A Gator in the Desert

Sitting duck zones

2009-11-08T14:54:00.003-07:00

Depending on which news report you read, the rat bastard *terrorist at Fort Hood fired off a hundred rounds or so, hitting 42 people in the 3-5 minutes it took for Fort Hood Police Sgt. Kimberly Munley and her partner to arrive on scene and return fire.

If trained (but unarmed) military personnel facing a lone gunman are sitting ducks until an armed cop arrives on scene to take the bad guy out, what chance do the rest of us have?

*Yeah, you heard me... terrorist. If Timothy McVeigh was a domestic terrorist because he was pissed off at his country and decided to kill a bunch of innocent people, then Nidal Malik Hasan certainly seems to qualify.

Harsh realities indeed.

2009-11-08T12:33:00.002-07:00

From NewsBusters...

Noting tomorrow’s 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall on Sunday’s Today show, former NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw claimed East Germans were “still adjusting to the harsh economic realities” of life after communism.

Yeah. And we just may have to adjust to the harsh realities of life under it.

Well, that's ironic.

2009-11-08T12:01:00.003-07:00

Joseph Cao was the lone Republican voting for the House's health care reform bill last night. According to his bio...

Anh "Joseph" Cao was born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam. His father, an officer with the South Vietnamese Army, was imprisoned by the Communists.

At the age of eight, Joseph escaped to America with two of his siblings. He learned English, thrived in school, and earned a physics degree from Baylor University before he began studying for the priesthood.

Joseph first arrived in New Orleans in 1992. He left to earn a Master's degree in philosophy from New York's Fordham University, returning to Loyola University to teach philosophy and ethics. As he prepared for priesthood, his faith was strong.

However, his confidence in government's ability to care for those in need weakened by the day. Before long, Joseph ended his quest for priesthood in a personal crusade for social justice.

Isn't "social justice" allegedly one thing the Communists and the North Vietnamese were supposedly fighting for?

They're still throwing that 90% number around.

2009-11-03T22:00:00.004-07:00

From Foxnews via the AP

It seems as though the quantity of cash and guns seized at the U.S.-Mexican border is up. I don't doubt that. Hell, I don't doubt that gun-running into Mexico is a lucrative business.

But here's a useless statistic from the story:

Mexico asked U.S. authorities to trace 12,073 firearms last year, up from only 2,906 in 2007 and 2,654 in 2006, according to the ATF. Of those successfully traced, the firearms bureau said about 90 percent came from the United States.

No shit? Really? You mean that, according to the United States Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, 90% of the firearms in question for which they have a record and were able to trace came from (or at some time were part of an FFL-recorded transaction in) the United States?

90%? 90% of what number?

From the U.S. State Department's eTrace fact sheet...

Firearms tracing is the systematic tracking of the movement of a firearm recovered by law enforcement officials from its creation by the manufacturer or its introduction into U.S. commerce by the importer through the distribution chain to the first retail purchase.

How about answering these questions: Of the 12073 firearms Mexico asked us to trace...

How many had identifiable serial numbers that would theoretically be traceable?

Of those, how many were the ATF able to trace to the U.S. as the country of origin (as in either manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S. from the manufacturer directly to FFL dealer, wholesaler, etc.)?

Of the remaining ones (presumably those for which the ATF had no record), how many were identified by the manufacturer as being first shipped to a non-U.S. dealer?

In addition to the 12073 firearms they asked us to trace, how many others were seized for which an ATF trace was not requested.

If Mexico seized 12073 firearms and asked the ATF to trace all 12073 of them, and if the ATF got a hit on 10000 of them and turned out that 90% of those (9000) were involved in U.S. commerce at some point, well that's one story.

But if the ATF got a hit on 500 of the 12000+ firearms and 90% of those (450) had U.S. ties, well, that paints a whole different picture.

Stimulating government tit.

2009-11-03T18:45:00.005-07:00

From FoxNews

Using stimulus dollars as bait, President Obama is coaxing states to rewrite education laws and cut deals with unions as they compete for $5 billion in school reform grants, the most money a president has ever had for overhauling schools. And it may end up going to only a few states.

Really now? Red states or blue ones?

In Wisconsin, where Obama will visit Wednesday, lawmakers are poised to change a law to boost their state's chances. Nine other states have taken similar steps.

And states can't even apply for the money yet.

"There is an appetite out there for change," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with The Associated Press.

No. There's an appetite out there for money. Government money. There's a big, $5B government tit out there, and the states, school boards, and teachers' unions are trying to latch on before the milk runs dry.

"If you put a very large, $5 billion program in front of the entire country, everyone eyes that as an opportunity," said Wisconsin state Sen. John Lehman, a Democrat who chairs the state's Senate Education Committee and a former high school teacher.

Opportunity? See 'tit' reference above.

No president has ever had that much money for schools at his discretion. Only Duncan -- not Congress -- has control over who gets it. And only some states, perhaps 10 to 20, will actually get the money.

Again, which 10 to 20 states? If this were a roulette game and the colors were red and blue, I'd be betting on blue right about now.

Obama sees the test score data and charter schools, which are publicly funded but independent of local school boards, as solutions to the problems that plague public education.
The national teachers' unions disagree. They say student achievement is much more than a score on a standardized test and that it's a mistake to rely so heavily on charter schools.

"Despite growing evidence to the contrary, it appears the administration has decided that charter schools are the only answer to what ails America's public schools," the National Education Association, the largest teachers' union, said in comments submitted to the Education Department.

The NEA added: "We should not continue the unhealthy focus on standardized tests as the primary evidence of student success."

How about if we use the students' future performance as a metric. Students who go on to secondary education and receive a diploma or certification from a college, university, or trade school and/or whose yearly reported income 5-10 years after high school graduation is x-times the national poverty level.

"There are lots of ways to use the data aside from firing and discipline," Wilkins said. "That said, unless you figure out a fair but fast way to remove truly incompetent teachers from classrooms, they're going to continue to be cycled into the highest poverty schools."

True. The poor kids are the most likely to suffer. So you either use the current data to ID and weed out the bad teachers as soon as possible, before they can do more harm, or you wait 5-10 years for some other metric data to come in and weed them out then. In the meantime, 5-10 more classes of students are screwed, because they only have one chance to get a quality education before dropping out or being turned loose.

Feeling stimulated yet?

2009-10-31T13:07:00.006-07:00

According to recovery.gov, the Federal government has paid out $207.3B (or approximately 26%) from the $787B total funds available in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a.k.a. the stimulus package, but generally referred to here in Gatorland as the Political Payback and Pork Redistribution Act of 2009.

The link State And Agency Data Reported by Federal Contract Recipients is a per-state summary of the funds awarded by and received from various federal agencies. Just in case something goes wrong with the recovery.gov site, I printed the current summary to a PDF file.

It'll be interesting to see how the numbers change for some of the blue/swing states as the Dems dole out money just in time for the midterm elections in 2010.

You're expendable

2009-10-30T19:11:00.004-07:00

Kevin notices a restaurant/bar in Tucson is posted, sends the manager a letter of disapproval, and gets a reply.

The manager's reply in a nutshell: As an unarmed patron, you're expendable.

If shit happens and someone shoots up the place, oh well... the entire mall is posted, this particular business is also posted as allowed per the new gun/restaurant/alcohol law. "Our signage clearly prohibited bad guys from entering the property with weapons." They might be sued if they allowed you to carry your weapon and you had an ND or used it and hit an innocent bystander. They probably won't be sued if the bad guy shoots and/or kills someone, because, after all, guns were probibited there.

But I thought healthcare was gonna be free.

2009-10-30T10:25:00.002-07:00

Americans for Tax Reform has the low down on H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act".

From Moonbattery.

When I was a little boy...

2009-10-23T15:35:00.002-07:00

... my grandmother told me that the Communists had always said they'd take over America without firing a shot.

I guess they just didn't know where to look

2009-10-21T22:39:00.004-07:00

An alleged terror conspiracy to launch attacks on shopping malls in the U.S. was thwarted because the terrorists were unable to acquire automatic weapons.

That's odd. Automatic weapons are supposedly readily available here in the border states at gun shows and garage sales and such. After all, we're sending them to Mexico by the shitload, right?

See the story at FoxNews.

UPDATE: Caleb says the same thing.

The grandbaby's back in town.

2009-10-17T09:58:00.004-07:00

After packing up and moving to New Jersey for a few months, they're back. His name is Aaron.

QOTW

2009-10-05T16:25:00.001-07:00

From Farmgirl, over at Tractor Tracks:

I'll tell ya what, folks. The day someone crawls inside my head and examines every decision I've ever made from MY perspective, that's the day they can judge me. Until then, unless I invite discussion of religious matters or my decision making process, keep your nose out of my business.

Preach it, Farmgirl!

Guns in bars, guns in cars

2009-09-29T11:22:00.004-07:00

From comments in the Arizona Daily Star with regard to the "guns in bars" law that takes effect tomorrow...

"I'll no longer patronize any bar that allows guns in. Armed people will drink, get in fights etc. Who needs it. Its a disaster witing (sic) to happen."

And a response...

"The law abiding citizens free of felony convictions who: thought ahead, took a class, paid a fee and waited a month for a CCW permit, would drink in a bar while carrying a conceled (sic) weapon? The reason these citizens were able to receive a permit in the first place is because they proceed through life with the ability to look ahead a predict consequences for their actions. This was probably a skill they learned from their responsible parents who taught them to distinguish right from wrong. This type of citizen knows how to leave their gun at home or in the car (Thanks to the new law) if they are going to drink.

I would be more concerned about all the people who don't care about the law, who don't have a CCW permit, but still carry a conceled (sic) weapon. Since there are many people like this out there, maybe you should just stay at home all the time."

Indeed. While I'm unlikely to carry a gun into a bar (because I'm probably going there with the intent to consume alcohol), I certainly won't leave it behind just because I go to a restaurant that serves alcohol when I have no intention to consume.

I'm still here

2009-09-24T20:36:00.002-07:00

I'm busy at work and getting sorta wrapped up in the photography thing. It's fun, but doesn't leave much time to read the blog posts, much less write them.

I'll soon post some of the better pics I've taken lately.

I'll be back

2009-08-27T13:22:00.003-07:00

Blogging will resume again when I get organized. I've been working on the boat lately and finally got it back on the water! It's time to start fishing again.

Today I start school again for the first time in years. My one and only class: digital photography. I'm getting more into it as a hobby, the class sounds like fun, and it's totally unrelated to this IT job that I loathe more and more each day.

U.S. life expectancy reaches new high

2009-08-19T18:21:00.001-07:00

No doubt we're living longer due to the crumbling hospitals and the inadequate delivery of health care.

Story here from FoxNews.

Wednesday music

2009-08-19T06:00:00.001-07:00

Eagles - Lyin' Eyes

One of my favorite Eagles tunes. In another clip, Glenn Frey dedicates the song to his first wife "Plantiff".

Wednesday music -

2009-08-12T06:00:00.001-07:00

Supertramp - Give a Little Bit

Engineering Toolbox

2009-08-05T08:29:00.003-07:00

For those of us who didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I present to you EngineeringToolBox.com

Via Desert Cat.

Wednesday music - Starbuck

2009-08-05T06:00:00.001-07:00

Starbuck - Moonlight Feels Right

The xylophone solo is kick-ass.

When a dangerous animal is sighted near your office

2009-07-30T07:27:00.005-07:00

do you:
a. stay inside
b. go out and get the camera

The conversation went something like this:

Coworker: Hey, there's a mountain lion in the wash (ditch, gully) right outside.

Me: What? A mountain lion? No shit?

CW: Yeah. He's eating something. We've been watching him for a few minutes. He's just sitting there.

Me: Let's go see. Oh, the camera's in the Jeep. Lemme go get it.

Halfway there, after getting the camera, I thought "Damn. What if this really is a mountain lion?"

Me: I hope the last picture I take isn't a close-up of his mouth.

Oh well. I don't have to outrun the cat. I only have to outrun these other people.

It turned out to be a bobcat. We named him Bob.

Instructions for Yankees moving to the South

2009-07-30T07:15:00.003-07:00

1. Save all bacon grease. You will be instructed later
how to use it.

2. If you forget a Southerner's name, refer to him (or
her) as "Bubba". You have a 75% chance of being right.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All
y'all's" is plural possessive.

4. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in
the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow
chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay
out of their way. This is what they live for.

5. Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same
store.

6. Do not buy food at the movie store.

7. If it can't be fried in bacon grease, it ain't worth cooking,
let alone eating.

8. Just because you can drive on snow and ice does not mean we
can. Stay home the two days of the year it snows.

9. There is nothing sillier than a Northerner imitating a southern
accent, unless it is a southerner imitating a Boston accent.

10. Get used to hearing, "You ain't from around here, are you?"

11. People walk slower here.

12. Don't be worried that you don't understand anyone. They don't
understand you either.

13. The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted
Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "Big ol'", as in
"big ol' truck" or "big ol' boy". Eighty-five percent begin
their new southern influenced dialect with this expression.
One hundred percent are in denial about it.

14. The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer
proper.

15. Be advised: The "He needed killin'" defense is valid here.

16. If attending a funeral in the South, remember, we stay until
the last shovel of dirt is thrown on and the tent is torn
down.

17. If you hear a Southerner exclaim, "Hey, y'all, watch this!"
stay out of his way. These are likely the last words he will
ever say.

18. Most Southerners do not use turn signals, and they ignore
those who do. In fact, if you see a signal blinking on a car
with a southern license plate, you may rest assured that it
was on when the car was purchased.

19. If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the
most minuscule accumulation of snow, your presence is required
at the local grocery store. It does not matter if you need
anything from the store, it is just something you're supposed
to do.

20. Satellite dishes are very popular in the South. When you
purchase one it is to be positioned directly in front of your
trailer. This is logical, bearing in mind that the dish cost
considerably more than the trailer and should, therefore, be
displayed.

21. Tornadoes and Southerners going through a divorce have a lot
in common. In either case, you know someone is going to lose a
trailer.

22. Florida is not considered a southern state. There are far more
Yankees than Southerners living there.

23. As you are cursing the person driving 15 mph in a 55 mph zone,
directly in the middle of the road, remember, many folks learned
to drive on a model of vehicle known as John Deere, and this is
the proper speed and lane position for the vehicle.

Wednesday music (a day late)

2009-07-30T07:15:00.001-07:00

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Jackie Blue

Hippie, please

2009-07-26T10:23:00.003-07:00

Go read Marko's post about healthcare not being a human right.

Yesterday morning, on my weekly sojourn into town for Dadcation Day, I spotted a bumper sticker in the Borders parking lot that had me shaking my head:

HEALTH CARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT

Now, health care is certainly an important commodity. I sure like being able to see a doctor when something ails me, and to get my teeth cleaned and fixed on occasion. I’m also a big fan of antibiotics, x-rays, vaccinations for the kids, and all the other medical advances that have doubled human lifespans in just a few generations. Health care is great, and I wouldn’t want to be without access to it.

But a “human right”? Hippie, please.

He goes on to say

Let’s get the most obvious point out of the way first. You cannot have a right to something that necessitates a financial obligation on someone else’s part.

RTWT. You'll be smarter for it.

(via Bore Patch)

His foot-in-mouth disease is getting worse.

2009-07-25T07:47:00.005-07:00

It's not just the cops he's pissing off. Some doctors are upset, too.

(h/t to Ambulance Driver)