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All posts by daddybear71

A Request for My Louisville Area Readers

Guys,

A friend of mine is putting together a CARE package for a unit that’s deployed someplace hot and dirty.  She’s requested help in getting together the stuff that the guys have requested.  If you’re in the area and want to donate, just contact me and we’ll meet up so I can get it from you.  My friend would like to send the package out some time in the next couple of weeks, and anything y’all can contribute would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

DB

Request List

  • Large baby wipes
  • Dry drink mix for water
  • Beef Jerky
  • Something to add flavor to MRE’s.
  • Candy, mints, chewing gum
  • Boot inserts
  • Gold Bond powder (1001 uses)
  • Toys, balls, etc.
  • Magazines and other appropriate reading material
  • Funny pillow cases (cartoons, etc)
  • Insect repellant
by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in military

Posted by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/12/a-request-for-my-louisville-area-readers/

An update

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that one of our local gunshops was holding a drawing for a Henry Rifle to raise money for the family of a police officer that was ambushed and murdered while on duty.

The Kentucky Gun Company sent this to me today:

_________________________

Friends of KYGUNCO

We thank you for the overwhelming response to our Rifle Raffle.  We feel blessed to have been a part in this fundraiser for the Office Ellis Memorial Fund.  We have drawn a winner from the 12,000+ chances sold.  Click the link below to watch the winner announcement! (DaddyBear note – Allergy alert on the linked video)


                                    Thank You for your Time and Support

Patrick Hayden, Owner KYGUNCO

_________________________

No, it wasn’t me, darn the luck.  But at $5 a chance, that’s over $60,000 for the family of a fallen officer.  If you bought one of those chances, thank you.  And thanks to all the people at the Kentucky Gun Company for doing something so noble.

PS – Edited to embed video due to bad link.

by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Guns

Posted by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/12/an-update-2/

Thoughts

The first trial of George Zimmerman is over except for the verdict and the shouting.  If he’s convicted of either second degree murder or manslaughter, Mr. Zimmerman will probably spend the rest of his life in prison.  If he’s found not guilty, I expect civil rights prosecution by the federal DOJ to follow quickly, as well as civil litigation from Trayvon Martin’s family that will dog him for years.  That’s not to mention the danger that Zimmerman faces from irate twits who believe that justice can be gained in the streets if they can’t get it in the courtroom.

Here’s what I’ve taken from this mess:

  • Don’t go looking for trouble.  Zimmerman was completely within his rights to follow Martin down that street, but his life has basically been ruined because he cared about whether or not his neighborhood was targeted by criminals.  Call the police, be a good witness, but look out for yourself and your own future first.
  • Your race will be considered, no matter what.  If you’re of African descent, no matter how decent a person you are, you’re going to be viewed in the same light as gangbanger.  Same goes for those who are Hispanic.  If you’re white, no matter how many civil rights causes you’ve championed in your life, you’re a Grand Kleegle until proven otherwise.  Zimmerman is probably best described as multi-ethnic, but he’s still described as a “white Hispanic”, whatever that is.
  • Cooperate with the police, but have a lawyer present.
  • Let your lawyer talk to the press.  Nothing good can happen from you going on the record with a reporter.
  • Be prepared for the worst.  This was originally called a justified shoot by the police, but they were overruled by politicians.
  • Zimmerman’s discussions with the police, at least the ones I’ve seen, showed that this was pretty cut-and-dry self-defense, and are backed up by other witnesses, but he’s still going through all this. Be prepared to have someone look over every iota of data you give looking for lies and inconsistencies that will be used to put you on a gallows.
  • Know the laws and follow them.  Don’t give a crusader an excuse.
    • Also, even if I’m in a place that allows it, I’m not going to have a beer while I’m carrying.  Having to prove that alcohol didn’t impact my decision to use my gun to defend myself is just another complication I wouldn’t need.
  • Be prepared for evidence that you got training or just took the time to learn your rights and responsibilities to be used against you.
    • It’s going to be a catch 22.  If you learn how to be a responsible gun owner and CCDW carrier, you’re going to be a gun nut who learned how to manipulate the system.  If you don’t, then you’re a loose cannon who didn’t know what they were doing and killed somebody with their ignorance.
  • Watch what you say now so that it can’t be used against you later.  Making statements about how you will slaughter anyone who ever breaks into your house or tries to attack you or yours, either in meatspace or on-line, will be used against you.

Anyway, here’s hoping that the jury does its duty and comes to a verdict based on the law and the facts, not based on fear and emotion.

by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Guns

Posted by daddybear71 on July 12, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/12/thoughts-3/

News Roundup

  • From the “Elections and Consequences” Department – Walmart has announced that it will stop work on three planned stores in Washington D.C and will be evaluating three more that are under construction.  This is done after the D.C. government passed regulations that seem to target Walmart. Large retailers, such as Walmart, will be forced to pay 150% of minimum wage as their lowest allowed wage.  Competitors who already have stores in the city, such as Target, are exempted from the law.  I guess D.C. will now fine Walmart for stopping work on business ventures that cost almost 50% more in labor than planned.  Remember folks, if you make things difficult or unpleasant for businesses to make money, they will stop doing business where you get input.
  • From the “Qel Surpris” Department – The press seems shocked, shocked I say, that President Obama has made a habit of posting people, who enabled or made large contributions to his war chest, to cushy ambassador slots.  It appears that no-one noticed that the President was a politician from Chicago, which has a rich and long tradition of rewarding those who make payoffs.  Sure, in this instance it’s campaign contributions, not envelopes of 10’s and 20’s pushed between stalls in the men’s toilet at Wrigley Field, but pay-for-play is pay-for-play.  This is a long tradition among administrations of both parties.  Does anyone think that Joe Kennedy was given the ambassadorship to Great Britain because he’d dropped his long-held dislike of England and his pro-Nazi sentiments?
  • From the “Harsh Language” Department – A woman in New York recently bluffed her way through an armed robbery when she told the man holding a gun on her that he “didn’t have the balls” to shoot her.  Luckily for her, he took his advice instead of that of his compatriot and ran off without pulling the trigger.  I’ve read about a few of these situations in the past, and they seem to rarely work out for the person doing the daring.  Good on her for having the courage to stare down a goblin, but for me, I’d prefer to have a gun and harsh language over just having harsh language.
  • From the “Gradual Progress” Department – A federal judge has ruled that, while the Post Office has the power to restrict weapons inside its buildings, it cannot prevent an otherwise lawful person to not have a weapon in its parking lots.  This is a case of where ignorance can get you in trouble.  Before this, how many people knew that the Post Office, an agency with its own police force and SWAT-type units, asserted the power to restrict what you did and didn’t have in your car when you parked it at their facilities?  How many more of these government gotchas are there out there?
  • From the “Hands and Cookie Jars” Department – The Army has relieved a brigadier general, who commanded a large training base, for adultery and getting into a fight.  It appears that the good general decided to step out on his wife and then got into a physical confrontation with his girlfriend.  That horrific flushing sound you hear from the direction of Fort Jackson is 29 years of this man’s career circling the drain.  Remember, kids, nothing good ever happens from having sex with someone besides your spouse when you’re married.  I’m guessing that this case must be pretty egregious, because normally when a flag-rank officer steps on his schwanz, he’s allowed to quietly retire without a public shaming.
  • From the “Tactical Teddy” Department – The Department of Defense is researching an undergarment for soldiers that would monitor how they’re using their bodies and give them ‘biometric’ cues that will aid in preventing stress injuries.  Theoretically, the suit would only weigh a few pounds and would allow heat and moisture to pass through it for comfort.  I think it’s an interesting idea, but soldiers already get warnings from their own bodies that things aren’t being done ergonomically, and I’ve yet to see a squad leader stop the mission or change things because of discomfort.  Here’s a quote from earlier in my life – “Son, I don’t care if you’re bleeding from the eyes.  I want that antenna on top of that mountain by sun-up, or you’ll be doing laps around the hut carrying it all day.”.
  • From the “Junk in the Trunk” Department – A woman was arrested recently in Arizona when border patrol officers noticed that her derriere had been augmented by several pounds of cocaine.  Ladies, if you’ve got a nice, round posterior, men are going to look at it.  Unless you believe in hiding things in plain sight, don’t put your little packages in an area where law enforcement is going to take a good hard look.
by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in news

Posted by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/11/news-roundup-196/

Thoughts on the Day

  • Boss, after I suggest something for the budget – Good idea, let’s draw that up there with the rest of the stuff.
    • Boss, 20 minutes later when we’re talking about money – OK, let’s cross off the things we know are probably going to get nixed.  First thing:  this (as he draws a big black X over my idea).
    • Not his fault, he’s just being honest.  Sometimes being right doesn’t mean much.
  • Someone I like and respect announced his resignation today.  I’m going to miss working with him and swapping kid stories.
  • I must be the only person I know who’s never watched the modern Dr. Who, Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, Spartacus, or a whole bunch of other non-kid TV shows.
    • I only watched Firefly after some very good friends threatened to shun me if I didn’t.
  • I tried to explain the plot of Kelly’s Heroes and the humor in it to someone who has never had anything to do with the American military and who comes from another country today.  I was less than successful.
  • I’m glad I re-read the project plan I was working on this afternoon.  My first line amounted to “Hurt the feelings of X and Y and draw strength from their pain.”.
    • Before you think I want to hurt someone’s feelings, let me just say that I’ve spent more than a year trying to get them to do what the project plan requires.
  • If all the blooms on the cucumber vines come to fruition at the same time, I may set a personal best in quarts of pickles made in a 24 hour period.
  • Our tomatoes, green beans, bell peppers, serrano, banana, Thai, and jalapeno peppers all have fruit growing on them.
    • My cilantro is growing straight up and flowering.  Not sure what I need to do about that.
  • We need to tack up the new grape vines and blackberry plants.  They’re starting to snake their way into places we don’t want.
  • One of these days I’m going to have one of those weekends where there are no plans, no obligations, no chores, and no projects to work on.
by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/11/thoughts-on-the-day-149/

Today’s Earworm

I swear I saw a little old man in orange robes burst into flames today.

Too soon?

 

by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Earworm

Posted by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/11/todays-earworm-390/

News Roundup

  • From the “Payback” Department – The governor of Illinois has suspended the pay of state legislators after they failed to pass financial reforms he feels are necessary.  I’m not going to argue whether or not any state needs to trim its budget in this climate, but this feels just a little like revenge to me.  Illinois legislators handed Quinn a defeat yesterday when they overrode his veto of gun legislation, so this smacks of “Oh, really?  Take that!”.
  • From the “Facepalm” Department – An aide to Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has been revealed to have worked as a radio shock jock in the past, doing such things as wearing a Confederate flag mask at appearances.  The aide in question assisted Senator Paul in writing a book and has been advising him on social media use.  Senator Paul has been trying to reach out to minority voters, and this kicks that effort right in the ribs.  You know, maybe it would be a good idea for a prospective political aide to be asked “Have you ever done anything that is going to make the Senator look like a jackass?”.
  • From the “Allergies” Department – A black shop owner in England has put up a sign warning people who have an allergy to black people to stay out of her shop.  Apparently some people leave her business after they see that she is of African descent, and she’s asking those people to just stay away in the first place.  I wish her luck.  Personally, I have no problem with people who have darker skin than I have (I’m Scandinavian, German, and Irish by descent.  Most of the human population is darker than me).  Stupid people, on the other hand, make me itch something fierce.
  • From the “Tempest in a Teacup” Department – President Obama set the world aflame once again the other day when he revealed that his favorite vegetable is broccoli.  Immediate condemnation from the Nation of Legumes forced White House Press Secretary Carney to clarify that the President enjoys and respects vegetables of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and that a variety of greens are served at the White House.  Congressional leadership has indicated that members of the White House staff will be subpoenaed to testify on the proportions of broccoli versus cauliflower served in the Oval Office since 2009.
  • From the “Rules” Department – A man in Pennsylvania is recovering after shooting himself in the hand.  You see, he was walking away from a store with a bunch of thneeds and dropped his gun out of its holster.   As he reached down to pick it up (good for him for not trying to catch it), the gun went off, striking him in the hand.  First mess-up – not having a good holster to retain his gun.  Look at the sidebar for a couple of good people to make you something better than a FlopsALot brand that comes out of a box of popcorn.  Next, letting the muzzle point at a part of your or someone else’s body.  Next, touching the trigger while handling the gun.  I will give him credit for not trying to catch the gun.  These are the rules people.  They’re not that hard to remember.  I wish this gentleman a speedy recovery and a long memory.
  • From the “Brainiac” Department – A man in Florida was arrested when a policeman noticed a joint behind his ear during a traffic stop.  Now, I believe that marijuana should be legalized, but until that day happens, you might not want to be using a joint as a hair clip when you’re talking to Officer Friendly.  There are no style points for being arrested due to your own stupidity.  In related news, a New Jersey man was arrested after police say he blew marijuana smoke into the open window of a passing police cruiser.  I’m not going to call this stupidity, because it’s more in the vein of douchebaggery.  If you’re going to be doing something illegal, don’t give the police an excuse by being obnoxious.
  • From the “Death From Above” Department – The Navy has successfully landed a drone aircraft on a moving aircraft carrier, which paves the way for research into using remotely piloted and self-directed aircraft in roles normally fulfilled by manned aircraft.  Rumor is that the X-47B is also a shark when it comes to playing cribbage and bridge and looks great in the new Navy aquaflage uniforms.  I for one welcome our robot airplane overlords.
by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in news

Posted by daddybear71 on July 11, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/11/news-roundup-195/

Musings

  • For those who talk about caseless ammunition made with packed propellant or have a cellulose/gelatin coating on the outside to keep its form, please go open a large package of pre-formed and measured dishwasher soap, especially one that’s gotten a tad damp due to humidity, and you will know why I think that will probably never work under field conditions.
  • We took Boo to get evaluated for possible learning and behavioral problems today, mostly out of an abundance of caution.
    • We both have family histories of learning disabilities and Boo hasn’t been without his troubles.  We just want to go into kindergarten with a good idea of what challenges wait for us.
    • No, we didn’t wait until now to start working on this.  He’s been getting professional help in an excellent pre-school for kids with issues for two years, and he’s come a long way.  We’re more at the ‘fine tuning’ stage, but need professional advice on what should be addressed.
    • While we were waiting and talking, we both came to the realization that when it comes to the amount of drama and insanity in our families and lives, we’re about as normal as it comes.
  • The trial of George Zimmerman is winding down in Florida and there are already threats of violence if the jury acquits him.  I’m not going to make any predictions either way, but watch your six and make sure you have a go-to-hell plan for getting home if the worst happens.
  • I’ve had two nights of what I call ‘memory dreams’ and last night was bad enough that Irish Woman decided the couch was a better solution for her.
    • I know when I’ve had a bad night when I wake up more tired than I was before I went to sleep.
  • Nutella and green apple quesadillas make a dandy dessert.
  • In his latest Common Sense podcast, Dan Carlin discusses whether or not the military in Egypt was right in negating the democratic process by deposing the Muslim Brotherhood government.   I’ll leave you to hear his points, and he makes some good ones, but my opinion is that it usually takes a long time to figure out how to integrate democracy into any culture, and it takes more than a wave of the hand and a plebiscite to take a country from generations of colonial rule and dictatorship to liberal western-style democracy.   Egypt and other countries are going to have fits and starts on that road.  If the military follows through on holding open and free elections soon, then a coup is better than “one man, one vote, one time”.
  • Conventional wisdom is that dogs don’t eat cucumbers.  Today, Moonshine proved that wrong.
by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Thought for the day

Posted by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/10/musings-8/

Quote of the Day

Older gentleman, having breakfast with his wife:  Well, the appointment is at 1, and its only 10. That gives us plenty of time to find the doctors office. Oh, and to find a liquor store. I’m not doing this sober.

by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/10/quote-of-the-dwy/

Today’s Earworm

Going to be another hot one today.

 

And seriously, I want to see the tape of someone trying to get that guy into the gold foil tee shirt.

 

by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Earworm

Posted by daddybear71 on July 10, 2013

https://daddybearsden.com/2013/07/10/todays-earworm-389/

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