Cold...

LOL, got to chuckle about this Goreball warming- though this hasn't been the coldest winter in MN history, it's in the top 50. Still, when you think about it- cold like this...

... is really only relative- especially when you have a warm relative to cuddle with.

Really- just think how much warmer it'll feel in July when the humidity is in the 90 percentile and air temp will be 90 as well. Dad always used to say, "I can always put enough clothing on to be warm, never could take enough off to be cool." I go with that sentiment- though if I could have my druthers, I'druther go nekky all the time. (But I'd have to say the neighbors may get a little disjointed if I did.) Not that they can see me through the trees, but one may decide to stop by and have some coffee.

Speaking of which- coffee and a good book- or some good blogs- to read is a fine way to trash a really cold day. So saying, let me thank all you bloggers who do such a wonderful job keeping me entertained these cold winter days. It's appreciated.

I'm surprised by the weather report tonight- single digits in northern Mexico- that should keep a few illegals from crossing the border, at least. Or freeze their carcasses before they get here, which is just as good as not coming.

Now if I can just get Mayberry to appreciate a good, cold day. (wink wink)

Be safe, stay warm, bless God, God bless.

Shy III

Freedom of Speech

A tree hugging Dimocrap, anti-hunting woman from Los Angeles bought a piece of timberland near Colville, Washington.
While admiring her purchase, she discovered a wondrously tall Douglas Fir growing on the exact center of the highest point of her land. Wanting to see the total splendor of her purchase, she decided to climb the tree.
As she neared the uppermost branches, she was attacked by a Spotted Owl and, while attempting to defend herself against the attack, lost her grip on the branch she was holding, lost her balance and slid down the entire length of the tree. Needless to say, she broke many branches on her trip to the ground, gathering many painful splinters in her crotch area.
In extreme pain and unable to remove the splinters herself, she hurried to Mt. Carmel ER to see a doctor.
Informing the doctor she was as devout Dimocrap environmentalist, anti hunter, and how she'd managed to get so many splinters in her... ahem... area. Patiently listening to her story, the doctor told her to wait in the exam room and he'd be in soon as he could.
She sat three hours before the doctor reappeared.
Angry, she demanded, "What took you so long?"
Patiently smiling, the doctor told her, "I had to get permits from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management before I could remove old-growth timber from a recreational area."
Setting himself comfortably in front of her, he took her hand and frowned.
"I'm sorry," he consoled her. "They turned me down."

Which just goes to show there's hope for the country yet.
But rest assured, if we allow the Cons in D.C. to pass any kind of internet restrictions, this kind of humor will not be allowed.
Bless God, God bless.
Shy III

Belly Buster

What with all the crap that's going on with Uncle Nanny in his efforts to make us all remember that the State Is Our Enemy, it's sometimes difficult to find something to laugh about.
Seriously- there's nothing funny about the new Agriculture law passed today- despite numerous calls to not pass the damn thing. (Once again the dimwits in CONgress remind us how little they care for the desires of their employers.)
And with the MSM taking every opportunity to insert the Dark Lord's face in front of our eyes, there's little chance to miss seeing his pig-eared mug. It's got to the point where I've turned off the usual radio programs because even they insist on blasting our ears and common sense by playing sound bites from this piranha. He has absolutely nothing to say I need to hear- I can lie to myself much more believably.
Not that anyone really expected different of them, but the newly elected have shown how right we all were in not trusting a word they said, especially where our country is concerned.
Honestly, it's even getting difficult to blog due to frustrations caused by the state of our Union. (Well, it WAS a Union once! Now it's a bunch of separate communist states presided over by the proletariat in D.C.)
OK, enough doom an' gloom rambling- I'll get to the point.
If you need a good chuckle at the Tit and Testical Squeezing Authority's expense, go here:
http://behindtheparapet.blogspot.com/2010/11/2011-tsa-pin-up-calender.html

Bless God, God bless.
Shy III

the Moral is...

Ummmm... didja hear about...
The Woman Marine Pilot?

The teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment: Get their parents to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it. The next day, the kids came back and, one by one, began to tell their stories.
There were all the regular types of stuff: spilled milk and pennies saved. Then it was Janie's turn.
“Janie, do you have a story to share?'
''Yes ma'am. My daddy told me a story about my Mommy. She was a Marine pilot in Desert Storm, and her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory, all she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol, and a survival knife.
She drank the whiskey on the way down so the bottle wouldn't break, and then her parachute landed her right in the middle of 20 Iraqi troops.
She shot 15 of them with the pistol (that's a big clip!), until she ran out of bullets, killed four more with the knife, till the blade broke, and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare hands.
''Good Heavens,' said the horrified teacher. 'What did your Daddy tell you was the moral to this horrible story?
"Stay away from Mommy when she's been drinking."

Thus endeth today's sermon...
Bless God, God bless.
Shy III

Looking For Work...

At least my nephew gets it...

"...An Israeli doctor says, "Medicine in my country is so advanced that we can take a kidney out of one man, put it in another, and have him looking for work in six weeks."

A German doctor says, "That is nothing; we can take a lung out of one person, put it in another, and have him looking for work in four weeks."

A Russian doctor says, "In my country, medicine is so advanced that we can take half a heart out of one person, put it in another, and have them both looking for work in two weeks."

An ILLINOIS doctor, not to be outdone, says, "You guys are way behind. We recently took a man with no brains out of ILLINOIS , put him in the White House for SIX MONTHS, and now half the COUNTRY is looking for work...."

Bless God, God bless

Shy III

New Model S and W

Every now and then a manufacturer comes up with a design that is sure to be copied by every company available, even some that aren't yet around.

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you the newest model Liberator Arms Co. revolver created especially for those of us who have Liberal anti-firearm Democrat friends who may not be feeling as joyous as they once were over election of their Great One. Or maybe they're feeling a bit worried about their home security due to the increasing residential crime they've been hearing about. Or perhaps they live in California, which now has cities so poor they are refusing to try criminal cases such as burglary, assault, battery and auto theft.

Or maybe they now realize the police can't be every where to protect them within seconds.

Now is some good news for them.

Liberator Arms Co. has just announced a new handgun that is designed just for the person who is unfamiliar with (and possibly afraid of) handguns, yet wants to have adequate protection-- the Model18044L(Liberal).

You will note the handsome, powerful weapon is a commemorative model which proudly bears the Democratic Ass and a capital "D"!

Tell your Democratic friends to be sure to get their order in early as there will be a very high demand for these collector weapons.

Note from Shy: this is not a serious piece and in no way reflects upon the Smith and Wesson company nor any of its affiliates. Done purely in jest, Smith and Wesson does not endorse nor (probably) condone this humor. I wish no harm to befall any manufacturer of arms of any kind and wish Smith and Wesson's next year is even more lucrative than this year.

Also, I am not the producer of this picture/ad and wish to thank the person who did it- the piece is part of an Email forwarded from a friend (who shall remain nameless).

Shy III

News & Views

Wyoming is backing out of its Con-con request and defending the Constitution now.The state of Wyoming has adopted a resolution to inform Washington bureaucrats and bureaucracies of its opposition to any plans to hold a Constitutional Convention that would recommend changes or alterations to the nation's founding document.

Wyoming: Don't mess with U.S. Constitution

Thank you, Wyoming. Now if we can just get the other 49 to do the right thing.

Naturally, the Dark Lord is well on his way to Socializing America. Freedom of the Press is a First Amendment right, so naturally he can't have dissenting words hampering his campaign. How to do that? One way he's come up with is to make the Print Media beholding to him.

With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax breaks.U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers Politics Reuters

Naturally he's going to do all he can to confuse and befuddle all those who read the Benevolent Print by controlling the language they use.

'This Administration prefers to avoid using the term "Long War" or "Global War on Terror" [GWOT]. Please use "Overseas Contingency Operation.'" The End of the Global War on Terror 44 washingtonpost.com After all, we can't let the populace be informed enough to know what's really going on. Once again, NewSpeak and the Official Language of Political Correctness must be adhered to.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned whether government regulation of a movie critical of former presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton might also be used to ban books critical of political hopefuls during election season. Court hears arguments over anti-Hillary movie

After all, we must control the minds and emotions of the Minion populace. Halt any kind of contrary opinion.

The judge cited "the almost universal view among interested parties that persons who possess concealed, loaded, and operable firearms in national parks and wildlife refuges will use them for any number of reasons, including self-defense against persons and animals." Gun carry law shut down over environmental impact

No, we can't have people defending themselves no matter where they are. After all, lead pills are a very real and present danger to criminal elements in our environment. An afternoon shootout at a busy Burger King restaurant in Miami left a potential robber dead and the customer who shot him seriously wounded.Robber fatally shot in Miami Burger King holdup - South Florida - MiamiHerald.com

However, we can lower the number of well-paid (albeit sometimes over zealous) police officers who, for one reason or another, are never where they are needed. All we need do to increase Citizen safety is hire a multitude of minimum wage Rent-A-Cops.They're private security guards, already on patrol, but they may soon have the powers of Chicago Police officers.Can Private Security Guards Act As Cops, As They May Be Asked To Do On Far South Side - cbs2chicago.com (I bet Chicagoans feel safer already.)

“Each person in Britain has far more impact on the environment than those in developing countries so cutting our population is one way to reduce that impact.” UK population must fall to 30m, says Porritt - Times Online

Look for an increase in population of Third World nations as England exports its current population to meet environmental demands.

With the current economic policies of the fedgov there are millions or American men and women in need of employment. The Dark Lord is following through on his promise to create jobs for those seeking same.

The border security initiative, which expands on efforts begun during the Bush administration, is aimed at drug traffickers who have wreaked havoc in Mexico in recent years and are blamed for a spate of kidnappings and home invasions in some U.S. cities. U.S. cracks down on border drug violence - Security- msnbc.com

However, there will be those who consider such employment to be a bit too realistic or dangerous for their tastes. Dark Lord has a plan for those people as well. One of the oldest banks of its kind in the United States, Xytex International, on Tuesday rolled out a stimulus package for customers who are hurting in these tough economic times.US sperm bank offers stimulus deals

And just in case your bills are stratospheric or you really, really desire to keep your McMansion in all its splendor, the Dark Lord has a plan for you, too. Or even if you're just an enterprising kind looking for a fast track to earning a cool 48 million slimming greenbacks. The list offers 30 million pesos ($2 million) in rewards for 24 top members of the cartels and 15 million pesos ($1 million) for 13 of their lieutenants. Arrest warrants have been issued for all 37 people on the list. Mexico offers $2 million for top drug lords Don't forget to bring an MBR, just in case you need a few bucks, you can sell it to any prospective drug dealer. Liberal Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin of Illinois, the current majority whip, directly blamed American laws and policies for facilitating the influx of weapons into Mexico.CNSNews.com - Fighting Drug Cartels is a Second Amendment Issue?

Since we really want to help the drug cartels.

'Nuff said.

Bless God, God bless.

Shy III

Diggin' up bonz...

I count everything. Someone told me once it was because I'm O.C.D.. Really, I hate to disillusion them, but seriously doubt my sister knows what O.C.D. is.

I'm sure not going to get into a legal discussion about words and acronyms with a lawyer, but I am still going to beg to differ with her. After all, it isn't my fault I count everything.

It's Ben Franklin's.

Well, maybe not, but then again, maybe it is. Either way, it sounds good to me, and OH! so liberating to be able to blame someone else for my short-comings. Seriously, though: who was it that said, "A penny saved is a penny earned."? So far as I recall, I was told it was Ben. So he gets the blame.

Not that I really remember much any more. I'm getting so short-memoried I had to count the wood pile twice today. Dang, that takes a while and I missed my beer call.

Of course, if you, Dear Reader, and I met at a party, I'd remember your face- cuz I have a photographer's eye for structure and lighting- but I'd probably forget your name. And, then, don't tell me your phone number cuz I'll never forget it.

Case in point...

Around two or three hundred years ago, I had the good fortune to be accidentally invited to attend a party for a Young Blood heading to O.C.S. (that's acronym for Over the China Seas). Being the Good Trooper I was, and since he was my best friend, I felt obliged to go, so I did.

I'm not O.C.D., but I am kind of a wall flower around women. Like, if they knew how absolutely terrified I am of having to even talk to one, they'd die laffing. But I digress... on with the party.

Being from a beer drinking background, I naturally gravitate to whiskey, good sour mash preferred. Or a really tall snifter of Hennesy over a chunk of ice. Anyway, there was a lot of beer and not much whiskey to be had at the party, so I drank beer spiked from a bottle of Jim Beam, parked my slim butt beside a potted plant and began to be ignored. Which was fine with me. If they can't see me, they won't talk to me.

Umm, well, kinda.

There was this strawberry blond- we'll call her Dawn, but I didn't know that til later- whose hair hung to her shoulders and just bubbled like CO2 in a glass of Sprite every time she laughed. And she laughed a lot! From what I could see, she was the life of the party and all the guys wanted to dance with her. Owww- being single then, like now, I have to say her hair wasn't all that bubbled. Watching her dance was like watching sharks at feeding time... they were all around her.

Alas, as they tend to, the party came to and end sometime or other and people began wandering off.

Except me: I was hiding beside the potted plant when Dawn started donning her jacket and was beset by - we'll call him Craig, for lack of better name- who decided he wanted to see more of Dawn. So, as most bold guys do, he helped her into her jacket by pulling his on while he asked her for her phone number.

She must have thought he was really very chivalrous and kind, a Lord of the Manor, because she told him her phone number. Then left to wend her merry way home.

But I digress...we were talking about Ben Franklin.

Or, rather, I was. You're just listening. (C'mon- pretend a minute, OK?)

When you were growing up, didn't your Mom and Dad tell you that, "A penny saved is a penny earned"? So we learn to count our pennies. It's only natural to want to know how much we've earned. It teaches us so much about our future worth.

Or how about when your Dad loaned his tools to the guy down the road and the fella sez, "I'll bring it right back." Later, telling Mom about it, Dad sez, "If I had a nickel every time he told me that, I'd be rich." So didn't you start counting the nickels you got, waiting for the day you were rich?

Like with the Dark Lord these days: if we had a nickel for every time he said "Change," we'd be able to clear the national debt. Or if every time he muttered an "Ummm..." or "errr..." or "I mean..." every time he was asked a serious question, we really could buy every American a home.

And the first time you had to eat your spinach and complained about it cuz we all know what spinach tastes like, even with salt and pepper. Then Mom, bless her for trying to help, told us to, "Count your blessings for having spinach to eat because there are little children in Africa starving for spinach."

Of course we all thought, and if dumb enough, as I was, to say aloud, "Then send it to the kids in Africa." We got the remark again: "Count your blessings and shut up." (Which usually meant it would be a blessing if Dad didn't take off his belt and snap it a few times. Usually across the posterior section of our anatomy.)

Then, as used to be the case when young men reached a certain age in their development, they got a greeting from some strange Uncle they'd never met and he invited them to come eat Spam with him for a while. Usually just a couple years. In some instances, the dumber of the young men actually signed for a ticket to visit this weird Uncle on purpose! DUH!

But just think of it- recall, if you will- those wondrous days when a young man, or woman, could learn they were "Screwing up by the numbers" their whole lives and didn't even know it! So here we go again, learning to count in a whole new fashion: by the numbers!

Now, if that doesn't beat all, don'tcha know? Who'd'a thunk there was more than one way to count? Or to screw things up? Gosh. Golly. Gee, Batman!

Ever wonder why troops yell "GeronimoooOOO!!" when disembarking airplanes at altitude?

It's because the Jump Master told them to. Of course, he had a reason for it even if the troop was unaware of it. Yelling "GeronimoooOOO" takes three seconds. One. Two. Three. Counting, again. If the chute wasn't deployed, then the troop would know who to cuss on the way down.

You got it: Geronimo.

Isn't that just wonderfully wonderful? Or, as we say in the bunker, Suh-weeeeeet!

So there you have it: why I count everything. It's all Ben's fault and I am going to be adamant about it. He's the culprit!

Oh- yes. Almost forgot (toldja my memory's going).

As it turned out, Craig deployed to O.C.S the same day Dave did, so he never got to use the number he'd written down.

A few weeks later, the phone rang and I asked for "Dawn".

"Hello, who are you?" she asked.

"This is Jim. You gave me your number a few weeks ago at a party," I told her.

"I never gave you my phone number!" she insisted.

"Yes, you did," I assured her. "I was standing by the potted plant when Craig asked for it and you gave it to him."

"But I didn't give it to you!" she insisted.

"Well, not directly..." I told her. "But I did hear you tell him."

"And you wrote it down?" she wanted to know.

"No, of course not," I told her. "I wanted to date you so bad I remembered it."

She laughed and laughed and was still laughing when I picked her up that evening to help me celebrate an up-coming flight.

See? I'm not O.C.D.... I'm devious!

Bless God, God bless.

Shy

Bitter bitter C-O-L-D and Dogs

Dang, was 32 below at 0630 today and didn't rise above ten below all day.

Still, had to get some chores done: fill the woodbox, run the dogs, shiver.

Not that I actually shiver now at ten below- the body tends to get used to cold when you're out in it a lot. Seriously- the more time you spend in the elements, the more accustomed your body is to accepting them, reacts totally different than it does when you baby yourself.

So the dogs and I are panting and frosting the moustache with icicles and I'm watching their tails bob as they lope along. Gawd, those critters love to run! We're zipping past the shacks and I see a thread of smoke rising from one and the dogs are barking up a storm and I'm waiting for someone to come see what the ruckus is about.

No one shows. Oh, well- we met last spring when they began hauling in a trailer load of supplies so it isn't like they don't know who I am. Or the dogs.

But it's watching the dog's tails and their frosty breath-cloud and seeing my glasses fog up from my breath, and I start thinking again about getting some sled dogs.

Like I need another mouth to feed. Especially a dog. Or four. Four minimally for a team. Two dogs couldn't handle any real load on a sled or make having them worthwhile in a survival situation.

So four more it is. Now, what kind?

I don't want monster size critters that eat more than they weigh. Big dogs can do a lot of work, pull heavy loads and, for the most part, ain't too fast. Oh, they can be raced, but most racers have smaller dogs, about 70 pounds (but look like a hundred with all their fur). Long legged pups are out, too. Good for speed, but the longer the leg, the less power they can generate pulling. Don't want a really short legged dog, either. They won't have the lunge to get through much snow. So it's a medium sized dog with leg and body proportionate for me.

Can't really think of anything bad about having a team of dogs other than feeding them and the neighbors not liking the barking- and bark they do. Sled dogs are good for two things. Pulling sleds and making noise when they ain't. Sometimes even when they are.

Ever see a team of sled dogs? Those critters live to run, cannot wait to get into harness and just GO! To have a team for EOW wouldn't be bad: trips to town for whatever and hauling back groceries (if there are any available) or other goodies. Hauling in firewood from fairly distant locales (remember: we're talking EOW, not just a depression). Even or especially with running a trapline or fishing, or hauling the moonshine to customers, dogs could really be helpful.

I wonder if I can trade off these Russel Terrors and Golden for a couple sledders?

Hmmmm...

I sure hope my Lady don't read this post'r I'm dead meat..she likes these mutts!

They're forecasting another 40 below tonight and some windchill to fifty below. Dang- sled dogs are big and furry critters...furry? Foot warmers are furry, aren't they?

Bless God, God bless,

Shy

Ever see such a happy grin on a dog?

Addenda to earlier: News weatherman did a couple of demonstrations during show tonight. It's 26 below and he: drove a 16 penny nail through a 2x4 with a banana that had been frozen outside, and threw a pan of boiling water in the air to show how rapidly it froze: immediately. The water went into the air and became a cloud (the rest of his forecast was obscured by cloud).

Somewhere around 1990 I went out early one morning to start the truck to warm it before driving off. In my hand was a cup of fresh brewed coffee. I got in the truck, set the cup on the dash and immediately proceeded to crack the windshield like a spider web. Learned that lesson quick.

Shy

The Prepper Wars

Once upon a time in a galaxy far far away known as PrepperLand, there was peace and harmony among the residents. Then came the Newbies spawned by election of the evil Lord Obama. The Newbies were all aglow with excitement and daring, full of fear of what their Dark Lord had in store, so they forthwith decided en-masse to embark upon the Land of the Preppers. With their millions of coinage and total lack of knowledge and skills, they began to attempt an overthrow of PrepperLand.

Their first goal was to glean vast amounts of wisdom from the writings of those living in PrepperLand. Swiftly they scanned the Volumes of Lore found at their fingertips, quickly assimilating the knowledge through sweat and blood and much thought hard-won - but only the parts that suited their fancy. (How smug they remained!)

How quickly the Dark Lord's minions did see a most confusing thing: there was diversity and difference among those living in PrepperLand. But they saw, too, the agreement and going forward and accomplishment these brave souls achieved!

"Aha!" thought those of the Dark Lord. "Their cause we can thwart, discredit their leaders, confuse their ranks in a most astounding and simple way! We cannot allow such accomplishment here! We must, quickly, cause despair! It is our calling, has it not always been so? to confuse and confuddle, to falsify claims and destroy perfect aims?

"We can quickly begin this moment our victory to achieve: let us among them spread confusion and bitterness and inferiority, with simple boasts of our achievements and the mighty ideals we have as to how they should be!"

"Let us cause them dismay with the glory of our abodes and the preparations we've made, there to confuse and create disarray, confuddle their minds with our own display of how they should be!

"Let us blow them away with how truly unprepared they must be since but one or two, not all, as we can see, are living in castles as we, with moats surrounded and storehouse complete.

"Let us among them cause rife and distress- especially those who so clearly have less- thereby in minds not agile as ours show how poorly they really are blessed.

"We can impress them with our ample supplies and our skill-at-arms lies! We can denigrate their style and their plans cruelly mock, show them we are the ones who can stock!

"Anonymousely we can deride and cajole, foolish make them feel and show how impoverished they be without the coinage we have in quantity.

"Let us their arms deride- they're not the best that money can buy!

"Put down their ideas- lest they actually compete with us for the stores on the street!

"We shall storm their writings with accusations unfounded and silly and trite- let us show them the power of our wisdom confused and the waste of their sacrifice. "With words we can stifle, cause dissension and doubt. We can make them inferior by our simple claims that theirs is truly lost aim."

So suddenly storms upon PrepperLand raged, litning created by Liberals staged. The bolts they were mighty, upon the seemingly weak they raged. Flash and bang and thunder did rail but none of those in PrepperLand quailed for against these they had quietly prepared, warning each other of what in the shadows did lurk.

From trailer to trailer did the message get sent: "Beware! Beware, the libs do quib and cause dissent and think they attack with cunning...let them not know we see them coming.

"Allow them in close, we can surely not miss with our arms they dismiss.

"Let them deride and chide and scold- we are made from a better mold. We know not what the future may hold- but they in their glibness surely must think they have all the answers written in ink.

"Allow them into our bases of knowledge- we know they cannot attain through their college the skills we have so studiously gained.

"For pass they must the most poor of OP's with shooters uncanny in skill and Ghillies.

"Let them believe they have learned of the lessons we spoke. And when they arrive, send them up in gun smoke.

"Let them believe their castle and moat are the best to be had, let them believe we in trailers are weak. Let them not see the strength we attain through struggle and pain.

"Let them languish in dread as the rovers are fed with stocks and supplies they were certain were sealed in caverns of lead.

"Allow them to foolishly claim there is no reason to aim for Secondary Plans and Alternate Routes through jungle maze and streets so razed by Zombie horde and Street-wise Lord- they will see the err of their arrogance.

"Be it too late, we can not wait for them to see the light that no one knows or can ascertain just what it is for what we prepare.

"Let us not entertain their foolishness game but continue to prep and stock and supply full knowing we are right in our sight and none can claim better to know how to play this game that none before has ever bore or even come close to know."

Bless God,
Shy

Thanksgiving

This BLOG spot is the result of a "joke" sent me by a Young Lady I'm acquainted with. She sent it in good humor and with no intent to anger or displease, but to tease me about the way I think politically. However, I had to respond to her, also in good humor and a bit sarcastically, yet honestly as I see it.

Lol, Lady

Laffin my buns off- your math is off by about 50 years.



Lemme 'splain...

In 1950 America was going thru a growth spurt after WW2- which was created by an Austrian who adored Charlie Chaplin's moustache and hated any who weren't like him. The cost of producing the lumber was $80, so the logger cleared $20, which was actually worth $20.

In 1960 we were involved in a war created by a Democrat President named John Kennedy. A lot of that lumber went to rebuilding a place called Viet Nam- because it was destroyed by Presidential and Congressional decree. Since there was a great need for lumber in other parts of the world and the United States was truly the most prodigious producer, the lumber was in demand and the logger cleared $20 because the dollar was still the most powerful monetary unit in the world.

In 1970, the United States was still involved in a Democratically created war in Viet Nam. Which we were still trying to rebuild after helping China bomb hell outta the place. Of course the logger was still selling his lumber for $100 a load, but due to Green Peace, the Sierra Club and other protesters, who, by the way, were destroying the logger's equipment because they think the logger was destroying the "wilderness". Therefore, the $20 the logger earned as profit was further cut into by equipment repairs and replacements, as well as having to pay more for the logs he cut because the Special Interest Groups such as Sierra Club and Green Peace were demanding the government put access to certain areas off-limits to logging. The logger therefore had to buy more petroleum products to reach the areas he was allowed to log. So, no, he did not make a profit.

1980 was a very wonderful year for loggers. Not only were they having to travel longer distances to get the raw material, they were now paying exorbitantly high fuel prices due to Democratic President Jimmy Carter's Energy Embargo, emplaced in the mid-70's (remember the long lines at the gas pump?) at which time a gallon of gas jumped from 35 cents a gallon to .75 or more. Too, the Sierra Club and other "environmental" organizations were swaying more and more of the Democratic Congressmen and Senators to put more and more restrictions on areas that could be logged- such as the Oregon and Washington forests, in order to preserve habitat so an owl would not become extinct. Not mentioning that the owl has since gone off the endangered species list, the areas still have not been opened to logging. Naturally, hundreds of loggers and mills were put out of work and began to collect welfare and other government benefits, which were paid in part by the logging companies. Also, to compensate for this, the logger now had to transport his logs hundreds of miles farther to mill them, resulting in higher transport costs. Then he had to transport them back to the shipping ports, costing more. Meanwhile, Special Interest Groups such as the Sierra Club got more land put out of the logger's reach- guess what? There is nothing to underline since again, the logger made no profit.

1990 was a peculiar year for loggers. Primarily, there were more acres of timbered forests not only ripe for harvest, but dieing from disease and over-growth, storm damage and plain old old age. Naturally, the Sierra Club, among other less notable Special Interest Groups, had more timbered land put off-limits to logging access and these old growth forests burned- all that timber going to waste and putting many beautiful scenic sights under a growth of black ashes and brush growth. Oh- about the loggers: they had by this time replanted more timber than they were allowed to harvest. Areas in which this timber- planted at ten to one ratios- was declared off-limits to logging because the Special Interest Groups managed to convince a Democratic Congress that the trees and wild areas were more important than jobs for people whose livelihoods depended upon a renewable resource they had planted. Of course, the logger had to travel farther and cut less and therefore, his $20 profit was cut into even more, especially since a Democratic President decided that kow-towing to Foreign Special Interest Groups and signing environmental treaties was more in keeping with American tradition than allowing Americans to work, so jobs were outsourced to places like China, Mexico, India, Malaysia, etc. Oh- that $20 profit? That was worth 71 cents on the World Market. So, figuring costs and all, the logger was probably clearing closer to $3 per hundred sold.

2007 is going to be a wonderful year for Illegal Loggers. 2008 will be even better since there will be more illegals in the United States than ever in its history. Naturally, these illegal loggers will work for less than the going rate so they can send the money to Mexico. We know this will tremendously help American Loggers because they're going to be sitting back collecting unemployment and other government benefits and lose all sense of their worth. Too, 2007 was an interesting year for American Pulp and Timber Industry workers because this is the year the United States government allowed China and Canada to purchase many mills in the United States. These mills were closed because it was cheaper to produce the materials in China and Canada and ship them to other destinations around the world.

That $20 profit from the loggers? Fact, Dear Lady: None of it went to American Loggers. I know this from first-hand experience, Fine Lady. I appreciate your sense of humor and sure hope you understand what I am trying to say here. I live in a logging area and see the "benefits" of all these government programs every day. So, in my opinion, what we really need is another Democrat in office who will sell the United States piecemeal to other countries. After all, having been the world leader in production for so long, we should share and share alike- let other parts of the world come up to our standard of living even though they didn't earn it but gained it through "diplomacy" by taking jobs away from Americans.

Oh, yes- we have to give the Sierra Club and their ilk a great big round of applause, as well: without their pushing and shoving, we would still be logging forests we have replanted and of which we now have more loggable timber in this country than anywhere in the world but Canada. Oh, right- I forgot to mention: the Sierra Club didn't plant any of this timber, it was loggers.

God Bless, Lady- no offence taken or meant by this.

Shy Wolf

Here is the letter/joke(?) that started it all:

Teaching Math :

In 1950A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price. What is his profit?_____

2. Teaching Math In 1960A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is 4/5 of the price, or $80. What is his profit?____

3. Teaching Math In 1970A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80. Did he make a profit?____

4. Teaching Math In 1980A logger sells a truckload of lumber for $100. His cost of production is $80 and his profit is $20. Your assignment: Underline the number 20._____

5. Teaching Math In 1990A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate.... And cares nothing for the habitat of animals or the preservation of our woodlands. He does this so he can make a profit of $20. What do you think of this way of making a living? Topic for class participation after answering the question: How did the birds and squirrels feel as the logger cut down their homes? (There are no wrong answers.)_____

6. Teaching Math In 2007Un hachero vende una carretada de maderapara $100. El costo de la producciones es $80. Cuanto dinero ha hecho?

Gun Control

Got a good chuckle from a friend who viewed my BLOG a few days ago. Actually made a suggestion for a BLOG and I had to laugh at him.
"You've got to be kidding?" I asked.
"Not at all- serious as a heart attack. You gotta do it."
Thinking about it a while now, I imagine he's right: I do have to write about gun control, one of my favorite topics. So, with apologies to Mark Twain and Sam Clements, here goes. Oh, yes- and to whomever it was that wrote about Ransoming Red Chief, Mr O'Henry.
Liberal Democrats have long considered gun control a very major issue to their campaigns. Right alongside abortion and equal rights for all but whites. Of course, we all know who they hold as Exhibit Number One on their list of heroes: that Austrian with the funny Charlie Chaplin moustache who made an attempt at dominating the world. Some of you in reader land may recognize him as a German named Hitler. He took away the guns and nearly took over Germany, murdering about 12 million Jewish people on his way.
So, my answer to the Soros bunch, and others of his ilk, is a simple solution to the question of, "How do we get better gun control in the United States?" Perhaps not so simple, when I think about it: there will be some major costs involved. Naturally, rich as they are, these people can afford to help all us "lesser" individuals by footing the bill for the whole country.
To begin. Here you go, folks: a lesson on how to control guns in America.
Let us start with stature of the individual, since not ALL Americans are built the same. Some are tall, others short, a majority in-between. Too, some are 16-penny slim, others fat as walrus. Most are probably in-between. As well, some are fit as fiddles, others about as fit as cooked spaghetti. Again, many fall in-between. So proper gun control begins with the category of "Get a gun that suits your stature."
If you have big hands, something along the lines of a Colt 1911 full-size will be no problem for your grip. However, if you have weak arms, drop to a Colt 1911 Combat Commander size: it's smaller frame and lighter weight will aid your control. My suggestion is a caliber such as the century old .45 Colt ACP, or the more modern .357 or .44 magnum. A 9mm is okay if you like to fire off lots of rounds. If, like my Lady, your hands are a bit smaller than a man's, or if you're just effeminate, go for one of the smaller, light-weight 9 mm's on the market. They're kinda wimpy in firepower but make up for it in number of rounds you can expend at one sitting. Well, not a "sitting" per-se, but without having to reload. If you are kind of the squeamish type and feel handgun combat range is kinda too close for comfort, you can go the long-gun route. Beginning with a .22 long rifle (don't waste time with less), you can easily learn to handle this and extend the combat range a few feet. But if you really want to stop an altercation, nothing works better than a 12 gauge, best is the pump action for repeatability of firing, but my fave is a twin barrel: over/under. (Only because I like the looks and have a pump as well :) . Naturally, there are some out there who really want to control a situation and nip it in the bud. For those really gung-ho types, there is a true long-gun, a rifle with man-sized calibers such as .243, .6mm, 7mm, 308, 30-06, etc. With these babies, you can pick off an argument before it even becomes a thought.
Naturally, you'll want to insure yourself that YOU have proper gun control. To do this, get a set of grips (for pistols or revolvers) that fit your hand and aid in reducing recoil so follow-up shots are more easily accomplished. If you like, get the barrel ported so muzzle blast is used to help tame recoil on those big honking smokepoles. Don't worry about silencers or flash suppressors- the idea is to scare poop outta the critter if you miss with the first shot and lots of noise and light may well do that. For shotguns, have a good recoil pad installed on the butt or buy a shotgun that has an action that dampens felt recoil thru mechanical means. Rifles can be more well controlled through recoil pads and stock configurations. Naturally, smaller calibers will have less recoil than the big boys, but what the heck- we're men and we can handle recoil. Well, maybe: my rifles all have Uncle Mike's recoil pads. Come to think of it, so do the shotguns. Another method is to have the barrel ported on these if recoil or a follow-up shot are prime concerns. Not that I have problems with following up shots from the 30-06 with just the pad, but some may and these help. Also, a bipod on the working end of a rifle helps gun control, also.
Which brings us to the second part of good gun control legislation.
Once we all have a firearm that FITS us, thanks to the millions of dollars our enemies have, we need to learn better gun control. There is a simple solution to that, as well, but does require some effort. Since the Libs have lotsa money to spend on gun control, it won't matter, though, so we can all afford to have the absolutely best optical sights made put on our weapons. What's the best? You decide. Some people like Fords (I do) and others like Chevvies (I do) and some even like those cute little foreign imports (my Lady does). Get whichever you prefer. After all, it's the Libs and DNC who'll be paying for it.
Now that we have our weapons fitted and glassed up- oh: don't forget a couple VERY good flashlights to illuminate our night time targets- we can go to the range and get some major input on gun control.
Regardless what you get: .22, .380, 9mm, .44, .45, .357, .308, 30-06, .50BMG, you're going to need to learn PROPER gun control.
THAT begins between your ears.
First: NEVER assume a gun is empty (or loaded, for that matter); always check!
Second: NEVER point a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot. In other words, keep it pointed DOWNRANGE!
Third: (and maybe most important) keep your finger AWAY from the trigger until ready to shoot.
Fourth: there are ten commandments to gun safety, every one viable and important and more than the scope of this dissertation. To learn more, go to http://www.nra.org/ and take a safety class.
Now that we've covered the basics, understand that good gun control begins with knowing where that muzzle is pointed and that there is a bullet in the chamber. Now you need to learn that most important part of gun control: target acquisition and finger twitch.
Target acquisition isn't all that hard. For purposes of this demonstration, we're going to assume it's a paper target but we all know better: since Libs and DNC seem to think guns are only for killing people, that's what we are thinking as we sight. Don't believe me, just ask one. Oh, yes: also, killing poor little Bambi. Don't worry that more Bambi are killed by cars every year than hunters. I digress, 'scuse me. Back to targets. Two things concern us here: our target and what's behind it. We want to have a clear picture of what we are aiming at. If you can't identify it, forget finger twitch. Ditto if you have an unsafe backstop.
Triggers are not pulled back like a dentist pulling a tooth. Nor are they yanked back like a carpenter pulling a nail. They are squeezed ever so gently, like your baby girl's nose in play. And , like the bugger you pull away, should be a surprise when it goes off. When it does go BANG!, count "One". The second BANG count "Two", etc- so you know how many you've shot off. Keep track so needing to reload won't be a surprise. This is where REAL gun control begins: learning proper sighting and trigger control. If you can't see the target, you can't hit it. If you can't hit it, you missed and may as well not have shot. So lots and lots of practice is mandatory. Which we normally couldn't afford, but since the Dems are paying for the ammo, we can waste a couple here and there so long as we practice diligently and hit what we aim at.
And there we have it- a short discourse on gun control. Much of this is tongue in cheek, as you can see. But it's very serious as well.
Liberals and Democrats (usually one and the same) want world domination and the only way to accomplish that is as Hitler did in Germany. An unarmed populace will be easy prey and when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. The honest citizen will be defenseless, as we are when liberal gun control laws are passed. Statistics prove that when firearm ownership is banned, crime against the people rises. Don't take my word for it: research it. And don't take a lib's word on it, either. Weigh the facts, then decide.
If less crime is wanted by the populace, enforce the laws already on the books: hang the murderers and rapists and child molesters; imprison the thieves and make them fulfill the entire sentence, no time-off for good behavior. No plea bargains, no insanity pleas- anyone who commits a crime or murders or molests another has to be insane anyway, so why allow it as a defense? And allow any honest law-abiding citizen who wants to to carry protection against the criminal element. Guns don't kill people- they protect them.
Naturally, everyone can find holes in arguments about guns taking lives or not, it just depends on your view. What about cars? How many people are killed by drunk drivers each year? Yet the drunks are on the streets, driving again- legally or otherwise. They should be in prison as far as I'm concerned before they kill again.
What about the abortionists? More children are killed yearly by "doctors" than all the criminals in the last hundred years. Of course, tell a Liberal or Democrat that they're killing their tax-base and they won't understand at all. But they are. All because some woman decided her appearance was more important than a life. No, don't use the rape-incest-medical reasons argument on me: it doesn't matter since the number is minuscule compared to those killed for appearance sake.
So if any Lib wants to tell me guns kill people and should be taken away, then let them create laws to eliminate all forms of killing. Of course, that would be a consistency and we know Libs and Dems can't be consistent in anything. Or honest.
Shy III