JAB

Sure. Label any idea that maybe - just maybe - people who would shoot up Walmart because they couldn't have that DVD they want shouldn't be carrying guns as 'gun control' and lump it in with the Brady Campaign and so on then I guess, by arguing from a ridiculous extreme, you could call it 'gun control'. Recognize that arguing from the extreme is not really a workable position, however, and the description loses some of its visceral power. Further, I guess if the ideas of the very people who laid the foundation for the country are 'irrelevant' then all bets are off and we should all be able to do whatever the heck we want, whenever we want and wherever we want. We all have a right to cars, correct? And we have the right to drive (according to a previous post from you.) I believe we all also have the right to drink scotch so until I actually get involved in an accident where I kill someone else I should probably be allowed to drive as fast as I want - after all ,the government has no right to tell me what a safe operating speed is - while drinking my fifth scotch on the rocks and ignoring those darned, oppresive stop signs. See, that is what happens when people argue from ridiculous extremes. I am not saying that I don't believe in the right to defend oneself, the right (for most people) to own a firearm or even the right (for most people) to carry a firearm. What I am saying is that there are billions of people on this planet and some of them shouldn't carry and probably shouldn't own firearms for the safety of themselves and others. That being the case, as distasteful as it may be, there do have to be some limits for some people. Further, I am not claiming that I have all the answers as to the best way to achieve those limits. In a perfect world everyone would be able to carry a firearm safely and responsibly. I dislike the idea of gun control, too, and wish that 'perfect world' scenario were the reality. Hell, in a perfect world we probably wouldn't need to carry guns but would still be able to. The thing is, our world is far from perfect so sometimes we do have to develop imperfect solutions to imperfect situations.

Was that before or after he said the line about rendering unto Caesar? Even the Christian Bible recognizes that there are human laws and that those laws must be followed. Now, do I believe that I have a right to protect myself, my life and so on with deadly force? Yep. Of course, my belief has nothing to do with some supposed deity. Basically, I am a Deist who believes that a Creator - if such exists - started the whole universal top spinning and then went off to do its own thing. That Creator doesn't care one way or another if we have the ability to defend ourselves or not and likely wouldn't even notice if we live or die. I am not governed based on religion nor do my rights have anything to do with any religion. I have the right to defend myself by virtue of being a human being but that right must be balanced with the right of others to live their lives. This is what people on both sides of every issue who want to trumpet their 'rights' seem to forget - your rights end where mine begin. If there is a likelihood that an individual - because of mental disease or deficiency or as indicated by past actions of victimizing others - will misuse a firearm in a way that will impact my right to live and not get shot by someone who is not mentally responsible enough to be carrying a gun then that person doesn't 'have the right' to do so. Would you turn a three year old loose with a .45? Well, there are supposed 'adults' out there who are no more capable of being responsible than a three year old. Further, 'if you are worried about it then carry a gun, yourself' is pretty naive, isn't it? I mean, having a gun isn't going to stop some mentally defective person from shooting you before you even know what is going on.

Ideals are ideals and reality is reality. The reality is that those of us who want to carry a firearm for our own protection are the minority. As a minority, we have to accept conditions under which the majority will not object so strenuously that our right to do so loses the protection of the law. I believe that certain rights are inalienable from a philosophical standpoint but from a 'real world' standpoint there simply isn't any such thing as an 'inalienable' right. The moment those in power decide that we can't legally carry a gun - or even own one - then we can't legally carry a gun or even own one. The best way to gain support for those who would like to see that very thing come to be is to turn every jacknuts with a screw loose or every dim bulb with the IQ of wet Kleenex loose on the streets with a gun. I know this might not be the most popular view but, having worked with adults with mental disabilities (mental retardation) - which also often comes with a suite of mental illnesses (such as a couple who were psychotic, one that had multiple personalities and some that were potentially even worse) and who had little to no control over their emotions or ability to think rationally I say that not everyone needs to be allowed to own a firearm much less carry one. Remember that the Founding Fathers didn't believe that all rights extended to everyone, either. Their thought was that only male landowners should be allowed to even vote. Live in a boarding house? Can't vote. You are a worker on someone else's farm and live there as part of your compensation? Can't vote. Woman? Can't vote. Of course, voting is considered to be the most basic of American rights and obligations but even that right wasn't really considered to be 'inalienable' to the Founders where everyone was concerned - only to certain people who met certain criteria.

Since it keeps coming up, I never had a Driver's Ed course. The only 'training' for driving I had came from my parents and from reading the Driver's Handbook before taking the test. I took the test back when it was still offered at a small driver's testing center that used to be in Loudon. The person who evaluated me had me drive about a mile down a back road, pull into an empty church parking lot and demonstrate that I could park between the lines in one of the parking spaces - not backing in, not parallel parking, just pull into the space - and then drive the mile or so back to the center. I have had been in one accident that was written up as my fault - when I slid up hill two car lengths after applying my brakes while traveling at only 20mph and bumped the back of a vehicle in front of me in the Dodge Dakota I used to drive because it had just started to drizzle rain and the road was slick (and that is the reason I will not drive a 2WD light pickup truck ever again if I can avoid it.) There was a cop in his cruiser directly behind me who witnessed the whole thing and saw that I was neither speeding nor following too closely so the responding officer wrote it up as having 'complicating factors' or something like that and it was only because of the ridiculous law that states if you hit someone in the rear it is automatically your fault that it was written up as being my fault. That was in September of 1996 so it was twenty years and a few months ago. My point is that for nearly thirty years I have driven a vehicle on an almost daily basis. I have driven a full-sized RV completely across the state, have driven various trucks pulling various trailers (both cargo and a camping trailer) and have had an F endorsement which allowed me to drive a passenger van for work (which required an additional written test which took maybe ten minutes to complete and five extra dollars per DL renewal.) I drive a vehicle a whole lot more often than I actually have to fire a gun for self defense (which has, happily, been never so far.) My vehicle has more potential for causing death or destruction than the j-frame I usually carry yet driving - which is not an enumerated right - required no training beyond what my parents taught me and reading up on the 'rules and laws of the road'. As for the HCP course, heck, the Hunter's Safety course that I had to take in order to buy a hunting license is more in-depth and strenuous than the HCP course yet there was one fellah in my HCP class who had, apparently, already taken the class two or three times and yet still could not even pass the written test to make it to the range portion (the instructor was allowing him to retake the course free of charge after the first time.) That really is kind of scary. Of course, nothing says that guy can't carry (illegally) without a permit so requiring an HCP to legally carry really doesn't prevent an 'unsafe' individual from carrying in public - it only allows additional charges if that person is caught or does something dangerous or irresponsible with a firearm. I, personally, do think that there should be an HCP certification course but it should be provided free of charge by the state, just like Hunter's Safety and the certificate showing that one passed the course should be the HCP and should be the only requirement for carrying a firearm with no additional licensing or expense required. That certificate should be good for a lifetime but if someone wants to retake the course after, say, five years or so in order to get a 'refresher' on the main laws (which will change over time) then doing so should, again, be free of charge for the individual. Further training is great and all but should not be mandatory for basic handgun carry either open or concealed. Perhaps there could be an 'enhanced permit' that would allow carry in places that are now restricted to folks with an HCP and perhaps that 'enhanced permit' could require further training. That might be the best way to strike a balance between 'excercising a right' and 'weeding out those who would be a danger to themselves or others'. I would think that such a setup would also allow TN to continue with the reciprocal agreements we have with other states who recognize a TN HCP.

Nice! I like knives that (to me, anyhow) kind of have an 'Old West' look to them and are maybe a little 'Bowie-ish' without really being what I would think of as a 'true' Bowie. Kind of makes me think of a hand made 'cousin' to my Condor Moonshiner. I bet it chops and slices like a mofo and looks great doing it!

I don't think I have paid full price for a pair of jeans in five or ten years. Most of the jeans currently in my closet came from second hand stores, discount stores or were bought on sale at Walmart. I don't baby my clothes. In fact, for someone who works a job that doesn't require a lot of manual labor I am pretty rough on clothes. My work attire usually consists of some type of khakis and a short sleeved polo shirt. I buy the polo shirts on clearance at Walmart every year when they clear out their summer clothing. I don't care about the color because I just put them back until I wear some out. I recently bought something like eight dark blue Faded Glory polo shirts at Walmart for $3 a piece plus a couple of white ones and a red one. Those are my three least favorite colors for a shirt but they were cheap so I don't care. That's me and clothes, especially clothes for work.

And unless you actually, legally post your stores then I will 'respectfully' ignore your lame-a** request - if, that is, I actually go into any of your stores. Which I probably won't. I don't care about the jeans but I do like Dockers - which are made by Levi's - because I can wear them to work. Honestly, though, I don't buy them from the Levi's stores. In fact, since I really just wear them to work and since I hate spending money on clothes just to wear to work, I often look for and find pairs of Dockers that look like they were never worn at Amvets or Goodwill so Levi's doesn't get any of my money for buying them, anyhow. I do, sometimes, pick up Dockers at the discount stores in Pigeon Forge but I don't think those are actually Levi's stores.

Seriously doubt it and I hope not. I still think that Carl is one of the best characters on the show - often better than Rick. Plus there are ways - which wouldn't be entirely inconsistent with the comic - to set up Carl's appearances so that the actor could film in blocks and not necessarily have to be on set every day. If I were him I'd keep making bank while I could. This gig won't last forever, there will probably never be another like it and, honestly, he stands to make more money from staying on the show for as long as possible than from a lifetime of working a 'regular' job, even with a college degree.

It varies. Depends on how hirsute the individual is.

Very nice.

+1. I love how he refused to give up even though the dog was trying to bite him. It was obviously just scared but that made him even more of a bada**. I could just hear him saying, roughly translated, "Screw you, dog. I am going to save your butt whether you like it or not." In the spirit of the 'In Russia' memes: In Russia, dog does not bite man trying to pull dog from ice. Man pulls dog from ice and bites dog.

I don't think that one piece of ammo would make much difference, anyhow. Further, Eugene had already worked out how to manufacture ammo with the facilities they found - remember that he gave the instructions to Abraham before Eugene sat out alone in the RV to try and draw the Saviors away from the group. Maybe Rosita picking up that shell casing was just symbolic? Of course at this point - unless the Kingdom has a whole crapload of guns stashed somewhere that they can pass around to Alexandria (and the Hilltop) then Eugene is probably going to have to build some guns, too. Far fetched? Not really - I once saw a video about the gun markets of Pakistan that showed a barefoot guy (who I believe had had his tongue cut out) sitting cross-legged in the dirt on the floor of a cave and making knock-off firearms that looked just like the real thing using only hand tools. The only thing those folks couldn't make with hand tools were the barrels - they had a metal lathe for that.

Because of the Morse Code poster on the wall in Rick's house in Alexandria at the first of the episode (which, I admit, I totally missed) some folks think that Daryl blinked a message to Rick in Morse Code when Negan et. al. were standing around at the gate. Some have even gone so far as to say that he blinked 'West' (or, maybe, 'East') to clue Rick about where the Savior HQ is located. I don't know if there was a message, at all and couldn't translate it if there was but if there was I think it would be better if the message was, "Merle." What would that mean? That would be Daryl telling Rick that he was going to pretend to 'turn' and join the Saviors - like Negan has been pushing him to do - the way that Merle joined the Governor (except that Merle really did join the Governor.) Then, again, Daryl probably just had the sun in his eyes.

Nice fish - but now I will have the Heart song stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Are barracuda good eatin'?

Maybe not but I'd be surprised if your car, itself, wasn't manufactured to be compliant with California emissions control laws - not to mention that a lot of the federal emissions control laws likely started in California as did the Gun Control Act of 1968. I think what people are saying - and I know I what I am saying - is that if there were national reciprocity then we would have states like California, New York, etc. insisting that New York and California type regulations be part of the federal regulations. I can just hear them, now, "If we are going to be forced to allow gun toters from other states to carry in our state then we should at least have the protection of knowing that they are in compliance with our reasonable firearms regulations and not be forced to allow people whose states require less strenuous training or have less rigorous requirements for carry to have unrestricted access to loaded firearms, carried with them, in our state." Further, as I have said countless times, a fedgov that can mandate that all states must allow carry, now can mandate that no state can allow carry once the antis are back in control. I maintain that, as with most issues, we are best off keeping firearms carry as a states' rights issue and not having the fedgov invade that field. We are all generally better off the less power the fedgov has even if they would use that power to do something we want (in the short term.)

Actually comes at a good time as Robbie (Farnsworth) has gone to 'semi-retirement' hours. Right now he is only open Thurs.-Fri. 9:30 - 6 and Sat. 9:30 - 2. This new place is more conveniently located for me but Robbie has always 'done me right' so they would have to work pretty hard to replace Farnsworth's as my favorite LGS. That doesn't mean I won't visit and maybe buy some things from them, though. Gun stores are like $20 bills - you can't have too many. I am concerned that the name they have chosen for their store is going to cause them some problems, though. There are already one or two sporting goods/outdoors/gun stores named 'Big Daddy's'.

I was going to say something similar but my measure is when I can walk into Walmart and they have Federal, Winchester, Remington and CCI .22LR ammo all on the shelf (which I haven't seen on their shelves all at once in more than eight years) as well as bulk packs and all in quantities that mean I'm not taking half the available stock if I buy two boxes. I don't think we will ever see 2008 or even 2012 pricing, again, because - as someone else said - of inflation and natural price increases. Even if .22LR supplies had remained at normal levels I don't think the prices would be the same four years later. After all, pretty much ever other ammo type and caliber has gone up in pricing in the past four to eight years from 9mm (the same stuff I got for $8 and change in 2008 is around $11, now) to .38 Special (that stuff has really gone up - ammo that cost about $16 per 50 in 2008 is running in the mid $20s range, now.) Honestly, I just want to be able to comfortably (and affordably) get back to shooting .22LR the way I did as recently as 2007 and early 2008 - meaning pretty much every weekend and even sometimes through the week through various rifles and handguns - and to be able to find Winchester Dynapoint .22 WMR on the shelf at Wally whenever I want it (it isn't the best but I love punching paper with that stuff and it was around $8 for a box of 50 but I haven't even seen any in over eight years other than on my ammo shelf.)

The kind that needs to be chained to a tree close to the leading edge of one of those fires as it advances.

Well, Obama does still have almost two months left in office so we're good until at least January.

I am sorry about the loss of your wife. I guess I've not really interacted with you all that much on here but don't see why you can't remain a member of the site. I, for one, would value the chance to have a 'spy' in North Carolina. It isn't unusual to find oneself there when going to the mountains, etc. Your profile says you have a carry permit and, assuming you obtain one in North Carolina, I think it would be of great value to have someone with first hand knowledge keep us up to date on what carry laws are like there since they recognize our carry permits. Regardless, best of luck in your move.

Wow - that is the other extreme. I think I remember seeing the falls pretty close to that swollen a few years back when we were getting an abundance of rain but not quite to that extent. Being that was taken in January I am guessing they were swollen from ice/snow runoff?

Heck, if it were feasible - as in if I could find good work there so I wouldn't have to drive forever to work somewhere else (worse than I already do where I live now) I'd like to live there. I have noticed recently, however, that it is being invaded by people from, shall we say, above the 39th parallel.

You know, it might have at least been more amusing if we could have actually voted for the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Maybe I should have done a write in.

Just as a visual aid to show what things are like up at Tellico right now, here is a picture of what Bald River Falls looked like as of last Saturday: for comparison, here is a picture of the falls from February of '07. I have more recent pictures but this is the only one I could find on my Photobucket right now. This is probably about 'normal' for the falls (excluding the ice that was on the falls at the time): I'll have to look around and see if I can find pics of the falls from when there had been a lot of rainfall and the falls were kind of swollen.

I am never sure where to put this type of thread as it relates to the 'outdoors' but isn't limited to hunting/fishing/trapping. Anyhow, I will put it here. I took last week off from work and went camping up at Tellico last Friday and Saturday (at the Holder Cove camping area to be precise.) There were postings that due to the current low rainfall conditions a burn ban went into effect week before last that will expire in three months unless it is cancelled before that (or, I assume, renewed.) It is still allowable to have fires in the fire rings in developed camping areas but those are the only places where fires are currently allowed. Use of propane stoves and similar is still allowed. The restrictions apply to the entire Cherokee National Forest. There was even one of those roadside marquee signs at the side of the road going into Tellico Plains that warned of a forest fire risk under current conditions.