Kareer Karma

Sure.... Now that I'm, 6 days (Saturday....) into the JOGI, I see this on the Shooting Wire this a.m.:

Shooting Illustrated, NRA's newsstand monthly, is looking for an avid shooter and self-defense enthusiast with writing and editing experience to join the magazine's staff as Associate Editor. This is not a telecommute position and it's based out of NRA's headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia.

*sigh*

In the market for a gun?

Can I direct you toward a good place (and a good cause) to do your shopping?

www.topglock.com

www.thegunsource.com

Here's the tale, from CNN...

CNN -- The owner of a company that sold firearm merchandise to both the Virginia Tech University and Northern Illinois University shooters announced Wednesday that he will sell his guns at cost for the next two weeks in hopes that "law-abiding" citizens will buy them to prevent similar tragedies.

"I want to help people save lives," Eric Thompson said Thursday. He was to speak Thursday evening at Virginia Tech University at an event sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus.

"I feel like I have a special responsibility to show people what guns are, what the laws are, and to allow people to protect themselves," Thompson said. "Initially, I wanted this to be an offer for college students," he said. "But there's no real way to determine whether someone is a college student ... so we opened it up to any legal American."

Thompson owns TGSCOM Inc, a Green Bay, Wisconsin-based company that operates about 100 Web sites that sell firearms. Among them are www.topglock.com and www.thegunsource.com, two Web sites that the NIU and Virginia Tech gunmen used to buy firearm merchandise.

Steven Kazmierczak, who killed five students before turning the gun on himself at NIU on February 14, bought two Glock 9 mm magazines and a Glock holster from www.topglock.com.

And Virginia Tech shooter Seung-Hui Cho bought a Walther P22 from www.thegunsource.com.

Cho killed 32 students and professors before killing himself April 16, 2007.

Thompson said he has a "really emotional and raw feeling" about having links to the attacks. "I feel absolutely terrible for the parents, students and schools."

However, he added, "I'm selling a piece of plastic and a piece of metal ... and I think the media focuses on something different. ... I think they should focus on the murderer and not the weapon."

Thompson acknowledged that his guns could again be used in a crime.

"There's a small chance of these discounted guns getting into the hands of the wrong people," he said. But, he added, "as a federally licensed gun dealer, we have to rely on federal background checks."

He emphasized that he thinks he is doing the right thing. "This isn't fun, and this isn't easy," he said. "I could have easily stuck my head in the sand and ignored all of this, but sometimes the easy way to go is not the right thing to do."

He said, "I'm not making a single dime off of this. ... I will probably end up losing thousands and thousands [of dollars]."

Furthermore, he added, he and his family have received threatening phone calls; some included death threats.

"I do not feel I have extreme views," he said. "I think I have open eyes."

NIU did not immediately issue a response to Thompson's offer.

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker issued a statement regarding Thompson's appearance there Thursday.

"Free speech is a hallmark of university life," he said. "Still, I find it terribly offensive to learn that the gun-seller of the weapons used in the Virginia Tech campus murders would set foot on this campus."

The statement did not address Thompson's offer, and the school did not immediately reply to a request for a response.

Again, good on you, sir.

Hastings collegians protest gun ban

Good on you fellow academians, good on you:

Group protests ban of guns on campus

By The Associated Press

HASTINGS — Hastings College students are among those making a statement about their right to bear arms — and they say that includes on college campuses.

Three Hastings College students wore empty holsters to class on Monday in an attempt to get lawmakers to allow concealed guns on campus.

The three are members of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus. The movement began following the Virginia Tech shooting a year ago that left 33 people dead.

They do not think concealed weapons should be banned on college campuses.

Hastings College group leader Jamie Brisbin says the protest was intended to show fellow students that they are defenseless against an attack.

Nebraska is one of 29 states that prohibits concealed weapons on college campuses.

Day Three: GFZ

I'm still learning to cope with the weight in my pocket being a Blackberry and not a J-frame. I think it'll take awhile.

Granted, I work in what should be a safer environment, but that means nothing.

Personal safety is a game of odds. You do everything you can to sway the odds in your favor.

Unfortunately, the odds are ALWAYS in the gremlins favor.

If a thug decided to come to my JOGI and shoot the place up, there is NO WAY to stop it. All we can do is reduce the odds it will happen and increase the odds of our surviving the ordeal.

To that end, I do have a few plans and procedures in place should an event occur. And, one of my first duties is to create the crisis plan (for the media at least). But, it's a starting point. Maybe, just maybe, this may be a GFZ in a few years.

Until then, I have to make the daily decision to leave Mr. XD in the car safe.

So... that's what work feels like

After four years of dying a slow mental death, I was rudely reminded what it's like to have to be sharp and smart for 8+ hours of work today.

I. Am. Tired.

As is my lifelong tradition, I slept oh so badly the night before starting a new job (or class, vacation, etc). Morning came too quickly.

I was in my first meeting, where I was expected to offer my expert analysis, before my first hour had passed. I was... sharp enough to cut, but no real danger to anyone.

My master plan of blogging over lunch was thwarted when I had to attend a lunch meeting (FREE SUBWAY!!!) and again show off my brilliance of media matters.

So, I come before you now, Freedom Fiends, with a fair amount of research paper left to write for tomorrow's class, trash that needs dragged to the curb, and a suit to be selected for the morn'.

With great apologies, I'm afraid I have to ask your patience while I adapt to the new workload, longer (yet faster) commute, and other media competing for my time.

I will leave you with the following thoughts:

-- A theater in a shopping center festooned with "no guns" signs gets robbed... No surprise. I hope Seldin finally wises up and pulls those silly assed signs down. How about ghunnies, if we offered to buy each sign from Seldin for $10, who'd chip in?

-- I forget if I said this, but I now work in a legislatively mandated GFZ. I don't like it, but had to take this job. I will continue my fight for gun rights from the inside of my church/hospital/jail/school/bar/courtroom post.

-- Did I mention I have scads of homework, no sleep, and trash to tend to?

Bear with me, Freedom Fiends, as the newness fades and pattern establishes itself, blogging will return to normal... er... Normal for me, at least.

Random bits and giggles

As seen on the windows of UNO's office of fuzzy-wuzzy involvement... (or some such organization):

"School shootings are no game. Shooting games teach violence."

Then, 5 feet to the left also on the window:

"Student HALO 3 Tournament!!!"

Kids these days, I tell ya.


On the way home from school, I saw a little old lady with these personalized Husker plates:

"Bolieve"


(roll eyes)

Look, I liked the hire, too. But it's not like he's Rob Leatham or anything.

And so it ends

As I begin erasing all evidence that I ever existed at this office, I figure I'd better hang the "closed" sign up... temporarily.

This isn't the end, Freedom Fiends. This is just the beginning of the next stage. The JOGI (and all the new pressures and pains) awaits. The weight of a nowhjere

Odds are I won't be totally gone over the next five days. I'll probably post more than I think...usually works that way.

Regardless, I'm hoping to get some stuff up Monday at the new Bat Time, same Bat Channel.

So, with apologies to the Chairman...

And now, the end is near;
And so I face the final posting.
My friends, I'll say it clear,
I'll state my case, with little boasting.

I've blogged a life that's full.
I've railed at each and ev'ry byway;
And more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Regrets, I've had a few;
But then again, too few to mention.
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without pre-emption.

I posted each link, and e-mail, too
Each step on the info highway,
But more, much more than this,
I did it my way.

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew.
But through it all, when there was doubt,
I wrote it up and sent it out.
I faced it all and I stood tall;
And did it my way.

I've rallied, I've laughed and cried.
I've lost some fights; my share of freedom.
And now, as scars subside,
I file it all up to wisdom.

To think I did all that;
And may I say - not in a shy way,
No, oh no not me,
I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got?
If not his rights, then he has naught.
To write the things he truly feels;
And not the words of one who kneels.
The record shows I took the blows -
And did it my way!

Stay safe, my friends. Be sure to check out The Shack Monday.

Now I must go as my goodbye luncheon has apparently arrived.

65 years ago: The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising

If you don't know about this historical event... shame on you.

A short synopsis:

In April 1943 a few hundred young Jewish insurgents were all that stood between the German Army and thousands of Warsaw ghetto residents marked for extermination. They failed, but not for a lack of trying and dying. Marek Edelman was one of their leaders:

Then 24 years old, Edelman took command of one of the revolt's three groups. His fighters, between the ages of 13 and 22, scraped together guns and ammunition that they and the Polish resistance managed to smuggle in from the outside.

His brigade included 50 fighters known as "brush men" because their base was a brush factory.

"There weren't enough guns, ammunition. There was not enough food, but we were not starving. You can live for three weeks just on water and sugar," which they found in the homes of those deported to death camps, he said.

They adopted hit-and-run tactics. With time, as supplies and forces began to run low, they resorted to attacks at night, for more safety.

"Every moment was difficult. It was two or three or 10 boys fighting with an army," Edelman said. "There were no easy moments."

But they were outnumbered and outgunned. ...

The uprising ended when its main leaders — rounded up by the Nazis — committed suicide on May 8, 1943. The Nazis then burned down the ghetto, street by street.

About 40 fighters escaped through Warsaw's sewers and joined the Polish partisans.

"No one believed he would be saved," Edelman said. "We knew that the struggle was doomed, but it showed the world that there is resistance against the Nazis, that you can fight the Nazis."

When faced with certain death, these people opted to spit in the eye of their murderers.

Just.One.Person personified.

LB1162 heads to Heineman

LB1162, from Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh, was signed by the speaker and sent to Gov. Dave Heineman.

This measure removes minimum fee requirements and replaces them with maximums.

In other words, the Game and Parks folks will only be able to raise permit/tag fees so high now. Before, there was no limit.

In fact, if they wanted to, they could cut the prices.... Ah, never gonna happen.

BAG Day scoreboard

Hecate wins.

NYTimes hosting online panel on Va Tech

And Shack favorite David Codrea is on board.

Dave is devoting War On Guns today to coverage of the panel.

This should be good as he's one of those guys that makes any discussion entertaining.

Va Tech: A reminder

My words, written partly in anger and partly in despair, after the events April 16, 2007.

Just one person.

No....

Just.One.Person.

As I think more and more about the events of Monday, April 16, I can’t get that thought out of my head.

We are often told how “just one person can make a difference” to the environment or in our community. We are told that “just one person’s vote can make a difference.”

We all know it’s hogwash. It takes thousands of “just one person” so make a difference globally, nationally, or even locally.

But in those classrooms and residence halls in Blacksburg, Virginia, Just.One.Person. Legally licensed to carry a pistol could have made all the difference in the world to 32 people.

Just.One.Person.

In Omaha over the weekend, two armed gremlins abducted a woman, took her to a park, raped her, and then set the car on fire with her in it. Who was there to protect her from these thugs? Not the police. Not her husband/boyfriend/girlfriend. Not her father. Not her city councilman.

Just.One.Person.

In Kentucky over the weekend, an 82-year-old former Miss America balanced herself on a walker with one hand and defended herself with her .38 with the other hand. (HT: John Lott). What on earth was this 82-year-old woman doing challenging these thugs? What was she thinking?

Just.One.Person.

Since the attacks at VA Tech last Monday, the collective testicular fortitude of the modern American has been challenged. At what point, many columnists and bloggers have asked, did the United States turn into a nation of cowards? When did we become so afraid of offending someone or of standing up to someone that it became acceptable to roll over and accept death at the hands of a madman?

What has this once great nation of pioneers, cowboys, adventurers, explorers..... warriors.... become?

I thought we had seen the light in the post-Sept. 11 accounts of the heroics on United Flight 93. Instead of placidly sitting there, afraid of getting cut, passengers stormed the terrorists. In the end, the sacrifice of these brave souls saved countless lives as that flight's intended target was likely either the White House or Congress.

I thought, mistakenly apparently, that this nation had learned its lesson and would "never forget" the spirit behind "Let's Roll."

I, as were many, was very, very wrong.

We have been told far too many times that the best thing to do when attacked is to instantly surrender. We have been told when a rapist strikes, to give in or offer a condom. We are told when faced with our own death, the best action is inaction.

Enough.

From here on out we must commit to a policy of action not inaction. We must realize, understand, then accept that no one is responsible for our safety but ourselves. The police do incredible work, but they are a response and recovery unit there to pick up the pieces after the crime. I am always looking out for my wife's safety, but I am not with her 24/7. She is almost 100 miles away right now. All I can do is try to help her be prepared to protect herself.

Who is ultimately responsible for our safety?

Just.One.Person.

Read that. Retain that. Remember that. Repeat that.

Just.One.Person.

When you are contacting business owners about their "gun-free" stores, let them know the power of Just.One.Person. Remind them of the evil that could be prevented by Just. One. Person. Ask them to imagine themselves in a VA Tech classroom or a NASA office or a Texas cafeteria as a madman with a gun is shooting the unarmed. Ask those business owners if, in that situation, they would still be as nervous if Just.One.Person had a firearm with which to fight back.

When your political leaders are trying to further restrict and deny your right to a firearm, you tell them about Just.One.Person. Remember the power of Just.One.Person. Don't expect others to battle back against unjust laws. Don't rely on the NRA or the RKBA or the GOA to protect your rights. Just as with the rapist, murder, or terrorist, no one can protect you from the politicos but you. If everyone remembers the power of Just.One.Person and takes on oppression, then we become a very, very powerful force.

Just.One.Person.

Three fairly small words. One massively important concept.

Repeat these words as a mantra. Instill these word into your vocabulary. Find strength and inspiration from these words. Use these words as motivation, as response, as a touchstone, as power. Spread this words as one would spread a gospel. Share these words as one would share joy.

Go out to the world today with a fresh outlook. Enter the world as Just.One.Person.

Stop relying on others. Stop being soft. Stop giving in. Stop hoping a problem will become someone else's.

Start being Just.One.Person.

Say it out loud. Right now, where ever you are.

Just.One.Person.

Say it again.

Just.One.Person.

Now say it again, but this time mean it. Feel the power that the words give you.

Just.One.Person.

Now.... Live it. Share it. Spread it. Practice it. Be it.

Be strong and proud to say "I am Just.One.Person.!"


It is my most sincere wish that this concept become an idea of strength, unity, motivation and resolve among we, the freedom loving. Please help me achieve this goal. Be Just. One. Person.

Stay safe.

xxxJM24xxx

Local LEO: Wal-Mart policy pointless

Local law enforcement and prosecutors pretty much blew off the usefulness of Wal-Mart's new Draconian gun policy.

Chris Burbach has some interviews in the World-Herald.

"It's rare to see a legitimately purchased rifle or shotgun involved in a crime," Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber said.

Often, he said, firearms used in crimes are handguns that had been stolen or purchased in pawn shops, and then changed hands several more times.

and...

In metropolitan Omaha, Douglas County Sheriff's Capt. Tom Wheeler said the Wal-Mart policies would have limited benefits.

Wheeler said the record-and-alert system conceivably could help catch some straw purchases, in which people who can pass background checks buy guns for people who would be prohibited from buying them.

But again, those would be purchases of rifles and shotguns.

I stand by my usual even-handed stance:

Get bent Wal-Mart.

Bloody hell... Just looked at the calendar

It's Weirdo Week!!

Columbine (4/20)
Branch Davidian (4/19)
Oklahoma City (4/19)
Virginia Tech (4/16)
Tax Day (4/15)

Be aware. Stay safe.

EDITED TO ADD: This week is also the 65th year of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. If you don't know about this event in history, shame on you.

Notes From the Gun Safe: 4/15

Happy Get Bent Over By the Gubbermint Day!!!!

(no, that's not right)

Happy Buy a Gun Day!!!!
I'm going to pop over to the closest boomstick haberdashery at lunch and see if anything grabs my attention. I may have to wait until tax bribery... er... rebate arrives to actually pay for it, but I'll put some cash down on anything that strikes me fancy.

Be sure to share your BAG purchases. Gun pron is the best kind.

Wal-Mart sucks.
As all of you have likely heard, Wal-Mart has entered into a union with Mayor Mike Bloomberg's anti-gun cabal.

The highlights: Wal-Mart will keep a registry of guns sold, Wal-Mart will track firearms used in crimes, if you buy a gun from Wal-Mart (and it is stolen and used in a crime) Wal-Mart will deny you further purchases, and all gun sales will be videotaped and saved for future tracking.

I have never liked Wal-Mart. Many ghunnies defend the corporate asshat due to their policy on allowing CCW where ever legal and their decent prices on ammo.

Don't care. Tired of it. Local gun shops are worth the extra couple bucks.

Sebastian has all the contact info (and a much more polite letter than I would write) for your convenience.

What is the right response?
Hecate picks up the question posed here after the Nebraska Furniture Mart hostage drill...

What would be the proper response for an armed citizen in that situation?

While many focused on what they would do, Hecate puts the focus on the right question: What would be legally and morally correct?

She raises some good points and gives the Just.One.Person Nation some more food for thought.

Good thing I already quit
'Cause if I didn't, I'd be fired soon.

My wife wanted to get a 2nd gen iPod for her brother. I cut a deal that he could have mine, if she'd help finance an upgrade for me to a 3rd gen.

So, now I sit here at a job I hate, where I have few things to really do, and have a video iPod with every episode of "Firefly" on it....

Yeah, there will be no more work accomplished in my last 14 hours and 20 minutes as an employee here.

"Jayne! The man they call Jayne!"

Short break in store for The Shack
Tomorrow is the last day at the old job from Hell.

Expect the usual mindless blathering tomorrow, but there will probably be a short hiatus until Monday when the JOGI begins. I have couple of days off, which may allow some blogging, but there are a scad of fires that need extinguishing.

Dogs to the vet; Death, Murder, Mayhem Symposium; laundry; bathroom remodeling; range time (weather permitting); haircut; sleep; and whatever else Mizz Merchant comes up with.

For my geek friends
Battlestar is back. And it is awesome.

Seriously, who's the fifth mystery Cylon?

Oh, and check out the BSG page over at SciFi's Web site. I want the poster version of their play on DaVinci's last supper. (HEY! Where's my sweetie? Where's Callie?)

Does Caprica Six as Jesus (and Baltar as Peter/Mary Magdaline) help us understand where Moore/Eick are taking this season?

Hint: It plays perfectly into my theory on what the BSG crew will find on Earth.

Trigger pull - is too much info a good thing?

My pa-in-law had me order him a Lyman digital trigger pull gauge. He just got his first 1911 and can't believe his Springfield mil-spec has the same weight trigger as my Colt Commander.

(Side note: The Commander was a birthday gift from him and my wife. When he tried it out, he put three touching in the X-ring from the bench.)

So, being the curious lad that he is, he spent the cash (at my dealer price, natch) to get an answer.

So, a good chunk of Saturday was spend in my shop pulling the triggers on a bunch of my guns and a bunch of his.

What did I learn?

1) The Springfield XD45 has a 7lb trigger.
Never would've guessed it. I thought the single-action XD was so much better than my 5.5 (as tested) GLOCK trigger. Despite the heavier than expected weight, I still prefer the XD trigger.

2) My AR has a 7lb trigger, too.
Again, heavier than it feels, but about I expected. On the upside, I mentally file this under cross-training. Learn to properly press one 7-pounder, and apply it to all.

3) Pa was right, the mil-spec trigger bites.
The literature says Springers 1911 is a 4-5lb trigger. The gauge says 8lbs. Luckily, it's a 1911 so it can be cleaned up. In fact, me thinks me knows what pop is getting for father's day. But my Colt has a mid-7lb pull. No real difference. the big difference is take up, break, and grit. My used Commander has it in spades over the NIB mil-spec.

4) My lil' Ruger Bearcat has a frighteningly light trigger.
This single-action .22 has always been spooky light. It's so light, I warn people it's too light and they still fire before expected (luckily, Rule No. 3 is always in effect). How light? Try 1lb 11Oz. It was that way when I acquired it, I didn't do it.

5) Hammer bite not involving the 1911
When you accidentally drop the Ruger Bearcat hammer on the ball of your thumb, it draws blood. A lot of it. And it hurts. A lot of it.

We also learned that almost all of the DA Smith revolvers are about 12lbs on DA. No shock there. The SA pull drops to about 3lbs. Also no shocker.

Then we checked pa's S&W model 19. It's had work. 9lb DA, 2lb SA trigger.

Did we learn anything of note? Not really.

Was it still fun spending an afternoon talking and toying with our guns (and following with a few hours of reloading .45 auto)?

You betcha.

Clinton, Obama lie through perfect teeth

In what can only be described as the most shocking news since Capt. Renault discovered a casino at Rick's Cafe Americain:

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!
[a croupier hands Renault a pile of money]
Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: [sotto voce] Oh, thank you very much.
[aloud]
Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!

Sorry, got off track.

In what can only be described as shocking news, Barrack "Kukla and Olly" Obama hates (hates!) gunowners.

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns [emphasis mine] or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Oh, and in another shocker, remember how Hilary was master duck hunter? Yeah, not so much it turns out.

I disagree with Senator Obama’s assertion that people in our country cling to guns and have certain attitudes about immigration or trade simply out of frustration,” she said.

She described herself as a pro-gun churchgoer, recalling that her father taught her how to shoot a gun when she was a young girl and said that her faith “is the faith of my parents and my grandparents.”

Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies.

Mr. McCain? Here's my vote, please do with it as you need.

My last Monday

Today was the last Monday I had to drag my sorry arse out of bed and battle the other commuters to downtown Omaha.

One week from today, Freedom Fiends, I begin the JOGI*.

As a reminder, this new, improved job will mean a few changes to The Shack. Hopefully, nothing too serious.

I have been asked by a few of you for some more details on the JOGI.

Sadly, due to the nature of the position and the political requirements, it's still probably in my best interest to keep it vague and unnamed. It sucks, but when you work in media relations and have to maintain a "neutral" image, thems the breaks.

I will tell you that the position should create a great deal of new and interesting content here at The Shack. My new office will be located in a place where firearms are most definitely a hot-button issue. I hope that my insider status will allow me to help change this culture.

At the least, my new boss is originally from Tennessee... the Patron State of Shootin' Stuff. So, there's hope.

* Job of Great Importance

Journal Star profiles Bedlan's Sporting Goods

Despite the fervent anti-gun position the Lincoln Journal Star tends to take on boomstick issues, the paper does employ the best outdoors writer (and fellow gun guy) in the state.

Joe Duggan does his usual of outstanding job of writing a profile of Bedlan's Sporting Goods in Fairbury.

For those unfamiliar with the small store, owner Felix Bedlan is widely known as one of the pre-imminent Colt and Winchester experts in the world.

Enjoy,

Message to Michelle Obama

RE: My pie, not yours

Dear Michelle Obama;

In response to your intention to cut into my pie in order to hand it over to those with less pie, I share with you words of my personal prophet and savior.

Obama: Meow?
Cartman: No, Obama, this is my pie.
Obama: Meow?
Cartman: No, Obama. Get back, Obama.
Obama: Meow?
Cartman: No, Obama, it's my pie.
Obama hisses at Cartman]
Cartman: Mom. Obama's being a dildo.
Cartman's Mom: Well, then, I know a certain Michelle Obama who's sleeping with Mommy tonight.
Cartman: What?

(Tip o' the sombrero to Breda, who also has some sound advice for the Commie Mommie. As does Sebastian.

Correia educates a misguided collegian

Larry posted a little bit about how Utah's college kids must be more smarter than Oklahoma college kids as Utah's legislature trusts them with CCW on campus.

Well, a OK collegian named Elizabeth took him to task for that opinion.

In a battle of wits, one should never enter the fray unarmed.

Part of me wants to paste the whole bloody post in here as the head Monster Hunter explains the situation (using small words, natch) for the Okie lass.

Seriously. It's that snark-tastic.

Check it out.

Good weekend, y'all.

This one's for you, Larry

Uncle got me started thinking this way, then the Armed Canadian and Rusty kept it going.

I know my pal Larry, he of the anti-zombie end table fame, will enjoy this.

Music to slay zombies by:

Hmm.... What's my three tune soundtrack to behead the undead?

Obvious:
Bodies (XXX soundtrack remix)
by Drowning Pool
Why: Great beat to swing a machete to. Makes you want to plow into a crowd of the undead with very, very sharp things.
Relevant line: "Let the bodies hit the floor, let the bodies hit the floor...."

Climactic battle score:
Animal I Have Become (stripped down acoustic cut)
by Three Days Grace
Why: Something about the driving beat, the guttural growls, and the buzzsaw guitar riff... If someone could make adamantium claws punch out of the backs of his or her hands by sheer mental will, this song would help 'em do it.
Relevant line: "So what if you see, the darker side of me? No one can ever tame, this animal I have become."

Berzerker rage:
Bad Day
by John Powder
Why: In the spirit of Uncle's selection of Piano Man, the very thought of the warbling whine that Powder calls a chorus makes me want to smash someone's brain pan.
Relevant line: "Because you had a bad day. You're taking one down. You sing a sad song just to turn it around"


OK, now that THOSE earworms have been spread, let's hear from the Just.One.Person Nation.

I'm really curious to hear from the country fans. That's what Hollywood needs... Tennessee zombies*.

*Of course, the film will only be 13 minutes long. Zombies wouldn't stand a chance in the Patron State of Shootin' Stuff

Still unsure about signing the Fahey recall petition?

From the OWH:

WASHINGTON — Future tragedies similar to the Von Maur shootings might be prevented with some basic gun regulations, Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey said Thursday.

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey

"If we get everyone who has a legally owned gun to report that it was stolen right away, I think it gives us a tremendous leg up with law enforcement," Fahey said.

Timely information might help police stop a crime before it happens or track down perpetrators afterward, he said.

Fahey will share his thoughts on combating gun violence at the annual conference of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which is being held Monday in Washington.

He expects to talk about the eight people who were killed Dec. 5 at Westroads Mall by a teenager who also took his own life. But he stopped short of saying those particular slayings could have been prevented by a reporting requirement.

"Would it have helped? I don't know," Fahey said.

But such a requirement might prevent future gun crimes when there is a significant time period between the theft of a firearm and its use, Fahey said.

Gun owners would have been required to report lost or stolen firearms within 48 hours or be guilty of a misdemeanor under legislation offered this year in the Nebraska Legislature by State Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha. The reporting requirement was shelved after the bill encountered opposition.

Public officials should pursue reporting requirements and other regulations viewed as less controversial and not mix them with more restrictive, hot-button rules that are guaranteed to draw opposition from the National Rifle Association and its members, Fahey said.

Ashford said he agrees with Fahey that some restrictions are simply a no-go and that the reporting requirement makes sense. But he said even that step can bring a strong reaction.

Opponents of a reporting requirement say it would place a burden on law-abiding gun owners without reducing crime. They question what would happen to gun owners who don't notice a weapon is missing until after it's been used in a crime.

Fahey will be making his presentation Monday alongside two other panelists, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker.

Fahey was chosen for the panel because of the Westroads shootings and the attention garnered by Ashford's legislation. Michael Bloomberg, the New York City mayor and co-chairman of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns group, is interested in the reporting requirement, a Bloomberg spokesman said.

"If your gun is stolen, doesn't it make sense, like any piece of property, you report it?" Fahey asked. "And this is much more important, to report a gun being missing, because obviously it can harm people."

VCDL launches blog

The exceptionally fine folks over at the Virginia Citizens Defense League have launched a new blog.

The Sentinel.

One of the authors is the ever amusing Sailor Curt. This organization is a shining example of what concerned citizens can do to protect their rights. If we could form a group even half as solid as the VCDL, Nebraska would be a far, far more free place to live.

Up first is the effort of the Brady Bunch to protest at Virginia Tech on the anniversary of the shootings, despite VaTech telling the Brady's to stay away.

Stay classy, Paul Helmke.

Update on the JOGI*

Well, it's been a week since I said yes to the JOGI* and I'm still waiting for the weight of what I've done to set in.

I've been trying for so long to get out of this current position that all I've had so far is relief. But, I have to come to realize that my days of wearing hiking boots, jeans, warm shirt, and M1 jacket to work are probably over.

OK, whining done. We now return you to all boomsticks, all the time.

*Job Of Great Importance

Good news from Florida

Florida, today, passed a law that allows people to keep firearms locked in their cars at work.

Naturally, the "fair and balanced" mainstream media morons went over the edge with their paranoia.

"Take Guns to Work Bills Passes in Florida"

Not that I would mind a Take Your Gun to Work Day. I'd much rather look at a pretty 1911 than a snot nosed kid making a mess of my desk. And please, show me pictures of an AR and not the interminable baby pictures. Seriously, babies All. Look. The. Same. Now a black rifle... that's purdy.

Property rights people (of which I generally am) are a little troubled by forcing business owners to accept something. For me, however, this is offset by my opinion that MY truck in your lot is still MY truck.

That said, I'm not too keen on leaving a boomstick unsupervised in my truck. Yes, I have a safe, but still... the gun is better on my hip than in my truck.

Regardless, as with Castle Doctrine, each state that advances gun rights helps all of us overall by normalizing firearms.

Now where have I heard this before

Here's the potential situation:

A state allows each individual city to pass its own gun laws.

Some cities will prohibit firearms or the carrying thereof.

Ghunnies are concerned that normally law-abiding people will become criminals based on what side of an imaginary line they happen to be standing.

Now, name the state.

Nebraska, right?

Nope, it's potential legislation before the Kalifornia legislature.

Stupidity is contagious.

Tip o' the sombrero to Freedom Fiend Jesse for the Alphecca link.

Omaha gangs may be moving westward

Oh joy.... I may be getting new neighbors.

Omaha City Councilman Jim Suttle said Tuesday that gangs and violence could be moving westward. Police have seen an increase in gang graffiti in southwest Omaha over the past two months.

Suttle spoke at a Kiwanis Club meeting about the problem and community solutions.

Suttle says not only is the geography of gangs changing, but so is the make-up of them. He says more girls are getting involved.

Suttle says he believes that most efforts to date have focused on what he calls, "the tail of the problem, after we've already had young people going into the gang lifestyle."

He says the key is to spend more time at the head of the problem, preventing recruitment of new gang members.

"Dry up the recruits, he said. "In order to do that, I think we need to get all 430,000 citizens of Omaha spending more time with all young people. And, that's the intervention. And if we take away the recruits at the one end of the gang problem and bang 'em at the other, at the head it with arrests and prosecution, we'll put the pressure on them on all fronts. And that's what this is about."

Suttle says he believes that gangs serve as both a surrogate family and as a business. And he says, "they're running a free enterprise system better than many corporations."

He says the key is to focus on the reasons that young people go into the gang lifestyle, "only let's do it better than the gangs."

Suttle will be speaking with various community groups about the issue through September.

Omaha currently has approximately 3,000 documented gang members.

Time to order the spikes and piranha's for the moat.

I'm sure the cocktail hour chatter is interesting

"So, Joe, got any weekend plans?"

Well, I'm going to spend three days at the Death, Murder, and Mayhem Symposium.

"Uh... OK. OH! I forgot I'm supposed to meet with... uh... Jenkins now. BYE!"

Oh, the things I do in the name of academia.

Yes, Freedom Fiends, there is such a conference. And yes, I am going to be in attendance next weekend.

One of the panels deals with the topic of my thesis (and is chaired by my thesis advisor) so I'll be spending one of my two days of unemployment listening to the latest research in violence, death, mayhem, murder, genocide, and other cool stuff.

The can't-miss-break-out sessions include:

-- Murder, Mayhem and Entomology: Death and Decomposition in Nebraska
(Oddly, not about the state legislative process)

-- Forget it Bruce, it's Nebraska: Springsteen's non sequitur
(Must be for the people who want to use Born in the USA as a campaign song)

-- Meanness inside this world
(Or: Joe's outlook on life)

-- Don't draw unless you aim to shoot: Theodore Rossevelt's frontier diplomacy
(No jokes, this will be awesome)

-- Jesus is a cowboy, period: The rhetoric of cowboy violence and cowboy justice
(Oddly, not chaired by Sens. Kruse and Ashford)

-- Topocide: Killing places on the plains
(Or, How I was bored to death driving here)

-- From hogs to harlots: An evolution of prostitution in the Midwest
(From the mug shots I see, the hog is still an apt comparison *ZING*)

-- The unbuckling of the grain belt: Evolution of prostitution in the Midwest
(What's better than hookers? More hookers. Frankly, I'm disappointed there's no workshop)

-- Vampire folklore, identity, and Hmong emigres in the central United States.
(Wait, hookers, more hookers, and now vampires? Awesome.)

Then, the following Monday I start my new job.

I pity the poor person who asks hwo my weekend was.

"You know, got together with some people. Talked about death and decomposition. Dealt with prostitution for a few hours. Then we pretty much focused on vampires. You?"

Oh, yeah. I am gonna be soooo popular.

When ice scrapers are banned...

That's some fine work there Ms. Rodriguez. Good on you.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Cedar Rapids police said a woman chased down a burglar, bagged him with an ice scrapper and then made him pick up the stolen loot he dropped when he fled.

Police were called to Derdre Rodriguez's home on Monday where they found her holding Jake Merfeld, 16, at bay with the ice scraper.

She told officers that when she came home, she heard someone jump out of a back window. She saw the teen running across the yard, carrying jewelry, cell phones and a video game.

Rodriguez chased the suspect, who started dropping the items.

When she caught him, she hit him on top of the head with the ice scrapper and he surrendered. Rodriguez made Merfeld pick up all the property he dropped when he tried to escape.

Merfeld, who was treated for a cut on his head, faces a second-degree burglary charge.

On the downside, Mayor Mike Fahey wants to charge me with a concealed weapons violation because I have a ice scraper in the cubby of my truck.

It's also got a collapsible stock and is entirely made of plastic, which means it's invisible to x-rays....

Great, now I have to go rob a day-care. Damn you ice scraper!!!!

NFM exercise brings even more questions

I obviously need to do more homework or something, but the Nebraska Furniture Mart exercise has me thinking about the lethal force ladder.

In that setting... what is the appropriate response?

For those who are unfamiliar with the story KETV has the details:

Basically, you have a deranged, angry gunman threatening harm to an individual, taking hostages, and then attempting to move them to a secluded area.

Instructors (Chris, Larry, W. Clark, Michael, Paul, et. al) I especially want to hear from you. Other Freedom Fiends can feel free to chime in, too.

What is the appropriate (in the court's eyes) level of response to this situation? What would you do?

Stephen Hunter's tribute to Heston

A damn fine author (Point of Impact) writes a damn fine tribute to a damn fine man (Heston).

Oddly enough, in