Live like you are only going to get one chance...

You mean that I don't get a 'do-over'? on my life? So if I fly off the road at speeds because I was drunk on speed and alcohol - I am not trying to live long and prosper? Imagine that.

Could it be that we really think there is something out there that will save us from our folly? That bad behavior is expected, cool, and forgiven quickly? One would have to still be living in childhood to think that is going to be better as soon as you get back to mother with your tears and bruises.

I don't need to personally examine your or my life, but let us just look at the Federal Government. Why do those in the offices and agencies and positions of perhaps powerful - why are they operating as if they are going to get a pass, a do-over, and forgiven? Crimes against the citizens? Can they be held responsible for their sins? and silly stupidity?

Ever hear that one about, if you haven't got time to do it right now, completely and correctly - when are you going to have time to fix it? Yeah, live like you are only going to get one chance. Another good reason for one term limit. ONE term limit in every elected office, no retirement, and thank you very much for your attention.

It is called Government 'Service' for a reason, we didn't say that the positions must be powerful, we said the People must be powerful. Representing the People, not RULING the people restricting the People or redesigning the People.

Well, time to start packing out for the trip to this weekend's Appleseed. Hope you are all going to shoot straight and do great things this weekend - live like you are getting only one chance to make that shot, kiss that girl, win that race or love your pet when no one else loves you.

For those that don't know, today is one of those...

days so important and not remembered enough. April 19th, the day the Federal government took down the Compound in Waco, Texas. Two years later a bomb blows up and destroys the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Should be a day that everyone remembers shouldn't it? The nation should know exactly what happened in both those cases, but probably doesn't. There are movies and books about both, mostly from the survivors not enough from those that caused the confrontations and destruction.

So, since recent memory is so bad, although there is video tape and audio tape of the siege and take down of the Branch Davidians, it isn't part of History.

Way back in 1775, the Royal Governor, General Gage, had sent his Flank Brigade out under Colonel Smith to seize the military stores at Concord. So seven to eight hundred Redcoats, grenadiers and light infantry, were rowed across the back bay, and made a night march to Concord, with a confrontation in Lexington that got out of control, where eight townsmen were killed and a regular wounded. That brief exchange of gunfire in Lexington was not the end of the killing, or the mannerly confrontation between the Royal Authority and the restive population of New England. By the time the British actions in Concord started the confrontation at North Bridge, the death of more New England militia and British regulars the American Revolution was rolling along faster than History could write and report about it. Over fourteen thousand New England militia would have gathered and attacked the British forces and forced them back to Charleston and Boston.




So if it is 1775, April 19th, and you live in New England, where would you have been on that day? With the British? on the road trying to catch up with the fight? on the farm taking care of the animals (cows had to be milked), at home packing food up for your boys to take out to the men? treating the wounded? burying the dead? putting out the fires in homes burned by the British? Where would you have been? and would you have any idea about where this was going to go?

April 19th, should be a very important date for Americans to study and remember - a nation shouldn't grow into its first enemy should it? Certainly the sins of the father shouldn't become the sins of the great-great-great-great-great-great grandsons. Should they?

Well, are you hiding that you don't think the way ...

"they" do? While visiting Sunday School I mentioned that I like to shoot, and that some people actually believe I am dangerous because of that, and compared it to telling people that I am a Christian working my way to Heaven, as close as I can get at least. I often thought that my son and I will be outside the Walls of Heaven waiting for the Devil and his dudes to show up and fight, and that my wife was going to have to throw food over the wall to sustain us. That isn't real theology, more fantasy than fact. But if you write and walk and talk, and never use profane, vulgar or obscene language - no one notices the absence. If you don't steal, try to have sex with whomever you can hook up with, cheat on your taxes or drive too fast -- no one notices. If you quietly take your gun for a walk downtown, and no one sees it -- no one notices. If you take it to the range, shoot it in safety - the only people that will notice are the other shooters trying to make their best shots, or asking about your firearm, ammunition and how is it going.

You are sailing under the radar, flying under the radar, not making waves, being a wonderful quiet citizen. You could be hiding. You do want more safe sane shooters, more ranges, more opportunity to have a good time with firearms. You do want more honest people, hard working and happy families, don't you? If you are like me, your hair and half your teeth are gone, the excess weight is slowing you down, and you are listenting too much to people with things to say, so they can sell advertising space based on how many are watching them. FOX News plays to a demographic that CBS, ABC and NBC don't - but all of them aren't shooting, or praying in public and thanking God for their blessings, are they? They are entertaining or something like that, and they aren't making honest young people into the future of America and the world, although they might think so. Kind of like the Education Department, good intentions poor performance.

Every time a politician gets up in front of questioners, ask they when they are going to repeal those fool laws no one enforces against criminals, when we can take God and guns back into our schools. Ask them, I don't expect an honest answer, I was talking about a politician, but they need to know what flag you are flying under, and if the question is well stated and intended you make them think they can't keep you out of their arena. Time for those with a difference to stand up and make a bigger one.

Glad someone understands the best we have...

I have been reading Carteach0, for a long while and it is on my blog roll and I have him on Facebook. I have admired his good sense about many things and am still using his reloading instructions. Anyway, he finally went to Appleseed - not that I think he needed to, he shoots very well - but it is out there and some of the other bloggers talk about it, so he went.

Preparation

Day One Saturday

Day Two Sunday

I have to acknowledge that I am a frustrated citizen, not understanding what is going on in the culture and country - which I see as doomed to failure, but when I find another blogger going to and then posting about Appleseed in this kind of positive manner, to me that is one more person I can trust with the future. The most important part is the passing on of a fine tradition and honoring the heritage of April 19, 1775. They weren't running a marathon that day, although it may have seemed like it.

Sometimes a letter with a smile is all it takes...

Carteach0 has caught the best part of Appleseed, although he also wrote (after a good night's sleep) about the difficult part for us elder gentlemen. I agree, the best part is the caring and sharing the love of safe shooting, and improving it. I would relax the eyes a bit, and only focus on the front sight, but first make sure that you are on the correct target. I have always loved to read about Appleseed from the eyes of those that just found it. If you are part of it, you wonder why the whole nation isn't doing it. But then I have thought (since about 1962 Junior High Rifle Club) that learning to shoot well with a coach that loves the sport is the way to a lifetime of happy experiences with firearms. I hope his second day is great, although it is raining...

I found an email in my inbox, from a friend, catching me up to many of the things that have happened to him and his family and our church since I have moved along. We last had lunch in November, but that was a long time ago, wasn't it? He is one of two friends I admit to having, but since the other one has been long, long out of touch that says way too much about my lack of social skills and commitment than theirs.

The NRA and most of the gun community seems to be enjoying St. Louis, I read the bloggers a bit. I am very certain that a large part of our American culture is not reflected in our media, controlled by the elite - which makes me wonder what we don't know about long ago and far away in History. I see the Secretary of the Treasury telling his version of the economy and the current President's programs and promises... either he doesn't really know anything about what is really happening, or he is misleading the reporter for the wrong reasons. Time to go back to finding the target, settling into the six steps for making the shot, for sure when you go look at the target it says what happened. There is always a little padding of the truth as you walk away from a great day at the range - don't we always remember the best things we did, happily?

Old dog new tricks...

I am not moving into the high speed world of iPad, iPhones and the like, but I have a Kindle and the library lends eBooks in that format and others. So I wanted to read a book by Elizabeth Moon, and put it on reserve for myself - then asked how I would get it into my Kindle...

First one has to go to a new part of the Library webpage "OVERDRIVE" and set up an account, then browse for desired title then add it to your request list, then wait for email from Library for notice that it is available. Notified, you get seven days (really they go by hours) to download it to your Kindle. You put it in your cart, go to your Kindle account and when you next link up with your Kindle it is magically at the top of your reading list. Hope you didn't forget the title... or you might not recognize it. Read quickly, because it is due to magically disappear one day. I am in the middle of a far away land with good people and heroes, and EVIL nasties... and only my pressing the page forward or back makes it any different from a paperback, and that my library doesn't have all the titles in the UNIVERSe that I want to read. How do we fix that?

How will they weed the collection? Kindle knows how to keep track of my browsing and buying... do I have to wade through all the Romances? Appleseeds everywhere today, I have one for next week in the midst of the state in the middle of windmill country...

Okay, I am a generous man...

Or so you could believe, as I finished my income taxes today and wrote the check that would make sure I had paid my fair share... I noticed that my wife and I had given more to charity - accounted for, and not accounted for - than we paid in federal income taxes. Sure we paid more taxes on property, sales tax, fuel tax and idle thought tax but those aren't big ones. To me that just proves that I follow God's guidance better than I follow the King's. And I don't seem to face fines and penalties if I don't come up with the tithe on time. God is good, and the King needs better promotions.

Politicians aren't to be trusted, since they act like we aren't to be trusted. If one has to whip the slaves to get them to build a monument, then they aren't really into the memorial or it is really bad art. If you have to threaten me to get me to produce a fair share, I must not think fair share for me is the same as fair share for you... but then - I like most of us 'people' don't KNOW many politicians, just not hanging around with them. They aren't walking along the road with me, shooting at the range with me, and only Ron Paul and some candidate for Governor think I am worth Facebook space... hmm.... that might mean I am smarter than they (all the others) than they are. But then I knew that, but what counts with me is being more honorable.

It is so easy to be more honorable in this day and age... the fools think you are old fashioned, quaint or certainly not to be trusted if you can't be threatened or bought... Sigh, they really never grow up, do they?