Looks like the US got him yesterday with a SOCOM team (update- SEALS supported by 160th SOAR) on the ground in Pakistan! Been waiting for familial DNA comparison, apparently it came through tonight! Best news I have heard since 9/11!
And even better, all our folks got out okay!
GREAT TIME! 🙂
Seriously, the dogs are now howling, but it was worth the effort and the time…
Estimates of attendance are around 70,000 (official figures will be released later this week)
Sebastian over at Snowflakes in Hell has been doing the grunt work attending the law seminars and other important meetings, and his reports are up HERE. Thanks Seb!!!
Thanks go to the NRA PR office, they let us in, and even gave us credentials! Other thanks-
The Pittsburgh Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department. Everyone of their folks I talked to were polite, helpful and pretty much ‘ignored’ all of those that were open carrying. Of course it might have been that they figured at least half of us were carrying…
And I did get a comment as I was leaving from one of the PD Sgts that not a single person had shot them the bird or called them pigs all weekend 🙂 Amazing how that courtesy thing works…
The event staff did an excellent job, they were unobtrusive, polite, helpful and the food was actually pretty good! But about those little bitty coffee cups…
I believe the ‘signature’ event was Wayne LaPierre’s call for Holder’s resignation. One can only hope they were listening in Washington!!!
We had a BUNCH of bloggers there, and it was a pleasure to meet folks I’ve been reading and those who comment (sometimes) on my poor little blog… One of the highlights was getting to meet Breda’s Mom- She’s in the dictionary- Under FEISTY! I can now see where Breda gets here attitude!
This morning I got in a ‘bit’ early, so I wandered around and ended up talking to John Bianchi for a few minutes, and got a chance to ask him how he came up with the design for the ambidextrous holster for the M-92. It was a truly interesting story involving three years of research and ALMOST didn’t get accepted because he added the cleaning rod to the front of the holster. John said he finally told the General that Bianchi would pay for the rods themselves!!!
I also got in early enough to speak to Ronnie Barrett for a minute or so, he was on his way to the big meeting, so was formally dressed, but he was willing to stop and talk. He indicated the MRAD should be officially released next month!!! Interestingly enough, EVERY person that came up to him while I was standing there (probably 15-20 folks) ALL thanked him for his stand on California!
So THIS is now on my wish list (probably about the 12th of never, but what the hey)…
I also stopped back by the FN booth after my last conversation with Frank James about hogs and the amount of ‘power’ needed to bring them down. I got a chance to talk to Eric Lund, one of FN’s shooters, and asked him for an honest appraisal of the SCAR 17. As we were talking I found out he used to be with an agency in Fairfax, and we know a number of people in common, including my gunsmith and folks that routinely whip my ass on the range…
His comments (or words to that effect)- It’s a slower cycle time than an AR platform, since it’s not direct impingement, it’s easier to clean and breaks down quickly (he did it in about 30 secs). He said it’s a smoother ‘felt’ recoil even as light as it is, and due to the lower alignment of the barrel to the stock, he felt the rise was very manageable for repeated shots. He also said the rifle should hold 1 MOA fairly easily. Trijicon is also making an ACOG optic that will fit it with the BDC built in like the TA31RCO. He also said it can be set up as either right or left handed depending on the shooter, with the exception of the ejection (always to the right).
I think this one goes on the serious want list…
And I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Breda for setting up the blogger get together! It was great, and we had the added benefits of Alan Gura and Alan Gottlieb attending. Mr. Gura is one smart individual, and I believe there are other things coming from him. I also believe he has a critical capability that most of his opponents don’t have, and that is the ability AND willingness to think out of the box! I’m just glad he’s on OUR side!!!
And for those who are curious about the BBQ leather I wore last night, it was done by Kenny and Cody Rowe out of Hope Arkansas. Their web site is HERE!
I will defer to others who had MUCH better cameras than I for the pretty pictures, and thanks to all for the pleasure of your company! Looking forward to seeing you again next year, if not before!
The dogs are barkin…
Damn, there is a LOT of area to cover! A number of interesting conversations, some OUTSTANDING displays, and much much drool worthy stuff was seen…
Conversations with, among others, MAJ John Plaster, Patrick Flanigan (extreme shotgun shooter), “Dutch” Van Kirk (the Enola Gay’s Navigator), George Cohen (Top Secret’s Flight Engineer), Les Baer, the “Gunny”, Frank Brownell and Steve Hornady.
Heading off to the gun blogger bash, more later…
Made it to Pittsburgh in a bit over 3 hours, took an HOUR to go the last 8 miles… Pittsburgh was NOT expecting the amount of folks that showed up, traffic was snarled beyond belief!!!
Oh yeah, and my 8 miles in an hour was trumped by another gent who spent an hour going 1.2 not twelve, but 1.2 miles to get to the parking lot!!!
The NRA had a well set up procedure for getting folks in the show, the media passes were there, and I didn’t even get in the door before I started running into bloggers 🙂
Jay G was the first one I saw, closely followed by Say Uncle, Dennis from Dragon Leatherworks, ZerCool, William the Coroner, Newbius, Breda, Alan from Snarkybytes, Frank from Corn, Beans, Spent Brass, JB Miller, NJT, Weerd, Bubblehead Les, Heath and Amanda, Falnfenix, Caleb, MBtGE, Newbius, Cybrus (and Mrs. Cybrus) and at least 6 others that I sadly can’t remember… My apologies to you all. (they are all on the sidebar)
The first low pass was to VZ to find some grips for Jay (to match is new holster). Now I’ve heard of accessorizing, but it’s ‘normally’ women that do that…
And then the distractions started…
The obligatory pic of Jay with BIG pistols 🙂 .45-70s to be exact…
And Dennis is calculating how much leather THOSE would take…
As you can see, there was quite a crowd there; every aisle was at least this busy!
Needless to say, we got separated in about a half a heartbeat…
And I ran across this ‘thing’ at the Mossburg display. Looks more like a chainsaw than a shotgun, but what can I say, I ‘guess’ it is truly one of those if we make it, SOMEBODY will buy it…
And wondering around with Say Uncle, Alan and Breda we ran across this display 🙂
It’s a bra holster… Breda turned about the color of the bra, but it IS an interesting concept, the pistol fits on the bottom of the bra and is ‘concealed’ by the breasts so size DOES matter… Just sayin…
And the ONLY quiet place in the whole convention center… Only because it was blocked off!
I wandered quite a few aisles, saw some interesting weapons, some REALLY nice weapons, and some ‘accessories’ that I have NO idea what the hell they were even for…
As I said, the place was packed, young, old, males, females, families with children, and I noticed quite a few ladies in the crowd who were obviously shopping for themselves, not for anyone else.
The NRA folks I saw circulating were very polite, well informed, and more than willing to answer questions, point one in the right direction or any thing else they could do to help.
There are a number of notable shooters manning the booths of the various manufacturers, and willing to talk to the folks that came by and asked questions (more power to them, I’m SURE they have been asked the same questions time and time again)..
Frank and I decided not to go with the ‘kids’ to a party, and opted for food, since we were both starving. Frank is truly an impressive gentleman; very well read, knowledgeable on a wide range of weapons (it helps when you have a gun range in your back yard and ‘connections’…). Frank is also a curious individual, as he said, sitting on top of a tractor for hours on end gives him a LOT of time to think and it is obvious he’s done a lot of that over the years. He has taken on trying to find out all he can about night vision equipment and applies it to killing feral hogs; it gives him not only a real world test bed, it also helps out the farmers whose farms are being torn apart by the hogs. As a farmer, he’s also intimately familiar with the weather, crops and the vagaries of Mother Nature and what she can do to you when you least expect it.
Tomorrow is more walking the aisles, and I’m sure more good conversations with an outstanding bunch of bloggers, and I will try to do better with remembering whom I meet…
Video compilation of homecomings of our Sailors, Marines, Airmen and Soldiers…
Not stuff you will ROUTINELY see on the MSM, just look at the joy on ALL the faces!!!
Nuff Said…
Fixed based on comments… Is everybody happy now???
I had a nice little rant all ready to go, and I figured why bother… Others are covering all the BS going on much better than I, so how about some ‘humor’…
Short Sarcastic Letters!!!
Dear Twilight fans,
Please realize that because vampires are dead and have no blood pumping through them, they can never get an erection. Enjoy fantasizing about that.
Sincerely,
Logic
Dear Icebergs,
Sorry to hear about the global warming.
Sincerely,
The Titanic
Dear Yahoo,
I’ve never heard anyone say, “I don’t know, let’s Yahoo! it…” just saying…
Sincerely,
Google
Dear 2010,
So I hear the best rapper is white and the president is black? WHAT happened?!
Sincerely,
1985
Dear Fox News,
So far, no news about foxes.
Sincerely,
Unimpressed
Dear jf;ldsfa/kvsmmklnn,
Please lknvfdmv.xvn.
Sincerely,
Stevie Wonder
Dear Nickleback,
That’s enough.
Sincerely,
The World
Dear Scissors,
I feel your pain…..no one wants to run with me either.
Sincerely,
Sarah Palin
Dear World of Warcraft,
Thank you for ensuring my son’s virginity.
Sincerely,
Parents Everywhere
Dear Batman,
What was your power again?
Sincerely, Superman
Dear Customers,
Yes, we ARE making fun of you in Vietnamese.
Sincerely,
Nail Salon Ladies
Dear Global Warming,
You’re the best imaginary friend ever!
Sincerely,
Al Gore
Dear Mr. Gump
What are you talking about? There’s a little diagram on the lid that tells you EXACTLY what you’re gonna get….
Sincerely,
Jenny
Dear Haiti/Japan
Is it too early to ask what’s shakin’?
Sincerely,
Seriously Going To Hell
Dear World,
Please stop freaking out about 2012. Our calendars ends there because some Spanish d-bags invaded our country and we got a little busy ok?
Sincerely,
The Mayans
Dear iPhone,
Please stop spellchecking all of my rude words into nice words. You piece of shut.
Sincerely,
Every iPhone User
Dear Trash,
At least you get picked up…
Sincerely,
The Girls of Jersey Shore
Dear Human,
It’s cute, but can you pick up peanuts with it?
Sincerely,
Elephant
Dear Dr. Phil,
Look man, there’s only room for one fake doctor in this world and I was here first.
Sincerely,
Dr. Pepper
Interestingly enough, from ABC news…
A military investigation has cleared Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his staff of violating military policy in their interactions with a Rolling Stone reporter.
The ensuing article, portrayed General and staff frustrated with Washington policymakers and disrespectful of the chain of command. The article led to McCrystal being relieved of command of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and his subsequent retirement from the Army.
But the Pentagon’s review of an earlier investigation could not verify many of the claims and anonymous quotes in the article. A six page memo, issued by the Department of Defense Inspector General disagrees with conclusions of an investigation by an Army Inspector General and issues the following two conclusions:
1. The evidence was insufficient to substantiate a violation of applicable DoD standards with respect to any of the incidents on which we focused,
2. Not all of the events at issue occurred as reported in the article. In some instances, we found no witness who acknowledged making or hearing the comments as reported. In other instances, we confirmed that the general substance of an incident at issue occurred, but not in the exact context described in the article.
To each and everyone I wish you a Happy Easter, may your day be filled with Love and Joy!!!
THE EASTER LILY HOLIDAY TRADITION
Each holiday is marked by cherished traditions that bring joy, comfort, and warmth, and provide continuity from one generation to the next. Easter has its share of traditions: egg decorations and hunts; gift baskets and chocolate bunnies, sunrise church services, parades, and, of course, the Easter Lily. For many, the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope and life – the spiritual essence of Easter.
History, mythology, literature, poetry and the world of art are rife with stories and images that speak of the beauty and majesty of the elegant white flowers. Dating back to Biblical lore, the lily is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. One of the most famous Biblical references is in the Sermon on the Mount, when Christ told his listeners: “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they spin; and yet….. Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Often called the “white-robed apostles of hope,” lilies were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony. Tradition has it that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and deep distress. Churches continue this tradition at Easter time by banking their alters and surrounding their crosses with masses of Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hope of life everlasting.
Since the beginning of time, lilies have played significant roles in allegorical tales concerning the sacrament of motherhood. Ancient fables tell us the lily sprang from the milk of Hera, the mythological Queen of Heaven.
The pure white lily has long been closely associated with the Virgin Mary. In early paintings, the Angel Gabriel is pictured extending to the Virgin Mary a branch of pure white lilies, announcing that she is to be the mother of the Christ Child. In other paintings, saints are pictured bringing vases full of white lilies to Mary and the infant Jesus.
The legend is told that when the Virgin Mary’s tomb was visited three days after her burial, it was found empty save for bunches of majestic white lilies. Early writers and artists made the lily the emblem of the Annunciation, the Resurrection of the Virgin: the pure white petals signifying her spotless body and the golden anthers her soul glowing with heavenly light.
It seems the thirteenth-century Barthololmeus Anglicus had this in mind when he wrote: ‘The Lily is an herbe with a white flower; and though the leaves of the floure be white, yet within shineth the likeness of gold.” So goes the saying, ‘To gild a lily is to attempt, foolishly, to improve on perfection.” To many artists and poets it seemed that, if any flower could have one, the lily had a soul.
In yet another expression of womanhood, lilies had a significant presence in the paradise of Adam and Eve. Tradition has it that when Eve left the Garden of Eden she shed real tears of repentance, and from those remorseful tears sprung up lilies. The spiritual principle held here is that true repentance is the beginning of beauty.
A mark of purity and grace throughout the ages, the regal white lily is a fitting symbol of the greater meaning of Easter. Gracing millions of homes and churches, the flowers embody joy, hope and life. Whether given as a gift or enjoyed in your own home, the Easter Lily serves as a beautiful reminder that Easter is a time for rejoicing and celebrating.
Ironically, the white (Easter) lily is a native plant of Southern Japan…
Murphy from over at Lagniappe’s Lair has a new web page up based on his visit to Selfridge AFB Air Museum, if you’re into airplanes, it’s DEFINITELY worth the visit! Good pics and good history/info on the birds….
And for the snark, go to the Nerds and see Labrat’s take on the reporter’s article on the NRA, women and guns, and then go to Breda’s take on it HERE. I agree with both of them, and not just because I like them 🙂 They are BOTH right!!!
And for technical expertise, go visit Frank James over at Corn, Beans, Spent Brass, And Empty Page and a Deadline… He has two excellent posts up, one on the .41 Magnum round, and one right below it on the ‘rebranding’ of military calibers. Both are very interesting reading from an expert in the field.
I’ve got a lot of folks on the sidebar, all of them are good reading, provide a variety of points of view, and cover a myriad of subjects…
I’m out of pocket for a couple of days, so go enjoy them.
Newbius and I tag teamed Jay G and his family today…
Between the Pentagon (Newbius) and Smithsonian Udvar-Hazy Museum (me), I think we walked their butts off, and I’m betting Boy G and Girl G will be down for the count tonight…
And Jay has a NICE camera and was taking pictures right, left, up, down and sideways at Udvar-Hazy. If you get the chance to visit DC, and want to see aviation history, it is the place to go!
And even nicer, I got to play hooky from work 🙂