On Patrol of the Lighter Side

FOR SALE

2010-04-08T18:23:00.003-05:00

2004 YAMAHA XT225 STREET/TRAIL

NEW REAR TIRE...JUST TUNED UP

NEVER RACED, JUMPED, OR LAID OVER

5700 MILES $1990 276-393-5003

THE 4 COMMANDMENTS OF FIREARMS SAFETY

2010-01-01T10:14:00.002-05:00

Treat all firearms as if they are loaded.

Never point the firearm at anything you do not want to destroy.

Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target and you have made the decision to shoot.

Always be aware of your target and what is beyond it.

I DON'T CARRY A GUN

2009-12-28T14:04:00.002-05:00

I don’t carry a gun to kill people. I carry a gun to keep from being killed.

I don’t carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world.

I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry. I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.

I don’t carry a gun because my sex organs are too small. I carry a gun because I want to continue to use those sex organs for the purpose for which they were intended for a good long time to come.

I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don’t carry a gun because I’m a cowboy. I carry a gun because, when I die and go to heaven, I want to be a cowboy.

I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.

I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.

I don’t carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

Syd

OOPS

2009-10-16T06:51:00.002-05:00

RILEY AT 4 WEEKS OLD

2009-07-05T07:30:00.000-05:00

Riley Alexis Stallard June 2, 2009

2009-06-03T20:07:00.002-05:00

WHAT DOES IT TAKE...AKA...CHARLES BRONSON WHERE ARE YOU WHEN WE NEED YOU

2009-03-22T09:52:00.006-05:00

I just read the article about the gunman who had AN EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL HISTORY AND WAS OUT ON PAROLE FOR ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON. It seems that he killed 3 Oakland officers and seriously wounded another.

So I'm sitting here wondering why he was out in the first place. Who were the ones who released him to prey on society again.

If you have read this blog for a while you might remember the break-in at the funeral home where I almost shot the suspect. Go here for that story. At the time of the break-in he already had been convicted and sentenced to 20 years BUT a local judge had suspended 19 years and 6 months of the sentence. He was out on probation at that time. Now in Virginia if your probation is violated you are SUPPOSE to serve the part of your sentence that was suspended.

Now for the rest of the story...this weekend we stopped a pickup for doing 44 in a 25 MPH zone. The driver begged us not to give him another ticket...seems like he had just wrecked and rolled his truck, was facing another speeding ticket in an adjacent town and was afraid that if we gave him this one it MIGHT violate his probation that he was on for breaking into the funeral home a few years back.

Justice may be blind but sometimes I think she's also deaf and dumb.

Now I understand why some police officers get so burnt out.

Stallard's Gun and Tactical Supply

2009-03-18T21:26:00.003-05:00

VISIT STALLARD'S GUN AND TACTICAL SUPPLY FOR DISCOUNT FIREARMS

SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT...MILITARY...NRA MEMBERS

http://www.stallardsgun.com/default.html

And Again One More Time AKA Another Lost Hound

2009-02-10T19:13:00.007-05:00

For some reason I seem to be a lost Hound magnet.

http://hstallard.blogspot.com/2007/10/third-time-again.html

This hungry hound showed up the other day at my son's where I babysit. She has evidently been lost for some time as she is practically nothing but skin and bones.

Unfortunately while she has one of those fancy orange and reflective collars on there is a big hole where the brass nameplate should be.

It looks like she'll be around for a while so I took a large bag of dog food down this morning when I reported in for my babysitting shift.

SCENES FROM OUR MORNING WALK

2008-09-15T20:20:00.005-05:00

Dear Mr. Obama

2008-09-08T20:20:00.002-05:00

Be sure and watch it all the way through.

SEA SERPENTS, LAKE MONSTERS, AND CREEK CREATURES

2008-08-06T20:39:00.008-05:00

Deep in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains in the sleepy little town of Coeburn, a sinister creature has been making unexpected appearances in the center of town. Several unconfirmed sightings have been reported by reliable witnesses but until the Chief of Police took the above photo on his BlackBerry during the towns 4th of July celebration no one could produce hard evidence of the existence of a creature called Tommy the Creek Monster.

Some reports describe it as long and rat like but about 10 times the size of a normal creek rat. One witness said it had the body about the size of a large dog but with extremely short stubby legs. All of the witnesses who have seen it say that it lives in the weedy creek bed of Little Toms Creek that runs through the center of town.

No one can say for sure what happened to them but several wild ducks that were living in the creek have mysteriously disappeared. Also the large population of stray dogs that ran around town has also disappeared.

Below is an artist's rendition of Tommy based on witness descriptions.

OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF BABES...

2008-06-21T20:07:00.004-05:00

Mountain Lion Hoax in Virginia

2008-03-28T15:02:00.008-05:00

Mountain Lion (near Wise, VA)

This lion was hit between Cherry Reservoir Road and High Knob area (near Wise, VA) by a car. Game and Fish had to come and put him down. He charged at the Fish and Game guy in the process. Look at his PAWS!.
Bill Shaeffer and Frank Womack helped with the capture

Cougar Hoax in Wise County
Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:44:04 -0400
From: Allen.Boynton@dgif.virginia.gov Add Mobile Alert

To: hstallard@yahoo.com

Dear Harold,

The reported recovery of a cougar by VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries staff near Big Cherry Reservoir in Wise County is a hoax. The lion pictured was actually killed by a vehicle in Arizona earlier this year. The man in the photos is Arizona DPS Officer Ellico. Visit these links to see news stories written about these pictures that were revealed as hoaxes in West Virginia and Kentucky.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08069/863382-358.stm

http://www.wpsdtv.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=1fff5d3d-b5a9-4865-9661-76e20284a461
(scroll down to the bottom for the story on this url)

I don't know who Bill Shaeffer or Frank Womack are, but they don't work for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. If someone with DGIF had been called about this as was stated in the email, that person would have been Johnny Wills, Wise County District Biologist, or Tim Hayes, Wise County Conservation Police Officer. Neither responded to any such situation. As an additional bit of info, note the deer racks in the background of the first photo. They are mule deer racks.

Please call me if you have any questions.

Allen Boynton
VA Dept. Game & Inland Fisheries
Regional Wildlife Manager
Marion, VA
(276) 783-4860

WHY I DON'T MISS TEACHING

2008-03-20T18:04:00.008-05:00

Our local middle school (grades 4-8) held their annual Health Fair today. I manned our table with a display about the dangers of abusing over the counter drugs...especially cough syrup containing DXM . Also see the Sarah Sliverman video below.

The kids were super cool as far as I was concerned. It was the teachers that I took exception with. If the prison system ever needs extra guards, I know where they can fill the need. All the teachers need, would be the guard uniforms. They've got everything else down already. From standing in the hallways with arms crossed and stern looks at anyone who gets out of line or talks to the bullhorn in the cafeteria to tell the kids how, when, and where to eat, sit, line up, go to the bathroom, empty their trays, etc.

I just wish they could see themselves through my eyes.

Sarah Silverman is addicted to cough syrup

2008-03-12T18:06:00.007-05:00

It's all about "CONTROL" AKA Big Brother Is Watching You

2008-03-02T09:23:00.010-05:00

The following article was copied from Yahoo News at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_fe_st/odd_kindergarten_suspension

Wed Feb 27, 5:11 PM ET

PARMA, Ohio - A kindergarten student with a freshly spiked Mohawk has been suspended from school. Michelle Barile, the mother of 6-year-old Bryan Ruda, said nothing in the Parma Community School handbook prohibits the haircut, characterized by closely shaved sides with a strip of prominent hair on top. The school said the hair was a distraction for other students.

I understand they have a dress code. I understand he has a uniform. But this is total discrimination," she said. "They can't tell me how I can cut his hair."

An administrator at the suburban Cleveland charter school first warned Barile last fall that the haircut wasn't acceptable. The school later sent another warning to her reiterating the ban.

Mohawks violate the school's policy on being properly groomed, school Principal Linda Geyer said. Also, the school district's dress code allows school officials to forbid anything that interferes with the conduct of education.

Ruda's hair became a disruption last week when Ruda arrived freshly shorn, Geyer said. Administrators called Barile on Friday telling her to pick Ruda up from school.

"This was his third infraction," Geyer said Tuesday. "We felt that we were being extremely patient."

Rather than request a hearing to appeal the suspension, Barile said she'll enroll him at another school. Changing the hairstyle is not an option, she said.

"It's something that he really likes," Barile said. "When people hear Mohawk, they think it's long, it's spiked, it's crazy looking, and it's really not."

I taught elementary school for 36 years, mostly in the 3rd grade in two different schools under 3 different superintendents and 6 different principles all in the same school system. I have seen things from both sider of the teacher's desk as my two sons attended the same school in which I taught.

When you apply to work for a company that has a dress code, you have the choice to accept the job or not. In the public school system you don't really have that choice. Yes, I know that you have the option of homeschooling your child but that option just isn't feasible for the vast majority of parents.

So by law you are required to send your child to school and you have to live with whatever rules and regulations they may have. And believe me they have them on all levels. In the system I worked for there were 3 layers of regulations. First the county had their regs in their county student/parent handbook. Then each school had their own regs in the school's handbook which always included things that weren't in the county's. Then each teacher had their own classroom rules to be followed. At each level the student and parent both had to sign a form saying that they had read and agreed to abide by these rules. Not signing wasn't an option.

Now if you will read any of these handbooks in any system in the state or country, you will find a phrase that goes something like this...The code allows school officials to forbid anything that interferes with the conduct of education.

What that means is that no matter how reasonable the rules seem to be the school / administrator / principal / teacher can have any rule they want just by saying something is interfering with the educational process. Kind of like the way the phrase "A Matter of National Security" is thrown around by the Feds.

So in the above article it's not about discrimination or reasonable rules or even about things that interfere with the educational process, it's about who has the control of what happens in the schools. And believe me it's not the students or parents.

Gun Control - 1/2 Hour News Hour

2008-01-31T10:25:00.001-05:00

click on each slide to enlarge

2008-01-16T20:56:00.000-05:00

Click on each slide to enlarge

2008-01-10T21:03:00.000-05:00

Don't Mess With Granny!

2007-12-31T16:17:00.001-05:00

Faces of Meth

2007-12-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Mountain Lions

2007-12-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Old Wives Grandfathers Tales

2007-11-20T19:56:00.000-05:00

Been out in the woods a lot the last few weeks and have seen a lot of wild game especially deer and squirrel. Hunting for me is a time of solitude, a time of contemplation, of reflection. One of the things I've been running through my mind was some of the stories my father, grandfather, and father-in-law told for the gospel truth.

Squirrel Migration...
My paternal grandfather used to tell about the time he was in the woods and hundreds of squirrels were all traveling together headed down the ridge he was hunting on. He swore that his grandfather had told him the same story when he was a youngster.

Killer Spike

My father-in-law called these deer killer spikes. He claimed that they would find a mature buck and using their spikes they would gut the larger buck to kill it and eliminate competition for the does. He never saw it himself but he knew of someone else who knew someone who did see it happen.

Dominant Squirrel

My father and my father-in-law both told of the dominant squirrel. It seems that each section of the woods contained a older dominant male squirrel. Each spring when the young squirrels were born he would visit all of the nests in his territory and any baby male squirrels he found he would chew off their testicles so he would be the only male able to mate with the females.

Wonder what Sigmund would make of these stories?

Arsonists destroy High Knob tower

2007-11-02T20:39:00.000-05:00

Before

After

Published 10/31/2007 By Stephen Igo

Firefighters could do nothing but watch early Wednesday as the last of the High Knob Observation Tower’s wooden decking burns. Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service.

HIGH KNOB — A Wise County landmark was destroyed Wednesday in what firefighters are calling a Halloween arson incident.

The Jefferson National Forest’s High Knob Observation Tower went up in flames early Wednesday, leaving U.S. Forest Service authorities and everyone else scratching their heads over the senselessness of the incident. Arsonists also destroyed a restroom at the Clinch Ranger District at the Hanging Rock Picnic Area in Scott County. Clinch District Ranger Ron Bush said the restroom fire was reported roughly a half hour after local fire departments and USFS personnel had arrived at the tower site above Norton.

USFS wildlife biologist Lois Boggs said the late great tower was probably built in the 1960s or early 1970s. It was originally a fire watch tower, then transformed into a tourist observation tower. The history of a lookout structure of some sort goes back to at least the 1930s.

The two-story structure built 40 to 50 years ago featured an attractive solid stone bottom with a wood upper story. The most serious vandalism on the structure to this point was the annoying habit of many visitors to carve their initials or proclamations of love into the woodwork.

“In the ’90s we re-decked it, put in new steps and a new roof,” she said. “At one point when it was still used as an observation tower for fires, we had it open to the public. There were maps and windows and all that. We still occasionally come up here, even though (airplanes are now used to spot forest fires) to look over the district and see if there are any smokes or anything going on. Of course, that’s all gone for everyone now.”

Volunteer fire departments from Norton and Coeburn were among the responding firefighter units sent to no avail, Bush said.

Click on the title for the full story...

You know what...there just ain't no cure for stupidity.