Came across this note over at Ambulance Driver’s place.  Apparently, there’s a granite place down in the Baton Rouge area called Southern Style Granite that has a big problem with gays.

And that’s fine.  They are allowed.  They can even refuse to do business with anyone they choose.  Of course, I can also refuse to do business with bigots.  Considering that granite places tend to do a lot of business with interior designers, they’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot here.  I don’t believe in forcing tolerance by force of law, but I do fully support any individuals desire to move their dollars elsewhere.  It’s the beauty of the free market.  I choose not to do business with bigots like Southern Style Granite.

In my experience, ’southern style’ certainly does not equate to ‘exclusion.’  In fact, southerners tend to be the most hospitable people around.  Generally when a southerner thinks there is something wrong with they way you are living, they’ll bless your heart and pray for you.

Southern Style Granite is nothing like this.  Southern Style Granite is a den of bigotry.

Feel however you want about a person’s actions.  Believe what ever you want about their lifestyle.  You can find out more about Southern Style Granite actions here.  Not that I would have given Southern Style Granite my business anyway, but I can do my part to get the word out.  People should know who they are dealing with.

Are you all ready for camp?  I’m so excited for the smores and ghost stories!

Oh, it’s not that kind of camp.  Well can I at least being my tin foil beanie?  Something tells me I’m going to need it after what current administration has to say.

With a number of polls showing a sustained level of opposition to the Democrats’ health care reform efforts more than five months after passage, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the Obama administration has “a lot of reeducation to do” heading into the midterms. [emphasis mine]

Reeducation huh?  I may not have the expensive alphabet soup after my name, but I can smell the BS in the health care propaganda.  And I mean the kind of BS you find in pastures, not institutions of higher learning although they can be hard to distinguish.

ABC news even provides this helpful bit about a recent poll the conducted.

In an ABC News/Washington Post poll, taken in July, 50 percent of Americans disapproved of the president’s handling of health care, with 45 percent saying they approved.  The level of disapproval was stronger than approval of the Obama administration’s actions.

50>45.  Gotcha.  Thanks for pointing that out.

To borrow a phrase from Dear Reader, let me be clear.  It is not that we don’t understand the health care bill.  It is that we don’t want the health care bill.  We don’t want yet another bloated bureaucracy sucking down tax dollars and creating onerous regulations that do nothing more than slow down the process of getting treatment.  I know, we’re supposed to believe that the new government agency will be a pillar of efficiency.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

*breathe

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Have you been to the DMV lately?  The post office?  Perhaps social security?

We were shipping a holster recently and so had the pleasure of visiting our local post office.  Since these trips mean sales are being made, we tend to enjoy them in spite of USPS.  Well, the postal worker at the counter didn’t have much faith in the flat rate box they had provided and proceeded to wrap it in several yards of tape.  (Tam, if you are reading this, we really had nothing to do with your box becoming a postal tape cocoon.) She kept repeating the same thing, “It’s free; may as well use it.”  We watched in amazement as every inch save where the address was written was converted into some kind of blue and white mass of sticky and plastic.  At least we know that it couldn’t escape.  Or maybe it became a butterfly, but I digress.

It’s that phrase.  “It’s free; may as well use it.”  This is what is so concerning.  It’s not free. It’s an office supply in a government agency.  You and I bought that roll of packing tape.  Or, actually that roll of packing tape is just one of the many things steadily increasing the debt of this particular insolvent government enterprise.

What happens when health care is free?  May as well use it right?  I can be very clumsy at times.  I break toes on a regular basis.  Heck, I’ve got an entire category in the sidebar devoted to strange ways I’ve hurt myself.  I’m currently sporting a rather impressive bruise on my thigh that corresponds perfectly to the foot on an industrial sewing machine table.  I don’t tend to go to the doctor much.  Why should I pay him a copay when all he is going to do is tape the broken toe to the adjacent toe and tell me to take ibuprofen?  I can do that and save myself the money.  Do you want to be paying for my toe tape?

But what about when seeing the doctor is free?  Would I find myself sitting in front of a nurse like the previously mentioned postal worker?*  “It’s free; may as well use it.”  I’d probably wind up with gauze and tape up to my knee.

The health care bill does nothing to solve any of the problems in the medical industry.  It will not control costs.  It will not inspire people to suddenly take responsibility for themselves.  It will coddle them into a false sense of security all while giving up just one more piece of liberty.

Does Kathleen Sebelius intend to reeducate us out of all of our high risk behavior that leads to expensive medical treatments?  Or does she just intend to reeducate us on the proper role of government in our lives?

See you at camp!

*no, I wouldn’t find myself there.  I’d still be taping my toe at home.  I hate waiting in lines.

Not here.  Weer’d’s wife goes in for surgery today.  Updates are here.  Comments and well wishes can be left here.

It’s getting closer and I’m very excited.  The weathermen have peered into their crystal balls and consulted their Ouija boards and are predicting lovely weather.  It should be in the upper 80s to low 90s during the day and cool off into the 60s at night.  Perfect camping weather.  We are expecting some rain during the week which should be just enough to eliminate any burn ban fears but not enough to make the dirt road into a mud pit.

A few people have asked what to bring.  Bring your camping gear.  Chairs are most welcome.  Picnic blankets are always nice.  The site is completely rustic* so be sure to bring water.  Bug spray is certainly recommended.

We will be cooking hot dogs on the campfire.  We’ll have dogs, buns, and basic condiments.  Any contributions to the meal will be welcomed and appreciated.  Adult beverages are welcome as well.  Obviously, to be consumed after the shooting portion of the event. We have not yet come up with a breakfast plan.  Suggestions?

If you show up in sandals or otherwise open shoes, you’ll be very unhappy.  You’ll get sand and stickers in your shoes.  Ouch!  Hiking boots or similar will make you much more comfortable.  Yes, even I will forgo the heels for the event and don a pair of Doc Martens.  (Although I do own a saucy red pair.)  Also, long pants.  Not setting a dress code, just trying to avoid a repeat of a rather unpleasant event that included short shorts and flip flops on a previous guest.  I want everyone to have a good time.

I know that Sprint and AT&T signals are typically strong in the area so we aren’t completely cut off.  But my hope is that we’re all having too much fun to check on Facebook

Did I miss anything?  If you have any other questions, post them in comments or email me.

*completely rustic as in nope, no bathrooms.  Lots of trees though.

Nope.  The fisking of the anti isn’t here.  It’s here.

Noted quote:

He writes about “violence enacted by guns” as though the little suckers go gallivanting about of their own free will, just looking for someone to shoot. Guns do not kill people. Gun operators kill people. Whether out of malice or negligence, it takes human interaction for a gun to become lethal.

As they say, RTWT.  And comment.  Hubby enjoys the discussion.

This from someone in my office that has been afraid of guns for most of her life.

We need to schedule a time for you to show me how to shoot THE GUN.

THE GUN belongs to her husband, and I do not yet know what it is.   But he keeps it loaded on the nightstand for home defense.  She has come to the very reasonable conclusion that she needs to actually learn to use it rather than just know that it is there.

SCORE!

She was home alone recently and heard noises that frightened her.  She told herself that it was okay because she had her bat that she has been keeping close by and THE GUN was on the nightstand.  But wait.  She doesn’t know anything about THE GUN.  “Do I need to take it out of the holster?”  “Does it have a safety?”  “How do I pull the trigger?”  etc.

Yes, we are talking very elementary gun handling skills here.  So she asked me to show her how.

Understand that this is a woman that has been absolutely terrified of guns all of her life.  She has good reasons to be afraid too.  There was some childhood trauma that I won’t elaborate on.  This is enough fear that I’ve seen her become noticeably uncomfortable just looking at one of the holsters that Michael makes.

So to say that we are going to start slowly is an understatement.  You know what I’m not going to do?  Hand her my snub nosed revolver and 5 rounds of .38 special telling her that’s the perfect gun for a woman.  There has been a lot of talk about that lately, in case you haven’t noticed.  I happen to really like my snub and will even shoot .357 Magnum out of it from time to time.  (I like the fireball.)  But it is NOT A BEGINNERS GUN!

Not for women, men, cephalopods anyone.  Well, it might be okay for cephalopods, but I’m not exactly anxious to teach a squid to shoot.  Octopus maybe, but not a squid.

In fact, we aren’t even going to start with a gun at all.  I’m serious, this one must be done SLOWLY.  We started today with a book.

This is so she can feel familiar with terms and concepts without dealing with the anxiety I have already witnessed from her.  For this particular person, I want to break it up into more easily digestible pieces.  It would be a sensory overload to head her straight to the range and shout over hearing protection.  The last thing she needs to have fear and anxiety associated with the learning process.

Next, we’ll look at a dummy gun.  We’ll go over the 4 rules.  We’ll talk about stance and grip and sight alignment.  Once she feels comfortable with that, we’ll look at THE GUN.  I’ll show her the same basics on that as well as discussing any specific things about that particular firearm.

And then we will head down to the local range.  I will bring along a selection of things to try out and the range has an excellent selection of things to rent.  Yes, the DAO snubby will be in the bag, but it will not be thrust at her like it is what she must shoot.  I do not currently own a handgun in .22LR, but I will either rent or borrow one. Also in the bag will be my 627PC.  That revolver was my first gun.  It has a nice long sight radius and smooth trigger pull even when shot double action.  The big N frame soaks up recoil nicely.  She’ll also have the opportunity to try out my M&P9c that I carry every day.  I will have a variety so she won’t feel intimidated by anything that she may encounter in the future.

First thing I ever shot was a Model 629 loaded with .44 magnum.  Not what I recommend doing with any new shooter.  I’m a stubborn one though and decided that day that I would conquer that beast.  I shot it all of twice that day, but I have lost count at this point of how many rounds I’ve shot through hubby’s model 29.  Don’t underestimate what that petite woman will be able to handle.  But really, don’t start a new shooter on any kind of magnum.

We will work our way up to and around THE GUN.  My hope is that by the end of all of this, she will see it as another useful tool and not something she needs to refer to in all caps.  Maybe she’ll even want a firearm of her own.

I’ve found with new shooters and particularly women, that doubling up on the hearing protection in the indoor range makes the whole experience more pleasant and helps to reduce the dreaded flinch.  Heck, I double up my hearing protection most of the time.

This particular woman is a special case.  I would not normally drag the new shooter experience out to several days in such small chunks, but you have to cater the experience to the shooter.  Some will need the basic safety briefing then you show them how to load it tell them to point it that-a-way, others will need more sensitive instruction before that first shot.  The point where that hammer falls on that first round should be exhilarating, not frightening.

She has decided that I am the one she trusts to teach her, and I will not betray that trust by scaring her.  We should all remember that when someone asks us to teach them.  They are trusting us to be their guide into a new world.  We should commit to guiding them in gently and with all the knowledge we can impart.  I would love for her to decide that it is fun and something she wants to do regularly.  If it’s fun, she’ll practice.  Teaching someone to shoot is more than just showing them how to make a gun go bang.  Don’t teach them how to use a gun; teach them to be shooters.

It seems everyone is talking about the EPA’s move to ban traditional lead ammunition.  In addition to reminding us to comment to the EPA, Stranger reminds us that we really need to be telling our Congresscritters exactly what we think about this idea.

Here is the NSSF press release.

Tam has the right idea here.

* There is anecdotal evidence that the banning of traditional ammunition would have an adverse impact on government bureaucrat populations.

Or there is also my initial response to this news.

If you come for the lead ammunition, you might just get it.

This administration has done a delicate dance around the firearms issues.  Don’t be fooled.  If they can’t take your guns away, turning them into clubs would be the next best thing.  Any effort to eliminate ammunition (or even make it prohibitively expensive) is an assault on your freedoms.

Follow all those links up there in the post.  People have a lot to say about this subject.

Directions have been sent out. If I missed you, let me know.