Oh Shoot

One of the libs on MSNBC had a good point last night:   The GOP's efforts to trash the ACA, which went nowhere, did lead to the shutdown. Then the shutdown has been all the news, which has totally put just how bad the roll out of ACA has been on the back pages.   So ironically, the GOP has aided the ObamaCare PR machine by deflecting most of the bad press which would have hammered home just what how inept its initial implementation has been, and giving the admin time to quietly scramble to patch it up by the time the government reopens.  "After all, what do you expect when the government is shut down, things to run well?" -- that kind of spin.   And of course now with the drastic turn in some of the polling,  the GOP is desperately trying to deal, on ever changing and murky concessions, with no real lever.   My take when the dust settles: damn good thing the Republican gerrymandering machine has been so effective, or this would cost us the House in '14. But we've lost significant ground nationally -- Hildebeeste now about 5:1.   - OS      

  With the new polls out, they've caving as fast as they can.   - OS

  Yep, worked fine for me too.

  You can have it sent to any FFL for 11 clams extra.   - OS

"Most congressmen should be fired, but not mine" is a long standing US voting principle.   - OS

Has affected me big time! No homepage, Astronomy Picture of the Day!   - OS

Midlength blem deal from PSA, $550. This, your TGO lower, and some reasonably priced sights and you're in biz with a fine AR for under 8 bills counting shipping/FFL and everything. http://palmettostatearmory.com/index.php/psa-16-cmv-cl-midlength-heavy-ss12g2-blemished-ready-for-duty-rifle-kit.html - OS

Yeah, I realize I could doll one up to get beau coup more accuracy, but doubt if I'll ever really chase groups. But I do enjoy reading about all the custom stuff you do with them, and used to spend a good bit of time over on RF Central, too. Mine two will do pretty reliable 5 shot 2" or so groups at 50 yards off just bipods if I do everything correctly and hold my mouth right, with just CCI Blazer, once in a while I might get closer to 1" if I shoot enough groups :) They're both stock internally 'cept for Volquartsen hammers and extractors; one has bolt release mod and KIDD charging handle now, but only the hammers are really contributing to better accuracy than just a stock model, I reckon. But I'll probably always be just mostly a plinker. I shoot 'em at 100 yards too, but strive for no more precision than substituting the bottom point of the vertical reticule on the 3-9 scopes nstead of cross hairs, to chew up center of paper plate or hit a tin can or clay most every time. Cheap Bushnell scopes also. One looks pretty mean, though, I call it my NBR (Naughty Black Rifle) or TRE (Tactical Rodent Eradicator). :) The other is just conventional, with Hogue overmold: I've since changed the scope mount to Weaver on that one, damn thing would never stay locked in place, though not as bad as my Marlin 60. Oddly, even though can't do a real cheek weld on the NBR, I shoot it about as well as the conventional stocked one. Both are more accurate than my CMMG dedicated AR upper, though the stock trigger on the AR lower may contribute to a good bit of the difference. I guess if all I mostly shot was .22LR I might delve a bit more into them for accuracy, but shoot a bunch of other stuff too, so probably never will. - OS

Well, there are my 10/22's and your 10/22's. There ain't too much to tell about mine. :)   - OS

  Heard on radio $125 fine is about the worst that would happen.   - OS

Whew. Well, I know I feel better. ;)

  Perhaps clumsy sentence structure, meant I didn't know it was a fact that FBI checks have not been affected for HCPs, which apparently they have not been. I knew the ATF section is down.   - OS

Cell phone only here. Haven't had a telemarketing call on it ever, or even a spam text.   Been pretty surprised that cells have escaped this long, though.   - OS

  Mine was a few days over 90, and without repeated phone calls and emails would obviously have been quite a bit over. No explanation as to why beyond "background checks not completed". No glitches of final charges dispositions or anything like that I had to deal with, just mostly, "not sure why, I'll check into it" answers.   Lisa finally got involved personally when I emailed her a fairly hot email about how the last employee on phone had said "well, looks like you may miss the first 90 day cycle, so might be another 90 days"!   - OS

  Looking like only a no strings 6 week extension of debt ceiling only is being offered right now, but no actual budget negotiation regarding the CR, so shutdown still unaffected.  Stay tuned.   - OS

They have something against the letter Y, or just couldn't spell it?   - OS

Irony on HealthCare.gov is that the entities that got the contracts are the ones who mostly know the intricacies about how to get contracts, rather than the intricacies of uber IT.   If they had just turned it over to the companies that did all the micro database crunching that got BHO reelected, probably would have worked fine from the gitgo.   Not that I'm eligible, but I've tried to get on there since it opened, just for curiosity, have always gotten the "Wait, too many users" (which never works) or "system down for scheduled maintenance". Just now, I actually got to the making account area, entered all info, to get:   "Important: Your account couldnt be created at this time. The system is unavailable."   And takes you back to the fields, which are blank, so you have to start over.   And these are the same minds that will "take care" of your health needs. Right.   - OS   edit: tried it again with same info. Got "user name already taken". I used very unique user name, so it's obvious it "registered" that, but that's all, since can't log in. It remains quite broken there.

Been a couple of threads on it here.   It won't amount to much, not enough truly independent truckers left in the US. Vast majority are company drivers and owner operators leased to a company, neither can risk their jobs in this economy.   Always the chance for a few crazies to make some real news though. If guns are involved, so much the better for the Left.   - OS

  Except that ACA apparently bars tax liens or pay garnishment, or any criminal penalty for not paying tax. For now, of course.   Law abiding citizens will comply, others won't. Sort of like gun laws, eh?   - OS

  Often said. However, I talked with Lisa Knight at a gunshow, and she said in spite of that, they never issue a permit until background checks are complete, period.   - OS

  There is only one program, LifeLine.  Multiple vendors.   I don't know where you get that about old phones ... Assurance in my post above (a division of Virgin Mobile) gives you a new Kyrocera phone. I suppose it's representative of all the Life Line vendors, don't know if each one gives out same phone, but no way any of them could support a hodgepodge of used phones.   "Your Assurance Wireless phone comes with a one-year warranty from the original equipment manufacturer." Obviously no used phones from them.   - OS

  Yep, my body clock has always reverted to vampire hours when given the chance.  But without John Barleycorn for over 16 years now.   But I'm going to bed to wind down with NY Times crosswords and the rest of RedEye, two other addictions.   Nighty night...   - OS

"It [sic] what looks like a spiteful move, the NPS even removed handles from water spigots along the Chesapeake and Ohio canal where bikers and joggers exercise as well as along the Great Allegheny Passage, just to ensure people don't get any water from them."   If that's true, that uber petty move should stand as the overall symbol of just how much "the government is here to help you".   - OS

And where has our illustrious new Secretary of Defense been through all this, not a peep from Sergeant Hagel.   - OS

  Believe it or not, there was some kind of sort of funnel web builder on my light fixture on porch a few weeks ago, guess it was a wolf spider, and I scared up a few very small moths to throw on his web as I never saw him get anything.   He'd run out and grab 'em instantly and then run back into the funnel, if you blinked you missed it. Retirement is great, I'm so easily entertained, never a dull moment. :)   - OS