So what happened to America, American values and what is the future?

  I don't know, but I do have an opinion. When the entertainment industry needs to resort to vampires, werewolves and walking dead for adventure and romance because the reality of shy fumbling and foolishness most young folks went through has gone out with promiscuity, free love, cheap thrills and stupidity enthroned as King, well, what are you going to entertain an audience with?

  I was enticed into re-looking piracy, which is a romantic idea but then it is going on today, Tom Hanks starred in a reality, that no one fell in love with the poor Somali fishermen turned big time pirates about. Closer to the reality of piracy of all ages - a gang of thugs stealing treasure, so your car jacking bands in city service station areas, are really pirates looking for quick loot, just haven't a boat to float in... Like I said it sounds romantic. Elizabethan Pyrates, hers, got knighted and rewarded in keeping a Roman Catholic King from the English shores, and led to the Dutch independence. Which would follow with several wars between the Dutch and the English until they all decided commerce was King, certainly cheaper and more profitable.

  So I have ordered a bunch of DVDs about piracy, the old sailing ship kind, some historic stories from back in the day, and even put myself way down on the list for the first Season of Black Sails. Which I probably won't like as much as the older stories from my parents era. I have two books in hand, both written within the last ten or so years, and both are taking the current lust and culture back to the good old days and trying to entertain me, I have already decided that one book I must put on my military History blinders (dims all glaring errors) and just see how the story works. The other one I haven't been deeply offended yet, but I likely will become so.

  When I start to worry a bit, I do know I must find real people - they aren't on television, in my entertainment, but along my life lived in real time - the NOW. I didn't take the garbage to the street, nor did I mow the lawn today, just to cut it short in the dry moment. I am elevating the foot! All I seem to be good for, still it is healing bruising is disappearing and swelling is way down.

  I do have a few good Historical books about real war with pyrates, between nations and of the past, and always lovely drawings of ships and sails - the true romance is getting all that in the water, with the wind and aweigh! Okay, a few crew and some cannons for effect and sailing on.

Finish a second buppa tea and then start on the whiskey...

I went to church today, very happy to have participated, hope I will be the better for it, and that those there really did like me being around.

I got home and made my feet naked, watched '2010 The Year we make contact' which I slept through the first portion there of... but woke to the end of the world and we know it. What is going on on Europa? Like waving a red flag in front of a bull to tell Man he must not eat of the tree of (fill in the blank).

Mostly, I then watched the movie Day of the Seige, about the breaking the cresting wave of the Ottomans on the battlements of Vienna in 1683, on September 11th. Very interesting story.

I was waiting for the official reports to start coming in from the participants in the Known Distance Appleseed I had helped with on Saturday. My foot wasn't up to two days worth, but my spirit was - twenty-eight center fire rifles with shooters attached. By Sunday evening the rains had worn them down to only seven to close and clean up. Eight Full Distance Riflemen made, six cold bore first round hits on the Daniel Morgan shingle (steel at 250 meters), and so I got the idea that the old Appleseed spirit of shooting your best for Liberty was Back!

I was beaten by the end of the first day of the shoot, I had only a couple of things to present in instruction but spent most of the day as Line Boss hollering the Line commands to keep everyone apace and safe. Since we were rapidly falling behind on the schedule the apace thing wasn't working. Too many words. I had to pull off the road and sleep for almost an hour before safely resuming my drive home. Then I slept long and hard after dinner with my wife that was still upset I had gone off in the morning to a range. She mentioned that I hadn't told her, but I am sure I mentioned that I would be at ranges three weekends this month.

Anyway, they did have a great day today, the link is on the left, I only claimed one day of helping because I had nothing more for Sunday, when they would have been doing too much walking for my foot. Isn't it really great to see so many rifles and shooters on line? Yes, it is, and that means this is America.

Well, I am being nobody that anyone listens to...

  So allow me to say, that the nuclear weapons are political weapons of terror, used to cause fear and compliance in enemies, allies and to destroy any capability for love of humanity.

  Really intelligent nations will never buy any, build any, nor proudly proclaim they want to use them in the future. The planet isn't large enough to get away from the effects.  The fact that President Anyone having been properly selected and elected and serving in office of the Presidency of the United States of America should have the code for the release of the weapon is terrifying. I only trust President Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy to not abuse the responsibility. The standards for the Presidency have been slipping ever since - and the weapons have gotten BETTER (???).

  In the United States of America, there are too many, influenced by Hollywood movies, that think there might be a way to survive a nuclear war.  The idea that America will surrender to mad men with nukes is a cartoon wish or suicidal, so what are y'all doing, Iran?

  You have more to fear from Israel building the Third Temple than Israel using nukes... but then you don't fear anything, do you?

I admit, I am a bad patient... just haven't the patience to be still...

  Unless it is an ambush, and that hasn't been needed skill for a long, long time. 

The surgery was on Tuesday, and it is only Wednesday and I have had the covering off the wound to see the stitches and see if I will be fine by Friday. I do heal quickly, drinking lots of liquids, laying around watching war movies and cleaning up a very little bit in the computer cave. But I want to move too much and do stuff.

And I shouldn't.  I did find my laptop will take the new improved Quicken program, so I upgraded that computer, but I think I will check if I can combine the other two desk tops into one old clunky box and then see about getting something newer and faster and dynamic - like I really need such a thing.

This week is going to be different...

  Starts off like most weeks, my wife is gone hiking with her crew of friends, and I have some more writing to do on the Appleseed COI, Call to Acton, and then smoothing the performance down to the essentials. One of the other Shoot Bosses sent me his pre- April 1775 History. And it was really long, covers most of what I do, and MORE, so I see how he would want to see mine which I can read in less than ten minutes - just enough information to set the stage and allow the listener to research on their own. Very much like our marksmanship presentation - all the basic information and practice with live rounds, then we send them home to practice dry and get polished on each position and shot.

I have been kicking around a Presidential write in campaign, for 2016, just everyone write in "William Earl Dungey" because they just need to know that there are people not voting for public fools, just personal and private ones.

There is my official announcement, write my name in if you can't find a real leader to elect, and for sure just keep passing that message along - kind of like Paul Revere telling everyone 'the regulars are out', with the internet it should be even easier.  I suppose I should have a standard to explain what I have as core beliefs and my concept of being the Chief Executive. I will get back to y'all about that soon.

  Starting this evening the preparation for tomorrow's operation, small removal of a cyst filled with joint lubricant, and out patient kind of thing. I believe I will be doing light office work until the Known Distance Appleseed in Eagle Creek, Oregon - this weekend. The weekend after I have duties in Ariel, Washington instructing at another Appleseed. The ammunition is getting back on the store shelves, get some and sign up to learn about marksmanship, history and our heritage, the American Rifleman.

So the nation is late... really, others have done it before...

I have heard it over and over, repeated by women that I thought were smarter than that... 'I would vote for Hillary, because she would be the first woman President.' - well, I have been wrong before, they aren't smarter than that. The current President of the Republic of  Korea is a woman, with a mad man just across the DMZ with nukes, delivery systems and historic reasons to go to war.  So the United States won't be the first, India had one, the Iron Lady of Britain was a Prime Minister of note that freed the Argentinians. The current Chancellor of Germany is a woman, holding the fragile European Union together.... No, women have taken positions of power and done well. Mister Clinton, husband to Hillary, spent his opportunity leading a California airhead astray, so I am not sure why anyone that couldn't function as a wife will do any better as a LEADER of the FREE WORLD. (I know that is just media hype, but I love rubbing their faces in it, and no, I won't follow).

   I left off the discussion the number of women in positions of power in Europe before modern democracy showed up. Frederick the Great (?Prussia) said something about his power was absolute and effective if he wasn't beset by three women (Russia, Austria, France) during his time. Elizabeth the First wasn't the fine lady Elizabeth the Second is, but either is so far above a Hillary. And I know there are thousands of real, wonderful women, that would be worth following or allowing to be the Chief Executive of this nation, that could do the job better than most men, but they aren't in the media spotlight - that glaring one that hides all the scars and secret emails sent and received - do I think the NSA data compromise should have been just a tad later? Nah.

   It could really be that Hillary would become President because - the old boys in the backroom think they can handle her, or that the media doesn't want to go the extra effort to really investigate all the corruption of the Clintons in Arkansas and the White House and how come she couldn't defeat the Obama myth with real facts and actions in the primaries. It could be the reason the old grandmotherly lady, like President Reagan, is just going to be elected for the smell of fresh cookies from the oven - even if Martha Stewart has done more cookie baking than Hillary. One look at Hillary, and grandma comes to mind - not your nor my grandma, but you get my idea. COOKIES!

  It isn't bad to be thought an older woman, a cookie baker. Golda Meir was extremely effective, but a long personal career in politics. Hillary couldn't come close to that kind of commitment 'what difference does it make?' such a thoughtless American view from self above the world...  There is even a woman in Argentina in charge now... rumbles are that she is ruining the country, but men have done so in the past, so things happen. 

  In the end, I do think Hillary is smart enough to become President of the United States of America - because most of the voters -  that aren't voting more than once, or just from the list of the dead, or walking Zombies - those other voters are just not caring, some one has to be President so it is her turn because...
They are too lazy to get out of their personal comfort zone and find a much better candidate and get her elected, the Republicans won't find one of their own women to lift up for consideration (leading from the rear was invented by Republicans in the 20th Century). I liking conspiracy theories, think the whole idea of Hillary for President is to get as much money in her political coffers so she can take it and run the country from behind the curtain and pretend she is still a player.

  After sixteen years of the last two Presidents - it doesn't really matter to me - the political parties are the same coin on different faces - and both of them want to CONTROL the rest of us - not represent our views, values, and voice in the hollowed Hallow Halls of Congress. We the People just don't go to Washington, D.C. with money, women and favors to keep their attention from the Big Money folks  - yes, and both of those sides of the coin take it from them. 

   What a waste of words, for my two readers, but I can haul the M1 out, put a 1907 fine leather sling upon it and work out what might be Fixer's problem with his rifle and positions. Y'all have a wonderful day with the LORD. Ya hear?

So you are in Fight or Flight mode or do you Freeze?

   I have had a great weathered weekend in Port Townsend at the Jefferson County Sportsmen Association range doing an Appleseed. I couldn't have asked for a better crew and line of thirteen shooters, two of them walk ons, that replaced two that had trouble adjusting to day light saving, if only Congress would get the message and stop legislating stupid mind tricks to disturb the populous of peoples.

   By the second day I must have given up, they just weren't shooting well, starting early and finishing LATE - like after Cease Fire has been called three times. I benched the offender until I could discuss his failings without killing him over and over in my mind. I guess if I were going to guess what their major flaw was it would be fussing the shot and losing the Rifleman's cadence - when the High Power shooter came to give us a briefing about his sport, I made sure they understood that our time standard was five seconds shorter than his. Different dance, different rhythm. I gave them a bit of a break, putting a peppermint on the center square, and five rounds - the peppermint counting five points, and four more for a hit in each of the other squares - giving them more NPOA drill. Told a dangerous olde man story, and had some show and tell, hands on, with firing a Brown Bess musket, which had just enough of a mechanical issue they really understood the bayonet was very important to the soldier of that period. Then we went back to one more Appleseed Qualification Test and the final Red Coat target - one new Rifleman, a fine young lady, and the scores on the Redcoat were outstanding for the two day event - they had settled into marksmanship. There were equipment issues, but most troubling was my lack of control and some prepared speeches that were needed in a certain order.

It was a very good starting event for my year, now to get it to the point I will be proud of the whole thing, what a standard. After effects, the After Action Report link is on the left, some great pictures --- which we can't post on Facebook - seems the enemies of the range are monitoring and attempting to destroy them and the club is frightened, they have not allowed photographs for the last three or four Appleseeds there, this time we were permitted a bit. But then told not to post on Face Book or other social media. And that is the last time I will shoot boss that venue. It is over for me there. The range is nice, the other shooting events and folks appreciate what we are doing, But -- that fear thing is stifling.

The freeze thing, it does seem according to reports, that ISIS gains the trust of their victims to make them believe that they will still live if they cooperate with their captors. No one does, but it is something to latch on to... now you know - RESIST! they are not going to allow you - your Liberty. RESIST! Fight, flight but never Freeze with your hands up.
 

Some of our shooters were from former Iron Curtain countries - and the one I had to talk to about my rules on my range, told me that he was on shift in the computer room when the country went mad and overthrew the leadership, tried and executed the same. He told me, in confidence, that the whole thing was a set up by the secret police - so the powers behind the throne would continue to pull strings of the new government. They had to execute the old rulers since they couldn't be allowed to talk. He and his friends walked out in the confusion of who is in charge, why couldn't they, I am just going over there. I do love talking to people that understand what they wanted from America, Americans don't get it, you have to rebel, resist, question and find a better way.