Well, I have been missing but am fine, thanks for asking...

  Didn't get my morning coffee for two days in a row, tripped on the rowing machine yesterday and today tripped on the top of the stairs at the YMCA sending my backpack and handhelds onto the rug as I attempted to look graceful in the falling to gravity and not hurting myself or the observers that didn't laugh but were concerned... I am fine, just acting in strict compliance with the laws of gravity and motion.

   Since it is the first of December the last month of 2015 only so many days to finish the year off correctly.  By being in love with the LORD and all of creation, of course.

   I have a new bicycle challenge that looks like last Decembers, but isn't. Twenty rides of a total of 125 miles, the least is six rides for 25 called the Mini Yeti, the next is that plus eight more for a total of seventy-five called the YETI, and six more for the Grand YETI and a 125 miles in all, now isn't that special for December to remember? In November they just wanted fifty and I did a hundred and fifty one, the 101 extra were just cause I am old and fat and remember the 101st Airmobile... or because I did not care to count. I knocked out the first three this morning, because they were bite size and didn't even add to ten miles - more like 9.85 virtuous miles of sweating. My newest buddy came over to wonder what was going on, he had started me talking about Appleseed and shooting accuracy because of my t-shirt and I left him the contact material to Google and find his way to an event one day.  We talked scopes, ballistics and the effect of Earth on the shot...

    I showered and came home with a stop for accounting of my accounts, so I know what little I have to spend wildly.  My wife is out and about, I removed my teeth and put my gun belt on, and thought I should mention it on Facebook, got to have something for the government to trip over, since they know it all so well.  In their obsession with finding out everything about every one - I laugh, because my parents never knew what was next, my friends and girlfriends were often surprised and strangers hardly ever had a clue... and I was only trying to be the best me possible, and only shocked by how difficult it is to be that person, especially as you are still a work in progress.  If I were really as worried about terrorists as the media and government want me to be, I would have put my teeth in when I woke, checked the functioning and load of my pistol and then put it on, with a smile prepared to face what may the day.

   Saw a movie 'Best Offer' on NetFlix last evening, I do think I will have to see it one more time and stay awake because I must have missed something somewhere. Still, movies are all part of the illusion of what is normal, aren't they?

I am not alarmed, but I am certain no one in government can protect us...

  Too true, the special elite people in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other gun controlled cities have nothing to fear from terrorists of any type.  It isn't like we have an Arch Duke riding around town waiting to be attacked a second time on the same day... The elite, special folks have everything they need to protect themselves.

  Now for everyone else, and you know who you are, there are borders that are crossed constantly with undocumented terrorists, murderers and rapists and thugs - daily. There are also good people coming across that same border preyed upon by government forces and gangs of bad guys... no one cares about them or you sitting watching WWE, you just don't need protection, an another voter and tax payer is coming in that same group of unchecked and undocumented and unasked for.

  The drugs and the labor are coming because they will be purchased, if someone had sex to sell they could be here and selling it, too.  The government doesn't care about any of that unless it affects the elite, their positions of power, or some voting block. Because we, the country, has an open heart and fat wallets the government by design fails to protect the people so they can heighten the fears of the few.  The undocumented fear being caught, not making enough money, and being preyed upon by gangs that know they have little protection from deportation, and also that Trump won't become President and who ever does will not change the borders nor all the illegal terrible stuff crossing it, because they won't be touched by it.

  Now if I were wanting to strike fear in America, which has been fat, happy and fed pap by the media and the political and elite classes, I would get teams in and strike symbols of all the evil power America has over the entire world, but do it in their backyard.  Forcing them to repress and restrict the people that thought they were free, living in liberty, trust and civilization.

   America the idea will die in fear, run by bigots, fascists, and repressive elites that have always protected themselves and lied and oppressed the people, as taught by college professors that believe in Marx.  This is a never ending battle, as long as media makes money keeping your attention on the blood in our streets, the Americans killed while enjoying the best hotels overseas, or embassy staff or real fighting heroes that go down swinging - well, what strokes the terrorists leaders ego is the death toll, the same thing that gives our media something to fill with talk, vigorous debate about how to protect the quivering bunny rabbit populations of the civilized society...  and the government is made up of people that can be handled to deny certain political groups status in the IRS, or large tax debt to go unpaid and unpunished - that same government that doesn't make the same rules for everyone is not capable of closing the border, rounding up all the undocumented, finger printing and getting a DNA sample and a name and giving them a government ID as an Unfortunate Wanderer. Then help them, tax them and hang them if they break the law.  We are all, unfortunate wanderers, those that are citizens may vote, those that want to become citizens may have to apply from their home country, but the government is broken, ineffective and often cruelly incompetent so it may never happen.

  I have changed my mind, allow the refugees in - there are 11 million UW folks here the government only needs to cause problems or help us already.. a few hundred thousand terrorists among a million or so refugees will likely be okay when offset by the value of the good refugees that stay and raise a family and work their life away for the next generation. Really, how many communists came over from Cuba, Vietnam and other countries? How many war criminals did we accept not knowing? Most of them don't turn into gangsters... they may become politicians.  For sure there are organizations that will help them vote long before they get citizenship.
 

War Crimes...

  The only way to defeat the faithful is to kill them all. The ISIS people know that, and are willing to kill all that don't believe the way they do, they are also prepared to die for their faith. 

  Western Civilized fools think that everyone can be bought, comforted and motivated by false idols, the real faithful with a link to their God, will die to follow His teachings and commandments, they are also only a small part of the mass of Western Civilized fools.

  So in the clash of two groups of humans, normally escalating to conflict and homicide and genocide quickly lots of innocent will perish and little comfort gained nor given.


  The idea that any government will be better than God's Kingdom, is lost when the truth is not to be found.  So y'all have fun with the idea that you can contain evil, especially when evil has been a rotting foundation of the progressive secularism in western civilization... sad.

  While driving today, I saw a bumper sticker for Hillary on a car in front of me, and immediately felt sad, knowing there are that many fools around that will vote for her, no matter how flawed she is and not prepared for the job... but then I had to consider, it has always been that way.  Especially when we think someone else has the answer to our troubles... instead of addressing them, finding personal solutions and making our world much better.

Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young

Title taken from Facebook comment about my new hooded sweatshirt, which costs so much but was delivered to my mailbox and I am very happy.





     I had too much time to think at the YMCA today, they moved all the old working weight machines out to bring in new improved weight machines since we weren't becoming bulked and ripped well enough already, having seen the vast improvement in the rowing and Expresso.com bicycle machines, I hope the new improved machines will encourage me to start using them again.  One only hopes, what happens is still to be determined.

    Now about the rebellion of the governors against Syrian Refugees, if they cannot have marriage defined by the states, they can't determine which humans they allow to live in their states either, until they break the law.  Then the folks get to charge them, judge them and execute them if they earned it.

    I imagine I will be just as willing to shoot my enemies from another religion as I am to shoot my friends from the same religion.  I haven't a racist bone in my body - if I were willing to have sexual relations with women from any race I am certainly willing to marry women of any race...

   Now, no matter what ever happens with the President Obama, or ISIS, or any terrorist or the media or the rich and powerful elite, hidden and in the open - I will always make up my own mind and be responsible for all my own actions.  I hope all you real Americans will be also.  The FBI and other folks have a long list of folks to be watching right now, am I on it? Don't care, they have enough to do badly... Remember the same security forces for the President, the country, the states, the counties, the townships and other municipalities all work for the powers that be. The broken VA Health system is just as effective as the broken Education systems, and the broken Immigration Systems, and the broken Border protection, and the broken Drug Enforcement system... all government goodness graceless done so wrong. So if I want educated, I read more, I ask questions and I ponder and practice... hmm, notice didn't see the government in that... of course I have used the government to aid my quest for Sainthood, but they don't really work in religious endeavors.

    Since I am convinced that no one, borrower nor lender, ever expects the National Debt to be paid off or even down - I know the fix is in.  The terrorists are going to come, they are going to be home grown, too.  Not that I care much, I am wiping all my ammunition with bacon greased fingers, I am making sure any body bags I have issued to me are lard coated so the body and blood can be cleaned off for recycling the bag for later use. When a new layer of lard will be used to prepare the body bag.

Nice weekend wasn't it?

Well I think so. 
    On Saturday I drove to Port Townsend for a wet Appleseed with thirteen shooters. All instruction and History presented and accepted by them, one AQT for score, and one shooter made a 235 of 250 possible, considering the wet chilly conditions I was impressed although it was his fourth Appleseed and he had made his Rifleman qualification score in the past, it did encourage the others to come back for another day. I had a couple rifles fail to extract, wet bullets sucking on the chamber walls, used my knife to get them out, and asked the man why he didn't carry a knife for just such a thing, all men and boys should carry knives. Then he told me he had a knife when he was six but they took it from him and sent him to the Principal's office when they discovered it.  He hasn't carried one since. How do you play mumbly peg without a knife? He didn't. And we wonder why things go bump in the night now? He was a great man, and was sharing the weekend shooting with his son, so he can't be all bad. Drove the hour and a half back home, crossing the toll bridge and losing six dollars because I didn't feel like driving around it in the wet darkness, I was tired already.

   Got home got the green stuff to make salad out of for Sunday's Thanksgiving Feast for the Church Youth - which because many of them are from Korean families may not have a firm tradition of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy -- and pie after that... the Men in my Bible Study and their loving wives provided. Figure to feed about ninety, fed about a hundred with extra stuff going home for a second meal for those that didn't come. I had some worries about how prepared we were to do this, the Korean pastors like to be in control and we were doing it on our dime and our time. It was a great success.


 While setting up I even got a picture of my Sunday school class, about 90% of them, with me for posterity.

Veterans on Veterans Day, Remembrance Day and mostly Armistice Day...

    I grew up with a veteran as my father, my uncle was one, too. Seemed that everywhere I looked as I was going to school, that everyone was a veteran. There was still a draft and Elvis was drafted, everyone was a veteran, so it seemed. So with my resolve firm when I figured out I didn't really care to spend more time in college studying my room mates' courses I joined the Army to be a Special Forces member, not knowing I was a year too young, not that the recruiter cared about what I knew as much as he cared that I was whole and breathing. Grand adventures or plenty of time waiting for something to happen and fat paperback books in my cargo pockets. I mentally fought in a hundred battles and wars through reading, movies abound with romantic themes of glory - movies just aren't as real as life is, just as we wish it could be. But seriously, nothing ever happened to me, no wounds, no bayonet charges, and all my fears just in my nimble mind.

  In the Roman Legions of the Roman Republic, in the mass of men and spears of the Greek city states, in Alexander's Macedonians - veterans were the old guys with the scars and slaughtering attitude that firmed up the lines and kept the innocent youth from breaking and running when the opposing ugly showed their fangs and snarls.  Most of George Washington's greatest battles were with his military inexperience and then with fighting the Continental Congress for the men and material to keep an Army in the field... thank goodness he beat both the Congress and the British generals. All he really wanted to do was go back home, to Mount Vernon, which is really what all the veterans want to do, go back home. Not that they wouldn't do it again if needed, but you can get very cynical thinking about how few people understand what you do and why you do it. Always good for a little humor about how bad it could be, but you have been lucky, blest and getting by the best you can.

   Mostly you want to get on with living in peace and plenty, you wish your children to be strong and courageous - but you pray they never have to go, and then realize they always do go, old folks need them and their service almost every generation - so we honor the Veterans today, and next May we will honor the dead lost in our wars. Don't get them confused, but always remember them and the price of peace and plenty.  It is beyond dollars and sense.

Time to remember the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month, and give thanks like they did when the guns fell silent.

Best tool for the job...

  So I went and shot a hundred and twenty rounds through my 1911 Colt Model 70. I had a couple of little problems and worked through them. Which makes me think that I might need new magazines and some gunsmith work.  In the reflective light of mowing the wet grass this morning, I realize that buying my way to happiness will never be as effective as working my way to the point of good shooting on time on target.  Since the pistol isn't most of my problem, and I am easier to reprogram for success than the ammunition, magazine and pistol.

Not doing it for the glory of God, nor in the name of the LORD...

  just means not very important, and probably sure to fail. But the challenges of the country are not found in the belief in God, they are found in the belief in other men and women, and the lack of faith.

   I was raised to believe that a promise was a promise, that a man's handshake was part of the bond between us and meant that we could work together for our good.  I was raised to think I should carry out my work, duty and service to the best of my ability.  And to know that sometimes it wouldn't work nor be enough and admit failure and get up and try again.  Conquer the problem by solving it for myself then others.

  I finally realized that no one in Washington, DC or in the banking systems around the world expects to have the debts paid off, they all expect to stay chained in partnership forever since both lender and borrower get their needs satisfied.  If you are a little borrower, the lender owns a piece of you, if you are a giant borrower then you control a piece of the lender. The governments are about power, which in the big picture isn't muscle and iron, it is what you control.

  Who controls you? Where is your contribution to the powerful? Why?

    

Okay debate analysis...

  I watched another debate, and sure enough, I have noticed finally (I am slow about stuff) that the opponents are the candidates and the moderators, that is the two sides with agendas.  The moderators have to promote drama and interest - this last debate was against the World Series, and all the professionals were wearing uniforms with total fan involvement. The amateurs were in suits in indoor comfort in Colorado. That they were amateurs was pointedly pointed out by an off his rocker sitting governor from Ohio, the too long sitting governor of New Jersey was running for Presidential Office as to be considered highly for Attorney General with a possible Supreme Court nominee future. Doctor Ben Carson is concerned for the nations' moral health while the survivor of the Clinton political machinery was proposing making big changes in how the Federal government conquer big ticket health killers.

   It is good there are so many different ideas on stage, one size fits all is the bland beige Democratic Socialist Party poop and no one wants to step in it. 

   Did it make my mind up? Nope, there are several people on that stage and would do a better job of the President than the opposing party... but we will have to wait and see what the folks behind the curtain will allow to lead us... cause you do know the fix has long been in, don't you?

  If I believed that Jeb! and Marco liked each other enough, Jeb! striking out at Rubio's poor attendance record on votes were because Jeb! is saving his best for later when he gets anointed by the Establishment Olde Foggies, and boosting Marco's poll numbers and performance opportunity for the night. Jeb! reminds me of the student that has everything except true reason for living and a solid sense of his silly, and then has no standing in the clique because everyone is playing by different rules they make up as they go, which is just not fair to someone that is given every opportunity and still is boring.

   I will point out that the difference between 2011 and 2015 is four years, and the Republicans were not well served last time by too little choice, and this time don't seem well served by too many choices, but I was involved last time, since I thought I could really make a difference... I know so much better now. Aside from very real voter fraud, which has been prosecuted for the last two years from that last election, and is still on going --- to all the fast stuff the GOP did to the TEA Party and the tea party to produce Romney and Ryan, who were never ever going to win against the Real African-American Peace Prize winner, there was never a doubt the fix was in, and the lack of real honor in the political classless folks means to me it will happen again... and war games on the computer give me a more satisfactory victory. Like every day on the range is better than an hour on television viewing.