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@Old Trooper2:
One of my guns that I do NOT prefer is my Beretta 92.
In Ca the magazine only holds 9.
But loading it kills my fingers!
I keep several pre-loaded because of this issue.
It shoots beautifully.
It has perfect accuracy and not too much kick.
But I keep hearing other owners/triers claim it jams a lot, well, mine never has even once.
Maybe I just got a good one, lol.

Worthy of Note: Frank Buckles, last American veteran of World War I, dies at 110

Frank Buckles, one of more than 4 million Americans to serve in World War I, drove ambulances in France and was later a civilian prisoner of war during Japan’s invasion of the Philippines in WWII.

@Old Trooper2: I had been on the National Guard Pistol team and did well with the .45. Shot an 860 out of a 900 match once. If anyone wants to commit suicide at my place, I have my Grandpa’s old .45 with the beaver tail hammer that cuts my hand every time it fires, a .40 and a 9 mm stashed around in various places. Fortunately, I live in a place where I only see a Jehovah Witness once in a while.

I don’t complain about the cold weather, however I was shoveling snow and I got frostbite in both my ears, it took less than 5 minutes.

So much for global warming..

Randy, I once had a high fever and hallucinated, but I didn’t see any Jehova Witnesses.

OT, I think it was Will Rogers, “I am too nervous to steal and too honorable to run for congress.”

I wasn’t really thinking of a Merchenko (the rogue seal) type book: I was thinking of op-eds of the former hot spots with your unique insight.

If anyone questions you on your immigration stance, you should tell them about your Canadian Bulls.

Zac, get a turban with ear muffs.

Zac,you may be surprised at what you like most in military training. The most fun and enjoyable training I had in the Air Force was winter survival training. It was like a vacation under pressure. What a HOOT!

@ Skookum…The Major difference between War Stories and Fairy Tales as told to Me by more than a few Pals that upon Retirement were solicited to write Memoirs….

A War Story starts out with “No Sh^t, there I was…”
A Fairy Tale…”Once Upon a Time….”

OT, I “once upon a time” knew an NCO who had so many war stories he must have served at least fifty years.
He was a good solder; reliable, competent and knew his stuff. I think his tales were just him trying to feel important again. I have no doubt some of his war stories were true. He was a career man and served his country well. I was proud to know him.
Your “war stories/Fairy tales” made me think of him.
Another one of my long gone military men.

@ Al Cooper, It may be just Me but I tend to believe that the American Public views Old Soldiers as Folks that have lived beyond being useful and just in the way. Two Days to Honor Veterans are on the Calendar.
They do have Two days when they are “Somebody”.

*Memorial Day for Dead ones. They are owed a Flag, a headstone and a plot of ground.
*Veterans Day for those that are still Breathing and taking up Space in Society. They are Great
for Photo Ops for Politicians that most likely Never Served but find them useful.

OT, It breaks my heart to see our military so disparaged. The number of countries we have liberated around the world, some more than once is never spoken of in the media, and now not even in the classrooms of our own county.
Sometimes it is hard to be civil to those who pretend to be my friends and show their ignorance when they make foolish statements.

Now this is February….

Morgan Freeman on Black History Month

Morgan Freeman interview on race

If You want something Bad to go away, just don’t be a Party to it. If You want something to stick around, cater to it. Despite the fact that My Grand Father was 100% Lakota Sioux and a Graduate of the Carlisle Indian School, I am an American. Never saw myself as a Minority, was raised on a Ranch in Montana as an American, learned to Read, Rope, Ride and Think as an American because that is What and Who I am. Not a Hyphenated one. Despite the fact that My Ancestors destroyed the US 7th Cavalry at Little Big Horn, I am an American Soldier for a few more weeks. Been one for over 3 decades and My Loyalty is to My Country, My Constitution and My Republic. The One that the Founding Fathers left to Me. Not the one that is on the way to a Constitutional Crisis because the temporary resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has a Vision.

Just sayin, if One of US is Special, I reckon We All are. No more Special than the next guy. Morgan Freeman called it right.

True words there, OT2!

Greenies suffer yet again from the unintended consequences of their short-sighted envirowackism.
Everyone install low-flow toilets!
Let the California’s rivers flow free to support endangered fish species!
Now San Francisco uses 20 millions fewer gallons of water annually.

Skimping on toilet water has resulted in more sludge backing up inside the sewer pipes, said Tyrone Jue, spokesman for the city Public Utilities Commission.

That has created a rotten-egg stench, especially during the dry summer months.

The city has already spent $100 million over the past five years to upgrade its sewer system and sewage plants, in part to combat the odor problem.

Now officials are stocking up on a $14 million, three-year supply of highly concentrated sodium hypochlorite – better known as bleach – to act as an odor eater and to disinfect the city’s treated water before it’s dumped into the bay.

It will also be used to sanitize drinking water.

That translates into 8.5 million pounds of bleach either being poured down city drains or into the drinking water supply every year.

Are the supposedly environmentally friendly, low-flow toilets are worth the trouble?

Well, according to Jue, they have helped trim San Francisco’s annual water consumption by about 20 million gallons.

@Nan: What’s the solution, then?

The truth is that many areas of the country (California, for one) suffer from water shortages. This is an increasing problem. In Southern California, the problem is critical, at times. True enough, the sewer systems were probably designed for times when water availability wasn’t a problem. But times change.

When you ask: “are low flow toilets worth the trouble,” the rejoinder is this: “is an adequate supply of safe water worth the trouble?”

What’s the alternative to conservation? Drill baby, drill? What if there’s no water underground to drill for?

Do you prefer low flow toilets, or do you prefer water rationing?

Low flow toilets are not some sort of environmental extremism. Low flow toilets don’t exist to protect the environment. They exist to make it possible for cities to have sufficient water to meet their needs.

– Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach, CA

@trooper (#170):

Among my pet peeves are Latino on the air journalists who insist on “proper” Spanish pronunciation of Spanish words — especially names — when speaking English.

Tale of two NPR reporters, to illustrate my gripe:

Lourdes Garcia-Navarro: Very good reporter (currently in Libya). Pronounces her on-air name: LORD-ESS GAR-SEE-AH NAH-VAH-ROW. Good girl; that’s how it should be pronounced, when speaking English.

Mandalit del Barco: NPR West reporter. Pronounces her on-air name: MAHN-DAH-LEE’ DEL BAHR(trill the “R”)’-CO — with perfect Spanish inflections.

Then there are the types who pronounce their own names with proper English inflections, but who insist on pronouncing practically every Spanish word or geographical place using perfect Spanish accent and inflections.

I mean, give me a break. It would like me pronouncing my name: LAHHR(trill the “R”)-EE VIZE-EN-TAL And then referring to a BMW as a BAY-EM-VAY. And another German car as a FOLKS-VAGEN. And referring to “Vienna” as “VEEN.”

What if everyone insisted on speaking the way that on-the-air Latinos tend to do?

Genesis 11:1
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

Genesis 11:6-9
And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one
language…. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their
language, that they may not understand one another’s speech…. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth:

Why on Earth would we wish to turn the USA, home of E Pluribus Unum, into the nation of Babel?

– Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach, CA

@openid.aol.com/runswim:

Larry, I would say that the issue isn’t necessarily that people are against things like the low-flow toilet because they are championed by the “greens”. It’s more of a case of being against something being mandated to them by their city, county or state that has been pushed by the environmentalists, especially prior to the particular item becoming cost-effective for the average person to purchase. It’s about the choices we have, not about someone else not living our lives telling us what choice we will make.

As for Nan’s post, the point to be made is that nearly every time the citizenry is mandated or bullied into following the environmentalist’s wishes, there are unintended consequences that taxpayers foot the bill for. For her particular example, was it that hard, knowing water usage would be lowered, to make certain that it wouldn’t affect other infrastructure? One of the first rules when engineers make significant changes to the process at my power plant is to determine the effect upon other component systems within the process. It’s simple, yet the environmentalists fail at it nearly every time.

(#175): You do realize that low flow toilets are not a product of “environmentalists,” looking to preserve salmon habitat, but of municipal engineers, who have the very real problem of supplying enough water to meet the needs of their cities.

I’ll ask the question again: would you prefer low flow toilets or would you prefer water rationing?

– Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach, CA

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:
You are missing the point, Larry.
It is about unintended consequences.
In Israel, where the climate/water supply is a twin to dry Southern California, water is collected from under sinks to be poured into toilet tanks.
They don’t have any water supply attached to them at all!
People brush their teeth and pour the cups of used water into the toilet tank.
People wash their dishes and do the same.
People even stop up their shower stalls to take that water for toilet use.

It is a system that takes some getting used to, but it works very well.

But all that is beside the point.

Obama, for another example of unintended consequences, ”saved” GM.
His flagship auto is the Chevy Volt.
The Detroit News covered Consumers Reports.

“When you are looking at purely dollars and cents, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.
The Volt isn’t particularly efficient as an electric vehicle and it’s not particularly good as a gas vehicle either in terms of fuel economy,” said David Champion, the senior director of Consumer Reports auto testing center at a meeting with reporters here.

“This is going to be a tough sell to the average consumer.”

Champion noted the Volt is about twice as expensive as a Prius.

He was said the five hour time to recharge the Volt was “annoying” and was also critical of the power of the Volt heating system.

“You have seat heaters, which keep your body warm, but your feet get cold and your hands get cold,” Champion said.

More at link.

WE paid for that car.
We taxpayers did.
Obama insisted.

And it is a trophy car, for people with guilty consciences PLUS a bunch of cash.
Being in CA, I know some of those types.
But it doesn’t make it a better car.

Then we could go into Obama high speed rail debacle in the making.
But, another day.

@openid.aol.com/runnswim:

The facts are that the low-flush toilet was introduced into the US sometime in the early 90’s and were mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, passed by an overwhelmingly democrat congress. Water conservation was the primary driving force behind the low-flush toilet, restrictions on faucet flow-rates and other limitations upon household and commercial plumbing fixtures.

In regards to my assertion that environmentalist’s desires often have many serious side effects when put into practice, I stand by what I posted.

As for your question, it is not an either/or answer, but depends on one’s location, which includes the availability and abundance of clean water and also the economy regarding purchasing the low-flow toilet.

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Energy_Policy_Act_of_1992,_United_States
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,213021,00.html

Hey Al Cooper, that’s awesome! Where did your winter training occur if you don’t mind me asking? I enjoy the cold weather, its just in my soul. I will have a blast training in the snow.

The store was all out of ear muff turbans so I went with an ear muff burqua instead.

Actually my right ear is pretty swelled up, but is normal otherwise, unfortunately I will have an Obama ear for a while.
After I realized I had frostbite I looked up the temp and it was. -42′.

I would read a book like that Old Trooper.

Zac, Gadzooks and Crime a nitley, I am going to be up there working in a week or so; I suppose I will need a winter coat. No flip flops, I will need real boots with socks, the heck with Jesus boots. That is serious cold.

Oh its a little cold, but for a true Northerner its just the tip of the iceburg. Ha!

(#178)

I’ve reviewed the history of the bill to which you refer as being “passed by an overwhelmingly democratic congress.”

This is a very misleading characterization of the bill, which was passed by an overwhelming majority (majority of BOTH Democrats AND Republicans) in Congress and signed into law by President George HW Bush.

Vote in House: 363 – 60
Vote in Senate: 84 – 8

The 8 Senate “nays?”

Bryan D NV
Chafee (R RI)
Durenberger (R-MN)
Graham (D FL)
Moynihan (D NY)
Reid (D NV)
Shelby (R AL)
Graham (D FL)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d102:HR00776:@@@X

Yeah. The Dems rammed another enviro-whacky bill down the collective throat of America. The Democrats are responsible for smelly sewer lines in San Francisco.

Why is it so necessary to try and blame absolutely everything with which people here disagree on Democrats in general (and Clinton and Obama in particular, whenever possible)? This is a prime example of this sort of thinking.

The low flow toilet was never a political issue. It was never an environmental issue. It was (and is) simply a water supply issue.

But never miss an opportunity to politicize absolutely everything.

Low flow toilets?

geeesh.

@Nan. With regard to the Volt: This was in the GM pipeline years ago, before the economic meltdown and before Obama was elected. It’s not just GM, but all the auto makers who have jumped onto this bandwagon, and it’s got nothing to do with Federal subsidies: electric cars are being developed for markets all over the world.

I give GM credit for looking more than 2 moves ahead — for actually having a vision for the future. But the Volt is helping GM immediately. This is a company which was on the verge of being as dead as Montgomery Wards and Lehman Brothers, only 2 short years ago. One of the things that the Volt has done is to — almost overnight — change the image of GM from that of your Grandfather’s Buick and Oldsmobile to the car company of the future. The Volt is car of the year in several publications. It’s gotten tons of great publicity & it’ll bring hoards of car buyers into GM’s showrooms.

And you are declaring it dead on arrival? Why not wait and see?

GM isn’t just a car company, by the way. It’s an important defense contractor. We can argue GM and the auto company bailouts until we are both blue in the face, but the story will play out over years. Then we’ll see.

With regard to bullet trains; no, they don’t make sense everywhere, but here in California, they make all the sense in the world. I’ve driven Orange County to SF and back a dozen times over the past 3 1/2 years, and I’ve flown it 3 times. Both trips are difficult. It’s a long drive (7 hours, with only light traffic, i.e. leaving at 2 AM, only a single 10 minute pit stop, no fog, etc.). I’ve had a two hour traffic stop through the Grapevine for a brush fire along both sides of the road. I’ve had a road closure for snow. I’ve had terrible, knuckle clenching fog through the Central Valley at night, when I wanted to avoid the horrendous traffic between LAX and the Getty exit of the 405. The plane trips are almost as unpleasant. All that airport stuff for a one hour plane ride — probably 3 hours of driving, shuttling, security lining, and boarding, and waiting, and flights delayed, for only an hour of flying. Makes no sense.

Building a bullet train from Anaheim to LA to SF makes all the sense in the world. Did you ever ride on a bullet train? I did; in Japan. They are absolutely wonderful. They leave from stations right in mass transit centers of cities. They are smooth, guiet, comfortable, roomy, clean, and fast. And railroad travel is the most efficient way to move both people and cargo. And, most of the route between LA and SF is open country, where the bullet trains will be able run at bullet speeds.

Build a bullet train route between Southern California and Northern California and California will leave the rest of the country even further behind, in its rear view mirror.

I just love it when Conservatives take great joy in declaring California dead beyond resurrection — even while enjoying the $50 billion per year bailout which California taxpayers give to all those red states who receive more from the Federal Government than they give.

The governor of Florida is a short sighted fool — I once endured a 3 hour drive between Tampa and Orlando, in very heavy traffic all of the way — but I’m glad that we’ll get the bullet train money that he’s passing up. We deserve it, frankly.

– Larry Weisenthal/Huntington Beach, CA

Zac, it was in northern part of the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota.
Back in the sixties there were a lot of secluded areas it looked like no one
had been in there, at least they had not left signs of being there.
Winter in South Dakota can be brutal, Snow, wind, cold; I saw it fall to
minus thirty seven one night with a completely clear sky, The sheer number
of stars was astonishing.