A Special Place in HELL

Is reserved for the two subhumans who committed this heinous act.

To gun down a Salvation Army volunteer in front of his children on Christmas Eve is about as low as you can get.

I thought I would get through Christmas without a rant but made the mistake of glancing at the news just to see if anything earth shattering had happened in the rest of the world.

Guten Tag

Have to make a shout out to whoever is visiting from 1&1 Internet AG in Karlsruhe Germany.

Been there and have the T-Shirt. I used to work for a German company headquartered just North East of Karlsruhe. Made a few trips over and had a good time each. Made some good friends in a few places over there as well. I've driven the Rhine on both sides and gone all the way down through the Black Forest and up into the mountains. There really is much to see in this area of Europe. One of these years I may even come up with the funds to convince misbeHaven to make a trip over for holiday.

It doesn't hurt that I like wine more than I like beer. This is definitely the right place to visit. The beer is great and the wine is even better. For those of you in Texas, one of the family wineries in the small town where I worked is owned by the Pfluger family and happens to be the area where the Pfluger family that founded Pflugerville TX came from. I still have a couple bottles of Sternefels Koenig wine from the Pfluger Family Winery that I brought back from one of my trips.

I hope you are having a Merry Christmas and that you'll check back occasionally.

Mit besten Grüßen,

TXGunGeek

Merry Christmas

So, this morning started with more winds and 29 degrees. Once it got above freezing misbeHaven and I took a walk around the fence line and property checking out all the things we haven't gotten done and have on our plate for the new year. It's an impressive list to say the least. Also found more trash left over from previous owners deep in the woods at our property line creek bed. We also surveyed the damage (downed trees) from yesterdays winds. Gonna have to get the chain saw out to cut the one over the cemetery fence.

While misbeHaven was cooking dinner, I went out to fix fence lines that we had identified this morning. First I had to chase the older calf back onto our place before fixing the fence on the west pasture. Then came the inevitable phone call, "Uh, hon, can you stop cooking and get in your truck and come pull me out? Where? South pasture, east end by the tank, I pulled too far forward into a swampy area from the rains yesterday and now I can't get loose, even in 4WD." Rather than spinning and digging I just made the call and waited. Popped right out and we were off. Dinner would be ready in 15 minutes anyway and that was the last fence repair for today. Eventually we have to rip the entire west fence line out and replace it but it is not this day.

I won't comment about dinner dress other than to say we didn't dress up. I had to take my boots off because of the mud and the other brown mushy substance, not mud, picked up out in the pasture.

Now we are waiting for the pumpkin pie to finish baking and we'll have desert. What a great day!

A Mighty Winds A Blowin

Merry Christmas Eve everyone.
It started early this morning as the weather station alarm started going off intermittently at 03:30 indicating that there were wind gusts above 35MPH. The alarm went solid at about 03:45 indicating that the 10 minute average wind speed was over 25MPH. The wind has been blowing on and off all day but we just had a 48MPH gust!!!! More important is that the weather station head is mounted 10 feet off the ground in between the trees behind the house. So this wind speed equals what the House/Barn/Shop/Trucks/Cows sees, not what is up above the tops of the trees. I would be curious/scared to know what the wind is doing up above the tree tops in unobstructed air.

This follows the Tornado Watch that we were under most of yesterday.

Gotta Love It.

Have a Safe and Merry Christmas Folks.

More to follow in between chores next week.

Jupiter and its moons

This evening, after a trip to the range, our friend Chimera brought his camera and telescope out to the ranch and set up in our west pasture. Of all that we could see and that he got pictures of, Jupiter and moons was an awesome shot. Unfortunately the adapter from Camera to Telescope was not ironed out so this picture is with his long lens (720mm).

Truth in TV News

ABOUT GUNS!

Backstory: There has been a serial rapist targeting elderly women living alone in small communites in east central Texas. Three attacks ago he ran into an armed would be victim. Since then he has changed tack and gone after women in assisted living homes and the news actually reported that the speculation among law enforcement is that he made the change to go where victims would be less likely to be armed.

Victim disarmament zones strike again. But at least the news is giving honest coverage to this story and the thought process behind it.

On a slightly related note, local PD's and community centers are offering self defense classes / seminars for the elderly in the area. They are covering awareness and such similar to NRA"s Refuse to be a Victim and they are teaching brief sessions on pressure point defensive moves. Sorry but I don't see that last part as helpful. As misbeHaven can point out, when she was practicing pressure point holds with a friend who is big into Akido, she had his wrist cranked pretty severely and he was standing there smiling saying, "that's very good." When she gave up in disgust at it having no effect on him he replied that it was a good hold and it did hurt but it was just pain. That right there underlines the issue with pain induced compliance, the receiving party has to actually be motivated by pain in the first part for this to work. Second problem with this is it only works when you are in intimate contact and you have the skills and strength to apply the techniques properly. Not something that is developed in a couple hours in a mass setting.

Just my NSHO.

How Stupid are UC Berkley Students?

They took over a number of classrooms to protest fee increases and funding cuts. The cops got tired of waiting and decided to raid the place and arrest trespassers f0r trespassing. Their drug clouded Californite reaction?

"Student protesters said they were caught off-guard by the raid and complained the police had not warned them."

That right there is the money quote!

Overheard at Breakfast

"...... Inbread Six Toed Mouthbreathers on crack. They're everywhere."

This was actually Tuesday morning at IHOP. Table of mature LEO's havong breakfast and discussing all kinds of stuff. Not really sure what preceded this comment but it really caught my attention. I was looking for the zombies almost immidiately.

We are Certifiable

Whew, that's finally over. Shot this morning, at least it was warmer than the weather channel predicted. Still it was cold windy and drizzly.
Still shot well, finished the shooting and got back to the hotel for class. Went through the changes to the CHL law and review some of the usual stuff.
Sat next to a guy with an Aggie ring on, he asked where I worked, turns out he's a '71 Aero grad who did some testing in the wind tunnel back when he was a student.

Anyway, we passed all and got our certificates. And now the Mrs is sick. Seems like she shoots better when she is sick.

In the Darkest Depths of Mordor

The Wife and I checked into a hotel.
OK, so it doesn't quite have the right ring to it.

We made our semi-annual pilgrimage to Austin to the Texas DPS (State Police) Academy for our CHL Instructor renewal class. We start at 07:30 on the range and the weather channel predicts 34F with a wind chill of 32F with light rain and drizzle. Yea!

Should make for an interesting range session. At least on the way we stopped by the A-Zone for a tune up and to make sure the factory ammo we got functions reliably in our guns. DPS does not allow use of reloads or even non mainstream factory ammo on their range. Interestingly, a friend went through class last week and his XD would not function with the Winchester WhiteBox ammo he got his hands on. It's 100% with UMC and with Defensive ammo. Must be a batch of hard primers in this ammo. I have Win WhiteBox as well but my XD functions with it and the Mrs' Kimber is 100% with her WWB ammo. The Remington .38Spc ammo we have left over from last time we did this and it functions in both our revos so we're covered for that portion of the shooting tests as well.

I will say I am not happy with my shooting. I've spent so much time teaching lately, I haven't practiced as much as I should. I'm shooting well enough to pass and probably will shoot a 250/250 but I still don't like how I am shooting. The Mrs and I have made a pact to practice more and drive each other to get back to where we should be.

As for Austin, After spending my formative years in and around Austin, I really don't like it here any more. It is not the town I grew up in. It feels more like Dallas or Houston than Austin. Add the resident fruit cakes trying to make it a Communist Paradise and you have someplace I'm glad I don't live anymore.

There are some things you just don't do... UPDATE

... if you have any conscience. Or any shame.

One of them is tell a Medal of Honor recipient that he has to take down his flag.

The members of that HOA board are not worthy of the honor of wiping mud from this man's shoes. They should grovel at his feet and beg his forgiveness.

(H/T Marco )

EDITED TO ADD: Apparently the HOA board members do have consciences after all.

Oh the weather outside is....

Overheard at the casa this morning...

Me: Hmmm... light jacket with hood, or heavier jacket without hood?

TGG: I'm wearing both.

Me: But I'm already wearing 4 layers.

Now for most folks in the Lone Star State, a 38-degree low temp and the threat of impending snow may make the above conversation seem completely reasonable. But I grew up in cold country, where the above mentioned low temp might have a minus sign behind it occasionally. So the realization that those words were actually coming out of my mouth was kinda like experiencing an alternate universe.

Apparently resistance is futile and I am being assimilated.

More TV Stupidity

One last item for today. About the show Weapon Masters. Basically an older gent brings up an idea about some weaponry, new age guy tinkerer has to design a better way to demonstrate it. Thodays show started talking about dueling and black powder guns. Old guy on lower porch and new age guy on upstairs porch. Old guy shoos off flint lock pistol, puts it in basket that new age guy lifts up to his porch by rope. Cycle continues with old guy shooting percussion pistol then pulls out 45 Colt single action. All this happens with no hearing protection or eye protection! After new age moron fires 45 Colt he turns to the camera and remarks at how much louder it is than the black powder guns!

DUH!

Episode moves forward as a duel challenge. Old guy shooting basic flintlock pistol and new age guy builds electrically ignited black powder pistol. When building the new pistol, guy takes the gun out for test firing and wears a welders hood when he first fires it. Then as they test fire it a few more times, the guy has safety glasses on and hearing protection AROUND HIS NECK. I may only have gotten basic Anatomy and Physiology required when I got my first EMT-Basic certification 27 years ago but last time I checked, your ears are not on your neck. They show repeated firing of the gun with the guy wearing the welding hood or not but the hearing proteciton is never actually you know on his ears when the gun goes bang. Whether he is shooting or watching.

How do morons like this get TV shows?

Oh well, if I get a decent nights sleep and don't feel any worse for the wear tomorrow morning, I'm going back to work and will be spared another day of this. Unfortunately, my concentration level just hasn't been there. I still have half of Spartan Gold and all of The Wrecker (both Clive Cusslers latest) or The Complete Infidels Guide to the Koran and Muslim Mafia on the "To be read" shelf. Besides, I could reread MHI again. It really is that good. I just can't keep my head in the game long enough. Mindless TV can run and if I doze off it's no big loss when I wake up to a different program. At least the cat keeps up with it and let's me know if I ned to change the channel.

More Gun Snobbery

So, in a lucid moment today I'm watching the History Channel. Special on the development of the M-16.
The first 10 minutes is replay of their special on the North Hollywood Shootout. Interviews with SWAT members involved and video of live news interspersed with re--en-actors and commentary. So, one of the three SWAT guys who took the final guy down is babbling about their armament and comments, they had AK's with Armor Piercing Ammo, "This stuff was designed to penetrate a tank, it will go right through a car." What a load of not even bovine excrement! There is NOTHING that can come out of the barrel of an AK that will penetrate even the lightest armored Tank on the battlefield since the AK was invented. Maybe an APC, in a visor, on a bad day, during a full moon, NOT A TANK!

Then the actors must have had some really good training because they showed footage of the actual robbery then cut away to an actor dressed as LAPD, (God I hope it was an actor) holding his M9 in his right hand with his left thumb over the top of his right wrist. I know LAPD does not teach this.

Anyway, I need some serious decongestants, cough syrup and a nap.

Gun Snobbery

Well, I'm home fighting a variety of germs at the moment.

In my more alert moments I've watched some TV and came across a prime example of why everything you see and hear on TV is wrong.

On the Military Channel there is a hsow called Secret Warriors where a former SAS goober goes to spend time with various Law Enforcement Agency elite forces across the world. The show I caught the start of was with forces in Kazakhstan. The goober was presented a handgun by the head of this force and he turns to the camera and explains;

"this is the CZ-75, it's the revolver they use in the XXX force because it takes a 13 round clip"

That is when I changed the channel and soon went back to bed. I just couldn't watch any more.

Remember, everytime you call a magazine a clip, a Gun Angel DIES! I'm not sure what happens when you call a Semi Auto a Revolver because that's just stupid.