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Goodbye, Glenn Frey

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[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ytlsHhIQA?rel=0&showinfo=0]

A perfect day, the sun is sinking low
As evening falls the gentle breezes blow
The time we shared went by so fast
Just like a dream we knew it couldn’t last

But I’d do it all again if I could somehow
But I must be leaving soon, it’s your world now

It’s your world now, my race is run
I’m moving on like the setting sun
No sad goodbyes, no tears allowed
You’ll be alright, it’s your world now

Even when we are apart
You’ll always be in my heart
When dark clouds appear in the sky
Remember true love never dies

But first a kiss, one glass of wine
Just one more dance while there’s still time
My one last wish, someday you’ll see
How hard I tried and how much you meant to me

It’s your world now, use well the time
Be part of something good, leave something good behind
The curtain falls, I take my bow
That’s how it’s meant to be, it’s your world now
It’s your world now, it’s your world now

He left a lot of good behind.

I’m tired of all these deaths.

Got a Spare Double Sawbuck?

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(And man, did I date myself with that reference.)

Mark Alger, proprietor of BabyTrollBlog and author of the Baby Troll Chronicles is in a tight spot. He says:

I am a creative who has, for all my life, dreamed of earning my living as a writer. I even have published a novel and been a regular contributor to periodicals.

This past December, two weeks before Christmas, I came to an involuntary separation from my 35-year career as a commercial artist, and was left without a means of supporting myself. I was, at the time, a matter of weeks from being able to publish my second novel. Now, I am about to move forward with that goal, but the soonest I will receive any royalties will be in three months.

So he’s opened a GoFundMe page trying to tide himself over for the next six months.

I’ve enjoyed his stuff for years, so I’m tossing in some ca$h. If you’ve got some spare laying around and feel the same, please feel free.

Debate? DEBATE?!?

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No, it’s performance art.

Watch this:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmO-ziHU_D8?rel=0&showinfo=0]
Those were the winners of the Cross Examination Debate Association‘s 2014 national championship.

What debate took place here?

From the Wikipedia entry:

In the 2013 tournament, the winning team from Emporia State University was criticized for using personal memoirs and rap music to criticize white privilege during the debate. Opponents to this form of debate argue that rhetorical tools utilized by recent championship teams violated the anti-harassment policies of CEDA and the National Debate Tournament, and common sense. CEDA President Paul Mabrey points to the value of limited actual formal rules in CEDA debate and the ways that a variety of forms of debate raise the educational value of the activity and call these objections “nothing other than thinly-veiled racism.”

In the 2014 tournament, the CEDA came under fire for crowning a championship debate team whose arguments critics described as incomprehensible, off topic and refused to abide by time limits and moderation. Going so far as to make a fart sound as a rebuttal. Despite winning the tournament, the winning team from Towson University was criticized by these observers for referencing racial slurs. In the wake of this controversy, CEDA President Mabrey stated in an official CEDA video that the accusations of poor preparation and incomprehensibility “These stories represent the worst of our human bigotry. These attacks on Towson, Oklahoma, and others in our debate community are motivated by racism.”

“President Mabrey” is Paul Mabrey, a professor of communication at James Madison(!) University.  One more example of why you should go ahead and stick a fork in Western Civ.  We’re done.

I’m pretty sure James Madison is whirling in his grave.

Quote of the Day – Quora Edition

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Someone over at Quora asked “Why do conservatives oppose progressive politics?”  A gentleman by the name of Charles Tips left an epic answer.  Unfortunately, those who need to read it, won’t.  Today’s QotD comes from that answer:

The implementation of our public schools supplanted our liberal “Little Red Schoolhouse” model that was firmly entrenched in civil society and has resulted in our children having their butts passively parked in desks for increasing terms of hours per day and years of their lives spent hermetically sealed from the real world, as, in progressive minds, the proper way to prepare them for the real world. The goal of J. G. Fichte in designing the Volkschule, which serves barely changed as the model for our public schools, was “workers who will not strike, citizens who will not revolt, soldiers who will not disobey orders.” It was designed as an indoctrination scheme to prevent the children of the non-aristocratic classes from becoming able to operate independently of state control. It is no way to produce rowdy, curious, can-do Americans, and statist Republicans clearly revere the scheme every bit as much as do progressives, just to slightly different ends. Our schools continuously disappoint, and the progressive cry in response is always, “More money! More teachers! More Admins!”

If you’ve read my posts on education you’ll note that this QotD is echoed by the writings of John Taylor Gatto and numerous others.  It’s a mini-überpost, spanning a lot more than just education.  By all means please read the whole thing.

Blogshoot Update

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Earlier posts about the 2016 Annual Central Arizona Blogshoot are here and here.

I’m bringing the thumpers this year.  The .45-70, the .458 SOCOM, my as-yet-unfired Mossberg 930JM with 1oz sabot slugs, and one of my No. 5 Mk I Jungle Carbines.  I’m also planning on bringing the 629 if I can get some .44 Mag loaded in time.

If you want to shoot any of the long guns, I recommend wearing something with a pad in the shoulder.  Weather promises to be cloudy, calm and cool after the storms move through Thursday and Friday.

My Reaction to Obama’s Gun Control Announcement

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I’ve just about completed my inventory of reloading components.

I have a LOT of stuff I need to put together into functional ammunition, collected over the last few years while the picking’s been slim.  Powder, primer, cases and projectiles.  Just received 200 .300 Win Mag cases this afternoon, for instance.

I’m going to be busy for a while.

Into the Fog

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Bill Whittle’s Opening Salvo for 2016:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSsMj5gnRUA?rel=0&showinfo=0]
Quote of the Day from this piece:

Because, you see, we no longer live in a nation of laws. If we did, this woman (Hillary) wouldn’t be running for office, she’d be running for Mexico.

Blogshoot! (BUMPED with addendum)

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The annual Central Arizona Blogshoot is scheduled for Sunday, January 10 – just two weeks away. As previously, it will be held at the Elsy Pearson Public Shooting Range just off Trekell Road and I-8, just West of I-10 near Casa Grande.  (Ignore the labeling on the map.  The one marked “Pinal County Public Shooting Range” is the one we’re at.  The other is the Casa Grande Trap and Skeet club.)

Same as last year, the range opens at 7:00AM. There are no rangemasters. There are no chairs – bring something to sit on. The firing line is covered and there are concrete shooting benches, however.


And the city has porta-potties out there on a permanent basis, so we don’t have to rent our own (but bring your own TP just in case.)

The rules are pretty simple:


No explosives, no .50BMG rifles, clean up after yourself, don’t be a dick.

The rifle range is 300 yards deep with the first berm at 200.  The mountains that form the ultimate backstop are another 300 yards out and farther.  The ground there is reinforced concrete disguised as sun-baked clay. Forget about any target stand that needs to stick into the ground, it ain’t happenin’. Steel and targets that don’t need taping are best. And the benches are funky-shaped. Regular camping chairs are marginal, stools are better. I bring a folding chair, a target stand made of 2″ PVC pipe, and my steel swingers. I also have some .22 rimfire rated rolling targets made of steel.

I recommend you bring:  water or other non-alcoholic beverages (no alcohol on the range), sunscreen, ear and eye protection.  Ladies, don’t wear anything low-cut or open-necked.  Yes, I’m sure it looks lovely, but you don’t want to catch hot brass down in there.  OPTIONAL:  Something to shoot with, and something to shoot AT.  If you’re a reader or a non-gun blogger interested in coming to a off-the-cuff funshoot, please come on down!  I imagine most of us will be bringing multiple firearms and lots of ammo, but if you don’t, well, I’m willing to let people shoot my stuff (with my ammo), and I’m willing to let them shoot at my targets.

Hope to see you there!

ADDENDUM:  It has been brought to my attention that exit 199 to I-8 off of  Westbound I-10 will be closed starting Monday, January 4.  So if you’re coming from the direction of Tucson, the recommendation is to exit at Jimmy Kerr (Exit 198, I believe) get back on I-10 Eastbound, then take Exit 199 to get on I-8 West.  Exit I-8 at Trekell Road.