Tuesday, August 28, 2012

"flagged by pre-crime surveillance"

Who thought that the efforts to control crime would be so close to what was illustrated in the short story "The Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick?

How soon will the state start convicting citizens for precrimes? It seems like a small step from conspiracy.  And does the state really need a conviction or indefinitely detention? The psych ward has been used for decades for the same purpose. Wait! They're using it again.

Just the one quote seen in Tinfoil Tuesday's post, "The Empire's Veteran Problem," is chilling:
"flagged by pre-crime surveillance"
 [source of quote unknown]

Friday, August 24, 2012

7.62x25 and Guns You're Embarrassed to Like


Doc Wesson and Average Joe recently discussed a couple things on The Gun Nation Podcast that struck a cord with me. Check out 5-09-2012::Show No.46 - You Wanna Take A Tok?
Just like Average Joe, I am enamored with the 7.62x25. I should have bought a TT-33 back when they were about a $100, or a CZ52 when they were $150. I'd also like to see a modern pistol offered in the round, besides the Wise Lite Sterling (which appears to have been discontinued).

What gun am I embarrassed to like? From what I own, I'd say my "commercial" SKS and my Ruger P95. The SKS was $89 wholesale when I got it years ago and it was the poor man's deer rifle in my part of the country. But on the flipside, it is more of a rifle than an AK (whatever that means), it shoots a .30 cal, and it's got that evil spike bayonet. The Ruger P95 came at the end of the wondernine era. It post-dated the revolutionary Glock 17, but it has true pre-Glock double-action technology, and it is reasonably hard to find accessories for it. But it's built like a tank (so I've heard, except periodic bent extractor problems), fun to shoot with a grip sleeve, and a great quality value for an entry-level service pistol - if you have to buy new. 

Don't get me wrong. I really like owning those two guns. They are very good tools. But every tool has its limits, and sometimes it makes sense to follow what even the gun writers who hide it know: a snubnose .38  is the greatest fallback, pocket carry, warm weather, at-least-I-have-an-effective-weapon gun. And despite the resent popularity of S&W's M&P and the less-recent popularity of the Springfield XD, the resurgence of the 1911, and the often stated wisdom that no one size fits all in the gun press, Glocks are the ubiquitous, reliable, durable tools that have proven themselves worth owning. 


Thursday, August 23, 2012

Taurus PT22 Ply: Small (Shoot A Lot) Pocket Pistol

Range report coming up. It's been a while since I took it to the range, but It's been just as long since I've analyzed what happened. Looking for my range bag right now.

Previous Article: Small (Shoot A Lot) Pocket Pistol Shopping

Favorite Wine

I've drank a lot of wine over the years. While living with my wife in New York, we defaulted to Chianti. It's very Italian, and so is she, and so was the part of New York City we were living in.

But what's my favorite? I just finished a glass of Pinot Noir paired with a meatball sandwich. It did not have enough flavor or weight for the sandwich, nor for me.

I like Merlot. Very fruity. I like Cabernet Sauvignon. Nicely balanced. But my favorite?

Shiraz. The Australian Sirah. Good body. Spicy. And it goes great with spicy Doritos and Pringles. Yes, I primarily pair wines with chips. Ah, it's great to be American.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Individual Burden of Government, Part I: For The Card-Carrying Statist

What is a person to do under the weight of government regulation? For starters, I guess it depends on who the person is.

The Card-Carrying Statist: For the individual who wants the state to regulate economic and personal life, the best course of action is to fully comply with all regulations and to follow the social-engineering publications that the government provides to the letter. But the card-carrying statist will need hope, because there are over 9000 federal criminal statutes alone.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Facebook

Bandoleered Bookworm has made the jump to Facebook.

Free-Market Charity?

A realization hit me like a bolt of lightning after reading this quote by Murray Rothbard:
It is easy to be conspicuously 'compassionate' if others are being forced to pay the costs.
I thought of my own level of charity. Recently, I could only give items I no longer want and my volunteer time. If I could put a dollar figure on those things (which I really should be able to), they would be quite valuable compared to my current income.

And then I thought about my conversation with my employer today. She told me that she wished she could afford to pay me what I'm worth. Then isn't my employment - at least a portion of it - a type of charity:  a gift to a small business?

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