Noticing what I see when no one is looking...

  I slept outside the range waiting until I could bother them with my presence, driving when the commute isn't on is wonderful. So as I woke and watched periodically I noticed the concealed and the open carry and those that carried bags with stuff into the range. Lovely, the CC folks didn't imprint badly, but if you were looking it was different on the back right hip from the left. The open carry didn't care but carried in exactly in the same place - not where I carry but then I am of the don't worry about that old fat man group.
 
    You know, the old men that gather in the mid-morning for coffee and conversation in every fast food joint that isn't going to run them off after giving them a hot cup of coffee and maybe a pastry.  Groups of five to six, every morning like clockwork, the ones resisting the joining showing up at least twice a week, but not more. They also show up to pretend to work out at the YMCA, the local range to bust caps or talk about wonders and tech at the local range they built when shooting was a hobby.  Old men everywhere that have certainly outlived their utility, the nation no longer needs nor cares about them... they get their checks and go over in that corner and don't disturb us with the reminder that life becomes aged as it marches on relentlessly. And they all know things that everyone should, but don't want to cause a ruckus when talking about buying gasoline at twenty-five cents a gallon and earning a healthy two dollars and fifty cents an hour in the days of eighty-five cents an hour minimum wage... but then you would have to listen to them tell you that the bankers like inflation for their own reasons.

  Old men, put them off in their corner and don't see them, they aren't manly, sexy, nor do they ever look prosperous.  But they might not be what you see on the media that feeds your vision of what has worth: because there is little morality, honor, dignity of labor nor appreciation for real 'love' of others that will bring anyone to the theaters or cable to view for commercial exploitation among them. The media has only false visions of fantasy to feed the feeble minded, and the feeble minded buy it wholesale. The difference between Roy Rogers with two pistols and a wife, good buddy and a dog and a horse, and Clint Eastwood with one pistol, and Jason Bourne with no idea why he does so much bad with so little reason is too great a jump for y'all cause y'all are young... the Hollywood tech on all the gun play is still very poor.  John Wesley Hardin would have killed them all, easily.  But John wasn't a fine man even in his day.

   My point about what you don't see in those old men, is the years of work and sacrifice that made their families fond of them and their example years after their best was gone or going quickly.They loved hard, deep and well.  You may not know it, but they shot firearms in the most dangerous times for the victory they had to win.  Most of it won't make it into History, nor books nor movies and they don't brag nor talk much about it, because you that haven't, really don't understand.  You reach out to shake their old hands and say thank you for your service and they almost cringe because you don't get their nightmares and shakes and have so little idea.  But they smile gently and say thank you, because they are shaking your hand and accepting your thanks for those that they never forgot that died right beside them in some unknown place for some forgotten politicians' vision of victory. 

   Living in the fantasy of experts that will make it all better - just give them more money, help them win the war, the election or the White House! Nah, go out and make your corner of God's great creation as beautiful as He wants it to become, and don't ask for honors nor accolades, just forgiveness for the times you were a weaker vessel, and get back to making it all better. Or, just sit with the other old guys over coffee and talk about when you were stronger and sexy and mattered.

Difficult to be a nation if you are only tribal in your culture...

   Tribes, still major challenges to third world countries, countries with borders usually surveyed by some greater nation bent upon making their lives better than they were... the ones that brought trade, weapons, languages and foreign cultures to 'civilize the natives, or kill them off'. China, in their own idea of perfection, continues to call and think of themselves as the Central Kingdom and gather more tribes under their protection.

   In the uneducated of America, families, clans and tribes are still very critical for our self image. Everyone has a favorite sports team - college or professional. But no one is voting based on that tribe are they?  But then the smart people decide that they can control the American tribes by keeping them in bondage - to start with by making them fear their neighbors.  You don't really know what is happening in that home next door, do you? One of my siblings thinks you might have a tank, but since he is an outgoing guy, he likely will try to talk you out of running it around without some kind of permission. He does believe in Democrats, the law and whatever fool notion suits his fancy. He has a good heart so I am not worried about his neighbor, the tank, nor his fool notions. He has no power, I did say he believes Democrats. 

  Anyway, as I was growing up, American, with a mother that spoke two languages and had lived a long time in Uruguay that was just learning how different America was from her American parents and what they had exposed her to... they had protected her, a bit. She knew all the slang, foul language, curses and nasty stuff in Spanish, but had no idea about English, until she met American college girls with bad mouths and attitudes attempting to put her in her place. Children, behave and play nice.

  I moved often enough as a child that I started to feel being the new kid was my role in life, that probably hardened me and I wasn't shy about fighting to get over it. Still, I could make friends and have as much success as everyone else does in maintaining level headed poise.  All illusion, I was a loner more than a joiner, quiet more than vocal, boy on the edge of the room, crowd, neighborhood.

  Don't know how it happened, I just don't care much about race - the human race is fine, but all the degrees of purity don't match my idea of what is... I like people; nice people, happy people and hard working people. They come in all sizes, shapes and situations.  If I catch a phrase or word or accent I can't identify, I may ask where you come from - but it is just to increase my knowledge not as something I need to control or worry over. I had a real marksman one day on the range and I asked if he shot much, he said 'right much' and I knew where he came from and why he shot so well.  Buford, imagine remembering his name after so many years.

   I grew up American, and before it was real important, knew that I wasn't going to get everything the other children had in wealthier families, cause we were middle class - before it became a dishonor to be just one of the multitude.  Somewhere about college age I got to be an honorary WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, but that was because some one else wanted to control me and my actions, I was never going to be anything but one of the Dungey boys, like my cousins and my father and uncle. That was plenty unique enough for me.

  Anyway, I have enough racial and cultural friction and charms around me that I know all those thinking that nothing will ever change, haven't been paying attention - everything changes mostly for the better. 

   I was trying to figure out why, the America I grew up in had changed so badly with all the technology and scientific advances. We got soft, and worse, our cultural leadership decided we only wanted sex drugs and rock and roll.... which is another myth.  But I think I isolated the corruption, they powers of media introduced pornography into everyone's entertainment menu.. when I was a teenager - adult books were prohibited, badly written, full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes and not well edited - not worth the cover price.  But the industry started to clean it up, make it literate and something one could talk about over Kinsey and coffee. It bled into major movies in little ways as they lowered the standards by slapping a rating on the movie to protect the public, or was that to promote the movie as 'risque'? Edgy. I realized they had done that with the guns violence, the murder rates in novels, television and movies. No wonder everyone thinks guns are terrible, they have consumed so much pornographic violence, seen as normal, they are starting to believe everyone is doing it.

   Honest, most of us aren't doing it, aren't going to do it, and are not looking for it when it raises up and hiss's at us with opportunity. I am still hoping they are going to sing more traditional hymns in the church I attend, at least the prayers haven't been sexed up.  Ya'll continue to be your best out there, we are so running out of time, and civilization is the opportunity of good folks at liberty to love each other and the Lord, every day in every way.

Suffering from pain and ignorance I go to the emergency room...

    No, I didn't tell my wife, nor leave her a note - she would worry if I had.  She had her own doctor appointment to make this morning and I wanted her thinking about it and her driving. So I got my Kindle and drove off to the emergency room, parked and walked in and introduced myself and asked for help.  Normal blood, fluids, temperature and pressure measurements and then the doctor shows up checks the pain the body and asks the questions and prods and pokes... he has knowledge and lines me up and they print out a few pages and tell me to put my clothes back on, see my primary physician and get scheduled for an operation.  Seems I only have an Inguinal Hernia. Out patient surgery some day when we can all be prepared for it.

   Being overweight is a contributor, but I figure the work outs could have been another but I will blame the Front Body Lunges (since I like them so little). I was so happy that it wasn't any of the real problems I had feared that as I drove out of the parking lot and spotted a beautiful woman walking along on this beautiful morning I waved and smiled happily and she waved and smiled back. Yeah, and she was a blonde, makes me think I should wave and smile much more. Thank the Lord.

They all have little stories they share and they will never be on the news, thank the LORD...

   I was struck by how many stories from the twenty-five plus people I worked with this weekend will never be the kind of story I will tune in to hear on entertainment or news media on Monday... of course these are all not 'larger than life' nor 'too big to fail' folks, these are just 'the folks'. And immediately my mind added 'and we're watching out for you!' If you don't know where that comes from it has to do with 'where the spin stops' on FOXNews.

Earl tells the Third Strike of the Match

 

   Three hours on the highways, safely, with stops for fuel and food and coffee and rest, that is a busy highway.  Still reflecting in the two day Appleseed event, it was great, weather was excellent with enough rain to keep the dust down and the grass greening and the shooters dry and comfortable. Over twenty shooters, six to seven instructor crew, a well worked Course of Instruction with a willingness to adapt, change and overcome gently each shooter's needs.  Must have been gentle, I had smiles and farewell handshakes at the end of day two, I was already very proud of the progress they had all made, the safe firearms handling and the interest in establishing an independent course into our nation's future (where we find ourselves living now) that our foreneighbors took in April of 1775.

  I could tell you how I gently harassed Bruce into doing it the way we taught and worked for him, and he didn't disappoint. One of the little stories was the man shooting next to him, was his brother-in-law and the woman, sister/wife, was a better shot (they said) than either of them. Just one of the little stories. At the safe table cleaning an AR, on Sunday morning, a pistol shooter that recently came to rifle. How did he get there? Well, his story is that he worked for someone that was short of cash but had too many firearms and the person on his first Appleseed event, first time with a rifle, was given that fine AR with stuff on it, and a shotgun as compensation. He assured me the transfer was legal, I didn't ask just advised to make it so if it wasn't. But really Mayor Bloomberg wouldn't be happy, but he didn't like large sweet drinks either - so we know he is crazy.

   Yes, lots of little stories on the range, from the man with a tricked out wooden stock Ruger10/22 in Scout Configuration, Cooper lives! with leather three point sling! He offered me an opportunity to shoot it, love real shooters they always share their love of their rifle and skill. The last time I took up someone's offer and kept nailing the three hundred yard steel target (which I can't hear) I hurried up and found my own 1903 A3, thanks to the generosity of another shooter in California, delivered to my door by some fine shipping organization. Temptations must be resisted, I can only fire one rifle at a time,

  So about four hundred rounds fired on targets, safely, stories of Liberty and April 19, 1775 delivered sagely, and our Revolutionary War Veterans Association mission delivered passionately - cause we live this stuff. If nothing else ever happens, my hope is all the crew and shooters have the warm memories of a fine two days they didn't turn on mindless noise and learned something, building our future one Rifleman at a time.  And We the People had several, HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH!

Make America Great Again, really what do you know about America?

     After losing my job to force reduction, budget cuts, or just no one needed me anymore... I decided to ride my Trusty Triumph across America and see the home range of the RWVA and Fred, and visit my mother in her nursing home. I was going to help with an Appleseed in Spearfish South Dakota, and another in Saint Augustine, Florida, I was going to visit family and bloggers that I read and admire.  When I had lots of wishes before I never had the time, now I had the time.  So I would sleep on rest stop benches or beside the motorcycle on the ground or sometimes in a motel along the way. That was six years ago, and America was great then, the Americans were, too.  What changed? Too much rude behavior, not enough real love?  In 2012, I decided to support Ron Paul because the other political party was doing strange things - but the Republicans were as against me and Ron as they were against President Obama.  I didn't believe then anymore than now that the government is going to cure its own ills.  We are talking about people that think they are in charge.

      So in another election year, the Olympics look very good.  That is an inside joke for Washingtonians. Donald Trump caught the mood of the folks, and he was kind of an outsider and he wants to make America great again... but I noticed he has little idea of what makes America great, he isn't alone in that, President Obama has little idea, either. When you are the center of your own life story you may not understand what makes America great is all the little lovely life stories out there. It isn't the economy - but the activity, it isn't the leisure and luxury, but the full belly, sore muscles and clean hands and heart. Lending a hand, making things right, trying harder for our future, the future that we won't live but want our posterity to enjoy.  It isn't really Fly Over Country - it is America where most of us live, work and love. Where most of us believe all lives matter, that race no longer does, that our rights end where yours begin and government never ever gave us any rights, but a very long list of wrongs.

   No, Mister Trump doesn't get it, he sees what he wants and may want to accomplish, but he doesn't know what most Americans do, and he always tries to get around but end up a winner.  He is not humble nor kind, how could I follow his lead?  He isn't going where I am, and he doesn't know nor believe in the American People - he ought to, but he doesn't.  Remember that I contributed to four Presidential candidates this year, each immediately dropped out, there were four I thought could do the job better than the current main two contenders

    The only acceptable solution to making America great again is shrinking the government. shrinking the National Debt, stop listening to the liars and nasty fools.  Go on and be humble and kind, and it will frighten the ruling elite, they do want us crying in our dependency, they make rules about milk, agriculture, water and air -- just so we can never go it alone without their permission... Donald Trump is not a changer, he is a player and he may break some rules but only for himself and friends not for real Americans.  The Media and the political parties are supported by large money, most of America is small money, most of America is likeable or will just leave you alone - not what Donald Trump wants, he likes his name and likes it everywhere. I like my name, William Earl Dungey, don't forget to write it in for President. Thank you

What I am thinking, as if it matters to anyone...

   I am not voting for the two major political party nominees, just won't.  First, it doesn't really matter, second, I have had it with thinking that the people supporting either party will ever out weigh the dollars contributed by special interests. And the best reason, neither of those nominees will ever love me the way Jesus did, they just aren't that caring.

  So I am thinking the FBI has told us that Secretary Hillary Clinton is not capable enough to care for herself, nor the nation. They were kind and I understand that, my mother would have done a much better job as President than Hillary, but she wasn't much more competent in a nest of snakes than Hillary will be, Hillary thinks she might be Momma Mongoose, but I don't.  She is a wife of a serial sexual fool, the mother of a daughter, who has married and born two grandchildren for her posterity.  She has many fine qualities for her dedication to making herself wonderful and making us all think she cares about us little people. She wants to control my guns and I don't think she is capable of using that kind of power correctly, neither is the California legislature, the Governor of New York and many others that pretend they are smarter and better than I in keeping my gun violence to a level of none.  I have been doing great for years and years.  Really, be nice out there, pray that Hillary and Donald's troubles go away and the nation gets a fine President, but God probably thinks we could do better as His followers than we could as the President's Men.

   Now remember that what I wrote here won't change a thing about who Hillary is, what she has done, nor is likely to change the way she is..  She is a woman, older, no longer sexy, and losing control and fearing her failure, her enemies, and people seeing her in her weakness. I understand much of that, love her anyway, but don't elect her into that steaming swamp of cess, she would not become saintly there, haven't seen anyone become a saint there.

I seem to be misunderstood... but it is my fault...

   My son finally caught me on the telephone and we talked a bit, he wondered that I was spending three hours working out at the YMCA. When I reflected upon it later I realized I should have mentioned that a lot of that time is spent in conversation with other old men that have just a little reason to hurry on as I do. We once ran around working, playing, learning and being creative at almost top speed, and not so much anymore. But thanks for asking.

    In the spirit of resisting the domination of the English Crown I found this fine little book for my Kindle. Commando: A Boer Journal of the Boer War by Deneys Reitz.  
 
   Not all resistance movements, independence movements nor conquests work out the fairy tale woven by old men that should have known better. But breaking down the illusion is needed for the best approach to a problem.  You should be as positive about life as I am, this photo of one of my wife's agricultural projects sums it up well.

   Well, Independence Day weekend, church tomorrow, shooting afterwards and then rolling around without Facebook feed nor FoxNews - cause my plate is full and has only room for the ones I love, which is a whole lot of y'all and yens.  Yes, that is English from places I have been.