yeah, about time! “self evident” indeed.

Seems that the “fundamental and virtually self-evident nature of the First Amendment’s protections in this area” is obvious to the court. (it has been obvious to most of the rest of us for a long time….) Case stems from a Boston man who was arrested for videotaping police during an arrest in Boston in 2007 with a cell phone. In plain view. On the sidewalk. Yet they arrested him under the wiretapping statutes.

Read the article on the case.

This is a big deal. A really BFD.  And the best part is that the cops cannot claim “qualified immunity”. An even bigger BFD. While I generally support the police, I do NOT think that they have any right to privacy while on the street (neither, by the way, do you). And their actions should stand up to being videotaped. They should act as if everyone is watching, and their actions should stand up to being videotaped. They have no right to special treatment just because they are police. They should, in fact, expect to be held to a higher standard that the rest of us. They are, after all, the guardians of our society. No citizen should ever fear watching the police, and the police should never act as if their actions are not being watched. If their conduct cannot stand being examined by others, and if they fear being videotaped, then there is something wrong.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”  Every citizen with a cell phone!

More HERE

Ya know, it is nice

To have your female partner be a gun chick.

She doesn’t mind that I clean my carry piece (para 1911) at the kitchen table while waiting for the meatloaf to be done so I can finish the vegetables and such.

Yeah, I know, yer jealous…

Told ya you should have been there

Blogmeet. Wow. First the drive to Indy ….where we discussed the various feelings and reactions (and sounds made during and after) to being tazed (both Og and I have had the experience ) and other variously strange topics…(some of which had Midwest Chick laughing so hard I worried about her breathing)…then the Indy1500 gun show (I spent way too much money) and then:

Drumroll please..

The blogmeet was well attended. We just kept adding tables and staring at the other people in the room until they gulped down their food and left and occupied tables as soon as their occupants were finished until we had an entire room at the brewpub to ourselves….

In attendance were, in no particular order (and if I have forgotten anyone it was because it was indeed a madhouse) Rich, Roberta, TamOld NFO and Dave L. (Cancer Ward), Og, and Partner (who drove us),  Midwest Chick (she won’t let me attend a blogmeet without her!), Bayou Renaissance Man and his lovely wife Miss D. , Shermlock Shomes and his talented wife,   Push the Pull DoorThe Jack, Old Grouch, Mad Saint Jack.. I think that there were more but I might have missed ’em….

Converssation ranged far and wide and up and down and everywhere in between. (apparently Og has hunted raccoons with full auto tracer loaded AK’s…or something?  You just had to be there to appreciate the whole spectacle….

You should attend the next one. Good food, good people, wild, witty and strange interesting conversation, and, of course, all the bloggers from out of town.

Why weren’t you there?

 Oh, and happy blogoversary, Tam!

so I gotta wonder…

Do those folks in New York and Baston think that we folks who prep (you know, for blizzards and ice storms and tornado aftermath and all that) are crazy still think that today, as a hurricane bears down on them? Do they think that as they hurry to stock for food and water and hope that there is enough for them? As they plan on power being out for days or weeks….and no way out of the city for a while?

And do they (still) think we are crazy to want to live in “flyover country” where the risk of a hurricane is infitesimal?

I mean, other than boarding up my windows (and I actually have enough plywood and deck screws on hand to do so) I am prepped for a hurricane. Generator, food, water, battery powered lights, fuel, cooking, I got all that….everyday.

If you’re prepared for the zombie apocalypse, a hurricane is just a storm…

You should read

This

Especially the comments.

Scarcity, or limited supply, along with increased demand
should result in higher profit for the seller.

Those who fail to plan ahead should pay for their lack of forethought. Those who take risks should get a reward when they guess correctly.

No one ever accuses a convenience store owner of “gouging”, yet his prices for milk and eggs and such are much higher than the grocery store.

Via insty

Product review

I bought this a couple of months ago. (and, for the FTC folks, paid my own money for it, and have received nothing for this review)

I heartily endorse this product. It has allowed me to perfect my point shooting , my fast draw from a holster, and has allowed me to improve my trigger squeeze at a very low cost (the batteries are the only expense after the initial cost.  Laserlyte has a good thing here. It works. I have one in “Gods own Caliber” and I love it.

You get all the advantages of “dry firing” without all the criticism from your friends about dry firing….(does dry firing harm the firing pin? I dunno. Folks smarter than me variously claim that it does (and doesn’t)… it’s like arguing  “Ginger, or MaryAnne?” everyone has an unshakeable opinion. But I’d rather not find out if it will harm my pistol, so I always use a snap cap anyway)

This little device works well. It is like a cartridge without the rim.  It blocks the chamber so you KNOW that there is not a real load in there, and yet you can cycle the slide all day and it won’t move.

When you pull the trigger and the hammer drops, a laser lights for 1/10th of a second. More than enough time for you to see the “impact point”. You can cock the hammer (if you are shooting a 1911) or other exposed hammer firearm, or cycle the slide if you are shooting an abomination Glock or other striker fired firearm.

Either way, you can practice your trigger squeeze at home, making your range time (and ammo budget) more productive. I reload, and therefore my cost for practice ammo is fairly low, yet this has more than paid for itself in the past few months. It also allows me to practice without having to pack up a range bag and actually drive the 3 miles or so to my range….But seriously, you can get 5 or 10 minutes of practice in at any time, at home, without having to do a range trip, or to have to clean a firearm afterward. And you can return your pistol to service just by locking the slide open and poking the laser assembly out from the muzzle with a cleaning rod or pencil.

Will it replace range time? NOPE. But it will give you a reasonable training alternative. And it will give you point shooting practice at home. And it will make your range time more productive.

I’m gonna order another one in 9mm. Wish that they made one in .380 too.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

The moral of the story is:

SSS

(Shoot, Shovel and Shut up).

Alternative:

The government is NOT your friend.

The smart thing to do is not to tell ’em anything.

Details HERE.

While it takes a long time to dig a hole big enough for a grizzly sow, it’s easier and better than dealing with the feds.

Remember, the folks who make the rules think that all wildlife is cute and friendly and talks with a southern Iowa accent…..Just like in the cartoons.
They have no idea as to the potential savagery or ruthlessness of a wild animal. And the Animal’s welfare is more important to them than yours. You, after all, are neither cute, nor fuzzy, nor “endangered”. You are, however, a tasty snack for the bear….

Are you ready?

Now we have all heard (ad nauseum) the reports of the 5.9 or so earthquake in Virginia…and the devastation along the eastern seaboard its effects (or not) on the east coast.

For Kalifornians, a 5.9 is nothing but a good afternoon pick me up, but for the east coast folks it was fairly scary. But the question is, will they learn anything from it?

How about you? Have you got a plan and materials in place if something bad (like, say, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake) happens? No water, no power, roads damaged…..Likely the stores will be empty in a few hours..if they are standing. Likely there will be little or no fire protection. Police will be, if they are working at all, both overwhelmed and likely unable to get to you…..If there is any way to call them. Same with other emergency services folks.

Have you ready access to:

Water? Say for 5 days?
Food? Again for at least 5 days?
Shelter? If your home is damaged or unsafe for occupancy, where are you gonna go? Add clothing if you live in a climate where it gets cold….
A reasonably well stocked first aid kit? I don’t mean band-aids and aspirin and burn ointment and such…., but rather a real trauma kit. And the training to use it?
A means to protect the above?

If you have preps, are some stashed in a secondary cache? Whatcha gonna do if your preps are stashed in your basement and your home is falling down and you can’t get to them?

Having food, water and all of the rest of the above, even if only for a few days, gives you a LOT of options.

Me, I’d rather have choices. Have time to deal with the immediate issues and not worry about eating, drinking, and sleeping safe in the immediate aftermath. It’ll give me time to deal with the issues and allow me time to figure out what needs to be done for my family and friends while the first responders get their help revved up to deal with the issue.

You should think about this. Make a plan. Implement that plan.

Be ready. You are, after all, the person who should be taking steps to be your own first responder.