ago and threatened to arrest anybody who tried to cut down a tree. The Sheriff is reported to have said, "You do that and I'LL arrest YOU for kidnapping." The Feds made themselves scarce today, Bob reports.


POSSE COMITATUS!

And, presented with what was basically a fait accompli, the federal government, in this case represented by Smokey the Bear, blinked:

Otero County Commissioners and U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce will be allowed to legally conduct their emergency tree cutting ceremony Saturday in the Lincoln National Forest.

It puts to rest any fears that commissioners or Pearce may be arrested for illegal logging on federal lands.

Commissioners have been negotiating with federal attorneys in Albuquerque about cutting down trees on the Lincoln National Forest since Monday morning.

Commissioners and the U.S. Forest Service, through the U.S. Attorney's office, have signed an agreement that allows logging on one parcel of land in the forest.

The agreement also allows the tree cutting to be done on a parcel of land in Sleepy Grass, located within the forest, at noon Saturday. The event will begin at Zenith Park in Cloudcroft. Commissioners are working on making arrangements for participants and observers to travel by bus to Sleepy Grass for the ceremonial tree cutting because of safety conditions.

County Commission chairman Ronnie Rardin said he is pleased that commissioners and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albuquerque reached an agreement.


Ok, Sheriff, Put the Gun Away, I'll Let YOU Fight The Fire.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

If You're Suddenly Allergic To Meat...

...it's possibly the fault of a tick bite.

Could you imagine the possibilities for skullduggery if P.E.T.A., for example, decided to start a breeding program for these ticks and spread them throughout the population as a way to force people to stop eating meat? Because remember, their name stands for the ethical treatment of animals, and the organization doesn't include humans in that equation.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Treasure Blog: WWII P.O.W. Art

Shows prisoners of war of the Japanese, the drawings made by one of the prisoners.

Example:



Shown on the UK version of Antiques Roadshow.

I'd Guess That They Were Arguing...

...over who'd inherit the truck.

Laurens County deputies say a man has been charged with murder after an autopsy determined his sister died last month from injuries she suffered when he stabbed her about two weeks earlier during an argument as they planned their father's funeral.

Investigators upgraded the charge against Bobby Avery on Thursday.

Authorities say Avery cut his sister's throat and slashed her face as they argued on Aug. 9, a day after their father died from cancer. Another family member shot Avery in the chest, but he has recovered.


Yep, South Carolina. Why do you ask?

No Altar Boys Were Molested During the Production of This Bible

I just thought I'd mention that up front, since it was produced by the Catholic Church.

The Saint John's Bible: the first handwritten and hand-illuminated Bible produced in the last 500 years. Supposedly.

Here's a video. It's a beautiful thing:

Bottle Message: Kagoshima, Japan - Kauai, Hawaii

Thrown into the sea by a Japanese schoolgirl in March of 2006, it traveled over 3000 miles before being found by a sailor doing beach cleanup.

One of Them Rhetorical Questions

The question being, "If you're a contemporary Hollywood director filming a remake of Sam Peckinpah's movie Straw Dogs, (in which a yuppie couple leave big city violence for a quiet rural existence, which is interrupted by violent locals), where do you decide to locate your film?"

Why, Mississippi, of course.

Update: Boston Globe review here. According to the reviewer, it's nothing more than a blue state-vs-red state war; tellingly, it's set in Blackwater, Mississippi. Lame.

Medals For Some, Not For Others

Sergeant Dakota Meyer, USMC, was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama today.

But why is US Army Captain William Swenson, who Meyer credited with saving his life in that battle at Ganjgal, not receiving any recognition in his own right?

Did the Army deny Swenson a medal because he blasted rear-area personnel who refused to provide artillery and air support in the battle?

Click the link to read the article and decide for yourself.

Update: More here. (Capt. Swenson sounds a lot like John Ringo's Bandit Six in this article.)

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Treasure Blog: Mussolini's Bugout Bag

Up in Webster, NY:

History has paid scant attention to the personal effects Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and Claretta Petacci may have been carrying when they were captured by partisans while trying to escape to Switzerland amid a convoy of retreating German troops in April 1945.

The answer may have been stowed away in a bedroom closet in the home of a doctor here for the better part of 65 years, enjoying a much more dignified fate than that of its previous owners.

It was there that Paul Moriconi kept a brown leather suitcase containing a gray gabardine military tunic and matching riding pants, a khaki Italian military shirt and a woolen red dress that were claimed to have been a change of clothes in the possession of Mussolini and Petacci when they were captured.

Moriconi, who practiced medicine in Rochester, N.Y., for decades and died last year, acquired the suitcase when he was an Army corporal stationed in Italy in the waning days of World War II.


Click the link to read the rest.

But Hey, At Least It's Free

"Two members of staff at care home sacked after 'locking mentally ill patients in cupboards.'"

Time OUT, loonies!

Behold, I Stand At the Door and Knock...

...if any woman hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to her, and rob her, and beat her with her own cane.

North Carolina police say a 71-year-old woman was robbed and beaten with her own cane after getting a glass of water for a stranger at her door.

The robbery happened after dark on Monday.

The woman told police that a man came to her door and asked for a glass of water. She told him if he would go to the street, she would put some water for him on the front porch.

When she returned to the door, the man rushed from the street, knocked her down, and started beating her with her cane.

The robber stole some money and ran away.


Setting aside the woman's tragic act of charity, she tried to act wisely, by having the criminal back up to the street, but it obviously wasn't far enough.

And, forced to use a cane, it's unlikely that, even if she owned a handgun, she could manipulate cane, water and handgun simultaneously.

And so the world gets a little colder, when a charitable impulse is repaid with violence.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

More Spenser Books...

...even though Robert B. Parker is dead?

Not "lost" manuscripts or unfinished pieces, but the series carried on by another writer.

What do you guys think? Rex Stout, the author of the Nero Wolfe mysteries, was once asked about this practice, and said that he didn't know if it constituted cannibalism or vampirism, but that "they should roll their own." (it should be noted that another author wrote some Nero Wolfe novels later - - of course, they weren't as good as Stout.)

I myself think that, as much as I'd like another Travis McGee novel to read, or the undelivered sequels to Louis L'Amour's The Walking Drum, that the author's works should be left alone, especially if the author's family/heirs aren't consulted or compensated. I don't think this includes fanfic, which is usually done gratis.

What about pastiche after the author's work is no longer protected by copyright? I've read a lot of such work, especially of Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. I think that by the time that copyrights expire, most series fiction is only of marginal interest to anyone, and thus probably fair game for the pastiche writer. Some characters in fiction have proven immortal, such as Sherlock Holmes; I think that lesser creations such as Travis McGee or even Spenser will eventually be forgotten. Every generation creates the characters that reflect its place and time.

Monday, September 12, 2011

For Some Unexplained Reason...

...I woke up an hour early, thinking it was time to get ready for work, and didn't realize my mistake until I was already dressed and preparing to walk out the door, and my sister asked, "Going to work early?" and I looked at my watch and just said "Aw, shit."

No Matter the Crime, How Little Or Big...

...CALL THE SWAT TEAM!

Hey, they need the practice.

Your neighbor playing music too loud? CALL THE SWAT TEAM!

Neighbor's kid shatter your window with a baseball? CALL THE SWAT TEAM!

Neighbor's dog chase your cat up a tree? CALL THE SWAT TEAM! (They LOVE killing dogs!)

Did grandpa get out of his cell room in the attic? CALL THE SWAT TEAM!

The Sex Life of a Yellow Vegetable

Hint: rhymes with born ducks.

Yet Another Reason To Go Heeled

Smelly blobs.

Sometimes You Have To Call a Spade a Spade...

...or an Evil Empire, or a Religion of Hate.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

One of the Places On My Bucket List

Crater Lake, Oregon, even though I suffer vertigo.

I fell in love with the place after seeing images of it in a National Geographic magazine from the 1960's.

There are Blogs Out There...

...that will stir your heart today with profound tributes to the events of September 11, 2001.

This isn't one of those blogs.

We have all suffered a bit in the last ten years, but it can't compare to what the people on those airplanes went through, or the people in the Twin Towers, or the people working in the Pentagon that day. Try to remember them as you go about your normal Sunday routine.

Blogging here will resume on Monday.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Irony of the Day

Amy Winehouse died because there were not drugs and alcohol in her system.

It's Not An Instalanche...

...it's an Instamention.

Heh.

When Sarah Palin Does It, Banner Headlines...

...When Barack Obama does it...

Shhh. Don't say anything, maybe the wingers won't notice.

h/t Instapundit.

Orville & Wilbur Wright: Gun Nuts

When they weren't tinkering with airplanes, they were engaging in competitive target practice with .22 rifles.

Maybe the Outer Banks weather turned foul, or the airplane's engine wouldn't start, or learning to fly got too tedious. But whatever the reason, the Wright Brothers liked to relax with a .22-caliber rifle and a hand-drawn target.

The famous pair of Ohio aviators would draw concentric rings on a piece of paper or a chunk of cardboard and prop it up 50 yards away. They fired standing up and initialed each hit with a pencil mark - W for Wilbur, O for Orville.


Here's a photo of one of their targets:

Yet Another Hazard of the NC Wilderness

Asian Needle Ants.

Damn, just the name sends a shiver down the spine, don't it?

The Asian Needle Ant is long, slender and dark brown to black in color and known to sting humans. Because of its unique venom, the sting can be harmful even if a person is not allergic to other types of stings.

So, pretty toxic venom, for an ant.

Wikipedia entry here.

Friday, September 09, 2011

Good Tribute To Christopher Hitchens...

...in The New York Times by Bill Keller.

Just Call Him "IBM."

Why? Because he's big and blue, of course.

Pic:

Trip Down Memory Lane

"Mom Recovers From Copperhead Bite."

This woman was bitten on one of the trails at the Carolina Raptor Center, up the road from Charlotte in Huntersville, NC. It's on the grounds of Latta Plantation Park, a park and nature preserve in the Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation Department.

I used to hike up there and visit the Raptor Center regularly. Because raptors in the outdoor aviaries along the nature trails are fed on a diet of dead rodents, snakes tend to be drawn to the area, since rodents make up a large portion of many snakes' diets.

One of the features at the Raptor Center is a "weathering area" where a number of raptors are displayed for public photography without cages and wire fencing ruining the shot; a waist-high circular fence keeps visitors at a safe distance from the birds. A volunteer is always on duty in the weathering area to give lectures and answer questions.

On one occasion about 20 years ago I was visiting the Raptor Center with my young nephew, and as we approached the weathering area I saw a copperhead on the ground ahead of us, actually entering the weathering area. I called on my nephew to stop, and, raising my voice, notified the volunteer working there about the presence of the snake: she ran off to get help, came back with a garden hoe and another Raptor Center staffer. They didn't seem competent or eager to deal with the snake, so I volunteered my services, asked if they wanted the snake alive or dead, and when they said alive, I proceeded to capture the snake by pinning his head to the ground with the flat surface of the hoe. I carefully picked the snake up by the neck and placed it in a sack that was provided. The snake was taken to the park office and displayed in a terrarium, my nephew and I stopped by on the way home to visit it.

I've seen snakes at the Raptor Center on two other occasions, as well. Once I came across a Southern Hognosed Snake while on the nature trail, and on another occasion one of the volunteers had captured a Black Racer near the weathering area.

Tip: if you have a fear of snakes and don't want them around, it's best not to keep bird feeders on your property. Seeds spilled from the feeder fall to the ground and attract mice and other rodents, and rodents attract snakes.

Not My Definition of an Ally In the War On Drugs

Apparently an FBI mole working undercover in a Mexican drug cartel purchased the weapons found at the murder scene of Border Patrol Officer Brian Terry.

And a cover-up was initiated to protect the FBI agent involved.

Well, ATF director Melson has already been reassigned, how much longer before AG Holder has to resign over this clusterfuck?

Well, He Survived...

...which I guess is the ultimate pass/fail question, but damn, he sure made it hard on himself.

A man who became separated from his friends in dense forest during a squirrel hunting trip in western Tennessee says he ate worms and drank muddy water to survive five days in the wild before he was found.

Bill Lawrence said he gathered rainwater in his hunting vest and tried to stay calm throughout his ordeal. Authorities say they conducted the longest search in decades in the 13,000-acre Meeman Shelby Forest State Park before the man was discovered Sunday.

Mr Lawrence lost sight of his two hunting buddies on August 31 while chasing a squirrel and became alarmed when his shots were the only ones he could hear.

Lawrence, a corrections officer, told The Commercial Appeal he tried in vain to find his friends or their truck, explaining, 'This is when I got turned around,'

At the time he became separated, Mr Lawrence was clad in camouflage pants and jacket, a hat and snake boots.

Meanwhile, Mr Lawrence kept walking, searching for food and water.

'I was drinking muddy water... eating worms. Yeah, I'd seen that on TV. I ate worms.'

Mr Lawrence said he had a shotgun, 15 shells, 2 bottles of water, a flashlight, a can of bug spray, a squirrel call and a can of dipping tobacco. But he did not have a cell phone to summon help.

He shot his gun whenever he thought he heard someone, but his shotgun shells ran out on Saturday.


Ok, his first mistake was to not be prepared for getting lost. No compass or map, and apparently no skill at figuring out directions without them; no skill at hunting apparently, since, armed with a shotgun and 15 shells, he was reduced to eating worms; no firemaking gear that could have drawn the attention of rescuers or cooked game; no Space Blanket to provide warmth and protection from insects.

Give him credit for using his jacket to catch rainwater. Have to fault him for panicking when he realized he was lost to begin with; when you realize you're lost, you're best off sitting down and working things out, letting the panic subside so you can make rational decisions.

Not even a savvy hunter, since he was hunting squirrels with a shotgun. If you're hunting squirrels for food, you use a .22, so as to minimize meat damage and to minimize noise in the woods that frightens other squirrels.

Have to give this guy a C in survivial techniques; he was reasonably prepared, and showed some ingenuity in acquiring water and food, but damn, it was messy.

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Hey, Look, a Way To Save Federal $$$

Either stop making these dollar coins, or stop making dollar bills. It's insanity and fiscally irresponsible to make both.

Logically the coins should be in cash drawers, and dollar bills withdrawn from circulation, because the coins are durable and last for years, even decades, while the bills quickly wear out and must be replaced.

There, that wasn't so hard now, was it?

Just Call Him Maxwell Dumb

A Denver, NC, man has been arrested for peeping up women's skirts with what he apparently thought was an ingenious shoe-mounted camera.

Would you believe he's worried that a meteorite will fall on his head and he wants proof of it for the insurance company?

Would you believe he photographs clouds for the National Weather Service?

Would you believe he's definitively trying to prove what's under a Scotsman's kilt?

Would you believe he's a Tick Inspector for the Gaston County Animal Shelter?

No? Oh, well, they didn't tend to believe Maxwell Smart, either:

I'd Like One Called "Kill All Hippies"

I mean, if we're going to produce first-person-shooter video games based on ideological wish fullfillment fantasies, fair is only fair, right?

"Rules of Engagement" *SPIT*

USMC Corporal Dakota Meyer of Greensburg, KY, will be receiving the Medal of Honor from President Obama at the White House.

Had it not been for the Rules of Engagement in place in Afghanistan that are intended to minimize civilian casualties in that savage place, the actions that Corporal Meyer took that earned him the Medal of Honor would not have been necessary.

The team was pinned down, and the only way out was to pound the militant positions with airstrikes or artillery.

Meyer's team and others in the valley called for airstrikes. The requests were denied by staff officers in a command center who were concerned about civilian casualties and were unclear how fearsome the ambush was, according to a military investigation.

From the valley it appeared as if the entire village had joined the fight. Women were running between positions, resupplying the insurgents with ammunition. Some of the shooters were children.

Coalition command policy was to use airstrikes sparingly to avoid harming civilians, but troops in trouble were supposed to get the firepower they needed to protect themselves.

"If (you) don't give me this air support, we are going to die out here," Johnson yelled over the radio, according to the Marine Corps account of the battle.


Click to read the whole thing, and to see video. The officers in the command center were later censured for failing to support Meyer and his team.

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

First You Inflate It...

...then you fornicate it.

Then the police haul your perverted ass off to the pokey.

Mass Shooting In Nevada

Looks like a fellow with a semiauto rifle shot at least eight people in a Reno, Nevada strip mall, most of the shootings happening in an IHOP.

Look for gun control supporters to start dancing in the blood of the victims in 3..2..1..

Boy, if the gun turned out to be an ATF Gunwalker gun that would shut them up quick, wouldn't it?

Was It THAT Obvious?

SC Senator Jim DeMint comments on President Obama's request to address a joint session of Congress.

“He believes people are stupid, or at least not smart enough to catch onto him,” DeMint says, shaking his head, days before the president unveils his jobs plan. “In some ways, to position himself as a leader, he calls us all in like children in the Congress, coming over to announce his jobs program. At least the implications, the subtleties there, suggest he’s leading us. That’s what he’s trying to do. But from a businessman’s perspective, it’s really intolerable.”

Obamandias, King of Kings.

Now He'll Never Downgrade To a Bicycle

Here in Charlotte, a man was killed while DUI on his liquorcycle (moped).

Man definitely had a problem with the demon rum.

Monday, September 05, 2011

Sunday, September 04, 2011

The Whores Wouldn't Refund His Money...

...so he called the police.

Who arrested him.

Maybe he should have complained to the Better Business Bureau, instead?

Can We Keep Him Locked Up This Time?

Dumbass Usual Suspect®, out on bail for an armed robbery charge and required to wear an electronic monitoring device, decides to commit armed robbery again.

Since two of his victims noticed the monitoring device and advised police of same, the police were able to track him via the cuff and arrest him.

Ok, he's proved he can't be trusted not to commit crimes while out on bail, can we keep him locked up for our own safety this time?

Friday, September 02, 2011

Meanwhile, In Bronson, Florida...

...a woman used a small-caliber pistol to win an argument with her sister, but found out from the Levy County Sheriff's Office that handguns are not to be used to score debating points.

She's in the jailhouse now.

Food Panties!

Apparently they're running so low on food in Florida that the poor are eating panties:



I guess they have to go to gas station men's rooms to get them, or order them from Adam & Eve, mebbe.

Update: McClatchy changed the headline to More Florida Poor Going To Food Banks.

Nostalgia - - Will Rogers

My paternal grandparents were fans of humorist Will Rogers. Among their belongings was the biography of Rogers by Donald Day, marked with a postcard from the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, which they had apparently visited in their retirement. I read the book and enjoyed it immensely, and cried like a little baby at the end of it when Rogers died in a tragic Alaska plane crash.

Wikipedia will tell you all about him, but I thought I'd link a couple of his old film clips. The first is from a silent movie that he financed himself, called The Roping Fool, showing some of his skill with a cowboy's lariat, which is how he first became famous. The roping led him into Wild West shows and later to Vaudeville, and finally to Broadway, where he was one of the stars of the Ziegfeld Follies.



During his Vaudeville time he began telling humorous stories between rope tricks, and, lacking material, began commenting on stories that he read in the newspaper. Later the commentaries overshadowed the roping, and he became a newspaper columnist, radio star, and movie star; at the time of his death he was the most famous and popular actor in Hollywood, with only Shirley Temple able to match his star power. If you can imagine Johnny Carson and Bob Hope rolled into one you can begin to understand his fame and the American people's love for him.

Here's a radio address he gave during the early part of the Great Depression, when Herbert Hoover was still President. Rogers was a liberal Democrat, but had good relations with all the men who were President during those years, with the exception of Warren G. Harding, who didn't appreciate his humor. He sounds like a hayseed here, but the US was a rural country back then, and the common people adored him as one of their own. The gum-chewing was one of his trademarks. His commentary reads better than it sounds here, because he had time to reflect when writing for the newspapers.



A truly remarkable man.

You Keep On Using That Word.

I do not think it means what you think it means.

Employment in the U.S. unexpectedly stagnated in August and the jobless rate held at 9.1 percent as American employers became less confident in the strength of the recovery.

Many bloggers and pundits on the Right have pointed out how often economic bad news is described as "unexpectedly" so since Barack Obama became President. Glenn Reynolds even collected dozens of examples, if memory serves. Must be nice having 90% of the media in your corner.



h/t Jammie Wearing Fool.

More Crumb Ponderings

Robert Crumb gives his personal impressions of various people, mostly cartoonists, artists, and musicians, with a few politicians and Bettie Page thrown in for good measure.

I blogged on Crumb's impressions once already, you can click the link and read those, also.

Thursday, September 01, 2011

NY Times: Yer a Bunch of Juju-Bead Shakers

All because you don't believe in your pragmatic, scientific, data-based betters.

The divide between the empiricists and the believers is also the fault line between the highly educated, technologically adept super-elite and the squeezed and scared middle class. But those hoi polloi voters, who, in 2012, as they were in 2008, seem to be drawn to politicians with big ideas and strong beliefs, may also be responding to something even bigger than this cognitive divide.

Same old elitist crap.

If You Don't Have Faith, You Can At Least Have Hope

In our downturned economy and with religious faith disappearing across the US, people turn to the lottery.

I play the lottery, I don't apologize for it, and I don't give a shit if you call me gullible or an ignoramus for doing so. I made stupid decisions in my life that have left me living from paycheck to paycheck at 50 years old, and the lottery gives me hope on four out of the seven days in a week. That's all I have instead of religious faith. It'll have to suffice. I consider the lottery a voluntary share-the-wealth tax that allows a few of us to climb out of the poverty shithole, and funds schools in the bargain. Unlike illegal numbers games of pre-lottery times, at least I have a reasonable certainty that the lottery isn't rigged or otherwise tampered with.

For All You Larry Correia Fans...

...Larry has announced lots of new merchandise at his Cafe Press store, including Monster Control Bureau gear (yer Agent Franks one-stop shop!), new MHI stuff, Bubba Shackleford stuff, Enchanted Forest stuff, etc. Still no MHI Zippo lighter, though. Damnit.

Yet Another Reason To Carry a Knife

When your foot becomes trapped under your travel trailer, you might have to cut your toes off to escape.

Sort of on the same principle of the animal caught in a leg-hold trap that gnaws its own limb off to escape.

Pic:



That pocket knife pattern, ironically enough, is called a Trapper.

How many of you, my readers, carry a knife daily/regularly?