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I'm probably the odd one out in that I don't keep my firearms loaded in the strict sense.  I do keep a mag in the well, or shells in the tube, on all my weapons.  It takes me but a second to get a gun ready, so unless I wake up with the bad guy right on top of me, I'm still ready to go in sufficient time.  I do this so there is no confusion of "is it loaded" when I'm still waking up, even under adrenaline fueled conditions.  I'll make sure it's loaded by doing it myself then and there.  This works for me, but I'm not about to prescribe it as the method anybody else should use.   As to the racking of a shotgun being a deterrent...in my opinion, it can't hurt things.  Home invaders are mostly looking for things to steal and want to be in and out with whatever they can carry.  They are the types who thrive on easy targets, and hearing a shotgun racked will let them know there isn't an easy target to be had in this house.  I wouldn't rely on it being enough to make them fly away, but I also won't underestimate the advantage that changing an invaders mental condition brings.

I don't care how many people come to the defense of pit bulls.  Every instinct I have tells me they are dangerous animals and I want nothing to do with them.  I'm sure some of you who own pit bulls are wonderful owners, but there is always the potential for things to go bad, and I'm not about to lower my guard because a few people on the internet tell me they're good to go if you just train them right.  There is a lot of documented risk with a pit bull and not enough mitigation available to contain it in my eyes.   I won't go so far as to say that people shouldn't have them, but I can understand why come communities would want to designate them a dangerous animal.  I would also be on edge if any of my neighbors had one, especially since there aren't an abundance of fences around properties where I live and anybody can make an honest mistake that would result in them being loose.

  This is the truth here.  The cable companies want you to think you need their massive download speeds to stream.  On multiple devices, perhaps, depending on what you are doing, but for one or two devices anything from 10-25 Mbps is plenty to cover your needs.       Sounds like you need to go into the settings of your router and limit the bandwidth to some of those devices.  You might have to manually assign IP's for devices and separate them into different IP and bandwidth ranges, but it's not too hard.       This plan is for small households (single mom with 1-2 kids), and unmarried people living alone.  The kind of people who may have already cut the cord and are living off of OTA and Netflix.  They figure at $20 a pop, it's not too much for most consumers, where service somewhere around $75-$100 is out of reach to bring them back into the fold.    For houses like yours, this plan isn't the target demographic, but maybe in the future some plans will develop you can live with.

Jackasses will be jackasses.  Fully concur that city hall or the local police department should be where there protests take place.         Yeah, that's wrong in my experience.  I'm actually embarrassed by all the attention veterans are getting these days as I never expected anything except my pay and the life experiences for my service.  Even my father has commented on all the attention my generation of veterans has gotten and finally feels like he can wear a shirt highlighting his own service, which he was never comfortable doing after Vietnam.

I still chuckle a bit whenever people get so involved in college sports.  To me it's the equivalent of being ramped up over minor league baseball.

Dish finally did what every other provider was afraid to do.  They're going to get interest in it, and I expect to see the other providers like Charter and Comcast bundle it into their internet packages instead of a box and 100+ channels.   It has my attention as an addition to my OTA antenna and Roku options.

Oh Shoot has it right.  shotgunshooter, search some of the threads on here and you can learn the true story of how a bill to allow open carry in Tennessee without a permit died with a wink and a nod last year.

  Admittedly, I don't have, nor want any light/laser on my pistols, so for me it's just not important, and I wouldn't even call it nice to have.  I really don't care either way, but as you pointed out, a lot of pistols are made with them, so they're just there.  It wasn't even much of a thought before this thread.

I think you need a 4th option- neither like nor dislike.  Rails, or lack thereof, on a pistol won't factor into the decision if I buy a pistol or not.   I do concur with your thinking the lack of them on most 1911's are for the purist crowd.

    I have considered an SOE LPAK. Would mount on the back of the carrier instead of on the front/sides where space always seems to be at a premium... http://www.originalsoegear.com/products/lpak-low-profile-aid-kit   Med and/or IFAK on the back only works if you know you'll have someone to reach it and provide aid when needed.  Unless you're always moving out in at least a buddy team, I'd want the med kit somewhere within reach, or in a bag that I can pull it from in a pinch all on my own.

  I'll do some research on them, but I really want the NRA to step up, because they already have a relationship with the Republican party and even some of the Democrats in gun friendly states.  If they decided to get involved more, they could have a helluva impact.    But you can't push fundraising after any real victory, so on the sidelines with this they sit.

  No kidding.  I'd rather the cameras focus on the anti-gun crazies for protesting businesses and entertainers that appeal to everyday Americans rather than have idiots like Open Carry Texas, or any of the window licking militias doing their "training" be on the 'C' block of the news.

  Roku/Apple TV/Google Chromecast/Whatever Amazon calls their service are all sort of the same thing, with some minor differences.  They have apps that are either free like YouTube and SkyNews, or you pay for, like Netflix and Hulu Plus.  I like my Roku because I can stream other content through it over my network or USB connection.   For recent TV shows, if you can catch it when it airs, all you need is an OTA antenna.  For watching it after it comes out, you probably need Hulu Plus.  Also HBO Go, Watch ESPN, and all the Disney channel stuff for your kid needs some kind of subscription, usually through a cable company.  Netflix also has a bunch of kid shows, so that is worth the money for you and him.

Check these threads, then come back with any questions you have.   http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/84318-anyone-use-a-roku-stick/?hl=roku http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/84195-looking-for-a-replacement-for-cable-tv/?hl=roku

  I've seen the D-ring things that are used for those.   FWIW, this is the style of hydration carrier I used in the Army.  taking the bladder in and out was a snap since I wasn't dealing with straps, buckles and what not.  Also, I could stuff the straw when I wanted to instead of having it dangling about.  There are plenty out there, every manufacturer probably has their own version. http://www.condoroutdoor.com/Condor-HCB.aspx

If what you meant by 3rd row is above what Omega found, it looks like the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. http://www.medalsofamerica.com/Item--i-F051_Full_Size_List   Your father was the real deal, man.  But you already knew that.  A CIB with a repeat, and a Purple Heart with what looks like a silver leaf cluster means he had a helluva lot of lead thrown his way, and he caught more than his fair share of it.     I keep my Class 'A' jacket in the closet with the dry cleaning bag over it for the day where I might give it to a kid of my own when I pass on.  Glad to see your family kept his around for you.

Hard to imagine the whole situation has come to a head with guys like this on our side....   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhTw3Vq-cpk

  Leave the mags in the pouches and they will stretch out, then you will need the bungees, which will also stretch out if you leave the mags in with them up.  If you do anything that has you running around, going prone, getting back up, you'll want the bungees to keep the mags in.  Drill unto muscle memory and they won't seem as much of an inconvenience to run a mag change.   Getting in and out and sitting in vehicles were the biggest issue with the Camelbak's, but I don't think you'll have that issue.  Really any bladder on the back like that is asking for it.  You'll brush up against things more than you realize if you are running around and it will spring a leak at the worst moment, because isn't that how it always goes?   Also, as far as I can tell, it's the over the shoulder kind of system, not designed for a plate carrier/vest.  That can causes problems if it comes loose at the wrong time.  Think through how you will refill it, re-do'ing your jury rigging each time.  Then, once you're running around and shooting, the straw is flapping around with you, dripping water sometimes...I just found it easier to ditch it once I wasn't in the military and required to have it on my kit by command guidance.   If you must have some kind of water source on there, consider one of those pouch designs that attaches via MOLLE/PALS but lets you take the bladder in and out easily and will stay on the back of the vest more easily.

c.a. has very good points (especially on the sling), and I'll just add a few more.   When you do have mags in there for real, loose the covers for them.  I never saw the point for those anyway and I'm glad they ship without them now.   If that is a mil issue hydration carrier, or one modeled after them (and it looks very much like it is) I wouldn't even bother with it.  They always spring a leak at a bad time and you have to ask, will you being doing anything so involved that you can't pull a Nalgene bottle out of your bag when you need some water.

  That's a good point.  Hopefully the GA might make some headway on it, but I wouldn't hold my breath.       The system isn't broke, it's working just as intended.  Legislatures love to vest power in agencies and they have done so in alarming fashion.  Less time executing the functions of government, means more time raising money, which they're all about.  When a politically charged issue presents itself, no matter what decisions are made by these agencies, one side can say government is looking out for the people, while the other can say they either grabbed power they shouldn't have or won't use their authority for the interest of the people.  Both sides get to rally their base and the cycle begins anew.   Legislators, federal ones especially, don't want to be held accountable for what happens with agencies like BAFTE, they want the buffer they provide.  To actually take part in the decisions they make would do things like interrupt their three day work schedule and that dog won't hunt.   BAFTE has become the perfect case example of how legislatures have absconded their oversight roles and gun owners are on the thrusting end of the shaft.

I gotta hand it to Sig.  They made a pretty penny from this whole thing.  The brace retails for what, $125 or thereabouts?  That's only $75, give or take, from what people would have to pay anyway to get the NFA tax stamp.  By offering a cheaply produced piece of plastic for just enough less than a gun owner would have to spend anyways to go through the SBR process, they have made a killing off of folks who want to cut a corner, save time and some coin.  I concur fully with Dolomite that there is no reason any use of the SigBrace should be illegal.  But I'd ask anybody who bought one to think if that extra $75 might have been better spent on just filing a Form 1, trust or no trust.   David is spot on with his assessments.  Taking money from the self licking ice cream cone that is the BAFTE was bound to draw negative attention.  The only answer to his question of how they let it go on this long I can think of, is maybe they had this in mind all along, and are now hoping a lot of those guys who bought a brace will panic and drop a Form 1 riki tik.  Who knows.

When I got my Nexus 5, I just bought it flat out. I grabbed an unlocked 16GB model for ~$330 and now I have no contract with AT&T, get a lower monthly rate since I'm not dealing with the company recouping the promotional cost of a new phone, and can switch service or just cancel it anytime I want. Something to consider if you don't want to be a slave to the TELCO. With the N6 rolling out, you can pick up an N5 at a decent rate I'd also double check if the Nexus 6 is what you like in size if you haven't already. The N5 is perfect for me, any bigger and I'd probably be complaining. I have no desire to switch to an N6 based on it's size. Here's how the N6 looks compared to a Nexus 5.

  You really think they're that good?  I've never had one, but find it hard to believe.

Congrats on getting an N5, I love mine.  I also didn't know Magpul made a case for the N5.  Might have to pick one up.   I always root just to have full access to my device.  Too much control can be built in that benefits the maker and I want the ability to change that if I want.  I love CyanogenMod because it makes the process stupid easy and has good reviews.  There are risks with any open software, but the community would sound off on any problems fast enough.  I also wait until a build is stable, usually, but with Lollipop I'll be tempted to update early.

I had a very persistent cough that lasted over a week.  I tried a variety of over the counter meds to handle it, but it wouldn't go away.  With the holiday, my doctor wasn't working, and I didn't think it was bad enough to warrant an ER trip.  The worst parts were the headache and nausea it brought on, but thankfully, I'm over the worst of it.