MacGyver

I love my Walther PPS. It's accurate and has been completely reliable. It's about the size you're looking for.

I think that this is the fundamental question that needs to be asked. That is, can the government actually create value? I would argue that the answer to that question is a resounding "no". They can try to preserve value, or they can try to keep from losing value like they did in the auto industry bailouts, but they cannot in 2011, create value. I think that one of our major problems today is that really none of our elected officials, Republican or Democrat have any idea of what it actually takes to create a job. The big corporations have the GOP in their back pockets, and the DNC knows we're not going to vote for them, so they just treat the small business owner as their piggy bank. So long as our political system remains this two party zero sum game, I truly don't expect that this will stop until they destroy this American experiment. I'm pulling for these 86 tea party freshmen. They proved their willingness to stand up to the establishment, the GOP establishment included. I wish them all the best. Reagan was absolutely right. Government is the problem. Until people realize that the government cannot create value, instead they can only transfer wealth from one group to another, we won't solve this problem.

I don't think anything these fools do will help this second dip. Just ask yourself what has fundamentally changed between September 2008 and today. With the exception of them paying off their friends at 100 cents on the dollar, the answer is nothing. Their solution seems to be to talk like it's working and maybe everything will be okay. Or maybe they just want to distract everyone til they spend us to the gates of Hell.

That's sweet, Steve. It's been a few years since I've been, but we're making plans to go next year.

The Ryman has a good Fall lineup. There are several shows I wouldn't mind seeing.

I'd hesitatingly choose Rock River just because of their willingness to innovate - even if they only do have one guy turning out that upper that Mike is checking his mailbox for everyday. Really I feel like it's choosing between two ugly sisters. They'll both get the job done just fine, but you'll always kind of wish you held out for something better...

That is pretty dang cool!

Glad to have the discussion. Let's just skip the name calling and insults.

HiPower, thanks for your participation. Don't let the fact that a moderator is actively participating in the thread discourage you from participating if you have something to say. So long as everyone follows the Code of Conduct we're fine. I just encourage people to base their argument on something tangible. If you've got something to say, say it. I hope everyone knows that they don't need to fear recrimination from me. Please don't feel my posts above were calling you out per se. You have been one of a few to actually stand up and say, "here's what I think". I applaud you for that. My comments about the avatars was simply something to think about. I am proud to be an American, and would give my life for this country tomorrow. That said, I think it's worth asking if "my country" is okay relegating people to second class citizens whether they be muslim, latino, african, refugee or any other downtrodden people. My country still welcomes the poor and the oppressed. I just encourage people to ask themselves the same question - what does my country stand for. To the avatars with the flag draped crosses, etc... I think we have to be really careful there. From a personal standpoint I think it's pretty presumptuous to presume that we speak for God. Or that God is on our side. My question earlier of "who is my neighbor" wasn't just directed at everyone with an iconic avatar. That was directed at me as well. I definitely agree that we can do a better job of identifying radicals - whatever the color of their skin or whatever their religious beliefs may be.

It seems to me that we need more of these guys, not fewer. I read an account by a older German recently who was a shop owner in the 30's when Hitler was coming to power. His account was that most Germans thought this guy was a fool and certainly didn't speak for them. They just didn't have any reason to care at the time. But, then Hitler committed them to a fight, and through their silence, they were sucked into something they certainly didn't believe in Naziism. There seem to be a lot of parallels here. Most muslims are like you and me. They haven't historically cared much. But now, the radicals are defining the dialogue, and they don't really have a voice. It would seem to me that they guys putting on our uniform are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Can we do better on detecting anomalies? Yes. Definitely. But hatred isn't a purely religous value. Look at this guy in Norway last week. Or Timothy McVeigh. This guy was an Eagle Scout, a decorated Gulf War veteran and still killed 168 people.

What about those believers who realize that the immans calling for death to non-muslims are being intellectually dishonest and purposefully either selectively choosing verses our taking scripture entirely out of context to suit their own need for power? I don't guess Christians have a lock on taking passages out of context to fit their needs. There has been a lot of good done in this war on terror by Muslims wearing the U.S. uniform who refuse to sit on the sidelines and see their religon be perverted.

How big of a building are we talking?

+1 on the dry film lubricant.

It's worth doing the math to figure out exactly how much you'll need. It'll save you a lot of money. Remember too, that you want the slab to be roughly the same dimensions as the building on at least three sides, and you need to really watch your slope on the fourth if you choose to extend it. Otherwise, you'll constantly be fighting water inside your building. As a kid, we had a "Scout Hut" that we stored all our scout troop's equipment in. The slab was about 6" larger than the building on all sides. Every time it rained we had puddles for weeks!

Agreed in full. Of course, our military will hopefully always remain full of people like yourself who will likely put the good of his fellow soldier in front of his own and run towards the fire.

I'm sure glad that whole don't ask don't tell thing is over...you guys are making me blush

I'm going to open this thread back up with a caveat. Here's the deal. If you are going to participate in this thread, then you need to back up your position in your post. No exceptions. Anything else will be deleted. It's Friday. If we're going to open a can of worms, then we're going to eat the whole thing... BTW...I'll obviously be participating as both a moderator and a user. I know that some of you are somehow offended by that. If you're one of them, you've been forewarned.

Concrete begins to "cook" as soon as it's mixed. It's actually a chemical reaction, and has a set working time. I think you might be thinking of pull behind mixers where you can mix your own concrete onsite in quantities bigger than what you're going to want to mix in a wheelbarrow. I may be wrong, but can't actually see anyone renting a trailer for premixed concrete because it would only take one person waiting too long to pour, or not cleaning it out correctly to destroy the equipment. I had a similar situation a couple of years ago. I needed about 6 yards of concrete in a place where I couldn't get a truck. I knew I didn't want to mix that much concrete out of bags, but couldn't get a truck to where I needed it. I ended up getting the concrete truck to come to the curb and shuttled the concrete back in forth in a bobcat that I rented with a bucket for a half day. It wasn't cheap, but it was certainly cheaper than buying Sakrete. And, my back certainly was thankful.

A lot of you who have flags, patriotic emblems and other nationalistic symbols or quotes in your avatars really ought to think about what your America stands for. For those of you with religious icons in your avatar, possibly with some patriotic flair, you might actually go back to the question of "who is my neighbor?' Is that a Sunday morning platitude, or should it actually define how we live our lives? America is still a "city on a hill" to the rest of the world. We were founded on the principle that ALL men are created equal. We've fought a war about it. We've struggled with it for our entire existence. We've had some dark times, and made some mistakes. Yet, this single principle defines more than anything else our existence. That red, yellow, black or white you can come to these shores and become an American. We're bigger than this.

Seriously, y'all? I saw the first response to Brooks' post yesterday, and knew that we were going to wind up here. I thought it might take a little longer than it did. But, nonetheless I'm closing this thread to keep a bunch of you from saying things that, even if you do actually believe them, you really ought to keep them to yourself and spend some time really thinking about the outcomes of your "logic". There is certainly some truth to the fact that a lot of the conversation surrounding Islam today is being hijacked by a very small percentage of "believers". It's not that most Muslims are good or bad, it's that most are just like you - they don't really care that much, because they don't see how it affects them right now. Thus, the radicals are getting all the spotlight, and that gets the press. Don't delude yourself into thinking however, that all Muslims are somehow evil. The Westboro Baptist Church professes to be "Christian" and speak the "truth". Do they speak for you? They don't speak for me. I don't want to be painted with that brush, and expect you don't either. As to separation of church and state, it goes both ways. We all say that it's a good thing to keep "religion" out of government. But the reverse is also true. It's to keep the government out of your "religion". There's a difference between these two points, and it's worth spending some time thinking about. I'm a Christian, but I'm all for banning public prayer in schools. Not because I'm against prayer in school, but because I don't want the government dictating what/how my kids pray. When you start demanding that everyone do like you, and conform to your standards, you're sowing the seeds of your own demise. Because someday, you're going to be the one who's different. And where will you be then?

Wow! Truly a matter of "they don't make 'em like they used to."

I don't think they actually shipped with them originally, did they? Anyway, here's a modern replacement that will work. And, the price is certainly right. Browning Magazine Plug Adapter 3-Shot Browning Auto-5 All Gauges - MidwayUSA

Unfortunately Dave, because of my chosen profession I know the speed, violence and willingness to use violence of the criminals out there today. I'll generally stand by my above statement. My "getting the jump on you" was meant to express being surprised by a situation. You shouldn't have your head in the sand when you're carrying a weapon and suddenly find yourself in a situation where you have no idea where you got there. Avoidance is the best deterrent to becoming the victim of a crime. Gangbangers these days are amazingly efficient. And, overwhelmingly violent. Obviously you can't avoid every random crime, but this is the exception as opposed to the norm. A lot more lives are saved by people paying attention and getting out of the way of trouble before it happens than lives are lost due to violent events like this. It does serve as good warning for everyone, though. I expect everyone should think about why they carry and what they would do in a situation like this.

People do stupid things sometimes. But you can control being overtaken from behind. Keep your back up against the car when filling up at night. Or better yet, get gas in the daytime. Really, as a gun owner, you owe it to yourself and society at large to be hyper-aware when you're carrying. There is no excuse for someone getting the jump on you when you're carrying a weapon. You have a higher responsibility when you strap on a weapon. We carry to change the outcome in situations like these, but should behave in a manner to avoid them at all cost. Know that if you EVER surrender your gun, you're very likely to be shot with it. You're simply handing this street thug the ability to be the arbiter of your life. Those odds almost never work out in the victim's favor.

Already reported, discussed and closed.