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!