East_TN_Patriot

I watched it a couple of times and I wasn't impressed. Heck Palin doesn't impress me in general, so I didn't expect much from the show either. I'll just watch the Gold Rush Alaska show instead!

+1

Canada is not any more welcoming of firearms. I got searched at the Canadian border when they saw I had a badge in my wallet and they figured I'd try to slip my off-duty gun across with me. They don't play games.

Each state is different; it would be great if TN would do away with the check for CCW holders. To show how screwed up state laws can be, when I was a cop in Florida, I found out that CCW holders were exempt from the background and waiting period (Florida still has one for handguns), but full-time sworn LEOs were not (unless they also had a permit). I went in to buy a new BUG and had to wait while another guy in there at the same time walked out with his that day. Really peeved me to say the least.

Congrats on the degree! My advice is to take a look at specific employers that you are interested in working for. It really stinks, but most employers post on their own websites much more often than they do on these large job boards (for the reasons you note, plus they know that if they post on a site like Monster that they will be buried in applications mostly from unqualified people). If you are looking for a CJ position, start looking at the city, county, and state websites you are considering. The State of Tennessee has all of their postings on their Human Resources site much like USAJobs. If memory serves me correctly, you can also set up e-mail alerts for postings that meet your criteria on these sites. You can also look at sites like PoliceOne and they have job postings. You may need to literally sit down with a map and the Internet to start searching out as many employers as possible within a specific radius of where you want to live and apply individually as you find postings on their individual websites. Start a folder in your bookmarks of the HR sites for all of these employers and that will make it a lot easier to search through them a couple of times a week. Also, keep an updated copy of your resume saved as a Word file with a cover letter tailored towards the different types of jobs you are looking for. That will make it a lot easier since all you need to do is change the date, the employer name and address on the letter, and the basic info in the letter. It's never a bad idea to keep a paper copy or two around just in case you happen to have a chance encounter where you can quickly hand over a resume. Also, a lot of folks don't think about little things like their e-mail address or their voicemail message. Believe it or not, employers tend to shy away from people who use an e-mail address like "SassyHotBody@" or have screwy voicemail messages. Employers also search out people's Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter pages to see what their prospective employers look like, so it's essential to edit those for content. (I know you didn't ask about this part, but it is just something I wanted to mention for anyone who may be interested in the info.) If all else fails, you can pay a "headhunter" who specializes in placing folks in jobs, but they don't usually deal with CJ positions. I hope this info helps, but feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. I'm up on the job hunt thing since I recently did it myself and I also did a few applicant background investigations with my old police department.

Sweet looking shotgun! I have a Sub-2000 carbine and love the thing. I had one of their P-11 pistols back in the day and sold it because I was a gun snob. I never had any problems with it. I had a P3AT and lost it in a divorce. Kel Tec, IMHO, makes some very serviceable innovative firearms at reasonable prices. If this went out at $600, I think I would pass on it because I can trick out my 870 for less than that, but I look forward to seeing one in person.

Now I have the bug to get a new 1911 so I can get a set of nice grips.

Well, it's not my first go with holster work or tooling leather; just my first cowboy holster. I've done holsters as a little side/hobby biz for several years. I started doing it when I started in law enforcement and couldn't stand to pay $100 for a holster. I saw one a co-worker had and I decided to give it a go. I've done them ever since. Basic construction is really not too difficult to get into and only requires a few basic tools and some know-how. I'm actually working on a how-to book for making modern leather holsters and hope to have it done in the next couple of months.

I have one of those in my garage right now waiting for my next trip to the range. :-)

Sounds good, but I am skeptical this actually happened. I don't see an actual official source listed and my search of the web for one turned up only other blogs and no legitimate source.

Yup. Easy and mindless fun. "Get out of my store!" BANG!

Here is a nice bit of online counter-terrorism related target practice. http://www.owencounty.org/binladenliq.swf

Thanks for the kind words. I've done quite a bit of it, but I haven't fooled with it for a while, especially the elaborate scroll work. I've also done quite a bit of figure carving for folks. My favorite was a guy who asked me to tool his 1965 Ford Mustang he restored on a knife sheath. I also did a custom sheath for a knife-maker that made the blade from the leaf spring of a 1932 Chevy, and I tooled the car on it. I enjoy doing it, but then I look at the pros and see how much more I need to improve! I have the belt in the works and plans for another holster to fit a 4" birdshead that my wife got me for Christmas.

That brought a tear to my eye...

Fantastic looking 1911! Those grips are especially impressive! I'd like to build a 1911 someday, but not sure if I have the patience to do it.

I just finished my first western style holster to fit my 4 3/4" Beretta Stampede. I'm reasonably pleased with it, but I need to brush up on my tooling a bit (it's been a while since I have done any). It's made from 9 ounce saddle leather, I burnished it, slicked the edges, and wiped it down with some saddle oil to bring out the detail. I am waiting for a Christmas gift from my wife to arrive (the gun shop and/or the distributor screwed up the order) and I have another holster planned with a different style of tooling on it. I'll post some pics of that when I get it done.

I vote neither because the chances of encountering either are pretty slim if you pay attention to where you go and choose your friends wisely. Over 90% of crime victims know the offender in some way. As long as you don't run around with drug addicts, don't frequent areas where drug addicts visit, and stay aware of your surroundings, chances are that you will never face one in a criminal event. Regardless, if you do encounter one by happenstance it will be when they are not high and they are looking for a chance to get some cash to pay for their next fix, so the characteristics of the drug high are pretty meaningless. If I had to pick one of the two, I'd say the meth head because they tend to get pretty paranoid after they have been high for an extended period of time so if you do run across one, they may flip out thinking you are the boogy man.

Yup, I got in the habit when I was a cop. Always tried to pick the booth that backed up to the wall and faced the door. Even now, my wife knows to give the seat facing the door, or when she's unsure she will ask me which I want. If I don't get that seat, I spend half of the meal looking over my shoulder out of habit.

I would also be interested in doing one of these. It would probably just be easier to just pick a date and be done with it. Another idea would be to put together a survival class and offer it through the UT non-credit courses. They are always looking for new ideas and this may attract some interest. It could be a one weekend event and include the (or primarily consist of) the outdoors trip. If you went this route, you could probably share resources with the Smoky Mountain Field School. I think it would be great to discuss how to build a proper fire (cooking fires vs. fires for comfort), how to properly sharpen and care for your knife, basic orienteering, finding food including local edible plants, and shelter. I'd put the thing together myself, but my level of expertise just isn't high enough to teach anything other than perhaps the knife part of the class. Thoughts?

Or instead of spending all of the money to reload the .223, you could purchase one of the .22LR conversions for the AR. If money is a factor, you can plink away to your heart's content and save the .223 ammo for special occasions.

We grilled some New York strip steaks, red potatoes with butter and dill seasoning, corn, and some cheesecake for dessert. I had a Fat Tire Ale with my meal and my pregnant wife had some sparkling grape juice (in a wine glass for effect of course). :-)

That reminds me of that scene in the Matrix movie where they talk about how the machines didn't know how to recreate the taste of chicken, which is why chicken tastes like chicken. Anyone else remember that? Anyone? ....... Nevermind...

I was going to suggest these folks as well. A very nice group of folks there.

However, this video is a little better. I can tell which safe this (I think it's the Centurion carried by Liberty Safe) and I even considered buying one. This is pretty unreal how easy it is to defeat one of these. I wonder if a combination lock is more secure than a push button electronic one?