When morons elect one of their own...

It's often said that America gets the leadership that it deserves. But dammit, I don't deserve a lazy fool like Al Franken (D)--MN, and neither do most of the readers here or the honest hard-working people of red-state America.

He's good enough, he's smart enough, but doggone it — he just can't keep his eyes open for Senate confirmation hearings.

Al Franken, the onetime comedian and current Democratic senator from Minnesota, used his position on the vaunted Judiciary Committee on Tuesday to doodle a lifelike bust of Sen. Jeff Sessions, the committee's ranking Republican, as Sessions raked Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan over the coals.

But it wasn't all fun and games for the former "Saturday Night Live" star — Franken also found time to get in a good nap during the first day of hearings Monday.

Live video from Senate chambers shows a woozy Franken getting some much-needed shuteye as Kagan explains her intellectual approach to life and teachings in her opening statement to the Senate.

But Franken, the most junior member of the Judiciary Committee, had already been forced to sit through an endless round of statements from his senior colleagues on the 19-member panel as they droned on and on and on in the crowded Washington chamber.

When it finally came time for Kagan herself to speak, Franken had apparently had enough.

"I've learned that we make progress by listening to each other," said Kagan hopefully, as Franken slowly closed his eyes and appeared to doze off.

"I've learned that we come closest to getting things right when we approach every person and every issue with an open mind," she said, Franken now apparently lost to the living.

Kagan herself has expressed a profound scorn for Senate confirmation hearings, which she described as empty "lessons of cynicism" — a "vapid and hollow charade" that replace important legal discussions with repetitive platitudes.

It is unclear whether Franken shares that sentiment about the hearings or was simply bored by the proceedings. Sen. Franken's office did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment.

Thanks Minnesota, you morons. You've made sure that any important decisions that we as a country need to be make will be made based in part not by logic or historical knowledge but just by a whim of a lackadaisical and disinterested buffoon.

Sadly, this is more proof of my theory that some segments of this country just can't be trusted with the vote.

Anger Counsellor gets a year in prison for pulling gun

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.

A respected domestic violence and anger management counselor in Fairfax County was sentenced in federal court on Friday to 12 months in prison for pointing a gun at two deputy U.S. marshals, officials said.

As part of his sentence, Jose L. Avila, 57, will have to undergo anger management of his own.

Avila is a single parent and former priest from Colombia who was highly regarded by judges in the Fairfax Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. Judges and lawyers often referred people to Avila for pretrial or probationary counseling, particularly because he is bilingual.

Avila pleaded guilty on April 13 to charges of assaulting a federal officer.

On Jan. 25, Avila honked his horn at two marshals who had just returned to their cars after completing a witness interview on Americana Drive in Annandale. Avila left the scene after one of the deputy marshals waved him around.

Avila then turned his car around and pointed a loaded gun. The marshals arrested Avila and recovered the firearm after a brief pursuit.

For those who don't recall this deliciously ironic story...

Avila allegedly encountered two deputy U.S. marshals outside an apartment complex on Americana Drive, near Little River Turnpike and the Capital Beltway, at 9 a.m. Jan. 25. In a court affidavit, Deputy Marshal Floriano Whitwell said he and another marshal, Matthew M. Dumas, had been conducting a fugitive investigation and parked their sport-utility vehicles in designated parking places on Americana Drive.

Dumas got out of his vehicle and was standing at the window of Whitwell's vehicle when a white Jeep Cherokee drove up and the driver honked his horn, Whitwell wrote. Dumas, with a marshals service "badge clearly visible hanging from his neck," motioned for the Cherokee to continue past. But then the Cherokee turned around and came back, Whitwell wrote.

The driver appeared to be motioning to Dumas, so the marshal moved closer. Then, Whitwell wrote, Dumas "noticed that Avila was aiming a gun at him. Avila was holding the gun and resting his hand on the top of the door with the driver's window completely open," the affidavit states.

"Gun, gun, gun!" Dumas reportedly yelled to his partner, and Whitwell said he looked up and saw "Avila pointing the dark colored firearm in our direction." Avila drove off, and the marshals pursued him and pulled him over.

The marshals identified themselves and tried to arrest Avila, but he was "uncooperative" and "continued to resist arrest and refused to give me his hand which was under his body," Whitwell wrote. The marshals feared that a gun was beneath Avila, and they used "U.S. Marshals Service defensive tactics to eventually apprehend Avila," Whitwell said.

Found on Avila's seat, Whitwell alleges, was a 9mm Astra A-90 pistol loaded with 14 hollow-point bullets. Once out of his vehicle, Avila reportedly apologized profusely and said he had "never done anything like this before," the affidavit said.

Of course when he got to court, he denied it all. The magistrate found probable cause to charge him though, and ordered him held as he was both a flight risk (he's Columbian) and a potential danger to the community.

State records show that Avila has been a licensed professional counselor since 1994 and a licensed marriage and family therapist since 1998.

Avila should have kept his temper in check. He should have been cool, like this:

Now that's cool.

Oh my! Elizabeth Collins is going to sue Lagniappe!

Most of you will recall how back on June 11th I opined about the case of Liberal Moonbat Elizabeth Collins, the ex-teacher who got herself fired after repeatedly maligning a child, the child's parents and eventually the private school that employed her, all because the child in question pushed back at Elizabeth's continued introduction of her leftist political opinions into the classroom and responded by turning in an assignment that was critical of Elizabeth's hero and personal messiah, Barack Hussein Obama.

I invited Elizabeth and her supporters to come on over here and discuss the issue since Elizabeth, in true liberal fashion, deleted most of the posts to her blog that were critical of her actions or even called them into question even as she wrote about it extensively.

Well she didn't rush to pop on over, and I finally gave up on waiting and moved on to other things. But this evening I got this wonderful surprise in this blog's comment section--a missive from Elizabeth, basically saying "I'll get you, my pretty...and your little dog, too!" Of course like a good liberal, she's threatening to sue me...and Lagniappe.

Her letter follows. Then my reply.

Whoever you are, your verbiage is vile, your facts are wrong, and I would ask you take down this slander (untrue, as it is unverified) before I sic my lawyer on you and your dog.

Your litle friends here did send me messages and all did so anonymously, though I see their names on your page. That's interesting. I guess people feel freer to be nasty when they don't use their names.

I am never nasty and I always use my name.

I never indocrinated anyone, never did anything wrong, never pushed any political agenda. Were you in my class? Do you know what my class was? Try college-level argumentative rhetoric based on political and social justice issues.

Could you handle that class? I asked for sophisticated discourse, not rants that are reminiscent of that clownish Glenn Beck. I didn't get that in one case, and as a teacher who aimed to craft effective lessons, I was "dismayed."

I don't care what you believe, as long as you can express those beliefs intelligently and in a non-hostile manner.

Do some more reading, do some more research, and I strongly suggest you edit this post to eliminate the defamation I see everywhere.

And in response, I say:

Sue me and my dog?

Well Lagniappe and I discussed that, and we're unanimous our response:

BRING IT!

Silly Liberal...Rights are for everyone, including the one guaranteed by the First Amendment of our Constitution.

And you might want to have your lawyer explain the concept of "public figure" to you. Like it or not, you are one, at least within the context of this widely-published story. And since you initially sought the publicity yourself when you called the reporters, granted interviews, and blogged about it extensively yourself, good luck trying to convince a judge that no man or dog can offer up additional opinions on the topic that you started.

That aside, all I've done is comment on the news story about your professional demise. I didn't offer up a single original bit of prose, much less claim that it's factual. Don't like the story that I quoted from? Take it up with the source. If/when they retract it, let me know and I'll modify this article, which, BTW, has drawn thousands of hit to my site. (Thank you very much.)

But getting back to that "public figure" issue, I would suggest that you refer your attorney to the seminal case on public figure exceptions, New York Times Co. v. Sullivan 376 U.S. 254 (1964).

You see, Elizabeth, I have a law degree. And I have teaching experience. And in answer to your question, yes I could handle your class. You see, you were an English teacher. You were hired to teach this stuff:

Nouns.


Verbs.


Pronouns.


Adverbs.


Conjunctions.


Seriously, Lagniappe and I could easily do that. In fact, we just did. If any of your ex-students can learn a few simple but catchy tunes, they can go away with all of the English they need to get into college-level courses. So put that in your bong and smoke it.

EDITED TO ADD:
Shortly after finishing this post, Lagniappe and I received yet another missive from the redoubtable Miss (Mrs?) Collins:

Mr Dogface,

Your posting, I regret to inform you, is full of mistruths. I never told students to view my blog; I was always careful not to have anything weird or controversial on there. (Now, I don't care anymore.)

Unprofessional, you say? I call your use of that word libelous.

Do you have any understanding of my qualifications and expertise? No. But trust me, it's a very impressive resume, a thousand miles away from "unprofessional.'

Yes, i am a public figure now. I can thank people such as yourself for making me so.

Do you read books? You might be interested in mine. There are two coming up. I doubt they will be available at Wal-Mart, but if you ever hit actual bookstores, look for them...though it may be two years or so. Publishing is slow.

At any rate, I suggest you read more right now to better understand what you are ranting about. You have no idea what actually happened.

When someone gives you death threats is it unprofessional to mention that? I think people have the right to know so that it never happens to any other (good) teacher again.

How about an apology? What others have done to me and what you also have done to me is terrible, heinous, and that's what I call unprofessional...
though I don't know what your profession even is.

It definitely isn't journalist, informed citizen or writer.

I think it's hack, troll, or just generally nasty person.

Good luck finding a woman to put up with that; I suggest rewording your "want" ad. It's mildly off-putting, to say the least.

How hurtful. But I note that like a true Liberal, she's not exactly falling all over herself to take responsibility for a situation that's pretty much entirely of her own making.

Oh, and Elizabeth, sweetie...if you want to apply for the position, I'll need some quality face and fully-body photos and a copy of your bank statement and credit score. I'm open to all attractive women--even liberals--but they've got to be able to cook and clean and promise not to natter on about the environment, the poor and other such tripe.

Quote of the day: "My son be a good boy!"

Taken from today's Washington Post story about 16 year-old Javon Hale, charged as an adult after murdering a man:

Hale's mother, LaShaun Hale, said her youngest son is innocent.

"My children are not animals," she said, meaning Javon and his two older brothers, both also behind bars. One is awaiting sentencing for armed carjacking; the other, a trial in a torture-kidnapping case.

"The police is always trying to pin stuff on my kids that they didn't do," she said.

And the sad part is, she probably believes that.

I will not lie, cheat or steal, or tolerate those who do.

Those words, comprising the Honor Code of the United States Military Academies,have meaning.

At least they do to most Officer Candidates and Junior Officers.

The Marine Corps has discharged 13 junior officers training at Quantico for cheating on a land navigation test, officials said.

The junior officers, eight men and five women, were discharged from military service May 20 after, officials allege, it was discovered they had cheated on a test administered in September.

They were taking an intense, six-month training course for new officers and were trying to learn how to lead a platoon through rugged terrain. They were sent with a map and compass to a wooded area on the base and instructed to write down numbers painted on boxes left there.

The accused wrote down numbers from the previous year's test, base spokesman Lt. Col. Roger S. Galbraith said. During a subsequent inquiry, officials examined the actions of 33 junior officers and found that some had used a cheat sheet. Officials at Quantico declined to release the junior officers' names or speak in detail about their discharges.

Col. George W. Smith Jr., commander of the training program at the time of the incident, said in a statement that those who were released lacked the "moral compass" to be military leaders.

Among the 13 Marines who were "administratively separated" -- the military equivalent of having employment terminated in the civilian world for misconduct -- was 2nd Lt. Adam Ballard.

Ballard, 25, a native of Texas, was a former star fullback on the Naval Academy's football team and was once dubbed a "bruiser" by fellow Texan George W. Bush at a White House ceremony honoring Navy players.

Ballard told the Marine Corps Times, which first reported the story, that the cheating at Quantico was more widespread than the Corps would like to believe. Marine Corps officials have said that some of the officers who took the test thought that the skills involved in the land navigation drill were unnecessary in a modern era of GPS navigational aids and that other officers at Quantico have been sanctioned for cheating on the "land nav" exam in the past.

Annapolis attorney Bill Ferris, who is representing Ballard, called his client's dismissal "totally unjust."

"This is a widespread practice going back years," Ferris said, "and certain people have been singled out."

Ferris said that he had argued for his client to be disciplined by the Corps rather than dismissed outright. He also said Ballard was unfairly penalized by the military after refusing to divulge the names of others involved.

However, Ballard said when reached late Friday, "I don't blame anybody but myself."

The skills may or may not be necessary today, but integrity still is, and so is the ability to adapt and handle hard tasks under pressure, which is why such tests are still part of the curriculum today. These thirteen failed on both counts, dishonoring themselves. It's probably a good indicator of the sort of officers that they would have become, and our enlisted men and NCO's deserve a better caliber of leadership than that.

Good on the Corps for standing up against this dishonesty, and shame on the cheaters, and on Ballard in particular for running to a civilian lawyer and the media instead of just accepting the consequences of his choices. I hope that the Marines follow up on these dismissals by seeking repayment of the monies spent on the training and college educations that these cheaters received. They clearly lacked the pride and integrity and the ability to achieve that our military leadership cadres need so badly these days.

Hell, I'll bet that they voted for Obama, too. Good riddance.

One loser gone, and a new one to watch in November

I'm sorry for not gloating over this earlier, but Adam Kokesh, the punk ex-Marine and former Cindy Sheehan cohort was defeated in his primary election as he attempted to win nomination to a Republican House seat in New Mexico. Good riddance to bad rubbish, because he was never a Conservative or a Republican despite his sudden change of colors from a screaming leftist anti-war/anti-Bush protester into a Ron Paul clone. He was a bad joke in any guise and he needs to just go away now that he's been rejected by the people of New Mexico despite the support of raving but oh-so-gullible Paulites from around the country.

In other news, a total loon from the Lyndon LaRouche wing of the Democrat Party has nabbed the Dems' primary nomination for the 22nd District in Texas, the seat currently held by freshman Republican Pete Olson. Her name is Kesha Rogers.

Just like the case of Alvin Greene in South Carolina, ignorant and uninformed Democrats flocked to the polls like lemmings and selected a candidate that they apparently knew nothing about. How else could anyone explain their electing a woman whose campaign slogan is ""I'll take our troops out of Afghanistan and put them into space."


I'm guessing that they also didn't know that she's likened Obama to Hitler and publicly called for his impeachment.

Once again we see what happens when stupid people are allowed to vote.

Again, I'm thinking that we need some sort of test on the candidates and issues--or IQ tests--before people are given a ballot. Granted this would likely eliminate the Democratic Party by barring much of their base on election day, but it's either that or we risk national destruction by continuing to let ignoramuses steer our ship of state. Wasn't Obama's election itself a large enough wake-up call?

Hell, I'm sending a small donation to both Greene and Rogers just to help them tear the Dems apart from inside their own party. If they're going to make it so easy and so entertaining, who am I not to help out?

Barry, Eric and Hillary declaring war on America again, and using American tax dollars to wage it.

The Obama administration plans to file suit challenging Arizona's immigration law, officials told Fox News on Friday.

The confirmation comes after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in an interview with a TV station in Ecuador earlier this month that the administration would challenge the law in court, though officials had long said the issue was under review.

Administration officials initially would not confirm Clinton's statement. But an official told Fox News on Friday that while the review is still underway, the decision has already been made that a Department of Justice suit will be filed. The administration at this point is just building its case.

Clinton's announcement was met with outrage Thursday by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who signed the law. Brewer told Fox News she's ready for a fight.

"We are not going to back away from this issue," Brewer said. "We are going to pursue it, we're going to be very aggressive," Brewer said. "We'll meet them in court ... And we will win."

In the TV interview, Clinton was asked how the Obama administration was handling the debate over the law when she gave away what may have been an administration secret.

"President Obama has spoken out against the law because he thinks that the federal government should be determining immigration policy. And the Justice Department, under his direction, will be bringing a lawsuit against the act," the secretary of state responded, before calling for comprehensive immigration reform.

Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder have both criticized the Arizona law, but the administration had maintained to that point that its attorneys were reviewing the legislation to determine the next step.

So aside from the fact that we have a Secretary of State who is a loudmouth--apparently giving away the Administration's plans before the Administration was ready to reveal them--we also see that their claims of "waiting for the lawyers to decide..." are lies as well--Barry and Eric's minds are already made up and they're going to declare war on Arizona no matter what the attorneys recommend.

Mexico's drug cartels and MS-13 must be very happy today. Their continued access to our communities has just been vouched for by Obama himself so they have no need to fear ICE or the law enforcement officers in America's heartland.
Most of America supports Arizona on this one however, according to the most recent poll conducted by the (extremely liberal) Washington Post. But then a majority of Americans were opposed to Barry's Stimulus plan and his health care plan too. He just doesn't care, and neither does his Oompa Loompa sidekick, Nancy Pelosi. They'll jam their agenda down our throats no matter how much that We, the People, object, until we rise up and stop them. November, 2010's the best chance for that, folks. If that fails, we may have to start loading magazines.

January 28th, 1980. USCGC Blackthorn.

Yesterday, the day was beautiful, I was in Washington, DC and I had some free time. Looking around, I saw the Robert E. Lee Family mansion across the Potomac in Arlington and realized that I haven't visited Arlington Memorial Cemetery in far too long. So I went over and walked around for a bit.

As I was walking past the Lee house on my way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, I happened to see three grave markers that made me stop and wonder for a moment. The three, side by side, were US Coast Guardsmen, and all three had died on January 28th, 1980, obviously in the same incident.

I did not recall any Coast Guard incident in 1980, but then I was still fairly young and not prone to paying attention to such things. I took a photo, made note of the names, and determined to research it when I got home. Here's the photo:The names are, from left to right: ETI Jerome F. Ressler, ENS Frank J. Sarna III, and EM3 Edward Sindelar III. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.)

When I got home, I did some research, and in the process, I learned of the destruction and loss of the United States Coast Guard Cutter Blackthorn (WLB-391) on January 28, 1980, in Tampa Bay.

The Blackthorn was one of 39 180-foot Buoy Tenders commissioned in the early 1940's. The Blackthorn herself was commissioned in 1944. Many of these tenders served well into the 1990's, and I've toured the Acacia (WLB 406) several times back when it was berthed in Grand Haven, Michigan.

The Blackthorn had just left drydock on that January day in 1980 after an extensive rebuild meant to prolong it's service life. It was expected to last two decades or more but no one knew as it left the drydock that it's service life was measured in hours, not years. As it made it's way out of the bay that night, it crossed paths with the S.S. Capricorn, a 605-foot tanker. The ships collided nearly head-on, and the 13,500lb. anchor of the Capricorn sliced into the side of the buoy tender, tearing a huge hole in the vessel. Then the Capricorn's anchor chain broke free, and the weight of the anchor and chain on the side of the old buoy tender caused it to list heavily to that side. Water quickly entered the gash and the tender capsized almost immediately. 23 crewmen drowned that night, many trapped inside the hull due to their unfamiliarity with emergency drills on the ship that they were making their first cruise on. Others no doubt drowned when life rafts and other rescue gear on the cutter's deck proved defective, either because they'd been stored improperly or because they were damaged. Ironically, the life rafts and other safety gear would have failed a Coast Guard inspection that all commercial vessels are required to undergo.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigated and put the blame almost entirely on the Coast Guard, citing several issues. The Coast Guard investigated and split the blame between the two ships' captains. In the end, 23 US Coast Guardsmen were still dead in the US Coast Guard's worst peacetime incident, including Jerome Ressler, Frank Sarna, and Edward Sindelar.

A very through report on the incident can be read here.

This story should serve as a reminder that our all-volunteer military members still face risks every day, even when we're not at war.

Ronnie Gardner's going out with a bang tonight.

FIVE bangs, to be exact.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah is set to execute a condemned killer by firing squad shortly after midnight Thursday, reviving an old West style of justice that hasn't been used for at least 14 years and that many criticize as archaic.

Barring the success of any final appeals, Ronnie Lee Gardner will be strapped into a chair, have a target pinned over his heart and die in a hail of bullets from five anonymous marksmen armed with .30-caliber rifles and firing from behind a ported wall.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver denied Gardner's petition for a stay Thursday, saying allegations of a conflict of interest by the Utah attorney general's office were without merit. An appeal is still pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Gardner also has asked Gov. Gary Herbert for a temporary stay.

Gardner will be the third man killed by firing squad in the U.S. since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling reinstated capital punishment in 1976. Although Utah altered its capital punishment law in 2004 to make lethal injection the default method, nine inmates convicted before that date, including Gardner, can still choose the firing squad instead.

Gardner, 49, was sentenced to death for a 1985 capital murder conviction stemming from the fatal courthouse shooting of attorney Michael Burdell during an escape attempt. Gardner was at the court because he faced a 1984 murder charge in the shooting death of bartender Melvyn Otterstrom.

Tami Stewart's father, George "Nick" Kirk, was a bailiff who was shot and wounded in Gardner's botched escape. Kirk suffered chronic health problems until his death in 1995 and became frustrated by the lack of justice Gardner's years of appeals afforded him, Stewart said.

She said she's not happy about the idea of Gardner's death but believes it will bring her family some closure.

"I think at that moment, he will feel that fear that his victims felt," Stewart said.

That works for me. See ya, dirtbag.

New Orleans Stepping On It's Own Johnson Again.

Once upon a time, the French Quarter of New Orleans was vibrant and fun and every day there was sunny and bright.

But then a cloud passed over the sun in the form of a group of real-estate developers taking over the city council.
This group, led by Jackie Clarkson (pictured at right and best known for threatening to get people and their little dogs) has been waging a campaign of attrition against local street performers in Jackson Square and the Quarter for years. Their goal appears to be getting rid of the hoi polloi and turning the Quarter into a southern version of Colonial Williamsburg--a place where only the elderly rich will want--or be able to afford--to live. Not coincidentally, Jackie and her cronies own much of the French Quarter property that was once affordable apartments but which is currently being converted into high-end condominiums.

I've been around long enough to see Jackie's enforcement operations successfully target many of the street-corner performers, to include anyone wearing a mask of face paint, or daring to set up on Bourbon Street itself. She's gone after the tarot readers too, but they're organized and have a lawyer on retainer. her goal is to get rid of any such riff-raff that might scare away the octogenarian condo buyers that she's courting. Jackie doesn't care that most people come to the Quarter to see and interact with the people that she's trying to run out of town (and those people spend a lot of money locally). She's on a mission, and I've long said that if you give Jackie enough time, I can see Bourbon Street itself being suppressed and finally shut down. Then fun will be dead and we'll all be sad and blue.

Well Jackie and her goon squads have staked out another target for destruction, this one being the impromptu brass bands that play for tips in and around the Quarter. One such group, the To Be Continued Brass Band, which is made up of local school-age youth playing on their school brass band instruments in the evenings, is being threatened with jail if they play a minute past eight PM at their usual hang-out on the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets.

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Police Superintendent Ronal Serpas noted that 8th District officers were merely being responsive to "numerous complaints from residents of the French Quarter" when they told the band to stop playing or risk a court summons. But band members say that silencing them won't make the already-noisy corner much quieter and could eliminate some of the last live jazz from the city's most famous tourist strip.

Now I've been listening to these kids play for the past few years and they're good. Real good. They don't look like much but they rock that street corner and draw serious crowds.They also do a good job of keeping the crowds from blocking traffic. And it is a noisy corner 24/7--it's right off Canal Street. There are also no apartments nearby--that section is all commercial so which "residents" exactly are being disturbed? Frankly the only ones I can see complaining about these guys are the crappy bars farther down Bourbon Street who are jealous of the crowds that these guys draw--crowds that tip the kids instead of buying over-priced drinks in the bars.

Musicians say that the ramped-up enforcement could eliminate a long-standing musical proving-ground for young musicians.

"They're killing a New Orleans tradition. I didn't know how to play the trumpet until I started playing right here on this corner," said trumpeter Sean Roberts.

Fortunately they aren't without their defenders. A Facebook page called "Don't Stop the Music. Let New Orleans Street Musician Play" is going viral, and they also have the support of Mary Howell, a civil rights attorney in New Orleans.

Howell has defended street musicians for 30 years, through four unconstitutional city ordinances and one unconstitutional state statute. She said she is pretty certain that she's right when she says that the Bourbon Street ordinance seems too broad, but she believes the issues there are resolvable.

"I hope we can find creative solutions to keep the music going there," she said.

But Howell reserves her strongest criticism for the citywide ordinance. "It's a bad law: it's unconstitutional and has been recognized as unconstitutional by everyone involved," she said.

Under this ordinance, Howell said, "it would be illegal to walk down the street singing or whistling for almost half the day. It would be illegal to sit by the lake and strum a guitar and sing to yourself."

The law is almost without limits: it doesn't restrict only performances, mention audiences, mention whether the music is done for money, say whether it has to bother anyone, or specify any decibel levels, she said. "It's a classic example of overbreadth," she said. "To enforce an ordinance like this is counterproductive and silly."

OK, now I'm really pissed because I have to side with a liberal civil-rights attorney and that just sucks ass on principle. But in this case, I'll deal with it because I want to see these guys left alone and allowed to play.

Again, people travel to New Orleans just for this sort of unique culture and free-wheeling laissez faire atmosphere, and stamping it out is going to kill off the French Quarter and hurt New Orleans as a whole. If the City Council doesn't wise up and back off, the people of the Crescent City need to slap them upside the head with calls, letters, protests and failing all else, replacement this coming election. At risk of sounding like some sort of hippie...Save the music and save the French Quarter!

Now Jackie, why don't you leave them boys alone and let them sing their songs?

And if you have never been there and want to know how these guys sound, here they are:

"People too Stupid to be Allowed to Vote" award winner: Gail Westerfield

With the election of unemployed moron Alvin Greene to the US Senate race in the State of South Carolina with 60% of the vote despite his not even campaigning, many people are asking how that could possibly have happened. The answer is sadly simple: Idiots like Gail Westerfield.

“I voted for him because his name sounded like the singer and I’d never heard of Vic Rawl,” Gail Westerfield of Beaufort, South Carolina said. “I didn’t have name recognition– so I went with the person who had the most…famous name. It’s so bad.”

“I had just never heard of either of these guys and it never occurred to me that anything like this could happen or my vote and that this other person I was with who shall go nameless that our votes would contribute to South Carolina being the butt of a joke again. I mean, I feel terrible about it. I mean, we’re rivaling Florida now for the ridiculousness. I don’t feel good about being a part of that,” she said.

No, Gail, there's not really much of a valid comparison between a bunch of people who couldn't figure out a butterfly ballot (Democrat voters in Florida in 2000) but at least tried to cast a somewhat-informed vote with bona-fide retards like you who never bothered to learn fact one about either candidate but still felt the need to go to a polling place and cast a vote because one of them sounded similar to an R&B singer.

Seriously, I'd say "Gee, you're dumb" but I'm betting that you've been hearing that a lot your whole life, haven't you? People as stupid as you should not be allowed to vote or reproduce, Gail.

And on a macro scale, it's ignorant, uninformed voters like Gail Westerfield that foul up elections all over our country these days. With people like Gail Westerfield voting in larger numbers every election, I sincerely doubt that our Constitutionally-limited Republic will be able to survive the onslaught of careless/clueless democracy for much longer.

Heck, just look what we got for President in 2008. Anyone want to guess who Gail Westerfield voted for?

Anyone?
Bueller?
Anyone?

Profile of a winner: Emiley Steiger

Emiley Steiger is a winner.

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - A Fairdale High School graduate is headed to basic training next month after losing the 85 pounds needed to join the military.

Emiley Steiger enlisted as an ammunition specialist and leaves for basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in July. She said she decided to join the Army after a military recruiter spoke at Fairdale High School in Spring 2009. Steiger said she weighed 213 pounds at the time and described weight as a constant struggle.

"I used to eat mayonnaise right out of the jar and had to quit," Steiger said. "I got a gym membership, quit eating fast food and stopped eating late at night."

The summer ahead of her senior year, the teenager decided to lose weight. Future Soldier Dottie Bussey worked beside her.

"Some days I go to the gym with her or we go to the park and run and I help her at her house with all the drill and ceremony stuff we have to do," Bussey said. "Grades too, I helped her with her grades."

Steiger described her decision as life-changing and challenging.

"I got tired of crying pretty much and even when I first started running, I was like 'Why did my mom make me like this? It's my mom's fault! It's her fault!'"

Steiger said she currently weighs 130 pounds. Bussey said she has lost 52 pounds since the two started working together.

In this day and age, when so many young people sit around and insist that the rest of us owe them a living, or cry because life is so hard (even though they have it easier than us older generations ever did), it's great to see someone willing to work so hard to achieve a goal, especially a goal as noble as being allowed to serve this great country.

Way to go, Emiley. I'm sure that you'll do the Army--and America--proud.

Salute.

Requiem for a little cat

I've never cared much for cats but you were young and kind of cute.
I might have come to like you if things had been different.
I'm so sorry.

And with those words, I pulled the trigger and put a young kitten out of it's suffering not quite an hour ago. The kitten, a black feral one maybe a couple of months old that nominally belonged to my neighbor, had fallen victim to a marauding pair of dachshunds that are owned by another neighbor about half a mile away. I heard the barking and the screaming and stepped out my back door just in time to interrupt the wiener dogs as they were engaged in killing the kitten, and they ran off, leaving the job half done. One look at the kitten told me all I needed to know--it was too badly injured to be saved. But it was still alive and softly crying.

Damn.

So I went in the house, got my trusty Ruger 10-22 out of the rack, loaded it with one round, and went back outside to do what I had to do.

In my life I've shot wild game, and I've shot people. None of that's ever bothered me, but I feel kinda bad after shooting this little cat, even though it had to be done.

Rest in Peace, little fella. Your life should have been longer than it was.

A fun Saturday Meme--When zombies attack

Nipped this from an Old Naval Flight Officer whose blog I enjoy ( and who's still cool even though he didn't get back to me when I e-mailed him about grabbing a drink or two the other night...)

1. Pick three US Civil War generals to fight by your side in the Zombie Apocalypse.

2. Same, but WWII generals.

3. Same, but US Presidents.

4. Same, but actors (living or dead)

5. Same, but writers.

6. Same, but rock musicians.

7. Same, but fictional characters.

My choices were as follows:

1. Without question, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and John S. Mosby. (OldNFO agree 100% on these three, but then great minds tend to think alike.)

2. Generals George Patton and Omar Bradley, and Admiral Raymond Spruance. (If it wasn't limited to American Generals, I'd have Rommel in a heartbeat.)

3. No question: Ronald Reagan, Theodore Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson. All real-life tough guys and action men, especially Jackson; anyone who can beat his own would-be assassin and win duels has got to be on the team.

4. John Wayne, James Stewart and Audie Murphy.

5. For writers, I want Niccolo Machiavelli, Heinz Guderian, and Erwin Rommel (got him!). Gotta think big-picture sometimes.

6. Ted Nugent of course, but add Toby Keith and Debbie Harry (Hey, I've gotta have my stress reliever in between bouts of saving the world...and she's still pretty hot.)

7. Alan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, and Jack Harkness.

We're gonna kick some zombie ass with this team.

Liberal teacher canned but she doesn't understand why.

Elizabeth Collins is an ex-teacher today. Frankly, after reading the story and perusing her blog, I think that it's a good thing.

It all began when Collins was hired by the Academy of Notre Dame de Namur, an all-girls private school in Villanova, PA. The school hired Elizabeth to teach English. Now when I went to school, taking an English class meant that you learned about grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and other basic skills. But Elizabeth apparently felt that those things weren't quite as important as her own worldviews on things like environmentalism, feminism, Obamacare and how rotten President Bush was, so she used her class to push her views and indoctrinate the students on these things--something that was totally inappropriate for a teacher to do.

Well eventually a student pushed back, and gave a speech in class on "Obama's lies" after Collins has assigned them to write and deliver an advocacy speech. Well fair enough--the student took a point of view and argued it, something that an advocate does. But Collins couldn't handle criticism of her beloved messiah by a mere student in her class so she responded to the speech by writing one of her own and posting it on her blog, which she, in another display of inappropriate behavior, had given out to her students to read. In her blog piece, she stated that she was "modeling" the correct approach to the assignment.

Her piece encouraged students to move "beyond knee-jerk joining of their parents' political party, and not become one-issue voters, to open their minds and consider the ramifications of their votes." Collins' essay criticized many George W. Bush administration policies and defended the Obama administration.

OK, so here we have a teacher pushing her political views in a class where she's just supposed to be teaching kids how to write. Then she gives them all her personal blog address, and this blog is basically a rambling nest of Collins' self-absorbed thoughts about how she sees herself in the world and screeds against Bush and Republicans in general.

Now both of these things go beyond the boundaries of a proper teacher-student relationship, but as unprofessional as that was, Collins went further by criticizing this student on her blog--a blog which she'd encouraged all of her other students to read. Naturally, the student's parents--big donors to the school--were not amused.

The next day, Collins received an e-mail from the student's parents, James J. White IV and Megan White. Saying there "may be some mix-up with the tone of your blog and the actual class that you are teaching," they requested a conference and asked, "If this had been an overly liberal paper, would our daughter have been the subject of your blog?"

I think that we all know the answer to that one.

The parents' e-mail also questioned two previous, unrelated incidents in Collins' class. "Earlier in the year, we did let the comment go about marriage and the taking of your husband's last name," though it was an "unnecessary comment to make to the girls and had little or nothing to do with English," it said. "Later, we were all exposed to your very strong feelings about the health-care proposal. . . . Another platform that neither of us felt was necessary for the classroom."

Collins said in an interview that she had told her students why she had kept her maiden name after they asked, and added, "I just feel like health-care reform is such an innocuous issue - it's not abortion."

Collins replied to then parents' email and told them that if they wanted to meet with her, she was bringing a lawyer. (Over-reaction, anyone?)

But Collins only became more unprofessional. She blogged about the parents. She didn't name them specifically, but one can assume that in this small sphere, it was pretty clear who she was talking about. She also claimed that she "was dealing with some hard-core provincialism - not to mention intolerance of anything but ultraconservative views."

Since when do English teachers--or any other subject-matter teacheers--warrant tolerance for their personal views in a classroom?

Anyone?
Bueller?
Anyone?

The school called her in for a meeting with administrators and the student's family and warned her about this unacceptable behavior, but she walked out and wrote yet another blog piece in which she described her version of the meeting, assigning fake names to the parents and apparently assuming that even though everyone would know who she was talking about, it still wasn't something that the school could act on. Finally the school had had enough. They justifiably fired Collins.

The school has no specific guidelines on blogging, but in a letter to Collins, it said she had violated faculty policies and procedures and the ethics code, "which specifies that the academy is committed to treating our students and parents fairly."

Her termination letter said she had "engaged in improper communications with academy staff and former staff members about your dispute with the Whites."

Collins maintains that she was the target of an unjustified attack by the Whites that was largely motivated by what she called in one e-mail to the school their "clear political intolerance" toward her views.

There's that reference to her views again. She really doesn't get it, folks--she was hired to teach a subject and that subject was English. It wasn't "what Elizabeth Collins thinks about politics".

So now she's an ex-teacher. Hopefully no other school picks her up, but with her warped teaching priorities and political views, I'm sure that some inner city public school's teachers' union would love to have her as a member.

Now I tried to post a comment on Elizabeth's blog suggesting that she refrain from political indoctrination of other people's kids and simply stick to teaching the subject matter, but Elizabeth is a true liberal in that she only recognizes the right to speak out if it's speech that she agrees with. She's rejected my post several times and appears to only be approving those few from other liberals that tell her how brave and wonderful she is and express sympathy with her for being "victimized" so. (Here at Lagniappe's Lair, all comments are approved unless they are spam, obscene personal attacks on the author or extended advocacy pieces that go well away from the topic being commented on.) Elizabeth could learn a thing or two if she'd get outside of her own fantasy world for a bit and check out reality, so to that end, I've invited her to stop by here and post her thoughts. Stick around and see if she accepts, folks. And if you've got a few minutes, stop by her page and let her know your thoughts--she'll read them even if she doesn't post them.

Tell her me and Lagniappe sent ya.

EDITED TO ADD: Looks like she posted my invite, and people are drifting over from there. So welcome, both Elizabeth and her supporters. I look forward to hearing why, in your opinions, an English teacher should be trying to politically indoctrinate other people's kids instead of just teaching them to write.

So Mexico is angry...

because some of their delinquents attempted to invade our country and attacked our law-enforcement officers with rocks and one of them got shot.

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico – A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a 15-year-old Mexican boy after a group trying to illegally enter Texas threw rocks at officers near downtown El Paso, U.S. authorities said Tuesday.

The shooting, which happened Monday evening beneath a railroad bridge linking the two nations, drew sharp criticism from Mexico, where the government said Tuesday that "the use of firearms to repel attacks with stones represents disproportionate use of force, particularly coming from authorities who have received specialized training."

It was the second death of a Mexican at the hands of Border Patrol officers in less than two weeks, and the case threatened to swell into a full-blown international incident when U.S. and Mexican officials traded suggestions of misconduct.

Arturo Sandoval, a spokesman for the Chihuahua Attorney General's office, said a spent 40-mm shell was found near the body — raising the question of whether the fatal shot was fired inside Mexico, although he did not explicitly make that suggestion. That would violate the rules for Border Patrol agents, who are supposed to stay on the U.S. side of the border.

A U.S. official, meanwhile, said video shows the Border Patrol agent did not enter Mexico.

The official, who agreed to discuss the matter only if not quoted by name, said the video also shows what seem to be four Mexican law enforcement officers driving to the edge of the dry but muddy bed of the Rio Grande, walking across to the U.S. side, picking up an undetermined object and returning to Mexico near the area where the boy's body was. Like their U.S. counterparts, Mexican law officers are not authorized to cross the border without permission.

According to the FBI, Border Patrol agents were responding to a group of suspected illegal immigrants being smuggled into the U.S. near the Paso Del Norte bridge, across from Ciudad Juarez around 6:30 p.m. Monday.

One suspected illegal immigrant was detained on the levee on the U.S. side, the FBI said in a statement. Another Border Patrol agent arrived on the concrete bank where the now-dry, 33-feet (10-meter) wide Rio Grande is, and detained a second suspect. Other suspects ran back into Mexico and began throwing rocks, the FBI said.

At least one rock came from behind the agent, who was kneeling beside the suspected illegal immigrant who he had prone on the ground, FBI spokeswoman Andrea Simmons said.

The agent told the rock throwers to stop and back off, but they continued. The agent fired his weapon several times, hitting one who later died, said the FBI, which is leading the investigation because it involved an assault on a federal officer. The agent was not injured, Simmons said.

Border Patrol Special Operations Supervisor Ramiro Cordero said preliminary reports showed Border Patrol agents on bicycle patrol "were assaulted with rocks by an unknown number of people."

The article then goes on to quote outraged relatives of the dead rock-thrower who naturally accuse our Border Patrol officers of murdering the rock-thrower and wailing that they've now been "left with nothing". I guess that they meant that now there will be no one left to smuggle dope into America or sneak over and steal American cars or commit other crimes before scurrying back to sanctuary south of the border. And predictably, Mexican officials demand that American officials do their bidding.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department said it "energetically condemns" the shooting and demanded "an expeditious and transparent investigation of the facts and, if applicable, punishment of the guilty."

"Mexico is aware of the existing risks in the region, but, according to international standards, lethal force must be used only when the lives of people are in immediate danger and not as a dissuasive measure," it said.

The department said its records indicated the number of Mexicans killed or wounded by immigration authorities rose from five in 2008 to 12 in 2009 to 17 so far this year, which is not half over.

T.J. Bonner, president of the union representing Border Patrol agents, said rock throwing aimed at Border Patrol agents are common and capable of causing serious injury.

"It is a deadly force encounter, one that justifies the use of deadly force," Bonner said.

The violence in Mexico combined with assaults on Border Patrol agents in the U.S. has increased the level of apprehension agents have about their safety, Bonner said.

As far as I'm concerned, the only guilty parties left unpunished here are the other rock-throwers who didn't get shot. Not a single Mexican has anything to be angry over, since none of this would have happened had not the deceased and his pals set out to attack American law-enforcement officers on American soil. Frankly, it's precisely because of stuff like this than most of us want our border secured--Americans want protection against this sort of thuggery from Mexico's criminals. And if Mexicans don't want to be shot by our Border Patrol Agents, all they need to do is stay away from our border unless they're coming in legally with honest intent and everyone's problem will be solved.

Oh--and a "40mm casing"? I think not. .40 caliber, perhaps, but not 40mm.

Edited to add: Seems as if this little angel was a known smuggler and on a "most wanted" list. It hardly appears likely that he was just "hanging out" as his relatives claim, or taking a short-cut to choir practice.

I will not rest...

My, how times have changed.

First Obama claimed that he would not rest until businesses were hiring.

Then he promised that he would not rest until the plotters behind the Christmas Day attempted airliner bombing in Detroit were caught. (Disingenuously, he made this promise while on vacation in Hawaii.)

Then he claimed that he would not rest until the oil in the gulf was cleaned up.

Of course then he went on vacation again to Chicago--stiffing our troops on Memorial Day--and he returned to have a big party with Paul McCartney. Now, while none of these things have been accomplished--the stock market just crashed this week-end over the dismal jobs report, the terrorist plotters are all still out there and anonymous and the oil still flows freely while wildlife continues to die, Obama and his wife went to their second star-studded party this week at Ford's Theater.

Gee, for a guy who keeps claiming that he's not going to rest until he gets something done, he and his wife sure seem to be getting a lot of rest...and having a lot of fun on the taxpayers' dime.

This is a far cry from President Bush going so far as to give up golfing during his administration because it didn't look right for him to take a few hours to relax on the links while our troops were at war. Of course our troops are still at war, and Obama's played more golf in his first year than Bush did during his entire eight.

How much longer is Obama, a man whom historians are likely to label "the most incompetent president ever" going to keep getting away with all of this high-living and goofing off while America crashes? I mean, somebody hand this guy a fiddle and a toga and break out the matches already.

Words mean things, Barky. Now get to work and start doing your job.

And to the US news media I say "thank you" for continuing to cover for this guy and carrying his water. Your complicity won't be forgotten after he's gone in 2012.

Edited to add: The staggering cost of the Obama's personal playtime is starting to get notice from foreign media, if not our own.

66 Years ago today...

American fighting men saved the world.

It was the largest invasion force the world had ever seen...or would ever see again.










1,465 of those Americans would die before that day was over. Thousands more would die before the job was done and Europe was free of the war they'd gone over there to end. But they did it. WE did it.
To Europe, on behalf of America, I say "You're welcome".

And to those on the continent who today profess disdain or hatred towards our nation...you losers can kiss our collective ass. If not for America, you'd likely be cursing us in German today.

Yay me!

With one final three-mile run last night, I met the final requirements for a President's Fitness Challenge Gold Medal.

I started this in October, 2008, just a week before I ran the Army Ten-Miler for the first time. Since then, I've kept track of time spent running, swimming, weight training, martial arts, cardio work and even walking. It's simple: Do the exercise then log in and plug in what you did and for how long. It keeps a tally and eventually you can earn awards. It's a great way to track your progress and at least in my case, it motivates me to get out there because I feel slack if I don't log some work every few days or so.

My proudest achievement: Per the records, since starting, I've logged 76 hours running. (Would that be 152 hours for someone with two legs?) At my average distance pace of 10 minutes per mile, that's 456 miles.

I also logged 17 hours of swimming and I can easily swim a mile now without stopping.

Lagniappe gets credit too, of course. I also logged all of our walks that were over half an hour in duration, and together we logged over 90 hours of walking and hiking, to include quite a bit of time spent on the Appalachian Trail and Maryland Heights across the Potomac from Harpers Ferry. If you've climbed to the Old Stone Fort as we've done numerous times, you'll know that the hike's no joke. We worked, and he earned his own Gold Ribbon, which is on the way along with my medallion. We celebrated last night with a glass of Bushmills for me, and a deer bone for him. Very happy.

Now that I've hit the Gold Medal on this program, I'm at a loss for something else to work on. I can't stop now, and I'm in search of another workout program. Any of you have any suggestions?

Funny, but 100% true

And a song for Emily Henochowicz, too.

More on the Israel thing

I seem to have struck a nerve with yesterday's post on the poor little rich kids who flock to Israel to involve themselves--on the wrong side, of course--in the Palestinian Troubles.

The last day and a half, I've been deluged with comments--mostly obscene--in support of the Palestinian terrorists. Many were nothing more than propaganda screeds accusing the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) of practically every crime from genocide to kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.

Many of them have called me a "coward" too, and I can't figure that one out. I mean, it's not like I was challenged to fight and refused, and it's not like any of these critics--most of whom I suspect are using school computers or those in their parents' houses--are actually fighting in any real capacity. Anyway...

I have to admit that it shames me to see fellow Americans--even spoiled and clueless young ones--acting as if the Israelis are the bad guys and the Hamas terrorists in Gaza are some sort of noble heroes. There are numerous big differences between the two, and since it's obviously not clear to at least some people, I'll try to highlight a few.

1. The IDF is an actual military force comprised of citizen-soldiers fighting on behalf of the People of Israel and taking orders from a democratically-elected government--one that even lets Palestinians, Arabs, and other non-Jews vote in it's national elections. They wear uniforms and there's no doubt as to who they are. The Hamas terrorists, on the other hand, mask their faces and wear civilian clothes so that they can hide among the civilian population as they sneak up to set off bombs or run away after committing their misdeeds. They often use women and kids, either hiding behind them or sending them out with bombs strapped to their bodies. There is no honor to be claimed by any of these Hamas losers; they lack the guts to stand up and fight like men, unlike the Israelis.2. The IDF allows women and homosexuals to serve equally alongside their men. Hamas, like other radical muslim groups, prefers to subjugate their women and kill their homosexuals. (Yet liberals in America still support them unconditionally. What's up with that?)

3. The IDF strikes only at military targets. The Palestinians go out of their way to avoid engaging the Israeli military or police and seek to strike at civilians instead, preferring to blow up weding parties, schools, daycare centers, hospitals, public buses, etc. Again, we're talking skulking cowards here. The IDF even has a Code of Conduct that it adheres to, and it has punished numerous members of it's own force for violating this code. The Palestinians? Again, nothing is sacred or off-limits to them. They have no boundaries.

4. The IDF provides life-saving medical care to civilians injured in the fighting and also to any Palestinian combatants that it captures. The Palestinians ignore wounded civilians and torture most of their prisoners to death.

5. The IDF fights to protect it's citizens and homeland. The Palestinians fight because they are antisemetic muslims who want to see Israel wiped out and because other terror supporters pay them to do so.

6. Israeli Defense Force women are generally smoking hot!





















Palestinian women...not so much.

If I knew that I was getting 70 of those when I died, I'd do my best to live forever.

Humor aside, Israel, like any Democratic society, will always have the support of Lagniappe and I over shitbird terror states and ragamuffin bands of brigands and mad bombers.

Training Day

It was 90 degrees in the shade today, and there was no shade at all on the range where I go to train.

I had the place to myself this morning, so that meant that I got to set up a real nice multi-position shooting course to run through. I put several 5-gallon pail targets downrange at various distances, from 10 meters to 90 meters (sadly, that's all the room there is here) and parked my truck perpendicular to the targets midway between a large rock on one side and an orange and white ex-construction barrel on the other side. A bit forward of this line--between the truck and the barrel--was a smaller dirt berm. Downrange of the barrel there was the remains of an old table that I put several empty drink cans on. They'd be my final targets. Then I set about to practice my cover and transition drills with the Uzi submachine gun, Remington 870 shotgun and H&K P7M13 pistol.

The drill ran as follows:

1. Starting from a seated position in the truck, exit the truck and engage two of the targets with the primary weapon (Uzi or shotgun).
2. Run to the rock. Taking cover behind the rock, engage two targets from there.
3. Run back to the truck. Kneel behind the tire and fire around the front bumper. Engage two targets.
4. Run to rear of truck and use it for cover while engaging two more target pails.
5. Run forward to the berm and go prone behind it. Roll out and engage any two visible targets left.
6. Get up, run back to the barrel, and drop the Uzi (it's on a sling) or set down the shotgun (it doesn't have a sling) and transition to the pistol. Using the barrel as cover, clear the table of the cans.
7. Reload as necessary during the run, but without stopping. If the primary weapon jams or goes completely empty before getting to the barrel, transition to the pistol and finish the course.

Sounds easy, right?

Hell...

Anyone can just stand and shoot static targets like drink cans, but when your heart rate is up and your chest is pounding, you're out of breath, and the sweat is just flowing down your face and into your eyes, hitting those same little cans can be a vexing exercise, indeed. Add in the heat and the rough terrain, and well...you've got reality staring back at you. And that's the idea; real-life gunfights don't take place on 15-meter indoor pistol ranges.

I ran this course eight times--three times with the Uzi, four times with the shotgun, and once with an M1 carbine. I stumbled once while running with the Uzi and fell on top of it, and I'm extremely grateful that Uziel Gal put a grip safety on that thing as the muzzle nailed me hard in my ribs when I hit the ground. (This is why we don't run with our fingers on the triggers, people.) But I got right back up again and finished the course.

With the Uzi and the carbine, there was just one mag change required midway through each run, but with the shotgun, I had to constantly strip rounds from the sidesaddle and stock tubes to top off the gun or feed through the ejection port as I ran. That's an essential fighting shotgun skill that few people practice adequately.

During the four shotgun runs, I fired 65 rounds of buckshot and slugs, and when I finished the last run, I actually burned my hand on the barrel, it was so hot. But those 870s, like the Uzis, just keep going.

Only twice out of the seven runs was I able to clean all of the cans off of the last stage with one shot per can. Every other times, I was shaking and muffed one or more. But that's why we train--to get faster, smoother and better.

When I finished, I went down to check out of the range. The desk staff was shocked to see that I was soaking wet and covered with sand. "What were you doing out there?" they asked.

My prosthetist asked the same question half an hour later when I showed up in his office for another "emergency" repair. Once again, I'd torn through the neoprene sleeve holding my leg in place by repeatedly kneeling and going prone on it. And once again, I was reminded that my leg wasn't designed for this sort of abuse. But until they come out with one that is, I guess I'll keep tearing this one up. Screw it--that's why I have insurance and plenty of spare sleeves and other parts for it at home. But for now, I guess that I probably should go out and try to find some knee pads that'll fit over it.

Oh well...other than a burned hand, a few cuts and scrapes, and some bruising in my ribs, I'm feeling great. Confidence is high.

So what'd you do today to make yourself a better you?

My lifesaving tools.

Hey Paul McCartney--Kiss my ass!

And kiss Lagniappe's ass too, while you're down there.

Freshly returned from his vacation to Chicago where he chose to go in lieu of honoring our troops on Memorial Day, (So much for his pledge that he "will not rest" until the oil flow is stopped...) Obama was partying at the White House again last night while the oil in the Gulf continues to flow. This time, he and his wife and Nancy Pelosi were rocking and singing along with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney in a private bash where Obama gave McCartney an award for being such a great pop music artist and credited him with making the world a better place. McCartney, rather than show some respect and honor to our country in return, instead took the opportunity to slam President George W. Bush.

After the show — and apparently after the President had left the room — McCartney thanked the audience and noted how nice it was to receive the award from the Library of Congress, and “in fact, after the last eight years it’s great to have a president who knows what a library is.”

Well speaking in response, as one of the Americans who helped put George Bush in office back in 2000, let me be among the first to say to McCartney--a man who is not even a United States citizen but merely a guest in our country--Fuck you, and don't let the door hit you on the way back out. This country has been awfully good to you over the past several decades, making you a millionaire several times over for nothing more than singing and playing a guitar as one quarter of a talented but out-of-style band. You could have showed some class and just been grateful for the award, but no--you had to be what your people call a "wanker" and take a cheap shot at one of our former leaders.

So screw you, you classless punk. Just stay in Britain from now on. And keep in mind that the next time Germany threatens to take over your country, you'll be wishing and praying for a George Bush type in our White House to send American troops back over there to save you again, because your idol, Barack Obama, wouldn't have a clue how to respond.

From now on, just shut up and sing.

It's official...

Lagniappe sucks as a watchdog.

I put two choice steaks on the grill and told him to keep an eye on them while I did something else for a bit. I went back out a few minutes later (ok, maybe it was a bit longer...) and the grill was smoking and one of the steaks was seriously charred on one end. I just looked at Lagniappe, who was right there the whole time.
"What kind of a watchdog are you?!" I yelled.
He just lay there, staring back up at me. He didn't say a word.

The rest of the steaks were perfect--best steaks I've grilled in a while--but the charred chunk wound up going in Lagniappe's dish.

Hmmmm....maybe he's not so negligent after all.

I wuz watching...and waiting.

Another "Useful idiot" down.

A 21-year old spoiled rich girl and Hamas supporter from Maryland just learned the hard way what happens when you go to someone else's country and challenge the power.

Emily Henochowicz was struck in the face by a tear gas canister launched towards her and other rock-throwing criminals on Israel's West Bank on Monday. She's currently being treated in an Israeli hospital but she's losing her left eye.

(She gets hurt trying while trying to undermine the Israeli nation and they wind up treating her injuries. How's that for irony?)

Every report on this in the news today is clearly slanted in her favor, with many accusing the Israelis of deliberately firing the tear gas canisters at people and implying that this was done with malicious intent. Sorry folks, but I've fired tear gas canisters from rifles and other launchers back in the day, and they're anything but accurate enough to actually aim them and hit things. They also downplay the fact that she was with a bunch of rock-throwers and she did not leave when ordered to do so. Apparently, she and other little trust-fund kids from countries outside of Israel--the sort who just travel the world on inherited money and bother people instead of getting a job--were banking on the assumption that the Israelis wouldn't dare shoot at them because they were foreign.

“They clearly saw us,” said Sören Johanssen, a Swedish ISM volunteer standing with Henochowicz. “They clearly saw that we were internationals and it really looked as though they were trying to hit us.

In other words, they were acting as human shields for the bad guys. Their mistake was, of course, that Israel doesn't coddle the stupid like America and Britain do. With their nation at stake, they cannot afford to.

One would think that these American college kids would be smart enough to learn from other stupid American kids like Tristan Anderson or Rachel Corrie and realize that it's not a game over there. The Palestinians know it and that's why they recruit these gullible rich foreign kids who have grown up their whole lives without discipline or fear of consequences for their behavior. If you'll notice, you don't see Palestinians getting hit by grenades or run over by bulldozers in these protests; they know better than to get too close or stay too long. Instead, they've learned to send in a busload of naive but arrogant American and European kids and then capitalize on the story when the inevitable happens, like it did again Monday.

Here's hoping that when little Emily gets back home, she decides to put her little superhero cape and her terrorist headscarf away in favor of growing up, getting a job like everyone else has, and just getting on with her life. She has my sympathy for her pain, but not too much, because she was pretty stupid, and like I've said here before, stupidity is supposed to hurt. It's what motivates at least some people to not be so stupid in the future.