Power and Responsibility

If you have power without responsibility, you have tyranny.

If you have responsibility without power, you have absolute pathetic futility.

- Massad Ayoob, The Safety Solutions Academy podcast, episode 345

Government Profiteering

Fascism, crony capitalism, statism, socialism, communism - all terms that in someway describe our current state of affairs in our country, but they are each in someway incomplete. "Government profiteering" - or "state profiteering" - seem to be a better fit.

I've favoring "crony capitalism"and "fascism" (and less inflammatorally, "statism") as the terms to describe our current political system, but one falsely indicts capitalism by default, the second is too inflammatory, and the third is just gaining traction.

"State profiteering" seems to be the most correct term. But in our country, people confuse the individual states with the federal state, when one refers to "the state." It would be an easier sell, if "statism" was part of term, and maybe it should be. But for now, lets explore "government profiteering."

When you hear "government profiteering, " you might think of corporations profiteering from preferential taxation schemes, sweetheart contracts, favorable regulations,  or protectionist tariffs. But what led me to the term was recent news about Harry Reid, cattle, a Chinese solar-energy company, and the BLM. There are questions about where he got his money. Is Reid a "government profiteer?" So, this could be a term that can cover the abuses of those inside AND outside the government to turn a profit.

And in point of fact, "cronycapitalism" could cover the illegitimate behavior of elected officials and bureaucrats. But again, that's bad for capitalism and its promotion. Then again, "profiteering" in this new term might be bad for the promoting of making a profit and the free market and capitalism.

So, maybe something with "corruption" would be better.  The "corruption state?" "Corruptionism? " "Centralized corruption?"

How about: Take back the language.

A Game of Numbers, Fantasy & Reality

$50,000,000X1 VERSUS $25X4,300,000.
Manufactured grassroots VERSUS real grassroots.
Fantastical safety through ignorance VERSUS real safety through education and training.
Bloomberg VERSUS NRA.

Harry Reid And Misuse Of Language

Harry Potter Reid is a schmuck, as far as I can tell.

Harry Reid threw out this gem:

“Those people who hold themselves out to be patriots are not. They’re nothing more than domestic terrorists,” Mr. Reid in remarks at a luncheon, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, which sponsored the event. “… I repeat: What went on up there was domestic terrorism.” - Washington Times, 4/18/14

Bundy supporters might be "insurgents," but they are not "terrorists."

Terrorism (n.) -  the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes. - Dictionary.com

The BLM's behavior appears to be a better fit for that definition.

Taurus (Airsoft) PT92 by KWC Review: Unboxing

(Mock) Unboxclamshelling
I bought this airsoft pistol some time last year, so this is a mock first look at the airsoft springer Taurus PT92 manufactured by KWC.

I was looking for an analog for my Ruger P95, but the only thing available were airsoft replicas of the Ruger P89, and they were of much lower quality. Also, I didn't want to spend a lot of money on my first airsoft pistol, so I went for a spring-powered pistol with a metal slide.

Specs
Taurus PT92 airsoft handgun manufactured by KWC for Softair (Cyberguns)

Overall length: 8-5/8"
Overall height: 5-5/8"
Overall width: 1-1/2"
Weight w/magazine: 18 oz
Caliber: 6mm
Velocity: 328 fps
muzzle energy: .44 ft-lbs
Capacity: 12
Sights: fixed
Action: Single, slide cocking, spring powered

The hammer cocks but has no function in firing the gun. The trigger is about 3 lbs, has progressive tension, and is gritty, so it is not a perfect analog for any real gun that I have fired -  well, except for the grittiness (Ruger P95) and the progressive tension (DAO Beretta 9mm PX4 Storm).

Other issues for using this as an analog for a real gun: The frame-mounted, ambidextrous safety is a dummy. Next to the trigger guard is the actual safety. The gun is light compared to a real full-size pistol, but not distractingly so. And of course, the recoil is "non existent," but it does shake when fired.

 To Be Continued, NEXT: Range Review

Self Defense Against Snipers?

Ukraine made it present. Nevada "Range War" brought it home.

It's an oft stated maxim that you don't need to shoot in self defense past 15 yards - or 100 on a rural piece of property in special circumstances - or somewhere in between, in special circumstances. But if your assailant could be a sniper, then maybe it's time to practice with your scoped hunting rifle in .30-'06, or think about an AR-10-style rifle; bolt-action .50 would be better.

"Strange days indeed - strange days indeed." - John Lennon

BLM Snipers. Credit: DailyPaul.com

Federal Reserve: Crony Capitalism Writ Large

The Federal Reserve is the biggest, most well orchestra, most well planned example of crony capitalism in the history of the United States - and probably the world. Its continued existence will be the coup de grace for the remnants of the free market under a national currency in the United States.

Boot Review: Diehard - or Easy?

My second pair of boots for my under-employment employment: DieHard tactical-look boots.

credit: Sears.com

This is my second pair in less than a year. The first pair - black Rothco classic jungle boots - split across both soles. I attempted to repair them with super glue and Gorilla glue to no avail. So I gave up and trekked down to Sears to get a higher-quality pair - in black, per company policy.


The boots I settled on were the DieHard Men's 8 inch Duty Lace-To-Toe Work Boot. They were on sale for $40 - half off. So I got a complete set of boots for the same price of the jungle boots, after I bought insoles for the jungle boots.

The DieHards have zippers, which I wanted to avoid, because I occasionally have to clean a room with a high-pressure hose. But I grew to appreciate the zipper. It makes the boots relatively easy to get on and off, helping me avoid unlacing the top several holes. And the boots never leaked through the zippers, though I never submersed the boots that deep.

The soles have much better cushion than the jungle boots, so my feet felt less fatigued throughout the day. And the uppers provide better ankle support than the jungle boots, which just flop over if you attempt to stand them up.

credit: Rakuten.com

But then after several months, things started to go south. The soles started to split. I attempted using super glue, before the splitting progressed too far, but the glue wouldn't hold. I tried Gorilla glue with a negative result. Then I started to research what people use to repair split soles online. I stumbled across barge cement. It's used for boat repairs. But originally, it was used as a shoe-manufacturing adhesive.

So I tried the barge cement - a couple times. The adhesive, at least some of it, would hold for a couple days, then fail. Also, though the packaging says it takes overnight to dry, it took at least 48 hours, which concurred with what I read online about doing shoe repairs. Side note: on another pair of shoes, I have had better luck reattaching soles to the bottom of shoes, as opposed to repairing split soles.

So in the end, I am left with two pairs of split soles after using them at a job for less than a year. In all fairness, I do kneel and "fold" my feet quite often, so that is an obvious contributor to the downfall of the Rothcos and DieHards, but I still would have expected more wear from both of them.

DieHard or DieEasy?

Previous Boot Review:  Jungle Combat Boots
Next Boot Review: Third Tacticool Work Boots COMING SOON

Beretta 9mm Full-Size PX4 Storm: Yawn? Part 1

My wife and I have been members of the NRA for years. And we both did a lot of shooting before we met, but:

For the first time ever a few days ago, my wife and I went to the range together. We had looked at the guns there a few days before that, and she had picked out one that she wanted to shoot: a compact Beretta PX4 Storm in 9mm.

Beretta PX4 Storm Compact DA/SA, credit: BerettaUSA.com

When we actually went to shoot, we asked for the Storm and realized that the one they said they had available to rent wasn't the exact same gun: it was the full size. No biggy. We were there to have fun, and to familiarize my wife with our own 9mm, anyway.

Beretta PX4 Storm Full Size DAO, credit: BerettaUSA.com

I really wanted to love that Beretta. I like the concept of the rotating barrel, instead of a tipping barrel. It's suppose to reduce muzzle flip and felt recoil. The gun looks nicely contoured, and I like the "speed" cuts on the slide. Also, as a bonus: not only was the rental gun not a compact, but it wasn't traditional double-action/single-action; it had a double-action-only trigger system. I've thought about switching to a DAO, like the Sig P250, or a striker-fired pistol (of course), so it was nice to try one. But:

I was left unimpressed. In all fairness, I didn't put that many rounds through the gun. And as a tool, once I spent more time with it, I would most likely have adapted to the gun AND accessorized it - a little.

So with the caveat that I was shooting the Storm again the P95 that I am developing growing confidence with, here are my initial impressions.

Initial Impressions
Initial Handling
Like I stated above, I really like the lines of the gun, though the slide combined with the dust cover and accessory rail looks a little chunky. The grip is nicely contoured and fits the hand well, though it feels a little slick. I guess that's what skateboard tape, grip sleeves, and stippling is for - or just getting used to the feel. I felt like the slide serrations were not pronounced enough, when I racked the slide, but my wife was racking my P95 from the front of the slide, so I guess that I could man up and deal with it. On the flipside, those serrations are snag free.

Initial Shooting
The DAO trigger was surprisingly light, and the long pull was no distraction compared to the single-action trigger on my P95. With the P95, I kept a string of ten rounds of "moderate" (a little under 1 round per second, while trying to abide by the one-round-per-second range rule - with requisite crusty looks from fellow range participants) fire within the center 4"x6" on a silhouette. With the Storm, a ten-round string was double that. I blame the generous light around the front post in relation to the rear sight. I was able to maintain much better accuracy, if I slowed way down and concentrated on the keeping the front post centered in the rear notch. Generous light around a front post has been touted as a good facilitator for acquiring the sights in a high-stress situtaion.

The gun felt good, but the frame felt too smooth. With such a nice looking gun, I expected cooler looking magazines - for some reason.

My wife had multiple jams with the gun, so she preferred shooting our P95. But in all fairness, she also had multiple jams with the P95 - but fewer. We worked on her technique more with the P95, and she even mentioned that she felt that she would do better with the Storm, if she had spent more time with it.

To Be Continued, NEXT: After-Range Thoughts

What You Might Want To Know Before Buying Your (First) Gun, Part 2

Previous Post

More food for thought over at Misfires and Light Strikes blog. Exurban Kevin listed 10 things I wish someone had told me about guns.  And I pretty much agree with more of his points, but with caveats.

4. Spending $100 in ammo on a rental range saves you a lot more money in buyer’s remorse.

I think trying some guns make sense, but firing the guns, like I suggested in my previous post, isn't the whole story. Practicing goes a long way toward making the gun fit you, and you fit the gun, and you can't do that at a gun range - or most gun ranges.

5. Unless you’re a collector, never buy Generation 1 of any gun.

Someone's gotta try the beta version, and sometimes you want to try the latest/greatest. I would trade my P95 for an SR9 that was recalled, because it fits my hand so much better. A cheap used gun could have filled the gap.

To Be Continued