Oh please....

So Republican and South Carolinian Joe Wilson, (NOT the one married to Valarie Plame, while we are talking about liars), is overcome by a bolus of prevarication by the Big O and blurts out: "you lie!"

Well. You get the stupid party and the evil party together and you don't think someone is going to speak truth to power?

And spare me high dudgeon about breaking civility like a loaf of stale bread. The dems booed Bush during the State of the Union. "Bush lied, people died", instead of "in God we trust", is probably going to be on the next nickel out of the mint. The politeness ship hasn't just sailed, it sailed and sunk with no survivors.

Maybe Congressman Wilson has tourettes and needs a handicapped parking space instead of censure. After all, if the TV audience had been able to hear him, 52% would have said "damn straight!"

The president hardly has a complaint. Being a liar is just part of the toolkit for corrupt politicians from Chicago. How do you think he got this job? Or any other jobs on the short way up?

Chickens coming home to roost.

Quite a speech. We don't want to let fear mongers drive us, but oh by the way if this doesn't pass everyone will die. There's 30 million uninsured. Last week there were 46 million, but never mind. It won't cost a dime. The government will run it like a business, after they run all the businesses out of business.

And the biggest lie: Trust us!

The best thing about a joint session of congress and the President speaking is that you can see the 600 people who ruined the country and want to ruin it more and forever. Seems like such a small group wouldn't be able to do so much damage but there they are, the damn liars.

Update: And also, you suck.

Naming trees

Bulk of the museum show turned over today. 17 B&W and 13 color prints. The final part was sitting down with the registrar and signing and naming the images. Most of them are, as Mike Boykin the color printer would say "a lot of little trees along a creek over here" or "a lot of little trees along a creek over there." I managed to do a little better than that with lightning split trees, beaver cut trunk, dogwoods upstream, et. I was interested to see how a B/W and color show would look. The prints certainly look good and the curator has a genius for selection and sequence. We'll see.

The show is split into Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. Just a few prints to go and I can start working on the next project.

Million Gun Month

A million background checks in August. A million guns moving from one place to another. And I didn't buy any of them.

Who says there's no such thing as progress?

Blast from the Past

Garand Championship next month. I've rebarreled and restocked my rifle and it shot 33rd at Camp Perry. Gotta shoot a little better to be competitive in Texas. Won it a couple years ago but lots of good shooters here.

And deer season is coming, after a bit. This doe was taken at 125 yards or so with one shot through the neck firing a 1969 LC FMJ.

Museum exhibition

Wrapping up my part of the show by finishing the printing this week. I can go in the darkroom and do about a 10 sheet pack of 20X24 paper in a session. Takes about five hours to get them washed, toned and drying on the racks. Did my part for the day today got spotting and flattening done as well. Still at least two unprocessed 5X7 negs that I would like to print for the show.

Using Ilford doublweight fiber multigrade, Harman warmtone developer and some very well behaved HP5 plus 5X7 negatives. I think I like the X-tol developed negatives the best. I think.

Busy fall.

Update: back out for a couple of negatives late this afternoon. Re-shot a couple of scenes and looked around. Mixing X-tol to process in the morning. Shot mostly Ilford HP5 but also a little old Tri-X which was dead in HC110. Well see how it looks in the X-tol. Found the jawbones of the big beaver, but still no skull. Three files on the cam card. I didn't even pull it. Heck of a snake track on the big sandbar. VERY impressive.

Town deercam quiet.

Occasional coons.

No sign and no deer. I bet the does are out of their nursery areas where they raised fawns and beginning to circulate more. They ought to remember where this corn and cam are located so perhaps I will get to see them a bit more.

The Langham Hotel, London

www.langhamhotels.co.uk.

Opened in 1865. Freshly refurbished. Just a place to hang my hat though I bet firearms are prohibited. Tell them you know me and they will be sure to give you a nice room on the park side above the treeline.

Google up your own name and find all kinds of folks. There are over 500 Langhams just on facebook.

Red Wasp

The overhead cover at the Panola 600 yardline has a wasp nest in the end of one pipe. I went to 600 early and was walking equipment to the line when I thought I felt a grasshopper hit my wrist. Wasn't a grasshopper of course, it was a red wasp who got a stinger in me twice right at my watchband.

It's a shock to get stung but I'm not particularly sensitive to wasp poison. I brushed him away but what happened next was the most interesting: I got to watch him set up his attack.

He flew about shoulder high and would take a dip at me, then recover and buzz back for another look. He didn't go round and round, never turned his back, instead making a series of dives and pull backs. If I had been carrying a badminton racket he would have been toast due to his low speed and hovering. I'd seen an attack before as an observer when red wasps attacked and stung my uncle once at his lakehouse while I watched from the pier. They took three or four dips in and then finally pressed an attack all the way.

At Panola I moved back and sideways to make him have to reconfigure and relocate me between dips. He finally held off when I had enough distance. Nobody had any hornet spray or gunscrubber but I did try a little sight black on them. It ended up being a draw, though I wouldn't give much for their chances. Someone will toast them.

Wrist has a slight puffyness today and an itch. Sting point has a little scab.

Update: Itchy wrist for the past couple days. When I got back to 600 at Panola two guys were sitting and talking, one at the concrete bench used for testing loads. I had to warn him about the black widows that web up under the edge so that he wouldn't have an encounter with gentle woodland creatures.

Sunday Morning Sunday Papers

In a year or two it will be a moot point. There won't BE any papers, Sunday or otherwise, but today the redhead and I hit a new breakfast place and I, a common consumer tried to buy a paper.

I wanted a Dallas Morning News. Three bucks. In quarters. That's twelve coins that you have to round up. I managed to do that, but then the machine-full of papers, wouldn't open. It gave the money back as I ran the process three times to be sure. In fact, it spit up quarters like a slot machine but it wouldn't give me an overpriced newspaper. I settled for a 1.75 Tyler Morning Telegraph. At least it's machine would work.

And you know what? The paper was awful.

I don't know why I am bothering. Couple of columnists. Stale news. Bad photos. Incomplete stories. I'd already read Dilbert on the web. If you want real news you have to go online anyway. One of these days soon I won't bother and shortly afterwards the papers will be gone.

My guns. My guns my guns my guns. Check it out.

Today was the first match of the rest of our lives....after winning the Soldier of Marathon National Trophy. Good to see some of the team folks gathered at Panola for a post summery match. Got a little warm before it was over with the temp running into the high 80s. I shot an almost-good score of 773X25. Had to shoot an alibi relay at 200 when a case stuck. (I think that's the last of that sizing run.) Lost a point in the process. Just couldn't quite get over the hump to decent scores in the slow fires.

Panola has new flags going down the right side of the range. Might be helpful though mostly they hung limp as the mirage flipped around. They can't be worse than the berm flag which always flies opposite the wind direction actually needed.

A great pleasure to be inside the experience of shooting my AR. The fit of the rifle, the grains of sight black on the front sight, the mirage floating across the target numbers. Fine way to spend a day.

Got my Infantry Trophy rifle and my Springfield 1903A3 back. They rode home early from the National Matches in the trailer. The IT gun still had the 300 yard sitting zero on it and the case was stuffed full of 30 round mags. The Springfield had soot in the barrel. Like Christmas to get your guns back full of memories.

Dave Wilson bought lunch for the National Match folks. Jeff Lin found some Swiss GP 11 and Gregg Foster and I replenished our ammo stashes for the K31.

Club Championship next month followed by a solid month of important matches. The Texas Service Rifle Championship is coming up at Camp Swift. Long Range Championship at Pearland and Texas Garand Championship at Terrell. Going to be an ammo-burning month. If the Lord lets us live, as Alan is fond of saying.

Micheal Jackson's guns

I'm sure he has worked his way through the line at the Pearly Gates by now and been processed into one place or another. Wonder if he was in the line with Mother Teresa or the line with the guy who shot the Pope? If he saw Ted Kennedy in line behind him behind him, there might be a problem. Get ready to beat it!

But I digress. Whichever line, the mortal coil he shuffled off is still down here on Earth in limbo. Now comes word that they are going to inter him in a fancy schmanzy mausoleum filled with previously deceased famous folks.

Normally it's common to pack the coffin with items dear to the departed and/or that they might need later. A jewelled glove. A Thriller CD. Extra hair gel. This months copy of "Young Buttcakes!!!"

Myself, its too late for hair gel, I got workmans hands and Thriller is like....1984. I'd just want a good weapon. Wouldn't you? Who wants to go into the afterlife without the one item that a human being uses to maintain his freedom. A tool. I'd want matches, to represent fire. (very important to us top-tier primates, but also a good firearm. Something classic, simple and rugged, since you are going to carry it for eternity. We are obviously talking 1911, or a good Mil-surp rifle like a 1903 Springfield, K98 or a Garand. You are going to have to fly with this thing, or walk, so you will also need a sling or a holster. It could be hot and rugged, so you would think folding stock M1 Carbine. On the other hand, there could be a lot of personalities who NEED more shooting, so you want some punch.

So, what firearm should MJ be sent to eternity with? Luger? Glock? Colt Pocket model .32? Jeweled Beretta 92? He doesn't seem the shotgun type but you can't be a smooth criminal unless you are packing some kind of heat.

Update: Didn't I'm Bad and Beat it just scream for a little firearm-enforced order? MJ was worse than MacGyver about guns, but I gotta say: I think he's going to need one and soon!

Incrementalistas

Several new laws kicked in down here in Texas this week. One of them is the final brushstroke on the seatbelt laws which started back in 1968 at the behest of the feds. At first, just passenger cars had to HAVE seatbelts as standard equipment. Remember way back then? Then they required seat belts AND shoulder harnesses. Then the front seat passengers in cars (only) to had to wear them. Then trucks as well. This week EVERYONE has to wear them. Front and back. All the time. Everywhere. And kids have to ride in the back so the airbags won't kill them. In approved safety seats. Facing the right way.

We've done wonderful things!

To be even safer, it's now illegal to talk on a cell phone. Only in school zones, of course. Ever been in the jam outside a public school during pick-up time? Everyone is on a cell phone. It's gong to be a ticket-palooza. They will get RICH writing tickets making children safe! I got in my 4-runner in the faculty lot at the college yesterday and the first thing I did was check my voicemail messages, since my phone is turned off while I teach. That's illegal now, until I am off school property. For the children.

That's how you do it. One little law, one little tax, just to get the camels nose under the edge of the tent. 20 years later, you own them, ox, ass and both humps. And no law ever gets abandoned and repealed....it gets improved. For your safety. For the children.

Of course this was done by Texas legislators, who are Republican, conservative, stalwart sons of the revolution! They guard our safety and constitutional rights!

In Tyler, convervative bastion of East Texas, someone just noticed that we spend more per student, (10,000.00 plus) in our public schools than it costs to send a kid to private school (7000.00 per year), and we get worse edumacated students. The only answer by the public school folks is: Yeah....and so what? We need more money to educate these students better!

Just let the school system police write and collect for their own tickets for cell phones in the school zone and they will be good to go! For a while. Until they need even MORE money.

Moral of this story: Nothing is more expensive than something the government provides for free.