"Restoration Of Order" and The NRA-ILA . . .

¶ . . . I was horrified AND terrified when I arrived home yesterday and read this post by The AnarchAngel. It got even worse when I saw a video from ABC News, which you can find by linking here, courtesy of Geek With A .45. I really can't say what I would do if I were thrust into a confrontation with heavily-armed Guardsmen trying to confiscate (read: Violate my RKBA) my weapons (Alone, I guess I would take the advice given here from PawPaw.). I would guess I would lose. Then what? Resolve it in a court? That might be too late. Seems to me that having some kind of "assembly plan" proactively could prempt this, or would that right be abrogated, also? This whole thing sickens me! Here's the NRA-ILA's response, from one of their e-mail alerts:

NRA-ILA Grassroots Alert Vol. 12, No. 36 9/09/05

NRA-ILA COMMENTS ON SITUATION IN NEW ORLEANS

Numerous media sources are reporting on a campaign by New Orleans city authorities to confiscate lawfully-owned firearms from people in the city. Louisiana statute does grant the government, during a state of emergency, broad powers in regulating and controlling firearms.

However, we have seen not just with Hurricane Katrina, but other similar situations, that when police are unable to control the criminal element, people turn to the one freedom that protects all others--the Second Amendment.

While one can certainly understand the dire predicaments of all those affected by Hurricane Katrina, as we have learned throughout history, campaigns to disarm the lawful do nothing to disarm the criminal. And in truth, these restrictions make citizens less safe. Despite the valiant efforts of many law enforcement officers and rescue workers, too many of those left in the wake of Katrina are ultimately responsible for their own security and safety and that of their families and loved ones. This is especially true when communication is virtually non-existent and police can't be quickly summoned to respond to calls for help. At these times, lawful gun ownership is paramount to personal safety.

Of course, the entire situation in New Orleans is constantly in flux. But rest assured NRA is monitoring this situation very closely and will address any activity by the government that unduly infringes upon the rights of lawful gun owners at the appropriate time. As we learn more, we will report to our members accordingly. In the interim, however, we join with all Americans in offering our thoughts, prayers, and assistance to the victims and survivors of this terrible natural disaster.

¶ . . . Call me worried and fearful . . . Damn right!!

This Is A Good One . . .

¶ . . . from BLACKFIVE: Check it out here !! And the original from Citizen Smash !!

This Peeve Of Mine . . .

¶ . . . really bugs me! Having school age children, every year L.A. Unified sends home the form for the Free Lunch Program. What do I have to fill it out for? I don't want it anyway. If I did, I'm in the "too much income for this and too little for that" category. I can't afford to buy a house here in L.A., but I don't qualify for the freebie lunch. Some of the freeloaders I see are driving around in Expeditions and such! I guess they need the lunch so they can make the car note. When I tell my daughter, "I'll do it later," or, "Not that thing again!" she pleads with me as though the teachers are making her out to be a lawbreaker! But even if the kids could get the lunch, they wouldn't eat it; the lunch money I give them they either hoard it and wait 'til they get home to eat or they end up at McDonald's or something! Good thing Ma makes 'em eat their fruits and vegetables . . .!

¶ . . . To be fair and since the "Blame Game" is in vogue this month, I have no one to fault but myself for still being a renter. I should have bought property when I was in my twenties (I'm 45 now) instead of f***ing around . . . !

Mr. Completely's e-Postal Match #2 . . .

¶ . . . and here are my entries! Pretty sorry, I must say! The two targets on top are shot with a Para-Ordnance P-14.45 (my USPSA Limited hardware), and the bottom two with my Combat Commander.
    An interesting contest, if I learned anything it was to take my time and work more on my trigger pull (I tend to be a "pusher.").
Looking forward to the next one, it's a great motivator to go out and get some trigger time!

A Sensible Action Plan . . .

¶ . . . posited in this editorial, courtesy of the Reno Gazette-Journal, though I believe a proactive readiness alert of some sort prior to landfall of these cyclones would be the logical S.O.P.

The Lesson Worth (Re-)Learning . . .

¶ . . . in light of the recent thuggery in New Orleans: Other than keeping an emergency supply of water, canned goods, etc., is the fact that one must be prepared to defend their family and aid in maintaining order in their district. Here's a righteous summation on choosing "Disaster Guns," courtesy of the Confederate Yankee . . .

¶ . . . Though I've never experienced a cataclysm in the magnitude of Katrina, the Riots of '92 and the Northridge Earthquake of '94 have given me a taste of civil disorder in Los Angeles. The fine police force that it is, the LAPD's low officer to citizen ratio , coupled with a staggering amount of real estate to police, makes a swift response to an exigent threat unrealistic (As of 2002, that ratio was 2.47 officers per 1,000 citizens [LAPD Plan Of Action, Book II, 2005]. I was surprised to see San Diego, Phoenix, Dallas, Las Vegas, and San Antonio even lower, with Houston but a shade higher.).

Be Prepared!!

Postscript 10:07 PM: I see (from reading other weblogs) that proper blog etiquette calls for the "hat tip," so here it is:
  Hat Tip to Cowboy Blob for the heads up on Disaster Guns!

Another Trip To Oklahoma . . .

¶ . . . and I'd be remiss in not posting from the road. I really enjoy my visits to Norman that my occupation affords me for technical training. The facility here really is first cabin, with its own hotel, too, and I always enjoy the professionalism here. What I'm not fond of, however, is having to fly here: it's never a non-stop and just hassling with the airport turns me off. This time I was scheduled on an afternoon flight. Not good! Thunderstorms are basically an afternoon phenomenon and, yep, I got it upon arrival at OKC. One hellacious lightning show, absolutely stunning from altitude, but I'd rather not do it again. As soon as I got out of the terminal at Will Rogers Airport, the lights went out! So, if you've gotta fly in the summertime, leave early!

¶ . . . One distressing thing I noticed as I got airborne on the connector out of Salt Lake City: as we crossed the Wasatch Mountains and I looked north, the what appeared to be smog present was hideous! I mean, It was like a blanket of it! That was looking out toward Wyoming-way in the distance. Could it really be smog? It looked like I was flying into Los Angeles. Being late afternoon, I do hope it was just the way the setting sun was playing off of what in reality may just have been hazy skies.

Man, I Thought This Was Cool . . .

¶ . . . A tip of the hat to Jerry The Geek for the 411 on putting up the USPSA Classification Check. When I saw that on his site, I knew I was in the right spot . . . ! Yeah!

Vile Bill Explained . . .

¶ . . . Seems as some wonder what's up with the the "Vile" in my moniker! Six years ago after I built a computer and was making the real "move" into the Internet world, I chose this handle. I was in one of my Wild West frames of mind, apparently. Well, "Wild Bill" was taken, obviously, and "Bloody Bill (Anderson)" was a ruthless cutthroat. I don't mind saying, I think it makes for a rather interesting nom de guerre/plume, if you will. If I ever decide to take up Cowboy Action Shooting, I've got a ready-made alias! As far as I have been able to check, nobody has claimed it yet. As a matter of fact, Marc at Lay Lines suggests I oughta just register it anyway: A SASS membership costs only 45 bucks the first year ($35 thereafter), plus they have a cool Monthly Journal.

This Is An Outrage . . . !!

¶ . . . Thanks to Bastion-of-Patriotism-Blog COUNTERCOLUMN, I got the heads-up on one of the most outrageous thumbs-in-the-eye to American Vets, past and present, and the United States as a whole, that I have EVER had the sickening displeasure to witness: the refusal of San Francisco, by an 8-3 City Council vote, to forbid mooring of the famed dreadnought USS Iowa in the Bay, ". . .citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military’s stance on gays, among other things." What other things? Like the expense for the ideal of a strong national defense would be better spent on supporting freeloading, welfare sponging, "money for nothin' and your checks for free" bums? Even Arch Gun-Grabber Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) appeared to be somewhat piqued by the snub, calling it a "very petty decision." I don't believe that even down here in L.A. such a slam could ever occur!!

. . . Kudos to the City of Stockton, CA, for stepping up to the plate and offering her a home . . .

. . . Read the story here.

Gratitude . . .

¶ . . . I gotta address a couple of the fine folks that have recognized my still fledgling (though I started it a year and a half ago!) blog. To Jerry at Cogito Ergo Geek and Marc at Lay Lines, big time thanks for the encouragement. More proof that IPSC/USPSA Gunslingers are some of the finest folks I’ve ever met. Correspondence over the past week has given me the prod to be more diligent in writing. For all the great stuff I get from the Gunblogs (Milblogs, too!) I owe them some reading. Thanks to the whole of the community for the blogroll feature; it really made a lot of great sites easy to discover . . .
. . . Anyway, I’ll try and give a perspective from a new guy’s point of view. Club presidents and everyone alike, check out (shameless plug here!) my previous post on how my discovery of USPSA and a lightning-fast response from a Section Coordinator hooked me up with the Southwest Pistol League and rocked my world!! Jerry the Geek’s 08/18 post has a great “sermon” on attracting new shooters.
. . . Get Some!!

Strength In Time Of Doubt . . .

¶ . . . My post of 31 July was one possibly out of despair (the worst plague of mankind) and assuredly one of doubt. However,the passage "The Real Target" in this post,"Thirty-Seven Marines" has bolstered my civilian resolve. God bless the 25th Marines and all Coalition Forces. And thank you Blackfive for a small prayer answered in a large way.

H. Salt, Esq., A Rare SoKal Pleasure . . .

¶ . . . One of the few pleasures I enjoy by being an unfortunate resident of Southern Kalifornia is the presence of H. Salt, Esq. Fish & Chips. It has largely remained the same as I remember as a youth. Back then there was a local franchise on Lincoln in Venice. My dear ol' Ma and Pa, recently relocated to Nevada, are unable to any longer savor the fine fare, as it is a SoKal phenomenon only. . .
. . . There was one exception, however, in the West Valley. One of the fine delights of H. Salt is their excellent Tartar sauce. Not with this curmudgeonly dude. He had packets, surely bought in bulk, and dispensed with grudging paucity. Another of his fine attributes was his penchant for serving one customer at a time, and I do mean one. The next order would not be taken until the previous one was cooked, wrapped and served. One might imagine how this might be problematic on Ash Wednesday, when there was an especially big run on fish dinners. As one would expect, this continued for the duration of the Lenten period. Good news: that cat's no longer there. Bad news: neither is the store! Fortunately, albeit a long trek to NoHo, there are some fine folks there who run a clean and efficient franchise.

A Thought On Iraq . . .

¶ . . . My purpose is generally to post up my shooting activities and excursions, but I feel the need to weigh in on Iraq. Let me preface this by saying that I always feel uneasy discussing views on military actions as I have never seen combat nor, regrettably, have I even served in the Armed Forces. This may well be the cause of my great admiration for the men and women in uniform . . .
   . . . Hearing about a “delay” in the drafting of the Iraqi Constitution yesterday caused me further consternation in the ongoing actions there. I can’t say as I am well versed on all the occurrences since the March/April 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein; my information comes mainly from news radio and what I read at times on the Internet. Republican and conservative by nature, I nevertheless tend to eschew the talk radio circuit. That being said, I fully supported the Bush Administration’s giving the boot to Saddam, but now I have my concerns about any kind of democracy taking root in what appears to me to be rocky soil at best.
   . . . I'm dismayed at reports of Sunnis not wanting federalism or this or that terrain, Kurds wanting Kirkuk or whatever, Shi’ites an Iranian-style theocracy; the country is already Balkanized, and I hesitate to even call it a country yet. Indeed, rocky at best.
   . . . I fear that some would not really regard mine as an objective opinion, as I now have someone near and dear to me recently enlisted in military service. I also feel deeply for those that have paid the ultimate price: the losses of loved ones in the just defense of liberty. But should we continue to build a nation that seems unable and unwilling to live as free men? As we near the 2,000 count of KIA’s should we sacrifice more? I tend to think not. Would we be branded as "quitters” or “losers” if we come home? I think not nor do I give a rat’s ass one way or another! In the meantime, let's allow the officers to prosecute this action and let our warriors take the gloves off! Every time I hear or read the dreaded acronym "ROE," for "Rules of Engagement," I cringe!
   . . . God Bless all who have served.

Out Of The Frying Pan . . . Literally!!

¶ . . . But not into the fire!! Week Two of my vacation had me heading out to Vegas to rescue my Ma from the searing heat, 120 degrees in Henderson. I walked out of a casino last Monday at 10:30 PM and it was still 102 degrees!! Next morning it was off to Tahoe!! 82 high temp, 42 low, you do the math! I felt like a hero to my dear ol' Ma. We drove up via NV 266/CA 168, cutting the White Mountains, adding a couple more Nevada Historical Markers to my list,the Palmetto site pictured here. Gave my Ma a whirlwind tour of US 395, Mammoth Lakes, Tahoe, Reno, Carson City, and Virginia City/Gold Canyon. I even turned a profit in the Horizon casino in Stateline, NV!! As always, a great time.

Advertising Apropos . . .

¶ . . . I'll be back soon, but I just had to put in a mini-post about how ecstatic I am to finally see my Google Ads finally feature items that might be of interest to my fellow gunslingers and outdoor enthusiasts alike . . .

Closure With Jiffy Lube . . .

¶ . . . Oh yeah, Jiffy Lube. As to my Yuletide dealings with these losers, I'm happy to report that they did come through with the proper recompense for the malpractice upon my vehicle, though it took a week to get my car and another two months for the reimbursement on the car rental. They did pay the full amount, not the "$20.00 a day" they told me was policy. It came out to more like $35.00. But, they did pay. Still, needless to say, I'll never take my vehicles to them or any other of their ilk. I now just drive out to Simi Valley to avail myself of the cheap Wal-Mart service there: no hard-sell, no offering to "fix" things "at a cut-rate," no other offers to use my car as an educational medium for nascent hammer mechanics.
    . . . My appreciation for righting an incompetence, but you'll not see me again!!

The Eastern Sierra . . .

¶ . . . I returned Friday morning from a quick yet wide-ranging excursion on the Sierran eastside, Tom's Place to Bridgeport/Twin Lakes. Prior to my arrival to Mammoth Lakes I journeyed up the well maintained Rock Creek road, a fine asphalt elevator to 10,000-plus feet elevation and the Little Lakes Valley Trailhead. This bears a return trip as a conversation with the ranger revealed it is a very easy day-hike to the backcountry, with evidence I had read about before of . . .mining activity! In fact, apparently, as i discovered later, Union Carbide still has a tungsten operation in the area.
    . . . The "Volcanic Auto Tour" served as the outline for Thursday's expedition. The tour guide, a small but informative pamphlet, is available at the Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center on State Highway 203.
    . . . The first stop, at the 203/US 395 junction, is the marker for Casa Diablo and is near the geothermal powerplant; it's said it supplies a third of the electrical requirement to the town of Mammoth Lakes. Continuing north, you encounter some interesting sites: Lookout Mountain (my favorite), Obsidian Dome, the Mono Craters, Panum Crater, and others. Some lightweight off-roading was required, the toughest being Lookout Mountain, but my '99 Saturn SL served well! I began early in the AM, so everywhere I went, excepting Panum Crater (a few hikers), I was alone.
    . . . "Good, by God, I'm going to Bodie!" (my preferred rendition of the famous quote!) I thought as I headed off east on the CA 270/ Bodie Rd. turn-off. It was actually quite pleasant for the middle of July, low 80's/ high 90's. I arrived at the perfect time to take in the tour of the Standard Stamp Mill, a twenty-stamper, and of course, I ate it all up. I even "got a job" as an electrician in the mill at $5.00 a day (miners got $4.00). VileBill highly recommends this side trip, whether you're a ghost town/mining buff or not. Bring water and a lunch and get the excellent self guided tour brochure at the ranger kiosk. The thirteen mile road to the townsite is paved but for the last three miles, but the "washboard attributes" have been smoothed-out since I was last there in '97. I seem to remember on a visit as a youngster the whole stretch was a washboard. Even people with trailers were up there this time. There had to be about two hundred people at the site on this visit.
    . . . Next, up to Twin Lakes, thirteen miles southwest out of Bridgeport. These are two quite large Sierran lakes, tarns I think, and are true jewels in the crown. At the upper lake you can even park next to the shore and fish from right next to your car. Another VileBill recommendation!
    . . . Though the Saturn has served me well and, continues to do so, it is a real dog on steep grades, again experienced on the next stop: Saddlebag Lake via CA 120/ Tioga Pass. Word was that the lake, at 10,000 feet plus, was still iced over; not so, but it sure was complete mosquito-ville here and at Lee Vining Creek, site of Bennettville, an old mining town. I should have hiked up to it; Ghost Towns.com shows structures there, but after reading the marker I got the impression it was wiped out. Next time!!
    . . . In only a two-night stay I completed a one-day, two hundred mile-plus tour of this East Sierra area, backroads, too, and came away with some good memories and only a few mosquito bites. What John Muir called the "Range of Light" is truly God-blessed and I'm grateful for it. There's nothing like it elsewhere on this Earth. Don't miss it!!

Shooting Las Vegas . . .

¶ . . . I finally planned one of my visits to the parents in Vegas to coincide with a match out there. I brought out my Commander for this one. The previous day I went to the gun show at Cashman Field (The Costa Mesa one is bigger, but this one has more of the evil weapons and their accessories for sale.) and purchased the complement of CMC Power Mags. Boy, what a difference from the Wilson Combat issue! The gun ran absolutely perfect (the fact that it doglegs left notwithstanding!), no FTF's, jams, extraction failures, etc. I was very pleased. My poor showing was not helped by my situation with my sights. Except for the confusing "house" at Stage #1, I think I could have done much better.Sin City Shooters, the local USPSA/IPSC club there puts on a good match up at the Desert Sportsmen's club site adjacent to Red Rock Canyon. Neat range, but no shade! Don't know if I'll shoot this in the summer months, it was pretty hot this (May) go-round. All in all, a great Vegas run this time.

There's A First (Last) For Everything . . .

¶ . . . and I finally did it!! I finished last place in April's club match! And with my newly acquired pistol to boot!! April Match Results are here if you want to see the sorry details!!