Awesome Holster Review

You can have some faith that your pistol won't fall out of this holster.



Via ENDO.

Ask What You Can Do For Yourself

I've seen the "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country" quote for years, but not thought much about it. My grandmother even had it on a wall hanging.

This article reminds us of Milton Friedman's response.

Isn't language fun? As a friend has suggested, maybe I need a course in rhetoric.

I had always thought it was promoting the sort of solidarity I saw after 9/11. I never considered that it was promoting the good of the government over that of the people. Or that it was encouraging dependence on the government like this:

I Blame the Parents and Schools

How can a "journalist" get so many things wrong in an article about guns?

"The semi-automatic version isn’t much less lethal, either — that much is made clear by the Army’s decision to use M-16s that fire semi-automatically in up to three-round bursts, rather than full-autos. Semi-auto fire can be more accurate than “spraying,” the Army found."

Um, okay.

The columnist responds in the comments. I don't expect him to be an expert, but he needs to check his facts.

Guns

Here is a Facebook post from a friend of mine and then my response follows.

What a week! Happy Friday to everyone.

Just a thought to share this morning and a post that is unusually not about my Megan. In response to the gun talk either for or against this week I have to take a side. 3 out of the 4 early morning news stories today included stories about shootings and or guns - nothing good came from any of them.

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=13839429 (boy accidently shoots brother in middle TN)

http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=13833132 (Second Harvest pulls out of firing range fundraiser to shoot Kiffen bobblehead dolls - was this something that they should have signed up for even before Tucson?)

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/01/13/1978007/at-least-2-wounded-in-sc-shooting.html (two men airlifted after gunshot wounds after arguing over property lines and trees - really???)

These three strories were proof once again to me that whether acciental or with intentional malice guns are a threat to all of us. If we have such a great military and police forces across this country to protect and serve why does anybody else need them?

I understand and support the sport of hunting - I get it. I agree that a hunter's license and gun owners license for that purpose alone makes sense. Beyond that though handguns in the hands of anyone other than military and police is senseless forever and always, period.

Not asking for any responses, just wanted to take a rare opportunity on FB to post one of my longest standing and strongest beliefs outside of religion and politics. One day I hope that I can be a part of the change through the system to support real change in our laws.

On a lighter note the two ladies from Williamson County who beat up a home intruder with a Shark vacuum cleaner are my new heros!!

My response:

I did not grow up around guns. I did not have strong opinions on the matter until recently. I did not own guns until recently. I normally do not post on controversial topics either, but I likewise feel compelled to add my voice to the discussion.

There are bad people in the world. There is no way to make all the guns in the world disappear. Bad people will get access to guns. Jenny has said that she hates that we live in a world where we might need a gun. I agree, but this world was defined by original sin and we can only work to make it better.

More laws simply guarantee that the people that follow the law will be unarmed. The bad people do not care what the laws are. New York Republican Rep. Peter King said he will introduce legislation to ban the carrying of any firearm within 1,000 feet of what he described as “high-profile government officials.” Ask yourself if such a law would have stopped Jared Loughner. He already ignored the law that said you shouldn’t murder.

More people will be killed in car accidents than from gun related deaths this year. Should we outlaw cars?

Guns sales have risen over the last few years. During that same period, violent crime has decreased. Even if there is no causation, we can say that more guns have not lead to show-downs at high noon on the streets.

If someone was breaking into your house and seconds mean the difference between life and death… the police are only minutes away. A bit trite, but it makes the point. The police cannot be everywhere.

I wish Channon Christian and Christopher Newsom had been armed.

The Supreme Court recently reaffirmed our 2nd Amendment rights in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago.

Ben Franklin wrote “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Some of the worse crimes against humanity have been perpetrated by dictators who have taken all gun rights away from their citizens.

Even during this tragedy, the father of 9-year old Christina Green understands the importance of our freedoms – “This shouldn't happen in this country, or anywhere else, but in a free society, we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative.”

We should be spending more time talking about mental health issues. The root cause of the shooting was that Jared Loughner was sick.

If you would like to go shoot sometime, I’d be happy to host.

Women can take a free handgun carry permit course at Bass Pro Shop in Sevierville.

I did not include specific links to back up may facts, but I could have - most of them came from the bloggers you see on the Gun Links above. I also tried to make connections on multiple levels by providing stats; asking challenging questions; making a spiritual link; reminding her of tragic, emotional events from the Knoxville area; and discussing the larger issues of rights and mental health.

Brick of Borg

A interesting view from Amber Case... people + technology = cyborg. In the past, tools were an extension of our physical selves, e.g. a club. Today, these little external brains (aka smart phones) are an extension of our mental selves.



These devices eliminate the barriers of time and space, so that we can be connected to anyone at anytime from anywhere. She has a concern that this always connected world leaves little time for self-reflection. As a classic INTJ, I really get that. I love being able to listen to people on the repeater, review Facebook updates, and send e-mail/txts, but I need time downtime to recharge my batteries.

A Small World: Stephen Hunter & Glen Reynolds

If you don't know Glen Reynolds, he's a professor at the University of Tennessee and is also know as the "Blog Father" for his InstaPundit website.

He interviews Stephen Hunter, whose Bob Lee Swagger books, I've been reading. Worlds collide! Hunter looks like an author, but he nothing like I would have expected. I guess I always think the characters are a reflection of the author.

K-Town Style Prep

Remain calm! All is well!

If something happens, at least some Knoxvillians will be prepared.

The Lucky Gunner blog picked up on that article and pointed out a link to free Ready Kit/Bug Out Bags from Knoxville's Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Big Ed's

Big Ed's Pizza in Oak Ridge made USA Today's top pizza places. I like Big Ed's, but I'm not sure why. The place is a dive and not exactly cheap. And, if you have any left-overs, they don't seem to heat up as well as other pizzas.

I'm a big fan of Barley's Tap Room in Knoxville's Old City. If you are there in the fall, ask a waitress for a "pump nut." If you don't get slapped, it means you will end up with a fantastic half pumpkin and half hazelnut beer.

Smart Phone

As you may have gathered from a recent post, I now have an Android phone - a Droid Pro using Verizon Wireless to be exact. After years on a Blackberry, I made the move... and two weeks later, they announce that the iPhone will be with Verizon. I'm happy with the Droid so far, so that doesn't really bother me.

But I do wish I could get a Magpul Executive Field Case for my Droid Pro. It is very high speed, low drag!

Orange-neck Fun

Hopefully no one thinks shooting Lane Kiffin bobble-heads is anything, but some good orange-neck fun.