Change happens... and we go right on...

I chickened out last evening, started on my way to Idaho and turned around after the traffic advisory about the Snow Storm Warming until seven in the morning. We had rain in the lower atltitude, big enough storms that they were having accidents and congestion during the commute, by the time I got to the mountains the warning lights were flashing and the radio said chains required after exit 34, so that was the exit I turned around at and went back home. I do like shooting, I like the range in Idaho, I had everything I needed, except the NEED to overcome my aversion to driving in unsafe and miserable weather. Skiing should be good this weekend. Not that I am going.

I did find I had three more cans of 30-06 ammunition than I had realized, and so with eight hundred more rounds on the way (when my turn comes up) I will have over two thousand rounds. My brother would be shaking his head wondering why anyone needs that many rounds. And I have all that lovely brass to reload during the dark of Winter (another thousand?). Finding the ammunition makes me wonder how many other part time shooters have more ammunition than they could possibly ever need, LOTS, and how many will be departing without having shot it with their buddies, friends, family and competition (that guy with the $4000 rifle and special ammunition).

I thought a lot about how I had once upon a time driven through snow and ice and spooky conditions in Colorado to pick up our son.  It was terrible driving conditions and the Colorado snow plows were flying over the ice to keep the roads clear. I was so much younger then, I am older than that now... truer words never sung... if it was needed I would have done my best, but I have the ability to shoot again another day. I probably will, too. Really looking forward to it. I have to shoot all that ammunition up before I return to dust. My wife wouldn't know what to do with it. I would leave it to my son, but he has tons of stuff and no room, without a whole range and storage facility it wouldn't be a good gift. 

A comment sent me back to my list of shooting with Appleseeds, and the immediate thought is how many have I helped and influenced over the years, which is the most pro-safe gun control effort than whatever Mayor Bloomberg has done. And I have been very happy, making more people smile and enjoy shooting than the Mayor has calmed any fears. And considering some of the very new to shooting people, many that have been frightened for a long time because of media untruths (reminding myself that this blog is media for one - me) that I and others in the Appleseed Project have helped overcome their fears - I would say we are winning. And if the  22lr isn't fully back on the shelves yet... winning by a big margin, which won't be investigated, nor reported - since the media doesn't understand the why.

King George and his governors thought that controlling the colonies with more restrictions, taxes and adjustments would bring those colonials back into line. Unfortunately, Americans don't really study English History during the same period in England, Scotland and Ireland. The quest for Liberty wasn't only in America, it was happening all over. Press gangs were something that fed the Royal Navy, but also fed the flames of change and fired the folks up.

So how is the Affordable Care Act doing? Getting off of the media noise - for sure the discussion is shifting to how to get the care to the people. Even people that wouldn't talk about it before seriously, know what needed to be done will have to be done - and maybe we should look for the solutions that work best and invest in them. The world is full of great ideas. My looking is making me think that the government can't allow a good idea to get away to grow.  It would have to be chained up and harvested for the politicians, never the little people. I think that the United States of America has lost its soul, if Lincoln could use those ideas of "a government of the people, by the people and for the people" you have to start looking at the politicians, the departments and agencies and asking them whom they serve. Lincoln knew it wasn't going to be a great idea to write 'a people of the government, by the government and for the government' still isn't a good idea. 

What was that from the Declaration? "..Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ..." Institutions do seem to take on a life of their own, assuming powers not granted.  Ah, well, a rebirth of Liberty is the cure, not more chains.

Rainy day stuff

So I can't get to the YMCA because of public works blocking public access, although they did mention a possible detour, I was thinking I should do a little bit more to make my RWVA duties solid. I had a demonstration rifle to finish. I had passed the drill rifle on to OnlyHitsCount and wanted my own, I had a couple of toy ones I could have used, but decided to invest in a broken (NOT SAFE to shoot) that was around. A couple of sling swivel points, a GI web sling and some Tech sights or other adjustable ones.

Although I will teach Natural Point of Aim without a laser pointer, it does demonstrate very quickly how effective NPOA can be back on target and checked on next target before squeezing the trigger. So I went looking for a green laser pointer, no joy. Cost was out of my fixed income. I had a red laser pointer and figured out how to secure it with cheap rubber bands, and turn it on - with cheaper rubber bands. AAA batteries and I am set to demonstrate.

And not wanting to show up for an Appleseed unprepared with untested props I had to make sure I could adjust the sling, do a standing position and be on target. I don't spend lots of money on things, so I have to invest development time and testing, I am not the Federal Government. When I show up to help, I am just an old man with limited potential - you will have to imagine that I was effective, and I thank you for that.

So are you going to compete in the election or Olympics in 2014?

Me neither. But I will watch for the effort and the results. In the Winter Olympics I expect great performances, some of which may have extra chemical and hormonal boost - not because the competitors need it, but because they don't know they don't need it. They will seek advantage, programmed into our DNA, isn't it?

In the election the Media will declare the TEA Party is evil, divisive and not to be trusted. The two primary parties will continue to increase their power and influence by promising better tomorrows, until they get to the government, where the reality of how insignificance sinks in and they decide there needs to be another law, and good times must be regulated and taxed. They will also seek advantage, unfair advantage. If they had a real good idea, a known truth, it would be picked up by the people. But they don't and have to hide what they do, and lie about the effects.

Once upon a time I advised some young folks to make up a plan, to have goals and to prepare to meet those goals. Being an expert procrastinator (if I would just get around to finding my certification and writing that book) I have trouble with the Honey-do lists in my own home, but I still advise go get a plan and set a goal.

I have a Known Distance clinic to attend this weekend, the weather look COLD, but that is Idaho and close to Canada what would I expect. And then the following weekend I have a full Appleseed to help instruct in Ariel, Washington. So today, I happily signed up for my first Revolutionary War Veterans event of 2014, an Instructor Boot Camp in Battle Ground, Washington. I also put it on my 2014 calendar as my first Appleseed event of the new year. Only 364 other days to fill.

Leisure Living Estates...

Leisure living estates... so much promise in the name. I liked it when I first lived there. But I had been thinking as I worked a bit on my yard yesterday - that what was truly hurting the American economy is leisure, time off, unproductive activity. Sitting in the rocker or recliner and gazing at the television or cable feed or whatever feed your mind to keep it empty... of real content.

Now, advertisers want your attention, but you really don't have any left do you? Real working folks have something to concentrate on, to build, to fix, to find, to pay attention to... and then most of the rest don't have anything they can't turn on... I never listened to music as I jogged, excess weight and it would get in the way of thinking as I jogged. Of course, my mind would wander and my concentration on going faster fled quicker than my feet would ever catch up. Still it was all Earl, and I like background music, and bird song and wind whipping through the trees and thunder and lightening (over there not over here).


I think I know the suffering that too much time upon the hands, too much empty in the mind can bring about.

Isn't that why the boys will poke sticks into ant hills? Even fire ants? Wanting to know what could happen? And the government guys, aren't they similar? Poking sticks at the little folks, trying to stir up something? Had some fun watching the Kennedy Assassination stories on FOX last night. The truth is never going to be known, it was buried with Jimmy Hoffa. And you don't know where that is either. Aren't you glad you have so much to fill your life you don't do leisure?

Cool Hand Luke, finished tossing gravel on the oiled road and had to wait on the trucks to come pick them up... now that was leisure. Worked hard for it.

To be poor, isn't everyone deprived of something of value?

Mostly, money is the first thing to enter one's mind - I don't have enough money - for food, shelter, for stuff I must have to survive. But many without money aren't poor. I was reading a blog post about abstinence, the not having sexual relations with other human creatures I guess... most of my life is without having sexual relations with other human creatures, my mother expected too much from me, and having human sexual reproductive activities with humans of the opposite sex was really frowned upon by her.

I never felt poor because I wasn't following the Playboy Philosophy of Mister Hefner. Certainly did like looking at the charming young ladies in his magazine, and the cartoons, and the jokes. Don't remember reading any of the writing and I was a reader, reading more books in a week than some boys read in a year.

Being poor, feeling poor, never did - although I was sure there should be more money for Earl to catch up with the Jones boy - I realized later that my parents had done very well with four greedy little grubbers to clothe, shelter and feed. And it wasn't until I was throwing my own money away that I truly appreciated how rich that life had been.

I guess if I were to be asked, not that anyone cared, I counted my riches in the family, the dinner table and card table conversations, the number of magazines and books circulating in the home, always being read. I was rich in that there was only one television and one full bathroom and when I was a senior I got my own room. (decorated for a girl?). I was rich in friends that would tease me and people that liked some of me, hoping the rest would settle down and turn out okay. It was always difficult enough to live up to my own dreams and expectations - doing it for others was nearly impossible.

There was, and probably still are hundreds of sexual education teachers that tell young people that you aren't normal without sexual activity. That abstinence doesn't work, that... well, I can teach killing as well as that sexual education teacher can teach sex, but I also know that you really aren't morally prepared for the responsibility of killing another human being in high school - although, like sex, it does happen.

If when you are a child, you learn good manners, good language, sharing and helping, if you learn right from wrong then you will be closer to being prepared for starting a human life (which is what all sexual activity is designed to do) or ending a human life (which is what all military combat is about). But you would have to see beyond the video games, the movies and television drama to find the real people all around you - and you will notice you aren't going to have sexual relations with most of them, nor even try to kill anyone of them for the good of some government guy. And that is a much better normal than I or that Sex Education teacher can illustrate.

Marry once and forever, and when sex dies, let it lie. Don't ever kill anyone, no ugly to try to not remember. Gee, I feel so rich in never having to have to have a hundred screaming fans watch me pretend to have sex in some love relationship - oh, yeah. Tom Cruise has it tougher than that forgotten soldier in Afghanistan - I guess being a short actor was tough on Clark Gable, too. I am so rich to have never been so deprived as to be an actor without a justification for my words, work or lack of height. Can't be poor all the time.

Thank you for your service...

Getting close to Veteran's Day, or Armistice Day (which I always thought veterans of that war really appreciated). Time to get specials for being there when the really smart powerful people didn't want to go, go get those specials.

I like the veterans I knew, they are all giants in my life. Lots of them from the Bible, many from mythology, bunches and bunches from History of everyone everywhere. While studying the Greek and Roman military I constantly noticed that the veterans were the backbone of the formations, were always the carbon in the steel, that make it tough and able to hold an edge... I was sure that Horatio at the bridge was my kind of guy, and Horatio Hornblower must have been a real sailor... yeah, those are people I think of as veterans.

I was lucky, didn't have to wait for Veteran's Day parades or sales to reach out and find a vet, I had the very best kind - a quiet humble man I knew as Dad. His parting comment as I left for my own military service "You aren't going to like it." . Having permitted (like I could change anything) my own son's enlistment and his service - I hope all the veterans know the love of all those they served, protected and have left behind while they did their duty. I hope all veterans know the day when they can just be quietly thankful for having survived and gotten on with the real joy of living, being in love and creating and growing a better world that they knew was out there on the other side of war. Oh, how I pray that the day comes when they step out into the light for they have had all the darkness they couldn't sleep through, and they shouldn't drag it into their dreams or allow it to weigh them down.

Yeah, I can't know what any veteran went through, but do know 'they didn't like it'. Sure they had the days, hours, minutes and seconds of pride in surviving something terrible, and the shame of not being able to save everyone, people they had come to love... but they are scar bearing, tarnished, dinged, worn and tattered.

Give them your thanks, say lots of prayers for them and their healing, and always know that only love will make it better.

So, I am going to shoot known distance...

Do much of my shooting very safely (no rounds, dry fire) or very close (25 yards or 25 meters), and all for marksmanship and instructing others in rifle marksmanship. But I am going to Idaho to a two day clinic for Known Distance and the range will go farther than I will engage. They may encourage me to take a 500 yard shot or two.

Researching I have been looking to find the Course of Instruction, so I would see how many rounds I will need. My M1 Garand is the primary rifle for this exercise, although I will take the Model 70 with optics to learn a bit about using the optics at the distances.

And not having a real sense of what is going to happen, I will make up a known distance course for myself to test my .22LR and the M1 skills and potential this Saturday, supposed to be cloudy and cool. Verify the zero on each rifle, move the target stand to 100 yards, place four inch square on white background, Shoot twice, once with each rifle five rounds, notice where the rounds hit, paste and then adjust aiming point or come ups for .22LR. Shoot again, 5 rounds, check and put four 100 yard targets up (reduced size), shoot four phases of KD AQT on those targets with .22LR. Check, which I always mean take a picture for later, post full size target on backer. Shoot 10 rounds standing in 2 minutes on it. Take picture, paste holes if any...

Move target backer to 200 yards, put eight inch black square on backer. Shoot with .22LR and M1, note results. Post full size target, shoot two and eight with M1, shoot ten rounds spotting with .22LR. Take pictures, move target backer to 300 yard line (will have to move Caravan down to target line for speed). Post 12 inch black square on backer, shoot with M1, check target. Post full size target shoot stage three with 2 and 8. Take pictures and pull backer and clean up firing point, recover brass.

Either YMCA is going to be very early or very late on Saturday, had my rest day yesterday.