First We Won Our Gun Freedoms...

...now let's win our knife freedoms.

A fairly even-handed discussion of knife ownership/carry laws by The New York Times. They interview D'Alton Holder, past president of the Knifemaker's Guild, and even feature a photo of that gentleman:



He's been making knives for a long time now, and his "My Knife" model is instantly recognizable by its handle, which is made up of a "stack" of different materials:

It Looks As If...

...the righteous pushback against Westboro Baptist Church has begun.

Random Vacation Photos

Here with some random images from the beach vacation.

Intracoastal Waterway, New Bern, NC.

Bascule Bridge, New Bern, NC.

(You'll note that there are no photos from the Tryon Palace in New Bern; couldn't really justify the admission on the budget we had to work with.)

North Carolina Maritime Museum.

The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort, NC, is a wonderful place to visit, especially since admission is free. Inside exhibits on the US Lifeboat Service, the Lighthouse Service, examples of sailing boats of the North Carolina area, and relics from Blackbeard's sunken flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. There is a wonderful research library that would be a great place to spend a day peacefully reading.

Relics, Queen Anne's Revenge.

Naval Anchor, NC Maritime Museum.

Front Street, Beaufort, NC.

Town Clock, Beaufort, NC.

Atlantic Beach, NC.

Kiteboarder, Atlantic Beach, NC.

Alligator, NC Aquarium Pine Knoll Shores, NC.

Gar, North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC.

North Carolina Aquarium, Pine Knoll Shores, NC

Newport, NC.

Newport, NC.
(A pretty lonely business in an obscure corner of the state. The guy could use some customers, so if you're in the area, stop by. It's a nice shop.)


Swansboro, NC.

Historic District, Swansboro, NC.

Atlantic Beach, NC.

This area of North Carolina, the Crystal Coast, hasn't been overdeveloped, and the proximity of the Croatan National Forest will forever limit development to a certain extent. It looks like a good hunting/fishing/outdoors-oriented area with a lot of rural character. Good place for military retirees due to the the proximity of Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. If you need a large city nearby, this area of NC isn't for you.

Fort Macon Photos

Some shots of Fort Macon State Park.























It's a lovely old fort, owned by the State of North Carolina. There is a first-class visitor's center, constructed to resemble the style of the fort itself, the same sort of brickwork and same archways. Lovely beaches all around, since the fort is situated at the end of a barrier island. If you take small children keep them under strict supervision, as there are places at the fort unprotected by guard rails, and a fall resulting in injury or even death is possible.

Back Home

We're back from vacation, I got home about an hour ago. Blogging will resume shortly. Apologies for not blogging during the vacation, but the wi-fi at the hotel left a lot to be desired. I have 171 photos to process; not all of them will make it onto the blog, of course.

Vacation Update

I'm posting this from Havelock, NC, where we will be staying until Saturday. Havelock is the home of the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station. Yes, we occasionally hear a jet roaring overhead.

Today (Tuesday) we went shopping in a few of the towns on the coast. In Beaufort we visited the North Carolina Maritime Museum, and in Morehead City we visited the History Place in Morehead City. In Atlantic Beach we visited Fort Macon State Park, where we got a lot of good photographs.

Lunch was at the White Swan BBQ & Fried Chicken, and we sampled both; not too bad, we'll be going back Thursday for the bargain $1.50 BBQ sandwiches.

Tomorrow will bring either shopping in New Bern, or maybe a trip to the aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. Depends on the weather.

More later, and pics when we get back.

Vacation

Sara and I will be heading for the coast on Monday, we'll be in the Morehead City/Atlantic Beach, NC area for 5 days. We'll be visiting New Bern, the Croatan National Forest, and other interesting points in eastern NC. We'll be staying in Havelock, not far from the Cherry Point USMC Air Station. I'll blog from the road, as wi-fi connections permit.

We're the Last...

...developed country to offer birthright citizenship:

SOME MODERN COUNTRIES THAT RECENTLY ENDED THEIR BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP POLICY:

a. Canada was the last non-U.S. holdout. Illegal aliens stopped getting citizenship for their babies in 2009.

b. Australia's birthright citizenship requirements are much more stringent than those of H.R. 1868 and took effect in 2007.

c. New Zealand repealed in 2006.

d. Ireland repealed in 2005.

e. France repealed in 1993.

f. India repealed in 1987.

g. United Kingdom repealed in 1983.

h. Portugal repealed in 1981.

h/t Denny at Grouchy Old Cripple In Atlanta.

Don't Bring A Taser To A Gunfight

A would-be good guy found out the hard way about disparity in force when he tried to stop a robber armed with a gun while armed only with a Taser.

Kudos for the effort and the good intentions, though.

Thanksgiving Wishes

My best wishes to all of you on Thanksgiving.

Survival Blog: 50 Days Adrift In The Pacific Ocean

In the same sort of boat you might fish from at your local lake or river.

They were lucky. They apparently didn't have any flotation gear if the boat sank, nor did they stock any survival gear for the situation they found themselves in. They lived off of a few fish and a seagull that they managed to capture. Presumably they're poor, which is why they'd go to sea without sufficient provisions or survival gear. They'd best invest in some or not go to sea again, because they can't count on fortune smiling on them this way again.

Not Yer Typical White South Carolinian

77-year-old Michael Bowden of Spartanburg was arrested when he told personnel at a Veterans' Administration hospital that he wanted to shoot President Obama "because he is not doing enough to help African Americans."

And he had a shitload of guns around his bed, all loaded and cocked, ready to go.

h/t The Drudge Report.

So Ends UK Aircraft Carrier Aviation...

...as the last Harrier GR9 takes off from the deck of the HMS Ark Royal.

Budget cuts. More important than national defense. Besides, the UK doesn't need to defend itself, it can just call on the USA again.

Ingrid Pitt, 1937-2010: R.I.P.

Nazi concentration camp survivor and Hammer Horror sex bomb.

Pic:



And another pic, in the sort of typical busty vampire pose that made her famous:



Hammer Horror vampires like Ingrid would make being a male vampire hunter extremely difficult, just too much temptation there.

Scientists Advocate Face-Shield Helmets For Soldiers

Supposed to lessen concussions, a problem encountered in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Identify Your Target and What Is Behind It, Redux

Looks like we're having a rash of these locally.

Meanwhile, Down In Rock Hill, South Carolina...

...the opinion page editor of the local MSM outlet tries to make a point about multiculturalism and tolerance by comparing Islamic terrorists to...wait for it...the Amish.

One Of Those Terrible Dilemmas

88-year-old Roy Charles Laird entered the nursing home where his wife, 86-year-old Clara Laird, was being cared for as a result of dementia and decline in which she was unable to care for herself or recognize anyone around her, shot her with a revolver, and sat down beside her to wait for police to arrest him.

His daughter described the killing as a "mercy killing."

Obviously there's no provision for physician-assisted euthanasia in most of the US, so Laird apparently did what he thought was right; my question is, why did he not then turn the gun on himself so as to spare the state of California the necessity of trying him as a murderer? Was he not prepared to join his wife in death? Did he have business left undone? Did he intend to do so, but lost his nerve at the moment of truth?

What a terrible dilemma for Laird and for the state of California. What a terrible tragedy.

Boy, Is HE In For A Rude Awakening

Robot George awakens from his Rip Van Winkle-esque sleep after 45 years.

Here's a pic of Robot George with his creator, Tony Sale:

Identify Your Target and What Is Behind It

A violation of Rule 4 of Cooper's Rules results in the tragic death of a 3-year-old boy just down the road in Hemby Bridge, NC.

If You're a Fan of Conan the Barbarian...

...check out USA Today's website on Monday and Tuesday for an opportunity to read a new Conan comic free.

It promises to have zombies, and possibly vampires, as well.

Let's Commission A Ship

Photo gallery from The Wilmington Star-News.

Uniform of the day is Full Dress Blues.

Lagniappe...

...has left us.

If you've enjoyed reading his adventures, you might go offer condolences.

What Takes Place...

when a US Navy ship is commissioned?

It's happening this Saturday in Wilmington, North Carolina, as the USS Gravely will be commissioned.

Seneca Guns?

A phenomenon that has been occurring in coastal North Carolina recently.

Related news story here.

I have a theory of my own, however: It's God farting:

Pull My Finger, Adam.

Well, It Ain't No Welfare Cadillac...

...It's actually a Medicaid Dodge Charger. And a Medicaid Bentley. And a Medicaid Hummer.

$600,000.00 worth of Medicaid fraud, as a matter of fact. Pretty sweet, if you know what you're doing and LACK A FUCKING CONSCIENCE.

(I sent a link to the story to The Drudge Report, let's see if Matt puts it up. I bet he will).

Check Out Today's Day By Day

Good gunny stuff by Chris Muir:



You ain't gonna see that sort of stuff in Doonesbury, and that's a good thing.

He Hates Possums and Pimento Cheese

But Charlie the Alligator will eat nearly everything else you put into his pond at the Charleston Weapons Station in South Carolina, including an unfortunate alligator girlfriend who Charlie must not have "clicked" with.

Charlie has been in residence at the base since the 1950's, and measures out at 12 feet and over 500 pounds. Here's a pic:

Why I Support Gun Ownership

Because you should be able to defend yourself against those who otherwise do this with impunity.

Treasure Blog: 16th Century Gold Reliquary Pendant

Found in Hockley, Essex (UK) by a 3-year-old boy who was on an outing with his parents.

Pic:



It's a lovely thing. That's one disadvantage of living in the United States, there's less treasure buried out there waiting to be discovered, and none of it over 600 years old, whereas in Europe and Asia the treasures go back millennia.

Carpet of Golden Leaves

The weather today has been windy and overcast, with just enough rain to dampen the ground a bit, although more is expected into the evening. It's been the peak of fall leaves here in the Charlotte area, but the wind today blew most of the leaves off of our sugar maples, leaving a carpet of gold effect on the ground:

TSA: Folks See Where This Is Leading

We're just waiting for an Al Qaeda orifice bomber to make an attempt on a US flight to reach the ultimate security checkpoint indignity: the cavity search.

All right, people, line up, bend over and spread 'em.

Old MacDonald Had a Farm, E-I-E-I-O...

...and on this farm he had no pigs...

E-I-E-I-O.

And can you guess why Old MacDonald had no pigs? Because the toy company was afraid of offending Jews and Muslims.

And yes, this happened in multicultural, PC-mad UK. As if you had to ask, right?

Lessons Forgotten, Ignored

Forgotten between wars, ignored by bean counters.

A US Naval Institute article about both Army/Marine and Navy practices that get forgotten or ignored, through lack of funding or simple inertia, for example:

# RPG cages/Slat armor: Plenty of pictures of them on Strykers and other armored vehicles now, but not so starting early on in this war. The RPG dates back to WWII, so you can’t say their impact on light armor is a new issue. When RPGs became common in Vietnam, we put our 113′s in cages of one type or another. Very effective – and very forgotten. Like the next example, lives were lost, memories came for the fore, redneck engineering held the line until official production – and now we have them again. No excuse.
# Unarmored HUMVEEs/MRAP: All you needed to know about their need was learned and forgotten in Somalia. Israel and Apartheid South African experiences spanning decades also gave clues. The story by now is well known – as it was on 10 SEP 01. No excuse.
# Inadequacy of the M-16/M-4 and its varmint round, the .223/5.56mm: Tired but true argument. All discussion should have ended when the M-14 was brought out of storage wholesale mid-decade and serious talk came up towards a 6.5/6.8mm round – but the G4 guys seem to have beat the G3 guys, again, on this with a classic bureaucratic holding actin – sadly. Same institutional concept that ignored Gen. Mattis when he was MARCENT and wanted MRAPs for his Marines. The amount of our own countrymen’s blood on the hands of our accountants and non-warfighting Staff Weenies is enough to leave anyone gobsmacked. Back to the subject at hand, I recommend anyone who wants to defend M-16 series talk to MG Robert H. Scales, USA (Ret.). No excuse.

Worth reading in entirety.

Dogs Training in South Carolina For Afghanistan

Bomb dogs.

Hitchens Update

One of my series of updates on Christopher Hitchens, struggling with cancer. This one via the UK Guardian.

You can usually count on Hitchens to say something profound in his interviews, and he doesn't disappoint in this one:

"Darfur, Zimbabwe, Burma, North Korea, anywhere that the concept of human rights doesn't exist, it's always the Chinese at backstop. And always for reasons that you could write down in three words: blood for oil."

Here's a pic of Hitch, uncharacteristically wearing a hat, and also adorned with a Remembrance Day poppy:

I Solved the Deficit.

My results on this New York Times interactive puzzle can be found here.

My mix of spending cuts and tax increases worked out to 37% tax increases, mostly from adding a national sales tax (elimination of federal income tax and imposition of a flat tax were not available options), and 63% spending cuts, which included deep cuts in foreign aid (50% cut; 100% cut not an available option, damnit), military spending (I'm an isolationist and want the size of our military to reflect this) and increases in Social Security/Medicare eligibility age (I increased both to age 70). Full details at the link.

This would make a good meme for all of you to take.

Answer: Ooo Aaaah Oooo Aaaah Aaaah

Question: What do you hear over the police radio when a cop leaves the microphone on while having sex in his patrol car?

The US Navy's Newest Ship...

...is going to be commissioned in Wilmington, North Carolina.

She will be called USS Gravely.

Pic:



There's a gallery of pics here.

Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, 1934-2010: R.I.P.

Polish composer best known in the US for his Symphony #3 "Sorrowful Songs."

I happen to have that particular symphony in my CD library. Wonderful music.

Here's an excerpt:



It's been a while since I've heard it; my eyes immediately filled with tears, just as if it were the first time...

Book Note

Bandit Six effing rules.

My first encounter with a John Ringo book. I'm loving it.

To My Fellow Veterans...

...a blessed and happy Veteran's Day to you, whether you served during peacetime, as I did, or served in combat, as I did not. To all those currently serving: my thoughts are with you, be safe out there, wherever it might be.

One Hundred Years Ago Today...

...Army ordnance trials began for the selection of the new service pistol. One hundred years later, that pistol is still going strong:

Photo: Xavier Breath.

The Mother Of All White Flights

Will South African Boer farmers emigrate to the country of Georgia?

No reason for them not to. All they have to do is look at Zimbabwe to see their future if they stay in South Africa.

Damn That Stubborn Achievement Gap...

...it doesn't seem to go away no matter what we do.

Vomit 100 Times Per Day?

I'd shoot myself, but since this woman is in UK, she doesn't have that option.

'Ere, Miss, Get Yer Tits Off the Scale, Would Yer?

A shopper was overcharged when paying for fruits and vegetables when the female clerk "inadvertently" rested her own cantelopes on the scale.

And no, the article doesn't feature pics of the female clerk. Damnit.

Former Marine Recommended For Medal of Honor...

...for actions in Afghanistan.

22-year-old Dakota Meyer, who retrieved the bodies of comrades killed in an ambush, even after being wounded himself.

The government is also awarding a posthumous Navy Cross to USMC Corporal Michael Ouellette, who was killed in a firefight in Afghanistan.

An Old Acquaintance Is Mentioned...

...in The Charlotte Observer.

I served onboard the Wainwright for about a month in 1982, as we took part in a training exercise in the Gulf of Mexico, with a port visit to Pensacola, Florida.

I'm sorry to read that she ended her days as a target for ships from the Royal Navy; if ships had souls, she'd probably be hurt and dismayed to be used so. Although, really, in what way could an old warship meet a dignified ending? If you sell the ship to a foreign country, would it be similar to selling one of your children into slavery?

Is scrapping a ship similar to killing a senior citizen who no longer is needed in a society?

What about those few ships that become museum pieces, would that be similar to having a hero in honorable retirement?

What about those ships, such as USS Olympia,, who in their honorable retirement are neglected, much as a human veteran might be neglected in a nursing home, covered with bedsores, starved, and smelling of urine from not being kept clean?

Well, she's gone now, but here is a picture of her to remember her by:

Nancy Pelosi Running For House Minority Leader Makes Sense...

...if you agree with the basic Democrat mindset that they did nothing wrong in the last two years, and that it's the stupid public's fault for not recognizing the wonderful gifts they'd been given by Pelosi and Company.

81 Books, Cost $0.00

Even if you don't yet have an Amazon Kindle or other E-Book reader, you can download Kindle For PC and, once it's installed, start dowloading free e-books from the Amazon Kindle website and other websites. This morning I gave it a try, and when I decided to stop, I had downloaded 81 books, such as:

Dracula by Bram Stoker
A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant Vols. 1&2, Ulysses S. Grant
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

et. al. many others, as well. Most of Baum's Oz books. Andersen's and Grimm's Fairy Tales. You can even download K-12 textbooks in many subjects.

h/t Instapundit.

The Magnificent Bill Whittle On Gun Rights

Watch it, pass it on:

Actually, Before It Was A Mosque...

...it was a Christian Visigothic church, the Church of St. Vincent. But don't let that stand in the way of your shit-stirring, New York Times.

More info on the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Spain can be found here. I've actually visited the place, too, when I lived in Spain in the mid-1980's. Louis L'Amour, the Western writer, also visited the place, and one of the last novels published during his lifetime, The Walking Drum, is set in Cordoba, with the Mosque-Cathedral playing a role in the plot.

Moorish Pillars At the Mosque-Cathedral, Cordoba, Spain

update: Wally pointed out a bad link in paragraph 2. Fixed. Thanks!

Them Lutherans Done Kicked The Lord Out Of Church

In Des Peres, Missouri.

Apparently he dresses up like Jesus and goes to a different church every Sunday. I guess it works out as something of a test of tolerance, doesn't it?

Sparky Anderson, 1934-2010: R.I.P.

Baseball manager, most famously for the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds teams of the 1970's.

He was a good 'un. He died early at 76, apparently of dementia. Good manager.

Attention Veterans!

You can get a free dinner at Applebee's on Veteran's Day (Nov. 11th).

You can also get a free dinner at Golden Corral on the 15th.

Sara and I were in Virginia Beach last year when the Golden Corral event took place, and the line went out the door and extended quite a way down the length of the strip mall that the restaurant was in; but that was Virginia Beach, with a lot of vets dwelling nearby. Your typical small town might not have the same density of vets, certainly not if you live in a "Blue" state.

Meanwhile, At Work...

...I heard Winter Wonderland on the lobby Muzak system last night. On the 4th of November? Nooooo!

Groucho Marx Glasses In Statesville, NC

At the high school football game.

I'd like to see a picture of that event. I have my own history with Groucho Marx glasses, I wore them once while in the Navy when a new CO (commanding officer) was being shown around our work space; the officer conducting the tour was describing the work stations and naming the personnel, when I heard my name I whipped my head around with the glasses on and grinned at the CO, bobbing my head as I did so in the genuine Groucho manner. The CO started laughing, and LCDR Lovejoy, the man conducting the tour, smiled a grim, tight smile and continued the tour. I was called on the carpet a few minutes later to receive the expected dressing-down, and was given 4 hours extra duty for my trouble. Good times.

I'd Rather Be Demented...

...than drink beet root juice.

Wouldn't You Love To See...

...Speaker-To-Be John Boehner turn around President Obama's snide boast and, in response to Presidential demands for action on legislation, say, "Sorry, Mr. President, but with respect, WE won."

Well, Dingy Harry Reid Survived...

but someone dropped a House on the Wicked Witch of the West.

Um...Madame Speaker? Mrs. Pelosi? Nancy? Are You OK Under There?

"I Can't Believe You're Going To Leave A Soldier On The Battlefield."

That was Dick Cheney's reaction to being told that George W. Bush was not going to pardon Cheney's former Chief of Staff, Scooter Libby, in the last days of the Bush Presidency.

Good New York Times article on President Bush's forthcoming memoir.

Ohio Church Selects Design For New Jesus Statue...

...to replace one that burned up due to a lightning strike.

The new design features Jesus shaking his finger toward the sky, as if to say, "Cut it out, will ya, Dad?"

No, not really. I just made that up. Read the article to find out what they came up with.

The Return of Creepy and Eerie Magazines

Story in USA Today.

I didn't read those titles usually, but I liked Vampirella and especially Famous Monsters of Filmland.

New Search Engine Out There

Blekko.

Apparently Blekko is different in that it intentionally filters out spam results, providing only the most relevent results to the searcher. There is also a "slashtag" feature that allows you to narrow results with use of a slash, for example music/ragtime would give results tailored to ragtime music. I guess it's similar to the + sign used on most other search engines.

Blekko can be found here.