Five Hundred Words

This year, the pending holiday season found me feeling out of sorts. Black Friday turned into Black Thanksgiving Day, a sure sign we are losing our balance. Then came a raft of bad news, sad news, and outright horrific news that made this December feel bleak and ugly.

The economy is performing worse than was reported in the runup to the election. The president seems determined to run us over the fiscal cliff. Then reports came in from Newtown that broke our hearts. Continue Reading

As calls for a ban on “assault rifles” ring out, a little knowledge about the most popular “assault rifle” is in order.

The AR-15 replaced the heavier M1 Garand rifle that fired a powerful 30.06 (pronounced thirty ought six) cartridge, in Missouri, the 30.06 is a favorite among deer hunters. The weapon that ultimately became the main battle rifle of US forces fired a much lighter, higher velocity 5.56 mm cartridge.

There is a long spring in the back of the AR-15 that is compressed by a metal cylinder when the gun is fired. This spring and buffer soak up recoil from the fired round. This in turn keeps most of the “kick” of the rifle off the shooter’s shoulder. This innovation makes the AR-15 a relatively painless rifle to use. Being easier to shoot makes it easier to master shooting accurately. A combination of synthetic parts and sturdy, aluminum made the AR-15 rifle much lighter than equivalent firearms. Continue Reading

For many in America – myself included – the “fiscal cliff” is a forgone conclusion. We are going over. Exit polls in November showed a substantial number of Obama voters still blame President Bush for economic troubles and America voted for more of Obama’s medicine. The GOP was wrecked by FDR for decades, even though the Great Depression ground on despite (or because of) the New Deal. Post-cliff deprivations might be worth it to the President for a new Progressive hegemony. It’s not like any of his friends will go hungry.

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This week I have been writing a great deal about gun rights, just not on this blog.  Below are links to the blogs I’ve been writing over at The Truth About Guns, a great blog that covers everything from gun reviews to self-defense tactics to hunting gear to politics.  You can guess what I have been writing about.  Here are links to some of my latest pieces:

It’s Time for Common Sense Media Control

Since we are talking gun control in the wake of Sandy Hook, how about we talk a little media control? The Sandy Hook murderer was a disturbed young man, but being disturbed doesn’t mean they are stupid or irrational – at least not irrational within the confines of their own mind. Continue Reading

I can tell you from first-hand experience, that dealing with the mentally ill is difficult, and fraught with an endless maze of conflicting interests.

When a loved one begins exhibiting signs of mental illness – even something as simple and common as depression – you quickly realize how powerless you are to help. For more severe disorders where a break from what you and I might recognize as reality occurs, it can be extremely difficult to get your loved one the help they need.

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“Gun Free Zones” are so incandescently stupid that only college-educated liberals could take the idea seriously. Review any recent mass shooting and you’ll not find one person who was saved by a “No Guns Allowed” sign. Bringing a placard to a gunfight is an idea that richly deserves unfettered ridicule by every man woman and child who gives a damn about public safety in a world where monsters live.

Teachers should be armed. Any teacher who is an otherwise law-abiding citizen and has a mind to should be permitted to carry a firearm. Personally, I would like to see teachers carry a firearm on their hip as a public warning to any who might menace their charges. Continue Reading

I think quiet horror and reflective prayer are the appropriate response to the mass murder at the Sandy Hook school in Connecticut. We who have lost a child know the incoherent grief confusion and the desolate wall that slams down on your spirit in the immediate aftermath of the news that your baby boy or little girl is no more.

Would that our society have the grace to allow some time to pass after an event like Sandy Hook, Columbine, Aurora before we make comments on political policy. We have had more than enough opportunity to develop those habits. It would be a kindness to the families to provide space for reflection.

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Visiting Central Pennsylvania on a business trip, I stopped in at a favorite restaurant, The Filling Station. Normally I am there for lunch will colleagues, but this visit had me flying solo. I took a stool at the counter, ordered coffee and an omelette. My order arrived promptly and like any good 21st century guy I took a photo of it with my cell phone and posted it to Facebook. While I was doing this, the door opened and the waitress said “Hi Scott, the usual?”

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The wife and I bought a new car – new to us at least. With just under 12,000 miles, this is the newest car she and I have ever bought together. The experience filled us with both excitement and dread.

We were excited, because the purchase was part of our happy little partnership pursuing a business opportunity that required a nice vehicle that was reliable. The old Caravan just sucked nearly $1000 out of our savings, demanding a repair that deadlined the vehicle at an Amoco station. While the new oil pump, water pump and timing belt might give the minivan another 10,000 trouble-free miles, the last thing our fledgling enterprise needed was for her to be broken down on the way to a revenue event.

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Lately, I’ve noticed some folks of a leftist persuasion making the point that President Reagan really ballooned the deficit. They even have a nifty chart showing how Democrats were minding their own business and only passed the budget that Reagan asked for.

Gather ‘round kiddies, PeePaw wants to tell you a story. You may not realize this, but once upon a time the President had to work with members of Congress to pass a budget. Why, back in your old PeePaw’s day, the President had to cut deals with congress to get his agenda funded.

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