Climate change skeptic

I am one not joining in on the hysterics of our news organizations, our politicians, or our self-aggrandizing scientists. Why am I so hard to convince of “inconvenient truths?” Age; I have lived through it all before. Attached is a link to a 1975 NEWSWEEK article on global cooling. Yep, you heard that right, GLOBAL COOLING. Hey, NEWSWEEK could not be wrong, ‘eh? Yeah, scientists back then said hell was indeed freezing over. Some scientists said we needed to melt the Arctic ice cap by covering it with black soot.

I’m all for science, I am all for studying climate, and I am all for debate. I am not for acting on the pseudo intellectual pontifications of politicians and pundits! The science is not settled, in fact, there are indications that the science may be as corrupt as a Chicago election.

CLICK HERE and browse through Borepatch’s pages.

CLICK HERE and browse the “Climate Debate Daily.”

Del Fatti Leather Seecamp Holster Alert 11/28/2009

This is a time dependant post. Matt Del Fatti has some pocket holsters in stock for Seecamp pistols.

Thanksgiving 2009

I am thankful for all of the blessings received and for those that I did not get and did not need.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Colt 1903 Model M Pocket Hammerless .32 ACP

Click here for an outstanding Ed Harris article on the .32 ACP (and associated pistols) over at Trail Boss TV (it includes reloading info for those so inclined).

Click here for Ed Buffaloe’s very complete article on the Colt Model M, which includes a table for cross-referencing serial numbers to the year of manufacture.

Although the Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless is large compared to the pocket pistols of today (it is nowhere near as compact as a Seecamp), you can indeed carry it in a pants or coat pocket. It is not a true hammerless pistol; the hammer hides inside the slide. Since there is no exposed hammer spur, there is nothing to snag on the inside of a pocket. Unless you have gigantic mitts, the Model M provides a good grip area. There is no chance for hammer-bite and only a faint chance of suffering slide cuts from having a high grip. I find the grip safety much more agreeable than that on the Colt 1908 Vest Pocket Pistol.

The subject Model M of this blog entry is a 1918 1919 vintage Type III, making it around 90-years-old. While not in pristine condition, it is still a tight, fully functional pistol. It would not be my first choice for concealed carry or home defense, but worse choices are ever possible. If I were on a super tight budget and had inherited a pistol like this as an only gun, I believe I could sleep well. Many feel the .32 ACP is sub-marginal for stopping power; my humble opinion is that it is smidgen better than they believe it to be; .32 ACP ball looks to have the same stopping stats as does .380 ACP ball and .38 Special round nose lead, about 50% according to Evan Marshall. Those are not impressive numbers, but far better than .22 L.R. and .25 ACP. The jury is still arguing the merits of using .32 ACP hollowpoint ammunition. That case is moot unless an old design like this proves to be 100% reliable feeding hollowpoints. With its 8-round magazine, the Model M does have adequate capacity and its mild recoil makes fast follow-up shots a sure bet. Since the slide does not lock back after firing the last round and the mag release is located on the butt, the pistol’s design is not ideal for fast mag swaps. While my search for them has not been exhaustive, I am of the opinion that spare mags for the Model M are as rare as hens’ teeth.

The main concern with using these old designs for defense is carrying a round in the chamber, cocked-and-locked using the manual safety. While some gunnies are very fast at racking the slide to bring a pistol into action, many people would fumble the maneuver under pressure. Modern guns seem to be relatively safe with a round in the pipe, but pistols like this one, and the striker-fired pistols like the Colt Vest Pocket and the Browning Baby, have reputations for sometimes discharging when dropped. Whether those stories are truth or fiction I cannot say, but they do give me pause. If my personal safety gave me no choice, I would pay a competent gunsmith to detail the pistol, and then I would carry it locked and loaded, ever mindful that I am legally and morally responsible for every bullet that races from the barrel, intentionally or negligently.

Ghost Riders

Many of us have antecedents going back throughout the entire history of this country, rawboned pioneers clawing a living from the land. Reading their stories and seeing their old photos brings an eerie sense of eternity to their existence. Many held on to a tenuous life against all odds, never knowing when all was lost, never knowing when to quit. Some souls held on long after life was gone; they became as forever as the land. Just as you can see the light from long dead stars, souls from long ago can cloud your reality with glimpses of what once was. Click here to visit with Wild Ed as he tells of The Stranger at the Campfire.

Illinois State Police writing tickets for air fresheners

This is a reminder to travelers having a concealed firearm carry permit. When traveling through Illinois you best unload and stow your weapon or face felony charges that could permanently cost you your permit, among other things that you hold dear.

If you choose to ignore Illinois law, what are your chances of being caught? In view of the number of criminals in Illinois who pack heat with impunity, your chances of being caught are probably slim. However, the Illinois State Police are pulling people over for no other reason than having air fresheners hanging from their rearview mirrors; such stops are up 91% since 2004. Once the police pull you over for any infraction, you may have trouble keeping them from searching you and your car. If you don’t believe me, CLICK HERE for an enlightening Chicago Tribune article. Even if you don’t have anything hanging from your rearview mirror, police are pulling motorists over for having GPS units stuck to their windshields. Anything a given cop says obstructs your view is grounds for him to make a stop. Welcome to my world. There are so many criminals in Illinois that the police and the politicians consider everyone a suspect.

My advice to travelers is to avoid Illinois every chance they get. Boycott Illinois. Boycott Chicago. Let the world know why you are doing it.

How goes the government’s war on poverty?

One problem with getting older is that I remember much of the past, such as the many great political solutions enacted to deal with our many great social problems. I do some reading every now and again to see how those grand ideas turned out. The war on poverty looks like it has not drifted too far from the skirmish line. Since President Lyndon B. Johnson declared war on poverty in 1964, there does not seem to be hard evidence to give me optimism or pessimism, only cynicism. This is not a partisan slap. Both Republicans and Democrats have had 45-years to show meaningful results from their efforts, paid for with our tax dollars. Click here for an AP story stating that one-half of all American children will be on food stamps sometime during their childhood. To me, that number is profound. Should I be proud to live in a country great enough to provide this safety net? I suppose I should be. Should I be wondering if such programs perpetuate a class of unmotivated people with a sense of entitlement? It may be uncharitable for me to do so, but I do wonder.

National Ammo Day 2009

Join the ammo BUYcott. National Ammo Day is November 19.

(It is my belief that 2009 will go down in history as National Ammo Year.)

Heh

Thank you for serving

Blogroll addition: HomePlace - Art's Stuff

Heh. I have yet to find a Texas blog that I did not like. Meet Art and one of his trained attack tabby cats.

(CLICK HERE for HomePlace – Art's Stuff)

Mew flu outbreak in Lake County, Illinois?

My daughter called this morning to tell me that one of her cats was sneezing, had watery eyes, and could only breathe through his mouth. She later took the cat to the local veterinarian who said it had been a very strange day; there had been ten cats brought in so far with the exact same symptoms. The vet said that he had called the other vets in the area and they all said that they were seeing the same thing.

So far, the two cats who allow me to live in this house have no symptoms.

Prayers for those at Fort Hood

The news is very bad; there are many dead and injured.

Hat tip to Say Uncle. He did a better job keeping abreast of the story than did the media.

Where is all of that damn doom you promised?

Over at Chicago Boyz, James Rummel says it for many of us oldsters. Chicken Little jaded us many times over; we have heard it all before.

Experts, please, give us some real end-of -the-world action soon or shut the hell up and quit boring us with your flaccid predictions. We can't wait forever.

My money is on the Large Hadron Collider creating a black hole that sucks us all in. Everything began with the “Big Bang”; everything will end with the “Big Suck.” The Large Hadron Collider experiment will prove the one theory we all agree with, “life sucks and then you die.”

Del Fatti patented 9mm moon clip pocket carrier

A true genius has the power to inspire us to whack ourselves in the head and exclaim, “Why didn’t I think of that!”

In an earlier post on the S&W 940 9mm revolver I mentioned that many people were disappointed when they found that loaded moon clips often bend when carried loose in a pocket. The speed load advantage provided by moon clips is nothing but an illusion if the clip is bent. My improvised solution was to carry a loaded clip inside a 35-mm film container. Naturally, Matt Del Fatti came up with a much better solution with his patented 5-round 9mm moon clip pocket carrier. When I saw the listing today on Matt’s site, I suffered instant infatuation and ordered two of them.

Crusty Nuptials

Crustyrusty just got married! Awesome news! My very best wishes to the bride and groom!