"Most Transparent Government Ever" seals records on "Fast and Furious" Border Patrol Agent's murder.

Yep. Because at the Obama Administration, they think that the public should know everything about everything that the government does...so long as it was or will be done by some other administration, preferably a Republican one.

Agent Brian Terry's murder records sealed.

At this point, Eric Holder's retention as Attorney General makes about as much sense as someone giving B.O. a freaking Nobel Peace Prize.

Random musings

So I wake up this morning and I don't hear Murphy snoring on his dog bed at the foot of my own bed. I look, and sure enough, he's not there. So I get up and walk through the Lair looking for him, only to find him upstairs in my guest room, sound asleep on the guest bed. And yes, someone started out his day with a swat on the hindquarters.

And the news is that Rep. Barney Frank is retiring from Congress now that redistricting means that he'd have had to run for the votes of a bunch of people that have never voted for him before, many of whom are not his preferred constituency of second-handers looking for free stuff from Washington. The papers and fellow Democrats are already lauding him and for the most part overlooking his long history of scandals. But all I see is a man totally without honor or ethics leaving us. Pity that he cannot take the housing market collapse that he and fellow corruptocrat Chris Dodd helped bring about through their meddling with Fannie and Freddie. If it were my call, he'd be stripped of every tangible asset, money going to repay the taxpayers for his misdeeds, and then he'd be stripped of his citizenship and deported. But alas, no one lets me make decisions like that.

Next Week's Blogshoot is looking great

OK, folks. The blogshoot set up for next Saturday, December 3rd, in Inwood, WV is all set. We have a primo deluxe range with pistol, rifle to 250 yards, and five-stand shotgun all set aside for ourselves from 9A to 2P. Ammo and targets are available for purchase there, and the following rental guns for anyone who wants to try one out:

- FNH Police Sniper Rifle - .308 $50 Per Hour plus ammo
- Colt Competition HBAR AR15 rifles: $50 Per Hour plus ammo
- FNH SCAR Rifles: $50 Per Hour plus ammo
- Colt Trophy Gold Cup Competition .45 cal Handgun: $30 Per Hour plus ammo
- FNH Hi Capacity .45 Cal Competition Handguns: $30 Per Hour plus ammo
- FNH SLP Semi-Automatic Shotguns: $50 Per Hour plus ammo
- Colt Pocket-lite Mustang .380 handguns: $30 Per Hour plus ammo

After the shoot, we'll adjourn to a nearby eatery for food and adult beverages. The range is costing us some money, so donations will be accepted, again with any excess money going to the Wounded Warrior Foundation.

So come on out next Saturday and meet some of your favorite bloggers, to include Old NFO, Keads,Proud Hillbilly and also The Miller and New Jovian Thunderbolt, both of whom have just confirmed their attendance. Several other people have already RSVP'd as well, and it should be a fun day of socializing and shooting. So drop Murphy and me a line at martinihenrywv@gmail.com for directions and we'll look forward to seeing you there. And if you've got a hunting shotgun, bring it for the five-stand!

Also, if anyone coming has any of the current crop of milsurp 9x18mm pistols handy, please bring it along. We have a new shooter looking for a good small semi-auto who would love to try it out.

How to serve deer on Thanksgiving

Murphy and I serve them corn.


I guess the feral cat was a plus one.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

How to make your own 7.7 Jap rifle ammo

This article should be of interest to certain historical rifle shooters. It covers how to make ammunition for the World War Two Japanese rifles chambered for the 7.7x58mm round. This would be the Type 99 Arisaka rifles that are still somewhat common out there, both sporterized for hunting and stock collectibles. Here's mine. I've had it about thirty years but it's basically been a wall-hanger/safe queen for lack of ammunition since the US military pretty much put the Japanese ammo plants out of business in 1945. Today, the gunwriters tend to call the cartridge that it fires "7.7 Arisaka" or just 7.7x58mm. Back when I was growing up we always just called it "7.7 Jap" and the rifles were always "Jap rifles" regardless of the actual make or caliber. Now this may offend some of the more PC individuals out there, or possibly the Japanese, but you know what? We won that war so we'll call it whatever we like.

Anyway, if you have one, you'll know that ammo's tough to come by and expensive as hell. Only a couple of companies make it commercially now and it's spendy stuff. If you're just going hunting and only need 20, you might not mind dropping $30-$40 for a box of 20 rounds. But for target shooting or plinking? That's pricey range fodder.

So here's an alternative that many people use, me included.

Start out with a .30-06 case, commonly available pretty much anywhere.

I put mine in this low-tech but effective fixture made of nails pounded into my workbench. It holds the case with the neck over the edge of the bench, as shown.

Next, we call over Mr. Dremel and knock about half of the neck off above the bottleneck. Gauge used: Mk I eyeball.
This is what you want:
Measurement's not a big deal at that stage because you're just taking off excess metal before trimming to size using the case trimmer.
2.27 inches will do you just fine per the Lyman and other reloading guides.
Now after beveling and chamfering the case mouth, you lube that case and run it through the 7.7 resizing die. This sets the original neck back about .130 inches and expands the case mouth from .308 to .311.
Prime your case and charge it with whatever powder you fancy. This batch is getting Win 748 just because I've got a pound lying around. Then seat your bullet. Here again, you can use cheap 7.62x54mm (Russian) pull-down pullets because they, like the 7.7 Jap, and the .303 Enfields, are .311 diameter. Or if you want to tighten it up a bit, Hornady makes a killer .312 round nose soft-point. My Enfields love those.
Keep your overall length under 3.15 inches and any rifle your loading for should chamber them easily.
Finished product below: One round of 7.7 Japanese.
Here's twenty newly-minted rounds. Took me about an hour, but I enjoy time at my loading bench so it's all good. These particular rounds will actually go to another blogger that some of you follow. She also has a Type 99 Arisaka that she inherited. These are loaded light because I suspect that hers hasn't been fired since shortly before Douglas MacArthur sailed into Tokyo Bay.
And by way of comparison, one of the new rounds (left) next to the .30-06 that the case started out as. Not really much of a difference, eh? Just shorten the case, move the neck back, and expand the case mouth. Simple really. And it beats hell out of paying for store-bought.

Obama identifies (again) with OWS brats

Awwww, isn't that cute? Obama tries to speak in New Hampshire and a few of the spoiled brats comprising the Occupy Wall Street movement begin to heckle him. So what does he do? He kisses their asses and claims that they are the reason that he ran for office in the first place.
(As if we all don't already know that "to gain the power necessary to ruin this country's capitalistic system, destroy any semblance of freedom for the individual and impose a socialist form of government with me and my cronies in charge forever" isn't really what he would have said if he was being honest.)

So Obama still loves these deliberately-unemployed, totally non-hygenic and absolutely useless people who currently comprise the largest criminal enterprise in America. No surprise there. My only hope is that the voters remember this next year and we give him his apparent wish by making sure that come January 13th, 2013, he has nothing better to do than sit around in some park all day.

My own coffee moment

Regarding yesterday's tale, before I get too smug, I'll relate my own little coffee incident which was nothign if not more memorable than blondie's.

Way back in the day, I was a paramedic on a large city's fire department. Due to our call volume, we ran all night from run to run, and slack time to relax was pretty rare. We never went back to the firehouse because it just wasn't worth backing the rig in only to have to roll it right back out again a few minutes later. So when we did get a few minutes free, we had a few hidey-holes around the city where we'd tuck in just to catch a breather or a power-nap.

One night, we'd staged ourselves in a secluded little spot after clearing the hospital. I'd acquired a large cup of coffee from said hospital but it was too hot to drink immediately so I was holding it in my hand since we had a new ambulance and hadn't gotten around to illegally modifying it with drink holders and an AM/FM stereo yet. It was a warm night and I had my window down as I relaxed in the shotgun seat, and I decided to catch a quick nap. I put my coffee on the center console, leaned back, closed my eyes, and zoned out.

A few minutes later however, I heard our unit number come across the radio and our MDT (Mobile Data Terminal) beeped, signifying another run. (Funny how no matter how sound asleep you are, you can tune out other radio traffic but your own call sign gets through every time.) I shook myself awake and reached over for my coffee cup to ditch it since we were about to take off Code, which, in those trucks and on that city's streets, was like Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney. I grabbed the cup with my left hand and pitched it over my right shoulder...right into the CLOSED window! My jack-ass partner had gotten cold (she was from Boston and not used to our hardier local climate...Hi Angie!) and used her door control to put MY window up. Needless to say, the whole large cup of coffee splashed back on me, our shift paperwork, and most of the rest of the cab of the truck. I was soaked and the new truck had been christened in a spectacular way. (Why no, Lieutenant...we weren't drinking coffee in the rig in violation of OSHA rules and city policy...why do you ask?)

So yeah, the blonde chick at Starbucks was amusing yesterday, but sooner or later we all have our day, even me.

Little dramas all around us

So yesterday in my travels, as I pass through a drive-thru to pick up a caffeinated beverage, I see in my mirror a lady getting into her car a short distance away. She sets her own beverage atop her roof, opens her car door, gets in, then closes her door and starts her engine. Surely she remembers the drink that she just set up on the roof, right?

She backs up about three feet, then hits her brakes. The drink topples over and cascades down her rear window.

I'm guessing that she didn't remember.

And yes, she was a blonde.

Blog Shoot!

The previous story is rather fortuitous as I've been working on the idea for a local blog shoot for some time with a few other gun blogger stalwarts--Old NFO, Keads and Proud Hillbilly to name three--and I just cinched exclusive use of a pretty decent new range in, of all places, Berkley County, WV on Saturday, Dec. 3rd. So if you're a local gunny or even one who lives a ways a way and feels like a road trip, here's your chance to come join with some other great gun folks and get some shooting in, hopefully followed by some decent eating, drinking and socializing.

Exact times are still being worked out, but the range will be open for use by all with handguns, rifles and shotguns, to include some five-stand shotgun shooting for those interested. Right now, I'm putting together a rough count of those expected to attend, so if you're interested, please shoot Murphy and me an e-mail at martinihenrywv@gmail.com. I can't promise that Murphy'll be there, but I will be, and so far, the above-mentioned celebrity bloggers are expected as well.

Let me know how many you'll be bringing and what type of firearms that you're planning to shoot. Anything but full-auto is ok. (Drat! No M60!) When I get your e-mail, I'll send you all of the info about the shoot, including directions, as they become finalized. Some ammo will be available for purchase at the range but your own is also welcome. And yes, WV is concealed-carry friendly but check to ensure that your own state has reciprocity before coming down.

If you're a reader of this blog or those above and a shooter, you're definitely welcome to come.

Donations will be accepted to cover the range fees, and anything collected in excess will be donated to Wounded Warriors.

Local gun owners take on anti-gun prosecutor

Berkley County, West Virginia.

Not too far from here, local gun owners are protesting a letter sent to members of the legislature by Berekley County Prosecutor Pamela Games-Neely, asking for stricter laws covering concealed carry.

MARTINSBURG - Carrying signs displaying "Neely Criminal Protector" and "Armed Society = Safer Society," about 20 members of the West Virginia Citizens Defense League staged a protest Friday afternoon on the corner of South Raleigh and West Stephen streets.

"We oppose the views of the prosecutor and her statement demanding a change to West Virginia's carry laws," explained Art Thomm, Eastern Panhandle representative and board member of the WVCDL.

Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney Pamela Games-Neely, a Republican, sent an email dated Oct. 25 to all local state legislators calling for a change to West Virginia state code regarding taking a firearm onto college campuses.

Her email was posted on state Delegate Larry D. Kump's blog. Kump is a Republican from Berkeley County.

Games-Neely was reacting to an incident earlier in October when a student at Blue Ridge Community and Technical College brought a concealed handgun onto the satellite campus at the old Corning Plant and into the main campus in the Dunn Building on West Stephen Street.

Joshua Beck, 26, of Martinsburg, who has a concealed carry permit, was originally charged with two felony counts of bringing a gun onto school property.

The felony charges were later dropped because Games-Neely questioned the language of the statute, that is whether the law clearly prohibited weapons from college campuses.

Beck was later charged with two misdemeanors, essentially, for not obeying an order by the college to not bring weapons onto school property.

Games-Neely was not available for comment Friday, but wrote in her email to legislators:

"I am a very strong supporter of the second amendment, but there must be some common sense applied here. I can think of nothing worse than people attending an athletic event, living in a dorm, or sitting beside someone in a science class with a firearm strapped to their side or worse, concealed on their person."

"As a parent of college students, I do not think I should have to worry about making sure they have their books, clothes, laptop and now a 45-caliber weapon in an educational setting," she continued. "This statutory error puts higher education students, faculty and administration at risk. Most people have enough sense not to do this, but obviously we have those who do not."

Games-Neely went on to ask legislators to address the issue as soon as possible by adding the words "post-secondary," "post-secondary vocational or technical" "or other institutions of higher learning" to state code.

Thomm said that no evidence supports her supposition.

"Never has a licensed person caused trouble," he said Friday at the demonstration held in the shadow of Blue Ridge CTC's Martinsburg campus. "This demonstration shows that lawfully abiding citizens are less likely to cause trouble. We don't cause trouble. We don't want to cause trouble."

Thomm estimated that 98 percent of the people taking part in the demonstration have concealed weapons permits and were carrying guns.

There was sporadic horn honking by cars passing the busy intersection in support of the demonstrators and some words of encouragement from motorists stopped at the intersection.

Thomm said Games-Neely's email exposed her as against 2nd Amendment rights. The 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution reads "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

"She is using the same tactics as terrorists," Thomm said of Games-Neely. "She is using fear to get her own way."

He urged residents of Martinsburg and Berkeley County to remember that when they go to the polls next year to vote. Games-Neely's current term as prosecuting attorney is up next year.

And I have to agree with the protesters here. A firearm carried by a law-abiding, responsible person poses no threat to anyone else, but rules barring such people from carrying firearms don't deter law-breakers or evil-doers in the slightest. Just ask any of the survivors of the Virginia Tech massacre. They and those who were killed and wounded were all disarmed in advance of that event by an act of the school and the state legislature, ensuring that the killer, Seung Hui Cho, has a monopoly on the use of deadly force.

So I wish these folks well, and I urge all Berkley County voters to boot Games-Neely next year and replace her with someone who is her diametric opposite: tough on crime and respectful of the rights of the law-abiding.

"I got hurt doing something stupid. The government should do something!"

Here we go yet again.
This time it's Courtney Fletcher of Mt. Lebanon, PA. She was walking along and saw a rope that she thought might be fun to swing on. She subsequently hurt herself and is now demanding that the government go cut that rope down.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Courtney Fletcher, 23, of Mt. Lebanon, believes a rope swing has to go.

Fletcher suffered an angular fracture when she fell 8 to 10 feet to the ground on a walking trail in the Walker’s Run section of Collier Township nine days ago.

She’s the second person who had to be rescued for falling on the same rope swing. Fletcher spoke to KDKA-TV from her bed at Allegheny General Hospital.

“When it happened, I could see bone. It didn’t come out of the skin, but the bone popped up and my foot was dangling in the other direction. My foot went into a small hole and cracked in half.”

Fletcher’s swollen ankle is blistered and is in pins. She’s in store for another round of surgery in the coming days.

Fletcher wants the rope cut down so what happened to her won’t happen to someone else.

Collier Police Chief Tom Devin says police want the rope down, but since the most recent accident they’ve learned it’s on private property and they are still trying to figure out who owns it.

So now we all have to support a government that will remove rope swings from private property to prevent trespassers from injuring themselves?

Hell, with that thought process guiding her, I'm genuinely surprised that Courtney isn't occupying some city park somewhere demanding a massive nanny-state government like so many other members of the "lost cause" generation are.

Just watch her on the video and listen to the whining and the excuses. She basically blames everyone but herself and never once takes an ounce of responsibility for her actions. "Personal responsibility? What's that?"

Anyone wanna bet whether or not she has insurance and if not, any intention of paying those hospital bills herself?

Didn't think so. Me either.

Ever have one of those days when you just seriously want to see a traffic cop?

So I’m driving into the city today, and as I come up to the exit ramp that lets me jump from one over-congested highway to the next, I suddenly see a taxicab pull up next to me with it’s turn signal on, trying to cut in front of me.

Now dammit, I’ve been waiting in this line of cars to get onto this ramp for a minute now, and this cab had every opportunity to get into the line at the back just like I did, or even to cut in well before the exact break point where the ramp cuts away. But this cab, a minivan from Alexandria Union Cab Company, Cab #706, wants to bypass the whole line and cut in right in front of me.

Anyone who knows me knows that this is so not happening. I refuse, and when he tries to merge in, I hold my place, refusing to give an inch, just daring him to hit me. He decline to hit me and wound up almost missing the exit entirely before he gave up, braked hard (nearly getting rear-ended his own damn self), and then cut off the guy right behind me. Once he was behind me, he started flashing his bright lights at me as if I did something to him by not letting him jump the line.
Brake check. Yep. Mine work.

So once onto the next highway, I’m moving along in the right lane, when suddenly this guy is next to me again in the left lane, and now he’s slowing to match my speed and deliberately moving into my lane as if to sideswipe me or force me over onto the shoulder. I’m like, is this guy serious? And he’s got a PASSENGER in that cab! How is the passenger not going nuts at this road-raging cabbie? But I’ve had enough, and I brake a bit to drop back and get his license number and cab number to start making my calls (because I’m going to call the police, the cab company and the hack inspector, in that order) when all of a sudden I see red and blue lights everywhere. A motorcycle police officer is now right on the back of this cab, pulling him over. Apparently Officer Evel Kneivel Saw some or all of this and tagged him right there.

Sometimes the Karma Fairy is right on the ball.

House votes on National Concealed Carry...Media strangely silent.

You’d think that it would be big news that the House of representatives voted on a bill which would put concealed weapons permits on par with drivers’ licenses and ensure that every state recognized permits issued by any other state, but HS 822 got relatively little press attention today despite passing 272 to 154, with 17 republicans voting against and 43 Democrats voting in favor. Perhaps the Obama-controlled media doesn’t want people watching the Democrat-controlled Senate to see what they do with it over there, as pretty much everyone who pays attention to such things knows that Harry Reid won’t ever let it come up for a vote, especially if he polls and figures out that such a bill would pass the Senate on an up-or-down vote. After all, that would be too much pressure to put on Obama as he courts the votes of pro-gun swing states next year. This wouldn’t be one that he could simply vote “present” on and punt like he just did the job-creating, oil-providing tar sands pipeline that his green base hates so much. No, the ultimate political coward is going to make sure that this bill never reaches his desk or gets much press because he knows that his anti-gun credentials are trouble enough in many states and a veto by him would likely doom his re-election chances in several close states.

But fortunately, we have the internet and the blogosphere and we can bypass the mainstream media. The vote on HR 822 did pass the House and Murphy and I even have the roll call vote listing who voted which way on it. That vote list can be found here.
(Hey Michigan, way to go with your freshman Republican Justin Amash! He just voted to ensure that Michigan residents will remain unable to carry in numerous other states.)

HR 822's text can be read in it's entirety here.

It's funny now how the opposition is claiming that those in favor are selling out "states' rights", yet most of those raising that hue and cry are the same ones who blast the concept of states' rights when a state refuses to legalize marijuana or gay rights or tries to restrict the power of union workers or those seeking abortions. In other words, states should never have the power to run their own affairs unless they choose to run them according to liberal ideals. So don't but the whole "this infringes on a state's right..." line. What it really does is empower the people who mmake up the states: the individuals.

So contact your senators and demand that they take this up, and let's put some real heat on Obama this coming election.

It followed me home...guess I'll have to keep it.

Note to self: Next time I go over to noted Martini-Henry expert Richard's house, do NOT bring check book.

But this time I erred and brought it, and as a result I acquired this new (to me) Martini-Henry Mk II rifle.It's not "new" new by any means. This one first left the Enfield factory back in 1878, a little over a decade after our civil war (still known locally as "the war of Northern Aggression) ended and a year before the beginning of the Zulu War.I got it from Vern, another Martini-Henry enthusiast who happened to be over there with a pick-up truck bed full of Martini-Henry rifles that he'd picked up in Afghanistan. He recently brought this one back, and after we engaged in some shooting and cleaning (and after Richard made minor repairs to both this one and my own MK IV), I wound up buying it from him for what was probably more than he paid for it in Kabul but much less than I would have otherwise had to pay for one here stateside. No complaints from me!

The only real collector's complaint that I have about this one is the fact that it has no finish at all left on any of the metal. Afghanis like their guns to be shiny, and this one, like most other antique firearms to come out of that country, has been polished down to bare metal. But the wood still bears the original Enfield logo in a roundel on the stock, right above two Roman numerals, a II, which denotes a MK II, and a I below, which indicates original issue to a British solider in a front-line unit. Had it been issued to native troops, volunteers or other irregular forces, it would have a different number.What really makes this one interesting is the fact that it did come from Afghanistan, so it's more likely than not that this rifle continued to see much actual fighting use well after the British turned it over to the locals or otherwise lost custody of it. In Afghanistan, when the tribes are not fighting the British, the Russians or the Americans, they are fighting with Pakistan or each other. In such a culture, rifles of any sort are highly valued and functional ones are used with little regard for relative obsolescence. It's quite conceivable that this veteran fired shots at any or all of the above during it's 80 years of post-British service, at least until it's last owner decided to sell it at the arms bazaar in Kabul, probably for cash to buy something more along the lines of an AK-47.

Here's the new one (top) with my ex-Nepalese MK IV below it.Quite the pair, aren't they? Both are 49" long and weigh eight and a half pounds empty. They are single-shot rifles firing the .577/450 cartridge, and both still shoot quite well despite being well over a century old. I was putting my shots into an 8" circle at 100yards standing off-hand with the MK IV once I figured out how much to hold under due to the sights not even being gradated for ranges that short. (You have to use the battle-sight setting and guesstimate a bit.)

In this close-up, you can see the main differences between the two variants. The MK II has the short lever action, and the MK IV has a longer lever and a slightly longer receiver. The longer lever came about in part following the disaster as Islandwana during the Zulu War when the short lever was blamed for many rifles jamming due to insufficient leverage to help with spent cartridge extraction. The receiver change was made to improve the shooter's grip on the weapon.
So what's it like to fire one of these? Well the recoil is not as bad as many more modern cartridge rifles firing smokeless propellant, but it's still enough to get your attention. And the black powder cartridges (Thanks, Richard!) definitely produce a good bit of smoke. Your enemy will definitely know where you are even if he can't actually see you behind the smoke cloud.

Shooting these is an involved process though, as virtually no one makes commercial or military ammunition for them any more. So unless you're willing to spend a hundred and forty dollars for a box of twenty (I'm sure not!) you'll learn how to form your own brass cases and load them with black powder and 470-grain bullets that you'll cast yourself. This is my next project and when I get it down, I'll post a step-by-step highlighting the process. In the meantime though, this new rifle will join the others firearms in the gun room, where I'm sure that it'll have lots of war stories to swap.

Parents upset over ex-porn star reading to schoolkids.

Seriously? This is an issue now? Sasha Grey, a former porn actress who has forsaken the porn industry in an attempt to become a mainstream actress, volunteered to read to schoolkids in Los Angeles as part of the Read Across America program.

One would not think that this would be a problem for anyone, yet several angry parents lodged complaints and the school in question even denied that she was there despite pictures to the contrary having already been released.

Now I'm not a pornography afficianado myself, and prior to finding this story I had no idea who Sasha Grey was. (This makes me wonder about the parents who complained. How exactly did they know who she was?) But I have to point out that she was there in that school to spend time building these kids up, and the parents who are now complaining apparently were not despite having had the same opportunity to volunteer that she accepted. In essence, they're mad because she was doing something to help their kids that they chose not to do.

And to Ms. Grey's credit, she's standing fast in the face of this criticism and refusing to quit volunteering. She's even gone so far as to issue a statement reaffirming her commitment to this program, and in my opinion, her past doesn't count against her as much as her intent to do right today counts for her. That being the case, I proclaim Sasha Grey to be a winner, and the parents who are complaining without volunteering to do what she's doing...well they're the opposite of winners, IMHO.

11-11-11. Veteran's Day.

A grateful nation will never forget.

Crack Ho mad at police chief, retains lawyer.

And in the Frivolous Lawsuit department, we have former (or current...it's not really clear) drug-using prostitute Almenta Johnson all upset at New Orleans Police Chief Ron Serpas after Serpas disclosed her lengthy criminal history on television during a manhunt for her murder suspect son.

Supt. Ronal Serpas disclosed Almenta Johnson's rap sheet during a press conference about her son, Bobby Troy, over the weekend. Police are seeking to arrest Troy in connection with the death of Slidell Dr. Brent Hockfeld in the French Quarter.

Johnson, of Central City, said she turned on her television Sunday and was shocked when the focus shifted on her.

"Bobby Troy's mother is a multiple arrested offender (on charges of) resisting arrest, resisting officers, possession or drugs, drug paraphernalia, criminal trespass, crimes against nature," Serpas said.

"I believe that he shouldn't have put my business out in the street. I haven't robbed anybody. I haven't killed anybody," Johnson said.

Johnson said she was fired Monday, after six years, from her part-time job as banquet server.

"When I went there, she told me, 'No,' because they don't hire sex offenders or people who have been on drugs and she told me I couldn't work there anymore," Johnson said.

Johnson said although her name was not mentioned during the press conference, her son used to work at her part-time job.

"They knew (he) was my son," Johnson said.

Defense attorney Robert Jenkins said Johnson's constitutional right to privacy and the right to work may have been violated, and she could have grounds to sue the City of New Orleans and Serpas for defamation.

So the Chief didn't even name her publicly, but she's run out and found a lawyer who claims that the Constitution now recognizes both a right to never have public information about oneself discussed in public and a right to work for people who don't want you working for them. (Oh, I can't wait to read that filing and see those citations.) And since it's doubtful that a part-time banquet server could afford the hourly rate of a highly-paid attorney like Robert Jenkins, one can only infer that Jenkins plans to get paid by filing a nuisance suit against the City of New Orleans with the expectation that the taxpayers will throw him and the unemployed prostitute a few thousand dollars just to go away.

Oh--and for what it's worth, they did eventually find and arrest Johnson's fugitive son. He allegedly murdered a doctor (read: a productive citizen who actually had value to society, unlike Johnson and her kids) and fled the city. But rather than show any remorse for breeding a killer and putting it out on the streets, Johnson's screaming and demanding to be paid.

Only in America, thanks mainly to the Trial Lawyers Associations and their pet political party, the Democrats, who continue to block any form of meaningful tort reform.

Opining on OWS

I think that one of the issues here is one of perception. The "Occupy" crowd sees themselves as reincarnations of our Founding Fathers, only with Che and Mao T-shirts on, but most of the rest of us see them as the cast of "Lord of the Flies", especially after reading daily about reports of how their camps have degenerated into feces-covered open-air drug dens where female "Occupyees" have to band together in guarded tents lest they be raped by their male comrades. For decades, these marxist wanna-be's have told us all about how their ideas would create a utopia for all, and now in about a month, they've proven that left to themselves, all that they can create is chaos, crime, dependency and disorder.

Now I think that they've proved our point and it's time for the adults to take control of these parks again by sending in the police and the heavy-duty sanitation teams. Let's seriously crack the heads of any who insist of continuing to defy law and order and seize the bank accounts and any other assets of these groups and involved individuals to pay back the taxpayers for all of the monies spent on babysitting these overgrown kids and cleaning up after them....and if that doesn't cover the tab, let's start identifying their parents and putting them in collection. Maybe the next time, they'll think twice about raising such pathetic kids and turning them loose on the rest of us.

Your thoughts?

The future of America

Again, we're back to the "we are the future" claims from today's youth...and I fear for my country if it's really so.

Today's example: Molly Katchpole, a girl living in Washington DC who used student loans to get as useless degree and who now wonders why she can't find work and frets that she has to actually pay that money back with interest.

Starting in December, the art and architectural history major has to figure out a way to start paying off her student loans, which she says will require payments of at least $200 a month.

“I don’t know what I am going to do!” said Katchpole, a freelance account manager at a political consulting firm called Winning Over Washington. (Its main client is the progressive group MoveOn.org.) “I am going to have to defer my loans. I have no idea. Why should I be expected to pay them off now? Why are colleges charging interest on that stuff? Give us a break. Really.”

I guess the whole concept of a loan went right over her head when she was filling out all of those application forms. But t be fair, maybe lenders should stop loaning out money for degrees like "art and architectural history", "philosophy", "ethnic culture" or "women's studies". Maybe if lenders weren't throwing money out to pay for degrees that will never put anyone into a real job with a salary that allows them to repay it, loans would be cheaper for serious students and colleges would not offer so many classes taught by useless but highly-paid "academics" who really do nothing but indoctrinate students into stupid ways of thinking. Case in point: Here's Molly. Her dad, Jim Katchpole, is a machinist and her mother, Kathy Katchpole, is a physical therapist’s assistant. So she apparently came from decent stock. Yet after a few years in college, she now sits around in a basement apartment with some shack-up guy, "surrounded by labor history and anarchy books" and is apparently only considering employment with left-wing "social change" groups. And she seems to honestly believe that she should not have to pay the loans that financed her tuition and paid her rent and grocery bills during those years she spent goofing around at school, at least not if it means forsaking her dream of working for SEIU or Planned Parenthood and having to get a real job. But even SEIU doesn't want a no-talent-having, non-skilled drone on their payroll...and that says a lot for a union that makes it's money organizing and representing no-talent-having, non-skilled drones.

Now if Molly were some sort of aberration, that might be ok. We could shrug her off as an example of social darwinism in action and leave her to a future that consists mainly of working in some food co-op or thrift store and going home at night to an apartment full of cats. But there are a lot of other Mollys out there today (see "Occupy Wall Street") and most of them expect that they should be forgiven their debts, given free houses just because they want them, and otherwise coddled by a society that takes the money required to support them all from you and I, by force if necessary. One of the biggest problems today is that we've raised a generation of Free Riders and given each one the power of the vote, allowing them to choose a government model which will perpetuate and support their own willful dependency while sticking the rest of us with the bill. So where does it stop? Do we become Italy or Greece? Or do the Productive Ones all walk off one day ala Ayn Rand and just let the Mollys all fend for themselves for a winter or two, after which, there'll likely be precious few Mollys left because that kind lacks the skills and the motivation to survive on their own.

And what happened in America that we went from being a nation of achievers, a country run by the people who built bridges, skyscrapers and transnational businesses, to a nation of Mollys who sit around with their mouths open and their hands out, demanding that you and I just pay all of their bills? Frankly, I doubt that the men and women who made America into the only real world power in the 1950's and 60's would have tolerated all of these OWS brats that infest many of our cities today. I'm thinking that they or the police would have been in there with sticks and hoses and even buckets of soap, wire brushes and shears, and every single dirty hippie that they could catch would leave clean and groomed with instructions to have a job by the end of the week or else. They damned sure wouldn't have offered them all free rides at the college of their choice for as many years as it takes to get a degree in a field that's not hiring or doesn't even exist, the way that we do today.

Maybe we need to return to those good old days, those "pre-Molly" days. And if Molly and her peers don't want to apply themselves and become doctors and engineers, they can pick fruit or process fish or ride on the back of a garbage truck if they have to, because the rest of us shouldn't have to pay their bills or ignore their debts until they land their non-existent dream jobs.

Progress...

Today I took Murphy to Harpers Ferry. And being a nice fall day, the place was packed to overflowing with visitors, a large percentage of which were families with kids.

Now Murphy, as readers may recall, has a history of abuse at the hands of kids, so he's not always the most tolerant of them. In fact, most of our outings here have resulted in at least one attempt by Murphy to snap at someone, usually young boys around 10-12 years old. The problem is enhanced of course by the fact that he's a beautiful dog that everyone wants to pet him, often without asking my permission first. And all goes well until the wrong person, identifiable only by Murphy, gets too close, at which point he lunges and snaps at them without warning. He's never connected with anyone yet, but that's mainly because I'm always watching him closely, ready to reef back on his leash and pinch collar as soon as he tries anything. Still, the last thing we need is a bite incident, so for a while I've refrained from bringing him out here.

But he's been doing well lately in every other venue I've taken him to, so I decided to give him another try at Harpers Ferry. To be honest, I thought that it wouldn't be crowded today because of the recent bad weather, but as it turned out, I was wrong and the place was packed. But since we were already there...

I'm pleased to report that Murphy was perfect today, with no displays of aggression of any kind. (Well ok, he didn't want to let the uniformed park ranger approach him while he was in the car, but that one I can excuse because he was protecting "his" car...and he did make nice with her once I took him out.)

We spent a couple of hours wandering around, and Murphy allowed anyone who wanted to pet him to do so, from tiny children to senior citizens, and this included several kids in the danger age. In fact, there wasn't the slightest hint of any fear or aggression on Murphy's part today despite the fact that he probably came into contact with more people than he has at any previous outing here. He even responded well during some off-leash training in a small fenced area and sat patiently on a restaurant deck as I drank a beer, both times while surrounded by other people. Can this really be the same dog who was trying to leap an 8-foot fence to kill me when I first saw him less than a year ago? Is this really the same dog that repeatedly turned on his foster handler and others whom he'd been adopted out to before I met him?

You've come a long way, Audie Murphy. And I'm proud of you.
I'se a good dog!

I can has ice cream!

A tale of two stupid women (plus a boy and a Lexus).

Regarding the three pinheads hit by the car in Washington, DC yesterday, it turns out that they were, in fact, deliberately blocking traffic as part of their "protest", essentially claiming the right to deny everyone else the right to drive on the public roads. When a driver tried to pass through a break in their human-chain line, three protesters--two lesbians from Vandalia, Ohio named Brandy and Heidi Sippel and the thirteen-year old son of one of the women--ran and jumped in front of that car, according to witnesses. (Note that Brandy, a self-avowed "married" lesbian is also six months pregnant. How does that even happen? But yes, they're just like us, folks!) The car, which had the green light, was unable to stop and knocked Heidi and the boy down while merely brushing Brady with it's mirror. Naturally, all three demanded to be taken by ambulance to a local hospital (almost certainly at taxpayer expense) and they'll no doubt try to file a lawsuit and get some cash before this is over. Of course they were each also cited by the police for being in the roadway, so that should make their attempt to use the court to redistribute the driver's wealth to themselves a little harder.

As for me, I think that the DC prosecutors need to look seriously at bringing child endangerment charges against these women for hurling that 13-year old boy in front of a moving vehicle the way that they did. But then again, I guess that any of us would have done the same thing because these OWS losers are often described by their spokespeople to the media as being "just like the rest of us".

I think not.

Oh, and in case you were wondering if these women have any regrets, Bandy apparently posted a comment under the name "wow" on WJLA's news site where she said:

"Before you begin some nonsense about having my child at a protest I think you better get your kids down here if you want them to have any future!"

Frankly, if I thought that her kid was really the future, I'd be selling my bonds tomorrow.

OWS stoners. Not exactly physics majors, are they?

Famous last words: "Dude! Hold my bong while I jump in front of this moving car!"


Three DC Occu-tards injured while jumping in front of moving cars.

WASHINGTON (AP) - District of Columbia police said early Saturday that a driver will not be charged for striking three people taking part in an Occupy DC protest in downtown Washington.

Lt. Christopher Micciche of the D.C. police said the driver was not cited because he had a green light when his vehicle struck the three on Friday night.

He said witnesses told police that the three pedestrians "either ran toward or jumped in front of the moving vehicle." He said one pedestrian jumped on the hood of the car. One of them was cited for being in the roadway.

"The protesters were apparently trying to block the roadway," Micciche said. "It was essentially an accident where three individuals were injured but they were in violation by being in the roadway."

D.C. fire department spokesman Lon Walls said Saturday morning that the three were transported to two area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries.

One protester, 29-year-old Jesse Folks of Riverdale, Md., told The Washington Post that he was standing in the street with other demonstrators near the convention center when the car "just gassed it into a bunch of people."

"We were in the street, but this guy didn't even give us a chance to get out of the way," Folks said.

Micciche said witnesses provided a different account.

"They probably thought the driver would either stop or be able to stop, but it didn't appear that was the case."

Some days, it just doesn't pay to crawl out of your Soros-donated Obamaville tent, does it, kiddies?

Heh.

Who are "Occupy Wall Street"? Let me show you.

With greatful credit to: IndubitablySnarky, commenter on the Denver Post forums.

Let's take a closer look at the Obama endorsed "peaceful" OWS protesters-

Protesters who hate Jews-
http://visiontoamerica.org/4829/occupy- ... s-country/

Protesters wanting to "Hang and shoot Bush administration"-
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/10/15/denver-occupier/

Protesters wanting to "Kill and eat the rich"-
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/10 ... -the-rich/

Protesters "F@#k The USA" sing alongs-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKzGbgSe ... r_embedded

Protesters calling Gov Jan Brewer a lying wh*re with Alzheimers-
http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valley ... e_evil.php

Protester meltdowns-
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/10 ... aza-video/

Protester trashing restaurant when denied free food-
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/11/05/occupy-wall-street-protester-throws-violent-fit-in-mcdonalds-when-denied-free/?test=latestnews

Protester trying to give black cop HIV-
http://www.thehindu.com/news/internatio ... 539832.ece

Protesters spitting on female soldiers-
http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/loc ... r-20111013

Protesters threatening to kill other protesters-
http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2 ... gonna.html

Protesters defecating on police cars-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1aDQdbK4S

Protesters defecating on doorsteps-
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manh ... z1bNIuDJea

Inciting violence with the "rich hit list'-
http://gawker.com/5848699/a-guide-to-new-york-citys-1

Protester felon with loaded assault rifle-
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/M ... 224643.php

Protesters arrested for Arson-
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20111104/UPDATES01/111104006/Fort-Collins-man-29-arrested-Old-Town-fire?odyssey=mod|breaking|text|FRONTPAGE

Protesters pulling guns and knives on each other and using the N word-
http://www.registerguard.com/web/newslo ... d.html.csp

Protesters on FBI terrorist list
http://politicons.net/occupy-chicago-le ... terrorism/

Protesters hack police website-
http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/loca ... z1bcO84qW9

Protesters dealing heroin with 6 year old in tent-
http://www.verumserum.com/?p=31200

Protester gets 11 year old deathly drunk-
http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-re ... z1bq1SoSOt

Protesters neglecting their children-
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/11/04/cps-seizes-baby-from-occupy-dallas-site/

Protesters using their children to barricade doors-
http://www.mrctv.org/videos/occupydc-protesters-use-kids-blockade-door-during-violent-scuffle

Protesters throwing their children in front of moving cars-
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2011/11/3-struck-by-car-at-occupy-dc-protest-police-say-68784.html

Homophobic protesters-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... kseCQziD7E

Thieving protesters-
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/criminal_occupation_oh3CnKANUqYHrGPCaZaLRK

Physically assaultive protesters-
1. http://video.foxnews.com/v/1258549966001/homeless-man-on-violent-rampage-at-occupy-wall-street
2. http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/11/rampaging-occupiers-attack-78-year-old-woman.php

Protesters eating from dumpsters-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 8GOcb1xCgI

Protesters being paid-
http://theweek.com/article/index/220175 ... being-paid

Protesters staging their arrests-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... BARB-aSqYM

Protesters exposing themselves to children-
1.http://www.komonews.com/news/local/132064518.html
2.http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/ ... man-897430

Protesters sexually assaulting 14 year old girl-
http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/10/24/accu ... py-dallas/

Protesters pimping under-age girls-
http://www.unionleader.com/article/2011 ... /710289961

Protesters smelling feet and drinking urine-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... DnmLQry4Q#!

Protesters kidnapping and raping the mentally disabled-
http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/211304 ... -Cleveland

Protesters for having sex with animals-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My_cNzQG ... r_embedded

Protesters threatening to stab reporter in neck-
http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/fox-5-n ... 0111028-KC

Hanging bankers-
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1c2uaDQCR

Protesters shouting "Kill the police"-
http://dailycaller.com/2011/10/07/kill-the-cops-shout-reported-during-occupy-new-orleans-protest/

Protesters attacking the police-
1. http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/10/25/police-cracking-down-after-occupy-dallas-confrontation/
2. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/04/us/protest-in-oakland-turns-violent.html?_r=1
3. http://www.kgw.com/home/Occupy-Portland-plans-march--rally-tonight-133098048.html
4. http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/bronx-teacher-busted-occupy-wall-st-protest-article-1.972094

Protesters destroying public and private property-
1. http://www.mercurynews.com/occupy-oakland/ci_19255461?source=rss
2. http://www.verumserum.com/?p=31254

Protesters arrested for drug dealing-
1.http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_1023drug_vandalism_arrests_at_occupy_boston
2. http://www.thefix.com/content/nypd-tweets-shroud-zucotti-park-drug-dealers-mystery9187
3. http://www.boston.com/Boston/metrodesk/2011/11/three-arrested-for-dealing-drugs-occupy-boston-camp/hUHUmwDYOo0M2x4qm0qreL/index.html
4.http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_1103occupys_mama_claims_drug_bust_was_cops_setup/format=comments&position=5

Protesters desecrating the American flag-
1.http://news.yahoo.com/photos/member-occ ... 30472.html
2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySnYbitzrg4&feature=player_embedded
3.http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/11/occupy-oakland-goons-torch-american-flag-during-riots-photo/

And there's more. So much more. The list of their documented depravities grows every day and this is but a sampling of the examples of who they are and what they do. They say that they represent us and call themselves the "99%", but 99% of Americans have never done any of these things.

But wait--there's more. Who, you might ask, are the OWS protest bedfellows?

Communist Party USA-
http://rebelpundit.com/2011/10/13/cpusa ... pychicago/
The K K K-
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in ... t-protests
American Nazi Party-
http://nation.foxnews.com/occupy-wall-s ... t-protests
Iranian hardliners-
http://www.isna.ir/ISNA/NewsView.aspx?I ... 412&Lang=E
Ayatollah Khomeini-
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007160760

And again, 99% of real Americans would never associate with or accept the support of ANY of these gorups, much less ALL of them. But these OWS whack jobs are untied by one common thread--their hatred of the American ideal and those of us who still embrace it.

Spread this around. The mainstream media won't but we can and Knowledge is Power.

UPDATED: I just found out about this list, which is even better than mine.

New Firearm

Well not exactly "new" new, but new to me.

And no, it's not a Taurus Judge. It's more practical than that.

It's a Model 1884 Trapdoor Springfield rifle, in caliber .45-70 Government.A later version of the US Arrmy's Model 1873 Springfield, which saw much use in the indian wars out west (notably in the hands of Custer's ill-fated 7th Calvary, among others), these rifles stayed in service long enough to see use in the Spanish American War, being hauled into Cuba by some of the deployed National Guard troops who were sent. The Spanish, armed with new German Mauser rifles firing cartridges that used the then-new smokeless propellant, were less than impressed.
As you can see by the markings below, this rifle was made at the real government-run Springfield Armory in Massachusetts.Above you can see the rifle's single-shot lock-work, including it's exposed hammer, which had to be brought back to half-cock before the breech-block, or "trapdoor" could be opened to insert a cartridge. Below, you can see it open, awaiting a new cartridge. This one has a great-looking bore (with one possible pit that the seller wasn't exactly forthcoming about) and should be a great shooter. We'll see in the coming days.
Being a leftie, I could be happier with hammer placement on the other side of the action, but I guess it's just a cross that we have to bear to keep us humble.
A hallmark of the 1884 model is the Buffington sight, designed by Lieutenant Colonel R. A. Buffington of the U.S. Army Ordnance Department. This improved rear sight allowed skilled marksmen to really make some serious long-range shots despite the rifle's rainbow trajectory at long ranges.
Barely visible here is the acceptance cartouche, dated 1887.
The lock, dated 1884, also first began actually appearing on these rifles in 1887.
Stamp of approval. This one was accepted by and issued to US troops. Where it served or for how long is anyone's guess though.
And here's it's cartridge (left), next to the contemporary 5.56mm NATO round on the right. It's a .45 caliber bullet weighing 405 grains, seated atop 70 grains of black powder.And remember--this rifle only holds one, not thirty.

Still, I'll take it over a Taurus Judge anyday. Just sayin'.

Now to get it out to the range...

My kind of Sheriff...almost

Sheriff Chuck Wright, of Spartansburg, SC, while talking about a career criminal caught trying to rape a local woman, admitted that the justice system isn't working and told women in general to arm themselves.

Sheriff Chuck Wright opened his news conference by saying, "Our form of justice is not making it."

He said, "Carry a concealed weapon. That'll fix it."

Wright said,"Liberals call me and tell me the chain-gang form of justice isn't working. Well, let me inform you, your form of justice isn't working either."

Wright said, "It's too bad someone with a concealed weapons permit didn't walk by. That would fix it." He said people are tired of doing the right thing and criminals getting away with their actions.

He said several times, "I want you to get a concealed weapons permit."

At one point, Wright held up a fanny pack and said, "They make this right here where you can conceal a small pistol in them. They got one called The Judge that shoots a .45 or a .410 shell. You ain't got to be accurate; you just have to get close."

He encouraged women to walk in groups, and he ended by saying again, "I want you to get a concealed weapons permit. Don't get Mace. Get a firearm."

OK, he had me right up until he mentioned the [Taurus] Judge. Personally, my opinion is that women should not buy one of those. Men either, especially if you're a novice shooter. It's a big, clunky pistol with excessive recoil that you likely won't want to practice with so it won't do you much good at all if and when you need it. My thought is that you should get something a bit more controllable and enjoyable to shoot. That way, you'll stay practiced with it and be able to perform as required when the goblins appear. S&W J-frames, Kahr Arms, small Glocks...the options are numerous. Just get something reliable and comfortable, then take a class or two and practice, practice, practice.

Lessons learned from the power outage.

1. Be more diligent about oiling the hinges in the chimney flue. It was a royal bitch to get it open.

2. Batteries in the primary emergency lantern were dead. Spares had been used for something else and not replaced. That was just plain unacceptable.

3. Propane bottles for camp stove. They'd been in the same spot for years, until they were moved a few months ago. Where to? Took a while to remember, didn't it? Meanwhile, padding around in basement looking for them in the dark (because the above-mentioned lantern wasn't working) taught us another lesson, namely if you're going to be in the basement barefoot, do a better job of keeping stray pistol brass policed up. Stepping on that .45 case hurt like a bitch, didn't it? So keep basement cleaner, wear a shoe down there when it's dark, and don't move emergency supplies unless you make an effort to re-train yourself as to their new location.

Otherwise, This exercise was graded "Fully Successful".

Bonus points for having gone grocery shopping the day before, and for having bought a few dried foods just for an "eventual" outage just like this one. So "Yay me!" for that. The tea and instant chicken noodle soup were a nice morale booster. Now get more.

Back on-line!

So Friday, we got this snow...heavy, wet snow, about six inches worth on my deck. Neat to see--and Al Gore and all of his "Global warming" disciples can kiss my ass--but it knocked out the power and the internet here at the Lair.

Now the power was restored Saturday night, so that was no real problem. Murphy and I just spent the intervening time sitting in front of the fireplace, me linking ammunition or reading a book and him growling at the popping logs. The house was lit by Coleman lanterns which are kept on hand for just such an event, and food was cooked and tea was brewed on a matching Coleman stove. Even the toilets remained functional courtesy of the water in the outside rain barrel. In short, we had everything but a hot shower, microwave popcorn and the internet, so life was good for this guy and his dog.

Well the power came back, but not the internet. Why? Because I have Comcast and they suck. But understanding the nature of the problem, I gave them some slack...right up until I got the automated call last night telling me that service to the area had been restored and discovered that mine was still out.

So I called them, and after sitting on hold for twenty minutes and being cycled through several layers of "you'can't-bypass-this" voicemail lectures and prompts, I eventually spoke to an airhead named Sherice who insisted on patronizing me and treating me as if I was her best friend in the world AND six years old. Sherice sympathized with me and pretended that she really, really cared that I'd been off-line for four days already, with no way to pay bills, check e-mail, send out resumes, buy gun stuff or read blogs. She tried--and failed--to reset my connection from their end. Then she cheerfully explained that a technician would have to come here and set me up for a service call on Thursday.

At this point, I came a bit unglued and told her politely but firmly that Thursday was not acceptable to me and that I expected it to be restored immediately by whatever means were required on their end. Sherice kept telling me oh, so cheerfully, that she could not get anyone out here any sooner. I stopped her after about the third repeat of this claim and told her that she was saying "can't" when what she really meant was "won't". This one brought her up short and probably took her right off of that little page of answers to things that customers say that I suspect that she was reciting from. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You CAN send someone here tomorrow," I explained. "You just won't. There is a difference."

She again denied that she could send anyone tomorrow, and I stopped her again. "Do you have technicians working tomorrow? There's actually people there, right? No holiday or labor strike, right? Then you actually could send one over here tomorrow if you chose to. So the word is 'won't'."

She again told me that she couldn't send anyone.

I then suggested that if the president of Comcast's home internet went out, someone would be sent right over to his house, probably in the middle of the night. He probably doesn't even pay for his internet but I pay for mine, so have someone over here in the morning or I will have a competitor's truck over here installing their equipment and your guy can just pick up the router when he shows up on Thursday.

This also did not work. But it got Sherice onto another track. "I'm really sorry for your inconvenience..." she started. This time I just cut her off cold. "It's not an inconvenience, Sherice. It's a significant disruption of my affairs, but it's also a failure on your part to provide a service that we contracted for and which you're being paid to provide. This is not my problem, it's yours, and you need to fix it. Now."

“Oh, you'll get a credit for the time that you weren't able to connect,” she said, still sounding cheerful.

"I don't want a credit. I want the service that I'm paying for. You need to deliver that service."

"Well I'm sorry for the inconvenience..." she said again. She was obviously reading from her script again. The one that probably says "Always sound cheerful" at the top of each page.

I finally lost patience with Sherice. "May I speak to a grown-up now, please?"

"I'm sorry. There's none here right now," she said (cheerfully).

"Yeah, no shit," I said, hanging up the phone.

Today I called back. This time, after the same voice mail jerk-around, I was connected to Kiara. Kiara was similarly patronizing and artificially cheerful, but before I unloaded on her, I sat down and cooperated as she ran the same diagnostics and tests from her end that Sherice had allegedly run last night. This time, the system reset and everything magically began to work again. I'm back on-line. Finally.

Sherice, if you should ever read this, please know that you're a fucking idiot.


So...how was YOUR week-end?

PS--Thanks to Comcast, I missed a Colt Argentine Model 1927 .45 that went at auction last night for a ridiculously low $476.00. I'd have gone higher but I was knocked out of the last day's bidding. Thanks, Comcast, you assholes!