Karl Bushby (b. 30 March 1969) is a British ex-paratrooper and adventurer, currently attempting to be the first person to completely walk an unbroken path around the world.

odysseyxxi.com/

His facebook page

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This goes beyond awesome.

From another forum, someone accumulated a long list of Obama "accomplishments."

1. Offended the Queen of England.
2. Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia.... See More
3. Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.
4. Kissed Socialist Hugo Chavez on the cheek.
5. Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia.
6. Sided with Hugo Chavez and Communist Fidel Castro against Honduras.
7. Announced we would meet with Iranians with no pre-conditions while
they're building their nuclear weapons. Also sent officials of the Obama
Administration to North Korea for direct talks about their nuclear program.
(This is tantamount to the US officially recognizing the government of
North Korea --- which we still do not --- and beginning diplomatic relations
with them --- which we never have had. And should not, ever.)
8. Gave away billions to AIG without pre-conditions.
9. Expanded the bailouts (many more billions).
10. Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Olympian.
11. Is tripling or quadrupling our national debt, which our great-grandchildren won't be able to pay off (Latest estimates
are $110 Trillion - plus). They'll be lucky to even be able to pay on the interest.
12. Announced the termination of our new missile defense system the day after North Korea launched an ICBM.
13. Released information on U.S. Intelligence gathering despite urgings of his own CIA director and the prior four CIA directors.
14. Accepted without comment that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two other nominees withdrew after they couldn't take the heat.
15. Appointed a Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano who identified military veterans, gun owners and abortion opponents as "dangers to the nation."
16. Ordered that the word "terrorism" no longer be used and instead
refers to such acts as "man-made disasters."
17. Circled the globe to publicly apologize for America's world leadership.
18. Told the Mexican president that the violence in their country was because of us.
19. Politicized the census by moving it into the White House from the Department of Commerce.
20. Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion to Cuba of a 9-year-old whose mother died trying to bring him to freedom in the United States.
21. Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS who took down three terrorists who threatened one American life, and the next day announces members of the Bush administration may stand trial for "torturing" three 9/11 terrorists by pouring water up their noses.
22. Low altitude photo shoot of Air Force One over New York City that frightened thousands of New Yorkers.
23. Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure them that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims.
24. Praised Jimmy Carter's trip to Gaza where he sided with terrorist Hamas against Israel.
25. Nationalized General Motors and Chrysler while turning shareholder control over to the unions and freezing out retired investors who owned their bonds. Committed unlimited taxpayer billions in the process.
26. Passed a huge energy tax in the House that will make American industry even less competitive while costing homeowners thousands per year.
27. Has been pushing for nationalized health care "reform" that will strip seniors of their Medicare, cut pay of physicians, increase taxes yet another $1 trillion, and put everyone on rationed care with government bureaucrats deciding who gets care and who doesn't.
28. Left the Czech Republic and Poland hanging out to dry by cancelling the planned 'missile defense shield' that was to be installed in their countries. And did so on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's invasion of Poland.
29. Botched his attempt to bring the Olympics to Chicago by giving a lame presentation to the Olympic Committee. (Maybe that was a GOOD accomplishment.)
30. Bowed to the Emperor of Japan. This not only offended the hell out of us, but it also offended the Japanese people because of the way he did it.
31. While in Copenhagen, insulted the King of Denmark by snubbing him and declining his invitation to dinner.
32. Has been working on selling out the sovereignty of the United States and making us subservient to the UN, the EU, and other international organizations.
33. Has been continually weakening our National Defense and Security, e.g., Set a timetable for withdrawal of our troops from Iraq and
Afghanistan (our enemies appreciate that); Cancelled the F-22 Joint Strike Fighter program; Has been gutting the CIA, the FBI, our Armed Forces, and our Nation's industry and production; Dragged his feet and ignored his generals before paying any attention to their requests and recommendations, then reduced what they need; Has refused to secure our borders.
34. Has appointed over 30 "Czars", who are answerable only to him without having to be approved by Congress. Among them are tax cheats, convicted criminals, radicals, Marxists, and even one or two self-avowed Communists. His "Pay Czar" tells corporations how much they can pay their executives.
35. Is trying, a step at a time, to circumvent the Constitution of The United States as it is written and, little by little, take away our rights which are outlined in the Bill of Rights.
36. Has worsened the recession, caused the US Dollar to be further devalued, and driven this country's unemployment rate to over 10%.
37. Will close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, move the terrorist prisoners to here within the US, give them the same constitutional rights as US Citizens, and try them in US civilian court rather than by Military Tribunal.

...I will consider my life complete.

Marines. ;)

Adopted from Animal Control and brought home from neutering today:





Animal control says the dog was a stray. Claimed: 2 months old and pit bull mix. There may be some pit bull in there, but not much, IMO.

www2.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/POLEGAT02_20091202-091201/309031/#When:14:12:20Z



About Col Barfoot:
www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/2625/barfoot-van-t.php


The law firm representing the Home Owners' Association is Coates & Davenport. Their phone number is: 804 285 7000 or 800 450 8311

What folk decide to do with that information is their own business.

For over 15 years now preparing Holiday meals has been primarily my responsibility and this year is no exception:

Roast Turkey
Sausage stuffing (Love my Fanny Farmer cookbook.)
Mashed potatoes and homemade turkey gravy (More Fanny Farmer)
sauteed corn with garlic and thyme (This one is all mine)
cranberry sauce made with port wine (Replace 1/2 the water the recipe calls for with port wine. Yummy)
candied yams
cherry cheesecake.

I unbent a bit this year and the cherry cheesecake is from a store but the rest is from basic raw materials.

www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/70662162.html

"Do you believe in the American dream -- the idea that in this country, hardworking people of every race, color and creed can get ahead on their own merits? If so, that belief may soon bar you from getting a license to teach in Minnesota public schools -- at least if you plan to get your teaching degree at the University of Minnesota's Twin Cities campus.

On reading that, I have only one question:

"Who is John Galt?"

Locks of Love

A lot of kids have medical conditions that cause hair loss: cancer treatment, things like that. And kids, being kids the results can be cruel and loom as largely in the kids' lives as the condition itself.

Enter Locks of Love. People who wear their hair long (as I have done for several years now) can cut off a ponytail (they ask that the hair be bound into a ponytail to be donated) and send it in. They use the hair to make hairpieces for these kids so they can live a more normal life.

And so I did my part to help out.

Before:


After:


I had originally had two hairbands holding the pony tail with the intent to cut between them so I could still wear my hear tied back. Unfortunately, I didn't leave enough of a gap so their isn't quite enough to tie back. It will be a while before it's long enough to tie back again and probably another year at the rate my hair grows before I can donate again.

"Who is John Galt?"

Two books published by Baen Books: Robert A. Heinlein's Take Back Your Government (originally written in 1946, reissued in 1992 with notes by Dr. Jerry Pournelle) and Sharon Cooper and Chuck Asay's Taxpayers' Tea Party (originally written in 1993, updated for 2009).

The two books are available in electronic format as a bundle from Baen Books. Neither book is currently in print in paper format although both are available used from booksellers like Amazon.com. Taxpayers' Tea Party is scheduled for re-release in 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.com. And, of course, if your local library doesn't have copies of these books you can always request them on Interlibrary Loan.

Robert A. Heinlein was a noted Science Fiction author but less well known was that he was also involved in politics in the years before World War II. His book, Take Back Your Government was an inside look at what it took to be successful at influencing politics. There were three key elements to the book: Elections are won with votes and the votes are in the precincts; the winner is usually less decided by who has the most supporters but by who gets their supporters to the polls, and the the most important element of a successful campaign is face-to-face with individual voters, what Heinlein called "doorbell pushing." All three of these elements seem to have fallen by the wayside in the decades since Heinlein wrote, but there is nothing preventing them from being successful again. And the beauty of this kind of campaigning is that it is completely open to volunteers working at the grass-roots level--that's you and me. The book gives practical, hard-headed advice on joining (and taking over if needed) or starting an organization to campaign at that level, and to effectively put the candidates that you want into office.

Take Back Your Government is quite a bit dated in spots. Society has changed dramatically in a number of areas, particularly with respect to the attitudes of and towards women. In addition, one needs to consider such things as how computers, with their ability to produce "personalized" letters by the score have reduced the impact such letters have on swaying opinions. Nevertheless, when read and applied carefully, this book can be an excellent guide toward citizen involvement in politics. And ongoing citizen involvement in politics is the only kind of "reform" that can ever really restore our freedoms and prune back the beast of ever growing government control over our lives.

Taxpayers' Tea Party was written in response to the early days of the Clinton Administration, a time of increasing taxes, of increased government spending on entitlements and earmarks, a time of an attempted government takeover of health care. Indeed, it was a time which leads to remarkable feelings of "deja vu" today. Taxpayers' Tea Party , unlike Heinlein's book, is very clearly partisan in that it was written in response to the specific political situation and was trying to change it, but it too provides practical advise for the citizen trying to make his or her voice heard in politics.

In Taxpayers' Tea Party more emphasis is given to attempting to influence current politicians as opposed to taking over local organization and electing candidates of ones own choice. This has both strengths and weaknesses compared to Heinlein's approach. Current politicians are often very resistant to influence on issues on which they have already decided, so success in influencing current politicians is often quite unlikely. On the other hand, if one can influence the current politicians one can get results much more quickly than through Heinlein's approach, which can take several years from starting to get involved to putting ones candidate in office.

Taken together the two books provide excellent advice for the citizen seeking to have their voice heard in government--heard and acted upon.

Taking back the government from the professional politicians is, no doubt, a Cyclopean task. To the individual citizen it often feels like David vs. Goliath. Nevertheless, I would simply recommend that one remember who won that fight. Roll up your sleeves, dig in, and get to work.

So quit waiting for "them" to make things better. Get out there and Take Back Your Government!

In an earlier post I pointed out that Hasan's murder of 13 people and the wounding of 38 more was in part due to military bases as Gun Free Zones. Well, it seems that Fox News contributor John R. Lott feels the same way. It's time to end military bases being gun free zones.

Frankly, I think Michael Z. Williamson had the right idea in his novel Freehold.

On the principle character's first day of military training we have the following scene:


It is the duty of members of the United States Armed Forces to defend the United States, the Constitution, and the People. They cannot effectively do that unarmed.

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To all who have served and who are serving now.  Thank you.

Passed PelosiDeathCare.  Now it's up to the Senate and, afterward, the Conference Committee.  I have no high hopes for rationality to strike in either case.

I watched a bit of the "debate" last night.  The irony of some of the Democrats accusing the Republicans of not having read their counterproposal was truly astounding.  Also the irony of someone citing criticisms of Medicare back when it was up for debate and claiming that the current criticisms of PelosiCare are similar was similarly amusing.  Well, yeah.  And the criticisms of Medicare were pretty much spot on.  I've said it before and I'll say it again:  maybe the government should concentrate on getting the medical care it already provides right before it starts taking on new, even larger, responsibilities.

The Democrats (less the 39 who voted against the bill) keep making claims about what the Bill would do.  The Republicans (less the 1 who voted for it) also make claims about what the bill would do.  While I haven't been able to read the whole thing yet, what I have read of it agrees more with the Republican interpretation than the Democrat.

The Bill is not about "affordable health care." It's not about providing for the needy.  It's not even really about health care per se.  It's about the government taking control of another large chunk of the economy.  It's not about care, it's about control.

The shooting is a very sad event.  I served six years in the military and have friends who are serving now--including people who are at Fort Hood.

What disturbs me most about the coverage is that so many in the media want to blame everyone but the shooter.  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?  He hadn't deployed yet.  So what possible "Post Traumatic Stress" could he be having?  "Harassment"? It's the military, not a tea social, but beyond that I simply don't believe it. 

But the greatest irony of all was that the men and women tasked with defending the United States, its people, and its Constitution, from all enemies foreign and domestic, are, by regulation stripped of their ability to defend themselves against a lone maniac who doesn't care about things like regulations or the lives of his fellow servicemen and women.

Yep.  Except when duties specifically require it, and in a few other extremely limited situations, our men and women are expressly forbidden the bearing of arms when on duty or when on military bases.  The shooter went in knowing that none of his targets could shoot back.  None could defend themselves.

And because of that, 13 people died.  38 more were wounded.

Obama's Coup Fails

It's a game:


It's a game.  It's only a game.

It should be treated as no more of a wish or prediction than the movie Death of a President about George W. Bush

This past Saturday evening turned up sick, specifically with a case of body aches, lethargy, lack of appetite, and nausea.  To add to the joy, I came down with symptoms while on an overnight road trip up to Michigan City, IN (trip turned out to be remarkably disappointing for other reasons).  When we got back my daughter started complaining of not feeling well and when I checked her temperature it was over 102.  Called her pediatrician's pager and gave her some Tylenol.  When the doctor called back, the advice was to keep an eye on it and, if she was still bad in the morning, bring her in.  All through this, I'm still sick.  Strange thing, though is that where her temperature was going up, mine was going down.  I usually run about a 97 to 97.5 temperature but at this point its in thee 95-96 degree range.

Well, she's still over 101 in the morning so take her in and the doctor looks her over and decides that, yep, she's got the flu and it's probably H1N1 (although they did not do the actual test).  So both my daughter and I stay home sick.

Come Wednesday, my daughter is doing a lot better--fever's gone and her energy is up but she's still coughing a lot--but I'm still feeling "phase 2" (Phase one is where you're afraid you're going to die.  Phase two is when you're afraid you're not going to die) so I go to see my doctor.

As part of the check the doctor takes a flu test which involves shoving a two by four up each of my nostrils all the way up to the Sagittal suture.  Well, okay, a cotton swab about an inch or so up the nose.

End result, same diagnosis:  flu and probably H1N1.

I've had cases of the flu that were worse, but not often.

As of today (Thursday), I'm feeling somewhat better.  My daughter is also appearing to be quite a bit better but still coughing a lot.  We're at phase 3 (survival might actually be an acceptable option).

Not a particularly nice prediction, but what I see as the most likely course at this time.

First, unless something changes dramatically, Obama, Pelosi, and Reid are essentially handing 2010 to the Republicans.  Some folk see that as a great good thing, but I remain skeptical.  The Republican party, as an organization, shows no signs of "getting it" and the bulk of the Republican folk elected will be RINOs/Country Club Republicans.  Instead of heralding a move to conservative/libertarian values, it will instead be treated as another reason to hasten the Republican party's stampede to the left.  By 2012 that stampede will be complete and the difference between the two major parties, little enough now, will have completely vanished or even reversed.  Yes, I am considering the idea that the Republican party will actually be more leftist than the Democrats as entirely viable.

"Third party" candidates will remain "also rans" except in a few state races having no effect on the national picture.

This may be the only thing that saves Obama's reelection chances.  The Republican challenger may well be farther to the left than Obama is, as hard as that may be to believe.  In either case, we will be left with a hard-left President.  And somewhere around then Washington will stop even paying lip service to the Constitution.  Already neither major party cares about the Constitution--they just pay occasional lip service to it and use it as a stick to beat the other party with.

Crossbreed Super Tuck holster
  
  What I got:  The Super Tuck holster in black cowhide with optional J clips.
  For:  Taurus PT1911AR, a full size 1911 with an integral Picatinny rail.
  Price:  $69.75 ( +$15.00 for natural horsehide) $5.00 for the J clips.
  
  First impressions:  Nice build quality.  Four holes on either side to adjust the holster height and angle.  Molded kydex scabbard to hold the gun.  The scabbard is form fitting and recesses slightly into the trigger guard for retention.  The instructions that come with the holster explain how to use a blow dryer to soften the kydex to adjust retention or one can send the holster back to Crossbreed for adjustment.
  
  One of the problems I had with finding a good holster was the rail on the Taurus 1911.  The rail is wider than is typical on other railed 1911s and finding a holster that fit, between cheap "Uncle Mike's" or "Gunmate" holsters and very high-end custom gunleather was quite difficult.  A quick email to Taurus got a prompt response that they were aware of the issues with the Taurus and could provide a holster to fit.
  
  Crossbreed Super Tuck Front (fully broken in after about 6 months wear)

  
  Rear

  
  Wear and use:
  
  I tried several different positions with this holster and gun, from 1:00 to 5:00.  For my body size and shape, carries in front tended to pinch when I bend.  3:00 was comfortable but the handgrip on the pistol jutted out and printed badly.  Most people probably wouldn't notice, but I did and really preferred better concealment.
  
  When I wore the holster in the 4-5 o'clock position, however, the situation changed dramatically.  The holder was quite comfortable in that position.  The gun was held flat against my back and didn't protrude.  Worn with a shirt untucked or tucked between the holster and the pants it didn't print.
  


  
  In this early period when I was trying it out I did, however, encounter several problems.
  
  Problem 1:
  
  While the leather completely covers the space between my body and the pistol, the kydex only covers a portion of the gun.  The slide and frame extend out from the front of it.  As a result, the finish on the gun is subject to wear as one moves and the clothes rub against the pistol.  Personally, I don't consider this a downcheck.  A carry firearm is not a show piece.  If one is worried about wear or scratches, better to leave that gun in the safe and carry something a bit more utilitarian.
  
  Related to the coverage problem, I had a problem where the edge of the kydex would wear holes in my pants.  This was definitely troublesome.  Wearing out my pants in short order is not something I want a holster to do.
  
  I contacted Crossbreed about this (one thing I can say about Crossbreed holsters is that, in my experience, they have great customer service) and received this response:
     While that answer could be self-serving, I don't think it is.  To be honest, after the first few weeks of wear the problem went away.  It could be that I had been wearing older pants that were really too tight (I've gained a few pounds over the years) and the new ones fit properly and therefore don't rub so hard, or maybe their was a bur or something at the edge of the kydex that smoothed off with wear.  In any case, I am not having the problem any more so while this is something to be aware of, I don't think it's any more than a break-in problem, at least not for me.
  
  Problem 2:
  
  I would remove the gun from the holster and find the that safety was off.  On further investigation this turned out to be a training issue.  When reaching back for the gun I was, without noticing it, brushing the ambi safety on the 1911.  A simple change in how I reached for the gun corrected this problem.  I suspect I would have had the same problem with any holster worn in the same spot unless it actually covered the safety.
  
  Problem 3:
  
  Sometimes on drawing the gun I would see that the magazine was not locked in place.  This usually happened when I had been wearing the holstered gun in my car.  This was certainly disconcerting and would have been unconscionable in a holster for defensive carry if it were not resolved.
  
  The clue to what was happening was that it happened when I was wearing the holster in my car.  The gun and holster were pressed tight against my back in that position and apparently the pressure was enough to depress the magazine release.  When I inspected the holster, I discovered that there was a small dent corresponding to the location of the magazine release.
  
  I continued to try the holster for a while and gradually, that problem went away.  Still, I was experimenting with a holster and this problem was potentially serious enough that I would not be able to recommend it if it were left unresolved.
  
  I contacted Crossbreed about this issue too.  My proposed solution was to drill a hole in the leather where the magazine release rests to relieve the pressure on it.  Their response was as follows:
     At a 10% occurrence rate, I would certainly recommend that they warn users about this particular problem and provide the correction instructions.
  
  And that's really been it.  The holster is comfortable, comfortable enough that I'll generally use it when I'm Open Carrying as well as when I conceal--just tuck the shirt behind the holster rather than between it and the pants.  It conceals well.  Drawing is easy and is facilitated in that you can adjust the height and angle of the holster.  Reholstering one-handed is easy, even in the rather awkward position that works best for me.  It's available at a modest price from a company with excellent customer service.  Highly recommended.

The US Government has had responsibility for health care in several areas: Medicare, Medicaid, the VA, Active duty military, and Native Americans on reservation. In every case the care covered, on average, is execrable. Oh, you can find a few people who are happy with the results--enough people are covered that you can find a few examples of anything, but overall? Nope. Not at all.

I've personally dealt with three of those five areas I've listed above. Have all health care be reduced to that level? No thank you.

Then there has been the examples of other countries. I've seen the hospitals in Japan with their "national health care." No thank you. I've had a friends' wife die in Britain's "national health care" who would easily have recovered in the US. No thank you. I've seen doctors in the UK touting SIDS as being caused by maternal neglect--a concept that was 20 years obsolete in the US at the time I was hearing those claims made in all seriousness and being given national attention. No thank you.

And I've seen the amount of new developments coming out of these places with "national health care" compared to those coming out of the US--or rather the lack thereof. No thank you.

And I've seen the attitude of those determined to pass it regardless of what the people in the US, the people they are supposed to represent, want. Bill Maher was at least honest about the attitude when he said Congress should just pass it because people are too stupid to know what's "for their own good." No thank you.