So, I need something to do well, for more than I and I pick...

  Restoring my country to Liberty, not greatness, not leadership of the world, not an economic powerhouse... just Liberty under the LORD. That last part makes many modern Americans squirmy, cause it is so misunderstood.

  All governments are about control of the populations under their control. They also evolve into an institution that may be often corrupted. Many organized religions are successful for the appearance of making the congregation 'Children of God' and many then ally themselves with the government power to protect the people, or so they believe. 

  The truth is you don't need the government, you don't need religion you can be the best you can ever be without either. Having said that, remember that Jesus didn't really establish a Christian religion, he presented the truth and was the way. He never said the Roman government should adopt his love for everyone, he never forced anyone to his path, he talked, he taught and was a living example.  His tale of the temptations while in the wilderness are critical. For those temptations are being accepted as a way to change everything, but they never have changed anything except the fool that picks those.

   You do need to find the LORD, receive guidance and work out your life as the noise of stupidity ramps up, you should do it often and vigorously. Find like minded folks and work in love for God and goodness. Don't worry, the government, which ever one takes charge because there are too many godless fools will decide that you have to die. It is going to happen to the worst and the best of the human beings. Honor your God, love His creation and don't worry about it as you spread the message and make you life count.

Yes, there are some people that should not be armed, especially dangerous...

but, if I told you that when you lose you ability to bear arms as a right of a human being, then you should also lose your ability to vote - what would you think then?  First they started with the disabled and maybe not so disabled veterans (you know those men and women that killed people and broke things for their government) make sure they can't commit suicide or murder by having arms.... yep, happens.  Not too many to make the politicians quake, because if they are taking medications for mental issues they can't be too safe. If you tied their ability to vote to the same thought process as bearing arms or being responsible for financial dealings then the folks in charge of getting live bodies to the polls might worry.

   So now, the government in all its goodness and greatness is going to disarm the old folks.  How many old folks have committed these mass shootings? drive-by shootings? We should just pass a law outlawing oxygen to anyone bent on using arms for evil. Regulation of the tools will never stop what starts in the mind of a human, they will always invent a way to perform what task they put their mind to.

Gosh, I am now Facebook famous, I am a 'Right Wing Troll'. Wouldn't Mom be proud?

 

 

You would ask, you must be a liberal.

 

? As usual, not a lick of sense out of a right wing troll.

 

Ah, you must know my brother. .... didn't think I was more than Earl, but you have labeled me more than such. ....

 

  It was really a much better day away than when I got back to Facebook, there is a real message there.

 

  I woke one minute before the alarm went off at 4 am, turned it off, hit the shower, weighed and dressed for shooting. Made coffee and breakfast gruel (no egg) and took my blood pressure and medications. Look at the computer and turn it off, so it doesn't mess with my Computer Cave while I am away. So I drive off into the early dawning morning for a three hour drive with little competing traffic. Eagle Creek, Oregon, here I come.

 

  Got there, parked said hello to a lot of familiar faces, and we moved to the trap shed and parked again for introductions and safety briefing then moved the stuff to the two hundred and fifty yard mark. Ben loves starting the Known Distance with a Daniel Morgan one round cold bore shot, so we were going to do that. All seventeen of these fine marksmen and women, were going to go and establish their credentials.  The first few seemed to have it locked, making it look easy, then a couple misses. It was only an eight inch steel plate painted white. Then a hit that really rocked it and set it swinging. It settles and a miss or two more.

 

  Then it is my shot, and I always laugh at steel targets, because I can't hear them cry out when struck. Someone else was going to have to listen for me. It was a perfect shot from my view. And when it hit the target went crazy and died, dropped and crawled off for a replacement. I saw all that, they should all be that good.  Made my day, so I packed  my stuff up and came back home. I earned my Daniel Morgan Rifleman patch with my M1 Garand, built in 1954 at the Springfield Armory, MA.

 

   Okay, Al convinced me to stay and keep shooting, only a hundred and twenty more rounds to go, shoot, paste targets, record scores, and remember to raise the target back up or shooting it in the pits wouldn't work (there is an artillery cure for that).

 

   I had a great time, there were lots of repeat Riflemen, and some very new ones made at the full distance -- but I wasn't one of them.  Seems I switched targets a bit (I was not alone, some fine .223 round was right there in the middle of my .30 target! great shot, Janer!)  I did show a couple of brilliant moments, 300 yards under time pressure, two rounds within an inch of each other. Three hundred yards were my best position, and as a timed transition I couldn't out think the shot. Must work on standing and sitting just for finding solid and steady positions. 

 

  Overall, I learned much about what I need to work upon. I also, in the cool quiet of my home, know that I was effective as a military shooter. Just not enough to meet the qualifications of the standard, score of 200 or better, or thirty of forty hits in the black. But I will be able to do either or both with more dry fire for good reasons, and live fire for grins. I will be back.

 

   Came back home to find the Marines lost more men, and a sailor was badly wounded in an attack by an Islamist Terrorist that couldn't out run justice in Tennessee law enforcement. A naturalized legal immigrant from Kuwait, that little country that couldn't... will have to add them to my prayers today. We all need help. 

Well, the flag thing is finished back to everyone gets a gun...

   I support the 2nd Amendment, and I have never been foolish enough to think the criminals that wish to harm me will disarm because the government says they must.  And after their time of punishment is over all their rights should be returned, including the one to keep and bear arms. I do think change is possible.  You do notice that no one has put me in charge, haven't you?

  So this morning when I woke and turned on the commercial exploitation of a captive audience to see what had happened in the night. I find Kerry has given Iran all it needed this week. Now the President and the Democrats have to sell this agreement as wonderful to the people, the silly ones that think there is something to fear in America's Evil past (yes, I am talking about the really stupid ones that are so much better than I).  Should be a slam dunk, something I will never do nor admire.

  In keeping with my position that more nukes still don't matter, just like more guns don't matter, I am not concerned. President Clinton made sure North Korea had nukes, and the war hasn't broken out there, yet. President Obama makes sure Iran has nukes, thinking everything is equal. But the neighborhood is going to ISIS, ISIL, or to pieces. Anyone vacationing in Lebanon, lately? My Facebook avatar is the Israeli flag, the background is the Third Temple.

  I study History, and I know there are real fighters in the United States, who will fight for their cause against the hordes of barbarians without mercy.  But there is going to be lots of innocent blood spilled because so many have not one real core value or belief worth dying for, or fighting for. Too long fed the nonsense that America is the problem, they really believe it is. Get in line get your latte and go on line for your morning marching orders... you just aren't going to be ready for when the grid goes down.

Thems that hast no sense of pride nor shame, just no pride...

  I was trying to figure out how the Confederate Battle flag got to be such a hot item, a topic of no discussion and just striking fear into the few of little mind and less history... how did the country go completely nuts?

  I mean, I don't have to have one, but I can't get one to show solidarity with History, an opposing view point, nor calm the fears of the feeble folks.  My Betsy Ross flag is perfect for all I am standing for, but really it is so close to the current American flag, few notice and if I had a circle of twelve stars with one in the center - fewer still would know that one, and if I put the Roman number three in the center only a few would understand but the fear factor would be fueled.

  But getting away from all the lies, and legends (don't want to promote Bill o'Reilly's books) I have long noticed the trend to bland out color... We once painted RED, Blues, and other vivid colors, fierce animals of long ago, mythical and marvelous on our steeds for battle, buildings and barracks and exercise areas... anytime we needed to hide mud and dies were around.  But in garrison we flamed and postured proudly, cause we were awesome!  Then would come a sergeant major that had read the regulations, a modern commander that wanted everyone to calm down and play nice, and the beige paint would start to blandly be rolled over the traditional tigers with big teeth and eyes burning bright.

  My high school was once sporting a hillbilly like Mountaineer with a jug of shine and a rifle and beard. Now, some bland ram - a male or transgender representing the sheep we were to become... so sad, a sheeple by nature... bah, bah, bah.

  So meaningful fighin' spirit has to be cartooned into comical, or bland and pastoral... sheep.

All the time you need in retirement...

  I wanted to fire twenty-four rounds of 30-06 from my M1, and drove off to do so. And found the Seattle to Portland bicycle race running across my highway to happiness, on East Gate Road. Didn't even slow me down, but it was motivational - I could wear those kinda tight slinky kind of racing clothes, after dropping fifty pounds and more training, Drill Sergeant!
 
   I got to the range early, but still took the last rifle position and set up to shoot three sighters and five on the 100 yard target.  And along came John, panting after a real old war rifle, drooling about how he wanted to shoot one, own one and a bunch of other things.  And I had bristled when he said 'olde' cause the rifle is six years younger than I.  I am a kinder and gentler fellow than my rifle, so I set up and talked to him and his shooting partners, friends of the kind that own rifles and ammunition, and being gun people willing to let him shoot theirs.  Of course, this is Bloomberg's Washington, so without a national background check no one could allow the guy to shoot.  Then again, the FBI said the whole background check doesn't work as advertised - we could have mentioned since it was government it wasn't meant to work, just feel good.  Like sexual activities and no conception, the government.

  Anyway, the sights were on, but a bit left, so I allowed my first round (in case the rifle were going to kill its operator in a suicide attempt or a neighboring shooter) to be sighted and shot by the total stranger. His finger prints are on the trigger, sir, no I don't know his name, but you have the DNA evidence, don't you? Since I was looking through the spotting scope I know no targets were perforated by that round. It just doesn't count.  He thanked me for the experience.

   I slung up, fired two, checked them, went right about four clicks, and fired the remaining five. All my rounds hit the target.

The rifle is pointed at the two hundred yard target, which has a black six inch center.

Jumped in the Caravan, drove to and picked up the target and took it to the Two hundred yard line. ShootnSee target post on the center, little hole covers on the wide ones. Back to the line. Snap a picture and then three check, then five and make rifle cleared and safe, drive down to move the target to the three hundred yard line. Final eight rounds, I know how much elevation to add for three and four hundred.

   Shooting a Known Distance qualification course or two on Thursday this week, wish me luck!

Myth-perceptions

   I got all the myths, the classical ones from my Mother and the local library while I was growing up. I knew who Hero was, many today don't. But then there was still the word heroine around.  So I got Greek, Roman, Norse myths and legends, to King Arthur and a Thousand and One Nights.  I even got to read a book about Little Black Sambo, which was about a very smart boy in India and tigers.

   Not being too concerned about race at my tender age, I couldn't see the way others did, as they twisted things to make everyone worse, or perhaps feeling better - but it was always out there. The idea that one group, spokes person, or idea had more merit than the others is how culture is defined. Mozart over Beethoven?  Waltz over tango? I did note carefully the racial purity nonsense of the NAZI party, but it was just as accepted in America as Germany. There seemed to be lots of scientific research, publications and authoritive scripture from learned academics spouting similar nonsense.

   But people are of very short memory, if it didn't just happen, well - there doesn't seem to be any evidence that what I just said isn't true. So, hundred and many years later someone says something, and because they are important or current - what they said is true. Be it Climate Change caused by man, the Evil in being offensive or the suffering of being offended. IT MUST BE TRUE.

  The people swayed by such things are all lost, have no standards, and can't tell a truth from the lie. So sad they aren't thinking. Little logic, no lively discussion of points of view -- I remember learning so much more at the evening dinner table with Mother, Father and my siblings, and visitors. Adult conversations, imagine.  This is only my memory, not one survey completed, poll taken, nor written record survives, so in fact this is my personal Mythperception.