The Artillery-Grade 600 MPH Pumpkin Cannon

The Artillery-Grade 600 MPH Pumpkin Cannon



I just wonder what's on the other end?

H/T to Glenn.

On bonuses

The chief executive of Bosch, the world’s largest car-parts supplier, said on Wednesday: “Industry and other clients of banks ... will no longer have to accept uncritically the omnipotence of the large banks.

“We will act very selectively. We will refrain from doing any more business with those banks that think their main objective is to maximise bonuses.” He added that he was “very angry” over the behaviour of some banks.

I kinda think it's the banks business whether they give bonuses to their employees, but this seems a better approach to changing their behavior rather than the government butting in. If corporations, businesses, and individuals vote with their custom maybe the banks will chose to change. When the government butts in all we get a war of the lobbyists [payoffs and influence peddling] with an uncertain result that’s certain to screw us. Just my opinion.

H/T to Dick.

Stopped snowing...

...around midnight, the roads are crappy, the idjits are out in force, and I'm still working. No post yesterday and probably none today. No reason really but work and nothing catching my interest.

It's snowing...

...in the Triangle, I'm working, and its not going to be a fun night.

Heh!

Everybody's getting on the Hitler in the bunker bandwagon.

Today in History

1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after liftoff killing all seven astronauts on board.

Obama's State of the Union Address

Ninty minutes of my life well spent. I spent it reading Stephen Hunter's I, Sniper.

That's funny...

...even it it did come from the Huffington Post

HuffPost Comedy's State Of The Union Drinking Game 2010

I'd be drunk on my ass 2 minutes into the speech if I could stand listening to him that long.

H/T to Dick.

Apple I-Pad

The I-Pad huh? Nah. Too Easy.

Fear the Boom and Bust: A Rap

H/T to Radley.

Seriously?

Man Busted With Massive Weapons Cache

What does ABC News consider a massive weapons cache? An AR with a .50 caliber upper, an AR in .308, a Cobray 37mm flare launcher, night vision, a bullet proof vest, and hundreds of rounds of .50-caliber and .308-caliber ammunition.

Massive? Really! Only in the mind of a reporter who doesn't have a clue and probably the New Jersey authorities.

I don't know what the gunman had planned and I'm sure that the authorities in the People's Republic of NJ have prevented a major incident, but seriously, I could throw a rock, and hit people with more guns at home than this guy.

H/T to CY and Uncle.

Whose side are they on?

NRA Will Argue in Second Amendment Case

The NRA submitted a motion to share the plaintiffs time on the McDonald arguments and got it. The only reason I can figure is they need to share whatever credit is gained in a win, but by horning in they make a win a little bit harder. Alan Gura proved himself in Heller and I can’t imagine the NRA has anything to add he hasn’t already considered. Making his job harder by cutting the time he has available to make his points isn’t being a team player. So, NRA whose side are you on: gun owners or your own?

H/T to David.

Heh!

Oh Gross!

An Edwards Sex Tape?

Jehosephat! Must find something to scrub the image from my mind.

Curse you Glenn Reynolds:)

The lesson learned...

...by Obama, Pelosi and Reid reference MA, jabber to the contrary, is that we rule, will do as we please, and you peasants can go fuck yourselves. Consequences be damned.

Dick Morris: Pelosi and Reid Plot Secret Plan for Obamacare

If they sneak though passage of health care they are toast in the next election, but correcting the damage done will be next to impossible. Contact your Congress critters and let them know there will damn well be consequences to a yes vote on health care the least of which will be losing office. Do it now.

Combat Barbie?

Oh yeah.

H/T to the Duck.

David Price had a town hall...

...of sorts. Here's the video. He claims the health care power grab is constitutional because of the Commerce Clause. How can that be since the power grab deals with insurance and that is regulated by the states and which won't allow you to buy insurance across State lines? Just a thought. Price is full of himself.

H/T to Bubba

There are lessons...

...to be learned from Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts. I just don’t think any Democrats or Republicans have learned them. I’m not sure Brown truly understands it. He just profited from it. Newt surely hasn’t.

Ignore the will of the people at your risk.

Leave us alone. Don’t piss away our money. Don’t raise our taxes. Don’t try to fix what you broke. In fact don't try to fix what you didn't break. All you’ll do is fuck it up worse. Don’t try to tell us what’s best for us. By your actions you demonstrate you don’t know. Start considering new career opportunities. The mid-term elections are coming. Consider Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts trial runs.

Update: link repaired.

The Book of Eli

The Book of Eli is an excellent movie well worth seeing and that’s all I’m going to say about it. Go see it. Enjoy.

Heh!

I've added xkcd to the comics roll. This comic is why. Tis my hope to emjoy many more.

Again, who are you guys working for?

Obviously not me.

We have DOJ attorneys that worked for the entertainment industry making decisions about music copyright infringement cases. Now we have attorneys that represented or worked for organizations that represented Gitmo detainees working in the DOJ and prosecuting those same detainees. What is it about the concept of conflict of interest that is so difficult for the Executive Branch to understand?

H/T to Firehand

The kid who was kicked out of school...

...because he stored his hunting firearms in his locked truck off-campus after an early morning hunting trip has won his appeal. His expulsion has been reversed by the Glenn County Board of Education. Good but it never should have gotten to the point where the school board or NRA lawyers had to intervene. Zero tolerance rules are just a crutch for the stupid and lazy.

H/T to David.

I want this t-shirt...

Oxygen - Breathing is a privilege, not a right.

Hey Hugo...

...if we had a super secret death ray that could cause earthquakes at the location of our choice then why the hell would we target a small fry like Haiti that has done absolutely nothing to us but drain our coffers when we help them? Why, when there are fucktards in power elsewhere that maybe even have raised our ire and deserve a little attention...like maybe you.

H/T to Firehand

Phaser on "pop"

A home-made Star Trek Phaser. It's powerful enough to pop balloons or blind you.

What now with health care?

I’m not sure I really believe it because I’m not convinced Obama, Pelosi and Reid got Tuesday’s message despite the lip service. Now that it appears Obama’s health care may be dead maybe Congress can consider real health care reform and start with four simple changes: medical tort reform, allow people to buy their health insurance across state lines, vouchers for those on Medicaid so they can buy their own insurance, and allow people to deduct the cost of health insurance from their taxes.

Who are you guys working for?

I agree that downloading music without paying for it is illegal. I get that, but explain to me please how illegally downloading a 99 cent song incurs damages of $750 to $150,000 for each such file downloaded. That’s the RIAA’s position, and it’s supported by Obama’s DOJ. The RIAA has been bugfuck nuts on this matter for years and my past assumptions as to why the DOJ supports it, despite case law to the contrary, is they are bought and paid for by the music industry. There appears to be a simpler explanation at least for Obama’s DOJ and that would the large number of DOJ employees’ connections to Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music's RIAA. Wouldn’t that constitute a conflict of interest? Just wondering.

H/T to Glenn

Brown on Guns

Brown won. From the standpoint from being anti-Pelosi/Reid/Obama health care reform, and hopefully anti-cap and tax, this may be a good thing. From the viewpoint of gun owners we may only be able to say he’s better than the alternative or the dick who once sat in the seat. Uncle provides some detail here and the rest only time will tell.

Oh my!

This Browning Hi Power 75th Anniversary edition is a thing of beauty but with a MSRP of $1,099 I'll have to be satisfied with the one I have. Hey, if you have $10,500 to spare here's the Custom Shop's version.

H/T to Uncle.

And thanks for the link Tam.

Remington GPC (Gas Piston Carbine)

The Firearms Blog has info on it here.

H/T to Uncle.

Guns save lives...

...in more ways than one.

A 28 year old, startled by his cell phone drove his car into a river. He escaped the submerged vehicle by shooting out the window and swimming to safety.

Via Bore Patch

Coakley has conceded...

...and Massachusetts has a Republican Senator. It's a start.

They need more guns

Some sick fuck in central Texas is sexually assaulting elderly women age 65 to 91. Except for the 81 year old that scared him off by opening fire on him. Too damn bad she missed. Too damn bad more of the ladies weren’t armed.

H/T to the pistolero

Pigeon...its what's for lunch.

H/T to Uncle.

John Carter of Mars

Growing up I read about everything I could find by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The John Carter novels were my favorites. They're a fond memory that I've no desire to relive by reading the books, but a movie is a different matter. Disney's making a John Carter movie. Not planning, making. It has begun principal photography in London. I'm kinda looking forward to it. I wonder if they'll keep the egg-laying Martians?

In Texas noises woke up...

...a mother in the middle of the night. When she went to investigate she saw two masked men in her hallway. She locked her and her son in the bedroom. The men tried to force the door and one shot through it hitting her 11-year old son. The 11-year old returned fire with his .22 rifle. The home invaders fled. Blood on the floor indicated at least one invader was hit. The 11-year old was taken to a local hospital and is in staple condition. A bad guy showed up at the hospital with a wound in the neck.

Some weenies will probably do an ohmygod a child had a gun, and we need to do something to prevent this rant. Since this occurred in Texas I’m not sure how far that will get. I suspect not far. The 11-year old protected himself and his mother with the best tool he had available, and did a damn good job of it. Most reasonable people recognize this.

To those of you in the business of entertaining us:

You guys may want to consider what and how you characterize portions of your audience before it costs you that audience. Or if you’re an arrogant cocksucker maybe you don’t care. Two examples: Stephen King and James Cameron. Hey guys! I think I’ll go spend my shekels elsewhere.

If you like beautiful drawings...

...of beautiful women in various states of dress maybe you ought to go over and take a look at Frank Cho's artwork at Liberty Meadows. You won't be disappointed.

It’s a damn shame...

...that one stupid careless act with a firearm has the potential to cost you your future. What a waste.

And since we're on the subject of the Brady Campaign....

...they're pushing House members to sponsor HR 2324, Lautenberg’s gun show bill. Only one of North Carolina's delegation has thrown in his support. That, of course, would be David Price who never saw a victim disarmament bill he didn’t like. No surprise there.

H/T to Sebastian

The bird

Paul Helmke and the Brady Campaign decided to endorse Martha Coakley for the Massachusetts Senate seat. I would hope the way things have been going lately for Helmke and the Brady Campaign and the anti in general lately that might just be the kiss of death for the Coakley campaign. Hell I can hope. If you’re up there in the People’s Republic go vote for Brown on Tuesday and flip the Brady Campaign and Helmke the bird.

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

A newscaster that beat his wife was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to read an article on the humility of...Matt Damon.

The humility of Matt Damon?

Could be worse I guess. He might have made him read Dreams from My Father by Bill Ayers, I mean, Barack Obama.

Cruel and unusual punishment indeed.

Via Kyle Smith

Malware

A trojan called Malware Defense has infested my work com outer and I can't do anything because I don't have administrative rights. What I can do is contemplate open season on the gits who made it: rope and a lamppost. That'd work.

I broke 20,000 visits to my blog...

...sometime this morning. Small compared to other blogs but that's pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

I was looking through Baen's publishing schedule...

... and I noticed the Taxpayers' Tea Party: A Manual for Reclaiming Our Country by Sharon Cooper and Chuck Asay. This is the description of the book from Amazon.

In living rooms across America, citizens are struggling to pay their taxes and also struggling to believe that the same congressmen they elected on promises of not increasing those taxes are not planning to do just the opposite. Sally Jefferson is one of those Americans, but she's not just going to mouth off to her coworkers about how tough it is. She and her friends are going to DO something about it this time, and prove that democracy still works in the process.

Taxpayers' Tea Party is more than a manual for political revenge; it's step-by-step guide in cartoon form to carry out our own American Revolution.

It doesn't come out until July, but I think I'll put it on my list.

I, Sniper: a Bob Lee Swagger novel

I was wandering around the local borders today and I saw Stephen Hunter’s latest Bob Lee Swagger novel, I, Sniper, on the shelf. Ha! The general plot is that a sniper kills four 60’s era radicals. The FBI blames a Vietnam contemporary of Swagger’s and Swagger goes on a hunt for the truth. In the first few pages Jane Fonda, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn knock-offs get popped by a sniper. I was gonna read it anyway, and I wish mayhem of that sort on no one, but that’s just gravy. This I gotta read.

Don't worry, the TSA is on the job.

The TSA claims there are no 8 year olds on the Fed's no fly list, and he isn’t. But he shares his name with someone who is and so every time his family travels he gets the full treatment before boarding the plane. The fact that the TSA can’t look at an 8 year old and discern that he’s not the name on the list pretty much defines the problem with the TSA: failure to exercise even a modicum of discretion in their duties. It’s silly and does nothing to make me or anyone else safer. He’s an 8 year old you twits. THINK. It might actually make a difference.

H/T to Thirdpower.

Heh!

People hate lawyers because 99% of them give the rest of us a bad reputation. - David Hardy

More self-defense news from the UK.

In the UK a woman noticed two thugs trying to break into her garden shed. She shouted and them and waved a kitchen knife. They fled. She called the cops and was told her actions were illegal. She was in the house with her daughter and wasn’t allowed to defend herself or child.. In the UK you can’t even defend yourself or family in your home or on your property. That’s really wacked. But some in the UK realize how wacked it is and are trying to make changes. Good luck. Once you give up rights it is damn hard to take them back from the powers that be.

H/T to Zendo Deb.

Context.

Hitler was a mass murdering syphilitic piece of shit. Stalin was a mass murdering psychopathic piece of shit who made Hitler look like a piker. Oliver Stone was and is an idiot. How's that for context.

Another workplace shooting.

Five shot with two dead in Georgia.

They forgot about her?

A 78 year old grandmother was arrested and jailed on a traffic violation and spent two weeks in jail because the authorities forgot about her.

H/T to Radley.

I am constantly amazed...

...by how many people ignore the law of unintended consequences. I can see soooo many ways this could go bad and the least of them is losing your job. That being said the intended consequences could be pretty fricking funny. I want one.

H/T to Radley

Yard Sword

I want one very badly, and at $19.99 I might just get one.

Showing Respect

We all have our pet peeves. This is one of mine. When you are at a sporting event, say a college basketball game in Durham NC, and they play the National Anthem prior to the game, you should stand and pay your respects to the colors. Right? If you’re in uniform and wearing head gear stand at attention and salute. If no head gear stand at attention and the right hand covers the heart. Everyone else should stand at attention and cover the heart with the right hand. Right? What you don’t do is stand there with your thumb up your butt or when the anthem gets to the word “Oh” form a circle over your head with your arms and yell “Oh”. It’s disrespectful you ignorant, college –aged, self-absorbed gits. Now I’ve had my say. That is all.

The hoops you have to jump through...

...to buy, not carry, buy a handgun in DC provided by a WaPo reporter who went through the process. A damn good reason not to move to DC.

H/T to David.

Amen.

Felons and guns. Go read it.

That's just our secret handshake.

This is funny and the thing is I could see it actually happening...pleaaaaase!

Firehand pointed the way.

A workplace shooting in ...

...in St Louis leaves at least three dead. The perpetrator may be among the dead and was allegedly armed with an assault rifle, and pistol. Condolences to the families of those killed and wounded.

On the other hand the antis blood dance should begin in 5...4...3...2....

Achmed and the Dead Terrorists

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Fourteen suspected terrorists died Tuesday night when the bus they rigged with explosives blew up prematurely, police said.

The explosion occurred as the suspects were riding the bus in the province of Kunduz, said police chief Abdul Raziq Yaqobi.

Yaqobi said the suspects wanted to attack Afghan police or foreign soldiers.

I stole it from Kevin who stole it from somebody else...oh. and here's a link to Jeff Dunham's skit.

Amen!

Apparently this video is getting yanked all over. Go watch it while you can. Then utter a loud amen, hell yes, or whatever floats your boat. Then on November 2, 2010 go vote the bastards we can vote out, out...all of them.

We want to try harder...

In Chicago's brief on McDonald V. Chicago they write...

The Windy City would like to "serve as a laboratory" with the "flexibility" to ignore the Second Amendment.

So tell me, at some point don't you admit the experiment has failed and do something other than "try harder" with even more gun control? Just wondering?

The Karate Kid [2010]

I loved the original Karate Kid movie. Not so much the sequels, but this looks interesting though I guess they should have titles it the Kung-Fu Kid.

Accidental honesty?

Poor choice of words on the part of the Joyce Foundation or inadvertent honesty? You decide.

Via Sebastian.

What a waste

Tigh Croff of Detroit had his house broken into three times in one week. When he found two guys in his backyard, presumably in the process of theft and they fled he pursued with licensed gun in hand. One successfully eluded him. The other turned, surrendered, raised his hands, and...

“What are you going to do?” Herbert Silas of Detroit reportedly asked, his hands still in the air. “Shoot me?”

“Absolutely,” Croff told investigators he replied before pulling the trigger, the source said. Silas was hit once in the chest, killing him.

....and with the pull of a trigger Tigh Croff ceases to be a law abiding gun owner and becomes a murderer. I wasn't self-defense. If Michigan had a Castle Doctrine I doubt this incident would have applied. So why do I even note the incident? In reading this exchange, I have two thoughts. One is that he had probably watched one movie too many, and two, what a waste.

UPDATE: Ric Ector, a CCW instructor in Michigan offers his opinion on the incident here.

If the facts presented in the news story are accurate Mr. Croff is well and truly screwed. I agree with Ector that Croff should have lawyered up immediately and told the police jack. I can’t argue with anything Ector has to say about the law or state of CCW in Michigan. I’m in North Carolina. I assume, like myself, that what Ector knows about the incident comes from the news or police. I admit that we might not have all the facts.

Based on those sources Croff found the two men on his property. He had been the victim of three break-in s within a week. They fled and he gave chase. One stopped and tried to surrender. Croff shot him once in the chest. Was the thief trying to close on Croff? If he did I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same thing. I do know this I would have maintained my distance so it would not have been an issue. Did the thief reach into his pocket or indicate he had a weapon in any way? In that case I might have shot him as well. If the thief kept his hands raised and there was no weapon in those hands Croff wasn’t justified in using deadly force. In the end only Croff and the dead know for sure. What I do know is this. Croff did not have to give chase. In doing so he placed himself in the position where he might have to use deadly force. He did it over property. Once they ran neither he nor his family were at risk. He’s going to have a hell of a time justifying his actions. In any event, I wish him luck.

TX: ...and then a homeowner...

...was awakeded by his house alarm. He found a man in the hallway brandishing a fire extinguisher. The home owner shot the man in the hip with his shotgun. The burglar fled and was later found yelling for help in a neighbor's yard. Ya know there's something about a shotgun for home defense.

OH: Would be robber thwarted with shotgun.

A robber enterd a beauty supply store in Dayton. He displayed a knife and demanded money. The store owner grabbed his shotgun and the robber fled. Police collected the robber before the store owner and an employee caught him. Probably fortunate for the robber. Ya know. Knife? Gunfight?

2009 Darwin Awards

And the winners are....well, dead. No word on whether they checked out before spreading their pollen.

Neat!

The best wedding cake ever.

Via Tam.

I don't know how old it is...

...or in what city it was made but this video of a would be robber getting the the hell beat out of him by the store clerk warms the cockles of my heart. What can I say. I'm easily amused.

Who Dares Wins [The Final Option] (1983)

I don't remember if I saw The Final Option on HBO or rented the video back around 1984 but I know I can't find a copy of it for an amount I'm willing to pay. I would really like to watch it again. The plot followed an SAS member infiltrating a terrorist group. The movies ends with the terrorists taking over the American Embassy and the SAS ending the seige. I understand the critics didn't like it much but I did. Here's a clip I found.

2009: Movie of the Year

My favorite movie of the year was Gran Torino but Harry Brown was a close second.

Florida community wants to evict 6-year-old

I refuse to buy property where I have to answer to a Home Owner's Association. Shit like this is why. I understand a contract is a contract. These pricks need to have an up close and personal karmic experience.

Via Radley.

Michael Ramirez

...and now its here.

Happy New Year

A bit late I know but pain killers do that to you.