MacGyver

Only in Texas...

I did an 80% build on a race dragon 10/22. It's a one afternoon process, and while a mill is helpful, you can do the entire build on the press. I've got a drilling jig should anyone decide they'd like to go that route and try it.

There's another point here that we shouldn't lose sight of. You fight in two courts - a court of law and a court of public opinion. James may have a case to eventually get his HCP back. If he wants, he can retain counsel and argue his case. With good counsel, as our law is written, he might win. But, in the court of public opinion, he's a gun grabber's wet dream. I have no doubt that Feinstein, the Brady Center and Bloomberg were absolutely giggly watching this. Because when you put this on the news, it sways opinion. The sheep will look at James carrying on angrily, not making eye contact and scratching at himself like he's strung out, yet threatening to kill people and they'll be swayed. Where they might have been on the fence not particularly caring either way, they'll watch the video and say to themselves, "I don't want that guy having an 'assault rifle'. He's crazy." The minutae of the law may matter down the road, but they don't matter right now. If we turn the public against us, we lose a lot of ground we've gained over the last 20 years. When you strap on a firearm, you either become an asset to society or a liability. Your actions and just as importantly, your words represent all of us. Protecting yourself and your family is right. Tennessee has recognized using a firearm to do it a privilege. Regardless of how you feel about this, strapping on a weapon carries a heavily responsibility. You represent us all. Act and speak wisely.

Whenever one of these people say something halfway sensible, it's a clue.  It may look like they're giving you a gift, but you'd better watch their other hand very closely!

Jame's isn't crazy.  He's playing a foolish game, though.  He's really playing the same role as another Tennessee gun owner and former permit holder who was recently granted a FFL.  This rant is going to be filed away, and it will absolutely be played again.  Only, it will be played by our adversaries who want to show the "psychos" who want to own "assault rifles".  You couldn't ask for a better video to scare the unwashed masses.   As for the guy with the FFL, I used to think that it would only be used to burn him down the road.  The more I've thought about it, they'll try to use him to burn us all.

Biden shouldn't be underestimated. He's a holdover from an older generation of Congress, of whom there aren't many left. He's not afraid to negotiate with the gloves off, and he knows more about procedure than most new congressmen combined. He uses the buffoon image to his advantage. Most people are so caught up with "idiot Joe Biden" that they don't notice him getting the upper hand. Dislike him all you want, but don't discount him because of it.

That's fair.   The part where we're both probably in the same boat is that small business credit is pretty much non-existant right now.  Unless you have equal or greater assets to back it, you're not getting it.

Telling the American public that you found consensus demands that you have the right people, and only the right people at the table to form that opinion.

I'll give the opposite view to Rusty's point - also as a small business owner.   But first, an explanation by a forensic analyst about what a credit score really is.  Your credit score is nothing more than a number that's assigned to you by an algorithm designed by the credit companies that lets all the other ones know how nicely you play in the system.  That is, it's about your relationship with credit.  You can think of them as a drug dealer grading their junkies on how likely they are to pay every week when they come around.  The higher your score, the better junkie you are.   Unfortunately, the way the system is set up, there is one purchase for which a good credit score is necessary - your house.  If it weren't for that, you could conceivably tell the bureaus to go screw themselves and be fine paying cash for everything.   If you cancel or pay off all of your credit accounts - your score will go down over time.  They also look at debt-to-income ratios.  Believe it or not, the people who have the highest score are actually the most highly leveraged (in debt), but they pay their accounts on time.  Lack of revolving accounts will mean worse credit scores which will impact your ability to borrow from the major banks.   Now, that said, as a business owner I can authoritatively say that I am in business today because I have not borrowed money to run my business.  An early mentor of mine taught me that you can do anything you want so long as you find someone willing to pay for it, and that's how we operate.  I got into business because I was tired of answering to the man - how ironic would it be to simply get into business to answer to another man - the bank.   I've been in business for myself for 8 years.  I'd like to think I'm a smart guy, but sometimes even the smartest of people get things wrong.  Being in debt as a business owner amplifies bad decisions in a major way.  Take this example:   We've worked with a few partners over the last eight years.  Maybe they've had great ideas, or great potential markets or both.  We've worked with several to explore those opportunities.  At several points in each of these cases, there's been optimism and the desire on behalf of our partners to go get funding and "make this thing big."  We've resisted every time, demanding organic growth.  That is, starting small, vetting opportunities and letting success be the driver for growth.  As good as ideas sound at the beginning, sometimes things don't work out like you planned.  The idea wasn't as good as you thought.  There was competition that beat you to market.  You didn't understand your market.  Whatever.  Sometimes you get it wrong.  My belief is that success is built on the lessons we learn from failures.  Failure is often necessary.  A business hitting a home run on the first pitch is the exception as opposed to the rule.  Businesses will very often get things wrong.    Being a small business in today's environment where the economy sucks, the administration hates you and not a single person out of the 536 elected representatives at the Federal level has a clue about what it takes to create a job is tough.  In fact, it's brutal.  Every day.  If you take on a bunch a debt, and make a bad decsion, you're done.  You cannot fail forward, get up and brush yourself off.  You simply fail.   Just my perspective.  But, I think there's a reason why debt has been viewed as evil - that's right, evil - throughout history.  It will own you.  You're not serving God, others or yourself.  You're serving it.  It owns you...

I know you take special pride in that.  Keep up the good work.

Thanks, Daniel.

Send a PM to MetalHead on the Secret Santa.  He can get you your recipient.   When you do get it, please PM me with the name.  I'm looking at a couple of issues with the exchange.

When we send you on vacation once, that's not an invitation to book another ticket.    Enjoy the revolution.  But please...do it from somewhere else...

He will be sorely missed.   Good luck.  Godspeed and Happy Hunting.

Appears to be real.  It's been vetted by media in both Kentucky and Georgia.   http://www.lex18.com/news/ky-man-found-shot-dead-in-ga   http://www.921wlhr.com/body-found-in-carnesville-identified-2/

An ESEE Izula might be a nice, yet economical starting point.  It'll take a paracord wrap nicely.

May be a little heavier, but they're generally dependable old work horses. I'd have no issues if that was all I could afford.

People like Stanley McChrystal and Wesley Clark are interesting studies in human nature, and perhaps offer some commentary on our modern culture of celebrity worship. McChrystal's career ended in disgrace, yet he became so enamored with the sound of his own voice that now he desparately needs a pulpit. It's too bad they can't recognize that the press is all to happy to give them that voice in return for being their monkies. McChrystal's already shown he suffers from poor judgement. What outcome did he possibly expect after calling the Vice President names in Rolling Stone?

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

When it comes to holographic sights, it's pretty much EOTech and "looks like an EOTech".  There is a real difference both in performance and longevity of the sight.  Since an EOTech uses holographic technology, if you can see any part of the window, then you can see the recticle.  That's important.  There are plenty of imitators, but they're pretty much just plain old red dots in a different housing.   However, if you've not used one before, it's worth finding someone who has one and trying one out.  They're not for everyone.   That said, I love mine.

That's gorgeous, Steve!  Tell me about those scales. 

Gorgeous old pistol!  I've always had a fondness for the classic Woodsmen.

I don't know why anyone still does business with Bank of America.  It's not just their anti gun stance.  Have they left any shadow of doubt in anyone's mind that they have total disregard for their customers by expecting them to bend over and take anything they dish out?   Seriously.  Why does anyone still do business with Bank of America.   Get your money out of there. 

They are definitely a survival tool and absolutely NOT a replacement for any type of sleeping bag - summer weight or otherwise. I do have a friend who probably owes his life to a space blanket and a tea candle that he used after an immersion accident while we got a fire going.

Space blankets are well proven survival tools. Personally, I like the emergency bivys made by Adventure Medical. It's a fist sized addition to your kit that can absolutely keep the reaper out of your business. http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?product=146 As someone who has probably consumed 100's of space blankets in my life, the Adventure Medical space blankets are so much better quality than any others on the market, they shouldn't even be in the same category. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001GAOISI