Sniper Country Duty Roster

Click on my name for the SC of spinal injuries.

Dr. Wise Young is a no-shitter!

Disc replacement is a no go, all promise and no results.

Stem cell treatment is within 5 years of being viable. So don't get impatient and get screwed up worse than you are already.

I had fusion of L4-5 in 2000, awakened post surgery partialy paralized from waist down. It took 3 years of therapy to walk with a cane. 4 years to drive an auto, 6 for a standard.

Do NOT let someone cut on your spine without serious consideration.

Those of you who are back healthy, take a look at the posts "how I was injured" it's amazing how easy it is.

4i's
Siloam Springs, AR, USA - Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 00:02:39 (ZULU)

4i's...

How were you injured.

I had a lower back injury racing motorcycles, and it is just beginning to ease up on my... and it has been many years of pain. It would come and go at times - once putting me in the hospital for 9 days with so much pain that I was afraid to eat, because it meant that I would need to get out of bed to use the bathroom.

I haven't had a re-occurrence in a year and a half - the longest pain free time in many year.

'lito

CatShooter
Spring has sprung, da' creek has riz, I wonder where dem kitties is? - Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 02:10:08 (ZULU)

MarcS,

What type case lube are you using for your FL resizing?

If you're not using Imperial (Now Redding) Sizing Wax, get some. You'll be glad you did. Sinclair has it.

Happy stroking. ;-)

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 05:25:48 (ZULU)

4i's,

Thank You....For seriously scarin the shit outta me.No,I am not being sarcastic.Dead serious.Thank You for the reality check.

UnPat

UnPat
Wi , USA - Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 06:29:51 (ZULU)

Cougar country:

As you recall we were debating the reality of a cougar being in Joe M's neck of the woods there in central WI. I'd say that's pretty safe that the kitties are there, since the police just shot one on the north side of Chicago!

I see coyotes and foxes all the time in what is otherwise urban areas, in fact there was a coyote that entered a downtown deli last fall but I never expected a cougar. S/F....Ken M

Ken M
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 10:05:58 (ZULU)

A friend sent this to me, thought you guys might enjoy. I'm sure it's been posted before, but here it is anyway.

Rules for a Gunfight

Anonymous

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap - life is expensive.

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun. Use a gun that works EVERY TIME. "All skill is in vain when an Angel blows the powder from the flintlock of your musket."

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Always cheat, always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them.)

19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

23. Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gun fight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with anything smaller than "4".

25. You can't miss fast enough to win.

Duman
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 16:14:02 (ZULU)

re: FL resizing

I've used Imperial Sizing wax. It works fine, but I tended to get dented case shoulders because I had a hard time keeping it away from there. I'm now using a lube rack and the RCBS spray lube. Much faster process, and it works well enough. Carbide expander ball in Redding dies eliminate need for lubing inside case necks.

I acknowledge that bushing dies are an alternative to expander ball dies, but I load enough different neck-wall-thickness brass that I don't want to mess with an array of different size bushings.

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 16:47:20 (ZULU)

Completely off topic: Knots

I was never in the Boy Scouts, and never really learned how to tie knots. Since seeing Bravo in Vegas, and his 'survival para-cord bracelet' I've taken to learning about knots.

Question: if one were to learn ~6-8 knots, learn them really well, what would you choose? Some of the obvious ones (not counting the square knot) are:

1. Bowline (bo-linn)

2. Clove Hitch

3. Constrictor (slight variation of Clove Hitch)

4. Sliding loop - (name escapes me)

5-8 ??

I've picked up a couple of "knot" books, and it's interesting how easily some of these can be tied incorrectly. In fact, one book has an error, where the knot does not turn out as pictured.

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.....

Duman
Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at 23:48:15 (ZULU)

Besides the ones you mentioned, I'd add a fisherman's knot, a taughtline hitch, a butterfly knot, and a trucker's hitch - which uses the butterfly knot. Those and a bowline are the ones I use the most.

The sliding loop you mentioned may be a Prusik knot.

Lindy
On the Road, U.S.A. - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 00:04:40 (ZULU)

I teach high angle rescue... the knots I use the most align well with Liny's list

bowline (tied blind around yourself), figure eight on a bight, butterfly, prusik and the purcell, which is a prusik which binds on itself (great for adjustable stokes bridle, leg elements of ascenders, etc). If you plan to hang from the rope, you'll want to understand self equalizing anchors as well. Then there is a water knot for webbing, mechanical advantages.....well......<g>....it never ends actually.

medicjim
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 00:51:21 (ZULU)

Duman: Tautline hitch (for tents), cargo (trucker's ) hitch and highwayman's hitch come in handy. Figure 8 on a bight is what I usually use to construct a cargo hitch. It has many uses.

CDC'
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 01:35:37 (ZULU)

Bowline,

I learned that one from my old Scoutmaster. Rabbit comes out of the hole goes around the tree and back down the hole. I still use it today. Darned fine knot.

Cheers,

Doc

Doc Holloway
The muddy Ozark boonies, MO, USA - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 02:56:54 (ZULU)

My rabbit always seems to stop and take a leak, decides to have a beer, wanders off, and never comes back. Damned rabbit.

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 04:43:37 (ZULU)

Sheepshank - probably the same as something already mentioned.

Bowline is referred to in some circles as a hondo. The name oughta give it away

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 05:34:12 (ZULU)

JC- I do use Imperial sizing wax. Very sparingly with a spin in my fingertips applying the thinnest layer of it.

Just did a 120 cases tonight. That will get me through Saturdays HP match and another full course for practice after. An eighty round match will be held in Sacramento soon. Looking forward to my first full XC match in a very long time.

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 05:40:07 (ZULU)

Check this link for animated knot tying. Worked well for my 14 yr old Eagle Scout. http://www.animatedknots.com/

Scott Kangas
Denton, Tx, USA - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 14:36:33 (ZULU)

Howdy Gents:

Knots: At both Sapper and Ranger schools, we were taught: square knot, figure 8 on a bend, Water knot, figure 8 retrace, bowline, tripple bowline, Clove hitch (middle and end of rope), round turn with 2 half hitches, and prusick (middle and end of rope). There were a few others, but I havent found a whole lot of use for them. I would also recomend learning swami wraps and other tie offs.

Had fun today walking through an Agricultural field looking for UXO. always a fun time. Still trying to fight my Co about getting a Leupold CQ/T or an ACOG.

Mayhem Out!

Mayhem
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 17:53:26 (ZULU)

>>4. Sliding loop - (name escapes me)<<

Slip knot?

Used that one A LOT while fishing the Rio Grande in Big Bend Country. Great for tying off a throw-line to the cane along the river.

Mk4
Texas, United States of America - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 21:10:33 (ZULU)

RE: Knots

Thank you for the replies, as always there's no shortage of experience with you guys. Thank you.

CDC': Tautline hitch is the one I was thinking of. Thank you.

I'll have to look up those others....

Duman
Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 22:58:36 (ZULU)

Laser rangefinders.

What's the current recommended "price point" laser rangefinder commercial retail model for unknown distance ranging up to (say) at least 600 yards.

Thanks

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Wednesday, April 16, 2008, at 23:46:58 (ZULU)

Here's a good knot....that's knot used enough anymore....eight turns works best.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangman's_knot (click name)

Cheers

George Daly
Dickson, Tn., USof A - Thursday, April 17, 2008, at 01:18:01 (ZULU)

Patron Lito,

I was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in my early 20s, by 28 I was told I had the spine of a 65 year old :( I had several episodes of injury, rest, PT and bull-headedness. When I was 39 I slipped going down our back steps in the snow/ice while carrying two 6gal. jugs of hot water, to use thawing out our horse watering trough. I didn't fall all the way down, or drop the jugs, (I probably would have been less injured if I had). I got up said a few expletives and finished my chores, drove 30 miles to work, wrestled a 300lb. punch press die all day (I almost didn't stand up after lunch) drove back home in my jeep wrangler, stepped out and was instantly on my hands and knees. I could not even lift one hand to reach my cell phone.

It turns out I had herniated several discs, and the L4-5 was pushing on my spinal cord. The cord bruising is what caused the paralisis.

UnPat,

No problemo, people should learn from others mistakes ;)

4i's
Siloam Springs, AR, USA - Thursday, April 17, 2008, at 02:12:11 (ZULU)

Rod

I just bought a Newcon 1500. I have no complaints with that unit.

Gary Kaney
N.W., ILL, - Thursday, April 17, 2008, at 11:29:37 (ZULU)

Duman: Mayhem's figure 8 follow through is well worth learning and is easy enough. Don't use iffy cord. Untying a ice encrusted knot in the dark - with frozen fingers - is difficult enough without having to screw around with cheap line.

CDC'
Thursday, April 17, 2008, at 14:33:53 (ZULU)

Your Eyes are your windows to the world !

http://www.6mmbr.com/eyeprotection.html

Take care of them !!

Regards,

Joisey Steve

Steven Dzupin
Ridgewood, New Joisey, US of A - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 01:16:29 (ZULU)

A question for the real experts. There is a debate going on at a shooting forum I frequent and figure This would be the best place to get a real answer.

Is there any data or theory that suggests the type of ammo you use when breaking in the barrel will perform the best out of your rifle from that point?

Thanks for a great place to learn. Cheers, Geo.

George Daly
Dickson, Tn., USof A - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 04:11:57 (ZULU)

George: If that were the case, I'd be shooting white-box winnie 147s into 3/8th" groups all day long and laughing my way to the bank with my savings over better stuff, eh? I say that cuz I tend to use up whatever non-performing loads are laying about when I break in, and the el-cheapo winnie fodder seems to always be on hand for feeding to my battle riffles:))

Bravo: the new SPRs are still 1:12s, though the 300WSM is 1:10. I thought about rebarrels--but decided that the longevity and dang good peformance of that chrome-lined 26" stocker is just too decent to toss. The only solution was to buy a new .308:)) Last count, that would be seven chambered thus...and my howa rubbergun is my go-to now for toting about and standby duty (bold coyotes moved in on me).

Oh, I forgot Geoff's surplus find...an FAL makes eight!

Scott: 14 yr old Eagle! Heck of an accomplishment. Kudos to dad for guiding him right-proper!

knot-country: Surgeon's knot. Tie off your own bleeder without losing tension with one hand's worth of fumbling fingers:)) Beats the hell out of a torniquet if medical help is far away. Tautline found use in a zillion field hooches, but the most used is the venerable bowline; i still tie it both ways for balloon strings and dummy-cords as recently as this week (in DC). A uli and sliding uli is handy is you play with det cord and C4, too. OK, so those are kinda specialty, eh?

Thanks, Pope, for ruining my traffic experience:(( Stay as long as you want, cuz i bugged out.

Joe M
Friday, April 18, 2008, at 05:09:16 (ZULU)

Joe M,

"OK, so those are kinda specialty, eh?"

Yeah, just a bit. ;-))

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 05:34:44 (ZULU)

Icy knots........ Damn. One of the things I really don't miss about hunting camp in Wyoming.

Frozen halters and hobbles really blow, too. Trying to get frozen hobbles off of a horse standing in 2 feet of snow at 3 a.m. while holding a flashlight in your mouth just SUCKS!

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 06:10:38 (ZULU)

Knot Country huh?

Uli knots, those are useful on a daily basis here. The Cherry knot is easier. Oh yeah and don't forget about the Scanman knot (not many people know this one).

Icey knots: especially on figure 8 knots, you can place a stick or dowel inside the knot, especially in wet conditions. This will allow you to work the knot loose, but will not sacrifice the security of the knot.

Anyone have any bad things to say about magpul PMAGs? Just bought 7, waiting for them to arrive.

Thanks,

Mayhem Out!!

Mayhem
Friday, April 18, 2008, at 07:52:00 (ZULU)

Below, or click my name, is a good website with animation on creating knots for various venue such as boating, scouting, fishing or climbing just to name a few.

http://www.animatedknots.com/indexscouting.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

Darren
East Bay, CA, USA - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 15:01:46 (ZULU)

Gentlemen, I have been away from sniper country for some time. I see it has not changed.

A friend convinced me to take the plunge and start hand loading. Do you any of you have a good US source for new LC 5.56 brass? I would pick up some once fired brass here but the army has this thing about taking it back home from Iraq. Go figure.

Good hunting to you

Pat Henry

Pat Henry
Friday, April 18, 2008, at 18:32:24 (ZULU)

Gentlemen, I have been away from sniper country for some time. I see it has not changed.

Good hunting to you

Pat Henry

Pat Henry
Friday, April 18, 2008, at 18:32:42 (ZULU)

Mayhem,

Bravo has done quite a bit of research on mags, including the P-Mags.

Ummm... Uli knot... tying det-cord.... C-4 ?? Out of my scope. Could be fun, though.

CDC': Figure-8, with a retrace... looks solid, not too complicated. Good advice on material selection. I'm practicing with para-cord. I've tried some different strings, and the results tend to be better with synthetic materials.

medicjim: you could probably write a chapter on knots for rescue. Reviewing my pocket-survival book, there are a number of survival techniques, but nothing specific on how to tie things off, like when building shelters. I guess "knot-tying" is assumed to be a skill possessed by the average joe. My objective is to develop knot-tying (of a handful of knots) to the point where it becomes second nature. Right now, I'm a hack.

Travis: man, you know how to have fun. Drunken rabbits, horses in snow at 3 a.m., ....

Thanks again, everyone, for the info.

Duman
Friday, April 18, 2008, at 23:34:17 (ZULU)

re: 5.56 LC fired brass

A US source for US delivery would be:

http://www.gibrass.com/brass.html

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Friday, April 18, 2008, at 23:43:51 (ZULU)

"...chapter on knots for rescue."

See:

_Technical Rescue Riggers Guide_ by Rick Lipke. Amazon carries it.

Click on my name for the link.

Lindy
The Northern Occupied Territories of Mexico, Texas, U.S.A. - Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 00:17:58 (ZULU)

Duman: Untying (sp?) is as important as tying. You can't go wrong with issue parachute cord.

Duman and Bravo: How are your swamp rats working out?

CDC'
Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 04:36:31 (ZULU)

Duman,

I figured I'd eventually end up crippled, but figured I oughtta do some living first. No sense in being alive 60 or 70 years, and not doing any actual living. ..........back surgery moved up to the 29th. All prayers appreciated.

(That part about splittin' me open and moving all my guts outta the way so they can whittle on my spine is a little unnerving!)

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 11:10:44 (ZULU)

Greetings,

Knot country: Ulli knot...spoken like a true demo man...have not thought of that in a while.

The ones that I have used repeatedly are the bowline, half hitch, double half hitch, round turn with double half hitch, square knot, slip knot, prusik, linemans knot (used in a transport tightening system and does NOT need a stick in the middle of it to loosen the not, ie does not tight on itself so hard that it is almost impossible to untie) taut line hitch, timber hitch, overhand knot. With the exception of the linemans knot, nothing fancy and will get 90 percent of what you need done outside of more advanced mountaineering.

Taught knots and river crossing at Camp All American while on support cycle at Ft. Bragg 20 plus years ago. If any of you were there, I was the one kicking dirt on the ROTC students from the bluff over the creek at recondo base camp while they were crossing the creek....

Pat II
Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 16:43:47 (ZULU)

.223 Rem w/75g Hornady - magazine length

Any powder recomendations based on experience?

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Saturday, April 19, 2008, at 23:22:52 (ZULU)

Rod- I use 24.9 gr RE15 and Remington BR primers. The Hornaday factory ammo (not A-Max) does 1/2 MOA, the handloads are tighter.

WR Moore
Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 00:29:08 (ZULU)

Travis,

(That part about splittin' me open and moving all my guts outta the way so they can whittle on my spine is a little unnerving!)

If that part bothers you, you really don't want to know how they put it all back in.

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 05:22:35 (ZULU)

By the way, two round turns with two half hitches is better than a clove hitch, though a clove hitch comes in pretty handy for throwing over a spar. Click.

Insomnia makes me dwell on crazy s***.

Travis: Good luck with being gutted. About a dozen years ago, a guy split my briskit with a bone-saw, cranked the cavity open with a screw-jack then gave me a valve job. The worst part of the day is coming to in IC with Baywatch on the tube. My first thought was, "My God, that woman is gorgeous." My second was, "My God, this show is terrible."

Like I said, crazy s***.

CDC'
Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 10:15:48 (ZULU)

My back started bothering me in my late twenties/early thirties I think. Years of construction trade work started to show. Now I'm a superintendent and 40 so I don't wear my bags as often but I still like to when I can. Last Saturday it hurt like hell trying to shoot from slung up sitting position and now I can't move too well. Before it's always been a matter of some pain, now it just won't work and the pain is up there several notches. The guys enjoy watching me get out of my truck in the morning 'cuz it's a lengthy ordeal to straighten out. I have to lean against the utility boxes and slowly pull up on the lumber racks in small increments. It's never lasted this long or hurt this bad.

You guys are freaking me out with the surgery descriptions. I'll give this another few days or so to improve and then maybe I'll go see the doc. Right now I'm just eating Advil like M&M's.

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 16:08:24 (ZULU)

"If that part bothers you, you really don't want to know how they put it all back in.

jc"

No, I don't, and don't you tell me, you son of a bitch! I've never gotten nervous about a surgery before, so it kinda bugs me that I'm getting nervous about this one. It might have something to do with my Dr. being about the same age as me.

Knot country:

Don't forget the sheet bend. one of the most useful knots I've found.

WTF is a "uli" knot?

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 18:35:13 (ZULU)

Finally got everything but the peppers in. Getting too old to be working this hard to have fresh veggies. Farmer's Market is looking better every year.

Travis.........

If yer doc is a little forgetful, make sure the OR nurses take notes to make sure the doc gets everything back in the right place. Else you might end up with your a**hole at yer belly button. Would be more convenient but a little unsightly...........LOLOLOL

Shooting.......

What do you guys do when you're in a shooting slump? I was shooting minute of bulls butt 3 or 4 months ago so I layed off for a while. Gonna get back behind the trigger next weekend and almost afeared that I'll keep em-bare-assing myself. I was shooting pretty good until mid-summer last year and all of a sudden I've pooped out.

Time for Grandson's 5th birthday shindig, Bolt out!

Bolt
Garden is finally planted in......., NC, - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 19:12:56 (ZULU)

Back problems.....

I have similiar issues as Marc S. Riding BMX, motorcross, sledding, snowmobiling, you name it....if you could do it "extreme" style, or get off the ground at speed, I was doing it in my teens. My mom always said I was going to ruin my body LOL....what goes up, must come down! She was right. I had my first "sore back" when I was around 15. I also started playing drums then. In my 20s, I started working as a shortline RR conductor/switchman....12+ hours a day of getting on and off moving equipment (usually moving way too fast), throwing switches that are poorly maintained, etc. I also continued to ride dirtbikes and run the occasional race, and play drums too. I'm not a Buddy Rich type drummer...more like Tommy Lee or for you old farts, Cozy Powell or Tommy Aldridge.

Throughout my 20's, every so often I would tweak my back and wind up taking a few days to get over it. I also couldn't lean over the engine of a car for more than 5 minutes. In my 30s, that has become more frequent. In the last couple years, it has gotten to be once or twice each year. I don't have to strain it either....just sitting wrong will do it. I won't even get into the fact that if I crouch for more than a minute or two, I have to pull myself up with my arms.

Fortunately, my regular doc is really good. Also, in the classes I have taken with Defensive Edge, I met up with and became friends with a retired Marine who is a GP.....another really good doc. He quit his gig at a family clinic because he was tired of seeing lazy people with crappy lifestyles ruining their bodies and coming to him wanting him to fix their ills with pills and procedures. Went to work for the VA. To quote him "the money sucks, but I got all the money I need. Hopefully, I can actually help some people".

Both docs tell me the same thing in regards to back issues....cutting is the absolute last resort. I was flat on my back a couple years ago, and I will relate what my docs have told me. It will fix it in a strict mechanical sense.....but the aftereffects are almost always worse than the original issue. When it comes to your back, the main hurdle other than mechanical issues is inflammation.....this affects all the nerves in the area of the injury and becomes a powerful "pain multiplier" so to speak.

I am pretty fortunate in that I don't have a reall bad issue....I have a disc in my lower back that will occasionally leak "goo" (the stuff in the disc, what my doc calls "a gelatenous substance") into the surrounding tissues....I guess that would be a mildly ruptured disc. Anyway, the human body is an amazing thing. It can heal this, but it will always be weaker than a healthy disc and susceptible to rupturing again. Now, when this goo leaks out, your body sees a foriegn invader and goes nuts trying to kill it, and that's where the problems come from. Swelling, inflammation, and PAIN. The pain is from not just your spine, but all the nerves in the area that run in and around your spinal cord. If the area around any nerve is inflamed, the nerve will be "hot" with pain signals. There are lots of nerves, obviously, around your spine!

All this biological drama overcomes your bodies ability to recognize the real problem and heal it. In order for that to happen, you need to get the inflammation and pain down to a level that the body can overcome. The keys are diet, stretching, strength, pain and inflammation management, and REST.

First, make sure you are on a good healthy diet. If you are overweight, lose it. Easier said than done, but it can be done if you are serious about being and staying healthy. Why make your bad back cart around an extra 10, 20, or more pounds?

Second, address your "core strength". Weight training is pretty good for this. Joe M gave me a set of weights and I use them. It really helps! Incidentally, your abdominal strength is very important for back issues.

Stretching.....flexibility will make all your muscles and connective tissues in your back healthier and increase circulation, enabling your body to reduce swelling and heal that much faster.

PAIN - if your doc gives you pain meds....USE THEM. Don't be stubborn. A person in severe pain does not heal nearly as quickly as one who feels better. This is a fact. Also, the large doses of Ibu (or similiar anti-inflammatory) reduce the inflammation and swelling, and gives your body a chance to "see" the real problem and work in it instead of being locked in mortal combat with itself while you suffer.

REST - we are all probably pretty stubborn in this area. I took off work FOUR DAYS the last time I had a flare up. I hated it because I'm not a "miss work" kind of guy. I did nothing but stretch twice a day, eat, take my mega doses of Ibuprofen, and relax, off my feet. It took some convincing by my doc and my Marine buddy, but I did exactly what they said. And it got me over the hump in about a week. I could not have healed without the bed rest.

BOTH docs were absolutely adamant with me on one thing DO NOT CUT ON YOUR BACK unless it's a last resort. My issue is way too mild to do that. Basically, I am better off living with it and managing it.

This is my experience with a mild recurring back issue. Hopefully you guys will see something useful in the advise my doc and friends have given me.

BOLT - Getting back to fundamental is never a bad thing to do. If your not feeling into it, let it go for awhile. Wait until you really want it, then start back up by relearning your fundamentals and dry firing.....safety, stance/position/NPOA, sight alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze, follow through. DON'T FORGET FOLLOW THROUGH.....it's easy to get lazy with it. I threw together an 8 lb. hunting rifle last fall and follow through was a big issue for me....I was used to shooting a 14 lb. gun and had gotten lazy. Focusing on follow through cut my first zero group from 2" down to less than 1" just like *that* (snaps fingers).

That's my strafing run for first half 08 guys, good to see you!

Out.....

Geoff M
WI, USA - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 19:56:46 (ZULU)

Painkillers-

My pain finally got so severe that I started to take them according to the Dr.'s specifications. Turns out, that was a bad thing. I'm NOT doing anything, really. Just eating, drinking, and hanging around the house. My big project for the day is feeding the horses a coffee can full of grain. If I take the pain killers, I guess I walk around the house more, or lay in the wrong positions, because I end up with pain in my bones! I'm so sore that pain pills won't help me sleep. For the most part, I just avoid the pain meds until I can't do without.

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 20:27:42 (ZULU)

Thanks for that Geoff. Sounds like you've gone a few more rounds with this than I have.

Bolt- I'd agree with Geoff on the solution being in the fundamentals. My personal opinion is that the trigger press and follow through is the most important of all. When I'm in the zone and doing it right then I can get away with screwing up the other stuff. I know that because I can still get good hits when shooting in awkward feild positions if my trigger control is good. Getting into position RIGHT NOW and getting hits does not allow NPA or relaxed breathing techniques. I think if your trigger press is good you'll still be ok, and if it sucks then it won't matter if you do everything else perfectly anyway.

I work on this by not only dry firing but using ball and dummy drills. I've loaded up some ammo with sand in the case and cutting some pencil erasers to fit tight in the primer pockets. This way they look, feel, and sound exactly like a loaded round when chambering (unlike commercial snap caps).

I'll put one live one in a pile of six and mix them up in my hand then stuff them in a magazine. No matter how much you dry fire it's always different when you aren't sure if it might be a live round.

Sometimes I'll reverse that ratio by only putting one dummy round in there and run through a stage on a barricade speed drill or something like that. If you're screwing the pooch on that trigger press you'll see it instantly. I believe doing this religeously will cure anyone of a flinch.

Make sure to concentrate on that follow through. Make sure you stay pressed, straight to the rear, through the recoil pulse. I didn't realize I had a problem with this until Jacob Bynum was sitting right next to me watching me shoot and pointed it out to me. I believe he said something like "Don't sacrifice the shot you are taking right now, for one that you may or may not get to take after this one, just so you can run the bolt fast and get back on target". It might help if you get someone to watch you. I mean really watch. Like laying down right next to you and watching for an eye blink or trigger slap from about 18 inches away.

I do this with my S&W 686 revolver by loading only one live round in a cylinder. I "shoot" one shot at a time, as carefully and precisely as possible, without knowing when it will fire. By the time I have ten shots on a 25 yard target my group is remarkably small. I won't say how small because when I do guys always think I'm full of shit but trust me it works.

For me it's a perishable skill and I have to stay on top of it all the time. I'm constantly fighting a little bit of flinch and when I get lazy with it I start dropping down the list at the end of the day.

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 21:51:01 (ZULU)

Geoff, and Travis,

I too have a bit of a back issue. In July of '04 I was in an MVA where my pelvis was broke in 4 places, among other injuries to both my back, and other areas.

I hear you both on the med statements, and yes, they do work both ways. Whilst I have never been 'hooked' on the meds, I've learned that I have been 'dependant' on them. You'd have to be there, to know what I'm talking about. I never did "need another pill" or any crap like that. I took them, because I hurt, and I never did get stoned, or any drunken effects as such. But, I will say, that I decided to stop taking one, thinking I didn't need it anymore. I had been on it for about 5 months. So I just stopped, when the script ran out. I had a full body ache, for about 3 days, that was borderline 'unbearable'. I sure didn't move much at all, and did lay on the floor for the majority of that time. Then, I went to do some laundry, (funny how you run out of things,eh) and whilst going through pockets, I found a "go-pack", that had one of those pills in it, for an outing. I took it, just to help 'get by', and let me tell you, about a half an hour, to 45 minutes later, I was straightened right out, and relatively normal.

I learned right then and there, about dependancy. I never knew that before, and likened it to that Nick Nolte movie, with him and the ice-cream. I forget what it's called, but he's on heroin. I truly didn't know.

Please all, learn from my mistakes.

Take what you need, when you need it. Evaluate said need, maturely. Do you really need it right now, or is it just easier to do so, right now. Second, WEAN YOURSELF OFF. Dont' just cold-turkey it, as it ain't worth the grief.

Changing pages here, there's a whole other issue, regarding excercise and fitness. I used to be a journeyman tradesman. Now, I'm gibbled, and haven't worked in 4 years. So much of that time, was spend laying in a hospital bed, or in a wheelchair. I used to be very active. Not saying I was a perfect specimen, or anything, cause I wasn't. But I was almost always on the go, and/or doing something. Simply eating hospital food, that they brung me, I gained 35 pounds the first month in bed. I was in there for 4 months, and gained over 60 pounds total.

Since getting out, and learning to walk, and whatnot, I really don't move around all that much. It does hurt like hell to do simple things. I don't walk far, or without a cane.

Swimming being about the only painless and able thing I can do, I sure pay for it afterwards. I know that something has to be done, but I dont' know what. For a couple of years now, literally, I've been on pretty much 1 meal a day. That don't seem to work either. So, short of chainsawing a leg off, how does one lose weight, when one can't move much, and whatnot.

Yes, my SI is still barely connected (loosely) to my right pelvis, and other issues. My SP has over 2cm of gap, and is wobbley, to say the least. But I still want to.

I still have the desire.

Heck, I've got a new Crusader here, that I haven't fired yet. I still need a scope for it, but I want to get out there and do so.

So then end result of this blathering is, learn from my mistakes, this is my situation (anyone got any suggestions?) and it ends with something about shooting. I respect the group here, and watch out for those 18 year old girls in oncoming traffic. They'll change your life!

This is the place that got me interested in the long range shooting to begin with, about 10 years ago.

God Bless Us All,

Sean T.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 21:59:36 (ZULU)

Sean,

I've never been addicted top the pain meds. I'm so reluctant to take them, I probably couldn't get addicted to crack!

As for excercise, the only thing I've found that works for me is swimming. I'm thinking about joining a rock climbing club here that works in an old concrete mill, but a year's membership is about $300. If nothing else, it'll truly whip my upper body back into shape. (Ever tried picking up 250 lbs. with JUST your arms?) I dunno if my bum shoulder will take the abuse, but I want to be as strong as possible once I go back to work, but would rather not build too much muscle mass. I don't think I've ever seen a rock climber I'd call "big".

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 22:26:28 (ZULU)

Sean- Email inbound with no attachments regarding scopes.

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Sunday, April 20, 2008, at 22:58:10 (ZULU)

Sean:

I intentionally lost 70 lbs by reducing portions and making better choices in my diet, without changing my exercise levels. That was over a period of roughly 8 months. I have a desk job, walked maybe a kilometer outdoors a day. So it is possible to lose weight without increasing exercise levels, although of course it is easier to lose weight by increasing exercise.

Hospital food offerings and portions aren't necessarily "right" for all patients. Local high-school students go to a nearby hospital cafeteria for lunch in part because the hospital cafeteria sells french-fries, which the high-school cafeteria doesn't sell as part of a better foods initiative.

I have since added 3.1 kilometers walking to most of my weekdays by walking home from the office.

This is my primary dietary/portion reference publication, which I would recommend to any adult interested in improving their diet:

http://www.diabetes.ca/section_about/btb2.asp

One of my obese sisters is making good weight loss-progress on the commercial Nutrisystem diet program, which is also available in Canada.

http://www.nutrisystem.ca/nutrisystem/

I'm not saying it is easy, but it is possible...

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 00:36:01 (ZULU)

Sean T:

Please don't think that needed pain-killers to function is dependency. I tried to gut out the pain of numerous injuries for years until I realized that, sometimes, I need medication to get through the day.

You are absolutely correct about weaning yourself of pain relievers or any medication. If your doctor says "cold-turkey", fire him. One of my co-workers had to take prednisone, AKA "synthetic adrenaline". The doctor kept increasing the dose until it was 100 mg a day and then decided it wasn't working. The resulting crash caused a medical crisis that resulted in a psychotic break and five days in intensive care.

Getting in shape helps too. I understand that you may not be able to get to where you want to get, but, it's worth the effort.

Alternative medicine, acupuncture, Pilates, yoga, supplements, etc, have helped me a lot, as has a certified pain management specialist. But some days, I still need the meds.

Good luck and I'll say a prayer for you.

Trajan

Trajan Aurelius
East Bay, Kalifornya, USA !!! - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 00:44:19 (ZULU)

Low impact walkin is about the only exercize my Angel can do,she works with a couple of the Walk the Pounds off tapes.They do help her abit.Plus she does try to stay busy and mentally busy as well.

The majority of the pools here are open to the public,but tryin to find nights/days that are adult only is limited,and not convienant for us.

She used to follow her docs suggestions on the painkillers but then after a period of say 3-4 months on them she was having memory problems...Now she only takes the heavier stuff when it really hurts her real bad.Anything stronger than a vicotin will actually make her sick.

Given the choice of pain or hoverin over a toilet...she ll take the pain,for as long as she can.Same goes for any surgery,She ll put that off for as long as she can there,too

She has other medical problems as well,so we keep a close eye on what she can/cant take.Certain allergies to some meds,as well some meds just dont work they way they are supposed too.She also has one of those systems that drives a doc nuts.

One of the hardest things for her to accept is that she has limits.She still wants to think she is SuperMom and can do everything and anything.Daily reminders are as much a pia for me as her.She dont like hearin it,I dont like repeating myself.Its almost like havin a lil kid around.<Put that down,I ll carry that,What are doin?>

Travis,Best of luck with your surgery.

UnPat

UnPat
Wi, USA - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 02:24:21 (ZULU)

Some of you might remember when Mythbusters did a thing on Gunny Hathcock's shot through the bad guy's scope. As hard as they tried, they couldn't get it done. They tried not to piss off the Marines and other snipers by not saying that it couldn't be done, but that's what they implied.

So I felt that it was a challenge and decided to try it myself. I started collecting old scopes from local gun shops and gunsmiths and began shooting them at 100 yards. I aimed the scope back at myself as it would be if the BG had me in his sights.

I had much the same result as Mythbusters did for the first two scopes, but today... I did it. Scope number three went down the middle with only some slight deformation on the one inch tube. It blew the turrets off of one side but didn't touch the objective bell or the occular bell.

Naturally, this doesn't put me in the same class as Gunny Hathcock but it does prove that there is no scientific reason to doubt him..., not that I ever did. I intend to send an explanation and photos to Mythbusters to show that perhaps they needed a better shooter or that I was extremely lucky. Either way, I proved that they hadn't busted a myth after all.

Indiansinger

Roger C. Carpenter
Sweet Potato Capital, MS, USA - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 04:38:55 (ZULU)

Bolt,

Geoff and Marc are giving you some good advice. Back to basics, practice your fundamentals and stay on the gun for a count of two after you break the shot. Aw, hell, you know all this stuff. Ya just gotta get it back into your head and all in the right order and you'll be fine.

For inflammation, Celebrex can be your friend.

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 04:56:12 (ZULU)

re: Mythbusters scope shoot

(From memory).

They did a revisit episode after getting followup complaints from the fan site. The revisit used a scope much closer in construction to what the Vietnamese sniper would have used, and ammunition much closer to what Gunny Hathcock would have used. In the retest, they did get a penetrating wound in the ballistic jell head placed behind the scope in at least one of their retests. On the basis of that they changed their evaluation to Plausible.

More info, which includes this little gem:

http://www.kalinkaoptics.com/Mythbusters.aspx

Excerpt:

"In my humble opinion, there are several fine points to consider. I consulted with Mike Miller, a 25-year U.S. Army Sniper School Instructor and former Police Sergeant, and confirmed these points with him:"

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 06:16:53 (ZULU)

Any of you guys have a website for Terry Cross.

He makes the pod-loc and an adjustable comb, and other goodies.

'lito

CatShooter
Spring has sprung, da' creek has riz, I wonder where dem kitties is? - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 13:53:40 (ZULU)

CDC',

Bravo sent me some photos of his first outing with the Swamp Rat. He told me he was going to attempt to chop down a sapling. Well, he did. The sapling was several inches in diameter. The experience didn't appear to have a negative impact the knife. I have not tested mine, though it's identical to Bravo's Swamp Rat.

ULI Knot: http://www.fixor.com/Initiation_Methods.html

Duman
Monday, April 21, 2008, at 16:20:42 (ZULU)

It doesn't look like Terry / KMW has a web site :-(

The Pod-Loc is available from Sinclair's, Brownells (item #100-000-326), or you can buy direct from:

Terry Cross

KMW - Long Range Solutions

129 Fish Hatchery Road

Forest Hill, LA 71430

Phone: (318) 748-8732

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 16:29:51 (ZULU)

Terry Cross

http://www.kmwlrs.com/index.htm

But it is under construction and not much there.

You better try contacting him by another method.

Jerry

Jerry
Annapolis, MD, USA - Monday, April 21, 2008, at 16:51:50 (ZULU)

Good stuff here guys!

I'm just getting back after a long weekend of shooting. Except I didn't get to squeeze the trigger once. Seems the Appleseed guys wanted me to start instructing, so 19 April was my immersion into teaching marksmanship. That I can think of, there wasn't a more fitting way to spend Patriots Day. The success story was 2 fellows that couldn't shoot marksman scores on Saturday morning left with Expert badges on Sunday, and they both proved it wasn't a fluke. The surprising part was one was using a 16" DSA FAL and wolf ammo! Virtually everyone was shooting significantly better when they left though - real progress was made! My kiddo surprised everyone on one of the NPOA drills, turned in a nice 5-round 6 to 7 MOA group - fired with his eyes closed. That's a decent NPOA ;-)

I've got a personal goal: running the AQT (10 rounds offhand, 10 rounds kneeling, 20 rounds prone at 2 different distances - working from close to far) in 120 seconds including position changes & a mag change - and hitting expert. So far, I'm in the 'very high sharpshooter' category, but I'll beat it ;-) That is, if I get to squeeze the trigger again :-( Funny thing - I'm sighting with the Aimpoint. On the far targets, the trick is to see the dot with the head of the siloughette as a bump on top of the dot, 'cause the dot covers everything else LOL!

I keep telling myself that I'm saving money on ammo this way - trying to find some 'good side' to not shooting. It doesn't work.

Boltster my friend, I'll reiterate the advice of the other guys. Basics. Lots-o-lots of basics. And an Appleseed or two will help! Not that you don't already know this stuff, but having personalized attention and instant feedback are great tools. I didn't realize I had a blink until one of the other fellows caught it. Didn't seem to mess with my calling shots, but it was still a bad thing - and I wouldn't have known about it without someone eyeballing me while I was shooting.

Knot country - I'm coming in late, but it seems my answers were already given anyway. The bowline, water, and figure 8 retrace are the majority of what I use for climbing / rapelling. What CDC said about cheap rope is 100%. Like most things, life is too short to have to live with cheesy rope. Taughtline, prussic, and something-or-other-I-can't-remember on a bite are the others I use for more general use. Admittedly, I'm not a knot-guy. The only way I can tie a bowline right is with the rope around my waste - but I can tie it that way fast and with only one hand.

Mayhem, I've been impressed so far with the Pmags. I spent part of one evening throwing one up in the air, then spiking it into the floor with another one in my hand. No damage. To say they're impact resistant is an understatement. I like the flow of the follower, and getting 30 in will still allow it to lock in with the bolt forward. At least on my XCRs. I'm running 7 right now, doing the same as you - evaluating. Gonna take those 7 to BadLands and see if they survive. One of my instructors from Gunsite did a 'use and abuse' on these, and gave 'em a thumbs up. On the opposite side, a reliable source in the manufacturing industry said that they didn't hold up as well as he'd have preferred - but he estimated he had fed somewhere between 3500 and 5000 rounds out of each of his. FWIW, he said that in the same round count it took for the Pmags to start wearing out, the GI aluminum mags had the lips spread and welds break. They're running 10,000 rounds in a weekend though, so consider that a "worst case scenario" LOL! For training mags, I have a difficult time believing there is much better. On the other side, I highly question if they'll get somewhat brittle in the cold-cold - but don't have that info YET.

CDC, the swamp rat is a nifty blade, no doubt! IIRC, the sapling Duman mentioned was about 6" diameter. Took about 10 minutes, at a leisurely pace (wanted to take pics along the way). It cuts well, although the factory edge wasn't as good as I'd have preferred. Even so, every time I'd swing the blade in, pieces of wood rebounded off the side of my truck a good 8 feet or so away. Hard metal too - the honesteel I normally use didn't have much effect on the edge - went to diamond sharpeners pretty quick. Batoning was QED, and the only thing I've hurt to date is the finish on the blade. Choking up on the blade gives plenty of control for finer things too. The down side is that this piece is bigger and heftier than I'd thought it'd be. At the present, I've got some Scrap Yard Dumpster Mutts incoming (have been incoming for the last 6 weeks) that are smaller. For a "around the campsite" knife (cooking, cutting cord, etc), I think the mutts would be better - as a 'for real' field knife though, the rat would be hard to beat in my opinion. If someone would donate a buick, I'd love to run my rat through it just to see if I could and it would ;-) Lemme know if you want pics of the cedar, I tried getting artsy HA!

Bravo
Monday, April 21, 2008, at 18:33:06 (ZULU)

Thanks Rod, I read your message this morning and posted a reply but I guess it didn't make it onto the forum. At least I had a good time proving, to myself if nothing else, that it could be done with modern scopes to shoot at and BTHP ammo as well. I guess the trick is to hit the objective lense dead center so that the round isn't deflected. In my case, even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while.

Indiansinger

Roger C. Carpenter
Sweet Potato Capital, MS, USA - Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 02:02:06 (ZULU)

Re: KMW Long Range Solutions

Somebody asked me at Sniper Quest (last Sept.) if Terry had come out with his new stock. Didn't know he was working on one. He was still sporting an AICS 1.5 at the time.

The home page of his web site has a rifle w/stock like I've not seen before. I'm assuming that is it.

(click)

Mk4
Texas, United States of America - Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 03:36:35 (ZULU)

I saw his stock at the 'Hide cup and it was very nice. Some things I remember are a wide, flat forend that is very shallow and close to the barrel channel, an inletted spot for a bipod to mount flush to the stock, then the belly comes down at a steep angle towards the magazine well so it can be leaned against a barricade as well as providing a lower area to use as a hand rest in offhand, a wider and stronger section through the action area so the bigger Surgeon XL would fit better, and a flared out butt cut to the size of a Pachmayr Decelerator pad that hasn't been trimmed. I think he also had flush cups installed in at least three places towards the rear- one in the standard bottom spot (toe?) one on the side of the butt stock as I've seen in other rifles, and another up in the side of the grip.

The only thing that I didn't really like was the fact that it's a thumbhole. I just can't get used to that but it's obviously a personal thing. Some guys love 'em.

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 05:00:22 (ZULU)

Some interesting articles about increasing violence in Mexico and the state of illegals in LA. Got the links from the weekly Blackwater mailer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/16/world/americas/16mexico.html?_r=1&ex=1366084800&en=34ab9c482baff246&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/220107mexicangangs.htm

Marc

MarcS
East S.F. Bay area, CA, - Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 05:07:25 (ZULU)

CDC: Insomnia has no quippy upside to use as a punchline...I tried to come up with something...but am too tired to succeed. Know what you mean 100%---and wish I did not.

Uli knot--Travis, it is akin to a stand-alone hangman's knot that "bunches" up enough det cord in one place to boost most mil-spec explosive compounds. It can either be tied unto itself as in an end of the line wrap, or tied with a seperate piece of det cord on a main line so that it can slide along the run. Best example is "daisy chain" claymore mines: You figure the spread of each mine (spaced IIRC about 25 meters max between for a max PK distance-shot), then you figure how many mines will be needed for the KZ size or frontage you want to cover, then you cut that length of main det cord...next, you pop the back off each mine and stick a uli in the center of the charge...then you roll up the mess of them and trot off to do your damage. Once in position, you realize that terrain will make one mine cloaser than the max distance and another a tad further apart than you'd want...so you just slide them around as you place them....this is very fast--and very damned effective. You can wipe out a column of BGs with one simple click of a clacker (assuming you did everything else right along the way)! I could have just said the uli enables you to set up ring mains and "swag" charge placements ahead of arriving on target so you can fine tune the placement of charges in a NY minute, burn fuze, and haul ass, I suppose:))

Rod is understating his success. His is an amazing turn about!

Joe M
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 06:34:15 (ZULU)

Bravo: Yep, if it's too big to carry, it's not much use. There are a few large knives on my shelf and that's where most of them stay. I use a big "Ranger" as a camp knife/beater. I carry a Falkniven F1 or a little Bark River patch knife. All three companies make very good knives.

I'd like to see the pics.

Joe M: My sympathies. And no, there's nothing funny to say about it.

CDC'
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 12:13:08 (ZULU)

For you old timers:

Subject: C-130 vs F-16

A C-130 was lumbering along when a cocky F-16 flashed by.

The jet jockey decided to show off.

The fighter jock told the C-130 pilot, 'watch this!' and promptly went into a barrel roll followed by a steep climb.

He then finished with a sonic boom as he broke the sound barrier. The F-16 pilot asked the C-130 pilot what he thought of that?

The C-130 pilot said, 'That was impressive, but watch this!'

The C-130 droned along for about 5 minutes and then the C-130 pilot came back on and said: 'What did you think of that?'

Puzzled, the F-16 pilot asked, 'What did you do?'

The C-130 pilot chuckled. 'I stood up, stretched my legs, walked to the back, went to the bathroom, then got a cup of coffee and a cinnamon bun.'

When you are young & foolish - speed & flash may seem a good thing !!! When you get older & smarter - comfort & dull is not such a bad thing !!!

Duman
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 15:40:04 (ZULU)

The economy is a forest fire--and those trying to save it are focused solely on individual trees (one at a time). Californistan foreclosures are 327% above last year in this same quater, at a rate of 500/ day. The math on this includes bank losses, depreciation of neighboring homes |(with paper losses to those families), and tighter still credit for those trying to downsize before the axe falls on them.

Food riots? Sure, the planet has them in spades in the parts of the world where food accounts for more than 40% of incomes. That is going to spread. Every last bit of corn production increases over the last five years went into ethonal. Mostly, this increase came at the expense of wheat production and dairy operations. Shortages and price hikes will hit bigtime (already started). Rice as a traded commodity has collapsed---producers are hording what they have as they realized that they could not feed their own markets.

The euro is over a 1.60 FRN now, and will likely do much better. The Fed tried to raise rates to stave off inflation, but instead kicked off the mortgage crisis--now it sees that as the big threat and is lowering the value of the dollar trying to shit the barn doors after those horses ran off. In fact, as ol' JP once said: Borrow a little and the banks own you; borrow a lot and you own the bank. The fed, as it stands, is owned by mortgage holders and brokers.

And, to save the mess, every proposal either extends public debt or prints more 'easy money". Congressional acts that spend more than they have IS the problem (ethonol subsidies have a two edged fault)...and nobody has that figured out yet. Therefore, my estimate of two years several months back is probably optimistic. I did not see rice doubling in price in a months' time nor the ripple effects of "renewable energy" in the grain markets. originally, i had thought the devaluation of the dollar alone would drive food commodites up in price as a result---instead, we have this as a concurrent problem. As such, there is more downward pressures.

The bottom line: the cycle is in motion, and there is no possibility for the drastic reductions in government spending and dollar-boosting that would stave off disaster (these measures would trash housing and cause a deep recession...but the alternative, not yet acknowledged, is world wide depression and wholesale governmental failures). In the attempt to fix the little problems--we are creating a major one:))

I've said it is fun to watch. Only in that I can see the target-lock the experts are engaged in. It is a sort of forest and trees thing; and the so-called experts are so intently focused on each small problem in the economy that they have yet to notice the larger inter-relationships that create the true, and total, problem.

I'm now thinking water impoundment; wind is unreliable for 24/7 electricity:)) I wonder what the outflow needs to be for 30KW?

Joe M
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 19:59:14 (ZULU)

Isolated incidences of food rationing by retailers---in the USA!

But don't worry--the situation will be drastic for some time before it gets thru to most people. Remember my theory: People only know what they know; if they grew up in a land of plenty and never saw adversity--they won't recognize it until they are well and truly screwed. That also explains the 'delay" in economic downturns--people continue to do what they do until they cannot. Oh, and once it dawns on the masses that they are, indeed, massively fucked--watch out. 80% of us live in wholly dependant cities. Once the farmers start to hold grain (riding out inflationary waves for the best price)--all hell will break loose. This is happening now, and all you need to do is track farm futures to see why.

Do we have a year?

|Last word: "Be Prepared"

Joe M
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 21:07:39 (ZULU)

It's freakin scary how much we as a group have in common.

Celebrex: Mom swears by it, it gave me heart palpatations.(MAJOR)

I just cut my pain meds in half Fentanyl 25 from 50. Of all the (major) pain meds fentanyl is the only one that doesn't leave you stoned. And I still get to sleep 2 of 3 nights ;)

Chiro's kept me working for 10 years longer than I could have.

Females are better than males imho, they do with proper position and timing what men try to do with force. Or maybe it was 30 years of martial arts that made me tense-up when near a guy ;)

Essential Oils and massage help me loads with arthritis.

You cant stop moving for long and it's helpful to over-do-it exercising occasionally, so long as your working on core muscles or swimming (no impact)

4i's
Siloam Springs, AR, USA - Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 22:23:15 (ZULU)

"Females are better than males imho, they do with proper position and timing what men try to do with force. "

That's turn-of-phrase you don't hear everyday. :8-p

Duman
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, at 23:07:10 (ZULU)

Soon comming to a neighborhood near you !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYzs65mwXiw&NR=1

Regards,

Joisey Steve

Steven Dzupin
?, ?, ? - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 00:22:37 (ZULU)

Gunshot Survival Story

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23914454/?GT1=43001

Duman
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 01:57:09 (ZULU)

"I'm now thinking water impoundment; wind is unreliable for 24/7 electricity:)) I wonder what the outflow needs to be for 30KW?"

Joe, Mother Earth had/has some books on stuff like this. Off the top of my head, an overshot wheel will give you more mechanical advantage than anything else. Turbines need a more massive flow (I think).

Change of topic to pet peeve: Why doesn't the Department of State pull Peanuts Carters passport?

WR Moore
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 02:33:15 (ZULU)

Moore,

"Why doesn't the Department of State pull Peanuts Carters passport?"

Because that Dept is full of people who agree with the traitorous little pin head.

SSG Mac
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 03:08:04 (ZULU)

Now there's a wise old staff; maybe a new precedent should be set as we advance him to four-star by morning:))

State is that ate-up...no doubt.

Joe M
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 05:48:53 (ZULU)

Joe M.

I also can see trouble coming for the country but I'd like to suggest that you check the real estate markets in the mid 1980's and early 1990's.

I was a state certified Real Estate Appraiser in California during that time. I say State Certified because we were held responsible for the Savings and Loan failures of that period. Some may remember the Resolution Trust Corporation and other "experts" decided that it wasn't the greedy Real Estate and Mortgage Brokers who caused the S & L's to fail, it was the Appraisers who did it.

At that time though, at least in California, the housing market fell into such a serious slump that the forclosers in some neighborhoods became the market. I did a Appraisal Review of someone else's report which supported a refinance loan value with old comparables but when I checked the more recent sales data, I cut the value $100,000- because there were recent model match sales in that complex that said so. It was a PUD (Planned Unit Developement) in Newport Beach, Ca., and the value had dropped that much in only six months.

The rest of the country had already bottomed out value-wise and California was starting to feel the pinch. After they cost us close to $2000- for continuing education and licensing, the powers that be decided to let the Banks and Mortgage Companies to do "Equity Evaluations" which required very little training and no license.

What I'm trying to say is that we heard the same "sky is falling" cries then like we are now in the housing market. Banks and Savings and Loans were falling apart like now, the difference being that we weren't trying to support millions of illegal visitors, paying $4.00 per gallon for gas, or fighting leaders in our country that seem intent on destroying us.

As a side note, I was in the office of a Mortgage company I worked for in Orange County, Ca. when President Bush, the Elder, initiated Desert Storm. One of the younger Loan Reps said "Good, a war economy is a good economy" shaking his fists with excitement. "Not if one of your family members comes home in a box" I told him. As a Vietnam Veteran I didn't exactly like the comment from someone that had never suffered more than a full parking lot at work.

I'm not an economics major or anything like that, but I wanted to say that we've seen a bad Real Estate market before. With the cost of the average house in this country being over $200,000- , the market has to make an adjustment in order to make it possible for the average Joe (no pun intended) to afford to buy one without using the "creative" financing that has gotten people in the door but later slammed it on their fingers.

I read your comments with interest and respect them. I just found the relationship in the real estate market then and now something to consider. The sky didn't fall then but it I'm more inclined to run for cover now.

Indiansinger

Roger C. Carpenter
Sweet Potato Capital, MS, USA - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 06:59:52 (ZULU)

OK, long term, large scale rant coming. This is broad brush, not targeted at anyone specific, so if you get offended, oh well.

A major contributor to the current issues is the pervasive micromanaging attitude of many Americans and the intense desire to not let anyone fail. The real estate adjustment isn't going to be an issue for those who didn't make stupid purchasing decisions unless the God damned government gets involved and starts spending public money to fix a private problem. So banks fail? So fucking what? Other businesses fail all the time. Liquidate their assets to (partially) cover the FDIC insured savings, file criminal charges against the fools that merit them, put them against a wall and move on. All the uncovered stuff is a loss. That's the risk that comes with uninsured investment, too damned bad. The FDIC covers what they're legally required to cover and NO MORE THAN THAT. If these fools don't suffer for their poor decisions, then no learning will take place and the suckers will do it again and again. Start a WPA-esque program (We Putter Around) and have them digging ditches instead of illegals. Have wounded vets run it, cracking the whip on amoral ex-bankers and other completely self centered jacksasses would be cathartic.

As for starvation in America. Ain't gonna happen. Essentials prices will go up, spending on trivial Stupid Shit(TM) and other non-essentials will go down. We won't import as much crap trinketry from Asia, another "so what." Other than the junkies and mentally impaired I see everyday anyways, their isn't going to be any malnutrition. America has too many porcine walking food blisters anyways. Increased food prices may be the best thing that can happen to some of these people, not to mention having to forgo taking the car down to the 24hr fatburger trough at will.

If the USG would step away from the damned alt fuel subsidies, the grain prices would moderate. Hell, if the USG would step away from all sorts of subsidies, all sorts of prices would moderate. Sorry, but just because fuel is $4.49/gal is no reason for the USG to get involved just because you still want to drive your F-350 extended cab or Excursion as a family car. If you can afford to fuel it, great, if you can't that's no ones problem except your own. If you don't feel safe except in an uber SUV, that's just too damned bad that you're neurotic. Get off the cell phone and the crackberry and pay a little attention to your driving and you'll be OK. Or lock yourself in your house and never leave. Either way, it's not MY problem, it's YOUR problem.

Lord, I hate this nanny state entitlement garbage and all the shit that it brings. S/F....Ken M

Ken M
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 14:48:57 (ZULU)

If we ever find ourselves in another fight for our very existance...I know where to find the next US Grant, Patton, etc

medicjim
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 15:29:26 (ZULU)

NEED SOME INPUT

I bought a Coyote Lite in 243. Has a Kahles scope mounted in Signature Rings. Scoped the bore and chamber, perfect condition. I've tried WW760, H414, H4350 with bullets ranging 75grns. to 95grns. When i find a combination that groups 3/4" and reload that combination it might shot 1.5" to 2".The Coyote has a Bell& Carlson stock that is aluminum block bedded, but Winchester also bedded the recoil lug. I found that the bedding was touching the barrel at about 4 oclock, I ground that off and it changed my POI. I thought about removing the bedding around the recoil lug. I guess i don't understand why Winchester would do that. I'm about to take that SOB and wrap it around tree, it ain't heavy enough to use for a boat anchor.

Gary Kaney
N.W., ILL, - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 15:39:15 (ZULU)

Ken,

I like the way you think. How do we know if this isn't the Dems and the Media trying to scare us into voting their way? Anyone remember the Y2K frenzy that they created? The only thing that happened in Y2K was that I got a year older.

It's something to think about at least.

Indiansinger

Roger C. Carpenter
Sweet Potato Capital, MS, USA - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 16:08:24 (ZULU)

re: US Gov policy

I've read that alternate fuel subsidies are a political "third rail", so there are structural problems with making them go away. Too bad.

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 17:02:15 (ZULU)

Gary re: Coyote Lite in 243

Factory barrel?

If it is, rebarrel or move it out. You appear to have exercised "due diligence".

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 17:04:58 (ZULU)

Ok guys need your advice.I had my heavy bench rifle sitting on our end table and it got bumped off.It was about a 2foot drop onto carpet.I looked it over and could not see anything wrong.

The only thing I did check was that when I mount a scope I use a scope Ez leveling tool,I checked it last night and it was a little off.But also I did not level the scope after the rifle was rebuilt.So it could be just that.

Am I being to worried for nothing?Or should I send it in to leuplold to have it checked?Its a 8.5x25x50 mark 4.Let me know what you think.

Jon

Jon Kujawa
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 18:25:47 (ZULU)

Rod

Factory rifle. First Winchester i've had trouble with. I wish i had a Stealth or a HBV in 243.

Gary Kaney
N, ILL, - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 18:31:09 (ZULU)

I like the way Ken M cuts right through the bullshit. It makes an engaging read and - as an added bonus - saves a bunch of time.

CDC'
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 18:45:48 (ZULU)

Ken - Hallelujah brother! I'm a perfect example of your philosophy. I look at H2s with their 8 MPG in the city and drool, I would love to drive one and can even afford it......but I just keep taking the economical route and driving my little Alero. Choosing the smarter route is not something that comes easy to me either......

Jon....2 feet onto carpet? Pish posh. If that hurt it, it's defective. I've seen Chinese scopes hold up to much more than that.

Out here..gotta go see the doc.

Geoff M
WI, USA - Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 20:51:25 (ZULU)

Ok I pretty sure it didnt hurt the scope,but I just had to ask.

What about the level though,should I have releveled it on the new rifle even though it was the same rings,bases and action?

Jon Kujawa
Wednesday, April 23, 2008, at 21:19:23 (ZULU)

Jon,

The simple answer is yes. The complicated answer is absolutely. And there you have it. ;-))

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 05:05:48 (ZULU)

I really don't have much of a philosophy, I'm just trying to live what I think is the American dream. You know, that rugged individualist thing that Teddy Roosevelt idealised. I don't bother you, you don't bother me and we all just think that other guy is weird as Hell but that's his business and not mine as long as it's not directly impacting me.

Just so nobody gets me wrong, I'm not disagreeing with Joe, I just don't see things playing out in CONUS like he sees. OCONUS is going to suck, but OCONUS always sucks. Asia is all FUBAR because those dumbasses are shutting down rice exports causing hording and speculators to panic but their base problem is overpopulation for their infrastructure. Energy costs(transporting that food) become too high to support their basic food needs and it goes "smash." Unfortunate but it's been a long time coming. American farmers will make money, always a good thing. They're not going to hold out for much as far as waiting for the prices to inflate, farmers are simply too fractious for that. There's always somebody whose need for fast money will outweigh their desire to force price increases. The big conglomerates will manipulate the markets some but there's enough small farms to cushion this IMO. They simply don't have the cash and credit reserves to do that sort of thing. As long as the USG stays the Hell out of it.

As for political 3rd rails: That's another one of my "so what's." I'm in IL and politicians are dropping like flies around here. It's great. There's this turd, Tony Rezko, turns out he just got implicated in a deal to oust our local US Attorney, whose been going after these crooked schmucks for a few years now. The Gov here, Rod Blowjobovich, aka Hot Rod has just been implicated in a quid pro quo state job for money deal, so hopefully he's going to jail to join our last Gov. So, what the crooked pols want isn't really important. If they think paying off the farmers via subsidies is going to keep them in office, they're sadly mistaken.

Capitalism still works(always has), people may have to shift their skillset about to make money but that's just life. Be adaptable, that whole "survival of the fittest" thing. S/F.....Ken M

Ken M
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 07:26:49 (ZULU)

Ken

The sooner Blogi. goes to jail the better off we'll be. To bad his buddy Daily won't go with him. I like Quinn, i think he would do use some good. Speaking from outside of Chi-Town.

Gary Kaney
N.W., ILL, - Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 10:39:18 (ZULU)

Roger, Ken: I agree that any given sector that is bad off today has a history of being bad off in the past. But that kind of focusing and drawing of historical parallels is exactly why it is different this time. You see, by taking a fractional view sector by sector (in these cases, real eastate or food availibility), we tend to overlook new or inter-releated issues that are also in jeopardy; for food, trans is the weaker link today even though outof balance market forces are creating shortages (rice collapse is largely weather, but corn is self inflicted and cut across wheat, livestock feed etc). Diesel at 4.19 locally is impacting us all hard. Starve? Hardly...it is unchecked inflation and scarcities that will be the major problem in chow: Who cares if there are warehouses full to the brim with corn if the average citizen in Phillie can't afford it! So, food is may be available, but you lack the dollars to purchase enough to make a difference. What gives next? We see this already in areas where wage depressions exist---riots and social breakdown. Inflation is the same thing, only you'll need a bigger wallet to be as broke:))

Real estate has had adjustments and over-speculated markets in the past, but it tended to be localized. And yes, the world will suffer our mistakes in spades first and foremost--but what exactly makes this country different in the long run? Is it the mere fact that we have only known unprecedented economic expansions our whole lives? That tends to color judgment on what is possible---our past "is a our only guide to our future thinking." That thinking can be said for every major civilization that has failed: The Romans did not say "today we shall embark on a path of failure"---but they sure as hell thought they had it licked right up to the end. But the view that it is "different" for us is borne on the sum of what we know from all of our yesterdays--and that is why I see this slightly differently than most. I've seen a couple of wrecked societies, and studied their failures. The standard explanation in most books is that "these social structures came unglued because they were weak to begin with..." OK. I thought about that, and started to look at both psychology and sociology a bit. I slowly realized that social order is a thin veneer that desperately needs stability to maintain itself. Social groups tend to devolve to groups of 120 or so; larger ones need strong support or they devolve to this level. History and anthropology supports this in numerous examples. But it is just another aspect of the whole problem: human nature.

As a father, if i lack the means to play by your rules to feed my family--I will quite probably start playing by mine. Multiply that by just 2-3% of the population, and watch our resources get overwhelmed.

The bottom line is that 6.6 billion people may or may not be overgrazing the food sources of the planet---but cheap energy drives their grazing and enabled the herd to expand to the current size. I have no idea what the population size is that might be sustainable--but i do know that volunteers will be hard to come by should we need to cull this herd.

That is the macro end of it, and now these sectors we look at as individual entities are, by themselves, nothing to frett over. Unless of course, you can link the housing meltdown to the fall of our dollar, and that to the rise of oil prices, and the overspending of congress to the dollar falling again, and the fixes in place and debated that will add to our debt (and drive dollar south even more).

Fiat money is nothing but a belief system. It has failed before, and will always have its ups and downs. In the past, our currency was both stable and plentiful- so the world relied solely on it as a benchmark. Enter the Euro and trillions of USDs in "debt" that is now held as a reserves by foriegn banks/ governments: Who controls the US currency? Congress by spending non-existing dollars? The fed by contraction/ expansion policies within our troubled banks? Or China and OPEC, with their vast holdings of our currency? The answer is all three, and two of these groups are hell bent to save a small sector at the expense of the whole. How long until the foriegn holdings become unacceptable losses?

This policy is just one third of the issue; out of whack commodities are only partly due to the fall of the dollar---they are also affected by the foolish subsidies for bio-fuels, an ever larger market place, and by droughts.

Energy is another leg of the problem: and with little imagination, you can see how all three of these problems are largely interconnected.

Once I started to consider a larger and larger systemic view, I began to realize that the US is NOT immune, just more resilient. Even though i am focused on trying to grasp this---I am surprised, daily, by events unfolding as we speak.

I suppose it is comforting to keep each little problem isolated---just focus on solving these one at a time; but these solutions do in fact cause other problems in other areas. Housing is so bad that it would, if not checked, take out banks (FDIC has added 70% more workers this year alone, and bank failures have a psychological impact well beyond those affected by that branch). But the attempt to ease credit is killing the dollar--adding to the rise of oil costs. To work, we drive! How much can we cut this new cost? My truck takes a c-note to top off; I use it to move bales, water and wagons around the farm. Last year, 50 would do it. My spending habits are altered by this reality. It continues to worsen. Inflation is here---and is under-reported by the so-called indicators (since COLAs are tied to this, the government has incentive to play it down--click link). "In the past, we were looking at incidents causing ripples in the markets...today, what we may be seeing are wholesale trends..." And that is why this isn't yesterday's recession.

Ken M, you live in an area that is quite in need of outside support. If I am right, you are welcome to stop in for as long as you like (I'd damn sure welcome you if things got that bad). If you are right, you are welcome to stop by and laugh at me as we ring steel and drink my beer:))

I hope and pray you are right and i am tin-hat material.

Joe M
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 14:44:26 (ZULU)

Joe - I think you are right, but your timing is off. The core principal that is causing us grief here is that we "manufacture, harvest, supply" less today and rely on speculation, debt manipulation and leverage for an ever larger portion of our GDP. This is compounded by the artificial controls introduced into the free market both you and Ken mentioned. The US is on the path to ruin and the trend is accelerating, but our foundation is still a bit too solid to crumble in the imminent future if you ask me.

Now is the time to start some prudent, reasonable, long range planning for a sustained period of 'punishment' for our departure from true capitalism...it's on it's way, but not tomorrow (IMO).

In short, I agree with everything you've said and done except the duration of the planning period.

"Collapse" by Jared Diamond is an interesting but too 'preachy / granola' text on the subject.

just my $.02

medicjim
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 16:01:27 (ZULU)

MedicJim: Timelines and tea leaves are notoriously chancy for bets;)) I woulda used the 10K per day applications for SSN bennies (over the next 10 years!) as a catalyst for disaster, or at least re-writing our tax codes beyond repression---but other things inconveniently intervened in my analysis. Bottom line is the human factor makes any prediction utterly worthless without a functioning crystal ball. Mine's broke...so I just try to assimilate as much data as I can each day. The entitlement crunch staring us in the face along with the voter's incessant drive for more nannyisms were among my red flags not too long back. But now, noting market lag behind consumer activity---I think that things can (and will) get bad fast, long before the usual inidcators will react. There is much in history to draw from. Argentina and Germany come to mind. Overnight crashes, once the rats discover they've sunk the ship--with preceeding indicators indicating only a minor correction in segments as a warning. Dollar weakness is being quietly addressed today by G8 interventions; but the underlying weakness is being accelerated by fed/ congressional actions on another front. Bad debt propped by the same bad debt. How long before we hurt our benefactors in this, and how long before a free-fall occurs?

Shit, I've already moved several positions to things not too dependant on USDs. You hear of speculation in commodities' markets (copper, gold, oil, exported grains, etc)--but is it that or is it smart money running away from the USD and looking for "stable" places? In my case, it was to minimize a brutal 1st quarter's loss in dollar based stocks. Greed? maybe...but I prefer the term "maintaining my hard earned bucks." I lost "15%" on devaluations, now I contribute to the PI's rice dilemma:))

As for the link, it goes to Ken's point directly on guvmint interferences and unintended consequences. Oddly, the author uses that exact phrase--and one we are fairly fond of!

OK...got it. Some see strength and resilience; as has always been the case throughout our lifetime. I dug deep into this, and saw weaknesses that, alone, mean not a whole lot. I kept digging, and found patterns of weakness that are feeding each other--and became an alarmist.

I think my original point---start following market news as deeply as you can--is the only valid point that can be made right now (inform and evaluate for yourselves). The rest is purely guessing...which leads to much disagreement.

BTW, I interviewed with citigroup. No shit:)) I might take them up on an offer. Nothing...and i mean nothing at all in my background gave me any reason to think of this avenue on my own. A long story that involves two dirt roads, beer, and a chance meeting of an investment banker who liked to talk shop:)) Being Irish rocks at times. I shoulda played the lottery that day...

Joe M
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 19:46:14 (ZULU)

Joe - I agree with you on most of your points, especially about society being a "thin veneer". In the larger scale, it explains a causual link between the wholesale de-emphasis of judeo-Christian principles (by the liberals) in the US and the increase in societies ills i.e. abortion, divorce, gang activity, drug use and abuse, violence, etc. Anybody really have an idea what teenagers in the cities are like today? It's flat out scary. Kind of like Mad Max. You may or may not be a Christian, but this country was founded on very fundamental Christian morality. That has fallen by the wayside. While it definitely has it's weaknesses, it definitely has it's strengths. In our rush to make things "fair" we have eliminated our ability to keep the lid on IMO. As a society we have given up our ability to overcome many negative influences and raise kids that have respect, behave, and don't shoot or otherwise kill each other (via state protected abortions).

Now, everyone has the right to believe what they want. But what happens in a society when everyone believes something different, and there is no common thread of morality anymore? "You can't legislate morality". This is a fact, and the libs will be the first ones trying to grapple with this when the chickens come home to roost.

Ken M - I'm in your corner too. "I'm just trying to live what I think is the American dream. You know, that rugged individualist thing that Teddy Roosevelt idealised. I don't bother you, you don't bother me and we all just think that other guy is weird as Hell but that's his business and not mine as long as it's not directly impacting me." Right on. I work with a few gay dudes. Don't shove it in my face, and we will be just fine. Oh....and don't try and shove it down innocent kids' throats via the school system. That's one that really gets my goat. I don't have kids....yet. But I do have friends with kids. I worry about them too.

Jon, repeat after the rest of us....."you CAN'T CANT". :-)

Geoff M
WI, USA - Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 19:47:37 (ZULU)

The unpredictability of this stuff is that human factor--not just the US consumer (the heart of the world economy)--but all other trading partners as well. This article shows a change in attitude (unaccounted for by our experts) that is dangerous: Canada threatens a retaliatory energy deal with any NAFTA reno. Ok, if they ratchet prices, we go further into a recession, which in turn screws them by lowering profits from raising prices (supply then exceeds demand). Why shoot themselves in the foot? Because there is a thought out there that the US isn't as important anymore; the world can get along on Euros and globalisation with or without us. That is a wildcard that needs to be watched closely. Many tipping points, and not once have i red-flagged the usual suspects.

Oh heck: This is sniper country! This whole thing started when ammo prices jumped hard over the last two years. I started looking into commodities as a place for a few grand...and discovered that the war had less to do with the price hikes than I figured. Then, I became the chicken little-economist as a started following the money-makers. To look into it---do not watch stock quotes at the end of the day---read delivery schedules and prices, futures, and projections; read bank quarterly reports; in other words, don't look at what, but try to see why. And not just in energy or finance or grains--but a general look into al markets. That depth shows minor corrections here and there are all part of a larger trend that is uniformly heading in one direction.

Or, you can be happy Ford posted a quarterly gain for the first time in a few years and just ignore the fact they deferred energy costs;))

Joe M
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 20:26:33 (ZULU)

Joe, let me know if you get that job....especially if it's doing what I think you'll be doing. Our paths will likely cross if you do any site assessments.

medicjim
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 20:32:37 (ZULU)

Ah, "I don't bother you, you don't bother me and we all just think that other guy is weird as Hell but that's his business and not mine as long as it's not directly impacting me."---a constitutional issue. Believe it or not, I have far more passion on this than economics.

This Texas kid-seizure has me troubled in a fundemntally 4th ammendment way. Likely a false tip? But the kids go to foster homes anyway? So what was the probable cause to intervene again? Hey, I may think their lifestyle is bizarre, but I do not presume to pass judgment based on how they dress and organize family structures. So far, no evidence of the original crime allegations, and plenty that the tipster is a nutjob from Colorado. yet the families are being ripped apart. This thing bothers me. Convict someone first, eh? Then punish. Just because they are assumed to be weirdos is no reason to kick doors and kidnap their children. I would hope they'd need a shitload more than this to kick in YOUR door. Polygamists? Maybe..bu they did not obtain licences, so that's gonna be tough to prove:)) Child brides? |Think of the damage you can do to a rival with the right "anonimous tip" if this is how we now establish probable cause.

" and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

I'd say a little piece of this concept got thrown under the bus in this case...its almost enough to make me wanna write a check to the aclu. (Gag..barf)

Anyway, Ken's quoted quote by Geoff made me think of this example. edited to add: I had a not so friendly visit by social services in 92 during the divorce. It seems a tip phoned in to Alaska from Mass alleging "abuse" is all it took for me to be forced to shove an expensive attorney up their asses. I was out major dinero, and for 18 hours my son was in protective custody; all because of an obviously BS allegation from 4800 miles away.

Land of the free-- insofar as we are willing to fight for it. Willingness is sadly lacking, IMHO.

a article on dollar-gold de-linking and some of todays commodity pricing (click)

Joe M
Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 20:44:57 (ZULU)

Very Sad News Today - Logan Dane Coffery (34) died in an auto accident. He was the founder and president of Tactical Tailor.

Click my name for the news report and or read below - the url listed below is to another news site with photos of the car accident:

Two people killed in Lakewood crash

06:40 PM PDT on Sunday, April 20, 2008

Associated Press

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - A 35-year-old Lakewood man and a woman were killed and three others injured when a red Ferrari struck a shuttle bus in Lakewood.

Courtesy of Dean Minor

Two people in the Ferrari were killed in the crash.

Lakewood police Lt. Dave Guttu says the driver and passenger in the Ferrari died at the scene on Sunday afternoon.

The driver and two passengers in the Transpro shuttle were injured and taken to local hospitals for treatment. Guttu says the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.

The sports car had been going north on Gravelly Lake Drive when it crossed into the southbound lanes.

The Ferrari struck the Transpro shuttle about 12:30 p.m.. Transpro provides rides to disabled and elderly passengers.

It was not known if speed was a factor in the crash.

Tacoma and Lakewood police shut down a section of Gravelly Lake Drive for several hours to investigate the accident.

http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_042008WAB_lakewood_fatal_ax_SW.835a04ae.html

Darren
East Bay, CA, USA - Thursday, April 24, 2008, at 20:50:44 (ZULU)

Joe M,

The Texas polygamist incident was wrongly handled and the raid seems to have been based on a tip from a mentally unstable person in another state. They may act funny and they dress strangely, but as long as everybody's happy, (kinda like you and I did in the Army) they have the right to do that. The warrant seems to me to be very flimsy, but it has to be checked out.

Why? Because bad things happen to kids. My wife works with special ed kids. They're easy compared to the kids who were taken from their homes because of murder, rape, beatings and psychological abuse that makes you think Carlos the Cuban from the Hanoi Hilton was coaching the abuser.

She got a job in a 'non-public' school that had a padded room for kids who were upset and acting out. I remember calling from TDY to let her know I would be late. The secretary said "The hospital called. Your wife is OK." A teen-age girl had a flashback to witnessing her mother being murdered and clocked her. She got a black eye and we could laugh at it, but we didn't have to live with that particular horror. So yes, they check it out.

CPS also checked out my son-in-law because the nosy neighbor next doors said the kids were loud. They left when their mom, a 6 foot tall Swede, asked for a warrant. They came back with a deputy and were met by their attorney at the property line, so yes, sometimes you have to get ugly.

I agree with you that sometimes people do mean and stupid things, but most of the time, taking a child from a proven abusive situation is the right thing to do. Most people don't have the integrity that you do.

Local law enforcement apparently had a source inside the compound for as long as two years. Why didn't they arrest or publicly investigate the compound until now? Waco. They are going to get sued into bankruptcy, no matter what, but nobody died.

Statistically, about 40% of the children who are removed from situations like this make it in "The World", 40% will be wards of the state or incarcerated and 20% - unknown. They get to go into the world at age 21 to express themselves as protected by the 1st Amendment.

When, in the course of an investigation, based on probable cause or reasonable suspicion, evidence of other crimes is discovered, arrests are made an the evidence investigated. It ain't pretty, but that's part of being human.

Rant off.

Trajan

Trajan Aurelius
East Bay, Kalifornya, USA !!! - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 02:30:14 (ZULU)

Click. ...and thanks, guys!

Ken, "A major contributor to the current issues is the pervasive micromanaging attitude of many Americans and the intense desire to not let anyone fail."

So, you've met my wife and mother in law? My wife CAN NOT let the boy do anything without being involved. Even simple shit, like moving the push mower from the back yard to the front. He's TWELVE!!! I swear those two cows would sit in his plate and tell him how to eat, if their big asses didn't cover half the table.

....and they wonder why he can't even cut his own meat.

As for the banks failing, I think the only good thing about it is saving some of the smaller banks, so Bank of America, which ain't based in America, doesn't end up owning the whole banking business.

On increasing food prices being a good thing, it'll only be good for folks like me, who will supplement by growing my own damn food.

Increasing prices will only cause lower income people to feed their kids crappier food. (Think Top Ramen, little Debbies, and cheese puffs) It won't cause them to tighten their belts at all. Have you ever met trailer trash that didn't have top tier cable, an expensive stereo and surround sound for their video game, and a smoking habit?

When these type of people have less cash, they don't cancel their cable or quit smoking,they buy cheaper food. Damned if they'll do without their new Nikes.

Medic Jim,

We ARE in the fight for our very existence! Look at our only choices for president! ....and one of THOSE losers will be chosen by APPOINTED "super delegates"! The electoral college is absolute bullshit. The SD's are gonna do what they're told.

Gary,

Just send that rifle to me. The boy needs a stick.

Jon,

I'd go shoot it, maybe do the "square" test,(1 click up, 1 right, one down, one left should make a square) then decide.

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 05:27:02 (ZULU)

Joe M.,

I'm thinking you would make a good Intel Analyst. Give the Company a call. Maybe they'll let you work from home. ;-))

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 06:18:21 (ZULU)

WSJ's Brett Arends thinks it is time to start stockpiling food. Click. A few notable senior investment bankers share that view too.

jc: I'd wager I'm not welcome with the agency. I tended to be a smart ass whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Joe M
Friday, April 25, 2008, at 06:46:16 (ZULU)

Travis

For a nominal fee i could do that. I like that rifle, it's light wieght, no recoil to speak of, great little coyote getter. I think i'm going to send it to GAP.

Gary Kaney
N.W., ILL, - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 12:22:03 (ZULU)

I've had some e-mails about my son, and got one this morning and my e-mail wouldn't reply (my 'putter is having "one of those days - weeks"), so here's what's happening...

"Good morning Sharon.

Ruggus Rattus is great.

I just got his report card last week and he's pulling all A's and the teacher comments were all positive, ("He's a joy to have in class", "Jason has a very positive attitude", "He has fit right in with no adjustment period", etc)

He's just glowing. We have heard nothing from his mother in nearly three months. She never gave a shit, she just wanted him to "get even" and wreck our lives. The "Ultimate" in bitter divorced women.

She has a real shitty life in front of her."

'lito

CatShooter
Spring has sprung, da' creek has riz, I wonder where dem kitties is? - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 14:43:43 (ZULU)

'Lito,

You and your son both deserve congratulations and respect. Obviously, the right thing has happened, and both her and the courts should pay for preventing such, for so long.

I pray I may be so lucky, in my debacle of similar circumstance. Care to throw some of that luck my way?

I know, I know, it ain't luck, it is shear perserverance, and no stopping a man who knows he's right. No argument there.

Sean T.
Winnipeg, where there's snow on the ground, AGAIN!!!, Manitoba, Canada - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 16:45:04 (ZULU)

A long time ago I posted, "Screw Master Kung Foo Fighter, the guy I wouldn't want to piss off is (Catshooter)"

I'm still good with that.

FluffyBlaster: Kids give us our highest highs and our lowest lows. You've been through enough of the bad times that you've earned this.

CDC'
Friday, April 25, 2008, at 21:19:42 (ZULU)

Carly Fiorina for VP?

If it's a McCain/Fiorina ticket, I'll vote Democrat.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/04/22/carly-fiorina-gets-endorsement-of-sorts-for-vp-job/

Duman
Friday, April 25, 2008, at 21:39:38 (ZULU)

Equipment country:

(WRT practice and ongoing training, deepest flat range I can access locally is 800m.)

I'm looking at the Leica CRF900 laser rangefinder. Given that my ongoing long-range stick is likely to be .308 Win chambering or similar, is there any compelling argument to get the CRF1200 instead?

Best price I could find for the CRF900 was $US440 from Turner Sports thru Amazon.com. Typical pricing was $US550. Any alternate vendor dynamite deals?

Thanks

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Friday, April 25, 2008, at 23:35:52 (ZULU)

Sean...

I can tell you it ain't luck - it's blood and tears. If you ever need any advice, drop me an e-mail (put SniperCountry in the subject line so I won't have a misunderstanding like last time - sorry!!)

Now that the stuff for my son is over, I have had a chance to come up for air, and I have been going over the papers from the first case and found that my first lawyer was about 4 times more worser than I thought (is that POSSIBLE???)...

... but in the browsings, I found that she committed "Misrepresentation for the purpose of financial gain" (aka FRAUD!!) a felony around these parts. Also, she supplied me with a knowingly false sworn affidavit, a felony around these parts... along with a few other real baddnesses.

So last week, I filed a $1,500,075 law suit against my first lawyer - It's pretty different than what I have been doing, but I have a lot going for me... I can shut her down in a flash, and probably close her father's law firm too.

I'm in the process of putting together the complaints to the state BAR "Grievance Committee" - felonies are a mandatory loss of license for her and her father... the father is a nice guy that raised a selfish, self centered, spoiled daughter, who can't take responsibility for her own farts.

I figure that if I press them with everything, and they are looking at loosing their living, they will have the insurance company cut a deal asap. That's my hope and strategy anyway.

Getting back to shooting... I had a 22-250 Rem 40-XB single shot that I bought new in 1980, and I ate up the barrel on Prairie Dogs and crows. It's been sitting around for years, and every so often I would take it out and see if I could find some magic bullet that would squeeze a few more years out of it. Never gonna happen. Like the "Original Pat" said, the throat looked like 40 miles of bad road ;) The stock had got beat up too, and it looked pretty ratty.

So last December, I sent it to Remington for a new Custom Shop Match barrel in 6m/m Rem (244 Rem) cuz I'm wore out on the .22-250 (and I have another one also), and it got back about 10 days ago.

Beautiful barrel. So I stripped the stock with paint remover, and steamed out the dents, and laid into it with 400 sandpaper... and then some nice Walnut stain.

I put on about 8 coats of gloss polyurethane, and it's looks pretty good for a start - I have to a little more sanding (dribbles), and do a few more coats of poly, but I want to shoot it for a while and work up some loads.

I can smell the air, and it smells clean and warm... look out you woodies. ;)

CDC...

>""Screw Master Kung Foo Fighter..."<

Man, that o-fish-u-lly makes you an old timer...

... I haven't thought of "Master Kung Foo Fighter" in many years. HA!

I think that was about 7 years ago???

You should know - you know where ALL the bodies are buried ;)

'lito

CatShooter
Spring has sprung, da' creek has riz, I wonder where dem kitties is? - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 00:16:14 (ZULU)

Rod: you probably won't be astonished that manufacturers claims for the distance that LRFs will work are somewhat...optimistic, to be kind. I'd go with the 1200 - which I have - even for a .308. Except on big, highly reflective targets, my 1200 doesn't often work much past 800.

Lindy
RV-Nomadic, On the Road, U.S.A. - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 01:13:42 (ZULU)

Lindy:

I was kind of wandering into that direction, would like some margin for targets that don't resemble a billboard surfaced in Da-lite :-) Only too familiar with "specs-manship" :-)

Appreciate the feedback. I don't have money to burn, but I also hate wasting money iterating on products. 23% more price as insurance on 800 yd specs is fine.

CRF1200 $US540 from Turner Sports thru Amazon.com. Any better-priced sources?

Usual price is $US650.

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 01:46:39 (ZULU)

'lito,

Glad to hear it.

Sharon

Larry J. Porter
Boonies of the Panhandle, Texas, USA!!!! - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 01:47:38 (ZULU)

rod,

Ditto on what Lindy said. Good advice and it looks as if you're taking it. Good move.

Joe M.,

What the hell, give 'em a call anyway. Their memory ain't that good these days.

jc
Cordova, TN, United States - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 04:55:23 (ZULU)

Joe,

It wasn't my intention to leave you with the impression that I disagreed with your assessment of the direction our country is going. It's true that the real estate market is only one element in our economic condition.

The Romans left us with a great example of how a country can rise and fall from grace. History suggests that we, as a nation, are following in their footsteps.

We started out with the right idea but I believe our success has lead us to the place we are today. We traded our noble dreams for something not quite as noble. The Romans eventually had a problem with power hungry people governing for their own sake rather than the good of the citizens they were supposed to represent. Honor was left in the dust of their race for power and wealth, leaving the people behind. Sound a little familiar?

You are much more the scholar than I am and like I said, I read your posts with interest. I have learned that for all of our ability to gather and store historical data, we have become even more inclined to ignore it. For all of our intelligence, we don't seem to have the sense that God gave a goose.

Just my two cents.

Indiansinger

Roger C. Carpenter
Sweet Potato Capital, MS, USA - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 05:28:13 (ZULU)

Rod.

When i bought my range finder i went with the 1500 series over the 1200 just for the extra (insurance)i guess you would say. I was really druelling for a Swarovski, but setting down and thinking about what i was really going to use it for i couldn't see spending that kind of money. Like i said before i'm happy with my Newcon.

Gary Kaney
NW, ILL, - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 12:22:47 (ZULU)

Gary:

Just found out that Newcon is based in Canada - an advantage for me. They also have arrangement to sell refurb units thru a Canadian vendor, which appeals to my pricing sensibilities :-) (Domestic shipping is a big advantage too.)

http://www.ramoptic.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=51

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 13:54:22 (ZULU)

Laser rangefinders:

Found this little gem while searching thru spec sheets. Similar patterns for other products guaranteed, just not necessarily published :-(

(Newcon) LRM 1200 LRM 1500

-------- --------

Max. distance, m (white target) 1140 1460

Max. distance, m (black target) 436 608

*That's* why you want the apparently over-spec product, since the spec is based on a white target. Not too many white targets in realistic field conditions except after a fresh snow-fall.

http://www.newcon-optik.com/Specs/lrm1200_1500.pdf

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 14:23:30 (ZULU)

Rod: Great target reference, but another factor is conditions. Bright high noon sun, as you know, can also degrade the range. The thing that would make the difference in how much I'd pay isn't so much how utterly fantastic the optics were as it would be how much output the laser had. Transmissions and horsepower! The abslolute best slick assed tranny in the world coupled to a 200hp stock 350 is going to lose to 650hp coupled to a garage built 400 turbo everytime;)

Lito can correct my anology if my reasoning is false without me getting defensive---heheh. This has happened before, and I am a smarter human for it.

Now I received a letter from my son last night. His OSUT ends May 8th, and the grad letter came the day before (from the CO). His letter was a short, vague "oh woe is me" POS of a scribbled mess. Apparently, he wants to come home, chapter out and run away (and asks my help in this). My best guess at this point is to assume a typical response to a typical temporary twinge of regret: He got full of himself, made a slight transgression, and got stomped on by a Drill---and had the fear of God himslef placed deep into his heart (I know that feeling!). This rocked his equilibrium, cuz he thought he was one of the chosen peoples by excelling to this point. This combined with a sense of homesickness to cause a near manic mood swing instantly; now he wants to walk away and run to mommy (or, in this case, that side of me that tried to be the mommy in her absense over the years).

That is the theory: I spent most of last night (insomnia can be useful) finding the back door portal to the secure side of Benning to obtain every dang email addy and phone listing from the CG on down to his 1SG. That stuff is a contigency. I also spoke directly with a senior drill in another company in his cycle---he relayed my concerns to his drills directly thru the brick-radios. I expect a bit more details once they get a chance to get on the phone.

The company is off on the final FTX, and my boy appears to be among them (he is not in the holdover area). That tends to reinforce the theory that he is just overreacting to a handslap. Heheh, I did much the same a few times early on too.

The bitch of it was trying to speak to someone after duty hours on a friday night. Staff duty appears to be a Brigade level thing anymore:((

The other theory is he did something really dumb (like sneaking off to the PX or Burger King on a work detail--I did too, only was not caught)--and they would be stomping him a bit harder (maybe a recycle or a summary AR15---neither of which matters a bit to a career so much as it does to self esteem. In that case, maybe I could be of use by applying some wall-to-wall counseling that is no longer legal on their end.

In any event, i am prepared to launch to GA in hours if needed.

Dang! I did really well at letting him be on his own without any interference to this point...but i will not let him make the biggest mistake of his life out of stubborn pride and silly adjustment period-induced depression. A quitter is habitualized for life. If it is that bad, I have to stop him.

Joe M
Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 15:35:32 (ZULU)

Joe M: I'm not lecturing anybody, least of all you. Esquire magazine has a feature called "What I've Learned" in which it asks accomplished and/or famous people, well, what they have learned.

I am neither accomplished nor famous but here's my shot at it:

..................................................................

- No serious endeavor turns out to be like you imagined it would. You need to understand that going in.

- When grown-ups have to do unpleasant jobs, grown-ups do them.

- Nothing worth doing is easy.

- In any big project there's a point at which you will be tempted to quit. If you quit, you'll regret it every time you think about it for the rest of your life.

- Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and you'll get there soon enough.

.....................................................................

Again, I'm not lecturing. You gentlemen know all this. Most kids don't.

<3rd edit>

CDC'
Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 16:53:44 (ZULU)

Joe....had the same momentary problem with #1 daughter.....advised her that home was now a "With your shield, or on it" place of rest. Seems to have worked. If I had stepped in in any other way, the immediate problem may have been avoided, but it would still have had the effect of "daddy fixed it, not me". Seems to have worked. Article 15 overcome, back on track and supposedly OTW a PsyOps gig. We'll see. Having them is the easy part. Raising them is a problem. Letting go is a bitch.

Range finders....I popped for a Nikon 1200. They advertise 1200, I've actually gotten a hit at 1310 on a large bilboard in the Texas hill country. With a teeny bipod I use for my spotting scope, I've gotten true recordings of 995 yds on a flat black, standard mailbox down the road from my house. Here in the 'Stan, I regularly get out to 800-900 yards with no problem. There's so much damned dirt in the air here in Kabul, I've had some problems farther than that, it's an atmospheric problem, not the unit. Be prepared to spend $500. I still had problems with the F*#%ing UKD targets up at Bobby's World. He gots some kinda hoodoo hex on 'em or sumthin...

Abdullah the BBIED warrior got in a taxi today and told the driver to take him to the MOI police station. Driver refused, and Abdullah the Dull got out and slunk away. I laughed so hard, my 'taint hurt...I sure needed the laugh. I never included working for DoS idiots in my zombie plan....

Charles S. Hunt
San Antonio, Texas, USA - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 19:03:39 (ZULU)

<<<Nothing is ever like you think its going to be.

Grown-ups have to do boring, uncomfortable tasks. Grown-ups do them.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

In any significant task, there's a point at which you will be tempted to quit. If you quit, you'll regret it every time you think about it for the rest of your life.

Put one foot in front of the other and you'll get there soon enough.>>>

CDC,

If ya dont mind I would like to borrow/use this....Gotta 15yr old stepson that needs a reminder now and again on how life is full of disappointments,And disapointments used properly can build character.

UnPat

UnPat
Wi, USA - Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 20:48:30 (ZULU)

UnPat: Go ahead. Since your C&P I edited them to read better.

CDC'
Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 00:33:26 (ZULU)

Taliban tried to kill Karzai a couple hundred yards from where I was standing today. They got within 30 yards, had RPG's, BBIED's and AK's. Couldn't hit anything other than a little kid and one MP. I hope this is their 'A' team......What a bunck of shitheads. I am, however, starting to get a growing respect for the ANA.

Charles S. Hunt
San Antonio, Texas, USA - Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 17:41:52 (ZULU)

re: the opposition

Always better to overestimate enemy capabilities.

OTOH, nothing wrong with hoping they're all as inept as they appear :-)

(But I'm sure you knew that already).

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 20:06:24 (ZULU)

CDC',

Good list on 'grown-ups'. There need to be more grown-ups in some areas/positions.

Duman
Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 20:36:54 (ZULU)

Charles,

All it takes is one bomber to ruin your day.

The ANA are gutsy. As good as the ROK's except for equipment and nutrition. Very experienced as individual fighters (fighting is the national sport) and learning the art of combined arms warfare the hard way.

Trajan

Trajan Aurelius
East Bay, CA, USA - Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 21:29:06 (ZULU)

re: news

Attack on Karzai and associates on national news in Canada. Footage only had sounds of rifles, but of course the cameraperson may have missed other stuff.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080427/ceremony_attacked_080427/20080427?hub=TopStories

Of course, the Canadian coverage had to add a Canadian flavour:

"Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan and President Hamid Karzai narrowly escaped an "audacious attack" by the Taliban during a ceremony in Kabul marking the end of the Soviet invasion."

rod regier
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada - Sunday, April 27, 2008, at 23:34:26 (ZULU)

Joe, Plus 1 on the quitting becoming a habit. Works the same with relationships. It seems some guys I know have a divorce lawyer on speed dial.

It seems that, based on MY observation, most folks quit within days or feet of sucess. A few things I've quit on, it pissed me off to see that I had been ALMOST THERE when I threw down my stuff and told everyone within hearing what a bunch of assholes they were. I now have a different opinion of exactly WHO the asshole was.

Travis Morgan
Wichita, Ks., U.S.A. - Monday, April 28, 2008, at 05:01:43 (ZULU)

Travis: I had similar experiences in life. Every time I've had a problem, the same person was always present - ME!

I've tried to teach that to our kids, but haven't completely succeeded. Some lessons are difficult to teach to others, and apparently must be learned on one's own.

Lindy
On The Road, U.S.A. - Monday, April 28, 2008, at 13:33:48 (ZULU)

CDC,

Thanks,...The kid has drivers ed this year and in the frame of mind that nothin can happen fast enough to make him happy.He has alot to learn.

UnPat

UnPat
Monday, April 28, 2008, at 18:45:38 (ZULU)

WOW!

Just getting a chance to catch up on the roaster, and - to quote the Grateful Dead - what a long, strange trip it's been!

Good news (kind of) - I'm now officially a certified ISO & OHSAS auditor. Don't let that fool you, I still think ISO is a euroweenie consipiracy. But if I can make a buck from fools that don't look at the bigger picture..... and got my explosives handlers license re-upped too. That, and the FCC license - it's been a big month for licenses! HA! Now someone throw money at me quick - just because I look GOOD!

On the Texas kids, I gotta side with Joe about this one. Before one can have probable cause, one is required to have reasonable suspicion. So are polygamists "guilty" of child abuse just because they're polygamists? Several of you know I've got somewhat of an inside track on this stuff. Some of what those "fundamentalists" do is sick and wrong. Like marrying off pre-teen girls to family members. When a 16 year old girl - with 4 kids - explains that she's been married to her uncle for 4 years, that pegs my "sick and wrong" meter. But I wanna see SWORN AFFIDAVITS before someone pulls a kid. ANY kid - for ANY reason! Either we've got a Constitution or we don't. Either we've got laws to punish perjury, or we don't. If we don't, then let the revolution roll - let's see who's back is up against the wall first - if we do, you can't trample it without repercussions. Personally, I couldn't care less what adults do - as long as I don't have to finance it under duress (like I do now) - and feel that anti-polygamy laws are a violation of the First Amendment. Besides, the federal government has no legitimate business as pertains to marriage. PERIOD. Since the states do though, I'll hold my tongue. The end comment? Let adults exercise their freedom of religion, let the Constitution mean something, but if kids are being done wrong, come down on anyone involved like the Hammer of Thor. Just make sure those ducks are in a line FIRST.

I've been through the same thing Joe said - evil people using the system as a weapon. You prove 'em wrong, and there's no justice. I asked why, and was given the crap about "we don't want to discourage people from reporting" - I asked if they cared about discouraging people from committing felony purjury by knowingly filing false claims". Uh, no. There are NO consequences to filing a report KNOWN to be false. That part of the system is broke, and it wouldn't make me cry if some family made "the system" bleed. These 'government workers' seem to think there's no difference between pulling a kid forcibly from his home and sending him off for a week at scout camp. But I forget - what is it that the Founding Fathers said we needed to do when government usurped authority and abused it? I forget..... yeah, right.

CDC, drop me a line at the Riflemen.net addy - I'll send you the pics. By the way, YOU are the bad fellow! You've talked me into spending too much money. Since the Chopweiler was so big, I ordered a trio of DMDCs from Scrap Yard (7 weeks ago, still to be delivered). Then Swamp Rat opened pre-orders for a little 3.5" blade just this weekend. It was YOU that clued me in to Cliff Stamp, and his skinning the Buick with the little Rat (I especially loved the part where he cut through the door hinges!). I'm "on the list" for a trio of those too. You're a very, very bad man. On the good side, I snagged a Busse. Not that I'm gonna keep it - it's a jump school graduation present for a certain young paratrooper - too rich for my blood :-) What you said about kids being the providers of both highs and lows is slightly more than 100% right.

On grown-ups, I'm continually telling my kiddo there's more to being a man than growing old. Sometimes I think he catches it. Other times I'm not so sure. Maybe more westerns would help.

On food, do I agree with storage? Not long ago, I ordered 15 cases of MountainHouse #10 cans. Good for 25 to 35 years - not that I figure it'll take anywhere near that long for the bottom to fall out of our socialist experiment. That's one spoke in the bike wheel. I've been saying for quite a while that people need to get their houses in order - I've been practicing what I've been preaching. I'm just practicing it harder and faster now.

Bravo
Monday, April 28, 2008, at 19:55:36 (ZULU)

ATK, LEUPOLD ACQUISITIONS . . . Irvine, Calif.-based Meade Instruments announced it has sold its Weaver and Redfield sport optics brands to two buyers for cash proceeds of about $8 million. ATK acquired Weaver. Leupold & Stevens purchased the Redfield brand.

Sharon

Larry J. Porter
Boonies of the Panhandle, Texas, USA!!!! - Tuesday, April 29, 2008, at 02:38:02 (ZULU)

Unpat: Fifteen and still "He has alot to learn."?

That's pretty sad. My daughter just turned fourteen and she knows absolutely every goddamned thing.

Bravo: It was all a part of my nefarious plan. I'd have trouble parting with the Busse.

CDC'
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 05:10:52 (ZULU)

CDC,

I hear ya,man...LOL.

Has anyone dealt factory direct with Magpul for a PRS Stock for ARs ?

Any comments on order fill time ???

UnPat

Unpat
Wi, USA - Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 06:50:07 (ZULU)

CDC: Knowing-it-all afflicts all of us.

In fact, it explains Blake's current problem: He bought a cell phone on pass (he misses his girl friend even more than mommy, thankfully:)) A company drill saw him and passed word back. |When asked if he had one, he decided to revert back to what he would have told his mom (and gotten away with it)--he lied. So they took his locker apart and found three "contraband" items--the phone, a MP3 player and a spent practice fuze for a grenade (doh!). Now he faces a big-assed "summarized" field grade. It is slightly different than one he may receive in a real unit in that it stays in Benning when he leaves (no lasting impact). That is cool IMHO.

He struggled a bit (hence the tear-stained letter) about manning-up and taking his lumps and driving on vs. quitting. His first instinct was to quit. His 1SG (this man is now a hero in my world) explained to him that, other than this, he was in the running for trainee of the cycle and he is counseling him to stick it out. So far, he has had success. Blake is planning on recycling back thru the final phase and going forward.

I did talk with the CSM and his 1SG--but my caveat was that I would only get directly involved if asked. They appreciate that. As is noted here---letting him find his way is important.

I can't bleat about how dumb this was since i did equally dumb things early on, and I was prepared to quit at least twice myself. It might be better that he learns this lesson now--that real-life is for freakin' real and nobody is joking around about some things. At least in trainee status, if they do not toss yer ass, they just smack it with a big stick and then erase the record. A few months later, and he would be toast. Silver lining? I try to see it that way:))

So....now I gotta re-arrange my travel plans:))

Joe M
Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 17:19:16 (ZULU)

Joe: sounds like rearing and his innate value set burned through the fog. Good for him. And I know you're all burned up about having to rearrange your travel plans. Glad it turned out that way.

I'm finding out quite a bit about the corporate warrior code of ethics. At least on the "corporate" side. Get a copy of your contract, laminate it, and keep it in your rucksack. You need it. 'nuff said.

Charles S. Hunt
San Antonio, Texas, USA - Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 18:34:02 (ZULU)

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