The Smallest Minority

Bill Whittle States it Plainly

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:14:00 +0000

I Know it's Fiction, But . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:28:00 +0000

...sometimes there's truth in there.

One of the few television shows I watch with any regularity is ABC's Castle. I started watching it because the title character is played by Nathan Fillion, Firefly's Malcolm Reynolds. I like the guy. Turns out, it's an entertaining show - and I still like the guy.

Anyway, for whatever reason - solar storm, falling stock market, Newt winning South Carolina, my DVR screwed up and didn't record part of the latest episode, so I went to the ABC website to watch it there.

Where I discovered that one of the characters - Det. Ryan - has his own blog.

Oh how cute.

Except the latest post on that blog caught my attention: Ryan on his Glock. Let me excerpt:

It's 22.04 ounces unloaded, add another 9.87 when it's got all the rounds in there. It's got a synthetic polymer frame to cut down on wear and tear - still sets off a metal detector though, don't worry. 17 round capacity, 7.32 inches long, 5.43 inches high and with 5.5 pounds of pressure to the trigger it can change from a symbol of authority, to the last thing someone sees in this life.

Straighforward, technical. Interesting. Next paragraph:

Now imagine that strapped to your hip. It’s not comfortable. I see people on the subway shifting around, trying to keep their keys from digging into their leg and I think they have no idea how bad it can be. Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way. Every time my Glock digs into my side, every time my hand bumps into it, heck, every time it makes my pants sag, I'm reminded of what it means. Its weight on my hip is a reminder of the weight I have on my shoulders. The city of New York has entrusted me with the right to take the life of another.

My emphasis.

No. No it hasn't. But honestly, that attitude I think explains a lot of things. It explains why places like New York refuse to allow their citizens to exercise their right to arms. It explains why individual members of police departments all across the country, and some full departments do the things that Radley Balko writes about on a daily basis.

They think that by carrying a firearm they've been given a right to kill.

No, they've been entrusted with the power to kill only in the defense of self or others. But if they believe they have the right to kill, well...

Chained dog lunges at you? Kill it. You have the right.

Want to beat up an old man? Hey, you have the right to kill him! Why not?

There has been story after story of individual officers, SWAT teams, and groups of cops dealing out violence, often lethal, without sufficient cause. Part of it, I think, is the belief that the gun, the badge and the uniform confer upon them the right to kill. If you've got that, anything less than lethal must be OK too, right?

Read the rest of the piece. When the author starts talking about bullying, I just stopped reading. Today the bullies wear uniforms, badges and guns.

Update: Like these Connecticut cops.

Here's another, via Uncle.

Love and Self-Worth

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:29:00 +0000

Back when I wrote What We Got Here is ...Failure to Communicate, I quoted Thomas Sowell extensively from his magnum opus A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggle. One of the excerpts dealt with the differences in the way his two defined ideological groups deal with "new knowledge" and its effect on past decisions:

All social processes -- whether economic, religious, political or other -- involve costs. These costs are seen very differently by those with the constrained and the unconstrained visions, just as they see differently the kinds of attitudes needed in these processes -- sincerity versus fidelity, for example. These costs may be due to time or to violence, among other sources, their corresponding benefits may be apportioned justly or unjustly, and their recipients may be free or unfree. All these aspects are assessed differently in the constrained and the unconstrained visions.

The passage of time, and its irreversibility, create special decision-making difficulties, social processes, and moral principles -- all of which are seen quite differently by those with the constrained and the unconstrained visions. Both recognize that decisions made at one point in time have consequences at other points in time. But the ways of coping with this fact depend upon the capabilities of human beings and especially of human knowledge and foresight.

Accretions of knowledge over time mean that individual and social decisions made under conditions of lesser knowledge have consequences under conditions of greater knowledge. To those with the unconstrained vision, this means that being bound by past decisions represents a loss of benefits made possible by later knowledge. Being bound by past decisions, whether in constitutional law cases or in marriage for life, is seen as costly and irrational.

In the unconstrained vision, there are moral as well as practical consequences to intertemporal commitments. Gratitude, as well as loyalty and patriotism, for example, are all essentially commitments to behave differently in the future, toward individuals or societies, than one would behave on an impartial assessment of circumstances as they might exist at some future time, if those individuals and societies were encountered for the first time. Where two lives are jeopardized and only one can be saved, to save the one who is your father may be an act of loyalty but not an act of justice. Thus, in behavioral terms, gratitude and loyalty are interteporal commitments not to be impartial -- not to use future knowledge and future moral assessments to produce that result which you would otherwise consider best, if confronting the same individuals for the first time. From this perspective, loyalty, promises, patriotism, gratitude, precedents, oaths of fealty, constitutions, marriage, social traditions, and international treaties are all constrictions imposed earlier, when knowledge is less, on options to be exercised later, when knowledge will be greater.

--

All of those things ... loyalty, constitutions, marriage, etc. ... have been lauded and revered by those with a constrained vision. The process costs entailed by intertemporal commitments depend on (1) how much more knowledge, rationality, and impartiality human beings are capable of bringing to bear as a result of the passage of time and (2) on the cost of accepting the disadvantages of moment-to-moment decision-making.

Got that?

Now, go read THIS. (h/t Vanderleun)

There are other rewards for loyalty, promises, constitutions, marriage etc. that are honored that sometime aren't factored in to the calculations. And costs when they are not.

Quote of the Day - Astrology Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:04:00 +0000

From (who else) Tam:

I do share a birthday with Hadrianus Augustus, Frederick the Great, Edith Wharton, Ernst Heinkel, Generalfeldmarschall Model, Oral Roberts, Warren Zevon, John Belushi, and Natassja Kinski. (Oral Bob and Bluto Blutarsky on the same day? That should tell you everything you need to know about the predictive power of astrology.)

D'OH! Forgot to add: Happy Birthday, Tam!!

OK, The Date is Set - BUMPED ONE LAST TIME

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:25:00 +0000

The Central Arizona Blogshoot will be Sunday, January 29 at the Elsy Pearson public shooting range just off Trekell Road and I-8, just West of I-10. The range opens at 7:00AM. There are no ~~rangenazis~~ rangemasters. There are no chairs - bring something to sit on. The firing line is covered and there are concrete shooting benches, however.

And the city has porta-potties out there on a permanent basis now, so we don't have to rent our own (but bring your own TP just in case.)

The rules are pretty simple:

No explosives, no .50BMG rifles, clean up after yourself, don't be a dick.

ETA: In comments, ExurbanKevin advises:

A coupla item of note: The ground there is reinforced concrete disguised as sun-baked clay/ Fugetabout any target stand that needs to stuck into the ground, it ain't happenin'. Steel and targets that don't need taping are best. And the benches are funky-shaped. Regular camping chairs are marginal, stools are better.

Yup. I bring folding chairs, I have a 2" PVC target stand, and a half-dozen steel swinger targets. End edit.

I plan on being there when the range opens. We'll shoot until noon or 1 o'clock, then pack up and have lunch. I can't remember the name of the place we went last year, ~~but there's a fairly well-ranked restaurant just up the road called the Creative Café~~, or we can bring grills and meat and bread and chips and tailgate it right there at the range, or others can suggest someplace else to eat in the comments. I'm open.

BUMPED: OK, looks like about 13 of us say we're going, and the vote is 10-4 in favor of tailgating it at the range for lunch. I can live with that. Anybody else? The more the merrier!

Final bump. I recommend you bring: water or other non-alcoholic beverages (no alcohol on the range), sunscreen, ear & eye protection, (ladies, don't wear anything low-cut or open-necked. Yes, I'm sure it looks lovely, but you don't want to catch hot brass down in there), something to SIT ON (folding chairs recommended, but a 5 gallon bucket upended will work in a pinch), something to eat (enough to share would be nice, but not necessary), a roll of TP just in case the porta-potties are low. OPTIONAL: Something to shoot with, and something to shoot AT. I imagine most of us will be bringing multiple firearms and lots of ammo, but if you don't, well, I'm willing to let people shoot my stuff (with my ammo), and I'm willing to let them shoot at my targets. We gunnies are generous that way.

If you're a reader or a non-gun blogger interested in coming to a off-the-cuff funshoot, please come on down! Hope to see you there!

Giffords Steps Down

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:23:00 +0000

Thank you, Ms. Giffords. You have my respect, and my best wishes.

Quote of the Day

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:28:00 +0000

For years, cellphone makers had avoided using glass because it required precision in cutting and grinding that was extremely difficult to achieve. Apple had already selected an American company, Corning Inc., to manufacture large panes of strengthened glass. But figuring out how to cut those panes into millions of iPhone screens required finding an empty cutting plant, hundreds of pieces of glass to use in experiments and an army of midlevel engineers. It would cost a fortune simply to prepare.

Then a bid for the work arrived from a Chinese factory.

When an Apple team visited, the Chinese plant's owners were already constructing a new wing. "This is in case you give us the contract," the manager said, according to a former Apple executive. The Chinese government had agreed to underwrite costs for numerous industries, and those subsidies had trickled down to the glass-cutting factory. It had a warehouse filled with glass samples available to Apple, free of charge. The owners made engineers available at almost no cost. They had built on-site dormitories so employees would be available 24 hours a day.

The Chinese plant got the job.

"The entire supply chain is in China now," said another former high-ranking Apple executive.

"You need a thousand rubber gaskets? That's the factory next door. You need a million screws? That factory is a block away. You need that screw made a little bit different? It will take three hours."

An eight-hour drive from that glass factory is a complex, known informally as Foxconn City, where the iPhone is assembled. To Apple executives, Foxconn City was further evidence that China could deliver workers — and diligence — that outpaced their American counterparts.

That's because nothing like Foxconn City exists in the United States.

The facility has 230,000 employees, many working six days a week, often spending up to 12 hours a day at the plant. Over a quarter of Foxconn's work force lives in company barracks and many workers earn less than $17 a day. When one Apple executive arrived during a shift change, his car was stuck in a river of employees streaming past. "The scale is unimaginable," he said.

That's not QotD, though I strongly recommend you RTWT. I quoted that so I could quote you this, from an AR15.com thread, "What's the stupidest thing you've ever heard a professor say?":

Yesterday, I had a professor who was born and raised in China try to give a lecture about how offshoring hurts China. Yeah, you read that right, American offshoring hurts China.

He went through a power point presentation showing environmental problems (dead fish in streams, sand storms, etc.), and I just sat there. He held up a dry-erasable marker and said "Chinese workers only make 100-200 dollars per month making things like these." He kept emphasizing how little they made and how hard they worked.

I couldn't take it any longer. I respectfully raised my hand and asked "how much were these workers making before offshoring was prominent?"

You want your iPhone, iPad, Macbook AirJordans and $7 quilted winter coats? Offshoring is the cost.

Discuss.

But I Want a PHASER!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:45:00 +0000

Via email from my brother, it looks like the predictions of the Star Trek series keep coming true:

Yup, transparent aluminum. Well, an aluminum-based ceramic anyway - aluminium oxynitride. It's been in development for a while, but now they've figured out how to produce it in significant quantity.

And, since this IS a gun blog, ballistic transparent aluminum:

My Feelings Exactly

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 14:46:00 +0000

Stolen shamelessly from Mostly Cajun.

SOPA - Too Little, Too Late

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:49:00 +0000

In the fine TSM tradition of using Other People's Words when they say it better than I can, I quote Larry Correia quoting co-author Mike Kupari on the recent legislative setback of the SOPA bill by an uprising of netizens:

You didn't care when the government decided it could spy on you without a warrant. You didn't care when they started telling you what you could eat. You didn't care when your kids' education was turned into indoctrination. You didn't care when they were more worried about military veterans than Islamic terrorists. You didn't care when they spent so much money that our entire economic system may collapse. You didn't care when they gave billions of your money to unions and corporations that were their political contributors. You didn't care when inert cosmetic features on guns were felonies. You didn't care when they made it a fucking crime to not have government approved health insurance.

All of these things were done in your name. On your behalf. To help you, protect you, take care of you. Each time you gave them more power and gave away more of your freedom. Each time you believed them when they said they were protecting you, or helping the less fortunate, or sticking it to "the rich" who "aren't paying their fair share".

Each time you applauded their efforts. Mocked those that were concerned. Called them uncaring or racist or alarmist or stupid. Each time you asked for more. You begged them to take care of you, protect you, right wrongs, enforce equality.

But now that your Internet porn and bit torrents are threatened, NOW you care?

It's too late for all that, kids. Turning off Wikipedia for a couple days isn't going to win back the freedoms we've pissed away. It isn't going to undo decades of expanding government power. They've already decided there's nothing they can't do, no law they can't pass.

We watched it happen. We let it happen. We have the country we deserve.

So go ahead, post a rant about SOPA on your blog. Link to Ron Paul's web page. Pretend you're doing something. It'll make you feel better. Then you will go back to business as usual and so will they.

Democracy in action. Isn't it beautiful?

Can I get an "AMEN!"?

Edited to add this found at Tam's:

Another Non Sequitur Strip

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:13:00 +0000

Looks like the Commandments of the Church of JAPete to me...

Non Sequitur from Sept. 8, 2011.

The Philosophy CANNOT BE WRONG!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:07:00 +0000

Do it again, ONLY HARDER!

Reader Eric G. sent me a link to this cartoon. It's from the strip Non Sequitur, Sept. 1, 2011. I think I'll post it every time I write about cognitive dissonance:

Yup, that's it.

Quote of the Day - Don't Confuse 'Em With Facts Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:32:00 +0000

So let me get this right. The Canadian Oil is supposedly worse for the environment, so stopping this pipeline will help the planet.

So instead of moving the oil in a safe way and be processed in US refineries operating under EPA regulations, the oil will now be transported across the Canadian Rockies where it will be loaded onto giant tankers and shipped across the Pacific where it will be refined in Chinese operations that have far fewer, if any, regulations in place.

Please let me know how the Chinese alternative is better for the Earth. Because no matter what, this Canadian oil is going to be sold.

Paul Strasser

The Killer Must've Been a Tea-Partier Opposed to Obamacare

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:32:00 +0000

ABC reports:

Iranian Student Activist Shot to Death in Texas

A Texas medical student well-known in her community as an Iranian activist was mysteriously shot and killed in her car, just yards from her home

Gelareh Bagherzadeh, 30, was driving through her Houston townhouse complex around midnight on Monday when she was shot dead through her car window.

"When officers arrived, they found a vehicle had run into a garage door at that location with the engine running and tires spinning on the pavement. Ms. Bagherzadeh was found slumped over in the driver's seat," the Houston Police Department said in a statement.

Authorities said nothing appeared to have been stolen from her car. Her cell phone and purse were found inside.

"Homicide investigators responded to the scene and were told by witnesses that several gunshots were heard, a crash and then tires squealing," the statement said.

Police told ABC News' Houston affiliate KTRK that the last person to speak to Bagherzadeh was her close friend and ex-boyfriend who was on the phone with her when she was shot.

"[The boyfriend] heard a loud thud. He doesn't recall hearing any gunshots, but a loud thud and then a screeching noise," Richard Bolton of the Houston Police Department Homicide unit told KTRK.

Bagherzadeh was of Iranian descent and was outspoken in promoting Iranian women's rights and criticizing the Iranian government, according to interviews she had done with the Houston Chronicle.

I'm sure the police are looking for a middle-aged white guy as the prime suspect.

Damn, You DO Like Recoil!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:55:00 +0000

The post about the .950JDJ ~~is well on its way to becoming~~ has become my most popular post (by linkage and traffic) ever.

SayUncle linked it. And Weer'd. Then lgstarr. (New to me.)

But in the last few days, it hit the message boards. Hard:

Accurate Reloading

Texas Riders (a motorcycle board.)

Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club (another motorcycle board, membership required to view.)

Aprilla Forum (ANOTHER motorcycle board that requires membership)

Forum.Saiga-12.com

MarlinOwners.com

TexasKayakFisherman.com (?!?!)

AR15.com

Kel-Tec Owner's Group (That one I can kinda understand.)

Texas Predator Posse

Pennock's Fiero Forum

Sportsmansnews.com

Forums.GunsandAmmo.com

tngunowners.com

texasgunforum.com

AirgunBBS.com (members only)

UK Varminting

WoodworkingTalk.com

GlockForum

Damn Locals 4X4 Club

PAFOA Forums

Taxidermy.net Forum (members only.)

New England Hunter's Network

Freedom Sledder Forum

NoslerReloading.com

The Stalking Directory

Delaware Open Carry

And about ~~200~~ 600 hits from emails and Facebook.

I think there's a couple more I've missed that came from across the pond. I'll keep updating this as new ones show up in the referrer logs.

That one post has had (as I write this) ~~2,577~~ ~~4,630~~ ~~8,019~~ 12,087 hits since it went up, according to Google Analytics; viewed by ~~2,367~~ ~~4,232~~ ~~7,354~~ 11,066 unique IP addresses.

This is just amazing. Who knew?

Ameritopia

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:20:00 +0000

I'm going to have to get a copy of Levin's latest book, Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America.

Go watch an interview with Levin on the book.

I Am TJIC

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:31:00 +0000

And Borepatch has a damned fine idea to commemorate the first anniversary of his violation by the Democratic People's Republic of Massachussetts. (Motto: "Live Free or Here.")

Go. Read.

Holy Go Se!

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 13:41:00 +0000

Barron Barnett emails with an interesting link. It seems like Adam Baldwin has read (and approved) of my überpost What We Got Here is...Failure to Communicate. (I wondered where all those Twitter hits were coming from!) He especially liked the Serenity quote at the end.

Yes, that Adam Baldwin - Jayne from Firefly.

Hey U.S. Citizen! Seems like Summer Glau is going to pass on the offer, how about we invite Adam Baldwin to the next Gun Blogger Rendezvous? I mean, how can you not like a man who has this picture on his Twitter feed?

Hell, that made my day, and it's not even 7:00AM yet!

UPDATE: And he did it!

First Guffaw,

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:12:00 +0000

...now Joe Huffman?

Apparently Joe's blog is not available. The Boomershoot site is still up, as is Joehuffman.org, but not The View from North Central Idaho. WTF?

UPDATE: Aaaand now it's back. Weird.

Quote of the Week - Detroit Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 06:01:00 +0000

Detroit is North Korea … with the Unions holding the same pride of place as the North Korean Army—keep them happy and they keep the kleptocracy in power. No matter who else starves. -- Tom Jones in a quote at Via Meadia

I Had No Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 02:09:00 +0000

Worth the time to watch:

(h/t Jim Burnett, fellow pin-shooter)

Now That I Know That I Share His Opinion

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 01:12:00 +0000

...I may have to reconsider.

Bill Maher says:

"If they were real Taliban, if they were people who burn down girls' schools you know, and do honor rapes, threw acid in people's faces, I'm not that upset about pissing on them, dead or alive."

No, that's about right. But I'm sure he said some other stuff I disagree wildly with.

So You Like RECOIL, Do You?

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

The posts about the .700WTF and the .950JDJ drew a LOT of hits, so apparently this is a popular topic. On that last post, one commenter said:

Can we get a 1.000 OMG? Going once… going twice…

Which was followed by:

Screw round numbers.

Make it the 1.001 OMG just to break the barrier firmly.

Already been done, boys, in a rifle you actually fire from the shoulder, not off a bench. The 4-Bore double-rifle:

According to Wikipedia:

The name derives out of an old English practice of bore measurements in gunmaking, meaning a perfectly round pure lead ball that exactly fits the bore of the weapon would weigh 1/4 lb -- that is, 0.25 lb (0.11 kg) (see gauge). The 4 bore was made to fire roundballs of 1/4 pound lead, or approximately 1750 grains (1750 gr.) and approximately 1-inch (25 mm) calibre (more precisely, 1.053-inch (26.7 mm), when shooting pure lead bullets). This varied greatly as in muzzle loader days shotgun gauges were custom made and often differed from the actual bore measurements. Commonly, 4 gauges were closer to .935-.955 calibre, pertaining to a 1400 gr. alloyed lead ball and closer to 5 gauge.

So it's hard to say without actually examining a 4-bore, but it could indeed be 1" or greater. Continuing:

The cartridge brass case was around 4 inches (100 mm) long, and contained three types of loads: light at 12 drams, 14 drams at regular, and 16 drams of powder at heavy load. (Note: 1 dram = 27.34375 grains in the avoirdupois system, since 256 drams = 7000 grains = 1 pound of powder. Shotgun shells are still rated in terms of the same archaic dram measurements, relative to their equivalence of smokeless powder load to a blackpowder load weighed in drams.) John "Pondoro" Taylor mentioned in his book African Rifles and Cartridges that the 12 drams (328 gr., 3/4 oz.) charge would propel the projectile at around 1,330 ft/s (410 m/s). A double barreled rifle that would fire such a calibre would weight around 22-24 lb bare, while the single-barreled version would be around 17-18 lb.

John Ross, the author of Unintended Consequences has one of these beasts. Here's a sample ballistics table:

With a "heavy" load of 440 grains of black powder under a 1743 grain projectile, the free recoil energy of 262ft-lbs. is very much in the same class as the .950JDJ, only the JDJ rifles weigh between 50 and 110 pounds and are fired off a bench. The 4-bore doubles weigh about 25 pounds and are fired standing, from the shoulder.

OUCH.

I Guess this Proves We Don't Teach Civics

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 03:20:00 +0000

Seen at Curmudgeonly & Skeptical, the Independence Day Quiz, a test of knowledge about American history and government. Rodger's site says:

Supposedly 96% of all High School Seniors FAILED this test ... AND if that's not bad enough, 50+% of all individuals over 50 did too!!

I missed one.

Quote of the Day - Sean Sorrentino

noreply@blogger.com (Kevin) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:12:00 +0000

I like to watch the Bravo series Inside the Actor's Studio. Near the end of each show, host James Lipton asks his guests a list of 10 questions, the last of which is always "If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?"

Sean Sorrentino just gave me the perfect answer:

When I reach the Pearly Gates, I want the first thing I will hear to be "Unload and show clear."