RECCE ROOM

This year has been a surprising one. As with every year, there have been ups and downs. I think the ups have outweighed the downs. Best: My nomination for best movie of the year (and I did not see all of them) - Battle LA . Of course, I liked it for all the M16A4 goodness. Honorable mention to Muppets . My nomination for Recession buster of the year is my brother. He clocked $100K more in earnings this year compared to his earnings in 2007. And in 2007, he was above the Tennessee state average. Oh, and he pretty much doubled his earnings from last year. Not surprisingly, he did not luck out - he busted his buns. My nomination for best thing of the year overall is reduced ammo prices. I am buying .223 ammo for $5.88 per box of 20 , compared to over $12 per same box just two years ago. My nomination for proudest moment of the year is my son: he is in 1st grade, and is reading on a 4th grade level. In fact, his AR books (not to be confused with the gun of the same name ) must...

Link to a story where a Wendy's manager shot and killed a robber. This is why carry permits are proliferating... regular people are fed up with being victims. People also realize that police simply cannot be everywhere. Even if they could, do you expect someone else to run in with a gun pointed at their head on your behalf?

This website is crude . I came across it about 14 or 15 months ago. I saw it, read it, and decided to change myself. I'm not there yet... but I'm close. In mid 2010, I was over 300 pounds. I wore a size 44 pants - and those were tight (couldn't carry my GLOCK inside the waistband any more). I was moving from an XXL shirt to an XXXL. I read the website and decided that when you boil it down, it was right on the money. So I ate less. Recently, I started exercising more. I currently hover between 220-225 pounds. My arms have gained over 3" in diameter. My waist is down to 38" ( under 40" is supposed to be the trick to avoiding heart disease). My chest went from 52" to 48" - I currently wear an XL shirt, and can fit in a Large, though the shoulders are too tight. I have only one chin now... and am no longer appalled at my picture. Even "non-flattering" angles and shots are far better than my best pictures used to look. I don't b...

Here's a link to 15 tough questions for those who believe in evolution as the origin of life. Here are the questions, without the comments: How did life originate? How did the DNA code originate? How could mutations—accidental copying mistakes (DNA ‘letters’ exchanged, deleted or added, genes duplicated, chromosome inversions, etc.)—create the huge volumes of information in the DNA of living things? Why is natural selection, a principle recognized by creationists, taught as ‘evolution’, as if it explains the origin of the diversity of life? How did new biochemical pathways, which involve multiple enzymes working together in sequence, originate? Living things look like they were designed, so how do evolutionists know that they were not designed? How did multi-cellular life originate? How did sex originate? Why are the (expected) countless millions of transitional fossils missing? How do ‘living fossils’ remain unchanged over supposed hundreds of million...

Since the adoption of the M16, controversy has surrounded the platform. When it was first fielded, the military took shortcuts - such as changing the gunpowder and not chrome lining the barrel - that resulted in repeated and catastrophic failures. However, these were fixed, and by the time the M16A2 was released, the US military fielded the most modern and arguably the most reliable small arm on the planet. Enter the M4A1. In 1994 the US Army adopted the M4 as its general use small arm. It was put to the test in the Middle East. Naturally, problems arose. The M4 "cheats" its way to a lighter design by reduction of barrel length. Additionally, the gas tube (which operates the bolt, causing the carbine to chamber the next round automatically) is shortened. This creates a harsher environment for the bolt (the main moving part in the carbine). Subsequently, more failures were documented. In other words, the "cheat" came at a cost. And the harsh environments of th...

Recently, I ordered a USMC shooting jacket from Made by mcron . Those of you who follow this site will know I have had an olive drab shooting jacket ordered from Fred's M14 Stocks for about a year and a half. The trouble was, that jacket from Fred's was a XXXL, and I have lost over 80 pounds in the last year or so. Today, my shooting jacket arrived in the mail. I ordered a khaki colored XL jacket. That's exactly what arrived. A number of people are familiar with Fred's jacket (which he only has been a distributor of,  never the manufacturer), so I will write this review as a compare and contrast. Link to pics on Facebook! Size: Currently, I stand 6'3" and weigh around 220 pounds. I wear a size XL shirt off the rack from most manufacturers (only size "L" in Carhartt). Currently, my chest measures 48" and my waist is 37". This shooting jacket fits me as perfectly as a good Carhartt shirt (which happens to be my favorite). The ...

Some time back, I was approached by an adult bully. The bully attempted to bully me personally. Not in a physical sense - that really would not have ended well for him - but in a verbal attack. Alas for the bully, he attended a battle of wits, but found himself unarmed. Learn to recognize the signs of bullying . The details, though fascinating, are really unimportant. What is important is that readers here are well advised to learn all they can on the subject. Bullies these days take many forms: male, female, child, adult, supervisor, subordinate, physical, mental, verbal, electronic, and others. The above link has many wonderful resources on the topic of bullying. I myself, with a lifelong study of the martial arts, have dedicated decades of my time to helping people overcome bullies. Lessons: - Learn about bullying. It can save a life.  - Approach things in life with an open mind.  - Age is no measure of wisdom. - However, wisdom comes from experience   - ...

Saw this on a forum I frequent, and thought it would make a great topic for my next religion post. Unlike others, this will be a short post.  Cavemen existed. I don't know of many people that would argue that. The point of contention is when did they roam the earth? Some would say hundreds of thousands of years ago. All of that is without evidence, as there were no observers, and no hard evidence there was anything around more than about 10,000 year ago. That said, there is debate about how one might be saved prior to Christ's arrival on earth. Here is a link that summarizes it beautifully . So, essentially speaking, if a caveman believed in God, they were saved. Because God had given us a Promise (that Jesus would fulfill), and that promise was His manifested Grace, and there is not scripture that would indicate that salvation is by anything other than God's Grace.

Was looking for an insurance agency in a small rural town in Tennessee. Could not find them, so I called: Usagi: "Hi, I was looking for your agency. Can't seem to find it." Agent: "We are where we've always been." I go to the spot they used to be located at - which has been bulldozed and turned into a small retail center. Usagi: "I am at the old place. Can't seem to find your office." Agent: "Oh, well we are over by the parts store." I go to the parts store. No dice. I walk into the parts store and ask. They have no clue, either. Not a good sign in a small town (fewer than 5000 people). Usagi: "I am at the parts store and cannot seem to locate you. Even the guys here don't know about your agency." Agent: "Oh, well, the owner now operates the agency out of her house, and she doesn't want anyone over. So, bye!"

Another funny martial arts story from the past: Parents who bring their children to me typically do so for one of two broad reasons: a) To help with behavior issues. b) To expose their children to real martial arts for self defense and/or fun. A young lady was a student in my studio. She had arrived early as she often does. Even in the first grade, her mother insists she learn good manners, and this is good. So it completely surprises me when she blurts out: "Are the demon-children going to be here?" She was referring to a family whose children attended class at that time - obviously to help with behavior problems - and who were in need of much help and improvement.I mean, these children were really difficult. Of course, it didn't help that mom or dad would sugar them up right before class (for example: half of the time, they had an icee right before class). I still don't know which is funnier: what she said, or the fact that I was wondering the exact sa...

Occasionally (not as often anymore), some folks will question whether an AR 15 (chambered in the standard .223 / 5.56 mm) is powerful enough. Powerful enough for what? I ask. Clean, one shot kills on animals larger than deer - probably not. There are better choices. Sniping from 800 meters away - probably not. Again, there are better choices. But I bet it would do in a pinch in either situation. Here is a story about a polar bear being put down with an AR15 . Heck, if it can take down a polar bear, I'd say it's good enough for anything in North America.

A woman in California is on the phone with 911 as an intruder tries to break into her house. Sadly, when seconds count, police are only minutes away. This is not a bash against cops, it is a fact. Police cannot be everywhere at all times. Listen to the 911 tape of the call . The woman shot twice, that didn't work. So she shot a third time. People, ammo is cheap, life is expensive. Today, Donna Harper knows this to be true as she is alive. The most surprising thing of all is the idiot 911 operator, urging Hopper to not fire the gun! The operator states that she doesn't want Hopper to accidentally shoot at police, but Hopper has stated several times that she can't see police anywhere, and the intruder is breaking in at that moment!

Recently I purchased this hat from Life, Liberty, Etc . While at a hotel on business recently, I was wearing the hat, and it caused one of the hotel employees to approach me. I learned she was raised Muslim , but had converted to Christianity . She asked me why I would wear such a hat, and asked me if I knew what it meant. The word on the hat is "kafir" - or as we commonly know it, "infidel." I answered that I knew I was an infidel according to the Qur'an, as I do not believe in Allah. I believe in Jehova (YHWH in the Jewish tradition), whose son is Jesus, the Christ. Some Muslims (this person included), feel that the god of the Islamic tradition is the same - the God of Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. However, Islamic tradition holds that other religions (Judaism, Christianity) who "share the same God" are wrong, or somehow incomplete, since Mohammed is the final prophet and the Qur'an is their sole source of authority. In other words, they ...

This is a story that recently "came across my desk." Seemed chock-full of lessons to learn. Enter Grouchy There once was an unhappy man - we shall call him Grouchy. Nothing seemed to go right in his life. To that end, he consumed himself with poisonous feelings and thoughts. As the unhappy are wont to do, he looked for an outlet in which he could be superior to others. Grumpy was not the physical specimen, nor really the intellectual specimen. But of the two, he fancied himself more intellectual. Grouchy decided on religion as his outlet. For in religion, he could learn and later make use of knowledge which contains many things which are not absolute. He set about his learning. He learned much, and even came to a place of authority - leading others in their learning. But as is the case in life, this too came to an end. Grouchy was certainly not happy about it. Of course, truth be told, Grouchy was rarely happy about anything. So Grouchy set out, looking for another o...

From the Examiner : Despite what some might tell you , weight-discrimination does exist. Many supervisors and hiring influences will use this ugly method of discrimination against employees and prospective employees. Weight discrimination, or weightism , is protrayed in media outlets , and is one of the last forms of discrimination that is still looked on in a "good" light. Fortunately, our society has largely done away with discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, and other trivial matters. The other side of this coin is that these days, there are more overweight people in America than ever before. And Nashville, being in the Southeast , is right in the middle of a state that is one of the most obese. Sadly, weightism is not technically illegal in hiring processes. Further, it is often covered up very carefully behind other, legitimate-sounding excuses. So combating weightism during interviews and hiring processes is difficult and often tricky, ...

You might be a redneck if: - It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God..' You might be a redneck if: You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places. You might be a redneck if: You still say ' Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.' You might b e a redneck if: You bow your head when someone prays.  You might be a redneck if: You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.  You might be a redneck if: You treat our armed forces veterans with great respect, and always have.  You might be a redneck if: You've never burned an American flag, nor intend to.  You might be a redneck if: You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.  You might be a redneck if: You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same. Some of you are so old you don't have elders to respect....

As I've written before, college football needs a national championship tournament . If we follow the pattern I suggested almost two years ago, then here is what we would have. Conference champions get selected, then the top 3 other teams according to BCS standings : 1. LSU 2. Oklahoma State 3. Oregon 4. TCU 5. Wisconsin 6. Clemson 7. Southern Miss. 8. West VA 9. Northern Ill. 10. Arkansas State. 11. Louisiana Tech 12. Alabama 13. Stanford 14. Arkansas Hypothetical of how I think it would turn out, based on this alignment: Round 1: #3 Oregon vs #14 Arkansas In a shootout, Arkansas proves SEC football reigns supreme and ousts the PAC 12 champs 64-62 in 3OT #4 TCU vs #13 Stanford The Cardinal, behind Andrew Luck, race out to an early lead and never look back. TCU cuts the margin late, but only against the 3rd string defense and Stanford wins 38-28. #5 Wisconsin vs #12 Alabama Wisconsin gets blitzed early and often. Alabama shows why they were the BCS #2 t...

Several have asked me why not Mitt Romney for President - as he seems to be a consistent front-runner. So here's some basics: 1. Gun Control . He was for gun control before he was against it. Even when he is against it ... he's not really against gun control. He signed a permanent "assault weapons" ban into law as a governor. 2. Romneycare. Pushed through and signed into law in 2006 (only three years before Obamacare), this law was essentially the template used by the liberals and democrats for the Obamacare plan. Any questions?

Frankly speaking, I am probably the least sarcastic of my siblings. I have the second-strongest filter of the three of us. I just happen to have the biggest dose of "I-don't-give-a-crap." Anyways, one of my siblings has started a blog . Funny stuff. This is what our conversations are typically like. :)

Prior to the season, I predicted that my favorite NFL team, the Tennessee Titans, would wind up 6-10. After all, they had just dumped the entire quarterback roster for a free agent and a draft pick. They had also fired the longest-tenured coach in the NFL and hired Mike Munchak - who had never been a head coach on any level before. After their win yesterday against the Buffalo Bills, the Titans moved to 7-5, and are in the thick of the hunt for the NFL playoffs. Moreover, even if they lose every game between now and the end of the season (unlikely when one looks at the opponents remaining), they have already eclipsed my prediction. Right now, there are four games left in the season, in order: vs. the Saints, Colts, Jaguars, and Texans. The Saints and the Texans are both tough. Both sport a 9-3 record as of this article. On the other side of the coin, the Colts are having a really odd losing year and are 0-12. The Jaguars are 3-8. Based on those simple stats, the Titans will lik...

The Setting:   So I blogged recently about a doctrinal disagreement I had with a fellow Sunday School student. He took exception to my blog post about the topic, and "confronted" me about it. As I offered no apology - due to the facts that A) I had not wronged him, and B) he never approached me as being offended, but rather as a bully would - things escalated. He found his opportunity to seek attention. As I write this, we await a time to be set up to meet with one of our senior pastors. This meeting was demanded by my fellow student. The sad part of this is that he thrust Right Minded into the middle of the whole thing. Evidently, in his "intense" study of scripture, he never ran across Proverbs 16:28 - Destructive people produce conflict; gossips alienate close friends. And as much as my fellow student won't like it, this post is not about him either. You the reader simply needed to know this background to understand why I say the point of this po...

She doesn't have the best campaign, but she does have the values. That's what we need most of all. Since Herman Cain is no longer in the Presidential race, I am throwing my support behind Michele Bachmann. Cool quote she had on guns : "I don’t get as much time to go and shoot as I would like, but my favorite gun is the AR-15. It’s so accurate. It is a big gun!"

A home intruder was shot and killed in Florida. Details of note: The shooter was a former beauty queen. The shooter used a pink handgun. The intruder was a career criminal. Sounds like a good shoot to me!

Today, Herman Cain announced he is suspending his bid for President . He cited the damage done to his family by the continued assaults on his character regarding phony sexual misconduct allegations. Now I gotta go find another candidate to vote for. Sure won't be Ron Paul.

"Win" noun - a victory, especially in competition. verb - to achieve a victory or finish first also - To get laid off from one's job - while simultaneously having two other jobs (which more than pay the bills). Especially when one anticipated the layoff within 2 weeks of starting employment there. see also - Usagi's start to December.

Get your picture taken with Santa and machine guns !

Looks like some legislators are thinking about making it legal to carry in TN without a permit ... but they will keep the permit system in place so that folks can carry in states that have reciprocal agreements.

The state of Ohio has taken a boy from his mother . The boy was in the third grade, and weighs over 200 pounds. On one hand, the state of Ohio should have no ability to take a child away from a parent. The state also stated that the child is at risk for certain diseases - but that doesn't mean the child has those diseases, however! On the other hand, the simple fact is that this is the single best thing that has ever happened to this child.

Can't say I disagree with this article . At all.

In light of the way Black Friday has unfolded in recent years; a tribute, in song, from an email: Gunshots ring, are you listenin'? In the aisles, pepper sprays mistin'. Be ready to fight, on Black Friday night Shopping in a Walmart wonderland In the parking lot we can rob an old man And pretend we bought this on our own He'll say "Help me", we'll say "No man" Just kick him, shoot him then we go right home Later on we'll perspire as we come under fire Be ready to fight on Black Friday night Shopping in a Walmart wonderland.

Link to Camp4u . He sums it up better than I ever could. Post-edit: Update... Ron Paul says the Bush Administration was "gleeful" when the 9/11 attacks happened. Paul stated that Bush was looking for a reason to invade Iraq. That was a very irresponsible thing to say.

The Muppets movie of 2011 was on tab this past Thanksgiving weekend. It was a Muppet movie. The producers held to the formula (simple comedy, simple plot, entertaining songs) that made the Muppets a favorite of mine, and so many others in my age group. My kids loved it. I enjoyed it. More than once, the wife was tapping her feet to the beat of a song.

He has co-authored a bill that would violate the constitutional rights of citizens by allowing the government to detain indefinitely and determine what is "enemy action" - and in so doing, imprison American Citizens here in our own country. What they in power don't get is that the US Military if for fighting people who would bring harm to Americans, not to fight Americans!

Microchip Implant Allows Islamic Terrorists to Speak to God. The implant is specifically designed to be injected in the forehead. When properly installed, it will allow the terrorist to speak to God. It comes in various sizes: Generally from .223 to .50 cal. The exact size of the implant will be selected by a well-trained and highly skilled technician, who will also make the injection. No anesthetic is required. The implant may or may not be painless. Side effects, like headaches, nausea, aches and pains are extremely temporary. Some bleeding or swelling may occur at the injection site. In most cases, you won't even notice it. Please enjoy the security we provide for you. Best regards, "WE take great comfort in knowing that the last thing Osama bin Laden saw on this earth was an American".

She was the adoptive mother of a close friend in High School. May she rest in peace.

An article on the AR 15 as a precision shooting platform. Of course, I prefer the term "general purpose rifle" since the AR 15 can fill many roles. 

This video is so funny yet so very wrong.

A frequent reader (and perhaps a member of the family - I'm not tellin'!) sent this article to me. Basically, a man was leaving for work when he was accosted by two criminals. One of the criminals pulled a gun. The man was a HCP holder, and pulled his own gun. At least one of the criminals was shot - the article mentioned only one "suspect" as having been shot - no mention of the fate of the other "suspect."

Embarrassing to say the least. When I was new to sales and customer service, working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Dyersburg, TN, I made a really bad error. This happened in 1999. I was reminded of this by recent conversation with the man who was my manager at the time - Rich. He was an excellent manager, and taught me a lot. However, at the time of this "incident," I simply had much to learn. A customer had locked a set of keys in a rental car, forcing us to get an additional set of keys cut. Rich informs me that I need to tell the customer that there is a charge for that, as the keys were not free to Enterprise, either. I think the charge was something minimal - $25 or so. I had trouble thinking of a good way to express this to the customer. Finally, I made up my mind (customer was on hold on the phone at the time): "Sir, don't be surprised if there is a $25 charge on your credit card to cover the price of the keys." Rich immediately chided me when I hu...

Summed up - some people believe that once the gift of Salvation has been accepted, that it cannot be undone. Others believe that the gift can be given back. Using that simple analogy, these things seem possible. But are they? If so, which one is true? Of course, this is another of the "hot topics" in modern Christianity. On one end, you have the concept that Salvation is perfect, and that God does not do things "halfway." On the other side of the coin, you have the concept that people can reject God (which is true), but also do so after having accepted Him. This link has a lot of good arguments, pro and con. It even has links - pro and con. The author takes the point of view that salvation can be rejected - which is true. The question, though, is whether salvation can be rejected after it is first rejected. The link, and the subsequent links, provide more scripture on the topic than I could ever hope to link here. The basic idea gets down to this: what is...

A regular reader recently asked me to sum up thoughts on Bill Clinton as President . In short, I was not yet old enough to vote in 1992, and I voted for Dole in 1996. So you know which way I am going. Clinton took office Jan. 20, 1993 and left office Jan 20, 2001. During that time, many people attribute much success to him. Fact is that most of the economic success came via balanced budgets and holding steady on taxes via bills passed by a Republican controlled House and Senate in the mid and late 1990's. Another source of the economic boom was consumer debt . Failure #1: Terrorism America was attacked on its own soil in 2001 by Islamic extremists. Emboldened by Clinton's lax policy on dealing with violent radicals, these terrorists felt that we as Americans were soft. After all, we had elected and re-elected a soft leader in Clinton. Fact is, there were several terrorist attacks that went unanswered during the Clinton administration, and this is what gave the terroris...

It seems Wal Mart now sells AR 15 style rifles and carbines. I've seen them myself, and here's a link to a blog article on the same news. Prevailing price on a decent Bushmaster carbine seems to run $847 - $897, depending on location. This is far less than the typical gun store - which often sell the same for $1000 or more. Of course, one could order an AR 15 of equal if not better quality for far less money. And one could assemble an AR 15 of equal or better quality for even less money.

So this week I visited several clients (as I do every week). One client had the postcard my company sent out to introduce me recently. My photo was on the postcard. On my photo, the client had drawn glasses on me. I snickered inside. It was funny. Some might have been offended, but I guess I'm just too juvenile not to like it.

These songs were on my mind recently, for different reasons. None of them is my favorite - but all of them apply to something ... somewhere. Sound Beach Lyrics Ph@ri-C 2011 Lyrics Age is no measure of wisdom Lyrics Forever "My Belle" Lyrics

This week I spotted a sign at a place that does oil changes. It read: "Sign man too lazy - come inside for message."

I really like the quotes from Clint Smith : (in part) "If you carry a gun, people will call you paranoid. That’s ridiculous. If I have a gun, what in the hell do I have to be paranoid about?" "Don’t shoot fast, shoot good." "You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or use any other word you think will work, but I’ve found that a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much the universal language."

So part of my son's 7th birthday gifts from my wife and I was tickets to the Tennessee Titans game this afternoon. Mrs. Usagi does not enjoy watching professional football in person (too many TV timeouts), so it was just the boy and myself. We left early in the afternoon to make the 3:05 start time. We both had fun, even though the Titans did not emerge victorious. My overall record, watching the Titans in person, is 2-2. Twice I've watched the Titans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars . I've also witnessed them lose to the Oakland Raiders , in addition to the loss today.

In a forum I frequent, someone posed the following situation: his family was all aware that he prepared for possible SHTF situations. They all said that in the event something did happen, they would go to his house. He asked the best way to let them know that he would not be sharing his guns / ammo / food with them since they didn't prepare. I suggest a different approach is needed. The question is faulty. I would not want to come across to family or friends as unsympathetic or mean - possibly damaging relationships in the process. Furthermore, I suggest that most likely, someone that did not take an active role in preparing themselves or their family would not last long in a SHTF environment, and so the question would be moot. Alternately, if the man's family did last long enough to get to his place and ask for his food - they have proven that they do have some real useful qualities. I'd want to keep people like that around.

Question: How do you confuse a recruiter? Answer: You tell them something simple and straight-forward. This from my brother. The Inspiration? My brother is currently interviewing candidates for an open position. He recently told the HR person that he was going to pass on a specific candidate because that candidate had significant discrepancies on answers from the interview vs. what was actually on his resume.  The candidate asked the HR lady on Friday about the status of his candidacy. She (HR lady) actually asks my brother what the status is... and why my brother decided to pass on this candidate. AGAIN.

Recently found the folks over at Life, Liberty, Etc . Decided to upgrade my shooting jacket: There's a really good chance that a sticker just like that will find its way to my " M16A4 " Clone rifle in the near future. There's an equally good chance that when I wear the jacket at the range, and am shooting the rifle in question, I'll be wearing a ball cap that says "infidel."

Rule #1 in the music industry: "It's not fair!" Was given this quote from Mr. Smith at Spirit Martial Arts last night. Told Mr. Smith at Spirit Martial Arts that I'm stealing that one from him!  :)

Former NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield had his home searched and 40 firearms seized . Mayfield Fail: Mayfield shows fail by having some methamphetamine in his possession. Media Fail: "We're told the guns were seized so officials could determine if the weapons belong to Mayfield .... and if so, if they are properly registered." NC does not register firearms. They have a pistol-purchase permit, but that does not track the unit sold in any way - just verifies to the dealer that the citizen is eligible to purchase a pistol.  Police Fail: Acting on a warrant for stolen property, they can only make an arrest for drug charges.

Recently, my candidate, Herman Cain, has been saddled with allegations of sexual impropriety. So far, no proof has come out... only allegations. And there seems to be a leak somewhere. And that leak might just lead back to those who would stand to lose the most in an election against Cain. Remember, Rule #1 of politics - those who gain power are afraid most to lose that power.

But the rest of you might enjoy it, too. Seems Right Minded is not the only person with an unnatural fascination with the destruction of pumpkins with firearms.    :)

Wisconsin now allows permitted carry of firearms - as of yesterday. Seems that was a popular decision - 80,000 applications were submitted on day 1! It seems the state's Attorney General was the first to be issued a permit. Also, a bit over 100 were processed on the first day. I hope the processing gets quicker for my friends in the dairyland state!

Thanks to Say Uncle for the story. On a similar note in an unrelated story , Al Sharpton thinks guns should be banned from the black community. (The article's words - not mine)

Looks like Herman Cain is not only in the lead, but is separating from the crowd. You know it's the case when even liberal polls have him in a "dead heat" with their elect: Romney.

So far, most of my behavior topics have related to children. Let me shift gears here, and talk about adult behavior problems. The most common one I see is projection . Simply put, projection is when a person is guilty of something himself, but blames others of being guilty of it instead. Liberals often fall into this category. Another common problem I see is when people seek to place blame. People like this find it easier to blame someone or something else, than to live up to the consequences of their own actions. A third problem one often sees in our society, and one that is intermingled with the first two, is the act of being accusatory. Some people accuse others - particularly in an attempt to assign blame, or sometimes out of a case of projection. Another huge problem is cases of bullying. Generally speaking, people who bully others do so to seek negative attention and to gain control. Frequently, bullies are also products of bullying. Here's a link on Adult B...

So, when I made the mistake of letting Mrs. Usagi try out my AR15 this past Memorial Day weekend, the end result was that I lost another rifle. She took possession of it, and customized it a little bit . At that time, I decided to build one for myself. I am a fan of the M16A4, and figured this would be my chance. Here it is with an ACOG and with a carry handle: The specs: Bushmaster buttstock Surplus Arms stripped lower. Palmetto State Armory (PSA) lower parts kit. Rock River Arms (RRA) National match trigger. PSA upper, Bolt Carrier Group, and charging handle. ER Shaw Stainless Steel heavy barrel - 1:8 twist Trijicon TA31F Acog (used to be on Mrs. Usagi's rifle, but she liked the TA01 reticule better, so I bought her a TA01) - Both ACOG's have John 8:12 as the Bible verse. What the rifle is capable of: That was shot at 100 yards. And yes, the quarter will cover the group entirely. That group was shot using Privi-Partisan 75-grain match amm...

Better get one before the 2012 election - Palmetto State Armory has complete AR15 carbines available for $599. Of course, it needs to be shipped to your local FFL to comply with ATF rules and for background check purposes, but that's still quite a deal!

One of the main searches on Google that will get you to my blog seems to be what I've written on Wonderlic tests. I am putting together an unofficial list of companies from where the internet is used to search for these strategies on Wonderlic. Seems to be the thing to do. :)

After arresting a suspect for attempted rape, the Sheriff of Spartanburg, SC suggests the public get carry permits... and use them. Link to story . My favorite quote in the whole thing? "I think I better stop before I get sanctioned."

One of my favorite shows is The Walking Dead on AMC. Last week - Season 2, Episode 2 - brought about a moment of joy in the house, as Mrs. Usagi also enjoys the show. The heroes were traveling, and had stopped. Of course, zombies are everywhere, and before long, a group of zombies is spotted heading toward the heroes. The main protagonist shoulders his bolt-action rifle, and uses his sling in a "hasty sling" (second picture, this link) configuration. Of course, this sling usage is taught as part of Appleseed training, as well as being a classic use of the sling to help steady a rifle for a more accurate shot. Of course, there is an entire horde of zombies, forcing the heroes to hide instead of fight. At which point, Mrs. Usagi says: "why aren't they using AR15's? Just two people could have taken out the whole horde." Then we shared a pondering moment as the obvious fact of the liberal media's intense desire to not portray "evil black ri...

Here's a funny clip that is so very true. WARNING - pretty bad language .

Happy Birthday to my son today. He is 7. The funny thing is right now it is 30 degrees. Today's high is supposed to be 57. When my son was born, it was 93 degrees that day. We had to use the AC in the car on the ride home that Sunday morning.

Seems Pepsi is working hand-in-hand with a company that uses stem cells from aborted babies. Didn't like Pepsi anyways, so this boycott is totally on!

Last week, I was asked to be substitute teacher in my Sunday School class. This is not unusual - happens about 4-6 times per year... sometimes more. Originally, our Sunday School class had another "go-to" person who would teach in our instructor's ("Right Minded") absence. However, that person and his wife left our class about 4-5 years ago, and at the time, as Right Minded put it, there was nobody else left that could do it. Funny thing - I never asked to be sub. Never really wanted to be the sub. But, not wanting to put a friend in a tough spot, I accepted. To be 100% truthful, it is one of the few things in life I truly do not look forward to doing, but do so out of a strong sense of duty. At the heart of my personal preference to not teach is the simple fact that I know I am strongly opinionated, and my concern that this will some day put a friend in a tough spot. I thought that had actually come this past week. A new member to the class was present l...