- From the “Multitasking” Department – Investigators suspect that the taking of photographs during takeoff likely contributed to the crash of a small airplane. The pilot and passenger of the aircraft were killed in the crash. Investigators found evidence that “selfies” and other photographs were taken during a night-time take-off, and the flash from the camera might have disoriented the pilot, contributing to the events that led to the crash. There’s a lesson here for us gun people as well: when you’re doing something that ought to require your full attention, pay attention to what you’re doing. When you’re shooting, think about shooting. When you’re holstering, concentrate on safely holstering. The same can be said for loading magazines, reloading ammunition, or whatever else we do. Adding distractions like photography during shooting requires even more vigilance, lest our desire to look good or have fun get in the way of safety.
- From the “Dammit!” Department – Recently, there have been multiple incidents of children getting their hands on firearms and harming either themselves or others. In New Mexico, a child pulled a gun out of a purse and shot both his parents, while a boy in Florida shot his sleeping mother. Say it with me, brothers and sisters: When the gun is not in your direct control, it needs to be locked away from little hands. Additionally, children need to be taught the Eddie Eagle rules: Stop! Don’t touch! Leave the area. Tell an adult. The anti-rights crowd has enough clubs with which to smack us. We need to stop making this one easy to use.
- From the “Politics As Usual” Department – The governor of Oregon is in a bit of a pickle. You see, his fiance was lucky enough to land a job lobbying the state while at the same time acting as his first lady. This would be kind of like Mrs. Obama drawing a $118,000 per year salary from a company that sells corn dogs and brown bananas while advising her husband on the evils of school lunches. The governor, of course, denies that any hanky panky happened, and I certainly hope that he is being truthful. It would be shocking for someone to bring discredit upon the hallowed calling of politics.
- From the “Watching the Watchers” Department – A Philadelphia man is suing the TSA, claiming that he was arrested and held for 20 hours for having the audacity to complain about poor treatment. It seems that the gentleman was traveling with a watch and some nutrition bars in his carry-on, and after a while, got tired of waiting for the Uncle Badtouch to remove his blue thumb out of his blue posterior. The TSA supervisor apparently didn’t like having his authority questioned, because he had the man arrested for making threats and being belligerent. Fortunately for the traveler, nobody thought to lose the video evidence of the incident, which shows him being pretty calm about the whole thing, and the charges got tossed. Now, he’s trying to get damages out of the government for his ordeal. I wish him luck.
- From the “And the Horse You Rode In On” Department – The Veteran Affairs secretary got a little snippy with a member of Congress the other day while the two were verbally tussling over a VA hospital in Denver. Secretary McDonald apparently got impatient with a congressman having the audacity to demand answers on cost and time overruns at a major project and asked Congressman “I ran a large company. What have you done?”. Here’s a hint to cabinet secretaries: Challenging the qualifications of the people who vote on how to fund your department might be a career limiting action.
- From the “Good News” Department – A federal judge has declared that the part of the GCA ’68 that prohibits people from one state buying a handgun in another state without doing an FFL transfer is unconstitutional. Gun buyers are able to buy long guns in other states. Everyone needs to stop dancing in the streets over this, at least for now. My guess is that this will be appealed repeatedly, and we won’t get final word for years. It’s a good first step, though.
All posts by daddybear71
News Roundup
Posted by daddybear71 on February 12, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/12/news-roundup-245/
This Looks Familiar
This is kind of how we ended up with Derby, the little black dog. But instead of two little girls giving the dog a bath and asking to keep it, the mother in our household was right in there with the kids, giving the father the sad eyes routine.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 10, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/10/this-looks-familiar/
Confessions
It has just been announced the Brian Williams, anchorman of NBC’s Nightly News program, has been suspended without pay for six months. It would seem that Mr. Williams may have… exaggerated a tad when he discussed such things as his exploits in Iraq in 2003 or New Orleans in 2005.
I would crow a bit about this, but I can’t. Yes, a liberal shill has been pulled down from his alabaster pedestal and publicly shamed, but to be honest, there but for the grace of God go I.
You see, I have some confessions to make, and I hope that you all will forgive me.
Deep breath.
Here goes.
- I was not Custer’s S-2.
- I did not help build the Mayflower, nor did they make me row on the way over.
- I do not have three combat jump stars on my jump wings. In fact, I don’t even have jump wings.
- I never went down to the crossroads to learn how to play the guitar.
- My role in the burning and sacking of Lindesfarne might have been exaggerated in later reports.
- I do not have a license to kill. I do not even have a license to annoy.
- I never killed a man just to watch him die.
- I do not have a dream. Well, actually, I do, but it’s not one I can share in polite company.
- I cannot, actually, bring home the bacon and fry it up in the pan.
- I am not the reason we cannot have nice things. Well, not the only reason.
Like I said, I hope you all can forgive me.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 10, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/10/confessions/
Thought for the Day
Posted by daddybear71 on February 8, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/08/thought-for-the-day-224/
Quote of the Day
“The lesson I’ve learned from that experience is that the 1,177 men entombed on the ship right now will never know the love of a wife or the joy of grandchildren,” he said in 2006, when his son, Ted, interviewed him on video at Pearl Habor. “We all have to remember that they did not die in vain.” — Joe Langdell, veteran of the U.S.S. Arizona and Pearl Harbor, who passed away this week.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 8, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/08/quote-of-the-day-152/
Today’s Earworm
This one goes out to Huber’s Winery in beautiful Starlight, Indiana. It also goes out to the adopted grandmother of my children, who gifted me two bottles of their delightful sweet red.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 8, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/08/todays-earworm-607/
Musings
- It’s never a good thing when you look up at the roof of your home and go “Huh, that doesn’t look right.”
- In related news, a new chimney cap can cost anywhere from $30 to $60, and should require about an hour of my time to replace.
- By the way, did you all know that chimney caps are kept in plumbing at Big Box Hardware Store, not with the roofing materials? Also, did you know that Big Box Hardware Store puts plumbing and roofing in opposite corners in their stores? And that you have to pass through or by the expensive kitchen displays you were trying to avoid to get there?
- Boo is lucky that his mother is of Irish descent, not Hispanic, because he had a La Choncla moment this morning.
- However, I am proud to report that he has mastered the manly arts of growling at females, muttering under his breath, and stomping off when corrected.
- Drinking a bottle of red wine before, during, and after dinner makes you appreciate spell check.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 8, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/08/musings-115/
Today’s Earworm
It’s Saturday morning. Make yourself a big bowl of sugary cereal, put on a cup of coffee, and find yourself some cartoons!
Posted by daddybear71 on February 7, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/07/todays-earworm-606/
Audiobook of Minivandians
If you enjoy audiobooks, well, this happened.
The narrator and producer, Adam McLaughlin, did an outstanding job. Honestly, I enjoyed listening to his reading of the book more than I did reading a hard copy. He really brought the characters off of the flat page. Also, all I did was provide the story. He figured out how to make it interesting, did all of the recording, and all of the editing. I can’t say enough about how awesome it’s been to work with him. Adam recently started a blog, so please check it out.
It’s available on Audible now, and will be up on Amazon and iTunes in the next few days. There’s a short excerpt on the Audible page if you’d like to give it a quick listen.
Hope you all enjoy it, and any reviews you can leave at Amazon, Audible, or iTunes would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by daddybear71 on February 6, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/06/audiobook-of-minivandians/
100 Years On – Submarines
How many mistakes can you make, when seen in hindsight, before the world falls in on you? German leadership at the beginning of World War I didn’t think that the British would come into the war. They thought that France would crumble as quickly in 1914 as they did in 1871. They didn’t think that the Russians would be able to bring their armies into the field in time to stop the German juggernaut.
Finally, and fatally, they didn’t think that any of the neutral countries would respond when German U-Boats began sinking their ships. The sinking of American shipping in 1915, 1916, and 1917 was probably the one big casus belli for the United States, a nation that had only recently gotten involved in any overseas conflicts, into the war.
On February 4, 1915, the German government declared a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare against shipping that appeared to be headed for Allied ports. The Germans discarded the gentlemanly practice of forcing a merchantman to stop, allowing the crew and passengers to escape on lifeboats, then sinking or capturing the ship, assuming that it did indeed carry war goods for the opposition. Rather, German captains began to torpedo merchant vessels without warning or inspection.
Was this practice more horrendous than the slowly-tightening noose of blockade that was around the neck of the German populace? That’s debatable, but the British blockade did at least have the effect for which it was designed. German torpedoing of commerce between North America and Europe brought hardship and hunger to the British Isles, but I’ve seen nothing that it ever approached bringing Britain to her knees, and it certainly didn’t shorten the war. It did, however, enrage neutrals like the United States, and eventually brought the reinforcements the Allies desperately needed into the war.
Posted by daddybear71 on February 6, 2015
https://daddybearsden.com/2015/02/06/100-years-on-submarines/
DaddyBear
DaddyBear’s Den 