howdy to another submariner blogger

a hat tip and a wave to Ted over at Musings of an Old Man. he's a submariner, retired cop, and a gun enthusiast. what's not to like? and!! he's older than me. so he must be a "super" geezer.

he.

hiya ted.

the rev. fred phelps: my nominee for supreme asshat of america

he's worse than anyone else i can think of. this is one seriously messed up dude, and he has amassed a coterie of followers that have a cumulative IQ about equal to that of a gibbering idiot.
what in the world are these folks thinking? protesting at soldier's funerals? holding signs saying "god loves ied's" and "thank god for dead soldiers". oh man, if i were attending the funeral of a friend or one of my kids that had died in service to their country, and these fu***ng freaks were standing along the route... i'm afraid there would be a couple more funerals. i am not talking out my ass here. their actions are such an affront to the sacrifices our kids are making, that i doubt i would be able to hold myself to a higher standard. i don't give a crap if it's a woman or a man, that action takes them out of the normal consideration.
i simply can't believe that the government has to intercede in this case, by having to pass laws restricting these kinds of protest. and the ACLU is whining

Edwin Yohnka, a spokesman for the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, says a proposal there that limits the time and distance of funeral protests is too broad.
The limit could be applied to somebody picketing the appearance of a public official at the service or somebody protesting on another issue, he says.

what is it that the ACLU is supposed to do?? oh yeah, destroy the country and our way of life. sorry, i forgot. when is protesting at a funeral ever appropriate? have these people no class or sense of humanity? apparently not.
the insult to our society is breathtaking. if there is a hell, i'm sure phelps will have his own private suite and tormentors waiting.
and to top it all off, is he doing this because he has a heartfelt belief, or is he just setting up the conditions to sue everyone he can?

Phelps, 76, a law school graduate, vows to challenge the laws in court and says he'll win. He says a 90-foot limit is reasonable, but he would sue over anything farther.
"We're going to get rich off the stuff they're doing," he says. "This is finger-lickin' good."

and the slimeballs over at the ACLU are more than likely hoping something does happen. what is happening in this country?

i'm still puzzling over the cartoon response

now, i'm not the smartest dude walking. i'm not stupid, but there are folks out there that are way sharper than i am. so here i am, puzzled. maybe one of you genius types could help me understand.
the islamic world erupted when there was an unsubstantiated rumor of guards in gitmo flushing koran pages down the head. and there is still violence surrounding the publishing of the above cartoon of moe.
now, here's my dilemma.
why isn't the entire muslim world in flames over this image? why isn't the islamic world rushing to iraq to turn the place upside down until they shake the perpetrators of this outrage loose? there are repercussions in iraq, but i don't see the world-wide outrage over this bombing. i guess i'm just confused, and too stupid to see the difference between a cartoon and a bombing.

and then there is australia. i love that place. those folks have been some of our staunchest allies, and with a few exceptions, like taking everyone's guns away, i would live there in a heartbeat. this country and it's citizens are unapologetically patriotic, and are not afraid to get in anybody's face if necessary.
case in point

A senior member of Australia's government has suggested Muslims who do not uphold the country's values should be stripped of their citizenship.

Remarks by Finance Minister Peter Costello, at a conference in Sydney, have sparked anger among leaders of Australia's Islamic community.

They have insisted his comments were divisive and inflammatory.

Mr Costello said migrants who did not respect Australia's laws and traditions should lose their citizenship.

read the whole article here.

cat blog friday (or late thursday night...) CSI vacaville

CSI Vacaville: Critter Signs Investigated, Vacaville

i've posted before that i have a creek as a boundary in the back. i've had all manner of critters wandering along the creek, and up to my back fence. deer, 'possums, you name it.

so i went outside the other day, and the deck was a mess. muddy paw prints everywhere. what the hell?so, what made the mess? sheba, queen of all she surveys, and spookykat didn't make it. a little sleuthing gave a clue!laying in wait during the late evening, early night, i was rewarded with absolute, incontrovertible proof that the culprit was a raccoon i already knew it, but photo evidence is much better than speculation.

speaking of sheba, queen of all she surveys, here is a picture of her being regal, in profileclick for larger image

and of course, one would not expect a royal feline to do anything but bask in the sun, would one? especially since the nights have been dipping into the mid to low 20's?

the Friday Ark is up over at the modulator

oh man, is the olympics getting hard core or what?

thanks to the web diva, i found a hilarious, yet disturbing video clip about the olympics. you thought the competition was tough? check out the winnowing process used these days. dayam. this is just too funny, in a sick kind of way. and since i'm an old school submariner, that's the best kind of humor there is!

reloading the 45 acp

i've been tinkering with 200 grain lead semi-wadcutters made by Western Nevada bullet company i've had laying around the shop for a while. well, i've got about 1000 of these critters, so i figured that i probably should get off my duff and work up some decent loads using them. i've loaded 230 grain ball for the most part. rainier, winchester, remington were the last 3 i tried. i hadn't had much luck with the 200 grain bullets when loading for the 745 LDA para-ordinance, so i kind of gave up on them and tinkered with 45 colt loads using them. not much luck there either.
then i picked up the springfield TRP, so i tried again.
i did some loads using bullseye powder, and figured around 3.8 to 4.2 grains would be good, and i should revisit those loads.
i did, and i was not impressed with the results out of the para. the springfield liked that load ok, but i'm determined to find one that both 1911's will shoot. kind of simplifies life at the range if i only have one load to worry about.
i loaded 28 rounds of each load, enough for 2 magazines in each pistol. i loaded several sets of bullseye, in 0.2 grain increments, and seven loads of unique, in 0.2 grain increments from the bottom of the load chart to nearly the top.
next, i took the pistols and all that newly minted ammo, and went to the local 25 yard indoor range, where i shot 14 rounds per pistol, per load. all targets were shot standing, shooting offhand. i know that's not the "real way" to work up loads, but i've found there isn't much chance that if i need to use these pistols for anything other than punching holes in paper targets, that there will be a bench and a pile of sandbags around to shoot off of. i work the loads the way i shoot them. that's how i can get great groupings once i figure out what the gun likes.
so here's the results of some of the loads. i've included some but not all of the targets. these are simply representative of the process. you will see the way the groups develop. you'll also see why i'm not a competitive target shooter. that evidence is starkly apparent when you look at the number of "fliers" i have!
click on picture for larger image.
for reference, these are 50 yard rifle targets. the black area is 3 7/8 inches across.

so here's the first target, 3.8 grains of bullseye.the springfield is ok with this load, but the para sucks wind. all of the bullseye loads were like this, so i'll probably abandon bullseye as a powder choice for these bullets.
on the next picture, you can see that the 5.4 grain load of unique has possibilities. the para is happy, and the springfield looks like it's actually my problem aiming, and not the load's problem.

then i fired the 5.6 grains of unique loads. these rounds have a better grouping for both pistols than the previous

at 5.8 grains of unique, it actually looks like i might know what it is i'm doing

and at 6.0, it was obvious that the groups were opening up again.

so, examining the targets tells me that i CAN reload one charge for both guns. can you guess which load?
actually, i'll probably load up another 56 rounds each of 5.6 and 5.8 grains of unique. that way i can shoot fresh, without having to deal with the "range fatigue" factor. then i'll know which load to pick.

isn't reloading fun? i have a couple other powders i can try, but if the results are consistent, why mess with success?

technical info for the 45 acp loads developed:

• overall length: 1.258 inches
• crimp: 0.47 inches
• bullet: 200 grain lead semi wadcutter, Western Nevada Bullet Company
• powders: bullseye; 3.5 to 4.2 grains. unique; 4.6 to 6.0 grains

oh, and i received a box of jewels from my favorite online reloading supplier MidwayUSA. they had a promo, that if you bought off of their "special list", they'd pay shipping. so, i bought 65 pounds of lead in the form of 3000 Speer 148 grain 38 special hollowback wadcutters..
i've loaded the bevel back wadcutters from Oregon Trails and from Western Nevada Bullet, but i've never messed with the hollowback rounds. it looks like they should be a hell of a lot more accurate, since the hollowback will obdurate like crazy. anyone have a pet load for these critters? since i've only loaded hard cast lead, and not swadged lead, i'm not sure what kind of leading to expect. the speer bullets are supposedly lubed with a hard lube. is it going to be enough, or do i need to get cracking with something like Alox when prepping for loading?

food blog: dried apricot pie

eeeew. dried what?

let's examine a truth. in chinese cuisine, there are many recipes that rely on dried ingredients. as a matter of fact, if you use the fresh versions, the dish won't taste the same. drying the ingredient, whatever it is, intensifies the flavor, and adds a whole different texture. dried cuttlefish, and many varieties of mushrooms and sausages come to mind, all ingredients in killer chinese dishes.
so dried apricots aren't that bad of an idea when you get down to it. remember how for centuries the only foods you had throughout most of the year were preserved harvests. this recipe relies on the fact that dried apricots yield a much more intense and interesting flavor than fresh. no joke

ingredients:

• 2 packed cups of dried apricots. we like the dried mediterranian apricots better than plain old dried apricots for this recipe. they give a deeper, sweeter flavor when used in this pie.
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp corn starch
• 1/4 tsp salt (or 1/2 tsp kosher salt...which i like better)
• 3 tbs butter
• 2 pieces of pie pastry for a 9 inch pie. di usually makes her own, but used a "cheater crust" ready made and purchased from the store. i thought it was ok, she was disappointed. cooks, who can tell them it's ok when they think it's not?? believe me, it was good. the only thing i'd suggest is make sure the pastry is kept cold until used
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

How:
bring the apricots and water to a boil. reduce the heat, and let the apricots simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the sugar, and let cook for 5 more minutes.drain the apricots, saving a cup of liquid.
put the liquid back into the pan, and add the salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, and cinnamon. heat the mixture, stirring often enough to prevent scorching. cook until the mixture tightens up and thickens. don't cook too long though, because as the water evaporates, you will end up with cornstarch glue rather than a glaze.
put the bottom crust (unbaked) in a 9 inch pie pan, and arrange the apricots into an even layer. pour the glaze over the apricots, and then dot the top of the fruit with butterput the top crust on, crimp the edges, and poke a couple of vent holes in the center of the crust to let the steam out.bake in a 425 degree oven until the crust is "nicely browned", about 25 to 30 minutesdo not let your spouse (that would be me in this case) turn and shuffle the pie during the baking process. do it yourself to insure it gets done properly. di made two, and i did the whole front to back, turn 180 degrees thing to even out the heat exposure. our oven has a hot spot that will burn foods if you don't "share the wealth" by rotating and shuffling whatever you are cooking. while shuffling, i almost lost one of the pies, and kind of scrunched the edges in a successful attempt to save the pie from hitting the floor.
that's okit still tasted great.

as always, if you try this recipe, or it inspires you to try something different, please let me know how it turned out. i'm always looking for fresh and clever ideas to improve my own cooking skills and recipes.

for a complete list of my online recipes, follow the link here

fun with wood: springerle rollers

i've posted about my love of springerle cookies before. they are a little bit of heaven delivered in an anise flavored chunk of flour. but they are a serious pain in the kiester to make, so you hardly ever find them outside of Germany. most folks won't take the time to make them. that's how i inherited an ooold springerle roller from one of our really good friends. and this winter, i finally bit the bullet and ordered a very ornate and detailed roller molded from an ancient roller, probably 16th century or so. i was getting tired of them being stuffed away in a cabinet. these are pieces of art, so i decided to make a rack to display them.
(click for larger image)

the roller that started it all, a nice one from a specialty cooking store sits on the left. the behemoth in the center is my new roller i ordered from House on the Hill, my online source for some great cookie molds i've purchased in the past. and on the right is karin's roller, given to her by her mom, and then passed on to me.

nice addition to the kitchen decor, even if i do say so myself.

this makes me wonder

have you noticed that the "mainstream media" doesn't have even the smallest problem publishing photos from the abu ghraib prisoner abuse stories, which we have seen inflames the mooselimbs, yet don't publish the cartoons for the same reason? sometimes i wonder who's side they are on.

looks like i'm not the only one wondering. check out this post by dave of dave's not here fame.

and it goes on and on and ....

“We don’t really know whether Iran is making a bomb, or just making cheap abundant electricity,” said an unnamed Security Council spokesman. “But we have hard evidence that Dick Cheney is armed and dangerous.”

read the whole thing at srappleface

from Tim Blair

commence forbidden activities. go ahead, you know you want to.

i hope i don't start a firestorm with this cartoon

that i found over at No regret for offending.

one of the comments on the post states that "The English Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks you kindly to refrain from depicting our weather in this negative manner." some funny folks out there.

just another of the great blogs out there by folks that are in the thick of it. found the site by following a few links from the silent running site, to the egyptian sandmonkey and on to No regret.
isn't the blogosphere great?

i love the whole humor thing

surrounding our VP and his poorly placed shot while hunting.

image stolen shamelessly from my favorite right wing crazy from New Zealand Silent Running
i've been remiss and forgot to blogroll this site when i found it the first time. i'll fix that tonight.

here are a couple gleaned from the web. this would be a lot funnier if it hadn't involved a gun (i hate when gun owners give the anti gunners any ammo). why couldn't he have used something like a ballista or perhaps a bow and arrow!

"Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter, a 78-year-old lawyer. In fact, when people found out he shot a lawyer, his popularity is now at 92 percent." --Jay Leno

"You can understand why this lawyer fellow let his guard down, because if you're out hunting with a politician, you think, 'If I'm going to get it, it's going to be in the back.'" --Craig Ferguson

"When the ambulance got there, out of force of habit they put Cheney on the stretcher. No, the other guy!" --Jay Leno

these and other cheney jokes gleaned from late night tv can be found here

hahaha. chasing the links from silent running lead me to another funnier than hell site. want to see the different fighting styles of our esteemed Secretary of Defense? go visit Poe News. do not follow this link if you are humor impaired

a valentine for willyshakes

hey willy old boy, a valentine for you.
click for full size

what a great weekend

let's see. this last week set several high temperature records for the day, in the 70's. little to no wind. no clouds what-so-ever. the trees along my creek are blooming. here's one of them in the late afternoon sun. click for larger image

saw the first hummingbird of the season yesterday. i wasn't able to get a picture of it, but according to the birding sites, it was probably a female Anna's hummingbird

edit: more below

we went to berkeley yesterday, just for a change.

first stop was The Spanish Table. we went because they have all KINDS of stuff from spain. the main reason I wanted to go was to get an eight serving paella pan. i settled for an enamel coated pan ($28.00), rather than the stainless steel one ($70.00) or the cast iron one ($24.00). i imagine that i may be getting a bigger one once i get this whole paella thing down. the bigger ones are really made to be used over a fire, so my weber bbg grill should be the perfect heat source. here's how i'm going to use it. this is their picture, but hopefully i'll have one of my own to post soon!
i bought some paella rice and a bit of saffron. holy smokes is saffron expensive. but indispensable when it comes to making paella. i'll be experimenting with the dish, making it on my bbq. should be amazing.

then we went to lunch over at Spenger's Seafood Grotto, a berkeley landmark. the place is full of "atmosphere". there are several dining areas in the restaurant, and we were seated in what i'll call the gun room. there are probably 7 or 8 cases on the wall full of old guns, ranging from double barrel black powder shotguns to a whole range of lever and bolt action guns that have to be at least 50 years old. most are very much older, including a whole case of muzzle loaders. pretty neat. in the picture, we were seated in the corner under the sailfish.
wow, i just noticed that they photoshopped out the gun cases. only in berkeley i guess. i was surprised to see them in the first place. but if you look real hard on the wood section below the mounted fish, you can see where they photoshopped the cases. how funny. how berkeley.the place is not the same as i remember it from many trips in the past. it's been sold to a new group that managed to save the restaurant from the wrecking ball, but the service and food left a lot to be desired. the waiter was terrible. maybe we caught him on a bad day, but when you have to start to order, have him run off, and then come back 10 or more minutes later, have to ask for a glass of wine 5 times, and then wait for it until almost done with your food, blah blah blah. to say the least, i was disappointed. i tried their seafood cobb salad, and it was bland. di and her dad had the rockfish, and liked it, and mamasita had their scallops, and like it.
i don't know. if the service had been better i would probably have had nothing to bitch about. but everything was sub-par in my book. the only good thing about it was that we were with my wife's folks, and that made the trip worthwhile.
if you want to experience oldschool berkeley, go to spenger's. if you want good service and great food, try somewhere else.

first the mooslims, now the cheeseheads

oh lord, i knew this was going to happen. the collective rage that is manifesting itself across the globe strikes closer to home

Green Bay, WI - Like a pot of bratwurst left unattended at a Lambeau Field pregame party, simmering tensions in the strife-torn Midwest boiled over once again today as rioting mobs of green-and-gold clad youth and plump farm wives rampaged through Wisconsin Denny’s and IHOPs, burning Texas toast and demanding apologies and extra half-and-half.
The spark igniting the latest tailgate hibachi of unrest: a Texas newsletter's publication of caricatures of legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
Protestors demonstrated against the images throughout the Badger State yesterday, with violent egging and cow-tipping incidents reported in Oconomowac, Pewaukee, Sheboygan, Ozaukee, Antigo, Oshkosh, Waubeno, Wauwautosa, Waunewoc, Wyocena, Waubeka, and Washawonamowackapeepee.

read the rest of the article here

will the insanity ever end?

ann coulter nails a few

ok, i know what some of you are saying. "what is bothenook doing quoting that rabid chihuahua of the right wing fringe?"
first of all, while her bombastic musings are often as brazen as a lot of what is found on the DU or the daily kos, that doesn't mean she is always wrong. that is one smart lady, even if she's entirely capable of making pat robertson and/or pat buchanan look like leftist loonies without raising a sweat.

In order to express their displeasure with the idea that Muslims are violent, thousands of Muslims around the world engaged in rioting, arson, mob savagery, flag-burning, murder and mayhem, among other peaceful acts of nonviolence.
andLargely unnoticed in this spectacle is the blinding fact that one nation is missing from the long list of Muslim countries (by which I mean France and England) with hundreds of crazy Muslims experiencing bipolar rage over some cartoons:Iraq. Hey -- maybe this democracy thing does work! The barbaric behavior of Europe's Muslims suggests that the European welfare state may not be attracting your top-notch Muslims.

read the whole article here

proof of global warming

from my buddy bill, pictorial verification that global warming isn't just some left wing fringe loony toon junk science.

food blog: chicken, spanish olives and saffron rice

i made a dish from a recipe given to me years ago that just KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF. do you think i could find it again? HA!! i don't know about you, but there must have been hundreds of xeroxed, hand written, and/or printed out from recipe sites or other foodies recipes over the years that have simply vanished. of course, i've moved twice since i first got the recipe, so maybe it's understandable.

so i decided to make up my own. after surfing for a while, reading different recipes, i decided to give it a whirl. diane, the long suffering spouse of yours truly helped out, and her parts were the best. (good job chopping that garlic and slicing the chicken, sweetie). the base for this recipe came from a recipe i found on Epicurious. com

so here goes.

ingredients:

• 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 1/2 to 3/4 inches wide. (no, i do not recommend a micrometer to measure the chicken prior to cutting)


• 6 cloves garlic, minced finely


• zest of 1 orange

WARNING: FOOD PORN ALERT. AVERT EYES IF EASILY OFFENDED

Naked Orange

• 1 cup orange juice


• 1 can (15 oz) low salt chicken stock (i like swanson's best. tried many, hated most)


• 2 (5 oz) packages of Mahatma Saffron Yellow Rice mix


• 1 pint pimento stuffed green Spanish olives, cut in halves or quarters.


• 3 or 4 tbsp. of olive oil

HOW:
season both sides of the chicken slices with fresh cracked pepper. NOTE: Do not salt this dish, not even a little. believe me, green olives have more than enough salt for this dish. salt at your own risk. seriously. i've wrecked a dish or two learning to cook with spanish olives. how did i wreck them? i used salt like i would any other time cooking. like Nancy used to say: just say NO to salt! ok... sorry, i'll get serious.
Heat the oil in a large pan that you have a cover for.(i've got a great cast iron skillet, but no cover to fit, darn it. that would be perfect for this dish). When the oil is nice and hot, toss in the zest, the chicken, and the garlic, and saute until the chicken starts turning brown. turn the chicken to brown all the sides. this will probably take around 5 minutes or so at a medium high heat. don't go any higher, because the zest and garlic will burn while browning the chicken. nasty. you don't want to go there. ask my kids.
when the chicken is looking good, toss in the chicken stock and orange juice, and let come to a boil.
when the pan starts to boil, add the rice and olives. stir, cover, and reduce the heat to low to medium low.
let it simmer for around 20 minutes. leave the cover on. you don't need to look, and you don't need to stir if you turned the heat down. of course, if you didn't turn the heat down, it will probably burn. so, turn the heat down for this step, ok?
after it's been on a simmer for 20 minutes, turn off the burner, and let it sit for around 10 minutes. here's what it will look like when it's done
fluff it up with a wooden spoon, plate it up, and enjoy!

as always, if you try this recipe, or it inspires you to try something different, please let me know how it turned out. i'm always looking for fresh and clever ideas to improve my own cooking skills and recipes.

for a complete list of my online recipes, follow the link here

that's cool

only 3 visitors away from the 40000 mark. cool.

a mirror on the protests

while i was ranting about supporting denmark on this stupid cartoon flail, Varifrank takes a look at those that are protesting. interesting. bothenook sez checkitowt

i've been meaning to post this for a couple of weeks

so here it is. there's a young bubblehead named Jason who's a nuke instructor. he posts rarely, but they are usually gems. his story about an electrical checkout is a classic.

the tag line killed me.

the evidence mounts

that Iran really does have nuclear capability. seriously.
how do i know this? well, the american intellegence community announced that they doubt iran has nukes.
as far as i can tell, they've been wrong so often lately that they are probably wrong on this account as well.
how's that for circular thinking?
sometimes i'm so smart, i amaze myself.

a sea story klong story

definition klong: when you realize you just f***ed up bigtime, and 4 pounds of shit breaks loose from your arteries and hits your heart all at the same time.

underway on nuclear power. Operational Reactor Safegaurd Exam (ORSE) team is onboard, conducting drills and interviews. for non-nuke types, an ORSE Board can make or break a commmanding officer and his wardroom's careers. no fun for anyone, especially us grunts on the deckplates.

the ORSE team conducts drills on all watchsections, and they are generally of the form of an easy, a tough, and a ballbuster per section. but everyone gets to play, because often the drills become whole boat drills.
anyway...
here we are, steaming along at a steady 2/3 bell, waiting for the ORSE members to come aft to start drills.
i was a second class petty officer (that's an E-5 to you non navy military types) standing Engineroom Supervisor, responsible for all the mechanical watchstations, answering to the Engineering Watch Supervisor and the Engineering Officer of the Watch.
cut to Maneuvering. the sound powered phone growled, and the throttleman picked up the phone "Maneuvering" "mumble mumble" "Station calling Maneuvering, say again" "mumble mumbe"
about this time i see the drill monitors walking aft through the reactor compartment upper level, heading my way.

"Station calling Maneuvering, say again?" "Fuck it! LOSS OF SHAFT LUBE OIL PORT SIDE, YOU IDIOT!"
what was this? one of our forward friends overheard the drill monitors talking as they were leaving the wardroom, and thought he'd give us a heads up.
what really happened?

Throttleman: "Engineering Officer of the Watch, Loss of Shaft Lube Oil, PORT SIDE!"

click {2MC announcement} LOSS OF SHAFT LUBE OIL, PORT SIDE

to which i promptly hauled ass back to the port main engine, took manual control and cut in astern steam to stop the shaft. as soon as it was stopped, the Engineroom Upper Level watch engaged the jacking gear.
then i looked up at all these drill monitors, wondering what the hell just happened. the O-6 looked at me and said "well done ERS". now, shall we conduct the drill?"
they walked into Maneuvering and asked what the hell just happened. guess what the throttleman and the engineering officer of the watch experienced?
KLONG

there was a lot of explaining going on up in the wardroom.

varifrank talks about a unilateral withdrawal from iraq

varifrank has finally had it. after all the caterwauling by the press this last week, he has come to a decision. a unilateral withdrawal from iraq is the only action available to us now. interested? check out his post.
this guy is one of my favorite bloggers to link to. i wish i was as clever.

showing solidarity with my european brothers

ok, so that was a little tongue in cheek, because there is so much about the way europe sees the world i simply don't understand. but one thing i do understand is the freedom of expression. if you've been following the blogosphere the last couple of days you would have read of the firestorm over a couple of editorial cartoons published in a dutch paper. papers across europe are posting them in retaliation to the muslim demands to punish the paper. the BBC has an article here that talks about it, and here's one from reuters. one of the most comprehensive posts on the issue can be found here at winds of change. oh, and to be fair, here's one from the other side of the controversy. i say, get over it.
one of the cartoons, which i haven't gone looking for yet shows mohammad stating "that paradise was running short of virgins for suicide bombers."
funny.
so, for my european cousins in the middle of it, here is my support
Here is an entire gallery of Moe's images, most of them from historical texts and sources.

see, here in the united states, we allow just about any whackjob with a soapbox the freedom to stand up and say what's on his mind. that is a right granted by our constitution, along with freedom of (or in my case FROM) religion. and to protect that right, we have another freedom codified by the second amendment. so if you want to engage in anything other than verbal dialog, i suggest you check out MY ability to enact the 2nd amendment. want to collect your 72 virgins exercising a fatwah? please check the following posts: here , here, or perhaps here. we take our freedoms seriously around here, and are ready to defend them. i'm certainly not unique in this regard. my neighbors are all as crazy as i am. and if you want to see what many other americans feel about protecting their rights, check out any of the weekly carnival of cordite entries at resistance is futile.

fortunately, we have a group of youngsters not only ready and willing, but able to help us defend those freedoms. you know them:

and just in case you think i only take swipes at the muslims involved in this little imbroglio, that's just not true. i have issues with any closed minded group, as perhaps you may have deduced from this post.

sheesh. aren't there more important things in this world to get your knickers knotted up over? cartoons. give me a break.

you might be a gun nut if ...

i get a newsletter from The American Gunsmithing Institute. hey, they have great video (now dvd) courses for a myriad of gunsmithing stuff. i've target tuned a smith and wesson revolver, tweaked a winchester model 94, and made a 45 colt ruger vaquaro a sweet shooting piece of steel. and they are out of napa, where i lived for a zillion years, so it's a matter of my supporting local business.
anyway, the latest newsletter had a HUGE post about "you might be a gun nut if...", a takeoff of the Foxworthy shtick. i posted the whole list over on the pix page here, so that i didn't kill any visitors with this long assed post.
however, i will post 10 of my favorites, although 10 hardly does it justice.
You might be a gun nut if

• If your gun safe is bigger than your refrigerator...
• If watching the Lion King gives you the itch for a .470 Nitro
• If you feel that a golf course is a willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range...
• If you went out to the range this weekend to shoot up ammo, just so you'd have some brass to reload...
• if you sit through a violent movie and aren't bothered by gory violence, but flinch when someone drops a firearm (might scratch it)
• if the above has ever brought tears to your eyes
• if you have been banned from a movie theater because you always stand up in the middle of the movie and tell everyone you can't fire 30 rounds from a revolver without reloading.
• if you grew up with loaded guns all around you, but it never crossed your mind to shoot up your school
• if you're already thinking about your next gun while filling out the paperwork on the one you're buying
• You get excited when you see the Target store logo

do yourself a favor and go read the whole post. a lot of really good gems.
do you have any to contribute?