Repeal the 2nd Amendment

Retired Supreme Court John Paul Stevens wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times. On that single point, he is correct. 

He goes on the regurgitate most of the (P)regressive gun grabbing talking points. Of course, the NRA takes a shot. For me, this takes him from a scholarly student of the law to a hack and besmirches whatever legacy he had heretofore.

There is a mechanism in the Constitution to repeal amendments. It has been used once, to repeal prohibition.  The bar, as it should be, is high.

To those who want to restrict or eliminate firearms, go for repeal. Convince the majority of the citizens your cause is just. Let the rule of law prevail. This is the honest approach, rather than your current efforts of death by a thousand cuts.

You will be vigorously fought but your opponents will respect your honest approach. In the unlikely event you prevail, the firearm owners, who are on the whole peaceable and respecters of the law, will grudgingly accept the outcome, IMO.

YMMV

Rust Free Studebaker Survivor

Think it is a 56 or 57 President. The 58's had twin headlights. Located in a storage area where I have a locker. Cell phone photos, sorry for the size.

Colorado once required safety inspections every six months. The one near the driver side A pillar reads 1992. The car probably spent most of it's life inside. I didn't notice it last month when I was there.

All original and unmolested, as near as I can tell.

Dumb Shits

The on-site property manager is one of the hardest working people I know and I appreciate her efforts in keeping the place attractive. She does have a huge temper and sometimes goes over the top as is the case with the community BBQ grill.

She has been divorced three times. Is that the result of her temper? 

Is her temper the result of being divorced three times?  I’m not brave enough to find out.  That said, she is nice to see in the summer with her shorts and skimpy tops!

Yeah, I’m a dirty old man.

Lemons to Lemonade

Taking some time off working. I have an adult granddaughter in Denver. Will pick her up Thursday and we will drive to Spartanburg, S.C. to spend Easter with her mother, my youngest son, and all the kids still living at home.

Looking forward to the drive. She is a feisty, opinionated,  take no prisoners young woman. She is her mother’s daughter. As I understand, her savage Chihuahua will accompany us. Plus, she is an excellent driver. 

On the downer side, another first cousin is fighting cancer. At one time I had 50+ first cousins. One was killed by a drunk driver. All the other deaths have been cancer related. I don’t keep score but maybe 50% have come down with it, predominately female, and about half of those are gone. Ghastly plague!

Pain Dulls But Never Goes Away

My father, Robert T (Bob) White died this day in 1985 in his sleep. Over the years the pain has dulled but never gone completely away. Probable cause of death? We believe congestive heart failure brought on by untreated sleep apenia.

He was born in his grandmother's home in Sunbeam, Moffat County, CO. That caused him some good nature teasing when he was in the Army/Army Air Corps in WWII, especially when his home of record was Skull Creek, CO.

Flat out the best horseman I've ever seen, his only competition was his elder brother.

My biggest regret, or loss, is my sons weren't able to grow up around him.

He sent me a letter when I was in Germany in the Army threatening to disown me if I volunteered for Vietnam. His point, "I fought in a damned Asian war. I didn't raise a son to fight in one". As it was, the Army only accepted USAREUR volunteers if they were fluent in French. I wasn't.

Speaking of languages he had a gift. He was completely fluent in Hindustani as spoken in the Assam area and was passable in Mexican and Dine (Navajo).


His shooting skills were outstanding. I was a good shot, won several competitions as a Junior NRA member, and came within two rounds of maxing qualification at Ft. Leonard Wood. At the range killing paper I beat him every time (which pissed him off - he was not a gracious loser). Hunting, putting meat on the table, I was wasting ammo while he didn't miss. That is when he got his back (and I'm not a gracious loser either).

We went in together on a Piper J4 which we both learned to fly. Later he owned a C-182. The man could fly but was damn careless and I called him on it. Those times weren't especially pleasant.

His death was especially hard on my sister who is much younger.

He gave me a good example of what a man should be and it has served me well. I hope my sons will say the same when I pass.

Furloughed

Elephants stomp and ants tremble or so it seems. The courier biz is going through some changes and clients are lost and gained. My employer is losing some routes including the bulk of mine. I'm offered other routes but don't like them. Hence, I'm taking a self imposed furlough. 

Financially I'm fine other than facing some large dental bills. Then again, I'm kind of liking the Kentucky meth head look.

This weekend I worked because they didn't have anyone. Flu has hit the company hard. Sort of riding for the brand. The route involves driving to Estes Park, home of badly driven Subarus and SUVs, plus Boulder and Denver. Not something I enjoy.

  "Give me room, lots of room and starry skies above...."

One thing I've learned in life is this. The only constant is change.

So we'll see how this plays out.

Getting 45 Wrong

Escaping the norm, thankfully, is part of President Trump’s way of operating, IMO. Yeah, WSF is going off on the political climate in Washington, D.C., of which he knows nothing but what he reads. You have been warned.

You read about the “turmoil” in the White House staff. Cabinet members fired. Advisors come and go. All this is very upsetting to the political establishment and the deep state. They can’t grasp he isn’t one of them and never will be. They are not going to mold him into one of them and, from all appearances; he doesn’t give a shit that they are upset. I think this is a good thing.

Looking in from way outside, I see the overall culture in D.C. is, “Go along to get along, and we will all make money”. Few leave D.C. poorer than they arrived, don’t you agree? President Trump isn’t one of them. I doubt he is doing anything but losing much of his wealth by serving.

I find him to be completely sincere in what he says and how he goes about doing it. So refreshing to hear words not focus group tested, polished, and not read off a teleprompter. His predecessor couldn’t string three coherent impromptu sentences together without rehearsals or a teleprompter. 

Those of us in the private sector who have been fortunate to work for kick ass entrepreneurs know they don’t suffer fools and don’t let problem situations fester. It is their way or the highway until, and unless, you have proven to them that your judgment has merit. They put their asses on the line daily and so should you. It isn’t a comfortable environment.  The “in crowd” hates being in this position, IMO. My response? Tough shit! Grow a set.

I read Dick Morris daily. He isn’t always right but generally has something thought provoking. Plus, he is a far better writer than me. He had an interesting take on this subject today.

https://www.westernjournal.com/dick-morris-trumps-revolving-door-is-good-policy-not-chaos/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=deepsix&utm_content=2018-03-16&utm_campaign=can

President Trump’s biggest sin? Making a whole swath of our population of self important assholes irrelevant. They will never forgive him, poor things. Bless their hearts.

Bland and Boring

The Unalaska Police blotter was so entertaining when Officer Jennifer Shockley was writing it. Compare how mundane the city I live in is in comparison.

https://www.greeleytribune.com/news/crime/cop-log-boy-learns-to-play-pool-kitten-eludes-police/

Not to say there isn’t serious crime. This month two major illegal marijuana operations were busted.

 https://www.greeleytribune.com/news/crime/more-than-3000-plants-and-450-pounds-of-marijuana-confiscated-as-weld-police-make-four-more-arrests-in-connection-with-smuggling-ring/

Guess I’m naïve. We have legal marijuana here. The only real impact I’ve noticed is neighboring state law enforcement is quick to pull over vehicles with Colorado plates for any kind of traffic violation, some real, and then want to do a search.

Maybe bland is good?  

Tuesday Wasn't Grand Either

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55I5vuVKMfU

It's Been A Monday

“The world is my urinal” caught me this morning. The place I stopped was near a scene of recent criminal activity and two Laramie, WY County Deputies had the place staked out. Midway through relieving myself,  got lit up. After ten embarrassing minutes, I was on my way ten miles up the road to finish the job. 

Cheyenne is the county seat of Laramie County. Laramie is the county seat of Albany County, just to confuse the rest of the world.

At my first stop the entry is the emergency room entrance and the path to the lab goes by the various treatment rooms. Pacing the hall was a county deputy, perhaps the most intimidating policeman I’ve ever encountered. Being on the large size and a dirty white boy, I am seldom even aware of other men. This deputy looked like he stepped out of a WWE ring. In addition, he wasn’t in a good mood.

“Good morning, officer”, I said.

“Morning, how are you?,  he replied in a tone of voice that made it clear he was in no mood for chit chat.

“Fine, thank you”, I replied as I scuttled down the hall, thankful I wasn’t the critter in the treatment room he was guarding.

For weeks I’ve been writing up loose fender linings on my daily driver log. Pulling into the airfreight side of DIA I heard a sudden noise. Yeah, you guessed it. 

Note the snow tire, the one thing my employer spends top dollar to equip the fleet. Other than oil changes and wiper blades, “deferred” is the maintenance mantra.

Tired of it all, I solved the problem with a box cutter and some inspired profanity.

My entry on the daily log sheet included,

“Can’t guarantee how long the fenders will stay in place without the support of the fender liners”.

Hope your Monday was better than mine. On a positive note, the weather was grand and the number of stupid driver encountered were few.

School Assembly

My favorite part of school was the monthly assembly where all types of outside presenters would put on a show for the students. These presenters evidently traveled a circuit. Wondering if this is still done, checked Google and found this.

http://www.k12academics.com/national-directories/school-assembly#.WqVVTmrwaM9

So happy to see it continues.

I attended nine different schools, some twice, 1^st grade to high school. These were rural schools, one with just nine students. Not every school had assemblies. Some that I remember.

Patsy Montana and her husband doing trick roping.

A man demonstrating liquid nitrogen.

Archers, including a talk on the use of archers in the Korean War. What today would be called special ops.

A weight lifting demonstration. While of great interest to us wrestlers, he geared his presentation to both sexes. That was appreciated by several future Olympic skiers, this being in Ski Town USA.

A man putting on a Tesla demonstration.

There were many others. In an era when the internet was called Encyclopedia, we students were exposed to things we probably would never know. Isn’t that the purpose of education?

A kid one year behind me became a rocket scientist. He built, as a junior, a three stage rocket. His senior year his parents were able to take him to White Sands, N.M. where he was able to fly it. It worked. While I never asked, I’m sure the assemblies had something to do with his interests.

Surely the programs have evolved over the years and been infected with SJW crap but I’m happy to see them continue.

Stupid Drivers Rant

I wonder how many police officers, fire fighters, and EMT personnel have an overwhelming urge to slap the stupid out of drivers.

This morning around 0315 on WCR 17 just south of US 34, several emergency vehicles were staged near the railroad tracks. The jurisdiction was probably Johnstown, CO.

The weather was clear with a strong wind. No vision impairments – shaping up to be a 50 mile visibility Colorado day. Traffic at that hour is none to just a few cars. The Great Western Railroad wasn’t operating any trains.

How the hell can someone get in a traffic accident in those conditions? Drunk? Maybe just stupid?

Makes me shake my jowls and pity the emergency personnel that had to deal with the mess. If I were one, I would be tempted to bitch slap the stupid out of the driver.

Preaching To The Choir

Once again the uproar about “gun control” is at a fever pitch. There are some changes I would like to see, starting with a dose of honesty.

 The gun grabbers are terrified by firearms and want them confiscated but lack the courage to come out and say it. Instead, they use death by a thousand cuts. I actually admire Sen. Feinstein for being upfront.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj4AcjyuV38

With her we know where we stand.

Random thoughts.

“You are entitled to your opinion. You are not entitled to your own facts.”  Daniel Patrick Moynihan

From a blog.

 http://proudhillbilly-hillbilly.blogspot.com/

So. Just a Thought.

If you asked someone to give a detailed history of the geology of wherever you are, most people would have the honesty to say "I don't know" because most people don't study the details of geology.

But the same people, with the same level of knowledge of guns as they have of geology, will lecture you all day long about guns.

Something that can be done fairly easily.

HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, sets the standard for protecting sensitive patient data. Any company that deals with protected health information (PHI) must ensure that all the required physical, network, and process security measures are in place and followed.

Modify portions of this act to let health professionals report people they deem mentally unstable to a review by the judicial system. As in, if they are bat shit crazy, disarm them. Potential for abuse? Damn right, but that can be addressed.

Next, vigorously enforce the laws we already have on the books! Duh.

Last, be grateful for what we have received, the Constitution, and strive to preserve and protect it.

Change coffee to firearms, and my “feeling” are these.

YMMV

Militia and Civil Insurrection

Another civil war in the United States?  Much has been written recently, including insightful posting by bloggers on my sidebar as to the possibilities. In the usual WSF fashion, some incomplete, often half baked thoughts.

Let’s start with this.

West Point in the Making of America

americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/history_5b.html

1.      

2.      

That is the future of war—not fighting but famine, not the slaying of men but the bankruptcy of nations and the break-up of the whole social organization.” “Amateurs study tactics,” goes an old saying, “armchair generals study strategy, but professionals study logistics [obtaining and moving supplies].”

What are the two crucial needs of any group, anywhere? Food and water.

 Shelter can be improvised. Medicine will extend life but not sustain life. Feet have been a means of transportation for some 300,000 years depending on what anthropologist you wish to quote. At no time did anyone survive without food and water.

The last Presidential election was, to me, a stark reminder of how this country is divided. Shillary carried the dense urban areas, Trump, the rest of the country. In terms of total numbers, Shillary got more votes. Thanks to the Electoral College, the left coast and the northeast didn’t get to impose their views on the rest of the country. Yeah, yeah, that is simplistic, but I believe accurate, and this is my soapbox.

Say it blows up, most likely the urban areas against the rural areas. Who controls the source of much of the water and nearly all the food? Obviously, the rural areas. The urban area will need to use force to secure the necessities, and the means to transport the necessities. Roads, railroads, water works, and electrical generation sources will be the critical logistic focus. They will need armed and trained people to secure them. Where do they get them?

From Wikipedia.

The primary form of military training is recruit training, which makes use of various conditioning techniques to resocializetrainees into the military system, ensure that they will obey all orders without hesitation, and teach basic military skills

Gangbangers and anarchists? This assumes the military opts out, or enough to negate their impact. Police? Not ready for prime time IMO.

OK, WSF, where do the rural areas get militia?

Let us say you need a rallying point and a rudiment command structure. Name me a rural city that doesn’t have an American Legion Post or a VFW Hall. Many will be old and fat, but they are a pool of training, experience, and motivation that the urban areas cannot match. Thanks to the 2^nd Amendment, the rural areas are full of firearms, ammunition, and people who regularly use them.

My late father liked to talk about the, “Belly flapping principal. Nothing changes your opinion like your belly flapping”.

If we have a civil war, it won’t be long before the urban areas experience belly flapping. Want an example? General Sherman’s march through Georgia, and later, Winter Campaigns against the Plains Indians.

Like any somewhat sane person, I never want to see it happened.