Taking a personal break before paying bills and filing tax return... which could be another bill...

  As I have gone over a year now with the pacemaker, I have remarked at various times to lots of people that I did not know how much I had been affected by the problem that the pacemaker fixed until I started to heal.

  As I am no longer a paid productive member of society but just another leach that has enough credit and plastic to get my way, and needing so little except entertainment and the library is already covered by my taxes so it is almost free. Anyway, as I got healthier, and things happen (like I decide to do something, and I go do it!) or I have to have the garage cleaned out by... or the telephone service done by... or get my business cards, Appleseed t-shirts packed up, or many things and still find some time to make it to the gym (or in my case the YMCA) and sweat and study yoga pants parading by...(really, I am only there for the sweat, I dimly remember what was supposed to be attractive about such fashion  -  but I am olde enough not too befooled and befuddled by them).  Seriously, I am starting to feel like I could handle a few more productive years of work - scary thought that might be if I start looking does it count against the number of un-employed if I filed for unemployment? Could I? There is probably a law against it.

  It just got me to thinking, that those in poverty, that adjust to their circumstances with aide and assistance from several layers of government that want to take care of their needs (and keep their important job secure and votes going for the political party of question) would be just like me - stuck in the rut in the road to nowhere. Sustained but not important nor productive.  The design is fixed and the bankers, politicians and those that want control, official or not official control like or even LOVE the design of that rut in the road to No Where, USA. 

  There is a lot of discussion in Europe about the new government in Greece, which was elected, and wants to change its relationship with the Central Banks about its outstanding loans.... let them default, stand on their own two feet and break free of the bondage to the bankers.  Maybe the Americas would wake up, too.  But the world is much like Earl with slow blood circulation - not really awake and aware. Afraid of going to sleep to wake to find the ship sinking - like 'All is Lost' (fine dialog, Robert Redford).  As I tried to convince my cousin that gravity is a constant and we can adjust to it, government support and proficiency isn't a constant and must be discounted, since they only help big people of power and the bankers.. always. Only God considers us equally.

Just call me... isn't that a song?

  I made the big leap into getting all my services on one bill. The price was right, the number of checks I would have to write would be fewer.... and there is an advertisement on the television that if they can't make it within a two hour window I would get Comcast credit (as in a new currency that I can't use with anyone except Comcast? a non taxable credit? does the IRS know about it?).

  Email received, the hook up box has shipped. The box arrives, I set it up in the bedroom, nothing works. Sigh, so I now know why the return label was so in my face - they knew I had no ability to self hook up. But I went to the ground and hooked up at the cable box, and I have everything, internet and such. Hmm, check the outside line in - oops, it was disconnected, connect same move back into the bedroom. Success!

  Put the telephone on the modem, no line, nothing.  Hmm, I asked to port my long time home phone number to the new XFinity (Digital) Voice.  I received emails telling me that they had called and: "Thank you for choosing XFINITY Voice. We recently called your home phone number and provided you with your XFINITY Voice Security PIN. To protect the privacy of your account, we require the use of a Security PIN to manage calling features and view or discuss your call detail records online or through Comcast Customer Service." Do you see the same problem I do?

  And if the computer can't guide you through the set up they actually have a big area of their complaint department with long suffering folks talking about how sad the service is. A very LONG line of poor service and trouble switching the number. And I just did my business cards.

   A well known secret is that I, Earl, am not a fan of telephones - unless I want to call someone, and normally I don't. So I got rid of my cell phone after my cross country motorcycle trip and I live on Face book and emails. But really, no one wants to call me, and now I can add Comcast and Xfinity Voice to the list of folks that just don't love me enough to connect. This is Friday the 13th, and the telephones aren't ringing off the hooks here - so no telethon possible. It is so quiet here that I heard the mole annoy-er outside the home chirpping randomly in the night - and my hearing isn't normally that good. Who ever designed that device was thinking of Dune's thumpers and worms.

  Calls to former provider and then to Xfinity Vocie and I now have a very happy wife and two working telephones in the home. And I am so much smarter than when I first wrote this five hours ago.

Basing a life on irrational fears...

  Once taught that Europeans believed that sailing too far to the West one would sail off the edge of the world, I knew that was never true. Not only Viking sailed to find new lands to raid and conquer, the Basque fished far beyond that edge for a long time, and kept their fishing ground secret. But there were tales that told often enough, become a relative truth and increase a person's fear.

   A much more modern fear is the one surrounding firearms that has cause the almost complete disarming of the citizens of Australia and Great Britain.  You can look it up, frightened folks were fooled into their fears by media and the power hungry to protect lives. This fear is reinforced by media treatment of drama, adventure and exotic people and places - guns and sex and violence and adult language are entertainment or NEWS.

  So in a planet full of billions of people, one to fifty humans acting criminally and killing, wounding or destroying property with firearms is something to be frightened of, really?  The people engaged in such evil behavior are insane, possessed by demons, criminally intented (I made that phrase up), or on strange mental lapses from humankind. But they aren't Legion.

  More people die by drowning in the United States than by firearms, but it makes a quick sad, sorrowful report that a child drowns. What does a sane society do? Well, they have swimming classes, they provide life guards and safe places to swim, and they avoid driving off of bridges into the water, they wear floatation devices when working and recreating on boats and hook themselves up in heavy seas. There are answers, but they never outlaw water of over a quart because it has the capacity to drown some one, or many people.

  I would wonder why there aren't more Jaws movies, why most of the monsters for entertainment became Vampires, Aliens, dragons, dwarfs, trolls and orcs -- except that the summer spent on the beach didn't make tons of money after Jaws, and shark hunting went up.

  So the media makes money on firearms by presenting humans in the worse possible way with the firearms, if sex were at all like the movies some of humanity would quit engaging in it - you just are never going to get the woman the way Bond does.  Having watched professional wrestling, boxing, martial art combat and real combat - you will never fight nor see violence like it is presented in the media - it is quicker, uglier and often so ineffective. 

   My only point is the people start to believe the 'truth' presented by the media - especially in harmless entertainment. But it isn't harmless if it makes you fearful of things you can handle by rational thinking, training and good old common sense. Now, those in POWER, will always try to disarm the public, always -- or give them the illusion that the citizen has a right to arms - except the really lethal ones that those in POWER are afraid of.... rational thinking trumps media frightening movies, books and news.

Once known as a nation of Riflemen... it was never really true, was it?

  So it is Saturday morning, and I am going shooting something... and there are other people interested going to Olympia for a demonstration against Bloomberg's Anti-Gun Conspiracy - you know the former Mayor of New York that thought big sweet drinks would cause the fall of his city, so he just made them illegal. Well he came back after guns, fooled many of the people and they voted their rights away - except if it is a right it existed before the law and can't be voted away... but then the whole law to be voted on wasn't presented, the author of the law (must have been part of a coven) wrote it so badly that now lawyers and judges will have to rule on something that flew in the face of the US Constitution and the Washington State Constitution.

  This is all because the good Mayor has irrational fears and made irrational efforts to quell his fear. A second demonstration caused a stir in the elected officials that saw citizens carrying scary black rifles of some kind OPENLY into the viewers gallery to watch their elected officials - they were afraid, frightened beyond belief, and promptly dispatched the State Troopers to monitor the group, and passed some meaningless legislation declaring they were working in a gun free zone, except for: your great State Troopers, law enforcement folks, and those elected members and staff that were carrying concealed... or just like most gun free zones - criminals with intent. The fools have made enough problems with their Ninja Mall Rat gear and guns. So I will write a letter, which should be much more effective than parading around with elected officials that don't want my opinion, clutter or noise.


  So, I go shooting.  The range is less than two miles from my home, and I never knew it existed. Tacoma Sportsmen's Club Friendly folks, helpful, and I am looking forward to shooting this again in the future - just because I have no where to go but up. About a hundred rounds fired, I have some issues to work upon. Some pictures? Sure...

  You have heard that the United States of America was referred to as a nation of riflemen. Couldn't be that any more - the NRA is running around worried about votes in Congress and your home state - yes, they do teach rifle marksmanship and safety, and yes they do sponsor competitions and ranges. But they aren't building that rugged individual rifleman part of the American Heritage - only the Boers had as well known a tradition. No, when a cousin noticed I was posting NCAA rifle team completions on Face Book, he asked how many SEC colleges has rifle teams so I went to find out. SHOCK - hardly any, because you do know that rifles are scary things don't you? The list of competing colleges is only a wikipedia search away, or I can link it.

  I will have to continue to try and find the few, that would like to learn marksmanship, sixty dollars and five hundred rounds on a two day weekend, the Appleseed Project. I thought everyone was a rifleman, and it just isn't true - your circle of friends isn't like mine, is it? I feel so sorry for those that can't, and even worse for those that could but have been frightened back into their recliner in front of the cable by Mayor Bloomberg and his henchmen. Remember, if he has his way, no big sweet drinks.

So what is my excuse... Oh, I wasn't shot down in a helicopter in Iraq...

 There just had to be a reason I am not famous, aside from the fact my mother really hoped I would be humble - it would have made her so proud.

  I should be on the road to the YMCA, but like many part-time bloggers, a few words on Facebook and some comments and emails in the cyberspaces we haunt, there is no passion to get my message out.

  I am in the midst of rebuilding our life inside the home, new ISP (if I ever get connected), new phone service at the same number, new insulated garage doors with opener (which means I have to move all the junk and motorcycle to other areas - lovely). estimated time to completion is about six weeks which is two Appleseed events and one local competition shoot away. I could have counted the number of weekly garbage pick ups or something else. The truck is rumbling along the street now, lots of noises.

  Second cup of coffee, I did make it strong today, felt dehydrated yesterday so tanked up when I got home.  There are a couple pieces of furniture that will make my living a little better. And since I am up, if I plan and build it better the whole thing will be cool. Kind of a Spring time build the nest better feeling or something. The turning off computers has really loosened the chains and it is time to get going. Signed up for nine Revolutionary War Veterans Association events through June. Need to get the word out that by going to the RWVA forum you, too, can find a fine place to learn something about history and marksmanship with good people.

   Not doing things the normal way, is either going to get me deeper into the rut, or over the edge into the new one in another direction. Life is built on choices, may all of yours be wonderful, for mine have just amazed me.

 

So January is almost over, go shooting with anyone, why not?

  If a well regulated militia is necessary for the security of Free State --- why haven't you gone shooting with someone. Rumor has it that the Swiss did, I know I did this morning.

  It is difficult to convince some people to spend some time away on a range shooting targets, some folks are looking for other things to do and conquer.  But finally, one of the men from church decided he would go with me to the range and we had a great time. He and I learned many things, about ammunition, shooting and each other. One down, many others to work on next.

  We did go early enough to get positions and targets, sure enough there was a waiting list for most of the morning. I don't think the movie is driving the desire to shoot, I still think that many got some improvement in shooting device or a rifle for Christmas and a settling in, and zeroing. We started out on sighting squares and found his ammunition wasn't powering his Ruger 10/22, it was only 750 fps, and recommended for competition indoor ranges and bolt action. He changed to Blazer and everything worked better, but now he was shooting high. Adjustments are the thing.

  When I had settled down and zeroed the Stevens 414 Armory model, single shot target rifle from 1907? I switch to shooting  a Classification AQT, the RWVA green coat. Twenty round, five per target, and on the first time through I marked in a shingle for the fun of it. My first target was 204, still a bit looser than I wanted. But then I did nail the Shingle low center, surrounded by black. Put up another Classification AQT, without the shingle and just twenty rounds and my good intentions I scored 232 of  possible 250. I was happy but chilling, temperature was dropping while the fog had lifted and long since breakfast and I hadn't dressed heavy. I changed to the Marlin Liberty Training Rifle, and loaded three magazines with five rounds each and shot at the orange center of the target. High left - change the sights (it had been used as a loaner) and then shoot again. Had a great time. Total, about a hundred rounds for me, eighty or so for him, all rounds made in Lewiston, ID, ammunition capital of the Great Northwest. Yes, they were all on target and safe.

Saturday morning, I know you are on the range somewhere...

   I have my copy of all the Appleseed Event shoots in Washington, Idaho and Oregon. Will be putting them on my calendar to check for conflicts with other stuff that I need to do. One sister mentioned driving across the country (SD to FL and back) had gotten her over fear of driving long distance alone and might think about coming to Idaho to shoot. My brother said there were a couple members of the family that had guns she might use (we've been outed!) not that he had one. I said if Sherry could come up with a twenty-five meter range the traveling Appleseed show could go her way. Now that would be fun. I have been part of an Appleseed in Spearfish, South Dakota.

   Wife got out of the home early for morning prayer. I will grab another rifle and head that way soon.

Some nice guy from India called three times yesterday to tell me that I was sending too much data from my computers and he would help me clean out the virus or program that had taken it over. Since I had no patience I disconnected the modem, shut all the computers down and did something else, came back later and cleaned all the computers and reconnected the modem, then started shutting the computers down (two are off now as we speak) and I will shut this one down after this post. Amazing the amount of time to fill if one isn't on line trying to feed on snark, snarls and snippets.

   Do check your business cards for typing errors, this blog was listed on blogsport.com instead of blogspot.com --- which would have meant one or two fewer followers.

That is an old issued one, but even they had to be checked and re-issued when they were found flawed. Those were the days.