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Too Honest for That

We got this in the mail the other day:

One of the local Ford dealerships wants to pay me up to half my purchase price for the Caravan.  As much as I’d love to be rid of that piece of crap, I’m not going to bite.  First, I like not having a car payment, even if I’m about to dump a lot of cash into the POS.  Next, they wouldn’t give me anything even close to that once they actually see the DadMobile, so it probably wouldn’t be worth the effort. And finally, I wouldn’t inflict that pile of junk on my worst enemy unless I knew they were going to set it on fire.  I won’t even donate it to the GoodWill because I’m pretty sure they’ll spend more getting it to an auction house than they will make from it.

No, my plans for the minivan include Knob Creek, a Ma-Deuce, and as much tannerite as I can afford. Sorry, Mr. Ford Dealer, but I’ll have to do you a favor and pass.

by daddybear71 on June 15, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on June 15, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/15/too-honest-for-that/

Product Placement Win

Saw this tonight when I stopped off to pick up a couple of things Irish Woman needed to make dinner:

That’s take-home pizza and cold beer within spitting distance of the front door and the registers.  Everything a guy needs, all in one convenient location.  OK, it’s Budweiser in several forms, but if you’re going to sit in front of the TV and watch the game while eating pizza and drinking beer, this is perfect.

by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/14/product-placement-win/

An Addition to the Blog

Over to the right, I’ve added a link to Lucky Gunner.  They’ve been a good vendor to me, and I want to promote a company I like.  I’ve bought a bit of ammunition from them, done a review for them, and they hosted me at the Memorial Day blogshoot.

But I have to give full disclosure on this:  I’ve signed up to be a part of their affiliate program.  Basically, if you click on that graphic and buy ammunition from them, I will get a small percentage of what you spend back in compensation for the space on my blog.  If I talk about a shopping experience with them or do another review, there will be links in those posts that point to their site or products that will also be part of the affiliate program.  All funds from this go into the “Buy DaddyBear Shooty Stuff” fund.

I’m going to follow a few rules on this, and I want you all to keep me honest:

  1. I am not going to turn into a salesman for Lucky Gunner.  I believe they do a good enough job all on their own.  I’m just providing a compensated link.
  2. I will continue to do business with them and will comment on my experience.  I have done a product review for them in the past, and I hope to do more in the future.  But I will always be honest in my assessments and be forthright about my business dealings with LG.
  3. If I screw up, I will be honest with myself and you all when called on it.  No “reasoned discourse”.

So there you have it.  I’m letting someone advertise on my blog, and I’m setting some ground rules for myself to make sure it stays on the up and up.

Now back to your regularly scheduled content.

by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Lucky Gunner

Posted by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/14/an-addition-to-the-blog/

Thoughts on Coffee Makers

Over at Cool Tools, Steven Leckart does a quick rundown on a lever-action espresso maker.  You boil water, load the filter, then use two levers to force hot water through the grounds to make your morning espresso.  The simplicity, ease of use and care, and the ability to make a decent cup of espresso after the power goes out really appeals to me.  If I’m going to survive the zombie apocalypse, I’m going to need caffeine.

JP over at Eyes Never Closed recently went halfsies on a Keurig coffee maker, and seems to like it.  As a gadget geek, I’ve always liked these contraptions.  I first ran into something like this a few years ago when I was visiting a vendor in Germany, and their office coffee pot automagically ground the beans, heated the water, brewed the coffee, and spat it out into a cup.  The coffee was good, the ability to choose what coffee drink you wanted was neat, and hey, I got to push buttons on a machine.

I’ve had coffee in just about every form that I can think of:  boiled cowboy coffee made over a fire, espresso and cappuccino made by well-dressed Hungarian waiters, Turkish made by an old man on the side of a goat trail outside of Sinop, boiled black mud bought for a couple thousand rubles at a Russian “truck stop”, percolated coffee made in silver bullet urns in Lord knows how many Army command posts and offices, Taster’s Choice out of an MRE (nasty, but you gotta do what you gotta do, and it’s drinkable after mixing in cocoa mix, sugar and creamer, and occasionally – peanut butter), and of course my old stand-by:  the Mr. Coffee on the kitchen counter.

I’ve tried my hand at a few presses, and didn’t like the experience of picking grounds out of my teeth, but I’m probably doing it wrong.  I’ve never had a chance to try using any of the vacuum brewers, but I have had a few cups out of one, and it was pretty good. 

So, how do you all make your morning wake-me-up?  What’s your favorite way to prepare the blessed juice of the bean?

by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in coffee coffee coffee

Posted by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/14/thoughts-on-coffee-makers/

Throw the book at him Part II

After yesterday’s rant about some idiot shooting at a bunch of little girls because they were on their lawn, we get this:

… a group of children were playing pranks by ringing the doorbells of neighbors and running away. The neighbors say one man became upset at the prank and fired at the kids. 

One boy was hit by buckshot and was taken to the local children’s hospital.  I’m ashamed to say that this happened in Louisville, and I don’t even like Louisville!

OK, I tried being nice yesterday, but I realize I was just preaching to the choir.  I’m pretty sure that y’all don’t need to be reminded that firearms are a tool for self-defense, fun, and food gathering, not for the discouragement of nuisance pre-teens.   So, please spread this message to our brother and sister gun owners who have, shall we say, issues with anger and self control:

Quit acting like a moron with your bloody firearm!  It is not an instrument of intimidation, revenge, or negotiation!  Quit using them as your first resort in neighborhood and domestic disputes!

Look, I have a temper, a pretty bad one at that.  And I’m as territorial as the next guy when it comes to my property.  But kids are kids. They’re going to pull pranks, play where they’re not supposed to, and every so often they get on someone’s nerves.  Heck, my own kids irritate me, and I have an emotional bond with them.  So I understand getting a little irate when the little darlings from down the lane make a stranger angry.  But for heaven’s sake, leave the gun in the gun safe.  A verbal correction, followed by a discussion of the situation with their parents, followed by a call to the police is usually all it takes to make the offending behavior stop.  Worst that happens is that you get to be the grumpy guy in your neighborhood.  Come on over, we have jackets.

I hope the young man who was shot last night comes away from this with nothing but an interesting set of scars to tell his friends about, but I hope the jerk who gave them to him spends a very long time in Eddyville because he let his temper overcome his judgement and grabbed a firearm instead of a telephone.

Like I said yesterday folks, it only takes one dickhead among us to tar us all as dickheads.  If we don’t police ourselves, someone else will do that for us, and probably in a way that we won’t like.  Please, for the sake of us all, reach out to your fellow gun owners and make sure they know they have a pressure valve through you that doesn’t involve shooting up middle schoolers for being obnoxious kids.

by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Guns

Posted by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/14/throw-the-book-at-him-part-ii/

Army Birthday

On this date in 1775, the Congress of the 13 colonies created the United States Army.  The U.S. is in a minority of countries, in that it’s armed forces, including it’s army, can trace their lineage to before the actual creation of the country itself.  While the Army was formed in 1775, the country itself wasn’t officially created until the Constitution was ratified in 1789.

The United States Army has had its glory, it’s shame, it’s elation, and its heartbreak.  Our soldiers have fought in the mud of trenches, the dust of deserts, the spray of the surf, and the snow of mountains.  They fly through the sky, parachute from the heights, drive war machines such as have never been seen before, and of course, they march to the sound of the guns.  Today we have soldiers in one form or another in hundreds of places around the world.  Sometimes their exploits are on the evening news, sometimes we will never know what they do for us.

“I, Daddy J. Bear, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”

Our armed forces do not swear allegiance to the government, or even to the country.  They swear to protect and defend our Constitution, from which our country flows, and follow orders that are in accordance with regulations.  Never in our history have our soldiers pledged allegiance to a general, or a president, or a party.  That alone goes a long way in explaining why our democracy has never gone down to military dictatorship, as have so many since 1775.  While she has never been truly apolitical, our Army has always followed the example of Washington and refrained from interfering in the conduct of the government.

236 years is a long time for any organization to exist, even one that evolves and adapts as much as our Army does.  I have to admit that I am awed by the thought of the generations of warriors who have come before me, and I envy the generations that will follow me.  So long as the Army remembers its proper role in a healthy republic, the country will be safe.

by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on June 14, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/14/army-birthday/

YGBSM!

A couple of years ago, I wrote about the protests that popped up in the Bay Area after the fatal shooting of a man by the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) police.  Basically, a man of African heritage was arrested for being part of a fight in a BART station.  The victim was on his belly with his hands behind his back when a BART policeman, Johannes Mehserle, reached to his belt, pulled out his sidearm, and shot him.  The policeman claimed at trial that he thought he was pulling out his Taser, and pulled his pistol instead.

Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 2 years in prison last year.

You read that right, two years in prison for shooting a proned-out prisoner in the back with a .40 calibre handgun.  If Mehserle is telling the truth, he got two years for not knowing the difference in how the grip on a Taser and a pistol feels, not looking at the weapon in his hand while aiming it, and then shooting another human being that was on his stomach with his hands behind his back. 

This past weekend, Mehserle was released from jail in Los Angeles after serving 11 months of his sentence.  He was given time off for good behavior and time served.  That’s right, folks.  Shoot a man in the back while he’s lying face down on a train station platform, and you’ll only be in jail for 11 months. 

Needless to say, there’s trouble brewing in the Bay Area.  Peaceful protests have already happened in Oakland and Los Angeles, and I can honestly say that I hope there are more.  Being given such a light sentence and then getting time off because he kept his nose clean is insulting.  Apparently the sentence for Contempt of Cop is death in Oakland, but the sentence for causing the death of a prisoner through negligence is only 11 months.

by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Uncategorized

Posted by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/13/ygbsm/

Where do we get such men?

This weekend, a hero showed himself.  The pilot of a blimp in Germany told his passengers to jump out of the craft as it crashed and burst into flames, while staying at his station so that they could get out safely.  He died in his aircraft after his passengers were safe and it became completely engulfed.

Imagine puttering around in your blimp, taking a reporter and two other people on a tour, and then realizing that you’re not going to make it home that night.  How many of us would find a way to survive that didn’t guarantee the safety of our passengers?  How few of us would find a way to keep our charges alive while minimizing our own chances of safety?

The word hero gets tossed around a lot nowadays.  I’ve been embarrassed when my nieces and nephews thanked me for being a hero on Memorial or Veteran’s Day and have had to remind them that all I did was put on the uniform for a few years.  It’s good that I can point at people like Mike Nerandzic as an example of a hero. 

by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Hero

Posted by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/13/where-do-we-get-such-men-2/

Throw the book at him

A Cleveland Ohio man is under arrest because he took the “Get off of my lawn” jokes too seriously.  When a group of children got on his grass and bumped into his car, he opened fire, hitting one.  Thankfully, the little girl is going to be OK, and the moron who allegedly opened fire into a group of LITTLE GIRLS is in police custody.  Hopefully he’s convicted quickly and has a long timeout to think about what he’s done.

I’m absolutely furious with this jerk. First of all, he allegedly shot at a group of pre-teen girls over their presence on his lawn.  Now, I don’t like it when the neighbor kids use our yard as a playground without permission, but I’ve never considered opening a can of whoop-ass on them.  If he didn’t want the kids to be on his lawn or near his car, he should have gone tell them to leave and if they didn’t, go talk to their parents.

Second, it’s incidents like this that feed the anti-gun crowds.  The quickest way for a right to be eroded is for it to be abused and lose support in the general populace.  The 1994 Assault Weapons Ban was possible because of all of the inner-city violence that occurred in the 1980’s and early 1990’s.  People stopped seeing AR-15’s and AK-47’s as tools that responsible people used and saw them as the implements of Mookie and his street corner pharmaceutical enterprise.   Same thing goes for the Gun Control Act of 1968.  People saw guns as the tools of political assassins, and supported gun control legislation because they were afraid that Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan were just the tip of the iceberg.  In 1934, violent crime was up due to the economic depression, and anti-gun forces were able to get the National Firearms Act of 1934 through at least partly because of John Dillinger and BabyFace Nelson.

My point is that we are all, as gun owners and users, the public face of our sport, hobby, and civil rights movement.  It only takes one slip or one dim bulb for us to lose a lot of ground, or possibly to push us off the cliff.  I heard someone say recently that all it takes for all of the progress that the SAF has made recently is for one Supreme Court justice to have a heart attack.  We need to stop giving the anti-gun people an excuse to attack our rights, and we need to police ourselves.

Those of you who monitor the anti-gun blogs, websites, and Twitter feeds will probably be hearing a lot about this.

by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Guns

Posted by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/13/throw-the-book-at-him/

The animals are the smart ones

We took the kids to the zoo this morning.  It was kind of cool when we got there, but by the time we left, it was starting to get hot and muggy.  So of course, it was my turn to be the pack mule.  I swear, I deployed OCONUS with less stuff than we take to the zoo.

The snow leopard and puma, for once, were out and about, and watched every move Boo made.  Either he looked absolutely scrumptious, or they know the danger that is a 3 year old American boy.

The polar and grizzly bears were very active, but their habitats are somewhat cooled.  The favorite snack for the grizzly bears appears to be ice cubes.  They were eating them like grapes.  The polar bear alternated between walking up to the glass and looking at the humans or looking longingly at the sea lions in their pool.

We took Boo into the lorikeet enclosure for the first time today, and I have to say that a true test of strength and agility is holding a plastic shot glass full of sugar water, balancing three lorikeets on an arm, and holding off a 3 year old from grabbing a lorikeet and plucking it because it’s pretty.  All done in such a way that the photos the wife takes don’t make you look like a lunatic.

The smartest animals we saw all day were the wallaroos.  These two guys were sacked out under shade, as was the rest of their group.  They stayed out of the sun and watched us shuffle past.

By the time we left, the crowd was getting big.  It’s good to see that something that’s almost 100% self-supporting gets so much support from the community.

by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in kids zoo

Posted by daddybear71 on June 13, 2011

https://daddybearsden.com/2011/06/13/the-animals-are-the-smart-ones/

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