The Results Are In

My first case of W - America's Ketchup arrived today. Three days from order to my door. They're on the ball over there, that's for sure.

First impressions... looks like the "other ketchup" in the bottle (the safety seal is much easier to remove on the W bottles) and the consistancy.

The taste... I was a bit apprehensive. I mean, I've been eating Heinz for over three decades now. So, was this stuff going to stack up? Was it going to be a clone? Was it going to be noticably different? Was it going to flatout suck? I was surprised. Pleasantly so. It's pretty damn good. There are subtle undertones and topnotes and a bunch of other words that no doubt have my wine connoisseur friends apoplectic. There's a subtle spiciness to it. A more adult ketchup I guess you could put it.

The judgement... W's a keeper.

This just in from the Department of Open Secrets...

DNC: The Party of the 'Little Guy' (and other myths)

If you haven't been over to the Open Secrets website, you seriously need to visit it. In doing a bit of research for a recent post dealing with 527s I came across this list. Top Individual Contributors to 527 Committees - 2004 Election Cycle.

Even I, a guy who knows all this 'Democrats are the little guys fighting against the rich fatcat Republicans' stuff is a load of bovine nightsoil, was taken aback.

Out of the top ten donors on the list (consituting a total of $44,958,273 in 2004 contributions) nine were donors to left-wing causes. Number ten (constituting $1,020,000) was a right-wing donor.

Then it went from the rediculous to the sublime as I continued checking the list. 25 donors were listed in total.

Total contributions by Left/Right Breakdown:

• Left-Wing: $55,908,283 (from 24 of 25 donors)


• Right-Wing: $1,020,000 (from 1 of 25 donors)

54.8 million is a helluva "wealth disparity", don'tcha think? Yet the leftists and their water-carriers in the media have their collective knickers in a twist because the Swiftees got a grandtotal of $158,750. I'm honestly at a loss as to whether they're ill-informed, deluded, hypocrites, liars or all of the above.

Ya know, if these people were to spend their money on helping people (cure diseases, come up with alternate fuel systems etc.) instead of trying to take over the government... whoops, forgot that they're socialists.

"Ask not what you can do for yourself. Demand what your government must do for you."

Sigh, JFK would be so proud[/sarcasm]

This just in from the Swift Department...

For a Top 'Swiftie,' This One's Personal

LA Times -- HOUSTON — Thirty-three years ago, fresh from combat in Vietnam, John O'Neill parted his hair neatly, put on his only suit, stared into a television camera and made it clear how much he detested John Kerry. Not Democrats. Not liberals. John Kerry.

Taking down a modernday Bennedict Arnold, a self-professed war criminal, whose testimony gave aid and comfort to the enemy. Sounds like an admirable mission.

He portrayed himself as a political independent — a Reagan Democrat, he said, if he had to have a label. Although he typically supports GOP candidates, he says, he voted for Democrat Al Gore in 2000. And although the "Swifties" have agreed to focus on Kerry and not to discuss President Bush, O'Neill made it clear he is no great fan of the president, whom he has described to several friends as an "empty suit."

Hmm... seems odd. What with him being a right-wing Bushite zealot and all.

But his record is more complex than those of some of the others backing the Swift boat campaign. In this year's election, O'Neill said, his choice among all the candidates, regardless of party, would have been Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.), who is now Kerry's running mate.

Interesting, I wonder why this right-wing zealot would choose John #2 of all people.

Although O'Neill's firm has close to ties to the oil and gas industries, he has worked largely as a plaintiff's lawyer — taking cases on behalf of people allegedly wronged by big companies.

Ah... okay, now it makes sense.

He once represented a group of elderly and disabled hot dog vendors — in a company called Hot Diggity Dog — who said they had been wrongfully shut down by superstores. In 2001, he won a $429-million judgment on behalf of investors who fell victim to an elaborate securities fraud.

Why haven't we heard any of this before? Oh wait, it would ruin the myth wouldn't it? Can't let anything damage the Kerry Mythos, not until the election's over anyway.

"I've lived a happy life, sure, but at least 15 of my friends died there," O'Neill said. "What I'm dealing with is a set of values that are above and beyond politics. And if following the truth — coming forward — elects Bush, we can accept that."

Seems to me, beyond all the propping up and tearing down Mr. O'Neill's "enjoyed" the last few months, he's just an honorable guy who has a supreme hate-on for someone who can, at best, be described as a dishonorable guy. At least, that's the way he sees it. John Kerry could be the candidate of the DNC, the GOP, the Green party. It wouldn't matter. John O'Neill and the Swiftvets would still be coming out against them.

And just think, if John Kerry was the GOP candidate, the Swiftees would have millions (Media Fund, ACT, MoveOn.org to name but three leftist 527s) instead of just a couple hundred grand to fund their crusade.

Heck, just between George Soros and Peter Lewis they'd have access to a part of the 26.8 million bucks they've shelled out to left-wing causes in 2004 alone.

This just in from the Department of Peace

The Left's Battle for New York

FrontPageMagazine -- Leftist protestors and Democratic Party supporters have promised to hit New York City in force during next week's Republican National Convention -- and many of them are openly advocating violence. The “RNC Not Welcome” website advises its protestors, “The only time it's okay to speak about illegal actions is when you are planning them with the small group of trusted people who will be doing the action with you.” This website is far from alone in its open calls to perpetrate violence in the streets to a degree not seen since 9/11. Yet New York City authorities -- Republican authorities, at that -- are offering these protestors into town, even giving these “tourists” discounts during their stay in the Big Apple.

Hmm... the predictable (leftist protestors getting violent) meets the unpredictable (did you get your dicount button yet?). I hope Mayor Bloomburg's idea works. But I highly doubt that the anarchists, communists, and radicals bent on violence are going to be swayed by 20% off at Applebee's.

Syndicated leftist cartoonist Ted Rall -- whose career has been based on mocking the dead, from the victims at Columbine High School to Pat Tillman and Ronald Reagan -- outed his radical brethren in a recent column. “Creatively altered maps of streets and subways will be handed out to button-clad stupid white men,” Rall writes. “Other saboteurs wearing fake RNC T-shirts will direct them to parts of town where Bush's policies have hit hardest. Rumor has it that prostitutes suffering from sexually transmitted diseases will discourage the use of condoms with Republican customers.” He revealed the obvious: these anti-Republican protests were not about voicing dissent but silencing the GOP.

Sigh, I wonder if Ted Rall this oxygen bandit actually believes the bullshit he forks out, or if he feels it's the only way he can get his name mentioned in the papers. The Gods know he can't rely upon his "talent" to do it for him.

Read the rest of the article. You owe it to yourself.

If you find yourself on or leaning towards the right, it's important to know about these people.

If you find yourself leaning on or leaning towards the left, it's even more important to know about these people.

Know thy enemy and know thyself, and victory shall always be yours. - Sun Tzu

Gizmos and Meteorological Crrrap

"The front blowing in from the west promises to dump at least a foot of snow..."

"Hurricane Skippy has been upgraded and is expected to be a catagory four when it makes landfall..."

"The Nor'Easter is set to slam into the coast along the..."

"... make it an ideal condition for twisters..."

We've all heard these warnings and more on the radio and on the tv news. I grew up in a part of the US that gets all four seasons. Which means snow during the winter. And since moving to the island nation of Delmarva (and yes, it is an island thanks to the C&D canal) I've added Nor'Easters and even hurricanes to the list of meteorological crrrap that can hit the fan.

Snow, and worse yet ice, is still on that list. This is the weather event that usually sends people screaming to the stores to empty out the bread and milk aisles. Last winter I was (unfortunately) doing my regular grocery shopping when snow was on the horizon. I was standing behind two women who had struck up a conversation. Both woman had their requist jugs of milk and loaves of bread but neither one knew exactly why they were hoarding the staples. It was "just what you do".

Ugh.

We all know the reason to have food squirreled away in the face of an impending storm, but is hoarding bread and milk the best idea?

In my opinion, no. Both have relatively short shelf-lives and in the case of milk, you need to keep it refrigerated to keep it from spoiling even faster. And if you don't eat and drink it all, you've wasted money. This means you can't lay them into your larder in advance and must hit the stores with the rest of the Screaming Masses™ after the weather forecasters had broken the news. And this applies to any sort of weather season, not just snow...

-- The time to prepare is before you need to be prepared. --

Skip the milk. Forget the bread. Instead pick up:

• Saltines


• Peanut Butter


• Water (12pks of 12oz/500ml bottles)

Lay these items in at the beginning of winter, or storm/hurricane season and you won't have to worry about having the (very) basics in case the fecal matter hits the rotory cooling device. First off, they have a long shelf life. A year isn't unheard of. Secondly, they don't need power to prepare and/or store them. Heck, you don't even really need a utensil to eat them.

Thirdly, no one thinks to buy them. If I've been lazy, I can still pick these items up after the Screaming Masses™ have hit the stores. Most people don't understand that saltines are just bread... only crispier. Peanut butter lasts and lasts and is chock full of stuff to keep you going should the going get rough. Of course, if you're deathly allergic to peanuts, I wouldn't recommend peanut butter as a survival food stuff ;)

When the Screaming Masses™ are sent off to hit the stores for bread and milk, they've had another item to add to their list... Water. More often than not water in gallon jugs.

Let 'em have 'em. Skip the gallon jugs (unless there's no option) and go for the smaller bottles. They're usually in 500ml or 12oz bottles. Usually packaged in twelve-packs. I like the cased water bottles for three reasons: they're easy to transport, easy to use (no cup required), and if you puncture one bottle, you're out 500ml of water, not a whole gallon.

Somtimes you're going to be holed up in your house. Sometimes you won't have power. And sometimes you'll have to get out of dodge. These items are easy to store, easy to move, and easy to carry.

To these basics I usually add:

• Dried fruit or trail mix in small foil pouches


• Breakfast bars


• Powdered Drink Mix (like Gatorade or Tang)

Again, they have long shelf lives, need no power to prepare or store, but they can help break up the monotony of peanut butter and crackers and water.

Add whatever you think you have to. Medicines, kid stuff, pet stuff. Whatever you do, stick with stuff that stores and travels well. Stick to 12pks of small water bottles. Small pouches of trail mix that usually comes a dozen or so to a box etc. Stick with stuff that requires no power to store or prepare. Stick with stuff that requires little or no preparation.

Remember the old axiom: K(eep) I(t) S(imple) S(tupid)

Over and Out

(Tip of the hat to GeekWithA.45)

"Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?"
-last words Johnny Rotten spit
onstage at the Sex Pistols
last gig in 1978.

So sayeth CBFTW, otherwise known as the blogger of My War (previously known as My War - Fear and Loathing in Iraq) one of the in-theatre milblogs that have popped up along the blogosphere.

I regret that I learned of this blog close to the end. But, I was fortunate enough to find out about it pre-talking-to-by-the-brass. Now everything's gone, archives and all. All, save for the blog itself and the quote by Johnny Rotten.

One of the reasons I'd gotten out of the Army was that I found it offensive that we were not allowed to enjoy the freedoms that we were willing to lay our lives on the line to defend. Of course, CB and those like him have an obligation to not divulge sensitive info that could put he and his buddies at risk. But I don't think his classic "We went somewhere, and did something" exactly gives anything away.

This was a blog of an enlistedman. As a former enlistedman, I so related to CB. Although for me, I was fortunate enough to not have been in a similar situation. For me, the Cold War was mostly just that... "cold". It was from following the Blogger link on his website that lauched my own blog.

A Note to CB: Keep writing this stuff down. Your, Battalion Commander was right, you could get this stuff published.

A Note to the Brass (and the Press): I remember an old quote that may or may not have been uttered by anyone. I heard it was attributed to Omar Bradley, but I'm probably wrong. In any case, it is sage advice for the brass and the press and the rest of the folks back in the world...

"Worry when your troops stop bitching."

Update: For the time being, Google has it archived here.

And Another Reason to Thank the Brits

As if Prime Minister Tony Blair standing by America was enough, the Brits have seen fit to grace us with this vision of loveliness...

What's to say other than... wow! Lucy Pinder was discovered sunbathing on a Bournemouth beach by a Daily Star photographer and now she's become one of the UK's hottest new glamor models.

And yes, in case you're wondering, those are all OEM parts. And no, I'm not talking about the Ford.

Update: Looks like Lucy's website is offline. Hopefully that isn't a permenant condition.

Update #2: Looks like Lucy's website is back online. Hooray. And the peasants rejoice.

This just in from the If It Ain't Fixed, Break It Department...

Bush Calls McCain About Anti-Kerry Ads

Associated Press -- LAS CRUCES, N.M. - President Bush wants to work with Republican Sen. John McCain to pursue court action against political ads by "shadowy" outside groups, the White House said Thursday amid growing pressure on the president to denounce attacks on John Kerry's war record.

Oh for the love of pete. It's thanks to the RINO maverick Senator, that we're in the fix we're in now. If you take your car to a mechanic and he totally screws it up, would you take it back to him work on the now-screwed-up car? No.

Find someone in DC with the stones to honestly look at what McCain-Feingold f'd up and fix it. No, better yet, scrap the whole damn First Amendment infringing mess once and for all. The more government "fixes" things the more they screw everything up.

The pisser is, I liked Senator McCain back during the run-up to the 2000 election. Maybe his primary loss turned him into some bitter bite-in-the-ass driven to stick his thumb in the President's eye every chance he got. Maybe it was because I just didn't really know his position on various issues (such as the First and Second Amendment). Either way, I'm disappointed in him.

McCain, R-Ariz., has called on Bush to condemn the anti-Kerry ads, even as he is actively supporting Bush's re-election. McCain told The New York Times that he plans to personally "express my displeasure" to the president, the paper reported Thursday.

Because he can't John (I'm seriously beginning to find everyone named 'John' annoying). If President Bush (or Senator Kerry, not that he would) told a 527 group that was going after his rival to stop, and they did, that would be considered coordination, something deemed verboten by federal election law.

A few recommendations:

• Scrap McCain-Feingold.


• Let people exercise their First Amendment rights, even if that means *gasp* within sixty days of an elecion.


• Have the groups like the Swiftvets and MoveOn.org fully disclose who is involved with them and who is funding them. Full Disclosure, baby.

Pardon me, but would you have any...

I'm not sure if it's a vet thing or not, but I love ketchup. I put ketchup on my ketchup. Most foods are simply a means of conveying ketchup. But during the last year or so I've found myself in something of a quandry. My favorite brand of ketchup is Heinz. And since I find Terr-A-sah Heinz Kerry a raging whackjob of the first order, you can imagine my plight.

Luckily for me and my fellow devotees of the Red Sauce of Life™ there's now another choice: W - America's Ketchup

Not only is every part of W, from the tomatoes to the bottles to the labels, made in America but part of the proceeds go to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund.

For those who aren't familar with this organizaion, the Freedom Alliance is an outfit created back in 1990 by LtC Olive North (yes, that one). It's a 501(c)3 organization that provides the children of our armed forces who were either killed, permanently disabled, or listed as a POW or MIA.

I ordered up a case of W today. I'll be posting the results of my connoisseur's judgement when it arrives. I already feel better about giving my money to an outfit that helps the kids of our fallen service men and women than giving it to an outfit that pumps it into a series of left-wing causes. That's for damn sure. And, no, I'm not just talking about her consort's political ambitions.

Leftists: Guardians of the Environment

Dave Matthews Band's Big Stink

E! Online -- The state of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against the Dave Matthews Band for allegedly dumping up to 800 pounds of liquid human waste from its tour bus into the Chicago River earlier this month.

Doh! That's a lotta shit.

And that was bad news for Chicago's First Lady, a passing tour boat filled with 100 people on an architecture sightseeing cruise that was doused by the falling excrement.

Doh! That's some funny shit.

The Dave Matthews Band will presumably keep their waste under control as they continue on their current tour, which is now on the road on the West Coast for the next month before linking up with the Vote for Change tour. The politically motivated trek, featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, Pearl Jam and John Mellencamp, will play 34 shows in 28 cities in swing states in an effort to unseat President Bush.

Well, now it's all pretty clear what happened. With as much shit as the bunch they're hooking up with is full of, they clearly needed to make room, posthaste!

Wow

Boy, what a difference an opperating system makes. This blog looks a lot different in XP than it does on the Win2k system I first built it on.

Update: Wow, just downloaded and have started using Mozilla. The ol' blog looks like a million bucks on my Win2k system with the new browser.

This just in from the Kick-to-Dubya's-Leg Department

Kerry Wins Backing from Nobel Economics Laureates

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - John Kerry won the endorsement of 10 Nobel Prize-winning economists on Wednesday as he attacked President Bush for policies that he said have led to the creation of only low-paying jobs.

The Democratic presidential nominee released a letter from the economists saying the Bush administration had "embarked on a reckless and extreme course that endangers the long-term economic health of our nation."

They cited "poorly designed" tax cuts that instead of creating jobs have turned budget surpluses into enormous budget deficits, a "fiscal irresponsibility threatens the long-term economic security and prosperity of our nation."

Of course, by "poorly designed" they mean that the folks who paid the taxes getting their own money back via tax-cuts. Thus mucking up the whole redistribution of wealth thing.

Let's talk surplus shall we? Why in the hell is the government having a budget surplus a good thing? That means they took more money away from us than was needed to meet fiscal requirements. That's not a friggin' good thing you dopes!

As for deficits... first off, the federal deficit is not as bad a thing as it's played at. Secondly, the main reason we had a surplus during the Golden Age 90s was that Reagan and Bush 41 ended the Cold War. That and Clinton saddling us with the biggest tax increase in history. Now, aside from the war on terror, the President and Congress have been spending like drunken sailors. Mostly, in the President's case, in the vain attempt to get rabid leftist to like him.

Note to President Bush: They are never going to like you. Stop giving them what they want.

Thank you.

The endorsement, in the form of an open letter American voters, was signed by George Akerlof and Daniel McFadden of the University of California at Berkeley...

Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop the presses... Berkeley? Berkeley!? Are we supposed to think that economic Nobel Laureates from Berkeley aren't going to back a guy that's voted to raise your taxes 98 times?

And while we're at it... here's a little info on Berkeley, the Nobel Prize board and Professor Akerlof. Unless you're new to the planet, you know that UofC at Berkeley in the (not 'a' but 'the') premiere center for leftist thought.

The Nobel Prize board... well aside from giving Jimmy Carter the Nobel Peace Prize as a "kick to the leg" (so sayeth Gunnar Berge, the committee's head) of President Bush, at the time of Prof. Akerlof's award, this illustrious board had given Prizes to 18 Berkeley professors. Akerlof being the fourth economics professor, and the third in seven years so awarded.

And what did he get his Nobel Prize in you ask? The study of...

wait for it...

wait for it...

"lemons" in the used car market.

Hmm... there's a guy who knows "lemons" and he's picking John Kerry.

This is news?

No More, Mr. Nice Guy

Alice Slams Anti-Bush Rockers

WINNIPEG -- In the eyes of Alice Cooper, all the rock stars campaigning for Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry are guilty of one thing: treason. The shock-rock legend, a staunch Republican who attends NBA games in Phoenix with Arizona Senator John McCain...

Err... yeah. Hanging out at a b-ball game with John McCain means you're a staunch Republican. That's about as likely hanging out in a strip joint with Ronald McDonald means you're a staunch Vegan.

...was disgusted when he learned of plans by Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, R.E.M. and other bands to hold a series of concerts aimed at unseating U.S. President George W. Bush.

"To me, that's treason. I call it treason against rock 'n' roll because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics," says the 56-year-old Cooper, who begins a 15-city Canadian tour on Aug. 20 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Preach on brother.

"When I was a kid and my parents started talking about politics, I'd run to my room and put on the Rolling Stones as loud as I could. So when I see all these rock stars up there talking politics, it makes me sick.

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."

Ya know, someone should write a book about this.

Despite his strong insistence that rock has no place in politics, Cooper is one of just a handful of high-profile musicians who've proclaimed support for Bush.

The list of pop-culture Republicans includes Britney Spears, Toby Keith and Ted Nugent, the latter being one of Cooper's old buddies from his early days in Detroit.

Ah ha! Alice is one of them Eeevil Conservatives™! First off... Britney Spears is a conservative? When the hell did that happen? Secondly, and more importantly, a) Alice isn't running around insisting that everyone must vote for President Bush and b) he isn't touring with Toby and Ted and Britney(?) insisting that you must vote for President Bush.

Well, at least they'd be able to tell you to vote for someone and not just against someone. Right Michelle Shocked?

"John Kerry does not stand for anything," Ms. Shocked said from the stage. "We know that. We're just going along."

A ringing endorsement if ever there was one.

A Quick Taxation Tutorial

Give the folks over at ScaryJohnKerry.com a look see. Be sure to check out the Taxes 2004 section and watch the flick. Pay special attention to the bit about the charitable contribution record of the two candidates.

Gizmos

I know what you're thinking... where the hell are the gizmos? Fear not loyal readers... readers... anyone *cricket chirp* Ah-hem... anyway, once I get my mitts on a digital camera I'll be getting on with posting some gizmo bits... Altoids kits, firestraws, BoBs, SHtF kits for the home and the car... all sorts of stuff.

Stayed tuned.

Kettle? Yeah, it's me Pot. I'm calling to say...

North Korea Says Talks with U.S. Are Pointless

SEOUL Reuters - North Korea described President Bush (news - web sites) on Monday as a tyrannical political imbecile who put Adolf Hitler in the shade and said Pyongyang could see no justification for talks with his administration.

Kim Jong-il, everyone's favorite troll doll/dictator, seems to have his little knickers in a twist. Boy, I bet everyone with children has seen this act before.

This just in from the Department of Nothing's Ever Good Enough...

Bush Criticizes Anti-Kerry Television Ad

WASHINGTON - Associated Press - President Bush on Monday criticized a commercial that accused John Kerry (news - web sites) of inflating his own Vietnam War record, more than a week after the ad stopped running, and said broadcast attacks by outside groups have no place in the race for the White House.

"I think they're bad for the system," added Bush, who had ignored calls to condemn the ad while it was on the air.

The President is wrong. What he said was wrong. What he should've said when asked about the 527 ads was, "You folks've heard of the First Amendment, right?" Not that he can actually come out as say that. No politician can. It's not politically correct to defend the Constitution. Maybe they should have to swear an oath or something.

"The moment of truth came and went, and the president still couldn't bring himself to do the right thing," Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards (news - web sites) said in a statement. "We need a president with the strength and integrity to say when something is wrong."

Oh, for crying out loud. See above mention of the First Amendment John #2. I've yet to see you, John #1, or any other Democrat for that matter say thing one about MoveOn.org, Michael Moore, Dennis Kucinich, Ted Kennedy, George Soros, or the 63 million dollars spent by leftist 527s thus far.

And chiming in from the Planet of the Clueless™:

"Too little, too late," added party chairman Terry McAuliffe.

Sigh. What else can be said besides to point out that Mr. McAuliffe once again proves that he is as insightful as he is irrelevant?

"The fourth Purple Heart could have been an AK-47 through his heart," said Rich Baker, who served on a swift boat in Vietnam at the same time as Kerry. He was referring to weekend comments by former Republican Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas — grievously wounded in World War II — that Kerry had won three Purple Hearts "and never bled that I know of."

Err... yeah. Just out of curiousity how many soldiers, saliors, airmen, marines or even coasties have ever died due to getting an AK-47 rammed thru their hearts?

Senator Dole's got a valid point. John #1 received three Purple Hearts, (in four months) yet missed what, two days duty, tops? John #1 was wounded three times during a four month span, yet he was not killed nor permanently disabled (like Sen. Dole), not to mention narrowly avoiding the whole "assault weapon run thru his ticker" thing. He's easily the luckiest and unluckiest person in the history of the world.

Hmm... would explain being married to a billionaire whackjob of a wife wouldn't it?

Just Another Isolated Insident...

Arsonists Destroy Jewish Center in Paris

Associated Press -- PARIS - Arsonists destroyed a Jewish community center in eastern Paris before dawn on Sunday, leaving behind red graffiti with menacing anti-Semitic messages such as "Jews get out."

Let's see... Bush = Hitler and the French = The paramount example of the civilized, evolved European worldview.

Right.

The Weekend on One Wheel

Sometimes I think there should be a regulation barring Pisces from serving as paratroopers. They're astrologically predisposed to foot problems as it is and as anyone who has ever jumped out of perfectly good airplanes can tell you, you don't exactly land gently. So if it's not my Abductor Hallucis wanting to fold my foot in half, ala oriental footbinding, it's the occasional bout with gout.

So, instead of taking the Mini Winnie to town as I had planned, I was holed up in the house all weekend. I can't report on how the sighting-in process worked out. That'll have to wait. I did find a nice dowel with which to do it when I get back on both wheels. I picked up a sponge-headed paintbrush at the local Wal-Mart, removed the sponge bit and shaped down the business end so that its center would line up better with the rear (or front if it comes to that) sight.

Speaking of the Mini Winnie, I forgot to mention how surprisingly clean it stayed after firing. In my range bag I keep an old flannel wipe to give whatever firearm(s) I take to the range a good wipedown before stowing them in their cases for the trip home.

Now, I've always been more of semi-auto EBR guy, but of late I've had the hankering for some old school hardware. I was very surprised when I gave the Mini Winnie a pre-stow wipedown. The areas around the chamber and even around the muzzle were relatively clean. And this was after firing over a hundred rounds of magnum ammunition.

The lack of a semi-auto mechanism no doubt contributes to the clean-firing nature of Model 94. Instead of using the recoil or expelled gases to cycle the bolt and chamber the next round, the shooter has to manipulate the finger lever of the Model 94. This keep most of the 'extra bits' that fly out of the chamber of a semi-auto during the cycling process from flying around and gunking up the firearm.

At least, that's my theory anyway.

My last 'must have' was the Cx4 Storm made by Beretta. It is a nifty little carbine, capable of shooting better than the shooter, but geez, is it a dirty shooter. Had to give the wipe a bath when I got home. It shares ammunition, and even magazines, of pistols such as the 92FS. As I've said before, I like the idea of feeding a long gun and a handgun with the same food, especially for a SHtF (Shit's Hit the Fan) gun. It has some tactical and strategic pluses and minuses as a SHtF or grab-n-go gun, but in comparison to the Mini Winnie, the minuses outweight the pluses.

It's an EBR, that fires 9mm (as well as .40, .45, and 9mm Israeli) and is capable of excepting 20 round magazines. Just the mere sight of it would send a hoplophobe into a tizzy. Not to mention to 9mm is not exactly something with which you can put meat in the pot. It's a real nice shooter, and damn pretty, at least to my eyes, but not exactly something that's ideally suited for the SHtF gun I'm looking for.

More Election Tomfoolery from the People's Republic of New Jersey

McGreevey Defends Decision in Op-Ed Piece

Associated Press -- In a newspaper opinion piece published Sunday, New Jersey's embattled governor says his decision not to leave office immediately because of a sex scandal was "difficult" to make but one he will not change.

Democratic Gov. James E. McGreevey used The New York Times to defend his Nov. 15 resignation date, which has been criticized roundly by both Republicans and members of his own party. McGreevey announced Aug. 12 he is leaving his post because he had an extramarital affair with a man.

"While I see the merits of both sides of the debate, I stand firm with my decision," McGreevey wrote in the Times. "My obligation is to complete the important work already started and to achieve an effective transition of state government."

It's not his friggin' choice, not his "decision", to make. The New Jersey Constitution doesn't provide for the Governor to choose when he'll step down after he announces his intention to do so. It does however set a deadline for when a special election can be held. Postponing his resignation November 15th negates this. So, once again, instead of the people of New Jersey choosing their elected representative by *gasp* elections, the party elites of the People's Republic of New Jersey will do the choosing for them. Once again, the DNC won't let silly things like election law stand in their way.