Shooting with Mama

Four unknown rottweilers in the yard + 3 children in the same yard = A day at the range for Mama.That's right, after 7 years I got my wonderful wife to the range with me. She has been "talking" about it for quite a while but we haven't had the chance to until 4 big dogs decided to use our yard as their new playground. Funny how the safety of your children can shake off any fear of firearms. It was actually our valentines date (do I have a great wife or what) so it had been planned for a while, the dogs just made her see the urgency of it. Well we arrived at Sanners Lake Sportsman's Club around 2:30 and set up at the IDPA range. I had recently acquired 2 new small caliber pistols, a Beretta model 34 in .380, and a Taurus PT-22 in.22LR. I started the day by reviewing all the parts of each gun she would be shooting, and how to operate it safely (so I don't get shot in the butt) And I told her what to expect when she pulled the trigger. Now that may seem silly, but if you've ever seen a gun fly 15 feet in the air because the person shooting it didn't realize that it was gonna go BANG, you would understand. Then I had her rack the slide a couple times, and now its time to shoot. Now I didn't tell her at the time, but her first few shots told me that she is a much better shot than me. I say this because after the first few shots, which were surprisingly on target, I realized that her eyes were closed. All jokes aside, she did great. She chose to shoot our sons Smith & Wesson .22 first and did well, keeping her shots inside a 3" circle. But I don't think that was fast enough for her. So I let her take the Beretta .380 for a test drive. That’s better! BOOMBOOMBOOM, now were havin fun. she did real good with this one too. At this point I had put out some clay pidgins, holes in paper is only fun for a while. When the clay started burstin, she was hooked. Then I put up a "bad guy" target. That’s a full size cartoon bad guy pointing a gun at you. I don't think she was too keen on shooting people targets but, I asked, "why are you learning how to shoot?" You should know you can hit the type of target you might have to hit one day, even if the techniques don't give you warm and fuzzy feelings. And she did fine. besides, I already knew if we were ever attacked by clay pigeons, I wanted her shooting by my side. After a while with the .380, she was feeling bold. I had been shooting my 1911 .45ACP for a bit when she asked, "can I shot the big one?" "Are you sure?" I said, "It really goes bang." "Yup, I want to try it." "OK" She took hold of the .45 after a brief overview of the gun and went to the line. KABOOM, eyes closed, slight grin, KABOOM, eyes closed, beginnings of a smile, KABOOM, one eye open, ear to ear smile, that’s my girl. After a few more shots with the.45 her wrists were a bit sore but she did great, and now she can shoot the gun I leave loaded an accessible. Well all in all it was a wonderful day at the range with Jess(my wife) and what started out as a wonderful woman doing something for her husband, ended up being lots of fun for us both.
Now I know most Mamas don’t like Big Daddies guns, but that doesn’t amount to very much when yours or your children’s life is in jeopardy. If your husband owns guns, for his piece of mind and for the safety of your family, you should know how to use them. I can now feel confident that when the dogs (canine or two legged) threaten my family when I’m not there, the phone won’t be the first thing she reaches for. And besides, not liking guns is a lousy excuse for not learning how to use them, how many women really “like” to use the vacuum cleaner?

Wouldn't it be nice

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT TO TURN ON THE TV AND HEAR ANY U.S. PRESIDENT, DEMOCRAT OR REPUBLICAN GIVE THE FOLLOWING SPEECH? My Fellow Americans: As you all know, the defeat of Iraq regime has been completed. Since congress does not want to spend any more money on this war, our mission in Iraq is complete. This morning I gave the order for a complete removal of all American forces from Iraq. This action will be complete within 30 days. It is now to begin the reckoning.br Before me, I have two lists. One list contains the names of countries which have stood by our side during the Iraq conflict. This list is short. The United Kingdom, Spain, Bulgaria, Australia, and Poland are some of the countries listed there.The other list contains everyone not on the first list. Most of the world's nations are on that list. My press secretary will be distributing copies of both lists later this evening.Let me start by saying that effective immediately, foreign aid to those nations on List 2 ceases immediately and indefinitely. The money saved during the first year alone will pretty much pay for the costs of the Iraqi war.The American people are no longer going to pour money into third world Hell-holes and watch those government leaders grow fat on corruption.Need help with a famine? Wrestling with an epidemic? Call France.In the future, together with Congress, I will work to redirect this money toward solving the vexing social problems we still have at home. On that note, a word to terrorist organizations. Screw with us and we will hunt you down and eliminate you and all your friends from the face of the earth. Thirsting for a gutsy country to terrorize? Try France, or maybe China. I am ordering the immediate severing of diplomatic relations with France, Germany, and Russia. Thanks for all your help, comrades. We are retiring from NATO as well. Bon chance, mes amis. I have instructed the Mayor of New York City to begin towing the many UN diplomatic vehicles located in Manhattan with more than two unpaid parking tickets to sites where those vehicles will be stripped, shredded and crushed. I don't care about whatever treaty pertains to this. You creeps have tens of thousands of unpaid tickets. Pay those tickets tomorrow or watch your precious Benzes, Beamers and limos be turned over to some of the finest chop shops in the world. I love New York . A special note to our neighbors. Canada is on List 2. Since we are likely to be seeing a lot more of each other, you folks might want to try not ticking us off for a change. Mexico is also on List 2. President Fox and his entire corrupt government really need an attitude adjustment. I will have a couple extra tank and infantry divisions sitting around. Guess where I am going to put em? Yep, border security. So start doing something with your oil. Oh, by the way, the United States is abrogating the NAFTAtreaty - starting now. We are tired of the one-way highway. Immediately, we'll be drilling for oil in Alaska - which will take care of this country's oil needs for decades to come. If you're an environmentalist who opposes this decision, I refer you to List 2 above: pick a country and move there. They care. It is time for America to focus on its own welfare and its own citizens. Some will accuse us of isolationism. I answer them by saying, "darn tootin." Nearly a century of trying to help folks live a decent life around the world has only earned us the undying enmity of just about everyone on the planet. It is time to eliminate hunger in America. It is time to eliminate homelessness in America. To the nations on List 1, a final thought. Thanks guys. We owe you and we won't forget. To the nations on List 2, a final thought: You might want to learn to speak Arabic. God bless America. Thank you and good night. If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a soldier.

Sunk To A New Low

It's pretty bad when you have to legalize voting for criminals to win an election. But the libs in Maryland know no bounds. Just so you dont think I'm making this up, here is a exerpt from todays Washington Times. ANNAPOLIS -- Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday vowed to veto a bill that would restore voting rights to felons, including the state's most violent criminals, immediately upon their release from prison....Dozens of House Democrats have co-sponsored legislation that would allow about 150,000 murderers, rapists, robbers and other felons to vote this year, and the state Democratic Party has endorsed the bill. The Govenor says he will veto the bill if it gets to his desk, but the fact that it would is just sad. The reason the democrats want the convicts to have voting rights is because they are more likely to vote democrat. If your a democrat, I wonder how it feels to have the same political beliefs as the scum of the Earth. Kinda sad huh.
Here is a link to the original article. Gov. Ehrlich To Veto Bill On Felons

Which is Bigger News?

Cheney Shoots Man In Hunting Accident
or
Gore decries treatment of Arabs post 9-11

Now I am confident that anyone reading this has heard about the Vice President's hunting accident, anything that happens to anyone in a presidential administration will be news. however after three days, it's still front page news. But I am willing to bet that you probably have not heard about the statements made by former vice president Al Gore. He told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment. Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was routinely blocking Saudi visa applications. "Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong," Gore said. "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country." HIS country, when it was his country, him and his boss repeatedly refused to fight the terrorism that was plain as day to any thinking person in the country. Now the 1st amendment protects his right to blabber on about whatever he wants, but common sense says you don't lie about things like that in the wake of the worldwide Muslim riots over a silly cartoon. Saying that he is an Idiot is a little easier to handle, you know, just a poor choice of words. But I don't think that is it at all. I believe it was calculated. Which begs the question, who's side is he on? Unfortunately he's not on the side of America. It is clear that this is just another attack on George Bush. Which on the face is fine, there have been political games for all of time, but now it has taken a different turn. The Lefts hatred of Pres. Bush has aligned them with our enemy. The positions the democratic party have taken recently are proof of it. Look at the NSA program that was leaked and now is being opposed. WE HAVE NOT BEEN ATTACKED IN OVER 4 YEARS BECAUSE OF PROGRAMS LIKE THIS!!! But now its worthless because someone who doesn't like the President leaked it. Now my 4 children, my wife, and myself are less safe. And look at the position the libs take on our P.O.W.'s, they would see them all set free. Well golly-gee, I wonder what fanatical terrorists would do if they were let back on the street. But our being "nice" now takes precedence over keeping us safe. And to top it all off, those that want to make our country more dangerous are the same ones that try to take away my ability to defend my family.(Sorry, gun control is for another article).

So, you make the call, which is a bigger story, the VP's hunting accident, or the former VP putting my family in danger?

Oh yeah, Al was lying and you can bet he won't be called on it.

"To Love And Cherish" Part 2

Who is in control? Who makes the rules? Who's the boss? What should be asked is, what does God want for my family? What is the biblical role of the husband? How do I become the spiritual leader of my home?
Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
Eph 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
Eph 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
Wives submit does not mean your the "master", it means that God has designed marriage to work a specific way. Verse 25 does not say for husbands to be "in charge" of their wives, It says to love them. To love them as Christ loved, you will be leading your family, not lording over your family. Men all to often see this as a license to be the boss, and if that's your attitude, your not fit to lead an ox cart. God in no way intended men to be "Masters" and women to be "Servants". He intended for men to follow Christs example, and to lead through love and service. How many husbands out there have washed their wife's feet? Probably not many, but Christ washed his disciples feet, if we are to be Christ for our wife, then we must lead through constant service. You are to be the head of your house, but do you have to tell your wife that? If you do your not leading, you are trying to assume a role that doesn't belong to you. How effective would a boss on the job be if every time he told you to do something he had to say, "I'm the boss and you have to listen to me." No, a good leader will lead and everyone will know it. And as for verse 22, men don't need worry about that. You will have enough to do following what God expects from you. These verses are not dependant on one another, (Eph.5:22&5:25) they are individual commands. A man has no right to say, " if she was more submissive, then I would be a better leader," just the same, a woman has no right to say,"if he was a better husband, I would be more submissive." If a wife doesn't submit to her husband, she is not disobeying him, she's disobeying God. A man who doesn't love and lead his family is letting God down, not his wife. We have a job to do as husband and it doesnt matter what our present situation is, you are to love your wife as Christ did, and be a man, be a leader. Most women are waiting for a man to take charge but when you fail to, they feel obligated to pick up the slack. Then before you know it, you are in no more a position of authority on your home than one of your kids. That's not fair to your wife, she was created to be your "help meet"(Genesis 2:20-24) , you should allow her to be that, and not feel she needs to be your mother. You need to lead, and if she doesn't follow, continue to lead until you have earned her trust and respect, and when she falls behind, go back and pick her up and lead on. I'll bet there are plenty of women out there who would tell their husbands to "lead, follow, or get out of the way". Which one are you going to do?

"To Love And Cherish"

"Husbands love your wives as Christ Loved the Church" Ephesians 5:25
At first glance this is just another verse in the bible, most husbands would tell you that they do love their wife, of course I did. Until about 3 years ago. I read this verse with another set of eyes I guess because it took on a whole new meaning to me. To love is easy, to love as Christ loves, well that's something different entirely. Before I saw this for what it really meant, I saw the wife's responsibility much more demanding. I mean all I have to do is love her, but she has to be in submission to me. Kinda cool huh? Love is shown to us in I Corinthians 13:4-8;
1Co 13:4 Love is patient and is kind; love doesn't envy. Love doesn't brag, is not proud,
1Co 13:5 doesn't behave itself inappropriately, doesn't seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil;
1Co 13:6 doesn't rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
1Co 13:7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1Co 13:8 Love never fails.
If we as men use this as the outline for the way we should be to our wives, we will be showing a Christlike love. The kicker is that Christ is perfect, we are not. that means a real man will spend the rest of his life striving to obtain this goal. Our lives should be devoted to pleasing our wives and finding favor in their eyes. As husbands we are to be companions, their best friend, a provider, and a protector. Christ is all those to us, therefore, we are to be that for our wife. All to often a man falls into selfishness. His family comes after his toys, or his work. And yes, if work disrupts your marriage it is because you want it to. Or you want the "things" that it provides.
A man that allows work to rule his life, doesn't deserve his wife. Unfortunately, I see it all to often, men who would work late day after day cause the boss asked him to, your wife asked to be loved and cherished, how is it that we worry more about making the boss mad than upsetting our wife. Now I know you need work, but don't allow it to ruin your marrage.
When a man truly loves a woman, he addresses her needs, considers her desires, and is equally zealous for her to find fulfillment. Your sole desire in life is her joy.You will sacrifice yourself and your wants for her, not so she won't wine, or because she nags you, but because you are striving to be "Christ" to her. You will sacrifice even your own life, just as Christ did. But if you live in 2006 where all family members are out for themselves, you wont ever know the true joy of marrage.
I know this is kinda mushy compared to everything else I've written, but it is a blessing beyond compare to devote yourself fully to another. And a real man will be "christ" for his wife.
I plan to write about the mans role as husband and father later, but I feel this needed to be addressed first. Because the head of a household doesn't lead his family with an iron fist, he leads with love.

2 New Toys

Funny how Dads are, they kinda sneak in a gift here and there because giving them might result in mushy feelings, and we wouldn't want that. Well my Father is no exception. A couple of weeks ago, me and my clan were visiting my parents, and as we were leaving, my dad asked me to look at a couple of old guns he had picked up, you know to see if they work and fix any problems they might have. So of course I say yes, and take them. I love a challenge and fixing guns is something I enjoy quite abit. But, right as we walked out the door he whispers in The Boys ear "if you get it working, keep it". Well that just made Gavin's day. He was referring to a Taurus model PT-22. It is a pretty little .22 cal pocket pistol and the Boy loved it. Then if that wasn't enough, as I shook his hand to say goodbye, he says's to me,"If you can get the other one working, you can have it too". Well I'll be, I had just received a vintage 1942 beretta model 34. This pistol was made for the Italian Army during WWII. It was the standard sidearm for Italian infantrymen. Being made in 1942, it stands to reason that it could have been used, or at least carried in the war.
Today, we were able to test our two newest additions at the range. Both pistols performed flawlessly. Starting with the Taurus, it hold 7 round of .22lr (there's room for 9 but the first two rounds wont feed if you try it.) It took some getting used to, see I am used to large frame pistols and unless you are shooting a derringer, they don't get much smaller than the PT-22. It is a DOA (double action only) pistol with close to a 12 pound trigger. It also has about an inch of creep so put those together and your going to have a tired finger at the end of 100 rounds or so. As for accuracy, I was impressed for such a small gun. It has a 2" barrel that tips up for cleaning. I was able to keep 5 shot group down to about 4" at 20 yards, and not being a target pistol with only a 2" barrel, that's not too bad. But the real test was the Boy. he was at about 6" at 15 yards which is good because he had a little trouble with the trigger pull. He will be doing finger curls until the problem is fixed. but he thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you Papaw Larry. Another thing that is different is it has no way to lock the slide open, which being DOA it is OK, you know tour empty when it goes tick instead of bang.
The M-34 was also a joy to shoot. It is chambered for .380 ACP, which is just a small 9mm. In 100 round fired, I didn't have any misfires or failure to feed problems. One thing to note about the gun is the safety, It is also the slide stop and has to be spun 180 degrees to disengage. Not a bad thing, It just takes some getting used to. accuracy was about the same as the PT-22, but keeping in mind this guns intended purpose, It does what it was made to do. And for the Gavin test, he loved this one too. he wasn't able to rack the slide on his own but I guess that is what I'm there for.
All in all, we had another enjoyable day at the range, and got to test out 2 new guns, what more can one ask for on a Sunday afternoon.

Soldiers Angels

Because Americans do appreciate what the troops are doing on our behalf, support organizations have sprung up like mushrooms after a spring rain. Some are mom and pop operations, some are big, some are quasi-official, some have limited scope and some do it all. In the later category is Soldiers Angels, which was started by a GI's mom and has grown to be a full spectrum effort. Go to www.sodiersangels.org tand get information on how to do everything from donate your car you are no longer using, donate your airline miles so a GI can come home on leave, donate money, boots, comfort items, sand scarves; submit a wounded hero to receive care packages , donate items for GI's that are helping Iraqi kids or get involved in tangible and effective support for our troops. those yellow ribbons are and bumper stickers are fine, but the troops can't see them. Soldiers Angels concentrate on things deployed troops and returning wounded need. Like Project Valor-IT (voice activated laptops for our injured troops), a really good endeavor that is outfitting voice activated laptop computers for troops who have sustained arm or hand injury or loss. In phase-I, these units are being distributed to major military medical centers for training the troops, and in subsequent phases the will be supplies for the troops to take with them. Soldiers Angels has been reorganized as a non-profit organization so your donations are tax deductible. Check'em out and grab your checkbook, the holidays are over, but the war is not. Keep support for our troops coming, this is a very good pipeline.
Soldiers Angels
1792 East Washington Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91104
615-6760239

A Day at the Range

Sunday, 1300hrs , Arrive home from church, refuel children, lay down girls, kiss wife, and then my weekly dilemma begins. Me and "The Boy" have the rest of the afternoon to wage all out war on the evil forces of paper, clay pigeons, and bowling pins. Its range time! But, I go through the same ritual each week, which guns do I take? I can't take them all, because If I got pulled over I would have a tough time convincing the police officer that I wasn't on my way to arm the local militia. So, I try to think about what I am going to work on that day and pack accordingly. The Boy is easy, his .22 cal Crickett is always a favorite, he also packs his grandfathers Smith & Wesson model 63, and now that he has the Stoeger 20 ga, it's usually with us to. I try to only take what I'm going to shoot, but that isn't so easy when I'm staring at a safe full of guns. Here lately It has been a little easier, me and The Boy have been working a lot on our pistol skills.(Which after months of preparing for hunting season has been much needed.) We have both taken quite a liking to IDPA, for those of you who don't know what it is, it stand for International Defensive Pistol association.(www.idpa.com) IDPA as a sport is the use of practical equipment to solve simulated real world self-defense scenarios. Grown up GI Joe training is another way to look at it. Standing on the firing line and putting holes in paper is great but, it can get a little mundane week after week. It adds a significant challenge to shooting, and its a lot of fun. The Boy fell in love with it right away and he does pretty good too. You would be amazed at how difficult it is to hit a 2'x3' piece of paper at 10 yards while you are walking, running or crouching. And if you think that's hard, try a 4" clay pigeon. As for weapons, my trusty Firestorm 1911 .45 auto has seen thousands of rounds on the IDPA range alone. I also run the course with my Olympic Arms AR-15. It makes a quite handy QCB(close Quarters battle) weapon. Well when we are not running around like schoolboys, we are probably at the 100yard rifle range. Another problem with the Socialist Republic of Maryland, not many long 200+yard ranges. If we want a farther target, we just have to get a smaller target. Well anyway, here is where I run into most of my problem. The majority of my guns are long guns. I have taken to a savage model 111 in .270 win. Its a flat shooting and accurate rifle that with the right ammo will print 3/4" to 1" groups all day long. I also favor a really cheap Russian surplus rifle from WWII called the M-44 carbine. Its a basic bolt action mosin nagant in 7.62x54. As for accuracy, at 100 yards it could perform its intended task, but not much more. It is fun to shoot, and is good for about 7 out of 10 clay pigeons @ 100yards. These are the guns that get the most lovin', but they all eventually get their barrels warmed.
When I think of the benefits of that range time that me and The Boy have, His love of guns, shooting, and being outdoors are among the biggest, but for a homeschooled child, it gives him a chance to interact with other that share his love of shooting. The ability of most 7 year old boys to hold an intelligent conversation with another child is rare, much less an adult. But all they need is a chance. Give them something that they love, and let them learn all there is to know about it and you would be amazed at what your child could do. Gavin hold conversations with grown men about everything from guns to homeschooling and people just get a kick out of it. Give your kids a love, whether it be shooting, building, sewing, or cooking it doesn't matter, if you love and feed it, there is no limit to how far they can take it. But if you give them nothing, that's what they'll be.

Feel Good Economics

Capitalism-
An economic system based on a free market, open competition, profit motive and private ownership of the means of production. Capitalism encourages private investment and business, compared to a government-controlled economy. Investors in these private companies (i.e. shareholders) also own the firms and are known as capitalists.
In such a system, individuals and firms have the right to own and use wealth to earn income and to sell and purchase labor for wages with little or no government control. The function of regulating the economy is then achieved mainly through the operation of market forces where prices and profit dictate where and how resources are used and allocated. The U.S. is a capitalistic system.
It absolutely amazes me the lack of understanding that seemingly sensible people have of what makes our country so succesful. I am a Union steamfitter by trade, which is a wonderful occupation, but as a conservative I tend to be all alone in a political debate. Whether we are discussing the war, the president, or the "Evil Greedy Oil Companies", my union colleagues and I just don't click. But, I love to debate, and being right just feels good. With gas passing the $3.00 per gallon mark late last year, you better believe we had a lot to talk about. But what disturbed me wasn't that we didn't agree, but the total lack of understanding of a capitalist economic system. Words like greedy, and cold hearted, and my personal favorite, Bush's buddies kept coming up. Now the first and I might say, most important thing one has to understand is, economics and feelings DO NOT go together!!! But, unfortunately they all to often combined. For example, Exxon made $36 billion in profits last year(gasp), so what does the left side of our elected officials say, "those greedy oil companies" and try to hit them with a windfall profit tax.
Now that wasn't proposed because it would fix the problem, it was supposed to make us "feel" better. That the evil oil tycoons were getting what they deserved. In the real world, the result would be even higher gas prices because 10% would remain constant. Another example of "feel Good economics" is the recent passing of the "Walmart Health care Bill" in Maryland. The measure would require companies with more than 10,000 employees to spend at least 8 percent of their payroll on health benefits, or pay the balance into a state low-income health insurance fund. Again, when the government messes with how a company spends its money, the only thing it does is make us "feel" better. You can expect to see an increase in Walmarts prices as a direct result of this. And the worst part is, it wont give all their employees health care, wasn't that the reason? No, it was to make us "feel" better.
There is a terrible thing happening today and that is young people are not being taught economics the right way. Somehow the word capitalism has become taboo in today's society. We are to worried about "feeling good". Unfortunately the right way doesnt always feel good, but it is what has made the country what it is. We are successful because we make our business decisions, not the government.