How does one do that...

  I had an unexpected great discussion with an older man at the YMCA, and I only mention that he was older because he thinks I am young... he was a priest and is now a former someone from financial management, that plays racquetball. Anyway, something in passing was said by me about being only a two issue voter - gun control and abortion, which stimulated him to discuss my views on gun control - we had an good enough conversation to get to the abortion issue after that was concluded. Neither of us moved our opinions of those issues, but did modify our knowledge and respect for the other man as we talked. Remember I am telling this story, doesn't have to be any truth to it.

  When I get back home after picking up fuel and fluids and saying hello to my chair bound wife, doctor follow up today. I went up on the internet and Facebook and find a picture of one of my FB friends, that was once in the firing battery where I served as 1st Sergeant.  I read the comments and left some of my own, and then had a couple of exchanges with others because of that.  Okay, except about four in the following morning I wake up to panic about how wrong I was about when and where and who the Battery Commander was at that time.... so I moved the largest German Beer Stein and the little box of pictures, to get to the larger box of certificates, EERs and wonderful me paperwork. Where I get the proper names for the proper times and stuff, January 1984, How quickly it all goes bye,

  I may have to go back to bed, but today is my wife's.

Appleseed doesn't keep me away too long...

   Sometimes I have to admit to getting old, and wearing out, but not after standing on my feet for two windy cool days on Whidbey Island in the Great NorthWest.

   It wasn't until the Shoot Boss asked me where to set up, I remembered I was the old hand at this range. Many of the shooters reminded me that I had worked with them before, although from their level of skill I couldn't be certain. We taught them everything, but I did notice our future rifleman thinking too much about his shot (fussing the shot we call it) but by the second day he had it together.

  Over all I wanted more follow through, I wanted better trigger control, and I wanted slings that didn't slip on down to the elbow - prone with a hasty sling is tough if you don't keep the tension on.  I wanted them to be a bit more serious about shooting so many fine center fire rifles and making the hits count.  Sometimes they looked like a club on a social event. But then, that was what this was to them, a club social event. The instructors worked with the shooters over equipment issues. There seemed to be lots of progress, but not consistent. Like learn to do this while forgetting what was learned before that..  doesn't work.

  We told the story of the strikes of the match, and the dangerous old men and dame. Ben also took his flintlock out, demonstrated the loading and shooting and then permitted those interested to fire a shot, too. About six, and one rang the steel target. At twenty-five meters it was close enough that I could hear it ring.  Good time, cleaned up well, only two Rifleman scores earned, but they were better by the second day than they had been on the first. We sent them off to spread a love of Liberty throughout the land...

It  was only twenty miles to Concord and Paul Revere didn't make it on his horse, someone else had to spread the word, and they did.  Won't you?



 

The important question isn't if Donald Trump will accept the election results...

  The important, and unasked, question is "Will 'We the People' accept the election results?"

Read the Declaration of Independence again, and notice that many of those same frustrations were the cause of April 19, 1775. The government's only answer was gun control and force of arms... not much seems to have changed.

   I had thought that I had an original idea there, but found it all over the internet.


Well, your move, ruling elite of government, industry and media -- you just never study History, and it is such a constant repetition of human interaction it and you are predictable.

Make sure you vote, it will wipe out mine...

   I have been long against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as candidates for President, but then always knew the major political parties were not looking for anything but money and a vote from me. And I was leaning towards Gary Johnson, but then he thinks that abortion is not medical murder, but he is more politician than scientist. So I can always fall back on writing my name in for the office, William Earl Dungey, and encourage everyone else (all six of you reading this blog) to write my name in, too.  This could be noted as the year I ran for the highest office in the land.

   I won't complain that the system or the election is rigged, I witnessed Ron Paul's run in the Republican Primary of 2012, and know it is rigged - and the party is fool enough to think that its platform was more important than the candidate. If they had brought Ron Paul into their future that year, about three million believers in his vision would have taken Romney over Obama.

   We have several other parties and candidates here in Washington State on our ballot for President.  Interesting but not for me. I like Evan McMullin and Mindy Finn, so when I find no one writing my name in I could decide to write their names in the correct empty block on my ballot.  Exciting times running for President without too much lying on my part, nor lots of women commenting on how I demeaned them years ago and far away. I know how to handle sensitive material and own no personal server, don't have a smart cell phone and try to leave little behind as I wander the world except for pleasant memories.

I am in so much turmoil, what to do, what to do...

   I like to pretend I am a responsible law-biding citizen, so I am in conflict of how to vote at my kitchen table.

   You know I avoid answering the telephone, unless it is my wife's mobile number calling or one of her friends or the doctor's office.  So the only polling was the Trump Campaigns' questionnaire about what I thought the election or the candidate should do for me.  Since I have only two points to be concerned about (guns and abortions) I am boring.  If the elected representatives would really make sure a dollar was always worth a dollar, I would be happy. That is the best the government can do for the economy. Everything else is restrictive or just outright theft.

   There are folks that think the government should provide free education, and for up to high school it is free - paid for by taxes on property mostly, but then teachers unions got real greedy - not the teachers, just the unions.  Votes for dollars and restrictions on alternate educations, certifications and testing standards... silly unions and politicians. I did notice I had a fine education in public schools, but in today's world I would just live in the library, and would be so much smarter.  By the way young people there are several fine institutions of higher learning, built by the government to get some quality peasants into the officer corps (don't ask President Obama to read that last word). Those fine institutions are free, pay a wage, set high standards and have produced some really fine citizens and some real fools in service.

   Anyway, how many people are answering the poll takers and makers?  If the media is in the tank for one party or idea or another, why would you think the pollsters wouldn't be affected?  No one is using my blog or even my Facebook fantasies to see where I am going to vote, and I am not alone - there are others hiding from giving a free picture for the mosaic that the pollsters are getting paid to make pretty and sell loudly.  So a representative sample I don't think they have, but they sound good and keep folks watching for the latest shift.

   But I am troubled by the Ron Paul effect, so there is a candidate, who understands Liberty and smaller government and running for the Republican office. And he and his supporters get the legs cut out from under them everywhere, and because they and his ideas weren't really embraced by the Old Line Republicans almost two and a half million intelligent people sat out the elections, or voted on other stuff for other candidates. Romney goes down in defeat, you know the Democrats stuff the ballot boxes, drive voters around voting multiple times for the dead or someone that wasn't coming.

   So this year, the Republican Party isn't any smarter, or sharing of power, and has used millions against Trump or for their favorite candidate (normally someone that won't stop the rain of bribes and sponsorships).  But the voters prevailed and that is really frightening, all political parties count on uninformed voters and complacent citizenry.  They don't have them this year.  The Democratic Party is even more elitist, and will denigrate all you redneck, Jewish, Catholic and evangelicals -- they would talk badly about dinks and rag heads, too. They don't want to seem bigoted. In their internal voting for their primary, they stuffed ballot boxes, miscounted and are doing everything to get the first woman elected to President.  I have no problem voting for a woman - not every woman is Jezebel nor Mary.  But the woman I would vote for would shoot guns, not have promiscuous sexual liaisons and not support abortions (which I clearly see as medical murder of innocents).  Realizing my ideal female candidate couldn't be the star of a movie (no sex, no violence, no illicit romance for dramatic effect and stirring of lusts) I find that Americans would wonder at what kind of a woman was she really - since our values seem to come from Sodom and Gomorrah (or Hollywood).

   Ah, well, the point of my rant is that everyone should vote, really and not for a candidate you couldn't live with for the next four years.  There are reasons, MANY, not to vote for either major political party. The Europeans would tell you that our major parties are the same party and we are governed by rich special interests not by the needs and desires of the people. If either of the main political candidates are elected, it will be the final four years of the great American experiment. I expect either one to die of old age in office and then the VP will step up, and the slide will continue that is okay, only nuclear war will kill off enough population to destroy humanity, or a new plague.
Texas, California and New York City can break away and build anew.  When the grid fails, then we will all have to get to work, meet and work with the neighborhood to survive. Once the electronic noise is on mute, we will be able to think.... what did you say, dear?

   

So I have have a solution to the gun violence...

  Really, I do have the solution, not that I expect the ruling elite to like it or to adopt it, but it would work real fast.

  Part of the problem is that people of color, or some kind of minor group of folks is judged as not able to care for themselves.  They could be slaves, they could be poor, they could be gender neutered. For sure they aren't of the rest of us... unless you believe that 'all men are created equal' which for some strange reason the government doesn't believe.

  So quick go to Cook County and Chicago, they have decided that disarming their citizens is the only way to ensure that no one gets killed by firearm. Well, that really hasn't worked. So I suggest that we try what the 2nd amendment and the gun control folks want.  A back ground check for all the citizens that want to keep and bear arms, the training of such citizens that pass the back ground check by certified instructors working for the State or County or City, having passed the qualifications they then be issued a firearm (I recommend a pistol) ammunition for the same, a lock box to store it in when they are asleep, and an appointment at a range to requalify quarterly and be issued more ammunition. The murder rate will fall and the community can get tight with the police, when it stops treating folks as a threat to their lives. 

Going to have to make adjustments in my life...

   Going to the range on Saturday cost me ten dollars for my day and target, and I only fired fifty rounds.  Time to do some serious looking into local ranges, cause I can't afford ten dollars every time I need to break away from my electronic time wasters.   I need many more breaks from the monitors of computer and cable. Don't we all?

   My target from Saturday looks a bit wild, but seriously, I started standing at fifty yards. Those are the upper right ten shots. Then I did some major sight corrections on the rear sight, moving it far left and down then I ended up left of the target still high shooting prone without sling.  So I then adjusted a bit back and shot from the bench with sling and was close enough for the day.  I intend to refine the sights, prone with sling, at twenty-five yards, soon.

    Now that brings up my OCD, obsessive compulsive disorder,  my Stevens model 414 Armory is a beautiful old target rifle, but for me to shoot it where I am aiming the front sight is far right and the rear sight is cranked far left. Which does put my shot on target, but I don't think I am that crooked, the rear sight must have been placed wrong when it was set up.  That makes me think I should put an adjustable sight on the receiver, but then I would feel the loss of the 'cool' in the original purchase that makes me so happy, even now. Constant struggle, luckily, I am so frugal that if it isn't broken, it isn't getting fixed. Unless the Lottery slams my way.  And we are betting that won't happen soon.

I am often shy in public, for good reason...

   Seems that Donal Trump and a young Bush made video history trashing the fairer sex - all they did was not respect the kind of women they dreamed all women would be in their fantasies - maybe not the women's fantasies... Then NBC decided that they would wait until they needed something to disrupt Trump, like a blackmailer for future benefit.  Somehow the tape, saved from Secretary Hillary Clinton's destruction of all that excess bad vibes records missed the tape against Donald. This is why I am so happy that I am much more Earl than my fool fantasies.

   I remember telling lies about sex in high school, and hearing some even better (impossible) ones from other guys that had even less of a clue than I did. See, we didn't have sex education, we had health classes which highlighted health not happiness.  It was better to be shy than shamed.

   I am not qualified to discuss sex and those strange things people lump with sex that don't seem to produce more humans.  I have opinions, but I remember being told by another soldier that I really had no idea what fool or terrible things were being taught to my son in his school.  But I was always sure if he wanted my opinion on something he would ask.  I have a broad reading of many things, and for sure I blame the Hefner Playboy Philosophy for much that was wrong with my era in America. Not that I read beyond the point of noticing that giving women the liberty to be free of moral and community restrictions allowed them to be better exploited by the power structure, normally male.

   Then the government goodness loosened the divorce laws, increased the male penalties for not having a successful marriage and supported women in their solitary liberation from having to partner with a man for survival, the government cares for all the helpless doesn't it?

   What can I say, marriage is a government program regulated to benefit the community and like most government programs not as good as what it took over.  Where families and community were responsible for maintaining the marriage, not the heartless government. Regulate until you control it to death.  I seem to have missed my point about being shy... will get back to it one day.  I respect women, enough that I seldom talk with them, they and men are not on the same frequency and it is very difficult to have a meaningful exchange of ideas.  I am always happy to find the exceptions to that generality of mine, and will then blurt out something that will cause them to wonder at who I really am, as it doesn't seem I fit their expectation.

   Aren't I happy I am so shy? Yes, I am...

No, I am not going to listen to what the Democrats want me to hear from Trump's vulgar mouth...

   I am sure his smut isn't better than my own, and I don't use that language anymore, and can't remember when I was fool enough to publish it to the innocent.  I am sure that he, Donald, doesn't want me to think that he is nonredeemable, he must know that as a Christian I know everyone is flawed, all have been redeemed, and must accept Jesus as their savior for forgiveness...  so, only the godless communists and others need to find the LORD, quick! Because the End is near.  There it is on the internet, so it must be true.

    I went to see the foot doctor on Thursday morning, and it didn't go as nicely as the televised shows and commercials on cable... but then this is reality. A couple of weight bearing x-rays taken, and an appointment scheduled for the 1st of December.  So off I went to the YMCA, and my coach was doing nothing so I complained about not having a strength test since the first one... mistake on my part. The devious fellow made an instant appointment, told me to get in gym clothes and come back and I would take the test... ha, ha, ha...   So I was back in about ten minutes, and we went to the machines he wanted me to work.  He would tell me what my high was six months ago, and I would set what I thought I could do eight times in good form.  If I wasn't straining on the last two reps, he would think I was cheating myself and add ten to twenty pounds for what I should have done, in his mind not mine. Then he ran me a complete new program after plugging in the new maximums. Ugh! Have I a new stress in my life? Yes, I do. So for the last two workouts I have added very few sets, not changed the weights up much, although I have lowered some in my least favorite exercises, and then added sets and did more reps.  Interesting, being pumped up instead of plumped up.

   Conversations of olde men:  Sitting between sets or exercises or while walking something off, there are conversations.  About five Vietnam Vets (American) are my fellows talking about wars and wonders, two of them were end of WWII and Korea and then RVN to retire, and two are just into the Southeast Asia mess and then out to better things, and then I am the youngster - RVN to Gulf War I.
Now the challenge is to remember I came to work out, not socialize with my compadres, what we talk about is always more interesting than sweating or straining against gravity. Not more interesting than yoga pants and smiles from the heart. But we aren't long distracted by beauty, since we want to wring out our lives to hang out with folks that appreciate where we were when we were young, handsome and so foolish -- but always doing our best.  Not all the tales are of success, often a flub or fluke or just fool hardy - but not to be repeated, not by us. Names of people now long gone on, or gone to parts unknown, men we remembered because they mattered  in our lives. Olde men talking, the common term is 'war stories' but you won't get them if you aren't part of the group, trusted. Some times a youngster will listen a bit and then ask a question, looking for an answer they can understand, and the answer will come back depending on the perception of the old man as to what they can understand and what they will do with it.  So often, it is just a lie, tease or less than truth -- no harm intended. The answer isn't in an answer, it was in the story and the triggers going off in the listener's mind. Most minds aren't ready for the stories we tell. So they don't get out in public much.

   Time does fly when having fun, suddenly it will be time to get ready to leave, and I still haven't done my normal ten miles on bicycle, ah, I will do something later.... yeah, maybe so.

  Now to be perfectly honest, I haven't read Hillary's speeches to the FatCats of Banking and Business, but then I am fair and balanced except when I get up to walk or move. Then my eyesight and awareness might be in conflict with the realities of gravity and foot placement.  Am I not so happy that my voters' pamphlet has arrived and the ballots come out on 25 October.  Yes, I am, but I still must hope the contenders clean up, ask forgiveness and respect the voters' choices. We should all work to become better than we knew possible, just like straining against gravity, it will only make us better at living. 

Just because I can I want to make a point...

   Community policing does not mean putting police in charge of the folks and talking to them, it should mean that a well regulated militia is the security of a Free State... yes, I borrowed those words.  In communities where neighbors take care of each other - it happens, sure they may call for the law when it gets beyond the ability of the neighbors, we call for medical assistance and fire but the first people to see the need start taking action.

   Part of the current weakness in American values and virtues is the idea that only the government can handle the problems. But it can't, you really need the people and not just for votes and taxes.  They must be more than subjects of the ruling elite, their bankers and barkers.