Actually, they got three of their own questions wrong

You paid attention during 100% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

I know, because the first time I took it; it said I only got 86%, so I went back and looked at the three I thought they had wrong, I changed the answer to the ones I thought they wanted to hear; and I got 100%.

Also, they figured their percentages wrong; or rather they more likely rounded improperly, which is a common programming mistake.

I'll give you one of them: Yes, in fact Columbuses ships DID land in North America in 1492. They landed in the Carribbean, then Hispaniola and Cuba, in October of 1492. All of those places are by traditional continental grouping, in North America; unless you take the communist revisionist position that Hispaniola, Haiti, and Cuba are not in North America, but in fact are either their own special area, or are part of South America (to set them up in opposition to American interests).

Yes, I'm aware that geologically those islands are not part of the North American plate; however for 400 years before we figured that out, the islands were included in NA; and politically should be.

Happy Anniversary Honey

So Saturday was our anniversary; and Mel hates jewelry and impractical gifts (she feels guilty about wasting the money), so I decided to go a little bit of a different direction from the traditional anniversary gifts.

They were at least packed in paper... cardboard is paper after all; and the back of my expedition was completely full of the stuff.

The big thing was one of these:

But instead of six chairs, we got four chairs, and one of these:

Also, we have a lot more stuff than we have shelving and storage space, so we also picked up some book cases, including 3 of these:
Except in the shorter (countertop height) birch version.

We also grabbed one of these in birch, to act as a room divider in our overlong living room:
The picture doesnt really show what it looks like very well: it's just under 32" high, and about five feet long; so it should act both as storage, and as a good divider.

Along with those, we grabbed extra shelves for our existing utility shelves, and our other book cases.

We also alleviated our massive workspace shortage (every horizontal surface in our house becomes a vertical surface pretty quick); by picking up two basic utility table/desks, one 4 foot by 3 foot; one 6.5 foot by 2 foot.
Finally, we picked up a replacement mattress. We had originally gone for a lower end Sealy; but when I went to the warehouse to pick it up they had a couple of higher end Sealy, extra thick, extra firm innersprings with sewn in memory foam toppers on closeout; originally $800, marked down to $500, and I walked out the door with one for $485, with tax.

Let me tell you, this mattress is a dream, no pun intended. In just a couple days of sleeping on this mattress my back pain has gone WAY down. The thing is both twice as firm as the old mattress, and twice as soft (and twice as thick). If you understand the difference between firmness and hardness, thats a VERY big deal.

I HATE pillowtops, and generally I hate foam toppers (even the sewn in ones); but honestly this is the second most comfortable mattress I ever slept on (the most was a special belgian orthopedic luxury mattress I owned when I lived in CA, but it cost $3000).

The best thing is, through the wonder of eil globalization, and the exploitation of third world workers and resources (which they are thoroughly glad for by the way, since it's more money than they could possibly make any other way); I was able to pick up all of this for a very low four digit number.

No, it's not heirloom quality stuff; but it will suffice until I have the time to make our own from good hardwoods; and THAT WILL be heirloom quality.

I learned to build furniture in my first real job, restoring and refinishing antique furniture in my uncle Carls refinishing shop. My work is certainly far better than Thomasville or Ethan Allen type crap for one fifth the cost; and I get the satisfaction of knowing my family is eating off the table I made with my own hands (plus it means I get to buy all the tools I want to make them).

In the mean time, this will do just fine.

I have jsut this to say about the patriots and jets

FUUUUUCK!!!!!

Two Minutes...

Just called up my dad

Reading Johns tribute... I jsut called up my dad, thanked him for fighting, and for not dying. Thanked him because I don't have to toast to his honor and his absence.

Last year I thanked some of my friends and family on this blog, let me do so again:

Thank you Dad (USA '66-'74 SFC) - a 15 year old Irish immigrant with a forged birth certificate; grew up on the streets, but became both a citizen, and a man in the Army. Almost 9 years in, almost all of it in SF, and almost all of that in SEA. By the end he was broken, and he only recently put himself together again. I love you dad.

Thank you uncle Patrick (USN '68-72 GM3) - My fathers brother, who spent most of those years sending steel over the coast of VN.

Thank you uncle Brian (USMC, '79-87 SSgt. USANG '88-92 SFC) - My mothers brother, who fought the war we pretended didn't happen in the phillipines, and then again in the gulf.

Thank you Ben (USA '97 - 2001, Cpl, Inf, Rgr, 3rdBt. 75th rgt.) - Lead the way, then lead his family.

Thank you cousin Jesse (USN, '97 - present, UDT, BM1) - Only one thing he ever wanted in life, to be a SEAL. He got his wish, and he's off god knows where doing god knows what; and couldn't be happier.

Thank you cousin Johnathan (USN 2001 - present, MM2 ) - dropped out of college after 9/11 to join the Navy, because in his own words, it was the right thing to do for his country.

To everyone still serving, good luck and god speed.

A Pittance of Time

Thanks John, for writing this

http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/006656.html

I read it while listening to the linked Terry Kellys "A Pittance of Time"... and I was crying long before I was done.

In Rememberence...

It is now the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, at Compiegne...

Today is three things:

First, it is Mel and my first anniversary.

Second, it is Veterans Day.

Third, it is Rememberence Day, or Armistice Day

In America, Memorial Day is for the dead, and Veterans Day is for the living. As such, first I wish to give thanks.

I thank all of you, still serving to defend out country; and those of our friends and allies; and those who are fighting to preserve freedom, liberty, justice, and humanity.

May god bless you and keep you.

I thank all of you who have served in the past; for the risks you have taken, and the sacrifices you have made.

It was over twelve years ago that I first put on my countries uniform. It was almost five years ago that I wore it last. Every day I miss it; every day I feel guilty I'm not still out there with my friends and my brothers.

But... today is also my anniversary; and it would not be if I had not changed my course, and I don't regret what has brought me here. I love my wife, and my children more than I can possibly imagine; or possibly express to you. Actually, I'm writing this now, because for the rest of the day, I want to spend as much time as possible with Mel.

Finally, today is Remembrance Day (sometimes known as Armistice day); celebrating the moment that the first great war of the last century was ended; in the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of the year of our lord nineteen hundred and eighteen.

On this day I also give thanks; for those who laid down their lives, and for those who lived; to keep Europe free.

Eighty eight years gone, and still every year we mark this day (though in America we reserve Memorial day for our dead, from all wars).

Rememberance day though; it still means something here as Armistice day; and it most certainly still means something around the world.. for now; for as long as the people remember... which I hope shall be always, but I fear shall be for not much longer.

Why is it called poppy day?

Britain, France, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Russia... and on the other side Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary (and the remains of the holy roman empire), Turkey (and the other ottomans)... an entire generation of young men in Europe were lost to the most futile, worst run war, in modern history.

In four years, 18 million men died (or went missing, which is mostly the same thing), and 22 million men were wounded.

In fact, europe has never recovered from this greatest of historical mistakes. It was the direct aftermath of world war one that lead to world war two; which created the postmodern european culture that is slowly being destroyed from without and within by self hatred, depression, defeatism, socialism, and islamic fascism...

But I digress; I was talking about why it is called poppy day.

Flanders is a region of Belgium; where the fighting in the great war was at it's worst, along with Walloon, and northern France. The worst battles of the war were at Ypres, the Marne, the Somme, and Verdun.

At Verdun alone, the British lost 20,000 dead in one single day; and the allied forces (mostly British) lost 120,000 dead, and over 375,00 wounded total; with 100,000 dead and 350,000 wounded on the German side. The battle lasted from February 21st, til December 19, 1916. Almost ten solid months of the most brutal trench warfare ever seen; and nothing to show for it but blood, and mud.

Perhaps 200,000 total dead at the Marne (1st and 2nd), perhaps 50,000 at Ypres, Perhaps 300,000 total dead at the Somme... the bloodiest battle of the war, though Verdun had the bloodiest day; and nothing to show for it but blood and mud.

There was an amazing thing though; that blood, and that mud... it became magnificently fertile soil; and soon after the fighting ended, all over these horrific battlefields, poppies began to bloom.

In the first great war; as had been tradition for most of western history; those killed in battle were buried in the fields where they fell. Their memorials were raised there; a tribute to those who fought and died, and a reminder to those who did not.

And there, in Flanders and Walloon, and in France, and in Luxembourg; there lay an entire generation of men. Millions upon millions of white crosses, millions upon millions of unmarked graves in farmers fields; surrounded by millions upon millions of poppies.

A symbol of life, of blood, of the fight for liberty and freedom. The poppies among those men who died were taken up; first by the French and the Belgians, then the Canadians and British and Americans.

Today, the poppy is a symbol of rememberance; expressed best perhaps by this poem:

In Flanders Fields
--Lt. Col. John McCrae, M.D. (1872-1918)
Royal Canadian Army

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Today, I say, do not break faith with those who have died; those who have fought, and laid down their lives for freedom, for liberty, for humanity. Do not make them rest uneasy. Do not give up this fight for our civilization; for our lives.

I do not wish to see the poppies bloom once more in Flanders fields; but I fear that is the fate of our world, should we not stay the course...

Oh, and today is one more thing. Fittingly, it is also the day of the feast of St. Martin; a soldier who retired from the life of war, and became a man of peace. A veteran, who embodied the truism, "A warriors fondest prayer, is for peace".

Aww HELL YEAH!

The Green Berets, followed by Patton.

Patton was born November 11th in fact, tomorrow would have been his 121st birthday.

Damn I feel a powerful urge to kill somthing ;-)

1, 2, 3, 4, Happy Birthday Marine Corps

For all I make fun of them (and god knows I do), and for all their ooh-rah sometimes irritates me, I love Marines. D'you know why? Because they well and truly believe in five words:

Semper Fidelis

and

Improvise, Adapt, Overcome

Let me tell you something; with the belief in those five words, a motivated individual can do anything humanly possible, and some things that just shouldn't be; and a motivated team can do even more than that.

The Marine Corps Hymn

From the Halls of Montezuma
to the Shores of Tripoli,
We fight our country's battles
On the land as on the sea.
First to fight for right and freedom,
And to keep our honor clean,
We are proud to claim the title
of United States Marine.

Our flag's unfurl'd to every breeze
From dawn to setting sun;
We have fought in every clime and place
Where we could take a gun.
In the snow of far-off northern lands
And in sunny tropic scenes,
You will find us always on the job
The United States Marines.

Here's health to you and to our Corps
Which we are proud to serve;
In many a strife we've fought for life
And never lost our nerve.
If the Army and the Navy
Ever look on Heaven's scenes,
They will find the streets are guarded
By United States Marines.

Reposted from this day last year

Screw Rumsfeld or Gates...

TONY STARK FOR
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

I wholeheartedly support this plan

Yep

The Coming Depression in Arizona

So, last night four ballot measures passed, which will serve to almost guarantee a major economic down turn in the state of Arizona.

Prop 201 effectively bans smoking in all public places in this state. Any restaurant, bar, or workplace effectively.

Prop 202 raises the minimum wage in Arizona to $6.75, AND even worse, index links it to cost of living; which means the minimum wage here is going to go up 2-5% every year.

Those two propositions right there are going to put thousands of Arizona bars and restaurants out of business; and tens of thousands of service workers out of work. Then there's the convenience stores and gas stations that will be closing... the list goes on.

Prop 203 adds an $0.80 tax to all cigarette packs, to pay for "universal pre-school" for the children of Arizona. Of course it also creates a huge, unelected commission to administer this, and a new bureaucracy surrounding it, and hundreds of new government jobs etc... etc...

Proposition 204, would require every livestock owner in the state to rebuild all their livestock pens and stalled to be larger. Yes, every farmer, every pen.

This of course is going to put many of those farms out of business; and will almost certainly cause those that aren't bankrupted by the change to fire large numbers of their staff; combined with the minimum wage increase which is likely to do the same.

Combine that with the democrats taking control of congress, and possibly the senate nationally (there's a strong republican majority in both houses in this state); and I predict a HUGE economic downturn in Arizona in the next two years.

Aaaaaaaargh

So, as of right now, it looks like the democrats (counting the two so called "independents" as democrats), have captured the house with a 25-30 vote majority (there are still at least 7 statistical ties to resolve, and at least a few recounts to happen), and are currently in a dead heat for control of the senate at 49-49 with two ties as yet unresolved.

It would seem the most likely result in the house is (D)234-(R)201, give or take one or two seats; and in the senate it seems entirely likely that there is going to be a 50-50 tie; with at most a 2 vote majority either way.

Of course a 50-50 tie would leave the senate in republican control, just barely, because of VP Cheneys role as president of the senate, but that's not exactly reassuring.

I forsee a huge number of vetos in the next two years; perhaps more than any presidents since Johnson, or Jackson.

The democrats gaining control of the house is a very bad thing for the country in general; as they are now going to attempt to forece every hare brained far left bullshit scheme, invesitgation, inquiry... hell maybe even an impeachment hearing, down our throats.

If the Republicans can maintain control of the senate, that will mitigate almost all of the negatives; but will basically jsut result in total grid lock.

Now, some folks have been sayign they think gridlock is a good thing; and in some ways they are right; but deals are made, and things happen that really need to be addressed (military budgest for example) that need action, and it's going to be very difficult to get the right thing done with democrats in control of the house.

If they get the senate as well; well all we can do is hold on tight, and watch as Bush vetos everything possible; because there is no way the dems will get enough votes for an override.

Why did this happen?

Well, what it comes down to, is that a lot of republicans decided not to vote; and pretty much every democrat made sure everyone they knew didnt.

I don't so much think it was a referndum on Bush however; as it was a statement of general dissatisfaction with the last 2 years of republican performance as a whole. I don't think the scandals had much to do with it, but as a commenter on a previous post said, they all suck so I'm staying home; and apparently a lot of other folks felt the same way.

Personally, I think those folks are idiots for ding so, because the damage one liberal congress can do can take decades to roll back; but the one thing it SHOULD do, is kick the republicans in the ass and get them to start acting like republicans again, not jsut democrats with better posture and worse haircuts.

Now, that said; I think this is pretty bad for the deomcrats as a whole; because they are going to spend the next two years being petty, scheming, conniving, slimy, bastards; and they're going to do it as the majority, so they can't amke any excuses this time.

If they had stayed out of the majority, they could have spent the next two years blaming everything on the republicans; and by then enough people might believe them to actually do something in 2008 with a democratic presidential candidate, and a bunch of coattail riders in the house and senate.

As it is; I think they've effectively killed whatever chance they had of winning in 2008. I would expect a HUGE anti democratic backlash to build up in jsut the next two years as they very publicly screw up an already screwed up situation; and they can try as much as they want to blame it on Bush and the republicans, but it jsut won't stick.

Of course, I'm still buying all the guns I can afford next year; as early as possible in the year, and all the magazines and all the ammo etc...

Why Not a Wheelgun?

I’ve written quite a bit before about carrying, and using revolvers for self defense.

Carrying Revolvers
The “first handgun” question
The “One Gun” game
Getting serious about home defense
Basic Ammo Questions
Serious Chamberings for Serious Purposes

My wife carries a revolver on a regular basis; and I WOULD if I had a suitable revolver for carry.

At the moment the only revolvers we own are a Ruger SP101 (my wifes carry piece), and a Smith and Wesson 625, that I use as my field carry piece; but I deeply regret that state of affairs, and intend to rectify it as soon as possible.

Although I am a huge fan of the 1911 type pistol, the Browning Hi-Power, and the pistols from CZ, SIG and HK (I like Glocks professionally, but personally don't care for them); I almost always recommend a revolver to people for their first gun, for their only handgun, for woods and hiking carry… pretty much any application where flatness or ammo capacity aren’t the most important considerations.

The “Serious” revolver chamberings; .357 magnum, .41 magnum, .44Spl and Magnum, .45 colt and the like; are in general more effective than the chamberings offered in auto pistols of equivalent size (excepting the 10mm); and the larger revolver chambering like .454 .460 and.500 can do far more than any auto pistol chambering (excepting perhaps .50ae and .45win mag); so when flatness isn’t the primary concern, a revolver can often be a better way to go.

I personally plan on purchasing a Smith and Wesson 340pd as a pocket carry piece, replacing (or maybe supplementing) the KelTec P3AT that rides there every day. The 340 is just as light as the KelTec (loaded), it uses a far more effective cartridge (I’d take 5 rounds of hot .38 spl +p+ or mild .357 mag over 7 rounds of .380 any day)… really the only disadvantage is that it is a fair bit thicker, at 1.3 inches vs .77 inches.

Of course that’s also comparing it against the thinnest gun on the market. For comparison purposes let’s look at a common subcompact carry auto pistol, the Glock 30, at 1.27” .

Not just for pocket carry; I also highly recommend the medium frame .357 revolver in 2-4” barrel lengths for concealed carry as well; and both the medium, and large framed revolvers in the above mentioned “serious chamberings” for open carry, and woods carry.

A lot of people think of revolvers as bulky or unwieldy, but that just is not true at all. If they think that, it’s because they don’t have the right experience with the right guns.

There are three pictures in this post. The first, is a Smith and Wesson 686p, in my hand, with the topstrap aligned with the edge of my hand an dthe muzzle with the tip of my fing.

The second is that same 686p in a size comparison against my daily carry automatic, my Custom 1911.

The third is the 686p in a size comparison against my small (very small) 9mm carry automatic, a Kahr K9.

The 686, is a full framed (S&W L frame, which is an “extra medium” frame) 7 shot .357 magnum revolver. This particular model has a 2.5” barrel (equivalent to a 3.7” barrel on a .45 auto pistol, because auto pistol barrel length is counted from the breech face, while revolver barrel length is counted from the forcing cone) and an ergonomic rubber grip which extends perhaps a bit more than 1/2” below the butt of the frame. This same gun is (or was) available in 3”, 4”, 6” 7” and 8” barrelled models.

The 1911 is a commander length Springfield champion, carrying 8+1 rounds of .45 acp; and as a commander, the barrel and slide are a bit less than an inch shorter than a full size 1911, which many people carry every day.

The Kahr K9 is an all steel compact carry gun, holding 7+1 rounds of 9mm.

Now, you’ll note that the 686 doesn’t extend all that far outside the edges of my hand. In the second picture, which was taken with the muzzles and topstraps of the guns lined up, you’ll also note the 1911 is longer in the slide and barrel area, and the 686 is only longer in the butt area, and more protruding in the trigger guard. If a more compact concealment grip had been fitted to the 686, the guns would have been effectively the same size (trading the hump on the back corner for the hump on the inside corner). The 4” model of 686 would only be about 1/2” longer than the commander, and in fact would be about 1/2” shorter than a full sized 1911.

In the third picture, again the muzzles and topstraps are aligned; and the upper half of the full sized .357 revolver, is exactly the same length as the very compact concealed carry piece; and in fact the revolver has the longer barrel. The size difference here comes entirely in the butt of the gun. Again, with a concealment grip, that size difference would be much smaller.

Now, look at the shape of the butt on the revolver, vs the shape of the auto pistols butts; and think of your own hip. Which one would conform more naturally to your bodys contours? Which one would be less noticeable under clothing, especially with concealment grips? Which one is thicker or more angular, or has more sharp edges?

Now look at the shape of your hand, and the shape of the revolver, and of the auto pistol. Which one do you think might fit your hand better?

Right, it’s the revolver.

Ok, what about weight? Revolvers are heavy right?

Well, my 1911 weighs 36oz empty, and 44 ounces loaded and chambered with 8+1 .45acp (mine is about 2oz heavier than a standard commander because I have rubber grips and a mag well). The 2.5” 686 weighs 34.5oz empty and 38 oz loaded with 7 rounds of .357 magnum. A full size 1911 weighs about four ounces more, and a 4” 686p weighs about 3.5oz more for 46oz and 41.5oz loaded weight respectively. The 4” 686p loaded, is actually lighter than either the commander or full size 1911.

Then of course there's the 686ps lighter cousin the 386 mountain light; which is essentially the same gun as the 686p; but has a 3-1/8" barrel (effectively the same as a commander), and only weighs 18.5oz empty, and 220z loaded. With that barrel and grip it's a half inch shorter than a full size 1911, and maybe 1/4" taller; but it's also 24 full ounces lighter. In fact, you could carry TWO of the 386s for the same weight as a full size 1911 (I used to own one of these, and I deeply regret selling it).

Really, the only areas where a revolver isn’t at least as good a carry choice as an automatic, are thickness, and ammo capacity.

Well now, I don’t know about you; but 7 rounds of full power .357 magnum does not leave me feeling under armed as compared to 8+1 rounds of .45acp, or 7+1 rounds of 9mm… but that’s just me.

What about reload speed? Speed strips are relatively fast and very concealable; speedloaders are faster and a little less concealable; and moon clips are actually faster than most magazine fed autoloaders to reload (with practice), though still a bit less concealable.

Ok, what about accuracy, and speed of fire?

Two words, Jerry Miculek.

Jerry is the fastest handgun shooter ever; unofficially besting Ed McGiverns speed shooting records (also with a revolver) using a Smith and Wesson 625 (coincidentally I have one of them), a reolver that shoots .45acp using moon clips. Jerry doesn’t miss very much, misses don’t count.

Then there’s long range metallic silhouette, PPC, and Pin shooting; the best of all of which are significantly packed with revolvers.

Now, the modern auto pistol is a very reliable beast; but even the most reliable weapon can be jammed up by bad ammo, or very commonly bad magazines. That issue does not exist with revolvers. If the gun doesn’t go bang, pull the trigger again and your malfunction is cleared. It’s a lot faster to pull the trigger again than it is to rip rack rack slap tap bang.

So, I’ll say it again, the only area where auto pistols are markedly superior to revolvers, is in their thickness. There are several areas where revolvers are markedly superior to auto pistols, including reliability, and effectiveness of chambering, two critical factors in defensive shooting.

If you are large enough, or wear appropriate clothing, there is no reason why you WOULDN’T choose a revolver as a carry piece; excepting personal preference.

So, why don’t I carry a revolver as my primary carry? Well as I said, I intend to carry a revolver for my “always have it” piece as soon as I acquire one.

But what about my general sidearm, where my 1911 currently does the duty? If I HAD a suitable revolver for primary sidearm carry, I would not hesitate to do so with the right clothing and holster. The only real issue I have, is that I prefer to carry IWB, and you can’t really carry a full sized revolver inside your waist band easily; so it’s a matter of suitability to my preferred style of carry.

Additionally, I live in Arizona; where much of the year I can’t wear suitable cover garments; excepting the classic Hawaiian or bowling shirt over a t-shirt look (which is what I usually wear outside of work anyway, whether I’m carrying on my hip or not), and the flat auto pistol conceals better under a light overshirt.

Ooops, foiled again, the reason I don’t use a revolver as m primary CCW, is the only really objective advantage auto pistols have over revolvers; and that’s thickness.

That said, if you don’t carry IWB; if you open carry; or if you carry with suitable cover garments, I see no reason why not to, and plenty of reasons why you should carry a revolver.

Oh and like I said, that 340 PD is just a dandy little pocket pistol.

I dunno about you, but the thought of never being without 5 shots of .357 (vs 7 of .380, or .32, or worse .25 or .22 - the other likely pocket pistol choices) is pretty comforting… heck I might even feel a lot better about just having my pocket gun when I can’t have my sidearm.

And THAT, is one VERY good reason to carry a revolver.

I'll agree with that

Why no politics lately?

After all, it is election season... in fact tomorrow is election day; why hasn't a brilliant and insightful commentator such as myself opined on this election?

Honestly, I just can't stand to write anything about politics right at this moment. I'm getting two dozen (no exaggeration) political calls a day between my home phone, and my and my wifes cell phones; then theres the commercials (nonstop and particularly nasty this year)...

The last thing I want to do right now is write about politics.

... buuuuut I'm gonna anyway, just a little bit anyway.

Tomorrow, I am voting against every democrat. Note, I am not voting for republicans, I am very explicitly voting against democrats.

It's not that I particularly like Republicans; it's that I will never, ever, do anything that is in my power to do, to aid democrats in gaining any kind of power ever again.

I would very much like my children to not either be dead or forced to be muslims, in 20 years; and if democrats are not absolutely crushed at every turn, I would be willing to bet money that will happen.

Oh and there are no viable libertarians who aren't nut jobs that I can vote for, as usual, so I won't be voting for them either; and the way the Libertarian party is these days, they're just as bad as the democrats on foreign policy, if not worse.

Additionally I am voting no any any proposal "for the children", "for the workers", or "for the environment"; because in my experience any time a law is "for" those things, it is against freedom, liberty, responsiblity, and the individual rights of man.

I am voting against any proposition or candidate endorsed by teachers unions, organized labor, PETA, MoveOn, NOW, NARAL, the VPC, HCI, and any other number of far left interest groups; because if they agree with it, I KNOW it's horrible.

I'm voting against any candidate that has had an automated war dialer call me... guess what, they're all democrats too. Oh and all the groups above? Yeah they've been wardialling too.

I'm voting against every proposition that gives the government more power over citizens; but yes on the four that give the government more power to deal with illegal aliens.

I'm voting no on any proposition that gives the government the power to steal more money; but yes on allowing legislators a pay raise, because our legislature only pays $24,000 a year, and it's silly that a waitress should make more than a state senator; even if our legislators hold other jobs.

You might note; primarily I'm voting against things; and boy am I just plain sick of that.

Home, Safe, and Mostly Sound

So we're back from our weekend camping at Rumpshots Revenge, shooting and blowing things up.

We're safe, sore, and exhausted; so I'll be putting up a full range report some time later today.

Benchwarming

So, a few weeks ago I asked about various ideas for shooting benches; and I got a lot of feedback, most of which weren't exactly what I was looking for, so I went out and designed my own.

It's essentially the same as the booger bench really, though I used full length doublers, and a single cutout.



Excuse the shadowed pics, the daylight was so bright it was washing out on the bare wood.

Also, since I was building for both myself, and for a friend who drives a Camry, we went a little shorter; and that let us use some plywood left over from a previous project.

Basically all it takes is about 1/3 sheet of plywood (the top is 1/4 sheet, but you need doublers for the table legs), figure on being able to make 2 from 1 sheet of plywood, with quite a bit left over. You could in theory build it with jsut 1/4 sheet, but hoenstly, plywood is relatively cheap, and the cost differen between 1/2 and 1/4 sheet isn't going to be big enough to make it worth the trouble, or the slight compromise in strength in using short doublers to save plywood.



We built them 24” wide and 36” long to easily fit into a car trunk. I used 3/4” hardwood A/B ply, a set of Waddell legs, and a bunch of 1-1/4” galvanzied deck screws.

The bench top is two rip cuts for dimension, then a slot cut for the bench cutout (I built it with a single side cutout), six scroll cuts to round the corners, a full permitier 1/4” roundover around the top, and a rough and finish sand.



The doublers are jsut chopped for length, sanded, and then glued and screwed into the bottom, to provide a stable foundation for the legs, and to reinforce the top. This is one STRONG bench.


It takes me about two hours to build one, start to finish (well, actually that's un-finished, but fully constructed); but if I were building a bunch of them it would probably only be an hour a piece because I could use the same setups over and over again.

Rather than use two full length doublers as I show in the plan views, I used the scraps of my previous cuts (oh and I freehand cut 2” radius corners, because I like them better than 1"). Either way, it’s plenty strong; though with the two full length doublers, glued and screwed, I’d guess the top would handle several thousand pounds without splitting.

The depth of the shooters cutout we chose, was about as deep as we could get with the width of the legs we chose, and still have the legs centered. If we offset the legs we could make a much deeper cutout, but I don’t think thats necessary; and as it is, the thing is stable as concrete. Oh, and it would also be very easy to do a double cutout, as in the original booger bench.

It would be easy to build a screw in leg variant that WOULD take several thousand pounds of pressure, be even more stable, and have as deep a cutout as you wanted; using splayed brackets and threaded pipe legs; but I prefer the quick and tidy portability of the folding leg version.



I believe Waddell rates their legs for 400lbs; I know that were it the right height I would have no qualms about sitting on this table, it's that solid.

Oh, and we chose the 24” x 36” dimensions for portability (JohnOC drives a Camry, and biggger table might not fit), and convenience using the plywood I had on hand; it would be trivial to extend the dimensions out to as much as 48"x32" and still only use a half sheet of plywood.

Honestly though, I like the smaller size. It’s tidy and convenient; and it makes a good lunch table as well.



The cost? About $50 assuming you have the tools necessary to build it (Circular saw, power drill, skill saw, router, power sander); and about $300 if you don't.

The cheapest way to go is with some random rough grade plywood, but I'd really recommend against that. The generic 3/4” “hardwood” plywood that I used runs about $35 a sheet, and it works just fine. You might save $10 or $15 on wood, but your result won't be as good.

If you want better plywood, or thicker plywood, it’s more expensive. Going up to a full double layer of plywood would bring your wood costs way up; but that would make it 1.5” thick, and suitable for long term use as a workbench or something similar.

You could also do a double layer of 1/2” ply instead, for a solid inch of thickness; and it would be quite strong, lighter than the double 3/4", and probably handier; plus 1/2" thicnkess of good hardwood plywood is a LOT cheaper than 3/4".

Hell, if you have access to a marine supply place, they sell teak plywood that would look awesome and last about 1000 years; but would be a bit expensive.

If you are going to do any gunsmithing (or other work with hammering, clamping, and the use of solvents) on it I suggest surfacing it with 1/4” MDO board, or a hard surfaced laminate or particle board; which I would run you an extra $20 or so.

If you want a bigger one, you can do that, all the way up to as I said 48x24, or 48x32; which in addition to being a shooting bench, would make a decent portable picnic table for four to six people; a good folding desk or worktable etc… and the expense is just about the same. The wood costs the same, but it’s a bit more time, and a bit of extra sanding, gluing, and screwing.

You actually could go bigger, but I wouldnt recommend it; the table wouldn’t be as stable, and you'd use more plywood.

For finishing, I recommend marine spar varnish or something similar. I used six coats of heavy duty acrylic, but that's because I needed it dry in 24 hours; otherwise I'd have put 4 coats of spar varnish on.

For a seriously tough finish, seal it, and put three coats of marine varnish on it; but don’t expect a furniture grade finish. If you want that, you need to use more expensive plywood, like a good oak, beech, walnut, or birch furniture grade wood. Then you have to do a LOT of finish sanding; including sanding between coats; and put on three or four more, thinner coats; but honestly why bother.

I'll post some pictures of the fully finished benches tomorrow after the last coat of acrylic dries.

Fuck you very much JK

Stolen from: PDB