RECCE ROOM

Today, my membership card to the TNSSA arrived. I have made a photocopy, and included it in the package. The entire package is set, stamped, and ready to be sent off tomorrow. Current reported wait times are 4-8 weeks from the CMP. There is a good chance I might be firing my own M1 on Thanksgiving. A really good chance I'm shooting it Christmas. --- Post Edit - 9/1/2010 The packet was put in the mail today. The wait begins.

If I were a liberal lawyer , who had an anti-gun agenda, and I was disappointed with the law in Tennessee being changed to allow HCP holders to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol (provided they do not drink), how would I respond ? I would first wait a bit after the law. Especially if I challenged the last one right out of the gates. After everything died down - especially major national news stories - I would get more publicity, and might be able to sway more public opinion. It would also prevent me from looking blatantly anti-gun in a gun-loving state. I would not challenge this law outright. The Senate Bill actually removed a portion of TCA. I could challenge an addition as being unconstitutional, but that's hard to prove when a law has been removed . Given these circumstances, I would look for an alternate method of making my desires into case law. Like challenging based on occupational safety hazards. I would find someone who has been "harmed" by the law. Whe...

Right Minded may have retired from blogging, but that won't stop me from trying to get him back in the game. That said, I am offering to post any blog entry he wants, when he wants. If he's lucky, I might even give him credit for it! :)

Back during my recent span of involuntary unemployment, I interviewed with a number of companies. Most were legitimate operations with good positions. Some were not. Here's a tale of one that was a bit of both. --- The company, a Tennessee based firm that has been in business for a few decades and does quite well, was looking for an inside sales position. I applied, even though I've never done inside sales, because the intangibles they listed were quite alright, and the salary & commissions were close to what I was seeking. The sales manager was one that seemed OK - not the best manager I'd ever met, but a man I knew how to deal with. I had a good interview with him. He also let me sit with two people who would be my coworkers. At the end, he mentioned he would contact me after calling my references. His only noted reservation, was that I'd never worked in inside sales and I might "have too much energy to be cooped up." I followed up with him a little over...

Three MAJOR errors: 1. That's not Sara Palin - it's Glenn Beck 2. She spells it "Sarah" - not "Sara" 3. Palin never ran for president. She was the Vice Presidential pick for John McCain. Mrs. Usagi suggests that since CNN's ratings are so low, they cannot afford to hire competent help. I am inclined to agree. Can you spot more errors?

Facts: - In the past two years or so in Iraq, there have been an average of 160,000 troops stationed at any given time. - There have been 2112 troops killed. - IF all of the troops had been killed by gunfire (most were not, but let's assume, for the sake of argument), then that would be a killed-by-gunfire rate of 60 per 100,000. - During that time, the known firearm death rate in Washington DC was 57 per 100,000. Conclusions: 1. We should pull out of Washington. 2. It is a statistical dead heat to either live in Washington DC - or - to put on Body armor, join the US Military, and go to Iraq, where we have been waging a war. 3. When one counts the US troops killed by IED's, and other such war-related casualties, then the killed-by-gunfire rate goes down drastically - meaning it's actually safer to wage war in Iraq that to simply live in Washington DC. 4. DC Gun laws make things more dangerous.

Recently, I became aware of an effort by the EPA to ban lead in ammunition. Link to article on it. Folks, this is gun control. If they cannot take the guns, they will take the bullets. What good is the best rifle without any bullets?

My trip to Detroit is in the books. I saw many clients. I ate good food - particularly of note: I got to sample some Romanian food. Oh, boy! That was good stuff! Thanks very much to my client, "JR," and his wife (and cook extraordinaire) Julia. I did not get mugged, robbed, or otherwise inconvenienced (except as noted with Delta Airlines). Makes for good times for me. Glad to be home, too.

A few weeks ago, My son attended a tournament. As I've documented , he did quite well. There were also some problems. I tried to be civil about it, but they have left me no choice. So here goes: 1. They announce at the last minute that competitors must have specialized equipment to spar. This was never mentioned in the flyers (though regular sparring gear was mentioned!). 2. They double charged my credit card. Attempts to contact them to resolve the issue were ignored. I had to dispute the charges with the card. 3. They have now tried to solicit us away from our current school - Spirit Martial Arts. No. HELL NO! Martial arts are about work ethic, honesty, integrity. Not cheating, stealing, lying, scamming, and taking short-cuts. AVOID: Bobby Austin's Bushido Karate School. Oh, the email they sent: "Dear Cael, Thank you for visiting our website. You have selected to be a part of one of the best schools in the country. We would in turn would like to than...

Back in the spring, I traveled Delta airlines. I blogged about it here . I've used Delta airlines a bit over a half-dozen times. There has been something wrong with each and every flight. I've traveled twice that much on Southwest. Never once have I been inconvenienced. Delta, however, finds problems. This morning, They canceled my flight. 2.5 more hours until the next flight to Detroit. Have to call Hertz and reschedule the car rental. Then, the new flight gets delayed - they were concerned over a maintenance issue (the first flight was supposedly canceled over a maintenance issue). The second flight was also overbooked. Several of us almost got bumped. I fly back to Nashville Thursday. I'll report back here on how Delta fails on that one, too. --- Post edit - 8/30/2010 Delta overbooked the returning flight, so two people got bumped. Otherwise, it was a flight free of errors - which surprised me.

This post stems from an ongoing discussion I've been having with my brother. He recently upgraded his job to the tune of $12K per year - in this economy. I, of course, found myself unemployed due to no fault of my own at the end of last year. After securing a job in March, I am on pace to earn more in 9.5 months this year than I did in 12 months last year (though laid off, they paid us through the end of the year). Some observations we've had on potential jobs & interviews: 1. Not all advertisements are real jobs. - Some companies advertise jobs just to satisfy HR folks when they've already made up their minds to promote an internal candidate. - Some companies are just 'fishing' to see if their pay is on par with the market. - Some companies actually change their minds about filling/creating a position mid-search. - Some companies are just plain lying about there being an opening. 2. Some jobs advertised have unrealistic expectations. - Some compani...

I will be starting a new series on this blog: "Things found on the side of the road." Or "TFOSOR" In my travels in my previous position, I many interesting things just laying on the side of the road. In my current position, I see strange things sometimes. I think these things are funny, and I hope my readers will, too. This week: - A bag full of clothes. The clothes had scattered all over the shoulder. - An office chair. The bottom 5-point spines that had the wheels was separated from the main part of the chair.

I have weighed the options. I know the consequences. On one side, there are people that point out that we need a Republican in office, if only for the appointees (judges, etc.). Good logic. On the other side is the fact that the TN House and State Senate are likely going to be majority republican after the election... and they really have the legislative authority. Good point, too. I suggest that Republican candidate Bill Haslam is not more conservative than the Democratic candidate, McWherter. It is not very likely that Haslam's appointments would be any more conservative than McWherter's appointments would be. Appointments aside, they both talk the same talk - low taxes, no state income tax, pro-gun, etc. Here's the facts - Haslam raised taxes in Knoxville. I don't trust him to avoid a state income tax. Either way, if a majority of the house and senate want a state income tax, it won't matter... because a veto in either direction can be overridden with a simple ma...

On July 26, I announced my intentions to purchase a piece of American History - the M1 Garand. On the 27th of July, I updated that I had sent off for membership with the M1 Collector's Club. Now, another update: It has been more than 3 weeks since I sent the check. The check has not been cashed. Further, the M1 Collector's Club has not responded to requests for an update. Therefore, I must assume they have not received the check. While this is not their fault, I must secure another method for gaining membership to a CMP approved club. Today, I have contacted the Tennessee Shooting Sports Association (TNSSA). They indicate a 1-week turnaround on membership. I hope that is the case. I'll be sending them a check this evening. Membership? $15 for 1-year. A card within a week means I can send off to the CMP by the end of the month. That means a Nov. 1 arrival date - give or take a few weeks. I might be able to shoot my own M1 by Thanksgiving! That would be just over a year sin...

A short time ago, friend and former fellow-blogger, Right Minded, "retired" from blogging. Since then, I made it a point to go back and read much of what he has written - especially the stuff prior to the time I started following his blog. Back in 2004, Right Minded wrote an article on the 1994 "Assault Weapon Ban," and its pending expiration. Of course, the law was no such thing. It was an attempt, not to control "assault weapons," but to limit the effectiveness of the tools the average American could purchase. After all, government can't go around in fear of its subjects, can it? Of course, at the time, there was a big holding of breath among gun owners, waiting to see what Congress would do. They did nothing. By doing nothing, the unconstitutional law expired. When it expired, things got back to normal. I have three devices that would not have been allowed to be manufactured or imported during that time. An M1 Carbine, and AR15, and an SKS. All thr...

I have posted about this before, some people just don't listen. Once, I had to explain to an interviewer three times that I was laid off because my whole department got the axe. She didn't listen to a word and thought I just wasn't making the grade. In reality (where she seemed to only visit occasionally), I was at 140% of quota for the year when the axe fell. My brother relays a similar story: He was interviewing for a job. The recruiter sees his address (which is a little far for some people), and says: "I think you would be a fit, but I'm afraid the drive would be too much for you." My brother responds: "Well, I work across the street from the company now, so what would be the difference?" TWICE more, my brother had to answer the same question. Not surprisingly, he did not get an interview with the company at the time. The recruiter said he lived too far away. A little later, he got an interview with them directly. When asked why h...

In a response to an article in the Washington Post, a reader made a comment . Particularly of note: "There are not 'four firm liberals' on the Supreme Court, and there hasn't been even a single 'liberal' on the court in years." Whatever this guy was smoking, I would like to have a hit of. Powerful stuff, indeed!

Each of us has a given set of morals we (more or less) adhere to. These might stem from within. These morals might have been taught to you - either as a child or as an adult. Sometimes the end justifies the means. Sometimes, that is not the case. It is no secret that I have had issues with Appleseed. To that end, let us, for the sake of this article, put aside any differences in methodology of shooting techniques. Let us also put aside personal opinion on effectiveness of same. Lets instead get to the heart of the matter. If you really think Appleseed is an excellent concept (which I do), then you have no problem going along with it. That said, leadership in Appleseed is rotten to the core (pun intended). Can you knowingly follow leadership that is of such questionable status? Ask yourself these questions: What happened to the Riverside Gun Club? By what means did "Fred" acquire the property at Ramseur NC. Who's names are on the board of directors for the RWVA ...

A man recently went to propose to his girlfriend in a most unique way . Somehow, the ring, which was attached to a sand dollar, came loose and tumbled away. The ring was lost. $9000 down the drain. But at least he had a pretty neat idea.

Rank in the martial arts is often a hot topic. So naturally, I'd like to make a few points on it. My points stem from two major ideologies on the subject: 1. Rank should take a long time 2. Rank should not take a long time. Let me say that if you have created your own martial art, you may rank people according to your own criteria, and that is fine. However, there are limitations to several common ranking concepts. I'm here to point those out and give alternatives. Originally, the black belt rank was developed by Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo, in the early 1900's. The Black Belt did not indicate mastery. It indicated mastery of the foundational principles and techniques of the art. Later, colored belts were introduced, as were degrees of black belt, to indicate progress to black belt and beyond. And for different reasons, different people had different ideas of what these ranks meant, and things blossomed from there into full-blown disorder. Rank in martial arts is often ba...

I've had a reader email and ask my responses to the questions I posed to the Gubernatorial candidates. OK, here goes: 1. You mention your support for the 2 nd Amendment. Do you own a gun? If so, what is your favorite gun? Why? I own multiple firearms. All were acquired legally (gift or legal purchase). None are registered as Tennessee does not require the registration of firearms. As I've mentioned on this blog, I also have a TN Handgun Carry Permit, and I use it. My favorite is my Marlin 60. It is my favorite because it is exactly like the rifle I learned to shoot on. It fires accurately and reliably, and is inexpensive to shoot. My wife liked it so much she commandeered it. 2. Describe your plans for a potential state income tax. Also, the state sales tax. I could never endorse a state income tax. All the states that have income taxes are broke. That should tell you something. I would propose lowering the sales tax - because that would boost tax revenues as well as the st...

I exchanged emails with now former blogger, Right Minded, this weekend. I asked his opinion on voting third party - which I am likely to do. He laid out some thoughts, and gave permission for publication of them: "As a rule, I don't vote third party, because, except for extremely rare situations, third party candidates have no shot of winning elections, especially a governor's race. I prefer to vote for the most conservative of the two major party candidates. That's usually the Republican. Haslem is not a true conservative. He strikes me as a Corker-type Republican. But I'll end up voting for him because he's more conservative than McWherter. In Tennessee, it's actually more important to have conservative leadership in the General Assembly than the executive branch. That's because a governor's veto can be overridden with a simple majority in each chamber of the legislature. That makes our legislature more powerful than if it required a t...

Tonight, I received these responses to my previous questions from candidate Samuel David Duck: " 1. You mention your support for the 2nd Amendment. Do you own a gun? If so, what is your favorite gun? Why? I don't believe a citizen should have to obtain a license or pay a fee for a right that is protected by the Constitution. For that reason, I would not inform the government if I possessed fire arms. Both government and non-government officials can read a public blog, thus I'd rather not say. 2. Describe your plans for a potential state income tax. Also, the state sales tax. Oh, that's a complex one. If things stand as they are, I not only oppose any more state income taxes, but I'd eventually try to abolish the Hall income tax and the state estate tax, both of which are income taxes of sorts. I don't know if you were aware Tennessee already has an income tax. Now, that said, one of the things I want to at least try to pull off, is run federal tax...

In martial arts - like so many other things in life - the basics are the key to victory (or defeat, depending on your point of view). Recently, several major Mixed Martial Arts stars have lost quite unexpectedly to very fundamental techniques. Last night, Chael Sonnen dominated his opponent, Anderson Silva, for 4 and one-half rounds. Then he made a fundamental mistake and got caught in a triangle choke. Several weeks ago, Fedor Emelianenko suffered a similar fate. Fedor had not lost a match in 10 years. TEN YEARS. And even the last loss was controversial at best. Fedor had knocked his opponent , Fabricio Werdum, down with powerful punches, and was trying to end the fight with more brutal right hands when he forgot about his left hand. Werdum didn't forget about it, and secured it for a textbook triangle choke. To put it in perspective, I teach all white belts in jiu jitsu how to do a triangle choke. And how to defend one, as well. Any student of mine has heard the phrase "two ...

Response received by Bayron Binkley : 1. You mention your support for the 2nd Amendment. Do you own a gun? If so, what is your favorite gun? Why? [Usagi], There are several guns in my household. I am a firm believer of the right and would protect the right to own guns according to our Constitution and understand why its the 2nd Amendment. I will also tell you that I have a hard time for a protection in our Constitution that someone has to pay a fee. 2. Describe your plans for a potential state income tax. Also, the state sales tax. NO STATE INCOME TAX, PERIOD!! IT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE OF WHAT WE NEED AND OUGHT TO DO. I ALSO OPPOSE THE HALL INCOME TAX AND WOULD WORK TO REDUCE AND ELIMINATE IT. WE JUST NEED TO BE BETTER STEWARDS OF THE TAX DOLLAR. I would probably leave the sales tax as it is with all said. I'm afraid that if we abandoned it or reduce it in favor of a flat tax or fair tax, that our legislators will one day see another income stream and bring a portion...

Yesterday, I emailed several independent Gubernatorial candidates with some questions . My objective is to find a suitable candidate to vote for, and to recommend my readers vote for. Well, the first response is in, from candidate Brandon Dodds, and I will post it here in its entirety: (edited to add questions so as to improve readability) "[Usagi], Thank you so much for your interest in doing the research and voting for the candidate that best represents your values. If we all were as diligent I don't think Mayor Haslam would have secured the GOP nomination. Before I gladly answer your questions, I would recommend that you watch the debate that the Tennessee Tea Party put on in Gatlinburg a few months ago. It features Kirkpatrick/Wamp/Haslam/Ramsey and the three leading Independents(in my opinion): myself/Binkley/Duck. You can find a link on my facebook page (Brandon Dodds for Governor of Tennessee). It is both informative and entertaining (you mentioned you were...

The wife actually just asked me if I knew how to get to the gun & knife show tomorrow. Wow.

With Haslam's nomination yesterday, I am not completely feeling great about Tennessee's next governor. I am likely going to vote 3rd party. I've discussed this with Right Minded (now retired from blogging). We agree on the pros and cons of voting 3rd party. However, I'll stay optimistic, and hope beyond hope that we can have a "Jesse Ventura" type situation here. So I've researched all of the 3rd party candidates. Some looked OK. Some looked good. Some were good ideas with bad packaging. Some were not what we need at all. So I sent this letter to several candidates and await their response. I've offered to publish their responses as free advertising to the readers of the Usagi blog. Here was my request: Mr. xxx. I am a lifelong Tennessean. In the primary, I voted for Ron Ramsey. I had originally aspired to vote for Joe Kirkpatrick prior to his withdrawal from the race. With the nomination of Mr. Haslam, I am searching for a good conservative candidate ...

It has been a while since I last gave an account of a repo I did while working in the car rental industry. Here's another entry: I forget the time, but the place was at the Enterprise on Covington Pike in Memphis. For this repo, I had a co-worker I've previously mentioned with me - "The Leprechaun." I still cannot remember his name. Sorry! Renter had rented a car on a Friday on a cash-only basis (no longer done at that location, last I checked). He had not returned his rental Monday, as originally indicated. With cash rentals, an extra deposit was always collected, just in case they accrued more fees than expected. Keeping the car extra days can accrue more fees. "The Leprechaun" came to me on Tuesday to notify me that the renter had not returned a cash rental on time. As per our branch policy at the time, I immediately got a key cut in preparation, as phone calls went unanswered to locate the renter and/or the vehicle. This renter had all of his information...

Fascinating Article .

Yesterday was the election. Of the four major races I followed, candidates that received my vote have won twice and lost twice. 1. Governor's Race My vote for Ron Ramsey did not help enough. Bill Haslam won the race with his big bucks. I am researching third-party candidates for the fall and will report back to my readers when a thorough search has been completed. 2. US Congress Race I voted in the Republican Primary for the 5th District. I voted for the eventual winner, David Hall. Hall was one of 11 Republicans running. The top three - Hall, Hartline and Heil - all had very respectable showings. This seat is currently held by Jim Cooper. Due to the heavily democratic-leaning population of Nashville proper, this is probably the second-safest democratic held seat in the state (behind only the 9th district in Memphis - held by Steve Cohen). Here's hoping Hall can pull another upset! I urge readers in Tennessee's 5th Congressional District to vote for David Hall for Congress...

Recently, fellow blogger and Sunday School Teacher Right Minded decided to retire from the world of blogging. I, for one, hope he pulls a Bret Favre.

President Obama tried and tried to sell the Healthcare bill. Finally, he and the Democratically led Congress and Senate trampled all of our rights and passed it anyways. They claimed that Americans really wanted it. Not surprisingly, they were wrong. In Missouri, voters have spoken . They voted to reject certain key provisions of the law. Hopefully, Federal courts will agree.

I heard about this story the other day, but forgot to blog about it. So here it is . Senator John Kerry bought a yacht. Instead of bringing it home to Massachusetts, he docked it in Rhode Island - well over an hour away by car. Coincidence? I think not. Rhode Island is the only state in the north that does not charge luxury and docking taxes. Had Kerry brought the boat home, he'd have paid $430K in sales taxes, and another $70K per year in annual excise taxes. Once again, Democrats dodge taxes themselves, but want to tax you and I into oblivion. And it's not about having a fair society. It's not about helping the less fortunate. It's not even about programs that are "needed." No, the taxation is about control.

Many of my readers like the occasional strange story I link to. Here's another one . A dog chewed off his owner's toe. The owner was passed out drunk. The removal of the toe may have saved the man's life. It doesn't get much stranger than that.

Alan Greenspan has flip flopped an opinion . In 2001, he was in favor of the Bush tax cuts. Now, he says they need to be eliminated. As I do not believe in coincidence, I am forced to ponder why he would reverse his stance. We all know that tax cuts are linked with economic growth and tax increases are linked to recession. Greenspan is not a fool - so he has to know these facts, too. I would suggest there are several possibilities for why Greenspan would change his public opinion: - Follow the money 1. Perhaps he can make more money in a recession. - Follow the money 2. Perhaps he has been paid to make such a statement. - Perhaps he is of an advanced enough age that his mind is slipping. I refuse to think he has simply changed his opinion. Especially given his history of financial success. I am leaning toward the thought of wondering what he stands to gain from the tax increase that will happen when the tax cuts expire.

Today was my son's first day of school. My wife and daughter cried. My son, though nervous at first, was thrilled to have a new place to play and new people to meet. Of course, my wife freaked out when called by the school to inform us that an unruly child bit my son, but that he was OK. The bite happened when a fellow student was playing like she might bite him, and accidentally did. The teacher and the school nurse both said he never cried, just told them matter-of- factly what happened. They checked him out, to be safe and called my wife. She, of course, was worried sick. I can't help but laugh.

A few years back, when President Bush's daughter, Jenna, got married, it seemed to me the media was critical of the event. Fast forward to this past weekend, the media couldn't get enough of the Chelsea Clinton marriage. It would seem that Freedom's Lighthouse has also noted the difference.

This almost brought a tear to my eye. Almost. A Texas man was returned his gun that had been stolen some twenty-plus years ago. Link to story . Police tracked the gun once it was sold to a pawn shop. This is one reason I am in favor of serial numbers. Not to register guns - as that is illegal to do in all but a few states. And I do not think serial numbers should be mandatory. The simple fact is that a gun with a serial number can be tracked back to its lawful owner if stolen. There's a good chance that a stolen gun is used in other crimes. After all, criminals usualy disregard laws - including the laws against the theft of the gun in the first place.