Who Owns You?

"You are so weird!"
"Why do you act this way?"
"Nobody cares about the things you care about."
"If we are in a room with 100 people and you, 50 people would be with the Democrats, 50 people would be with the Republicans, they there would be you in the corner by yourself."
Some of the comments I have heard lately when I attempt answer the question of "Who are you going to vote for?"

I have tried to boil it down for people as to what my political and social philosophy is. I have tried to do it intellectually, citing Hobbs (Thomas Hobbs not the tiger), Madison (James Madison, not the mermaid), and Jefferson (Thomas Jefferson, not the ones in the Deluxe Apartment in the sky). The problem is that most people don't know who those men are, dismiss them as dead white guys or, just don't care to listen. I needed a new tactic. It boils down to one simple question: "Who owns you?"

Who does? Most people immediately respond, I own me. I reply, "Do you?" "Yes." They say, "What a stupid question." Then I begin to ask a series of questions:
If you own you, why does the Government intercept a percentage of your income before you get it?
Why does the Government dictate what you can and can not put into your body?
Why does the Government tell you how much money you can make?

Madison and Jefferson believed that you belonged to yourself. They framed the Constitution to ensure that the people of the United States would forever be owned by themselves... The problem is that the people of the United States no longer want to be owned by themselves. They wish to be owned by the Government. King George III gets the last laugh. The people who so violently threw off the yoke of tyranny, willingly and enthusiastically place the yoke back on their necks.

In The Bag

Despite the most recent polls from AP, the Untied States will elect Barack Obama as President. McCain will need to do something drastic in order to prevent his eventual defeat, but, if his previous campaign strategy holds, he will not.

I was listening to Bill O'Riley and O'Riley came up with a good idea for McCain. One that McCain will not take... When you listen to O'Riley you have to realize a few things. First O'Riley will do his absolute best to be fair by giving both sides equal time. Second, O'Riley has his point of view, and since his show is about his point of view he will attack those who do not hold his point of view, and give those who support his point of view more time with out interruption to present their case. Third, O'Rilely loves himself. He believes that he is the smartest one in the room, and is not afraid to tell you that.
All that said, O'Riley's idea is valid. He said that McCain should hold a major press conference, or a rally in a large battle ground state city, like St. Louis or Cleavland, at this presser/rally he brings up Mitt Romney, and says "If elected I will appoint Mitt Romney, a brilliant business man as my Treasury Secretary. He will fix the economy." Then McCain brings up Rudy Giuliani and says: "Rudy Giuliani will be my Attorney General. He will bring to justice all in government and in the private sector who caused this mess."
This is a great idea. It openly forces Obama to do the same. With such little time, I very much doubt that Obama can come up with two people as qualified to do the same jobs. On top of this, McCain chooses two men who have already been vetted by the public. We know who they are and what their flaws are. Anybody Obama brings would be new and untested, or old and more of the same.

McCain will not do this. He will keep talking about Joe The Plumber. He will loose. The US will take a step back in to the New Deal, and the Great Society. Policies that have failed for 30 years. Only America is in a much worse spot now, because we are still paying for said New Deal, and Great Society.

I welcome Obama as President. I realize that it took Carter to give us Regan. It took Clinton to give us Gingrich. Who will Obama give us? Will Obama's crushing tax policies be enough to drive the FairTax in to reality? Will the people ever regain their love of freedom? I hope so. But hope kills pilots. It is best to go with the evidence. And the evidence says that freedom is dead.

Code Pink Tries To Arrest Rove

Apparently a Code Pink protester tried to make a citizens arrest of Karl Rove when he was giving a talk...

I think that I would have let her arrest me, just to see what would happen. Really, these people are supposed to be pacifists, and if I am arrested, wouldn't they try to free me right away like most other criminals? Would they feel sympathy if I said that I was just a product of the system, and that I wasn't really responsible for the things they said I did? I think that would be a laugh a minute.

Code Pink, please arrest me! We could have some good times!!

Story

Luke Cummo Arrested for DUI

On suspicion of drug use... Luke? The guy who drinks his own urine? No... Nope I don't believe that he could be using drugs. Nope I don't buy it.

Luke has been replaced on the UFC Dec 10th "Fight For the Troops" event by Johnny Rees.

Man Purse

I am having some difficulty with carrying my gun. I don't get "made" and I am not self conscious about wearing. The problem is that it is uncomfortable to switch between "carry" and "no carry" modes.
For instance... I am carrying my Khar, as a often do, my wife wants me to try on some clothes... What do I do now? Leave the gun in the fitting room with my pants?
Another instance... We are out and about and we decide that we want to go to the grocery store, nope, can't walk in because they have that stupid gun sticker up. They just want psychos who don't care about the law carrying guns in their store.

Anyway It is much easier to get around with a man purse off the body type carrying device. So, I begin to look for something that will appeal to my wife's fashion sense all while keeping me reasonably manly.

First and foremost, I WILL NOT wear a fanny pack. I just won't do it. They look horrible and they go with nothing. I am looking for something that I can wear that will look decent with everything.

Most bags are not made for CCW, so you run in to problems like there is no place to attach your holster to. That sucks, because you really do not want to have your gun just floating around in a bag pocket. One the gun will pick up a lot of dirt and lint. If you carry an automatic, I do, dirt and junk will gum up the action, and may cause a feed issue. Really not something you want when you need to fire a second or third shot and your pistol jams. A holster not only keeps the gun in the right position, but can protect it from unwanted fouling.
Another issue is that the pockets may be in the wrong place. A bag not made for CCW may only have a few pockets, and it can look really strange if your other stuff is smashed together in the small pocket.

Made for CCW bags are few and far between. Let's be honest. Most guys who carry guns have some sort of esteem issue somewhere, thus anything even resembling a woman's purse on a man sends them looking to burn somebody in the name of JESUS!!! So, most CCW made bags resemble military gear packs. Not something that goes well with anything other than BDUs.

So let's look at some options.

Not Made For CCW
Osprey Packs Veer Shoulder Bag


This is a nice bag, but I will have to do something about the pockets... They are the right size and in the right place, but there are no attachments inside for my holster... I might end up having to buy a pocket holster...
Anyway Osprey is a hippy company, that would probably have a stroke if they thought that their bags would even be purchased by someone who once fired their grandfather's shotgun that onetime they stayed with him in his farm house... That kind of makes me giggle...

Keen Brooklyn Postal Bag


Keen is the same company that makes those really kick ass shoes that I wear all of the time. I even got some of their new leather ones shoes I can wear them in the winter time.
This bag I think is actually marketed to the womens... That's ok I am secure in my man-ness. It is not a woman's purse. It is my ultra manly postal bag of death.
This bag has a back pocket that, I think, will fit my Kahr perfectly. Again, there is no place to hook my holster on to... I seem destined to buy a Nemesis Pocket Holster

Eddie Bauer Small Guide Bag


Not a bad bag, but it really has no interior pockets for anything... My pistol will certainly fit in one of the pockets, but it will also roll around in there...


Made For CCW
Coronado Leather Cross Carry Bag

Hot socks, now you are talking!!
This bag looks awesome and can go with anything, anywhere. It comes with a built in holster and is specially designed for CCW. The problem is that it is pricey. $155 makes the $40 Eddie Bauer bag more attractive.

Marom Dolphin FP 2 Covert Shoulder Bag


This guy is a little out there, as Marom Dolphin mostly makes stuff just for military use. This seems to be a nice looking bag, but I know nothing about it...

Maxpedition Fatboy Versipack

Very military, very manly... Goes with nothing. On top of that... The thing is HUGE.

The biggest problem that I seem to be running in to is just that... size. Men's bags tend to be messenger type bags and are very large. The kind of bags that you would take off, or would look strange when carrying around with shorts and a T shirt. The Man's Bag has replaced the briefcase in many places, but has had to take on the same size of the briefcase.

Of all of the bags I have found, I like the Osprey, Keen, and Coronado Leather bags best, with the Coronado Leather bag leading the pack. It is made for CCW, and is nice enough to wear with anything. The Osprey and Keen would not necessarily look good if I am wearing all of my nice clothes... Like to a job interview or something. What? You don't want to bring a gun to a job interview? You know you do!!

If I Ever Make It Back In To The Gym...

I am going to choke somebody with this... babywipes are funny.

Oh Crap...

They have learned to ride horses... Next we will have Lion Cavalry! I thought bear calvary was bad, but lions??? Our time has ended!!

JCVD!

Wait... In what movie did JVCD play an ass kicking hasidic Jew??

I Would Watch It!

Health Care a Right?

Let me see...

1. Free exercise of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly, and bitch at government... No health care there.
2. Individuals can keep and bear arms... No health care there.
3. No army guys in the house without consent of the owner... No health care there
4. I get to have my stuff and person not searched or seized without probable cause... Not there either
5. Can't be held for a capital crime with out indictment from a grand jury, can't try me for the same crime twice, can't make me testify against myself, and no property can be taken for public use with out just compensation... We just forget that last part any way, so maybe they are trying to sneak it in there... Kind of an odd place for it... Nah, lets move on.
6. Speedy trial, impartial jury of their peers, tried in the place of the crime, they have to tell me what I am being tried for, have witnesses against me presented, have the ability to get my own witnesses, and have a lawyer... Definitely no health care there.
7. I get to have a jury if I want it, and can't be reexamined by any court with out a formal appeal. Not there either. I am running out of rights in the bill of rights... There are still three more so don't despair!! I am sure that we will find it.
8. No excessive bail, or excessive fines (have they heard of double fines in a construction zone?) or cruel and unusual punishments (if you do an unusual punishment enough times does it make it unusual??). No health care here.
9. No one really knows what this one means gives us... Basically it means that just because a right is not talked about here the Feds still can't violate it.... I could see an argument sticking health care in here, but then you would also have to put driving flying, hunting, prostitution, and whatever else not talked about in the Constitution as well.
10. If the Constitution does not specifically mention a power, then that power is given to the individual states. FINALLY, something we can use.

Health Care may be considered a right, but not at the Federal level. If a state wishes to declare Health Care a right, it may do so, but it should not receive any Federal funding or support.

Steve Fossett's Super Decathlon Found

Well, it's over. The wreckage of Steve Fossett's Super Decathlon was found near Mammoth Lakes California. I knew that Steve was dead, but I had hoped that there would be that sliver of chance that he was living off of the land somewhere in Nevada. Not so. It seems as if Steve went down in a wooded area, died or was severely injured in the crash, then his body was eaten by wild life.

What could have caused such a famed and experienced pilot to go down? Engine failure? Weather? We may never know...

The nature of flying is that it is horribly unforgiving. Hopefully Steve did not make an arrogant mistake that led to his death. Hopefully it was something mechanical that he could not prevent or see.

Just Cause It's True

Raising the Dead

Mark Coleman vs "Shogun" Rua has been confirmed by the UFC. You have got to be kidding me. Mark Coleman is now 44, and has not won a match of any significance since winning the first PRIDE Grand Prix back in 2001. Since then he has lost to ever name competitor. Fedor tapped him out (twice), Cro Cop knocked him out, and Nog choked him out. He did manage to beat nobody Milco Voorn, though. Nice job Mark.
Let's face it, Mark's last visit to the UFC was in 1999 when he got beat by Pedro Rizzo. Before that Pete Williams knocked Mark out with one of the first highlight head kicks. Mark's game has not changed a bit since then. Ground pound, ground pound, rinse and repeat. He remains vulnerable to submissions, and to a strong standing attack.
What did change about his game is that in PRIDE they did not test for vitamin "S." And now you put him in the UFC that has more testing that the Tour de France. Nice.

This should be a cake walk for Rua, who lost to Mark via a freak injury. I hope it is, because I like Rua's style and he was always fun to watch. Hopefully he has made the adjustments needed to compete in the UFC.



You thought that this post would be about the Economic Bailout didn't you? HA! Ninjas survive by being unpredictable. And I have just hit you with a literary siruken!

Unintended Consequences

Hummm... World markets are tanking because the dollar becomes stronger during our current financial crisis. Interesting.

If the U.S. goes in to a deep recession, which we deserve, and pulls the rest of the world with us, will there be violence?

I can absolutely see that if the US goes in to a depression (a recession that lasts years) we will pull the world with us. There will be violence around the world and at home if that happens. But what about a downturn for a few quarters? Will other countries take arms up against our most vulnerable allies, like Georgia?

Hummm... I may have to rethink my "let them die" position. However, without massive spending cuts, I just don't see how the Government can pay for the huge bailout. We either tax more, which will kill an economic recovery, or we print more money, which will devalue the dollar, and if the dollar is worth less, that automatically increases prices, which drives the inflation percentage up... which will kill any economic recovery.

I am starting to warm up to the hard line Republican idea of selling insurance to banks, so that the loans that actually fail are the ones that we the people will bail out. At least the government will not be holding the paper, as the Democrats want.

Hummm....