We drove towards Anchorage for over two hours last week on the highway, and I kid you not, every single sign had at least a couple bullets holes.  The stop sign in my old neighborhood was pretty much illegible because there were so many bullet holes in it.  I stopped and took a picture of the Chugach Forest sign full of bullet holes and shot gun pellets- pretty much symbolizes the Alaskan reverence for the great outdoors. 

Tomorrow Mom and I are driving to Portland so I can buy enough makeup to last. I also need some new pants, since - I've been told adamantly on several occasions - it will be near impossible to find pants that will fit my big white booty in Nationalist China.

Overall, I'm getting pretty excited.

Since John McCain announced his wild and crazy choice of Sarah Palin to be his running mate in the presidential election, wild and crazy stuff has been coming out about her.

I am not going to do the Democrats' work by repeating it all here, but Americans shouldn't go thinking that John McCain's staff didn't thoroughly vet her beforehand.

Are you kidding? Her selection was vetted with the same care and attention to detail that the Bush administration took in making the case to invade Iraq.

But I do have some concerns about Palin's fitness to hold high office. Mostly, I am worried about her penchant for moose hunting.

Original DVD cover.

It would seem to me that, in terms of skill, shooting a large animal like a moose is about as difficult as hitting the side of a barn or taking potshots at a drive-in movie screen. Where is the challenge? And what has any moose done to offend Palin or anyone else?

Moose are known to move ploddingly about the bush, stopping every so often to graze like large government workers at the staff cafeteria. I don't doubt they can get ornery, especially if you call them homely, but all large, dim-witted animals can be dangerous -- for example, Rush Limbaugh.

But I don't think this is any excuse to open fire.

...snip...

Frankly, I fear for America's prestige in the world when mooseburgers are added to the White House menu at the vice president's behest. Previously, the worst that happened was that visiting dignitaries would be tortured if they didn't eat their vegetables.

...snip...

Fortunately, the presumptuous vice president has family values. In fact, with her sort of far-right values, she could be Genghis Khan's sister.

Still, by picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, John McCain has liberated all of us from the tyranny of experience. He has picked someone who is not just inexperienced but spectacularly so, a privilege reserved for the good-looking.

But experience is so yesterday.

...snip...

Of course, before this announcement, the conservative talking point was that Barack Obama was not experienced enough for the White House. While some have desperately recalibrated the argument, now saying for the first time that executive experience is what is needed, that won't fly either. Palin doesn't have much of that, either.

The experience argument as used against Sen. Obama was always just a convenient way of saying: "Go away. Come back when you are experienced, by which time we will have another excuse and you will be too old to be exciting." Now his critics are reduced to not liking him because he doesn't shoot moose.

Tip of the hat to the handsome and talented Crashing Vor for the DVD suggestion!

awesome

IMDB

allmovie

Release: (2005)

Runtime: 122 Minutes

Starring: Nicolas Cage

This one is about a guy that decided to sell weapons to make some good money, because he figures, people will always need weapons.  Eventually he moves away from legal selling into the realm of weapon trafficking.  He lives a lavish life, always one step ahead of Interpol Officers.  Eventually, like every movie of this sort, he hits the wall and we find out what a guy in his situation does in a tight bind.

The issue presented here is the ethicallity of arms dealing.  Should someone be selling weapons, even if legally.  We find out throughout the movie that governments will sometimes use these illegal arms dealers to supply weapons to the enemies of their enemies.  We all now know how silly it is to help someone get to power on the other side of the world, hoping they will help us later. (Afghanistan?  Iraq?)  Basically, the guy in the movie is right, people will always need weapons.  There will always be someone that wants power and money, and weapons help them get it.  As long as they are there, their enemies will have weapons as well and a wake of death will follow.

Accessibility: 8

Technique: 7

Thought Provoking: 8

Originality: 7

Entertainment: 8

Now, I understand completely that both guns and gunns can be weapons of mass destruction and bring people to their knees, so I have provided some visual clarification...

Gun (one n)                                          Gunn (two n's)

.

As of late I have  become increasingly aware of the fact that ones left gunn (or if you're left handed, your right gunn) is just a bit of a spare, really. When compared to the dominant gunn there is a significant lack of strength and skill. One can argue that the less dominate gunn does have its uses, but it simply cannot compare or compete with the strength and vigor of ones dominant gunn.  This can be likened to the difference between the gun (note we are now talking about the hand weapon) that would be kept in your closet, and the gun that would be kept in your handbag if you were to live in South Africa. Although the Closet Gun can be of some use, the Handbag Gun is indisputably more beneficial because of its readiness and frequency of use.

This aside, the intention of writing this blog is simply to share the up side of a rather negative situation. You see, four weeks ago I broke my wrist. This has been a most unfortunate event and many a frustrating and awkward moments have occurred as a direct result. None the less, there has been some up sides to this. One of these being the remarkable growth of my left, previously less dominant gunn. You see I broke my right wrist. This is the wrist I use to draw, paint, eat, shower, and everything else with.  Due to my resilient nature (which some may term stubborn and independent) I have learnt to do a whole lot of things with my left hand, thus promoting the significant growth of my left gunn.
I am now perfectly capable of buttering my toast and opening many a complicated closed things with my left gunn. Remarkable! I know.

Currently, my left gunn is outstanding. I can tell you now, that the only reason my left gunn is of such high calibre is because I have been forced to work with it and develop it. It's amazing the sort of growth that can come from opting for the uncomfortable option of constantly working with the weaker parts of yourself. I think that  this is part of why I believe intimate relationship is such a fundamental part to being  a healthy person. If we are brave enough to stick around, trust, become vulnerable and truely offer of ourselves, relationship forces us to pick up the pen with our left hand so to speak and interact with our weaknesses. We suddenly become acutely aware of our previously hidden dispositions and struggles. If we resist the urge to return to our tried and true right hand, we will find that our capacity to love increases as we develop the weaker areas of ourselves.

I somehow feel that the above may not be as amusing to most as it is to me. So to make up for this, here are some drawings that I did with my left hand for you. I did these with pencil and chalk.

The following is my favourite. I think we all know someone like Hackle in the picture below.
Keri, I think you would appreciate it.

Show me your gunns.

When I stepped out of the taxi i literally kissed the streets of Harlem. I know that it sounds disgusting and I immediately wiped my mouth with an alcohol swab that I had handy, but those of you who have yet to see the hidden wonders of america just don't understand how lucky we are to live in NYC.

Here is a brief list of things that i won't miss about California:

Trailer trash, spiders, lizards, 110 degree days, roaches that are as big as out waterbugs, spiders, and gun toting ignorant bigots. Oh and did i mention the trailer trash and the spiders?

Adios Cali! Even though I'll miss the Mexican food, drinks by the pool and the shooting range I'll take crack heads, subways and bodega's anyday.

About half an hour ago I woke up to a man shouting. That's not abnormal for this neighborhood. We have some young art students that get drunk sometimes and shout. But this is different. This exuded sadness and confusion, and a little bit of anger.

"Jehovah is my god! Jehovah is MY god! JEHOVAH! He is my god, and don't you forget it! DON'T YOU FORGET IT!"

He chanted "Jehovah is my god" over and over. I peered out the window. Tall, black man, white t-shirt, jeans, pacing the street shouting. It seemed like a mantra to him, but like an angry mantra. I wanted to call the police at first because I was afraid something bad might happen to him. But I didn't. I left him alone and hoped he would tire out and fall asleep in someone's nice, soft yard. I roll over onto my right side and my husband places his arm around me and squeezes, then lets go. He loves me. Then there were gunshots.

Five. Maybe six. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! My husband holds tight to me and though my body stays in the bed, my mind rolls onto the floor. I squeeze his hand as my eyes pop open wide. Marc. Where is Marc? He's in his bed on the other side of the house. He's safe. Man. What about the man?

I run out into the dark living room to find my phone, but by the time it reaches my hand the police have already arrived. I peer out the window once again, nervous of any subsequent gunshots. The police seem to have been here for a few minutes already. Who shot who? Did the police shoot the man, or did the man shoot the police?

Against my husbands protests I venture outside when I see that several other neighbors have done so. As I step outside I breath in burning air. The gunshots had left their perfume behind and it was lingering. Nobody knows anything. The police can't tell us anything. They rope of our street and put yellow plastic ribbon on the handrail up the stairs to my home. "Go inside", says one officer. "If they see you they'll yell at you." Advice taken.

I check to make sure Marc is still breathing. He is. I contemplate calling the news, but change my mind with worry that news trucks will make things worse. I desperately want to do something. But there's nothing I can do. So I blog.

I think this might have been a safe neighborhood once. I think it still is, save for one September incident. Will I feel safe tomorrow? And what of the man? Is he still alive? Was anyone else involved? What about the old woman on the corner? She's so sweet and lent us her dolly when we needed to move a couch. What is her name? God dammit. I don't remember. I hope she's okay. The ambulance is directly in front of her house.

I want this to be a safe neighborhood, not a neighborhood with gunshots in the middle of the night

France shocked by images of war

Staring out from a glossy eight-page spread in the latest edition of the magazine Paris Match, several Taleban fighters show off their trophies of war.

The loss of the 10 soldiers in Afghanistan shocked France

Guns, walkie-talkies and even a wrist-watch are photographed - all spoils taken from the 10 French soldiers they killed in an ambush last month.

Accompanying the pictures is a long interview with the Taleban leader who calls himself Commander Farouki.

He claims they were tipped off about the French mission in their area and were able to prepare an ambush with 140 highly trained insurgents.

"If night hadn't fallen we'd have killed every one of the soldiers," he boasts.

He denies reports that other French paratroopers were captured and tortured but warns that every single French soldier found on Afghan soil will be killed.

Propaganda

On French radio today, Defense Minister Herve Morin criticized Paris Match for peddling Taleban propaganda.

"Should we really be doing the Taleban's propaganda for them?" he asked.

"The Taleban have understood perfectly that Western public opinion is probably the Achilles' heel of the international community present in Afghanistan."

A diplomat from the foreign ministry said it was the responsibility of the media to decide what they covered and how they did it, but added: "The reactions of the families of the servicemen speak for themselves".

"We can only imagine the pain that they felt when they saw these pictures, as well as that of the comrades of these men who are still in Afghanistan."

The French population can't accept to see any more soldiers killed Jean Francois, Parisian

The father of one of the dead soldiers said he was shocked and hurt to see images of the "murderers" parading the personal effects of his son and comrades.

Although the freedom of the press is fiercely protected in France, in Paris many people were outraged at what they believed was irresponsibility on the part of Paris Match.

"It makes me sick," said one woman who was close to tears.

"I think about how the parents must feel, the sisters and the brothers… and really… I would hate to see this if this was my son."

Jean Francois, a financial adviser, agreed.

"This kind of report is horrible and unfair for the families," he said.

"The French population can't accept to see any more soldiers killed. French soldiers have to come back to France as soon as possible."

War opposed

A survey taken in April this year when President Nicolas Sarkozy announced he was sending another battalion of almost 800 soldiers to north-east Afghanistan showed that two-thirds of people here believe their country has no place in the Afghan conflict.

Despite Mr Sarkozy's insistence that France is fighting a battle against terror in Afghanistan, many people here feel they have just been sucked into Uncle Sam's war.

Earlier this week, the mother of another of the French paratroopers killed in the 18 August attack told the news magazine Le Nouvel Observateur that she had written a letter to Mr Sarkozy, begging him to get France out of the war.

President Sarkozy led mourners at the soldiers' funeral

"Stop following the example of President Bush," she wrote. "Let's stay French. Let's get our soldiers out of the quagmire."

Last month's ambush was France's worst single military loss in 25 years. As well as those killed, another 21 soldiers were injured.

Until then there had been little news coverage of the French mission, although some 3,000 of the country's troops are currently serving in Afghanistan.

But being confronted with full-page, glossy photographs of the insurgents who killed their troops is bound to rekindle arguments about what France's role in Afghanistan really is.

The French parliament has called for an urgent debate on the matter but on Thursday Mr Sarkozy - while acknowledging the difficulties and dangers endured by French troops - insisted they would not abandon their mission.

"If we abandon Afghanistan, we'll destabilize Pakistan," he warned.

"And I'd like to remind you that Pakistan has nuclear capabilities." ]]> http://thebivouac.wordpress.com/?p=1525 Sun, 07 Sep 2008 05:05:35 +0000 citizenbrain http://thebivouac.wordpress.com/?p=1525

This morning I listened to a radio report about a Barack Obama campaign appearance in Scranton, Pennsylvania. A voter, who seemed friendly enough by the sound of her voice, asked Senator Obama about rumors she had heard that if elected he would take away people's guns.

I just shook my head when I heard this.

One thing I've always wanted to know is just how the government could go about taking people's guns away?   

Let's say that by some impossible occurrence, the Second Amendment were repealed. This could not happen for real, but let's just say for purposes of this blog post that it did happen.

Do you think people would just give up their guns?

How about the late Charlton Heston you see in the photo above and the National Rifle Association members he represented? Will they give up their guns because they were instructed to do so? 

Do you think this couple in the picture below would just go to voluntary drop-off point and give up that gun they have on the stove? Or hand it over to federal gun collector who rings the door to collect the guns?

( The picture was taken by Kyle Cassidy for his book Armed Americans--Portraits of Gun Owners In Their Homes.)

Or this guy---Would he quit hunting because a law was passed banning guns?

No---Whatever gun control laws passed at the margins of the millions and millions of guns owned in America, none are going to involve going into people's homes and taking away guns. Do you think Barack Obama is going to be sitting in the Oval Office signing an order to round-up people's guns?

If we reached the point of government forcing everybody who owns a gun to give it up, we would be in a police state of some kind in any case. Gun owners and the rest of us would be over matched by the huge weapons and tanks that the government has.

Nobody is coming for your gun. People should be worrying about other stuff. If it is gun issues that are stopping you from voting for Barack Obama, you don't have much to worry about. The NRA has a vested stake in keeping people hyped-up on this issue. Ask the NRA what they are going to do to get you higher wages or to improve the school your kids attend.

I took the Glock out today with the Advantage Arms conversion kit installed. I wasn’t exactly skeptical of the kit after reading about it online but I was expecting to have some sort of break in period. I opened the kit up and out fell an orange piece of paper that instructed me to put some oil on the parts in the picture. I grabbed the oil they shipped with the kit, put the drops on the slide where they wanted me to and rubbed the oil with my finger to spread it around some.

I took a piece of standard 8.5x11 sheet of printer paper and hung it up. Next I paced off 10 meters and turned to fire. The magazine seated perfectly just like my original Glock magazines. I chambered the first round took aim and pulled the trigger. BANG! Nice I thought. There was almost no recoil and the gun hit pretty close to where I was aiming. I went ahead and fired a few more at a slow and controlled speed then I just let the last 6 or so speed their way to the target as fast as I could reasonably regain my sight picture. At the end of those 10 I went up to the piece of paper and measured the spread of hits and they all fell within a 3 inch circle save 1. I think the 1 was me getting a little trigger happy though.

I finished the day by placing 10 to 20 targets out and running training drills to help with quicker target acquisition and movement. I fired in the neighborhood of 120 rounds give or take 5 and never had a jam or malfunction of any kind.

It wasn’t an intense break in but I was impressed at the quality, feel and accuracy of the kit.
If Advantage Arms wouldn’t have stamped their name on the slide you wouldn’t even know it was a company other than Glock that created the kit. With the market for these kits (I waited 8 weeks while they caught up on back orders) I’m surprised Glock hasn’t jumped on this boat and started creating their own.

I’m not a professional instructor but I think the advantages to this kit are obvious. While I’m not shooting my standard caliber with its standard recoil I’m getting much more training time in and it’s much cheaper. I can practice every drill and training exercise I know for 5 times as long thanks to the cost savings. If you are worried about the recoil and muscle memory issues you can always finish your shooting day with your original caliber by removing the kit (as simple as field stripping the Glock) and putting your original hardware back in place.

Now. I'm not saying that video games haven't upped the exposure of violence but like with movies and music, games do come with a rating. If your child is under 18 and playing a rated M (Rated M for Mature), then it's not the fault of the Game Makers and they should not be held accountable when your underage child plays a video game and acts out (Children sometimes can not tell the difference between real and fantasy and the lives maybe blurred), what I'm trying to say is check yourself.

Example 1. If you child drinks underage, gets drunk and gets alcohol poisoning, would you sue the beer company? Example 2. If your child sneaks and gets into a movie that features cursing and your child starts cursing, do you sue the makers of the movie? Same logic applies here.

I'm tired of the blame game. The latest strand of idiocy arises from this article: http://www.wdtimes.com/articles/2008/09/05/news/news3.txt. There's a couple of things wrong with this article and I'd be delighted to point them out.

1. An 11 year old boy decided to skip school and there was no one to do anything about it.

2. He owned a .22 calibre rifle

3. He plays halo, a game that's rated M17 which means for mature audiences, recommended for ages 17 and up.

4. He owned a gun, but was not taught how to properly use a gun. He took the magazine out but did not eject the round that was already in the chamber.

I can not believe that journalists and even the parents are even encouraging and goading the media and the community at large by stating that he skipped school to play halo and was continuously playing halo. Uh, the parents shouldn't have allowed the game and should have paid a bit more attention to the gun they had lying around in the house. The kid could have been trying to recreate what he saw with his parents while they were casually shooting around.

I'm tired of people using video games, music, movies and everything but themselves as an excuse for why they are not good and attentive parents. I'm not saying that my mom knew everything I did, but if it was something as intense as playing a video game, she made damn sure she did her research, she would have spent an afternoon at the gaming store finding out everything about the thing before it even set foot in the house and it would have never set foot in the house since I was underage anyways.

We need better parents, more initiative and to follow the ratings. Stop scapegoating! I'm sorry that your son passed away, but don't play the blame game.

I am, going to play some halo tonight. Anyone getting on Live?

P.S. for entertainment purposes only: http://www.break.com/index/blame-halo-3.html

Anastasia R, gamer girl

One of my other friends who camped is a professional "problem solver" with a background in executive protection. He was kind enough to run 4 of us guys though some live-fire drills this weekend covering a variety of scenarios. One of the problem I see for folks who regularly carry a gun for personal protection is that many, if not most, never ever get beyond a stationary target in a stationary position with very regulated fire. That's just not realistic.

I started shooting IDPA a few years ago to help with some those problems. I'm in no way calling IDPA defensive training, because at the end of the day, it's a game. But it does get you moving, engaging multiple targets, engaging targets who are behind varying degrees of cover, engaging from around cover, etc.

But it does not address (or was ever intended to address) moving your 3rd person (wife, kids, etc) in a defensive shooting scenario. or when you may have an attacker on your back, or your 3rd flipping out and screaming in your ear. This weekend I got to run though some drills involving exactly those scenarios. It wasn't extensive or intensive training, but it was the right amount to get you thinking about those scenarios. Shooting is definitely different when someone is pushing on your back and you are trying to engage multiple targets. You won't be trying to pick up the front sight. You'll be lucky if you get to use 2 hands on your gun, in fact if you are moving your 3rd, you probably won't.

Also shooting while seated in a car (think simulated car jacking) was interesting. I'm going to have to rethink that scenario through again in terms of how best to secure a firearm in the car but still have it accessible.

One thing which stuck in my head is that the fight won't be what you want it to be, it will be what it is.

The other thing I was able to practice was low light/no light shooting, and shooting with a light. I've always heard that most defensive situations occur under those conditions, but its probably the least practiced scenario. I have to say, I was surprised at how little difference muzzle flash made in my vision. It might be a different when your eyes are completely acclimated to the darkness and you light one off. At any rate, I'm much more comfortable with how and where I should place my light in order to effectively engage a target and not blind myself in the process. I also have to say, I love my Surefire

I did run a lot of these drills with my S&W 638, and ran a couple while stoked with Buffalo Bore 158 grain .38 Special +P's. It is not a load I would want to spend the whole day shooting, because they were brisk, but I had no issues with the follow-up shots. The BB rounds are now my primary load, followed up with Spear GoldDot's. I really learning to appreciate that gun, but need some serious work on reloads and drawing from a pocket holster. I realize its never going to be as fast as from the hip, or as fast as a semi-auto, but just need to drill it to be more comfortable with it.

How much is it worth? It's all about money. Only the elitist rich people can afford to hire a plane and shoot animals that have no place to hide.

Watch this video... if you can stomach it.

Sarah Palin has no moral values. She only cares about herself, having power and controlling others. Shooting wolves from airplanes is certainly about control over others. Shame on you Sarah Palin.

From Freedom Rebel at TheZoo:

Conservationists are right to be outraged by this state-sponsored program. But they shouldn’t blame the citizens of Alaska, who have twice shown that they detest their state’s actions. They can and should, however, blame the state’s political leadership, which infuriatingly continues to refuse to put the public interest above that of the special interests—even when it means recklessly and arrogantly disregarding the scientific evidence, ethics and voter decisions, all at once.

Let's make this video viral. Americans have the right to know about this animal cruelty. No real hunter would ever shoot an animal from an airplane.

My new pals from dear John's campaign
They said I should lie low.
It's not to our advantage now
To compare me with "that Joe".

Why should I answer questions
When it's already been made clear.
I'm for guns and nuns and moose in buns
No choice, No voice, No fear.

Don't ask me about the Middle East.
Don't ask me about Tibet.
Don't ask me about the housing crisis
Don't ask me about the Debt.

Don't ask me about the Shiites
Don't ask me about the Sunnis.
From my personal perspective
They are all a bunch of loonies!

Don't ask me who world leaders are.
It's hard to keep them straight.
Is that cute Tony Blair still there somewhere?
Isn't Putin a head of State?

Yes, I Am Sarah Palin!
I need not be interviewed.
I'm just much more content you see
To be cheered rather than boo'd !

********************************
* You are welcome to make comments
* But you must make them all rhyme.
* If it doesn’t match my format
* I’ll delete it every time.
********************************

I love watching the angling, the maneuvering, the positioning and snarking that are such a huge part of the election process.  No matter your political beliefs and values, it is always a thrill to watch the process (OK maybe a thrill is too dramatic if you have a life outside of potty training and laundry, but just roll with it for the sake of my narrative).  Every once in a while, one team makes a gaffe, and the other team gloms onto it, turning a passing political comment into one of the soundbites of the season.  Ok...so remember that old "clinging to guns and religion" fiasco that Obama's people worked so diligently to smooth over?

Let's just say that hillbillies with corncob pipes who cling to guns, religion,  and Waylon Jennings albums will love THIS story!  Like or Loathe McCain, but give credit where credit is due- the campaign staffer who came up with this gem deserves a prize (Might I suggest dinner for 2 at TGI Friday's- the middle ground restaurant of choice for everyone who is rich enough to eat at a restaurant that doesn't have a drive thru, yet is not sophisticated enough to avoid American chain dining- HA!  Brilliant!)

Footnote: the Obama camp claims the flags were stolen as part of a  nefarious plot by the McCain camp.  If this is the case, kudos to the McCain team for your sophisticated use of Veterans and Boy Scouts in your evil, evil scheme.  Muwa-ahaha-ahaha.

Oh... and what's up with Oprah.  I mean I know that it's a national understanding that her people will handle the gift bags and luxury suites at an Obama inaguration, but what's with the Palin snub?

She says she will not use her show as a political platform for either candidate, although Obama has been a guest on her show twice in the last two years.  To be fair he, has not been on since announcing his candidacy.  However, every idiot (including this one) knows that an Oprah endorsement of dog poop would make it the hardest commodity to find.  The Oprah seal of approval is as good as gold.  The idiot pundit knows that Oprah is aware of this.  She doesn't want to expose Palin to her entire demographic because she knows how many people tune in every day.

Hey Oprah- how about just saying- No thanks, Palin.  I have already decreed that Oprah watchers shall vote for Obama and no other.  Dissenters will be shot on site- love it!!

Can you imagine if Gayle King were a Repub on the DL...HA!

Foxnews covers the story

Hell yeah! That's my kinda woman right there.

I'm totally swooning, I swear, I love this woman. I'm so wound up over all this. I say ditch McCain & run on your own Sarah!! Whooohooo!!

I'm not going to turn this blog into a shrine to our fair lady I promise, but come on, you gotta love that shot - putting her foreign policy into practice me thinks.

*Updated*

Snort.

I couldn't resist.

And you know, this whole non-story about Oprah balking at having Palin on her lame ass show... why is anyone surprised let alone even talking about this? I mean, we all know she loves Barack Obama. She set him on this path for gods sake, she gave him his notoriety & made people aware of him & his mole back in the fall.

I mean hello??

Oh okay, make me;

Michelle can sure pull some faces can't she?! I won't even go there with Oprah's "I wanna suck his cock" look there either.

The MessiUH says it all in two sentences.

The Obama campaign talks a lot about new ideas and expanding the political map, but in the swing state of Pennsylvania, which the campaign has focused on almost exclusively since the Democratic convention, old-school issues still rise to the fore.

The latest example came Friday during a small political event at SCHOTT North America Inc., a glass factory in Duryea, Pa., where even a hand-picked crowd threw Barack Obamaa curve ball.

A woman in the crowd told Obama she had “heard a rumor” that he might be planning some sort of gun ban upon being elected president. Obama trotted out his standard policy stance, that he had a deep respect for the “traditions of gun ownership” but favored measures in big cities to keep guns out of the hands of “gang bangers and drug dealers’’ in big cities “who already have them and are shooting people.”

“If you’ve got a gun in your house, I’m not taking it,’’ Obama said. But the Illinois senator could still see skeptics in the crowd, particularly on the faces of several men at the back of the room.

So he tried again. “Even if I want to take them away, I don’t have the votes in Congress,’’ he said. “This can’t be the reason not to vote for me. Can everyone hear me in the back? I see a couple of sportsmen back there. I’m not going to take away your guns.’’

And note that this question came from his hand picked crowd. Do ya think he helped his case with those "sportsmen" with that second sentence? And another thing. He seems to think the constitution means nothing if he can get the votes in congress. That's arrogance!

From WSJ via NewsBusters.

This is the cutest thing I've seen in a while. It's up there with little Piper Palin grooming her baby brother during her mom's speech.

The first thing to consider is what type of gun you have. If you are doing an AR-15 your "prep" work is less involved than many other firearms. The difference is the aluminum receivers and other parts. These are all anodized and receive much of their strength from that finish. It is extremely hard stuff. Therefore, never grit blast the anodizing off or you will compromise the strength of the receivers.

If you have an all steel gun we still have a couple things to consider. It all comes down to weather or not the gun is parkerized or not. Parkerizing and anodizing both are perfect base layers for DuraCoat so you want to keep both of them. If your steel gun is blued you will need to grit blast the old finish off. What you are looking for is a matte finish by media blasting or other finish (i.e. parkerizing). If you have a polished finish the DuraCoat has nothing to stick to and all your work is doomed to failure. Also,be sure before blasting that you plug both ends of the barrel. We don't want to have a matte bore. Blue painters tape works well for this.

For the next several steps you want to have it hung where you will be coating it. From this point on never, never, never touch it with your bare hands. Doing so will transfer oils from your hands to the firearm and may compromise the finish in that spot. Always wear latex gloves anytime you need to handle the firearm until the project is finished.

Once every grain of your blasting media is cleaned from the gun (an air hose works well) you are ready for the next step in the preparation process. It's time to degrease. You may do this with DuraCoat Reducer and a rag but there is a much more efficient way of doing it. While still hung up use what ever you have for a sprayer to hose down the firearm. There are other things you can use to degrease but DuraCoat Reducer is specially formulated to work with the coating. Anything else could also compromise the finish and allow it to chip, peal, and otherwise come off.

 You are now ready to coat the firearm. I suggest using an airbrush or HVLP sprayer. You want to use light even spray across one direction and then the other. You may need to do a couple passes to get a good coat and that's OK. It's much better than getting too much in one area and having it run. I can talk about the coating process all day long but only experience will get you doing it right. That being said I will leave you with finished pictures of the pieces above with only this more to say, it is an involved process and any mistake can compromise the finish so try it at your own risk. I would still suggest taking it to someone qualified to do the job and make sure that person knows he needs to do the clear coat for added protection.