Monthly Archives: November 2010

The next level:

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So he would like to ” raise the TSA to the next level” and “Fully integrate the TSA workers into us government efforts”

Next will be trains, subways, busses, etc.

Of course that will require an additional 47,000 (or so) workers on the government payroll.

And you thought TSA stood for “Thousands Standing Around”….soon it will mean “Ten thousand”.

Delusions of Grandeur? You betcha. But how else can you explain how you need an ever increasing share of an already bloated government budget?

“If you cannot be strong everywhere, then be strong where your enemy is weakest”

I mean, think about it….We spent the Soviets into the ground to destroy them and end the cold war……Perhaps this is what AlQueda has planned all along?

It is no wonder they think we are weak and scared…..That is the message that our government is giving them.

Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it soon. Really, when the searches are everywhere, you will soon get used to them…..

I mean, really Der Leader has spoken:  “at present naked body scanners and pat down searches bordering on sexual molestation are the best way to prevent Muslims in caves from attacking the American people.” Or something like that…..

In case you missed this:

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Professor LaPaz would be proud:

Via Insty, you can read THIS.

I think it is a Good Idea. While tampering with the Constitution is best approached with caution and forethought, this idea, to have another hold on our federal government’s power, sounds like a good idea.

This will allow states to have the power override the power currently held by the political parties. (See also: Obamacare). It would give the states (should there be a 2/3 majority agreeing) the power to overrule our legislative and executive branch. While this may end up not turning out to be a Good Thing, I really at this time do not see the downside. After all, the state legislators represent us too, right? 

In fact, one wonders why it should be a 2/3 majority? If you cannot find enough people who will be satisfied with a law, and can, instead find a simple majority of states which oppose it, is the law really a Good Law?

While very Heinleinesque in form, it does have the possibility of turning out well. And I really don’t see the downside.

(and if you don’t understand the Heinlein reference, order this book and you will. If you haven’t read it, you should)

Conspiracy?

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Via Insty we have THIS.

With a warning that you might want to wear a tinfoil hat, I think it is worth reading.

I have wondered for a while if we, as a people, are being conditioned. These scanners are just one example. TV shows are always setting an example of a Law Enforcement agency chasing the Bad Guy, and easily looking at his telephone, cell phone, and internet records without a warrant. They just enter his name in the computer and find all the incriminating evidence. Think about this. It isn’t reality….Yet. But it is always shown in a good light, as helping catch the Evil Bad Guy.The invasion of privacy is a Good Thing when Law Enforcement does it.

But the movies for many years showed similar scanners in a good light, even before they were real (or at least implemented).

Yet now we have the move to cow us into accepting an invasive scan. How much of this is fumbling on the part of the TSA, and how much is it an experiment to see if we are conditioned enough to accept it? (And how much of it is motivated by profit?).

Just something to think about after you get your shiny hat adjusted…..

Sadness

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Go here. Think good thoughts.

The time is coming, soon, when I too shall have to help an old loyal companion to the Bridge.

I fear very little, but I fear that day with all my being.

I hope and pray I will have the same courage when it is my task. 

something to remember:

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When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. — Thomas Jefferson, founder of the Democratic Party

Where do you think we are right now???

Gunsmithing

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So I bought the Llama Micro Max a few weeks ago at a gun show. I have a friend who has one, and I like 1911 pattern firearms, and a guy at the gunshow had one, and I really needed another small carry gun and I had the cash and it was a screaming deal, so……

Anyway, the firearm was likely fairly new, as it had apparently had very few rounds through it. Not even enough to make a ring in the bluing where the barrel meets the bushing..So, the week after I bought it, I put 100 rounds of assorted ammo through the thing at my local range. It fed nearly everything except some hollowpoints, but it had case ejection issues with many of the brands….And it beat up the mouth of the brass that it did eject.

The magazine was dirty, gritty, and the follower didn’t want to let you load the first round, as it jammed every time at the top of it’s travel. The trigger was decent, but needed a bit of work. The frame rails and the slide itself were terrible, almost as if the final deburring had not been done at the factory. The final polish was obviously skipped…… for the safety, grip safety, and the slide release were sharp enough to cut skin. The ejection port was damaging my brass, and the ramp was needing a bit of work…..

Now, this thing looks like (and mostly is) a true 1911 pattern firearm, with the exception of the barrel link….. It is not a true 1911 as the operation is blowback rather than a locked breech, but close enough. The engineering which must have gone into this is incredible. Shamefully, the finished product did not come near the potential this firearm had.

Ok, so I detail stripped the thing, and began to remedy the failure of the factory to finish the machining on the frame and the other moving parts….

 (klik to embiggen)

I began with 600 grit paper. Yes, 600 grit, as the burrs were that bad on the frame rails. Moving through to 800 grit, then 1000 grit, then oiled 1000 grit, then 1500 grit, 2500, then a Dremel with rouge, I got the thing smooth enough for my standards. Now the action moves and slides nicely.

I opened up the ejection port (polished and lowered it by about 1/10 of an inch) to prevent the brass from being damaged and to aid the ejection issues….

Polishing the internals took a bit more work, and a lot more time with the Dremel. The sear, hammer,  and disconnector took the most work. Getting the edges sharp and smooth was a bit of a pain, but I got them done to my satisfaction (no. I did not use a Dremel on the sear!). Polishing the feed ramp and the face of the slide took a bit of work to manufacture a polishing wheel that was the right size, but no real hassle. Polishing the holes and the pins and safety and slide release took a LOT of time, as I did not want to change clearances, but rather just polish. So, slowly was the theme for the day. Besides, those pins are hard to hold while polishing….and they get HOT! Eventually, I was finished.

After washing all of the parts in soapy water to get the remaining grit off and then drying with a clean towel,  I coated everything with Strike-Hold CLP to protect and lube things and then began the reassembly.

The only issue with this pistol is the size of the parts! I can reassemble a 1911-A1 with my eyes closed, even  from a detail strip. But getting things reassembled is a bitch when the parts are so small!  I had issues getting the firing pin back into the the slide, and getting the sear, and disconnector back into place was so difficult that I actually thought that I was assembling it incorrectly. I actually disassembled a full size 1911 enough to see if I had misremembered the way that the parts fit together. (I hadn’t). After a lot of work and cussing and finally getting a pair of tweezers, I got the thing reassembled.I need smaller fingers to work on this size firearm.

WOW. This is actually a VERY nice firearm. It has a 5.25 lb trigger, which breaks cleanly, (and I think it will lighten up a bit as things wear together. The hammer moves better, the safety and slide release work smoothly and well, and it will all but chamber an empty case.

This is what the designer no doubt envisioned when he did the engineering on the thing in the ’90s.

I ordered 2 new magazines, and when they get here we will see if I solved the ejection and feed issues.

If so, then I have other issues:

I have to find a holster….. preferably IWB, small of back.

I may have to try a Mini-Max in 9mm soon.

HEH

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“FTC Disclaimer – To the fine folks at the FTC, I’m sure you can drop by my place and play TSA. I’ll “refuse the backscatter scan”, and you can “test my buttocks for hidden explosives with your lips”.”

Found HERE.

Wish I had thought of it….