It's too late to paddle

OK, I think I get it. A hostile alien race is planning an imminent attack on Earth. Conventional weapons are useless against them, but owing to their squishy physiology, the meager .380 ACP cartridge is the only thing that can stop them.

Am I close? Because that's the only reason I can see for the inexplicable shortage of .380. Some folks are stockpiling it like there's no tomorrow, while those who were late to the party seem to be going into apoplexy over the sudden shortage.

Demand quickly exhausted the supply, and now we're seeing crap like this:

Mind the Gap

I'm not worried about another Assault Weapons Ban. In fact, I'm not worried much about any legislation. What scares me is a sort of scheme like this, which could stand up to post-Heller scrutiny:

If we can use a capital infusion to a bank as an opportunity to control executive compensation and to limit use of private planes, why can't the government use its weight as the largest purchaser of guns from major manufacturers to reward companies that work to keep their products out of criminals' hands? Put another way, if it is too difficult to outlaw bad conduct through statutes, why not pay for good conduct? Why not require vendors to change their behavior if they want our tax dollars?

--Elliot Spitzer, writing for Slate

I don't think this'd fly, but it gives me pause. Bear in mind that executive orders, particularly under an administration that sees itself as the second coming of FDR, fall into a gap where there is no real oversight. They require no ratification from Congress, but if worded carefully, they can carry the force of law.

The jury's still out as to whether it was intentional or not, but OSHA's attempt at revising 1910.109 last year proved that it's possible to stifle or kill the gun industry without passing a single law.

You can bet this is the stuff I'd be brainstorming if I was in their shoes. Here's what we need to watch for:

• import bans


• controls on manufacture and distribution of raw materials


• controls on the flow of commerce.

Cybersecurity Act of 2009

Some guy yelled at me about this today. People seem to yell a great many political things at me lately. Frankly, it's all quite tiring. Anyhow, this doofus went of on an unsolicited rant about how President Obama was going to "shut off the internet at will."

Man, I thought, I gotta know how he can do that. So, I googled (is that a verb now?) "Obama shut down internet," and I was led to the documents for the Cybersecurity Act of 2009. The actual bills are S. 773 and 778. The first draft is here [pdf].

I skimmed through it and found that it echoed almost everything I'd heard about last year's CSIS report. Basically, the report acknowledged a few things that should have already been glaringly obvious:

• That our government's computer infrastructure is vulnerable to attack and disruption,


• That you can trust Congress, who are experts on these things, to throw tons of money at it if you like, and


• It won't do much good.

So, in the interest of doing something, Congress came up with S. 773. It's a really professional-looking, well-organized proposal that's basically full of hot air. And it's expensive hot air, too.

Still, I didn't see anything sinister until I neared the end. There's some boilerplate about funding, qualifications and clearance for Federal I.T. contractors, and a program of "challenges" to incite students into becoming code monkeys for The Man.

S. 843: Cause for Concern

Frank Lautenberg's at it again. S. 843 is a piece of legislation intended to "establish background check procedures for gun shows."

Because, as we all know, gun shows represent a huge artery of supply to the criminal community:



The wording isn't up yet, but it's safe to assume that Here is the wording, and it's a carbon copy of S. 2577, which he tried to get passed last year. In fact, he's been trying to get something like this passed every year since the twilight of the Clinton administration.

Earth Day

Ah, April 22nd. Birthday of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, leader of the October Revolution and savior of the Proletariat. Let us all take a moment to...

What? Oh. Oh...that April 22nd. Earth Day. Right. I'm sure it's just a coincidence.

Earth Day wasn't founded by Lenin. It was founded by Ira Einhorn, who, unlike Lenin, only murdered one person.

Accounts vary, and many contest the allegation that he founded it, though he claims to have done so. What is uncontested is that he was pivotal in organizing it, and he served as Master of Ceremonies for the inaugural Earth Day Rally in 1970.

Heck with it, I'm going to buy about 300 cases of Aqua Net and use it all in one fell swoop. If I survive the fumes, at least I'll know I helped keep that pesky ozone layer from healing itself. Think of the tan I'll have then.

Kohoutek

Kohoutek (3:29)

Today's snippet is named for Luboš Kohoutek's comet. Its appearance in 1973 fell far short of the anticipation surrounding it, and it was ridiculed before being pretty much forgotten. Heck, it wasn't even really a comet in the technical sense, since it originated in the Kuiper Belt rather than the Oort Cloud.

Anyhow, it's off in the cold black, and it won't be back for another 75,000 years. By the time it returns, it's unlikely anyone will be here to see it. That's loneliness.

2nd Amendment: Closer to Incorporation

Nordyke v. King has been winding its way up to the 9th Circuit Court in California since 2003. The plantiff charged that his 1st and 2nd Amendment rights were being violated by enforcement of a 1999 Alameda County ordinance prohibiting the carry of arms on County property.

In the shadow of Heller, this was one to watch.

Unfortunately, the 9th Circuit ruled that the ordinance was just and would stand.

But that's not the big news. This is:

We are therefore persuaded that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment incorporates the Second Amendment and applies it against the states and local governments. (Nordyke v. King, p. 29 [pdf])

We're not arming Mexico

I was going to take today off, but I just caught two things on the news.

First off, reporst indicate that Richard Phillips was freed by a team of Navy Seals around 13:30EDT. Three pirates are reported dead, and one wounded. I'm glad to hear it, and I hope this sparks an initiative to arm our sailors from now on.

It also occurs to me that an American maritime vessel was taken by pirates for the first time in almost 200 years, and the President has remained mute on the issue. Same as with the North Korean missile launch last week. Mark my words, this administration will be known for its foreign policy failures more than any other issue in the balance of history.

The second thing was an interview with Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, in which he revived the myth that 90% of weapons confiscated in warfare between Mexican law enforcement and drug dealers (who are often one and the same) come from American dealers.

Mixed Signals on Gun Policy

In the wake of last week's violence in New York and Pittsburg, it's not unwise to expect calls for new gun restrictions. Couple that with this administration's published stance regarding gun rights, and we all have reason to be worried.

However, it looks like the current administration is learning from history, and they're not salivating over gun control as rabidly as they were fifteen years ago.

In an interview with Katie Couric, Eric Holder quickly backpedaled on his prior support for a new Assault Weapons Ban, stating,

I don’t think it has and in fact, I look forward to working with the NRA to come up with ways in which we can use common-sense approaches to reduce the level of violence that we see in our streets and make the American people as safe as they can possibly be.

When prodded further, all the elaboration he'd give about his support for gun control was,

These are issues that we’ll have to discuss. The president will be the one who will ultimately set policy — things that are politically saleable and things that will ultimately be effective.

The Left is realizing that gun control isn't as "politically saleable" as they thought going into this election. Holder's muzzling was echoed by the ever-articulate Robert Gibbs in Thursday's press briefing.

Mixed Signals on Gun Policy

In the wake of last week's violence in New York and Pittsburg, it's not unwise to expect calls for new gun restrictions. Couple that with this administration's published stance regarding gun rights, and we all have reason to be worried.

However, it looks like the current administration is learning from history, and they're not salivating over gun control as rabidly as they were fifteen years ago.

In an interview with Katie Couric, Eric Holder quickly backpedaled on his prior support for a new Assault Weapons Ban, stating,

I don’t think it has and in fact, I look forward to working with the NRA to come up with ways in which we can use common-sense approaches to reduce the level of violence that we see in our streets and make the American people as safe as they can possibly be.

When prodded further, all the elaboration he'd give about his support for gun control was,

These are issues that we’ll have to discuss. The president will be the one who will ultimately set policy — things that are politically saleable and things that will ultimately be effective.

The Left is realizing that gun control isn't as "politically saleable" as they thought going into this election. Holder's muzzling was echoed by the ever-articulate Robert Gibbs in Thursday's press briefing.

Fender American Standard 2008

This is the Fender American Standard Jazz Bass, 2008 model.

Leo Fender introduced the Jazz Bass in 1960, following the success of the Precision Bass. The Precision was the first mass-production, solid-body electric, and it had made quite a name for itself. Engineers and producers spent the latter 1950's coming to terms with this odd but effective new instrument, and by the end of the decade, it had made appearances in almost every popular genre.

Fender American Standard 2008

This is the Fender American Standard Jazz Bass, 2008 model.

Leo Fender introduced the Jazz Bass in 1960, following the success of the Precision Bass. The Precision was the first mass-production, solid-body electric, and it had made quite a name for itself. Engineers and producers spent the latter 1950's coming to terms with this odd but effective new instrument, and by the end of the decade, it had made appearances in almost every popular genre.

Fun with Handloads

185gr Golden Sabers loaded on ~6.5 grains of HP38. Nice and warm, and just scratching at supersonic. The best part is, I didn't have to do the work. A customer of mine took up reloading, and I'm just the (quite) willing guinea pig.

Given the current economic downturn and the trend of hoarding ammunition to the point of scarcity, many folks are turning to reloading. More power to them!

Reloading isn't just about saving money. It allows you to tailor loads to your specific gun and situation, and once you've got the process down, you can achieve accuracy easily surpassing many factory loadings.

Case in point: I've got a marvelous .38 Special defensive load that runs a 125gr XTP over 8 grains of HS6. It reaches 1220ft/s out of a 4" barreled revolver, and falls just subsonic in a snubnose, all while running at less that 20,000 CUP. That's a bit warmish for factory loads, but still well within the tolerances of a good gun.

Fun with Handloads

185gr Golden Sabers loaded on ~6.5 grains of HP38. Nice and warm, and just scratching at supersonic. The best part is, I didn't have to do the work. A customer of mine took up reloading, and I'm just the (quite) willing guinea pig.

Given the current economic downturn and the trend of hoarding ammunition to the point of scarcity, many folks are turning to reloading. More power to them!

Reloading isn't just about saving money. It allows you to tailor loads to your specific gun and situation, and once you've got the process down, you can achieve accuracy easily surpassing many factory loadings.

Case in point: I've got a marvelous .38 Special defensive load that runs a 125gr XTP over 8 grains of HS6. It reaches 1220ft/s out of a 4" barreled revolver, and falls just subsonic in a snubnose, all while running at less that 20,000 CUP. That's a bit warmish for factory loads, but still well within the tolerances of a good gun.

Juvenalia, Part 2

Another piece from old tape: Wisdom Like Silence (2:07)

Juvenalia, Part 2

Another piece from old tape: Wisdom Like Silence (2:07)