Keepin It Real

Most hunters take great pride in their equipment, most especially their firearm. So much so, that rarely is a photo taken of hunter and harvested that does not include prominent display of the weapon used.I confess: I am as guilty of this as the next guy.

Some hunters will plow any where from several hundred, to thousands of dollars, into their tackle, from just the right overpriced sexiest rifle to impress their buddies, all fitted-up with the equally priced optics. Its just crazy, sometimes.

When I first started this game, oh, so long ago now, the budget was not what it could have been, and, basically, I'm a cheap-skate to start with, so I pulled an old military surplus Mauser out of the closet and made a go of it.
It worked well, mostly, until my second season, when I found myself facing a difficult shot that I really wished I had a scope for, and took a pass on that animal.

Preparing for my third season, and convinced that I was going to stick with this activity, I went absolutely not-all-out, and spent a whopping $199 for a slightly used Interarms 30-06, and fitted it with a very low-end Weaver scope(retail,a laughingly cheap $40, but I got it from a friend for $10).

This has served me quite well, with few limitations,for over ten seasons, and killed a couple dozen deer, and a variety of nuisance critters, along the way. And even at some really cool distances.

Basically, what I'm saying, is that a really nice, expensive,sexy, bragging rig is just that.

Rifles, by design, shoot straight and true. In terms of performance, they are all equal for hunting purposes when the goal is to place a bullet into a kill zone the size of a paper plate.

Get real... we're not splitting hairs, or dimes, at 100 yrds.

It's That Time Again

Those who've known me a while know about my yearly fall ritual.
Living, and growing up, in southern California doesnt offer much opportunity for outdoor pursuits, unless one wants to surf, or hike forset trails devoid of much wildlife. Camping in the desert ugliness is appealing to some, but not to me.

Fishing is popular, but all the lakes have cement bottoms, charge steeply for access, are stocked regularly like aquariums, and for me, just not much fun.

About 15 years ago, I gained, through Dad's marriage, access to much acreage of prime Georgia deer habitat. What's even better is that I was granted exclusive access to these beautiful acres, and all deer within.
I promptly took up hunting, and suffered the often humiliating learning curve that goes with it.

Earlier this past year, a developer made an offer on the land Dad couldn't refuse, and along with the contract came a hunting/firearms restriction til the close of escrow. My fun times were dashed away with the stroke of a pen. I knew this day would come, but I wasnt ready to give it up just yet. Needless to say, the begining of fall didnt bring the same level of excitement and anticipation this year as in years past. Nope. Instead it brought on a small dose of depression. Just when I was starting to get good at this thing, and able to carry myself through the woods with the air and confidence of a seasoned predator, I was being relegated back to foam-tray-meat-eater status. The empty game freezer was to be my destiny this year.

Last night, the phone rang. It was Dad. The developer pulled out just weeks from closing, citing the current housing market.
So what does this mean? I asked.
"It means grabba your gun and get your ass out here",Dad says.
Dad says the deer are thick this year. Thicker than he's seen it in 5-6 years. And the developer was so kind as to clear a few extra trails through the thickest woods while performing his geological studies.

Happy Days are here again.
Til next season, anyway.

The G-Man Returns?

It looks like they've got my number,eh?
This time, the treasury dude stayed a while.
A long while.
Hmm...
Just what is he looking for?

Referring Link No referring link
Host Name nwg001-ce1.customs.treas.gov
IP Address 63.167.255.30
Country United States
Region New Jersey
City Stanhope
ISP Sprint
Returning Visits 0
Visit Length 23 hours 22 mins 54 secs
VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS
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Hey Treasury Man, the least you could do is leave a comment or two. Or forward this site to Homeland Security.
While you're at it, maybe you can help address this assault on american freedom.

Weaker Sex Wednesday

To all of you out there, either happy or otherwise, about the mostly non events of yesterday...
I'll not fully understand, though I was guilty of such foolish thoughts(and actions) myself in the past, why anyone one of us would want to identify so closely with a political party. The party, any party, exists to serve the interests of itself. Not the voter, not the country, not anything else.They will do anything, say anything, and lie about anything, and then blame it on the evil other party when useful idiots complain.
And that is what you are. A useful idiot. They get the power. They get the connections. They are the ones who get rich.
Not you.
Not me.
It's pay to play.
And your vote isnt worth as much as the gravy the special interests are able to heap upon their benefactors.
Dont believe me? How many of these office holders die broke and penniless, waiting for the 3rd or 4th of each month like the rest of us working stiffs?
It's a special club.
And you are not in it.

Pull yourself away from the talking heads. Think about the stuff that really matters in your life. Find a football team to identify with instead. You'll be much happier in the end.

I'm happy just knowing it's Wednesday, and time for our weekly distraction.



Oh yeah, she's a Bears fan. I just know it.

And The Winner Is....

George Bush.

No longer required to use phony phrases like 'compassionate', 'border security','stay the course','rule of law' and 'responsibilty' to defend himself from defections of the right, he can now proceed as the true nonconservative he really is. I imagine granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants will be his first order of business, now that the House GOP majority has dwindled away. Oh,and forget all about that border fence bill he really didnt mean to sign. Gone. It was never funded anyway.

Is the most qualified Harriet Miers next on the list of judicial appointments?

Congratulations, George!
Mission Accomplished.

Just To Give The Judges Something To Do

shhhh...

Big Brother is watching...

nwg001-ce1.customs.treas.gov

Host Name nwg001-ce1.customs.treas.gov
IP Address 63.167.255.30
Country United States
Region New Jersey
City Stanhope
ISP Sprint
Returning Visits 0
Visit Length 2 mins 4 secs
VISITOR SYSTEM SPECS
Browser MSIE 6.0
Operating System Windows 2000
Resolution 1024x768
Javascript


hmm... zero return visits. I'm not doing this right.
(note to self: crank up the subversive topics, little more 'tude, make it so they have to return, and pump up my blog cred)

I'll know I've 'made it' as a blogger when The Dept of Homeland Security knocks on my door.

Tomorrow Is Election Day

And I know exactly what i'm going to do about it: I am going to vote.

It's been said far too often, for far too many years, "if you dont vote, dont bitch."

This is a wrong attitude. Those who have fought, and many times died, to guarantee our freedom to vote also guaranteed our freedom to not vote. Its not the voting rights, stupid. It's the liberties.

I can tell you who, or what i'm going to vote for, but it doesnt really matter. I'm going to vote for people who suck. And so will you. Get used to this.
This election doesnt matter any more than the last one in terms of securing liberty. Your liberties are mostly gone bye-bye, and those you have left, will soon be, also.

So why am i voting? I dont know. I cant give you an honest answer, and I cant think of one election in my lifetime that really brought about any positive revolutionary change, with the exception being 1980, and the Reagan (may God forever bless his soul) Revolution. And being that i was only 16 yrs old at the time, I couldnt take part in it.

It doesnt matter who you vote for, people. The system is rigged. The union guy wont make you rich. The Jesus guy wont save your children from eternal damnation.
No matter what happens, or who wins, George Bush and John Kerry will still die rich, and you will still continue to struggle with your mortgage, and drive the car you can afford instead of the one you want.
You will still bitch about the price of gas.
You will still have sub-standard health care.
You will still be beholden to others for your livlihood.
The wars against smokers,gays, christians, fat people, public decency and cell phones will rage on.
The Bears will still go to the superbowl.
Brittany will still be fat.
Most Hollywood releases will still suck in direct proportion to their hype.
And McDonalds will still feature them on Happy meals.
Elvis will stay dead.
Canada will still have better beer.
And judges will continue to nullify anything you think you might have gained.

And the blogs will go on...

God Bless America.
And may He bless you,too.

this word has been thrown around a lot lately...

hyp‧o‧crite  /ˈhɪpəkrɪt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[hip-uh-krit]
-noun

1. a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
2. a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

If somebody really does have an honest belief in a moral principle, even if he is known to have failed, this doesnt disapprove his possession of this principle. What it proves is that men sometimes fail.

Your Name Here!

No.No.No.
Not up there.
RIGHT HERE!!!

Ever wondered just how popular your name is? or was?

With the exception of never being able to buy a license plate for my stingray bicycle like all the other kids had, I always kinda liked my name. It was unique, rare, but not too exotic,flamboyant or sissyish. As a result, my name became what i made of it, granting the much-coveted-by-celebrities privilage of being a one-name phenom (think Elvis, without the adoring fan base).

Yeah, I took advantage of it when i could. Like back in 5th grade, after several weeks of turning in all my papers with the one single name that really mattered, Sister Agnes , addressing me publically during class (nuns liked to do this, i dont know why), insisted to know why i didnt write my full name on my test papers. My response was something along the line of 'It's not required. You just demonstrated that you knew who i was with out it'.

I promptly was given the 'write this 100 times by the end of the day' penalty (nuns liked that one, too), only it was my full name i had to write, and just so she knew whose paper it was when i turned it in, i signed at the top with the one name that really mattered.

Parents were called in. Afterwards, Mom told me the nun was being stupid and wouldnt budge. So, I spent the next few weeks doing it the nun's way, and then reverted to one-name status again, this time without a hitch.

So,anyway, just how unpopular/unique was my name for real? And how well has it's lack of popularity held through the years since? Well, I just found out!
And now you can,too!

Weaker Sex Wednesday!

Been working too many long hours this week, so havent had time to think, or write. Mailbox, and answering machine, are stuffed with messages telling me who, or who not, to vote for on tuesday.

But this is wednesday, isnt it?
Today, I'm voting Libertarian.

who's the idiot,now?