Just another Bat-Fisherman

This Blog for rent

2009-05-16T19:23:00.002-05:00

I have moved from Texas to Costa Rica and I have moved my blog. Look for my new blog here.

Thanks a lot.

Just What the Heck is That Truck Hauling?

2008-11-15T19:18:00.003-06:00

We see them every day. Big trucks carrying haz mat passing us on the highways. Each is required to have 4 placards (one facing each direction) on the trailer. Well the one on the front of the trailer can in some instances be on the front of the tractor. But what do they mean? Each placard will have a small number in the bottom corner and a large number in the middle. Some won't have the large number in the middle though.

If the placard is orange that means explosives. A red one means flammable. Yellow is oxidizers. White with vertical red stripes means flammable solids. White means poison. White on top black on bottom indicates corrosive. There are of course variations of this but basically that is what you will be seeing out there on the road. In the middle of some placards and in other cases under the placard will be a 4 digit black number on an orange background indicates the actual material being hauled. Below I have listed some of the most common you will see along with some interesting or sphincter tightening ones that you hope never pass you.

1013 Good ole Carbon Dioxide
1028 R12 Refrigerent
1018 R22 Refrigerant
1049 Hindenburg ballast aka Hydrogen
1056 Watch out Superman Krypton
1070 Nitrous Oxide Laugh it up
1202 Diesel sometimes 1993
1203 Gasoline
1654 Nicotine
1700 Tear Gas Gernades
1076 Phosgene
2810 VX (JHTDC!!!!!!!)
1075 or 1978 Propane
1789 HCL Hydorcloric Acid
2710 GB aka Sarin
3245 Genetically modified micro-organisms

And of course if 1013 is in liquid form the number will be different because of different hazards associated with the transport of it. If you see any out there and are curious email em to me and I will tell you what you passed or what passed you. Or get your own copy of the Emergency Response Guidebook availible in most truck stops. ISBN 1-57943-894-6

13 Things Films Have Taught Us

2008-10-19T17:49:00.002-05:00

1) All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices, which have large red read-outs to tell you exactly when it will go off.

2) Should you need to pass yourself off as a German officer it will not be necessary to speak the language, a convincing accent will do.

3) All windows in Paris overlook the Eiffel tower.

4) Most lap top computers are powerful enough to override a bank security system or the communication system of an invading alien civilization.

5) Every single person in martial arts Film has a black belt in karate.

6) When staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.

7) 1 man shooting at 20 men has more chance of hitting them than 20 men shooting at 1 man if he is the hero.

8) During a police investigation it will be necessary to visit a strip joint at least once.

9) Large studio-type apartments in big cities are affordable by single people with a low wage.

10) The entire British population lives in London.

11) It doesn't matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a martial arts fight; your enemies will attack you one at a time while the others dance around you menacingly.

12) In musicals everyone you meet in the street will know all the words to the songs and the steps to the dances.

13) When captured by an evil international terrorist, guns are not necessary to defeat them, sarcasm and wisecracks are your best weapons.

Last Couragous Person of Frech Descent Dies

2008-10-19T01:54:00.003-05:00

MONTREAL - Family and friends of Leo Major describe him as a humble man who wore his battle scars with grace.

The residents of the Dutch city of Zwolle remember him as a hero.

Major is the only Canadian to have received two Distinguished Conduct Medals - the second highest award for gallantry in action after the Victoria Cross - for accomplishments in the Second World and Korean Wars.

He died in Montreal on Oct. 12 at age 87.

In 1940, at 19, the French-Canadian from one of Montreal's toughest working-class east end neighbourhoods joined Montreal's Regiment de la Chaudiere.

He distinguished himself early in his army career

After losing an eye to a grenade on D-Day on the beach in Normandy, he refused a medical evacuation. He claimed he could still sight a rifle with one eye.

"He always said doctors were a bunch of fools," his son Denis said in an interview.

But it was his bravery on a cold, rainy April night in 1945 that won him his first medal and the lasting respect of the people of Zwolle.

On that night, Major single-handedly liberated the city.

It was April 13, 1945 when Pte. Major and another French-Canadian soldier, Willie Arsenault, were sent to scope out the German presence in the Dutch town, about 120 kilometres northeast of Amsterdam.

Arsenault was killed by German machine-gunners on the outskirts of the city.

But Major, using a combination of luck, cunning, and guts, was able to capture Zwolle from the Germans by killing them when he could and setting off enough grenades to create the impression a large Canadian force had entered the city.

By early morning, they had fled the town.

Since he died, the town hall flag has been flying at half-mast, a register has been opened so townspeople can record their condolences, and Lt.-Col. Henri J.L. Schevers from the Dutch embassy attended his Montreal funeral on Saturday.

Betty Redemeyer's stepfather, Hendrik van Gerner, met Major that night. It began a lifetime of friendship as Major, in his later years, frequently travelled back to Holland to speak to schoolchildren about his experiences.

"Because of Leo, (the Allies) knew they didn't need to bomb the city, the Germans were gone," she said.

Redemeyer recalled Major's visits back to Zwolle with fondness.

"He could have been my grandfather," she said.

"He was so sweet. I honoured him so much, just because he was so humble. We realized what he had done for our city was enormous."

Memories of the war haunted Major.

"At night he became quiet," Redemeyer said.

"In his memories he went back to the war. Sometimes I think it was difficult for him."

Major's son Denis said he rarely spoke of his exploits. In fact, he only told his family in the late 1960s about some of what he'd accomplished.

"Even my mother didn't know," Denis said.

"One of the most difficult memories came at the end of the war. He had killed two Germans, and when he approached the bodies he found they were adolescents of 13, 14 years old."

Major still answered the call of duty when in 1950, a Canadian general asked him to serve as a sniper in the Korean War. He left his civilian plumbing practice and went overseas once again, even with lingering injuries from his first tour of duty.

A severe back injury sustained during the Second World War would cause him pain his whole life.

It was in the Korean War that he won his second medal for bravery after leading a company to capture a key hill.

His family lost what Denis called "man of great courage, justice, a very humble man."

So did the people of Zwolle.

"I know that everyone, but everyone, will think of Leo as their liberator," Redemeyer said.

"He will never be forgotten. To us, he really is a hero."

Major is survived by his wife of 57 years, Pauline De Croiselle, his four children and five grand children.

Top Ten List

2008-09-30T04:44:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Things You Will NEVER Hear in a John Wayne Movie.

10. "Free Range Organic corn-dodger?"

9. "Maybe if I had sat down and tried to talk to Lucky Ned Pepper I could of avoided this violent
and probably illegal confrontation?"

8. "I feel your pain!"

7. As Genghis Kahn "Feel free to loot and burn but do it in a way that respects their culture."

6." I wonder if our campfire is contributing to global warming?"

5. "Fill your hand you person of suspect birth!"

4. "I think changing your name from Black Bart to The Emo Kid might help your image."

3. "Today my jurisdiction ends....Here!"

2. "What we need out here in the West is more government oversight and regulation."

1. "We should offer them a chance to surrender before we open fire."

One of these days..................

2008-09-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

Jackie Gleason is one of the funniest members of our species. From the lovable Ralph Kramden to Sheriff Buford T. Justice, he defined comedian. My goal in the next month or so is to Netflix everything that he has out there that is on DVD.

So when I saw this cartoon I had to laugh. Had it been me instead of Neil, I might of just said. "Houston, I see a body up here. Its female. Oh my its Alice Kramden!"

Wacky Conspiracy Theory of the Week.

2008-09-14T23:49:00.006-05:00

Germany and Japan team up to put men on the Moon and Mars During WW II. (No wonder they lost, they should of been paying more attention to the hordes of Russians and "English Speaking Peoples" coming to conquer their countries.)

Check it out. Cut and pasted from some wacky site.

According to the authors of the underground German documentary movie from the Thule society, the only produced craft of the Haunibu-3 type - the 74 meter diameter naval warfare dreadnought - was chosen for the most courageous mission of this whole century - the trip to Mars. The craft was of saucer shape, had the bigger Andromeda tachyon drives, and was armed with four triple gun turrets of large naval caliber (three inverted upside down and attached to the underside of the craft, and the fourth on top of the crew compartments).

A volunteer suicide crew of Germans and Japanese was chosen, because everybody knew that this journey was a one-way journey with no retum. The large intensity of the electro-magnetogravitic fields and the inferior quality of the metal alloys used then for the structural elements of the drive, was causing the metal to fatigue and get very brittle only after a few months of work of the drive. The flight to Mars departed from Germany one month before the war ended - in April 1945.

It was probably a large crew, numbering in the hundreds, because of the low level of automation and electronic controls inside the saucer. Most of the systems of the craft had to be operated like these on a U-boat of that time - manually. Because the structurally weakened tachyon drives were not working with full power and not all the time, the trip to Mars took almost 8 months to accomplish. An initial short trust towards Mars was probably used to overcome the strong gravitational field close to Earth, after that the craft was "coasting" for 8 months in an elliptical orbit to Mars with its main drives turned off. Later trips to Mars by the joint Soviet - American craft in 1952 and by the Vatican craft of the Marconi project from Argentina in 1956 reached Mars in only 2 - 3 days, because their drives were working during the whole flight: accelerating in the first half and decelerating in the second. Smaller Kohler converters were probably used to power the systems and life support equipment on board. I do not have any information at the present time about any artificial gravity capability on board the craft, but that could have been easily done with the large antigravity drives of the ship.

After a heavy, almost crashing landing, the saucer slammed to a stop, damaging irreparably its drives, but saving the crew. That happened in the middle of January 1946. The crash landing on Mars was not only due to the crippled tachyon drives of the craft - it was also due to the smaller gravitational fleld of Mars generating less power for the tachyon drives; and also due to the thinner atmosphere on Mars, that could not be used as effectively for air breaking as the Earth's atmosphere could. The craft was shaped as a giant saucer - a form that is very efficient as an air brake, when it is entered into the atmosphere with its huge cross section perpendicular to the trajectory of descent.

First landing on the moon by the Germans was at Mare Imbrium on August 23, 1942 at 11:26 MEZ, using a Miethe rocket.

The first man on the moon was Kapitänleutnant Werner Theisenberg of the Kriegsmarine. Actually, the Navy did most of the work on the moon shots, not the Luftwaffe.

Landing took place without radio contact to the main control center at the Wilhelmshaven or the second control center located near Anzio, Italy. Ever since their first day of landing on the Moon, the Germans started boring and tunneling under the surface and by the end of the war there was a small Nazi research base on the Moon.

One question, that I have not answered yet in the affirmative is how were the Germans able to regenerate the air inside the craft for 8 months for this big crew. Quite probably they were using advanced life support systems, developed initially for their larger Walter turbine and free energy submarines, that were cruising the oceans without resurfacing.

The radio message with the mixed news was received by the German underground space control centre in Neu Schwabenland and by their research base on the Moon.

The Andromeda was a craft with a diameter of 139 meters that was meant to transport troops, up to 5 saucers, and equipment. It was probably not built, although they could have done it easily... Maybe some of the "flying cigars" that have been seen are later models...

Ich Bien ein New Yorker

2008-09-12T14:56:00.003-05:00

I love Silent Hunter III. Excellent sub sim. It is 24 Feb 1942 and I "up scope" after a long voyage across the Atlantic and then a sneak up to the beach in North America. I made it back out to sea safely and sunk one tanker and a freighter and damaged another tanker on the way back out to sea. I make a habit out of sneaking into various ports to wreak havoc and so far NYC is the only one that has landmarks. In addition to the SOL, I did make out the Empire State building in the background in one periscope view. Dont like to keep the scope up for more than a couple seconds. So I was not able to see everything.

You Might be a Redneck Jedi if......

2008-08-14T08:10:00.000-05:00

You ever uttered the phrase, "May the force be with y'all."

Your Jedi robe is camouflage.

You have ever used the force in conjunction with fishing/bowling.

You have ever used your light saber to open a bottle of Beer.

At least one wing of your X-wing is primer colored.

You have bantha horns on the front of your landspeeder.

You describe the taste of an Ewok as "jus' like chicken."

You have ever had a B-wing up on blocks in your yard.

The worst part of spending time on planet Dagobah is "them dadgum skeeters."

Wookies are offended by your B.O.

You have ever used the force to get yourself another beer so you wouldn't have to wait for a commercial.

Your father has ever said to you, "Shoot, son, come on over to the dark side...it'll be a hoot!"

You have ever had your R-2 unit use its self-defense electro-shock thingy to get the barbecue grill to light.

You have a confederate flag painted on your flight helmet.

You ever fantasized about Princess Leia wearing Daisy Duke shorts.

You have the doors of your X-wing welded shut and you have to get in through the window.

You kinda think that Jabba the Hutt had a pretty good handle on how to treat his women.

You have ever accidentally referred to Darth Vader's evil empire "them damn Yankees."

You have a cousin who bears a strong resemblance to Chewbacca.

In your opinion, that C3PO feller "just ain't right."

You suggested that they outfit the Millennium Falcon with a Lazy-Boy recliner.

The REAL reason you got into a fight in the cantina was because you ordered Bud Light...and they didn't have it.

You knew Princess Leia was your sister all along.

As if being a rock star was not enough.

2008-08-01T16:50:00.000-05:00

Queen guitarist Brian May is set to receive his PhD in Astrophysics after completing his thesis examining the mysterious phenomenon known as Zodiacal light or false dawn. For those of you who have never lived in a rural setting, about 2-3 hours before the actual sunrise one can see what appears to be the beginnings of a sunrise.

Also he theorized how females with large bottoms seem to affect the rotation of the earth. Even did a song about it.

100 Things About Me, Part 2

2008-07-29T23:11:00.000-05:00

See my earlier post for 1-25.

26. My earliest memory is watching Neil and Buzz on the moon. I was 25 months old.

27. When I was a kid, John Wayne was my hero. I still think he was a hell of a guy.

28. I weigh about 100 lbs more than I want to weigh.

29. Politically I am conservative but do not blindly follow the Republicans. I have issues with them as well. Usually involving them caving in to the liberals

30. I can tie a bow tie. I can tie a regular tie and I never wear clip ons.

31. Musically and concerning pop culture, I always seem to be behind the curve.

32. I am an Eagle Scout but not active with the BSA. Too many issues with current policies.

33. Dr. Pepper is my soft drink of choice and I will not dine where it is not sold. And NO Mr. Pibb is not the same thing.

34. Don’t have any tattoos, don’t plan on getting any. But I think they are hot on other guys.

35. I prefer thin crust pizzas with damn near anything on it. Until I had a tomato pie, the ultimate thin crust pizza.

36. If given 10,000 acres I would stock it with wolves and bison. Let em fight it out.

37. They would both have to watch out for me in one of my many vintage armored vehicles.

38. At 41 I still have all my hair, but my eyes are starting to give out.

39. Never watched an episode of Seinfeld when it was on. But now I have all of it on DVD. One of the funniest shows ever.

40. I have an uncanny knack of running into famous people on commercial airline flights. About half the time I sit across the aisle from someone famous or semi famous.

41. Despite being close friends with El Capitan, I have not eaten squid.

42. I prefer my pistols traditional with blue steel and wood grips

43. I like dogs, not cats. And I do prefer hounds and currently have a very adorable but spoiled Beagle.

44. I have the unique ability to guess the expiration date of dairy products by smell alone.

45. I believe that Humphrey Bogart is the greatest actor ever. Period.

46. If I won over $100 million in the Mega Millions Lottery, I would be in the news at least weekly and my poll numbers would be lower than Congress’.

47. If I could live in another period of time. I would have been born about 1600 and been a pirate, or I would like to be born in 2467 and be a pirate.

48. I nearly died from pneumonia this Memorial Day.

49. Though I have never dipped snuff, watched more than 5 minutes of a NASCAR race, or owned a 4 wheel drive; most people would consider me a redneck.

50. My favorite movie ever is “Patton” or maybe “The Maltese Falcon"

Your Country Sucks, Get over it.

2008-07-29T08:20:00.000-05:00

I am sure some (most) of ya'll remember the animated series called Starblazers. I watched a few episodes of it. I was not impressed. I saw it for what it was and decided that I did not need to waste my time watching it. The premise of the show is that Earth has been partially destroyed by a race of aliens that decided that the only way to be sure was to nuke us from orbit. So while we are all living deep underground, it is up to the Japanese to take the battleship Yamato sunk by the USA in 1945 and refit it as a spaceship to fly to a neighboring galaxy to get a bucket of cleanser that will clean up all the radiation. Sort of an ingalactic quest for Pine-Sol.

Here is what it is really about. Their country sucks. They got their arses handed to them by us in WW2 and now they can't have a military to speak of. So they come up with lame stuff like this in an attempt to somehow imagine how their country would be if they could of won the war.

You see this in a lot of post war Japanese culture. Another example would be Godzilla. Remember the powerful military they always seemed to have to bring to bear against that giant lizard that was of course created as a by product of the atomic bombs that were dropped in late summer of 1945? So they blame us for the monster and then use their "powerful" military to stop the threat "we" created. They are just refighting WW2. You lost! You lost! Get the heck over it already. (The preceding statement is not to be applied to anything that might of happened in this country between the years 1861 and 1865.)

The image above is of a diorama that shows how the Yamato looks today. When the US Navy sinks a battleship they do it in such a way that even if the ocean drys up, there ain't no rebuilding. Contrast this with Pearl Harbor. Eight US battleships were sunk or damaged and 6 of them were later able to get back in the fight. Only the USS Oklahoma and USS Arizona did not return to service. If you are gonna win a war you have to know how to sink a ship so that is stays sunk.

These surveys show that Yamato ended up in two major halves at a depth of 1,400 feet. The surprising thing is that it turned out that she had first turned over to port, and while turning, `vomited' out the huge 18.1 inch gun turrets and their barbettes in their entirety. Immediately after, came the huge explosion seen, but it was not "C" turret at all, but rather apparently "B" turret magazine that first exploded. Though this contradicted all prior assumptions, ironically, this matched the testimony of Yamato' s XO Nomura who had all along reported seeing a red light flash for No.1 magazine just before the capsize.

Even so, it seems that it was No.2, not No.1 that went first. In any event, the explosion of forward main magazines was sufficient to sever meters of the bow section clean off the ship. Further, immediately following, apparently the aft 6-inch magazine exploded and tore a large hole in the bottom on the port side of the ship, about level with the mainmast. Both halves subsequently plunged to the bottom, the bow landing upright, and the bulk of the ship landing flat upside down, the bridge superstructure crushed to the side. The rear half is the longest, some 180 meters, and is keel up. The bow half is 90 meters long, with the break just abaft No.1 barbette. The bow half lies upright less than 50 meters to `starboard' of the aft section, pointed at an angle to its midships. (source: http://www.combinedfleet.com/atully08.htm)

Sorry kids, but there ain't no rebuilding of Yamato. Now Spacebattleship Texas. . . you might have something there.

Hotter then Heck!

2008-07-28T18:08:00.001-05:00

DFW Airport says 103 which is the official place they measure the temp around here. My backyard is a different story. 110 in the shade!

If all 4 major network local news programs don't have a Barbie or Ken doll out somewhere trying to fry an egg on a car hood or on the sidewalk, I'll eat my hat.

Movie Meme "We're gonna need a bigger boat"

2008-03-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

Got this from El Capitain Refer back to his site for the rest of the details of the pedigree of this meme.

Ok I will list some movie quotes and you figger them out without the help of google or any of his friends. Here goes.

1. "Why you got to go and say fifty eggs for? Why not thirty-five or thirty-nine? " "I thought it was a nice round number." "Cool Hand Luke" discussion between Luke (Paul Newman) and Dragline (George Kennedy) Guessed correctly by El Capitain

2. "You want to know why this outfit got the hell kicked out of it? A blind man could spot it. They don't act like soldiers; they don't look like soldiers; why should they be expected to fight like soldiers?" "Patton" guessed corrrectly by Ralphdood

3."Pompey, go find Doc Willoughby. If he's sober, bring him back." "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" John Wayne as Tom Doniphon. Guessed correctly by El Capitain

4."I think it was manufactured locally... finest quality... superior workmanship. There is a maker's serial number... 9-9-0-6-9-4-7-X-B-7-1. " No One got this one. From "Bladerunner"

5."We're not gonna get rid of anybody. We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be. When you side with a man, you stay with him. And if you can't do that, you're like some animal, you're finished. We're finished. All of us." "The Wild Bunch" said by Bill Holden. Guessed correctly by El Capitain

6. "Honey, since I left you, this has been without a doubt the single weirdest fucking day of my life. Come on, hop on - I'll tell you all about it. " "Pulp Fiction" Bruce Willis; again guessed correctly by El Capitain

7. "You know what I think? I think that we're all in our private traps, clamped in them, and none of us can ever get out. We scratch and we claw, but only at the air, only at each other, and for all of it, we never budge an inch." Psycho said by Norman Bates. No one got this one.

8. "Look, mother, I want to go to work in one hour. We are the Pros from Dover and we figure to crack this kid's chest and get out to golf course before it gets dark. So you go find the gas-passer and you have him pre-medicate this patient. Then bring me the latest pictures on him. The ones we saw must be 48 hours old by now. Then call the kitchen and have them rustle us up some lunch." El Capitain again. M.A.S.H.

9. "Those two yellow zinnias at the end, they're shorter now. Now since when do flowers grow *shorter* over the course of two weeks? Something's buried there." El Capitian again. Rear Window, Jimmy Stewart.

10. "Look, you work your side of the street, and I'll work mine. No one got this one. From Bullitt. Steve McQueen.

11. "You've seen a general inspecting troops before haven't you? Just walk slow, act dumb and look stupid! " Not sure how El Cap missed this one. The Dirty Dozen by Lee Marvin.

12. "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli." El Capitian otra vez. Pete Clemenza in The Godfather.

13. "I distrust a close-mouthed man. He generally picks the wrong time to talk and says the wrong things. Talking's something you can't do judiciously, unless you keep in practice." No one got this one. From The Maltese Falcon. Said by Mr. Gutman to Sam Spade

14. "When you refer to Bailey crap I take it you mean that glorious, precision-made, British-built bridge which is the envy of the civilized world?" El Cap Again (maybe just 2 people read this) A Bridge Too Far

15. "If 1200 men couldn't hold a defensive position this morning, what chance have we with 100? " El Cap and I have seen this movie more times than we can count so no surprise here. Zulu. I think it was said by Bromhead.

Cold Puppy

2008-03-07T12:28:00.000-06:00

We dont get many snowstorms in north Texas, let alone snow in March. I think our last "March snow event" was in 1998. So when enough snow arrived yesterday to cover the ground, I had to get some pics of Sweetpea in the snow. As the pictures seem to indicate she was not excited in the least bit about having to leave the soft warm couch and stand in snow to get her picture taken.

"The Force is strong with this one."

2008-01-04T07:46:00.000-06:00

According to the Sun over there across The Pond, An 11-year-old boy used The Force to defend his mom by hitting an attacker with his toy lightsaber. The man, in his 30s, fled after being confronted by the youngster outside a bakery in Swardeston, near Norwich, England. Police said the boy hit the man with his toy after the man had punched and verbally abused his mother as she approached her car. Officers are appealing for witnesses to the Dec. 22 attack.
Allan Jennings of the Norfolk Police said: "The incident caused quite a commotion and it is unlikely it would have gone unnoticed."

Lucky for the bad guy this kid does not know how to do that "choke to death from a distance" trick the Lord Vader uses.

Another Chinese Toy Recall.

2007-11-16T09:12:00.001-06:00

Is it just me or is it starting to feel as if they are fighting an undeclared war against us? Kill our children first and help get Dimmocrats elected. Step one and two in destroying our country.

Get Your Peculiar Aristocratice Title.

2007-11-13T14:01:00.001-06:00

I am:

Reverend Earl Rockhauler the Prohibited of Old Yarkhillshire
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

A Hometown Hero

2007-11-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

While my pedigree in Texas goes back to the original Austin's 300, I did spend most of my yoot in a small town in western Oklahoma. And I do mean small. Population less than 500 and then no other towns for 15 miles in any direction. The closest McDonalds was and still is 45 miles away. If I were guessing I would say that between 1927 and 2007 there were maybe 1750 graduates of my high school. And that estimate is high.

What are the chances of a grad from my HS earning the Congressional Medal of Honor ? Regardless of the odds it did happen. Donald J. Gott who probably graduated from AHS in 1941 or maybe 1942 was that hero. On Nov 9, 1944 1St Lt. Donald J. Gott USA Air Corps and about 7 months from his 22nd birthday distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States."

Here is the official citation:

On a bombing run upon the marshaling yards at Saarbrucken a B-17 aircraft piloted by 1st. Lt. Gott was seriously damaged by antiaircraft fire. Three of the aircraft's engines were damaged beyond control and on fire; dangerous flames from the No. 4 engine were leaping back as far as the tail assembly. Flares in the cockpit were ignited and a fire raged therein, which was further increased by free-flowing fluid from damaged hydraulic lines. The interphone system was rendered useless. In addition to these serious mechanical difficulties the engineer was wounded in the leg and the radio operator's arm was severed below the elbow. Suffering from intense pain, despite the application of a tourniquet, the radio operator fell unconscious. Faced with the imminent explosion of his aircraft, and death to his entire crew, mere seconds before bombs away on the target, 1st. Lt. Gott and his copilot conferred. Something had to be done immediately to save the life of the wounded radio operator. The lack of a static line and the thought that his unconscious body striking the ground in unknown territory would not bring immediate medical attention forced a quick decision. 1st. Lt. Gott and his copilot decided to fly the flaming aircraft to friendly territory and then attempt to crash land. Bombs were released on the target and the crippled aircraft proceeded alone to Allied-controlled territory. When that had been reached, 1st. Lt. Gott had the copilot personally inform all crewmembers to bail out. The copilot chose to remain with 1st. Lt. Gott in order to assist in landing the bomber. With only one normally functioning engine, and with the danger of explosion much greater, the aircraft banked into an open field, and when it was at an altitude of 100 feet it exploded, crashed, exploded again and then disintegrated. All 3 crewmembers were instantly killed. 1st. Lt. Gott's loyalty to his crew, his determination to accomplish the task set forth to him, and his deed of knowingly performing what may have been his last service to his country was an example of valor at its highest.

Sad part is....... I never knew about him until I found this on the web about 3 months ago. Now there is a memorial in the Ellis County Courthouse. Hopefully he get mentioned in the schools. After all not only was he the only graduate of Arnett Schools to receive the CMOH, he was the first from Oklahoma to receive it in WW2.

Japanese Banking Woes.

2007-09-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

Following last week's news that Origami Bank had folded, we are hearing that Sumo Bank has gone belly-up and that Bonsai Bank plans to cut back some of its branches. Karaoke Bank is up for sale and is (you guessed it!) going for a song. Meanwhile, 500 staff at Karate Bank got the chop. Analysts report that there is something fishy going on at Sushi Bank, with staff there fearing they may get a raw deal. But on the positive side things seem to be booming at both the Bank of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Savings and Loan.

100 Things About Me. Part 1

2007-08-14T16:23:00.000-05:00

Got this idea from El Capitan. Sounded like fun so here are the first 25.

100 Things About Me

1. I have brown hair, but it used to be blonde.
2. I can play most any brass or woodwind instrument, but the guitar and piano still elude me.
3. I was once stabbed by an improvised spear thrown by a friend of mine.
4. I never ate at McDonalds until I was 13.
5. I have NEVER consumed any coffee or dishes with coffee in them and I never will
6. Some say “I bat for the other team”, others would say I “putt from the rough” I prefer to say “I like em flat chested.”
7. I am definitely a Reagan/Goldwater conservative.
8. I have no extra fingers or toes.
9. While I have been on many dates and the love bug has only bitten seriously once.
10. El Capitan and I have been good friends for so long that we always will be. We know where the other has the bodies buried.
11. I can back any trailer anywhere.(as long as it will fit.)
12. I am the best rifle shot I know.
13. I read at least one book a week and have a massive library.
14. While I do believe the Christian view on the supernatural. I detest organized religion.
15. While I am not too New York for Texas, I am definitely too Texas for L.A.
16. Other than LBJ I have met every other President that has served since I have been alive. Yes even Carter and Clinton. I did refuse to shake Bill’s hand. (I was just not sure where it had been.)
17. I speak enough Spanish.
18. While I did graduate third in my class, I did not graduate in the top 10%.
19. I love my job.
20. Boxers
21. My favorite class in grade school was reading, in high school it was math and in college it was history.
22. I am over 6 ft tall but only have a 28 inch inseam. Or “inside leg” as Mr. Granger would say.
23. I don’t fight fair and prefer to avoid rather than look for trouble.
24. I should write more.
25. I was severely injured by a thrown rock within minutes of Hinckley’s assassination attempt on President Reagan.

Sunday's Hottie

2007-08-12T21:42:00.001-05:00

For some unknown reason none of the hitchhikers I pass look like this. And for the record, I would never pass a hitchhiker that looked like this. And yeah I know he is making a "call me" sign with his hand. But the thumb is out that he is on the side of the road. Plus I don't know his number. If you do, let me know.

From the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.

2007-08-09T14:42:00.000-05:00

A family out on a picnic have found a life ring from the Edmund Fitzgerald. The ore freighter sank on 10 Nov. 1975 when the "gales of November came early".

In a statement from his campaign headquarters, John Edwards blames George Bush for the sinking. "He is a Republican and evil so he must of done it."

Ann's Whipping up on the Dems again.

2007-08-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

Gotta love her. And there are some very good points in here. Yes there are two Americas. The one the Dems live in and the one they want the rest of us to live in. I am repeating her column here. Cause I am trying to post something here everyday. I just hope she doesn't sue me.

DID I MISS THE 'HIP' PART?
August 1, 2007

CNN commentators keep telling us how young and hip the audience was for last week's YouTube Democratic debate, apparently unaware that the camera occasionally panned across the audience, which was the same oddball collection of teachers' union shills and welfare recipients you see at all Democratic gatherings.

Noticeably, Gov. Bill Richardson got the first "woo" of the debate — the mating call of rotund liberal women — for demanding a federal mandate that would guarantee public schoolteachers a minimum salary of $40,000.

So much for the "younger, hipper" audience. Maybe CNN meant "hippier," as in, "My, she's looking a bit hippy these days."

Not counting talking snowmen, the main difference in the YouTube debate audience and the audience for the earlier CNN Democratic debate is that the YouTube debate had 173,000 fewer viewers in the 18-49 demographic. So it was provably not young and, on the basis of casual observation, definitely not hip.

As usual, the audience consisted mostly of public schoolteachers. According to CNN, the highest reading achieved on the CNN feelings-knob was for Richardson talking about public schoolteachers. (Some in the audience said they hadn't been that excited since the last time they had sex with an underage student.)

B. Hussein Obama said he was for slavery reparations in many forms, but the only one that got applause was for more "investment" in schools. In Obama's defense, the precise question was: "But is African-Americans ever going to get reparations for slavery?" So a switch to the subject of education was only natural.

Moreover, a question on reparations has got to be confusing when you're half-white and half-black. What do you do? Demand an apology for slavery and money from yourself? I guess biracial reparations would involve sending yourself money, then sending back a portion of that money to yourself, minus 50 percent in processing fees — which is the same way federal aid works.

It was fun to hear the Democratic candidates give heart-rending reasons for not sending their own kids to public schools. Except John Edwards. He got a "woo" for sending his kids to public schools from all those "young, hip" Democrats whose greatest concern is how to transfer more money to public schoolteachers while reducing their workload.

The candidates all managed to come up with good reasons for sending their kids to private schools — with extra points for reasons that involved a family tragedy or emergency — but it didn't seem to occur to any of them that ordinary families might have good reasons, too.

In her first risible lie of the debate, Hillary said Chelsea went to public schools in Arkansas. But when they moved to Washington, they were advised that "if she were to go to a public school, the press would never leave her alone, because it's a public school. So I had to make a very difficult decision." "Unfortunately," she said, it was "good advice."

Was it really that difficult a decision not to send Chelsea to public schools in Washington, D.C.? This is how The New York Times recently described the schools in Washington, which it called "arguably the nation's most dysfunctional school system."

"Though it is one of the country's highest-spending districts, most of the money goes to central administration, not to classrooms, according to a recent series of articles in The Washington Post. Its 55,000 mostly poor students score far worse than comparable children anywhere else in reading and math, with nearly 74 percent of the district's low-income eighth-graders lacking basic math skills, compared with the national average of 49 percent."

So Hillary was dying to send Chelsea to the D.C. public schools, but "unfortunately" did not do so only because of the press? Did she also agonize over whether to allow Chelsea to play in traffic?

She was not dying to send Chelsea to D.C. public schools. And no Democrat cares about "education" or "the poor."

Democrats care about social service bureaucrats who make their living allegedly working on behalf of the poor — the famed "public service" the Democrats always drone on about — jobs that would disappear if we ever eliminated poverty. That's why Democrats keep coming up with policies designed to create millions and millions more poor people.

Democrats fight tooth and nail against any measures that would actually help the poor, such as allowing schools to fire bad teachers. They refuse to allow parents with children in the rotten D.C. public schools to take money out of the public school system so their kids could go to Sidwell Friends like Chelsea.

Most important, Democrats resolutely refuse to tell the poor the secret to not being poor: Keep your knees together until marriage.

That's it. Not class size, not preschool, not even vouchers, though vouchers would obviously improve the education of all students. You could have lunatics running the schools — and often do — and if the kids live with married parents, they will end up at good colleges and will lead happy, productive lives 99 percent of the time.

But Democrats don't care about the poor. They don't care about the children. They care about government teachers and other government bureaucrats — grimy, dowdy women who "woo" at political debates. Or as CNN calls them, the "young," "hip" crowd.

COPYRIGHT 2007 ANN COULTER
DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111

Finally, My #1 Reason to invade France.

2007-07-31T09:18:00.000-05:00

I am thinking of only one word here. Collaborate. Sometimes a willingness to surrender is a good thing. Time for a cold shower.

Holy Flying Caviar Batman!!!

2007-07-30T00:13:00.000-05:00

This in from Florida. Evidently a section of water in the Sunshine State is filled with flying sturgeons. read the article here. Flying fish would be not much more than an annoyance. But an 8 foot fish flying through the air could definitly put a kink in your plans.

Can a good Muslim be a good American?

2007-07-16T15:04:00.000-05:00

This was stolen from Reject the UN blog. I just thought I needed to repeat it here.

Can a good Muslim be a good American?I forwarded that question to a friend who worked in Saudi Arabia for 20 years .
The following is his forwarded reply:

Theologically - no. Because his allegiance is to Allah, the moon God of Arabia.

Religiously - no. Because no other religion is accepted by his Allah except Islam. (Qu ran, 2:256)

Geographically - no. Because his allegiance is to Mecca, to which he turns in prayer five times a day.

Socially - no. Because his allegiance to Islam forbids him to make friends with Christians or Jews.

Politically - no. Because he must submit to the mullah (spiritual leaders), who teach annihilation of Israel and Destruction of America, the great Satan.

Domestically - no. Because he is instructed to marry four women and beat and scourge his wife when she disobeys him. (Quran 4:34 ).

Intellectually - no. Because he cannot accept the American Constitution since it is based on Biblical principles and he believes the Bible to be corrupt.

Philosophically - no. Because Islam, Muhammad, and the Quran do not allow freedom of religion and expression.Democracy and Islam cannot co-exist. Every Muslim government is either dictatorial or autocratic.

Spiritually - no. Because when we declare "one nation under God," the Christian's God is loving and kind, while Allah is NEVER referred to as heavenly father, nor is he ever called love in The Quran's 99 excellent names.

Therefore after much study and deliberation, perhaps we should be very suspicious of ALL MUSLIMS in this country.They obviously cannot be both good Muslims and good Americans.Call it what you wish, it's still the truth.If you find yourself intellectually in agreement with the above statements, perhaps you will share this with your friends.The more who understand this, the better it will be for our country and our future.Pass it on Fellow Americans. The religious war is bigger than we know or understand.

Islam a peaceful religion? Wanna buy a bridge in Brooklyn?

2007-07-12T18:54:00.000-05:00

Islam is a peaceful religion. Everyone from the Bush administration to Congress to the media is saying it. But does anyone, including the Muslims themselves truly believe it? And whether they believe it or not is immaterial. What matters are the facts. And the fact are that Islam in the 20th and early 21st Centuries is the most violent and intolerant religion on the planet. Yes, they even beat out Pat Robertson in the tolerance category. People keep saying that it is a peaceful religion. But the same people also say Hillary Clinton is good for America. Stalin said that if you repeat a lie enough it becomes the truth. We have seen this with the “Bush lied, people died!” types. We have seen this with global warming. Many people on the left still hold Pres Bush personally responsible for hurricane Katrina. Not the aftermath but the storm itself.

There have been many critics of the fundamentalist Christian movement in this country. But on no occasion has any church leader went on FOX News and demanded that that person be executed, by beheading if possible. But the leaders of Islam waste no time to stick their bearded faces in a willing camera and call for the deaths of those that criticize them. Swaggert, Robertson, and Falwell have said some crazy things in the past to be sure. But to actually call for the murder of someone just because they happen to disagree with them would be beyond what they are capable of doing. This is because as Christians (arguably the wacko flavor) they have a culturally ingrained respect for human life. The Imans of Islam have no respect for non Muslim human life and very little more for Muslims. They use their religion to convince children that they need to kill Jews. We have seen many times on TV young Arab children as young as 4 or 5 saying that they want to kill Jews or blow themselves up to kill Jews or Americans.

There can be no negotiation with people like that. You either have to kill them or let them kill you. A recent NYT (if it is true) says that the US invasion of Iraq has created more terrorists. Iraq is a bug light for terrorists. They are concentrating in one place and we are killing them by the dozens. Yes there have been losses but nothing compared to what the potential loss of life will be if we just wait for them to attack us. 3000 plus in one day. And it can happen again. All it would take would be a pro terrorist Democrat (redundant) to be elected Pres and decide that we need to understand their anger and we need to stop doing what ever it is that is upsetting them. Well, there is no need to understand them and the reason we are upsetting them is that we refuse to live in the 14th century with them. And the only way they will leave us alone is if we join them.

I often wonder how we would of fared if during World War Two the Republicans had helped the Nazis and the Japanese as much as the Democrats and the liberal press (NYT, Wash Post, Time, CNN etc...) have helped the Islamic terrorists. I can see Wendell Willkie accusing FDR of mistreating German U Boat crewman by keeping them in a separate prison camp so they could be more closely monitored and “interviewed”. Headline May 1942 “US has broken U-Boat code” May 1943 “US developing weapons of mass destruction.” 4 June 1944 Sunday New York Times headline. “Invasion of France set for Monday or Tuesday depending on weather” Unnamed sources state that the invasion will be in Normandy and not the Pais de Calis as originally thought.

That my friends is what the terrorist loving Democrats are doing to our war effort. If you like the socialist agenda of the dems, just remember that you cannot have gun control, cradle to grave welfare for all citizens if they whole f&%$#ng country is on fire from one end to the other.

LBJ dead at 94

2007-07-11T20:08:00.000-05:00

Lady Bird Johnson died today at the age of 94. Like most people my age I don't recall her years in the White House as much as I recall her work in Texas. After her husband was elected President in 1964, she had no more elections to rig so she switched to planting flowers. All along Texas highways and FM's in the spring the right of ways are covered with bluebonnets and about a gillion other wildflowers.

We'll miss her.

"Oh the Humanity!"

2007-06-30T20:05:00.000-05:00

To the left is about as close as one can get to the Hindenburg crash site with out being shot by the Navy. Note giant fence around the place. Note the pine trees. they are in abundance in this part of NJ. My guide says this is the edge of the Pine Barrens. A southern pine forest that is some how in the Union.

Below is the Asbury Park boardwalk where Tony had his "set myself on fire" dream.

Any fan of the Boss recognizes the lil' blue
building below.

To the left is again Asbury Park where Big Pussy came back to Tony as a talking fish. $4 a pound I think. Well there it is, another post with pics of my trip up north.

4 Rules of Religion in America

2007-06-29T00:48:00.000-05:00

This comes from my New Jersey connection.

During these troubled times people of all faiths should remember these four fundamental religious truths:

1. Muslims do not recognize Jews as God's chosen people.

2. Jews do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

3. Protestants do not recognize the Pope as the leader of the Christian world.

4. Baptists do not recognize each other at Hooters.

Monday Top Ten List.

2007-02-12T20:38:00.000-06:00

Top ten excuses I have heard this week for drivers wanting to take a day off or come in early.

10. Parole hearing.

9. "My wife and I are eating out at the country club tonight." This guy has no teeth.

8. Jury duty. (not the same guy that had the parole hearing)

7. I need to cash my check. (we need direct deposit)

6. My brother in law needs me to help him breed his goats. I did not ask further.

5. I need to vote. (this from someone who can barely write his name. Voted dimmocrat I am sure.)

4. I am out of fuel. (I hear this one a lot. then when they get back they only put
about 80 to 100 gallons in their 160 gallon tanks.)

3. It is Friday, I always need to be in at 3pm on Friday.

2. I showed up 4 hours early without being asked, so I should get to also go home
when I want.

1. No excuse given, they just phucking show up in the yard, causing us to have to scramble to cover that load that we told em to get.

Six Things

2007-02-05T01:03:00.000-06:00

Six weird things about me? Well it will be hard to narrow it down but here goes.

1. I hoard/stash/store everything but perishables under my bed. About every 4-6 weeks I have to pull off the mattress. Up side to this, there is usually $15-$50 under there in bills and change.

2. I have a phobia of coffee. I will not drink it. Nor consume it in any way. Even as a kid when I had to do the dishes, I would leave the coffee cups right where they were and would not touch them. I am still that way today. Just imagine how ridiculous this could be and that is how it is.

3. When I finish reading a book, I must start another one immediatly. Even if it is 3am and I have to work in the morning. Have to start another book.

4. A lot of foods that are usually eaten hot, I like cold. Not cold like fridge cold but near room temp.

5. Mosquitoes, fleas, ticks,and other bloodsucking insects will not bite me. I have never been bit and doubt I ever will.

6. I hold a grudge worse than an Arab. there are people that pissed me off in the mid eighties that still "Have it coming."

Well there you have it. my response to my first meme.

Good Riddance

2007-02-01T00:58:00.000-06:00

Molly Ivins is dead. If you are from Texas and are at all political you know who she is. If not. Go here. There was a time that I would rail on and on about how even though I agreed with absolutely nothing she had to say, that I was saddened that she was gone. But not any more. Her opinions and support of all who want to see our way of life destroyed, cause me to be relieved that she is now burning in Hell. Good bye and good riddance.

RockHauler Needs to Drop a Few Stone

2007-01-11T01:36:00.000-06:00

Turning 40 late this Spring gets me thinking about a promise El Capitan and I made together about what to do when we are 80. And if I am gonna be able to get in and out of our "get away car" I need to start think about getting in shape. Well, actually getting in a different shape. Right now I am round, and "round ain't funny."

At 6'2 ish and 300 plus I just weigh too damn much. I am outta shape and get winded when I walk too far. I have always had a belly but even with it I used to be able to keep up with the "flat bellies" Not any more.

I was in Wal-Mart the other day and the Weekly World News promised I could loose all the weight I wanted without giving up any food and with out exercise. And another article talked about two hunters from Arkansas capturing Hitler on a recent deer hunting trip. Both are equally true.

I work a lot of hours so making time to get any exercise is not going to be easy. But coming up with excuses not to exercise seems fairly easy. I just need to start walking every day when I get home from work. As for eating, everything thing I eat I have to pick up. So I just need to be very careful what I pick up. My main issues are Dr. Pepper and just flat eating 2 or 3 times more of what ever there is than I need. Smaller plates and Diet Dr. Pepper will be a damn good start. That alone should cut my calorie intake by about 1000 to 2000 a day.

I need to weigh my self so I know where I am starting. Well gotta get back to work so more on this as things progress.

You can take the boy outta the South...

2007-01-09T21:46:00.000-06:00

Here are two of my favorite shots that I took on my recent trip "up north". Being a country boy, but fairly well travelled; I was still not prepared for my first glimpse of the Empire State Building when I walked out of the subway. And no, I could not stop staring up at the buildings.

Below is an awesome night shot of the entrance to the
Apple Store on 5th Ave. Did not go in. Didn't see a point since I did not have "new Powerbook" cash on me.

NJ Moves to increase Democrat Voter Base

2007-01-09T00:12:00.000-06:00

As if there were not enough people voting Dem in the PRNJ. Read this. Oh and I am gonna try to start posting on here a bit more regular.

Your History teacher lied.

2006-07-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

230 years ago today a bunch of old white guys in an un-airconditioned room adopted the Lee Resolution (hmm I recognize that last name) that declared our independence from Great Britian. The actual Declaration of Independence adopted by the Continental Congress on the 4th, just put on paper what was resolved two days earlier. So actually we have been free 2 days longer than we thought. Most of the delegates signed the document on 2 Aug 1776. Still some were delayed and signed it later. A total of 56 delegates signed it. Since they had no fax machine (invented 1863) and no phone line even if they had a fax, George III did not get the news until 10 August.

Oh, let me burst another bubble. John Hancock did not sign his name larger so that George III could easily read it, nor did he sign it that big because he had bad eyesight. He just always signed his name that big.

By the way, Coopers orginally made barrels, Wainwrights made wagons. Wheelwrights made wheels, Smiths were smiths, what did John Hancock's ancestors do for a living?

More Austin weirdness.

2006-06-14T23:08:00.000-05:00

Whole Foods Markets has finally did something so stupid that if it were not for their pine soap I might never go back in there. Because of their cruel treatment when their customers get them home, WFM is considering discontinuing the sale of lobsters. They are sure as hell doing better than the canned tuna. At least the lobsters make it to the store alive.

This is a perfect example of how the left values symbolism over substance. Eating lobsters is no more cruel than eating a piece of one of their cows that grew up on a happy farm and were air hammered between the eyes at the happy slaughter house (see processing center). If they are serious about the abuse and explotation of other life forms by humans they would quit selling anything that is now or ever was alive. Which would only leave Velveeta. Just more exposing of the silly left and their bullshit policies.

For The Goth Who Has Everything Black

2006-06-11T23:44:00.000-05:00

Now I just might of seen everything. Upscale toilet paper for Goths. I am not sure they even wipe their asses. One would think the fishnet stockings and piercings would get in the way. I tried to get some pricing on this item but there are a lot of hoops to jump through just to get a price. I had to give an email address and nowI am waiting for a password to access the site. Can only mean one thing. This stuff is more expensive than three ex wives.(am I allowed to use that expression?) I will stick to my John Wayne brand TP. Rough, tough and takes $#@% from no one.

Scratch one Towel Head

2006-06-08T16:10:00.000-05:00

Well the number one terrorist in Iraq is dead. One of our airstrikes has him looking for Allah and all those virgins. Personally I think he is trying to sweet talk a really pissed off Jewish carpenter about now. Noticed that the Dems were quick to say that he will just be replaced. This is true but there is one less murderous islamofacist taking up space and using oxygen that could be better used burning fossil fuels.

The Big Easy

2006-06-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

Why do I like New Orleans? Yes, there are good resturants in other cities. Yes, there is good music in other cities. But what other cities lack is the atmosphere. Take the subtropical damp mixed with the vomit and urine of Bourbon St. Add the jazz and the occasional cool puff of wind from the river plus the party atmosphere, friendly people and sailors on shore leave and you have a city that I have always loved to visit and have on more than one occasion considered moving there. Plus the liquor stores are nearly always open. I think it was El Capitan who said "What good is a liquor store that is closed at 3am? And now in the aftermath of the hurricane (created by weather witch Bush if the mayor is truthful). I wanna go back and see what is there and what is not.

Before its time.

2006-04-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

After over 15 years using Macs I finally had one die an early death. Preliminary COD is failure of the power supply/CRT thingie. But it could just be a faulty power button. Hoping for the latter but it is most likely the former. And that is why I have not posted in a while. Some can post from work. I usually cannot. But I am today.

In the beginning...

2006-03-19T10:56:00.000-06:00

I first saw El Capitan in the summer of 1987. We worked at the same boy scout reservation but at different camps. There were two camps; he was at one and I at the other. I was already a Reagan Republican and Cap was anything but. Yes, he did use to be rather left of center, but that was before he had a real job. I am not sure we talked more than once that summer. I guess either his hair was a bit too long or I was a bit too close minded, probably a bit of both.

In 1989 we ended up working at the same camp. He was doing a mule packing/gold miner living history program and I was director of shooting sports. So our paths were crossing all the time. 18 June 1989 is the first of many times we got drunk together. There was much drinking and deviltry that summer. But that is for another time. Good times were had that summer. El Capitan says he is writing a book about those years. I reckon a lot of names are going to have to be changed to protect not only the innocent but the guilty as well. The only productive activity that summer was answering the elusive question as to how many grains of pyrodex you can load in a 50 cal hawken and not break your shoulder when you fire it. It is a bigger number than you might think. Oh and don’t eat the tomatos unless you wash them with soap and water first. Lots of soap and water

Straight talk about a straight pull.

2006-03-18T12:31:00.000-06:00

I was reviewing some recent articles on El Capitan's blog. In particular the one where he is fixin’ to mount a scope on his straight pull Swiss rifle. I guess I need to put in my two cents here. I see no reason to scope the rifle unless it is step one toward total sporterization. If you are going to mount the scope and not convert it to a sniper varient, then sporterize it or leave it alone. The Cap is almost as good a shot as I am. (He may disagree with that last statement) His iron sight groupings at 100 yds are more than adequate. Unless he is going to hunt with it leave it be. And if you are going to hunt with it, then sporterize it. The rifle is a piece of history. It should be either left alone, or possibly modified to reflect another historic variant or turn it into a sporter. As a sporter you have rebuilt the gun and made it a hunting rifle. I guess I am just a big fan of early to mid 20th century Euro-bolts and just hate to see one changed. But it is his rifle, not mine.

Sunday Limerick.

2006-03-12T12:57:00.000-06:00

This one is clean.

There once was a man from Perth
who was born on the day of his birth.
He was married, they say, on his
wife's wedding day. And died when
he quitted this earth.

Playing Pick Up Sticks with your butt cheeks.

2006-03-11T18:57:00.000-06:00

Or just a normal day at the office. We pulled off another miracle today. 20 trucks 12 hrs and 2900 tons of material to move. Got it done. Somehow. I guess paying drivers by the ton does make sense after all. Gotta do it again tomorrow. Sundays are my lightest day. I will only have the oilfield service trucks rolling tomorrow.

Challenge taken.

2006-03-06T21:46:00.000-06:00

Since this is my first time to post I thought it would be appropriate to accept The Cap's challenge do my version of "The Firsts"

The First Time...

1. Who was your first prom date?
Did not have one. More on that later.

2. Who was your first roommate?
I cannot remember his name. At OSU I went pop luck and lost. My first one that I remember was Brad W. From Bartlesville OK.

3. What alcoholic beverage did you drink when you got drunk the first time?
hmmmm. Little Kings Ale.

4. What was your first job?
I sold seeds door to door. Don't laugh in a small town of mostly little old ladies I cleaned up on flower seeds.

5. What was your first car?
1988 Chevy Nova/Toyota Corolla. Indestructable.

6. When did you go to your first funeral?
Dad's mom. In 1975.

7. How old were you when you first moved away from your hometown?
18 and going to college. I knew everything then. What happened?

8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Spencer. She collected handkerchiefs. I still send her some every Christmas.

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
Amarillo to Dallas on American. To visit my lesbian aunts.

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was it with?
David C. I was about 10

11. Who was your first Best Friend and are you still friends with them?
When? In High school? Gary B. Have no clue where he is. Now it is prolly El Capitan. Miles will not seperate us.

12. Where did you live the first time you moved out of your parents house?
Scott Hall at OSU rm 312. I hear they are in the process of demolition.

13. Who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?
I dont call. I find someone to take it out on.

14. Who's wedding were you in the first time you were a bridesmaid or a groomsmen?
This has still not happened. Prolly will be El Capitan.

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
hit the snooze button.

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
Maynard Fergeson I was in 5th grade. All band students grades 5-12 went. It was fun.

17. First tattoo or piercing?
Don't have any..

18. First celebrity crush?
Hmmmm Had to be Lee Majors when he was on Big Valley. I was six.

19. Age of first "real" kiss?
15

20. First "real" crush?
That would be Mark W. We were in the same grade. I think it was in about 3rd grade. He is married now. que bummer.