Mark@Sea

This just about sums it up perfectly.... Election Analysis: America Can Take Pride In This Historic, Inspirational Disaster Although I have not always been the most outspoken advocate of President-Elect Barack Obama, today I would like to congratulate him and add my voice to the millions of fellow citizens who are celebrating his historic and frightening election victory. I don't care whether you are a conservative or a liberal -- when you saw this inspiring young African-American rise to our nation's highest office I hope you felt the same sense of patriotic pride that I experienced, no matter how hard you were hyperventilating with deep existential dread. Yes, I know there are probably other African-Americans much better qualified and prepared for the presidency. Much, much better qualified. Hundreds, easily, if not thousands, and without any troubling ties to radical lunatics and Chicago mobsters. Gary Coleman comes to mind. But let's not let that distract us from the fact that Mr. Obama's election represents a profound, positive milestone in our country's struggle to overcome its long legacy of racial divisions and bigotry. It reminds us of how far we've come, and it's something everyone in our nation should celebrate in whatever little time we now have left. Less than fifty years ago, African-Americans were barred from public universities, restaurants, and even drinking fountains in many parts of the country. On Tuesday we came together and transcended that shameful legacy, electing an African-American to the country's top job -- which, in fact, appears to be his first actual job. Certainly, it doesn't mean that racism has disappeared in America, but it is an undeniable mark of progress that a majority of voters no longer consider skin color nor a dangerously gullible naivete as a barrier to the presidency. It's also heartening to realize that as president Mr. Obama will soon be working hand-in-hand with a former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard like Senator Robert Byrd to craft the incoherent and destructive programs that will plunge the American economy into a nightmare of full-blown sustained depression. As Vice President-Elect Joe Biden has repeatedly warned, there will be difficult times ahead and the programs will not always be popular, or even sane. But as we look out over the wreckage of bankrupt coal companies, nationalized banks, and hyperinflation, we can always look back with sustained pride on the great National Reconciliation of 2008. Call me an optimist, but I like to think when America's breadlines erupt into riots it will be because of our shared starvation, not the differences in our color. It's obvious that this newfound pride is not confined to Americans alone. All across the world, Mr. Obama's election has helped mend America's tattered image as a racist, violent cowboy, willing to retaliate with bombs at the slightest provocation. The huge outpouring of international support following the election shows that America can still win new friendships while rebuilding its old ones, and provides Mr. Obama with unprecedented diplomatic leverage over our remaining enemies. When Russian tanks start pouring into eastern Europe and Iranian missiles begin raining down on Jerusalem, their leaders will know they will be facing a man who not only conquered America's racial divide but the hearts of the entire Cannes film community. And those Al Qaeda terrorists plotting a dirty nuke or chemical attack on San Francisco face a stark new reality: while they may no longer need to worry about US Marines, they are looking down the barrel of a strongly worded diplomatic condemnation by a Europe fully united in their deep sympathy for surviving Americans. So for now, let's put politics aside and celebrate this historic milestone. In his famous speech at the Lincoln Memorial 45 years ago, Dr. King said "I have a dream that one day my children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Let us now take pride that Tuesday we Americans proved that neither thing matters anymore. http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2008/11/election-analysis-america-can-take-pride-in-this-historic-inspirational-disaster.html

So, you're okay with losing gun rights as long as the "evil warleader bushco" is out of office and we can demonstrate our cosmopolitan values by electing a black man (who happens to be a communist), but we're the brainwashed racists? Dr. King had a dream... Not by the color of his skin, but by his character. We've gone the other way - not by his character (supporting terrorists, subverting the democratic process - ACORN vote fraud) but by the color of his skin. Bush is to blame for destroying the constitution (funny, though, the guy that started 'extraordinary rendition' was named Clinton), torture (remember seeing those people jumping from the twin towers to avoid being burned alive? Tell me again about your definition of torture.) and Geneva Convention violations (the Geneva Convention says just one thing about the class of combatants that we have imprisoned in Gitmo - take 'em out and shoot 'em). Bush is to blame for the economy (although as I remember it, the stock market started to nosedive about the time Obama got the nod from the democrats, and really took a dump about the 5th of November - and the housing bubble was entirely due to democrats - including Obama - and the notion that financial acumen shouldn't be a factor in making very large debt commitments ), and "loss of our national self respect". Personally, I had plenty of respect for our nation, and our flag. As I recall, it was exclusively the left who have a patriotism problem. "Don't question my patriotism" was the refrain for who, exactly? Anyone? Anyone?Buehler? Now, of course, we hear a cry that we should unite behind the president-elect to heal the country. What was wrong with healing the country (not that the country was sick) when Bush held office? So, I have two questions for you. Why do they call it the "reality-based" party when democrats demonstrably make up 'facts' out of thin air to support their views, and why, since you are comfortable trading our second amendment rights for socialist welfare and 'international acceptance', are you a gun owner? You know you'd get a lot more respect and acceptance from your party and your transnationalist friends if you'd get rid of those evil firearms - and hey, why not? You're just a hobbyist, right?

IAC (another name for Norinco, I think). The only domestic maker was Winchester, from 1893 to about 1956. Seems solid. Clunky, though (thus the trip to the smith). Has the heat shield and lug, and a couple three years ago I picked up a 1917 Remington bayonet from SOG for cheap - I should have bought a dozen, seeing what they go for now. I like the wingmaster, above...

Socialism isn't a racial characteristic. Neither is Islam, last I checked. So calling someone racist for abhorring the destructive, psychotic tenets of either just doesn't make sense. And, by the way... Global warming is about climate like gun control is about crime.

Nice! Must be the day for scatterguns. I just asked my wife to ship my IAC M97 trench gun clone off to a gunsmith who specializes in 'slicking up' the 1897 Winchester and clones. He claims that when he is done the action can be worked with two fingers.

Rangel Dodd Franks Geithner Rahm Emanuel Ayers Holder Wright And that's just getting started. You want to see criminality, greed, incompetence, socialism, racism and ignorance? Give you a hint. Look for the (D). Never mind. Just checked your posts, Ralph. The NRA is evil, and the Katrina confiscations were Bush's fault. Either you're trolling, or you picked the wrong day to quit taking your meds. NOT a personal attack, just an observation.

Rain, snow, grand pianos, whatever....

All the socialist buzzwords; bad wars, global warming, economic trouble, change needed.... Those of you who voted for this guy, I hope you're breaking your arms patting yourselves on the back right now. Really. Started to post a link, but the heck with it. Google works.

Gun Free Zones; OSHA for thugs.

From the link I posted: Those are the jokes, folks. I'm here all week.

I'm an overachiever

Upstairs Mod. '97, full tube, hammer down on empty chamber. 00B. The bayonet might be overkill, but what the he11. Downstairs, M500, 8 00B down and 1 up, safed, with slugs in a stock pouch. Also downstairs, hammer coach gun, hammers down on buck-n-ball, no safety. M1 carbines in a couple of handy spots as well, full mag, empty chamber.

Lots of good advice not answering the original posters' question. I'd cut to 18 and 1/4, figuring you may take 1/8 off 'dressing' the cut barrels with a file and stone. As for measuring, take a dowel, mark it at your intended length, drop it in the muzzle. Xavier had a how-to on this a while back: http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2005/12/getting-185-inches.html

http://borepatch.blogspot.com/2009/01/im-here-to-help.html "I'm here to help." Pretty much everyone recognizes this as part of what Ronald Reagan described as the most terrifying nine words in the English language: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help. In a sense, this is unfair - there are a lot of solid folks working for the government, doing solid work. They do want to help. I know; I used to be one of those folks. Quite frankly, I think that I did help, back at Three Letter Intelligence Agency, during the Cold War. And while I didn't carry a rifle, SIGINT and ELINT are important. So is COMSEC. It takes a lot of people, who don't get recognized, or thanked, but without whom we never would have come out of that strange, twilight conflict right side up. There's no doubt that most of what gets proposed - we're talking government now - actually has tangible benefit to society. Sure there's the overhead of earmarks and the rest of the graft, but the output is usually something that's worthwhile. For a while, I used to think that this was the actual problem - that this was why government was always pushed to expand. I think that the problem is more subtle. Cost-Benefit Analysis is a well understood discipline in engineering. It's hard to get right, which is why so many businesses go out of business. It's doubly hard in the public sector. The costs are almost never estimated correctly: Exhibit A is Massachusetts' new "Universal" health care that doesn't remotely cover everyone, but which is so mind-numbingly expensive that the only thing "universal" is its unpopularity. Benefits are always oversold, too, so the entire analysis needs to be taken with a healthy additional discount for elected official's posturing. For a while, I used to think that this was the problem. While it's closer, that's not exactly it, either. Like the Founding Fathers, we can't see where things will lead. Economists have know about the Tragedy of the Commons for centuries, that common resources will be overused to the point of destruction. Each small additional use gives a tangible use, now. Any negative effect is hard to predict - how bad, when, or who will be hurt. The Cost-Benefit analysis falls apart, and so we get completely unexpected, and completely horrible results. This is the problem with creeping government. Gordon Clark revolutionized surfing in the 1960s, with a new type of surfboard that was fiberglass (for strength) built around a foam core (for buoyancy). Think Beach Boys (or The Challengers, if you want something less squeeky-clean). In a lot of ways, if you think "1960s California", you think of the surf scene. Gordon Clark is out of business now. It's not that he made bad business decisions; Orange County, the State of California, and the Environmental Protection Agency put him out of business: To sum this up no one in the United States or for that matter the rest of the world uses equipment and a process like mine. It is very unique and there was nothing on earth ever built this way before. This is just an extension of the methods everyone used when the first foam boards were built. I continued merrily along assuming this was the way things worked. No one copied much of my process or equipment and it was very successful. I used no outside engineering firms or other experts for the majority of Clark Foam. The Federal Environmental Protection Agency used lawyers to prepare their citation. They used the word “standards†a lot. I finally realized with shock that the EPA has determined that my equipment does not meet acceptable or accepted “standardsâ€. All gone now, because of environmental and work place regulations. Was each regulation inspired by the desire to make things better? Sure. Nobody thought in 1975 that we'd end up here. Each individual regulation was a small nibble on the Common Pasture, the Town Green of a vibrant society. Now it's brown and barren. Didn't see that coming. I've linked several times before to an old post by Megan McArdle that illustrates this. It's well worth your time, but the pertinent part is that the institution of marriage turned out to be much more fragile than anyone imagined: Public housing [in the 1950s] was, in short, a place full of functioning families. Now, in the late fifties, a debate began over whether to extend benefits to the unmarried. It was unfair to stigmatise unwed mothers. Why shouldn't they be able to avail themselves of the benefits available to other citizens? The brutal societal prejudice against illegitimacy was old fashioned, bigoted, irrational. But if you give unmarried mothers money, said the critics, you will get more unmarried mothers. Ridiculous, said the proponents of the change. Being an unmarried mother is a brutal, thankless task. What kind of idiot would have a baby out of wedlock just because the state was willing to give her paltry welfare benefits? People do all sorts of idiotic things, said the critics. If you pay for something, you usually get more of it. C'mon said the activists. That's just silly. I just can't imagine anyone deciding to get pregnant out of wedlock simply because there are welfare benefits available. Oooops. Like the southern Californian surfing scene, it took a long time for the common pasture that was marriage's place in society to be trampled bare, and it was all done with absolutely the best intentions. Didn't see that coming, either. It's important to reiterate: with the exception of the expected level of graft by elected officials (smaller) and inefficiency of the bureaucracy (larger), these are good people who want to do good things. They want to leave society a better place. They also don't know as much as they think that they do. They will look at you blankly if you ask them what the unanticipated consequences of their proposal is: So if you were actually able to ban all legal guns, how would that reduce crime? [Lots of over-estimated benefits and under-estimated costs redacted] OK, what will this do to the rate of women killed by abusive boyfriends or ex-husbands, who can't get a gun to defend themselves. What does your study predict for numbers? [blank stare] Dead homeowners are part of the over grazed Common Pasture of society. Women and kids, too. So are higher levels of gun violence. Who gets hurt? This question needs to be asked any time someone proposes one tiny, incremental, almost unnoticeable further harvest of the Common Weal. Nobody is not an acceptable answer - someone always gets hurt, intentionally or not. Maybe this cost is outweighed by the benefits, maybe it isn't. But it's never zero. Personally, I'm not willing to believe that someone who hasn't thought through potentially catastrophic consequences is either nicer or smarter than I am.

Mike, have you priced howitzers lately???!!?? Sheesh.

Snort Just a simple outdoor fireplace, about 8 feet above ground. Stone over a frameup of some sort, probably building the firebox and the foundations will be the hard part. Hey, I know almost nothing about it, thus I am fearlessly charging where angels, etc... However, before the fireplace can be built the deck has to be replaced. Before the deck is replaced the old siding has to be replaced, and repairs made that resulted from the water damage caused by the really really dumb way the previous deck was attached to the house. I'm still looking for someone to replace the siding! Is there a carpenter in the house? This home improvement stuff is difficult to do from 9000 miles away. FWIW, I have a deep respect for the accomplishments of the freemasons... Most of the movers and shakers that built this country were masons (non-bricklaying version).

I'm thinking of adding a fireplace/chimney to my deck. Wondering if anyone here could do something like that.

Heck, Mike, I'll swap you a half-dozen carbine mags and yesterdays' newspaper for it...

Rough guess - $300 to $350.

Nice!

I picked out a very nice Service Grade SA Garand at the Garand Collectors Assoc. show, where CMP had a few tables. Will try to post pics...

The best and most affordable upgrade, from a reliability standpoint, is quality magazines.

http://www.niwa.cri.nz/edu/students/uv-ozone The severe ozone depletion occurring over the Antarctic continent during the spring of each year, the ‘ozone hole’, is confined to the Antarctic and never extends over New Zealand. Figure 3 shows the southern hemisphere total column ozone distribution on 6 October 2001 which was a typical day during the 2001 Antarctic ozone hole period. The blue colours show low ozone values less than 200 DU (pre-1980 values of ozone over the Antarctic were always greater than 220DU). Note that New Zealand is far from the Antarctic ozone hole and during October finds itself under a ridge of high ozone. In fact, New Zealand experiences its highest ozone levels during October, the time of the Antarctic ozone hole. Higher cases of skin cancer in recent years are as likely to be a factor of lifestyle changes over the past 50 years than from increases in UV as a result of ozone depletion.

From "Left-Speak, a Glossary of Terms http://www.ultimak.com/left-speak.htm Climate Change: See "Global Warming". Climate change is slightly more flexible in that no matter what happens, it is bad, Liberty is to blame, and socialism, as for all things, is the solution.

April 15th isn't that far away. If you don't find that offensive...