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He turns 21 next wknd... :woohoo: Passed with 100% on the written test and shooting proficiency of course :) We paid all his class and permit fees for his birthday present... Chip off the ole block :) :) [URL=http://s82.photobucket.com/user/wayne121170/media/IMG952015102995150923_zpstrvz1uy0.jpg.html][/URL]

Well, I was going to try backing away of somethings mentioned and bacon was one of them. Well, Kroger made me buy bacon yesterday. They had Wrights thick sliced bacon in 40 ounce packs for 5.99 normally about 5 dollars more so I bought 2 packs. Going to have breakfast for supper tonight. Eggs, bacon, Skillet Fried taters with onions and some toast. I thought about biscuits but have to draw the line somewhere so going with wheat toast................. :whistle: :whistle: 

That's crazy. We do about a dozen a day from Bud's, KY Gun Co, etc. That's an extra 12 customers each day that come in that might not have known about us otherwise. Hello? Free advertising?   SMH.

WOW!!!!!!   It must have been monumental to have pissed off Leroy.

ET and all... I've been patiently waitin for this Frontier Firearms thing to come up... As the God Man said: "... And you will know them by their works..."...    I have refrained from sayin bad things about the folks at Frontier, not because they weren't true; but because i figured it would come out sooner or later... This overbearing, dismissive attitude has been goin on for the last 12 years or so; at least... Looks like the chickens have come home to roost...   My particular run in was with the harpy that is evidently the owner's wife (...or girlfriend...)... She, was (...or still may be...) either a sheriff's deputy or policeperson in the kingston/roane county territories... She used her loud "command voice" on me over presumin to take the ejector rod out of a used Ruger SA to inspect the barrel and verify the cylinder was marked to the gun (...it was used...)...She evidently thought i was about to steal a part or wasn't smart enough to put it back together correctly... The whole thing smacked of a police encounter with a fugitive...   I had my then 12 or 14 year old son with me, so i didn't paint a "verbal picture of what i thought of her and her "command voice" and retail skills were at the time... I politely handed "the weapon" back reassembled correctly and told her where she could put it...I also reminded her that i wasn't her dog and didn't appreciate being hollered at like one...  One of the guys tried to smooth it over with me, but to no avail, as you all can tell... It is beyond me why anyone would do business with this trash...   I have not darked the door of their establishment since that time; and i will not in the future... Further, ive regularly told this little story to everyone ive met in a face to face situation when the subject of Frontier Firearms comes up...Now, all of you who read this post know it too..     In the interest of "full disclosure"; i never had any trouble with the guy i took to be the owner or any of his employees... This monstrous harpy was the only one that i ever saw being rude, and i had seen it a time or two before our particular run in... I figure the owner is henpecked and is afraid to call her out... I say the hell with the both of them... Her for bein an overbearing jackassette and him for bein a weenie... They dont have anyting i need...   leroy

A while back, I bought a set of tires on the classifieds here that used to belong to David. On the way home, I stopped at Discount tire in Lebanon to ask how much they'd charge to mount and balance them. Their price was high, so I said thanks and started out the door. The salesman stopped me asd asked what I'd pay. I told him what I could have it done for locally, and he invited me back in for them to do it at the same price.   Well, they did a great job, and were very nice and professional. I remembered that. Last week, I was looking for a set of tires for my son's truck as a birthday present. After pricing tires, I ordered a set from the Gallatin location. I went to have them installed today, and after pricing some trailer tires, I pulled my trailer with me, and bought tires for it as well. Again, I was met with the most friendly and professional people you'll find.   Also, I can't find anywhere to beat their prices. I'll be dealing with this place until something changes.   I like to read about good experiences with local businesses, and thought I'd share one. If you need tires, this is a great place to go. :up: :up:

She has admitted to doing something to actually violate the Stolen Valor Act. She bragged about getting military discounts at various places. She needs to feel the wraith that is our veterans I will go ahead and get the ball rolling on her demise.

I think every gun store has hired the wrong person a time or two, but when the owner is whack there's no excuse for it. I have bought several guns from the owner of Specialty Arms and found him to be a pleasant and an overall good experience each time. The last time I went in there to purchase a Ruger I got a relatively young employee whom I'd not seen before and who seemed to be an impersonal ass-hat. The owner wasn't around or I would have said something to him about it. That particular day I had both of my sisters with me, and we had visited Guns-N-More too. The contrast in experience was such that they remarked to me that they wouldn't buy from Specialty Arms. You can't do much about owners, but a word to the owners are to watch their employees when they don't think that you are watching. Don't take anything for granted that could risk your business.

Does this mean Maggie is single?

On October 15 CSXT announced they would close the yard in Erwin Tennessee then 5 day later the annouced they would cease operations in Corbin Kentucky this is the tale of one mans last run on the Clinchfield Railroad. ​My last run Following last week’s announcement regarding reduced operations at the Erwin, Tenn., terminal, CSX Engineer Joe Barrdocumented his last run on the Clinchfield Route. Written by Joe Barr Last night and into this early morning has been bittersweet. I want to keep this moment, this memory, for as long as I can, so I have chosen to document it here. It’s 4am and I have just completed my last run out of Erwin on APBR A202 pool turn on CSX's former Clinchfield Route. When all this came about with the closure of Erwin Yard, I was heading into my off days Wednesday and Thursday. The last trains out of Erwin had pretty much come and gone by the time I marked back up Friday at 00:01. It seemed my run was over on my beloved southend pool turn. I even noted on another post that, "If only I had known my last trip was my last trip, I would have savored it a bit more”... I called the Yard Office yesterday afternoon to see if there was anything else to go, maybe I could get just one more. The Yardmaster told me, "I'm sorry Joe, but there is not.” So that’s it. I am 1st out, and it’s over. I picked up my daughters from school, head home and resort back to staring into the void... My natural state for the last few days. Then the phone rang at 15:30, it was the crew caller calling me for a relief job to relieve Q69615 at 17:30. I was to taxi to Marion and take the train to Bostic. This was it, this is my last run. I got it. A short run, but a good one. Thank God. I show up at the yard office where there were a few guys coming in from their last run, others just came in to see who was there. The general conversation was asking what the others were thinking about doing, “Where you going, Nashville? Birmingham? Etowah? Tampa?”. Followed by the “It’s been good working with you”, then the handshakes, the hugs, the misty eyes, the turns and walks away. Same as it has been down here for the last few days. My Conductor and I finally loaded up our taxi with our grips and orders and headed to Marion. He's a fine man, a guy I went to school with who is also an Engineer that has been cut back to Conductor in recent months. He jumped in the front seat, and I got in the back. That’s the way it is. I am sure there is a story as to why, but if I have been told the story, I have since forgotten it. The Conductor sits in the front seat, the Engineer in the back, always, that’s just the way it is... There was some small talk, about where he might go, the kids, where would be the best place for the kids, and schools. But mostly quiet, a bit somber. We arrived at Marion where we relieved a seasoned crew, both were Engineer’s, one a few spots behind me in seniority the other cut back to Conductor. There was the typical chit chat you get when you relieve a crew, but this time it lingered a little more with finally, handshakes, firm hugs, keep in touch, and the it will be alrights... My Conductor and I loaded up, contacted the Dispatcher and started on our way. It was extremely sentimental to me. Not knowing what the future holds, this is my chance to savor the run. I ignored the Automatic mode (Trip Optimizer) and chose to run this train Manual, like I was trained to do years ago by men who were considered giants of the Clinchfield. We tore out of Marion with 4 locomotives (2 of them dead in tow) and 7400 tons of mixed time freight. I pulled them through “Jacktown" then I started to throttle off and set up the dynamics to hold us back down the hill to Prison Curve. Come back on the throttle a couple of notches, then back off to dynamic to get us through the dip at Muddy Creek, where you come off of them again and get back in the throttle. All while maintaining 45 mph. This is where he shared with me, “The fastest I have ever been on a train was right here". He told me what the speed was, it was pretty impressive, but he was a bit reluctant to tell me who the Engineer was. We laughed and he said, “I thought we was going to send it all out in to the cornfield when we hit the curve!”. That’s how most good stories go out here, they are always the kind that in the moment it’s pure terror, "we could die here", kind of stories, but after some time has passed, you can share them with that nervous laugh that comes out when you reflect on the fear, but cover it with the laugh. After the dip at Muddy Creek we started up the hill to “Fero", where you top it, then proceed down Vein Mountain. I set my dynamics up and proceed to bunch the train up against me gently like I have done so many times in the past. Like I was taught, when the slack comes in lightly. “You have to feel it in the seat of your pants” kind of lightly. He said, "this train is all messed up, empty's on the headend and rear, with loads through the middle". I told him, it felt fine. I could feel the loads in the middle of the train slightly come in on us and press us up to 40 mph where I held them with dynamic. Once we got by the 40 mph speed board I put 1st service train brake on and eased up the dynamics. The train responded perfectly, and we cruised down the mountain at 40 and hit the 35 mph speed board at “Sandfill" right on target. Now, this isn’t bragging. This is pride. We still have that on the Clinchfield. Some choose to do it, some choose to do it right. As we glided down Vein Mountain he says, "It's been a honor to work with such a great engineer like you." I buckled, it’s been an emotional week, and to get such a compliment at that moment was unexpected and moved me to tears in the darkness of the cab. I didn't say anything for a moment, then I told him he was one of the best out here, I never heard an ill word about him. My compliment was weak compared to his, but it was all I could muster. We went a couple of miles in silence when he said, "hey man, if you don't care, can I take 'em a couple of miles". This broke me down. Knowing that there may never be another chance again for him to run a train down the Clinchfield, I knew this trip was just as important to him as it was to me. I said, "I got what I wanted, I nailed both speed boards, you take 'em down the big rail. (Meaning, run them through Thermal and on to Logan, the 50 mph track.) He got in the seat, and said "I just don't think I'll ever get to do this again." I said, "take 'em as far as you want". We sat in silence both of us trying miserably to hold back tears as he ran them at 50 mph through Thermal and on to Tate where you hit a pretty good size dip called "Panic Dip” I finally spoke and said “When I started running I always feared this spot", He said, “ yea, I think they named it appropriately”, with a little bit of a chuckle, I had to lightly give a laugh too. He ran them like a champ through the dip right on 50, like he has done numerous times in his tenure on the Clinchfield. He finally spoke up once we were by “Dairy Farm” and said, “Thanks man, you can take them back now." I patted him on the back. We both sat down and continued in silence, I couldn’t dare look at him, the emotions were just too much. We got the train to Bostic, switched it for the outbound, and by the time we were done, the outbound crew showed up to take over and on to Hamlet, NC. We had to hang around there a little while waiting on our final taxi ride home, so we just kind of stood out there and watched our train pull out of the yard. The yard office sits right next to the track so when a train comes in or out, the noise is pretty loud, joints cracking, flanges rubbing the rail. Metal on metal noise… But then the rear comes by, the noise fades, and all you see is a blinking red light silently going the distance up the hill, then disappears in the darkness. After a little while, my Conductor says “I wish I had taken a picture of that engine. I have a picture of the first engine I ran, I would have liked to have one of this one too.” I had thought the same thing earlier, we should do a selfie, our last run on the Clinchfield with engine 233 in the background, but I blew it off. I regret that now… Our taxi finally showed up, and with it was the best driver Bostic has to offer. Just the man we needed for the quiet ride home. A quiet ride where memories play out in your mind knowing this is it, it will all be different now. The ride none of us wanted to take ended two and a half hours later, in the parking lot of the Erwin Yard Office around 3am. Just in time to see the last train of 20 some cars and 8 engines head out of Erwin. This is it. The yard is empty now, no crews, no engines, only a couple of cars for the industry we have left in Erwin, and lonely switch target lights. It’s over. God has been with me all day, I have felt it. Everything has been placed perfectly for this day. The pride held by every man doing the job today, that they have done for years has been immeasurable. Faced with what we have been given, every one of them continues to carry the Pride and Responsibility they have had placed on them by becoming Engineers, Conductors, Carmen, Electricians, Mechanics, Signalmen, Yardmasters, Clerks and so many other titles on the Clinchfield. I pray that where ever they go they have the respect they deserve, because they are simply the greatest people I have ever met. To put it in better words, my brothers and sisters of Erwin Terminal, we are the CLINCHFIELD.

I had one issue a few years ago. They ordered in some Michelin PS2's and it turned out they were very short dated. Tire rubber starts aging as soon as they come off the production line. The manager told me there was nothing they could do about it. Long story short - I called Michelin's corporate office and they immediately drop shipped four freshly dated tires from the factory! And covered the reinstall at Discount Tire. The Discount Tire manager was not very courteous on my return but it got done. THANK YOU MICHELIN! It really does pay to check the age code on your tires. Each manufacturer's code is available online.

  But unlike all those, TWD has had solid writing that has risen well above "the hero always saves the day and doesn't die" cliches. Once you give the zedism itself your required suspension of disbelief, its strongest suit has been character development and interaction, all within the overarching theme of "no one is safe".   Indeed, the zombies themselves became of secondary interest for me by the third season at the latest, they're just the necessary ongoing background antagonist element that spurs the more interesting parts of the story along. I've said it before, but the quality of the writing could have supported any "apocalyptic" scenario as impetus, though admittedly the popularity of zombies certainly got things off to a more instant popularity than would have others.   Though various faves have survived plenty of close shaves, some dependent on fortuitous split second timing and whatnot, none have really risen to "oh, no way" levels. In short, we haven't been "tricked". But if Glenn is still alive, in this case it seems almost certain that we will have indeed been tricked by a dramatic cheap shot.   - OS

  This is the EXACT business mindset all shops should have!!!  If they walk inside your store, for whatever reason, you benefit.  

I really feel as if I have been fair in my criticisms, perhaps too much so.  In a nutshell, the original issue was related to a special order my wife placed for a Uberti Cattleman to give me as a Christmas gift.  When she ordered it the first part of November, the clerk told her the gun was in stock with the distributor and it would arrive in about a week.  She paid the deposit and waited.  It didn't arrive until well into January, which is very likely out of the hands of the people at FF.  Here is the rub: 1) She was told when the gun was ordered that it was in stock and would be there in a week. 2) When the gun was not in stock, the people at FF did not call her to let her know. 3) When she called multiple times, they gave her the run-around and basically lied.  The gun was always "on the truck for the next delivery" or "definitely on the way."   4) Christmas came and I got a nice picture of the gun with her story about how she was being treated.  I then started calling and got the same treatment.  They always said, "we called and they said it's in stock and will be shipped out tomorrow."   5) I finally called and said we just wanted to cancel the order and they said they could not do refunds on special orders. 6) When the gun finally arrived the second week of January, we went to pick it up.  The manager made no apologies for what happened and made no effort to make up for the hassle.  As I was talking to the manager about the issue, the owner came up, butted into the conversation without so much as an "excuse me," and talked to the manager about something else.  I have always been under the impression the owner was well-aware of who I was, why I was there, and what problems I had experienced.  Thanks to all of that crap, my wife has sworn off buying guns forever and she hasn't set foot into a gun store since.  No kidding on that. She wasn't a gun person to start with and that experience totally tainted her. I even gave the place another shot after that - not sure why, but I guess I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.  I was looking for a specific handgun and called them multiple times over the course of a week to see if they had it and if not, what it would cost to order it.  I was promised a return call every single time, and on the last call I got the owner's wife who was referenced above.  She was rude, huffed about how she didn't have time to look up a price, and would call me back later in the day.  Needless to say, I'm still waiting on that return call.   Now, according to the owner of FF, since this all happened a few years ago my complaint is not valid, and he even accused me of being dishonest about ever being a customer.  I have looked at some of the other complaints people have left and I don't think there is a single one where they admitted the possibility that they did anything wrong.  Even in my complaint I posted a couple of days ago, he had every opportunity to try and make up for it, but instead he went on a rant and then maliciously sought out my other pages to harass me.  Real high-class guy.

  Oh, it does for sure. On both sides of the coin, even.

I was thinking something similar yesterday.  Is it just me or does the gun business seem to have an above average number of these sorts of people?

I still do not have a date, but if you all who have a knife coming please send me an email rovmanwillis@yahoo.com I need it to have 1. Your Real Name for shipping 2. Your TGO name so it gets to you 3. Your address where you want the knife shipped Please give me this info as an email and as soon as you can so I can prepare my end to get these out to you when I receive them

I don’t know this guy and have never been to his store, so this is not about him directly, but it seems when you own a gun store you can do and say pretty much anything you want, and change anything you want, and stay in business. The good news is that we are getting more and more FFL’s that actually have storefronts and good inventory. Competition should help the buyer.

Desert ironwood scales really set the look of this off IMHO. They were provided by the customer.

Well Done to the TAP crew!  :up:   I had a great time - - - well except maybe for that center mass head shot on the no-shoot!  :yuck:

Meh... are you listening, Hornady??? Now, THIS... would change EVERYTHING. Until then... go back to sleep.

I say that this is an effort by the sissy vegetarian tree hugging leftist to first declare that meat is bad and then do what sissy vegetarian tree hugging leftist do, ban it to protect us from ourselves.  Never trust anyone who doesn't eat bacon, never!

I got no issue calling somebody out. If they are a legit vet it's pretty easy to tell talking to them, but if I had doubts I'd ask for a DD-214, and would have no trouble producing mine if it's asked for. I have no respect or tolerance for people lying about military service. I've got brothers who are permanently scared and a few who never came home, and lying about it is disrespectful to them in the worst way. If she never graduated boot camp then she's not a veteran, and I'm not sure they even give DD-214's for failure to adapt in basic. Ask for help honestly and I'll give you the shirt of my back. Lie to me and I'll laugh at your calamity. 99% of the wounded vets I know have to have it pried out of them, and most veterans won't push their vet status out of humbleness Sent from behind the anvil

Here is a taste of what my company will be bringing. Was to lazy to dig through the other safe and the rest of this one. Ha. I'll have suppressors for about every gun, including my M249. [URL=http://s95.photobucket.com/user/eat7thirdythree/media/Posties_zpsrqzgjz8u.jpg.html][/URL]

Fighting Sheep Dog is kicking off it's annual "Toys for Tots" drive and this year is gonna be epic! Forget the raffle for the custom-built 6.5 Grendel AR (1st prize) or the Silencerco SpecWar 762 (2nd prize). It's the day that we DRAW for these prizes and close the silent auction that'll be the most memorable for you! We're teaming up with Windrock Shooting Range and Mike Dresner of Law Enforcement Sales to bring you a day of FREE hamburgers and hotdogs, FREE access to shoot any of our firearms (suppressed, sbrs, 300blk, and more)... ...but that's not all! See, Dresner's bringing some full-auto goodies (SAWs, M60s, and more) and Windrock already has a full auto Glock and full auto AR available. And all you have to do is get the ammo from Windrock to play! Full details are available through us at Fighting Sheep Dog. Swing by and introduce yourself, grab some flyers to put up at work, and let's make this a fun time for both you, your family and friends, and the kids who'll receive a very special gift from you this year.

I have not posted in a while, but curious about everyone elses sausage ball reciepies. Its that time of year...and honestly, I don't know why its not an all year thing. They are easy to make and last a while.... deliciousness... I'm expeirimenting with the below recipie.   1 pound Tennessee Pride "Hot Sausage" 16 oz Shredded cheddar cheese 1-3/4 cups Bisquick   I mix this all together and roll into small balls. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes and they are delicious.   What is your twist on this receipie? o        

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/10/26/packing-at-lunch-restaurant-robbery-triggers-discount-for-gun-owners/?intcmp=hpbt4   Published October 26, 2015 | FoxNews.com   Art Bouvier is giving the next person who tries to rob his Indianapolis Cajun-style eatery something to think about - by dangling a 25 percent discount for pistol-packing patrons. After a man claiming to have a gun robbed Papa Roux Saturday night, the New Orleans native announced that customers with a valid a concealed handgun permit will get a quarter off their tab. Bouvier told FoxNews.com he hopes it will send a strong signal that it's a bad idea to pull a gun with bad intentions in his restaurant.   "I just want the criminals to wonder whether customers have a gun," Bouvier said. "I don’t want a shootout but I also don't want people coming in here thinking I have a given them leverage over my employees and customers." Bouvier 46, cooked up the plan after a man walked into the restaurant and told the cashier he had a gun and demanded money. The suspect -- who is still being sought -- made off with cash from a tip jar and no one was hurt. Bouvier said a customer approached him shortly after the hold-up and said he had a gun and was prepared to use it if things got out of hand. But Bouvier, who already offers a 50 percent discount to police officers, noted that no one knew there was a law-abiding gun owner in the restaurant when the robbery occurred. That got him thinking. "What if criminals recognize my restaurant as a place where legal and responsible gun owners come to dine?" he said. "They would think twice about what they're doing. "I don't care if they bring in a gun or not," Bouvier said of his customers. "The 25 percent discount is simply for showing you have a carry license, meaning you have a clean criminal record." Bouvier first made the announcement Sunday in a Facebook post that has since gone viral. "If thugs are going to come in and threaten OUR extended family with guns, you'd better believe I will use every trick I know to protect our family," he wrote. Loyal customers left messages of support for Bouvier and his response to the robbery. "Exercising my 2nd Amendment Right and Eating the best Cajun grub north of Lake Pontchartrain!" wrote customer Brian Alvey. "Love Art Bouvier's reaction to being robbed!" wrote another. "Just an honest man trying to keep his business and customers safe while they dine, and I think it's awesome! Indy, we need to take back our streets/homes/businesses from these punks!" But not all customers are happy about the discount, according to Bouvier, who said he's received a few angry phone calls from people. "Some have called saying, 'You've lost a customer,'" said Bouvier.  "Are you telling me you're more comfortable with a thug in line with a gun than a dining room full of people with no criminal record and a legal license to carry a gun?" asked Bouvier, a self-described libertarian. When asked for their opinion on the matter, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said in an e-mail Monday, "It is not against the law to carry a handgun with a permit and for a business to offer a discount. The department encourages responsible gun ownership." Bouvier added he's not concerned about what his insurance company might think of the discount, saying, "I’m simply recognizing a legal document." He said his message to would-be diners is simple: "Are you legal? Let me know." "I want to reward the fact that my customers are that type of citizen," he said.  Bouvier opened Papa Roux eight years ago with great success. Diners pack the restaurant at lunch time, ordering from a variety of Cajun-style items -- with the hand-breaded catfish po' boy in greatest demand. The eatery is also a longtime favorite among local police officers, who receive a discount each time they order. "Police always have a 50 percent discount here, so I already told them they can't stack the discount," Bouvier quipped.

Etowah is a pretty good place to work out of. I spent 27 years as a locomotive engineer running back and forth from Etowah to Corbin, KY. The South End running to Atlanta is a better run. Our run has a lot of mountains, tunnels, and bridges. My favorite run was always the spur line to Tellico Plains. I loved working the local and going through the mountain country to the little town of Tellico. My grandfather used to be the freight agent in Tellico and always walked down to meet me at the train.

If he is around the lake with all the vacation cabins and houseboats he could be on the lamb for awhile. They should have put the dogs on him in Ky as soon as he hit the woods, rin tin tin would have had him!!!

  and I disagree with them

Open up an in private browser window and paste the link there if interested.  That usually bypasses the Tennessean's ridiculous surveys.

  "www.dmdc.osd.mil uses an invalid security certificate. The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown. The server might not be sending the appropriate intermediate certificates. An additional root certificate may need to be imported."   It's part of de gummit, you expect it to get a "secure" https site right? ;)   - OS  

Yea , I know but I am trying to cut back. That was on my list also for supper but it went the way of the biscuits. Gotta draw a line somewhere.................. :hiding:............................. :rofl:  :rofl: 

Glen's survival not realistic?  Its a show about zombies, lmao.

I have bought 3 sets of tires from the Gallatin location plus Boat trailer tires and took 2 of my Grandsons up there for them to get tires and we all got free rotate and balance for life of tires and I can go there anytime and they will check tire inflation for correct amount. Always friendly folks that stumble over themselves trying to serve folks. I will continue doing business with them and recommend them to anyone looking for tires.................. :up:  :up: 

I hope this link works.  Video of Norma burning it down.   https://youtu.be/Xff_KpjBsTU

some of the counties in Cali are starting to get with the program, but and of course there is a but, they still make a person jump through a stack of hoops to get a CCW.  An old school buddy of mine called me the other day to as for recommendations for mag holders for the glock he has.  I was surprised and asked him if he had his ccw and he said he did, but it took him 7 months to get it, and it is out of San Bernardino county and no L.A., so it can happen now he says he will carry 2 or 3 extra mags with him when he goes out. 

Discount Tire in Franklin is literally next door to Everything Weapon's gun range.  I can drop the vehicle off for a free tire rotation and go into the range for an hour or so.  2 birds; 1 stone.

That's exactly what I was thinking as I read it!

Most vegetarians I know look sickly.  

  Yeah Spots, we're still $10 for the firearm and $10 for the background check. We decided from the day we opened that we'd never punish a customer for finding a better deal elsewhere.   Some of our local competitors actually charge a percentage of what you paid for the gun for the transfer! That's none of their business!

I will offer my insight here based solely on experience and observation.  As some folks have said, each case is unique, so trying to pin it down to exactly one thing causing these suicides can't be done.  From what I've seen, the deployments and experienced combat were not the root cause, but rather exacerbated existing conditions or situations.  At the same time we consider this, we should also consider that adults at highest risk of suicide are males in the 18-24 age range; this is a significant chunk of our military.  Two big things, at least in my experience, which are unique to the military crowd are long deployments and combat experience.    Long deployments create family problems.  I don't care to count how many guys in my unit were divorced.  With the exception of one, every person I knew who committed suicide was having, or recently had, serious marital problems or separation from their spouse.  So while the deployment may have not been the direct cause of the suicide, it certainly played a part.    As for what is experienced in combat (and I mean actual combat, not deploying to a FOB and hearing a few indirect rounds hit now and then), it will change a person whether he realizes it or not.  I'm not saying that everyone who experiences combat has PTSD, but as with most other life experiences, it changes how you perceive the world around you.  Anyone who has children knows this very well.  You aren't the same person you were before your first child came into the world.  Someone who experiences close combat, especially on a regular basis for extended periods of time, will view the world in a different context than he did before.  The level of violence I brought on people, and how comfortable I became doing it, is not something that can be explained to someone who hasn't had a similar experience.  People look at you like you're either a psychopath or are a poster child for PTSD.  This is why people like me don't talk to people about it.  Not because I don't like bringing up those memories.  If you get me and my buddies together, we'll be recalling war stories in graphic detail after a couple of beers.  We just don't like talking about it with people who can't possibly relate to what we're talking about.  It makes us uncomfortable.   With that in mind, most of us view our own mortality very differently than a person who hasn't come close to being killed, or haven't seen their buddies killed, or haven't killed another human being before.  I can't describe it, other than to say that folks who have this experience are more comfortable with their own death than others may be.  Perhaps because we accepted it at one time or the other.  Speaking for myself, back in those days death was something that would happen or it wouldn't, but I accepted that I had no control over that and it made it easier to do the things I did without letting self-preservation instincts take over when it mattered.  I have to believe that changed my perception of things significantly.  Even now, when I consider my own mortality, my concern is for the future of my wife and children.  Without them, I don't believe I'd place such a high value on my life that I would be uncomfortable with the concept of dying.      I wrote all that to help put it into context what might be going on with someone who commits suicide that has had these life experiences.  It isn't about PTSD, it's about the context in which they see life and death.  It's just different than regular people who don't ever experience that.  Kinda in the same way that a person is at higher risk for suicide if someone in their family commits suicide.  I think there were 5 members of Ernest Hemingway's family that killed themselves after he did?  Something like that.  I think it's much the same way for people who are in a unique situation where they have had to digest the full spectrum of death; accepting their own, coping with the loss of many of their buddies, and killing other people.   Just last week I spent a few hours talking with an old friend who's wife left him recently, and took their kids with her.  We have known each other since just after 9/11, and spent a deal of time in training together just prior to invading Iraq.  He's always been a bad drunk, and more impulsive to say things than most.  After a few deployments between Iraq in Afghanistan, I could see the changes in him.  He would likely be diagnosed with PTSD somewhere on a spectrum, if such a thing existed.  But talking to him last week, those aren't the issues that I need to talk him down from.  It's the loss of what is most important in life which has him on the ledge.  Now I don't know if he's really considered taking his life, but where he is emotionally I have to believe the thought has crossed his mind, and with his experiences similar to mine, I'd have to believe that death isn't as scary to him as it is to most people.  This is the recipe right here.   The problem I have with the media and the Army's lip service to suicide, is they keep wanting to put a hashtag on it and wrap it up with the PTSD bow.  That's not what is happening, at least not from what I've observed.  When they do this, they are tacking on the cause to a problem which has little or nothing to do with the problem, which makes it difficult to address the real reason why servicemembers and veterans are killing themselves and develop an effective solution.    What it keeps coming back to is we have to do our best to look out for each other.  When you know your buddy is going through some hard times, reach out and let him talk.  Just taking the cork off the bottle will help.  It's uncomfortable to say all the things you're supposed to say.  I heard that with a potentially suicidal person you should just come right out and ask if they're thinking about killing themselves.  I don't know if that's correct, but I found that I couldn't even say that the other night to him.  Hopefully he's doing better now than he was before, and if he isn't, I hope to have the courage to ask the things that need to be asked.

Just remember guys, if it floats, flys or fornicates, rent instead of buy.   :rofl:

How about approaching and eating ALL foods with moderation, reducing the chemical preservatives and flavorings and increase physical activity in some way.

Or any of us could walk outside and get hit by a car, so why not eat desert first and follow it up with a nice piece of steak.

[sarcasm] And in other news, studies have indicated links between being alive and dying.  According to one researcher, an exhaustive study of living people indicated that living people have a 100% chance of dying at some point in the future (margin of error for this study is +/- 5%). [/sarcasm]   As y'all probably know by now, I recently had stage 3 colon cancer.  I figure that if I live long enough then cancer will probably, eventually come back to get me.  Now, I could spend whatever time I have between now and then living on stems, twigs and grass and then still die and be lying in my coffin like this (metaphorically) :  :angry: or I can continue to eat my good, smoky barbecue (one of my favorite things in the world), occasional serving of bacon and so on and be lying in my coffin like this (also metaphorically) : :D .  Don't get me wrong - I like eating vegetables.  They go great as side dishes with meat!

Breathing air causes cancer.  100% of people who have cancer also breathe air.  Stop breathing, stop cancer.  Simple.                In no way do intend for my sarcasm to detract from those who've battled cancer, it's a horrible disease.  I'm just being a smartass.  :)

The whole point is for us to THINK he's dead or THINK he's not dead. It's a draw. We'll all be on the edge of our lazy-boys next week to find out

What if you could win a one-off custom 6.5 Grendel AR  (or a .308 suppressor) and support a charity that you knew 100% of your donation went to the people who were supposed to get it?   What if you could find out that you won, eat a belly-full of hamburgers and hot dogs, and shoot full auto (and/or suppressed) firearms to your heart's content?   What if you could do it all and not have to leave East Tennessee to do it?   YOU CAN!   Fighting Sheep Dog (in Claxton/Powell and a TGO sponsor) has teamed up with Mike Dresner (also a sponsor on TGO), along with Windrock Shooting Range to support our local Toys for Tots. We prefer this charity because they only take toys and all of the people who collect, package, and distribute for T4T are all VOLUNTEERS!    So, for the month of October, we'll have raffle tickets ($20 per ticket) for your chance to win either a custom, one-off 6.5 Grendel AR (donations from Black Hole Weaponry for the barrel, Spike's Tactical NiB bcg, JP Enterprises silent capture spring, Unique ARs handguard, and more!) or a Silencerco Specwar 762 suppressor.   There's also a silent auction going on the entire month of October at Fighting Sheep Dog as well. 100% of all proceeds go to Toys for Tots!   Then, on November 1st, come spend the day at Windrock Shooting Range. We'll have FREE hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone who joins us! Plus, a donation of either a new, unwrapped toy or cash, plus the cost of ammo from Windrock will give you the opportunity to shoot:   - M60E4 LMG beltfed 7.62mm - M249 SAW beltfed 5.56mm - MP5A2 9mm - HK 416 5.56mm - M16A1 5.56 (Vietnam Style) - M16 300BLK - M16 9mm - M16 22lr - Sterling SMG 9mm - Ingram MAC-10 9mm - Accuracy International AW Covert 7.62 bolt action SAS Suppressor - Glock full auto 9mm (x2) - M4 10.5" - M4 13.5" - AR308 - Full Auto AK47 - Full Auto AR - Full Auto Polish PK 9mm - And at least 7 more ARs, most of them suppressed!   RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook...08468702576791/ or stop by the shop at 530 Edgemoor Rd in Powell (across the street from the Breadbox Shell Station) and let us know you'll be there!   Don't forget to stop by and purchase a raffle ticket or add your name in the silent auction, drawings are on November 1st at the range! We look forward to seeing you soon!