Tag: blogging

Perspectives

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Perspectives

David Codrea, today:

“The Favorite Son”?

Former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate Mitt Romney was the final speaker and gave what may be a prelude to his stump speech for 2012. By appearing before the convention for a second straight year there is no doubt that he is currently the favorite son of the NRA going forward.

You’ve got to be kidding.

I wonder if anyone opposed to that will be told how “the perfect is the enemy of the good”?

Of course, I also wonder exactly what kind of “American values” Dick Morris represents that we should be “celebrating”.

Funny, isn’t it, looking at the type of people who are applauded and welcomed into the fold?

There I go being divisive again.

Sorry for quoting the whole thing, but it was a short post, and it was all pertinent.

Here’s Sebastian’s liveblogging of Romney’s speech as one of the NRA-credentialed media:

03:35: Oh boy, here comes Mitt the Shit. Chris Cox incorrectly says “He was the first Republican Governor in a long time.” Umm… and Bill Weld and Jane Swift were Democrats?

03:36: I still think he made a deal with Satan.

03:37: “The Boston Chapter [of the NRA] is a little on the small side these days.” I’m sure that’ll make Jim Wallace feel good.

03:38: Mitt says we’re here today to defend our constitution, and pass onto our children a legacy of liberty.

03:44: “The supreme voice in this country is not the government, it is the people.”

03:45: I don’t recall Romney ever being this conservative when he was Governor of Massachusetts. But I’m sorry to admit I’d rather have him in the White House than the Big-O.

03:45: He just took a swipe at Harry Reid. Unless we can turn the Senate around, which I don’t think we can do, for the gun issue we need to keep Harry Reid in office. Harry Reid has been pretty pro-gun, and will keep bad bills from hitting the floor of the Senate.

03:50: Mitt is going far afield too.

03:51: Mitt just oozes. I just don’t trust him.

03:55: Mitt keeps telling me things he thinks I want to hear. It’s what he’s best at.

03:57: Mitt stands up loud and proud for torture. I’m waiting for McCain to come out from the back and strangle him.

04:00: Mitt says we have a lot of work to do together, which I’m going to suspect involves helping him get elected for President in 2012. We shall see.

It’s all a matter of perspective.

There I go being divisive again.

An Open Letter to Bill Whittle

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To: Bill Whittle, [email protected]
Re: “Common Sense” and our need for a new Thomas Paine

Some time back after one of my exceedingly long essays, one of my commenters stated that what this country needs now is a modern Thomas Paine and a new, updated version of Common Sense. I fully concur with that assessment. That commenter also thought that I should be the author. I abjured. I’m a good technical writer, but I know my limitations.

Bill, I’ve read your work ever since you first appeared at Rachel Lucas’ blog as a commenter. I read that first post she assembled out of your string of comments on the meaning and importance of the Second Amendment, and I believe I’ve read every word you’ve written since. (I was honored to be one of those quoted on the cover pages of the first edition of Silent America when it was published.) I am awed by your absolute mastery of topic, provoking use of imagery, and the bone-deep conviction that comes off the pages that you write, often with aching eloquence. In a word, sir, you inspire while you inform.

And inspiration is what we need now.

My only disagreement with you over the nearly seven years you’ve been writing on the internet has been your eternal optimism that everything’s going to turn out OK because, gosh darn it, we’re AMERICANS and that’s what Americans do!

And then eleven days ago you put up Mountains of Money: Do you know how much a $1 trillion is? on PJTV. You concluded that piece thus:

It’s past time to vote these criminals out of office. It’s time we peasants got a wild-eyed mob together. We gather our pitchforks and our torches, we go to Washington, and we track these people down with hunting dogs.

Your optimism has now, it seems, been tempered by the realization of just what our government is attempting, and our apparently absolute inability to stop it or even slow it down through traditional means.

I submit that it is past time for a new, updated version of Common Sense, one that can still reach the “Silent Majority” who remember, as you and I do, what this country has been, is supposed to be, and might one day be again.

I submit that if anyone can do it, it is you, and if it isn’t done then we as a nation surely are. I realize that this is a tremendous burden. It is one that I would shoulder if I truly felt I was capable, but I know my limitations in this regard and I recognize your immense talents, and more than that, your intense desire that we become once again what we should be. You are the right man at the right time, and I implore you to please take up this challenge. We need leaders. We need inspiration. We need to gather again around a core set of beliefs that make sense, or the great experiment that is America will be inevitably dragged down into the mud and mire to the great glee of the self-destructive children who have been taught that nothing’s their fault, nothing’s their responsibility, and nothing should be denied to them – ever.

I’m not saying that you and you alone can save this nation – far from it – but your voice is the one needed to fill the role Thomas Paine filled over two hundred years ago, the one that first inspired the country with the very powerful ideas of his time. We’ve yet to find our Jefferson, our Adams’ (both John and Sam – though I have some ideas on Sam), our Franklin, our Madison, our Washington; but you sir are our Thomas Paine in our time of need. Please, come to the aid of our country.

I realize the timeline is short, but on July 4th there will be another wave of “Tea Parties” in this country, attended by the people who see what you and I see, who know what you and I know, and who need someone to put into unforgettable words the things they know in their hearts. A new edition of Common Sense is needed to give them that. I hope this missive has reached you in time, and that you can see your way to accomplish this task. (I think the blogosphere can handle the distribution end of the pamphleteering.)

Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to further communication with you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Baker
http://smallestminority.blogspot.com

Once You’ve Been Quoted in the CSM . . .

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Once You’ve Been Quoted in the CSM . . .

. . . I guess you’ve made it.

Last night at the meet-‘n-greet at Majerle’s I spoke at some length to Patrik Jonsson of the Christian Science Monitor. He was interviewing bloggers left and right for an upcoming piece. I guess now that the CSM has gone online-only there’s no six-week delay between deadline and the piece hitting the streets. His article went up today, apparently: A rifle in one hand, a laptop in the other. Behind the scene with pro-gun bloggers. I was even quoted accurately. Cool!

NRA Convention Update

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NRA Convention Update

The WiFi service in the media room is really excellent. Strong signal, 54Mbps. I just cannot connect to the intartubes with it, which kinda defeats the purpose. Oh well. I’m posting this from my brother’s computer before I head out for the second full day. Here’s a picture of a bunch of us schmoozing around and socializing:


Breda’s the delicate little thing back there in the white T-shirt. Or not so delicate:


She decided that with the unfamiliar heat, she’d just open carry. Apparently construction workers are dumbstruck by petite women toting pistols. Who knew?

I haven’t run across too many famous faces yet. Haven’t seen R. Lee Ermey, or Todd Jarrett, or Tom Knapp, or Jim Scoutten, but you might recognize this gentleman:


That’s Maj. John Plaster. I think he and Joe Huffman would have a very interesting conversation!

As it was last year, pink is very heavily represented by manufacturers again. A sampling:

While definitely not pink, I think I’ve found David of Random Nuclear Strikes his next 700-yard Boomershoot pistol. It’s a bit different from the single-shot break-open and bolt-action pistols he’s been using, but it will really make hitting those 3″ 700-yard swingers a challenge!


Yes, that’s a .45-70 revolver. Brass frame, reasonable barrel length, outstanding single-action trigger. Just the thing! Easily the most interesting item I’ve seen at the show so far, but I’ve only gotten through about half of it.

Ah well, more later if I can get connectivity at the site. If not, well, you’ll just have to wait!

At the Convention

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At the Convention!

It took me over an hour to A) find the parking garage, and B) get in and find a slot. It’s nuts. Now in the press room with:

Breda, LabRat and Stingray, Alan, Cowboy Blob, Denise and Yosemite Sam, & Thirdpower. We’re waiting for TD who just landed at Sky Harbor.

UPDATE: US Citizen just showed up.

The crowd waiting to get into the convention center is HUGE. I was struck by the thought that I’d never seen so many overweight white men in my life! As Alan said in response to that observation, “MY PEOPLE!”

I resemble that remark.

SitRep

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SitRep

OK, I’m in Phoenix. I’ve picked up my “media” package. I went to the meet-‘n-greet (and met Dick Heller – pretty cool!) and now I’m at my brother’s house, posting from his computer. Not much going on tomorrow that I want to attend until the meet-‘n-greet in the evening. It’ll be nice to have the day off, though.

I think now I’m going to go to bed and read. G’night!

My Sixth Blogiversary

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My Sixth Blogiversary
Or: Do you know who I am on the internet?

Another year goes down.

Blogger tells me that this is post number 3772, for an average of about 1.7 posts per day. It also tells me that 22 people are “following” it via Blogger. Technorati, when the monster hasn’t escaped, tells me that 905 blogs have linked to this site, and 160 have done so in the last 180 days. TSM is ranked at about 23,000th out of however many million blogs they track these days. Sitemeter tells me that the blog has received about 1,480,000 total visits, about 386,000 in the last twelve months, or roughly 1,000 a day. Google Analytics tells me more info than I can honestly analyse, but it, too says about 361,000 visits over the last 365 days. It also tells me that about 450 “unique visitors” hit the site at least 26 times a day. I have to assume those are ‘bots, because I don’t think I want to know anyone who checks my site that compulsively. Another 300-350 or so are “one-time charlies” who hit the site and never come back.

That leaves about 200 of you who read this blog directly pretty much daily, and maybe another hundred or so who read it through a feed via those ‘bots that keep checking and checking and checking for new content. That’s a lot more than the “16 regular readers” I initially thought I had! Thanks for finding me and sticking with me. As I’ve said, not bad for a third-tier gunblog, especially one who tends to the long-form technical essay in a time of 5-second soundbites and attention spans shorter than a fruit-fly’s mating frenzy. Thanks especially to the twenty or so of you who comment here almost daily:

Ben
Bilgeman
Billl
DJ
Ed
fits
geekWithA.45
GrumpyOldFart
juris imprudent
LabRat
Linoge
Lyle
Mastiff
pdwalker
perlhaqr
Robb Allen
Sarah
theirritablearchitect
Unix-Jedi

And, most especially, Markadelphia, who inspires you to some of your finest work! I write this stuff because I need to, but it is very encouraging to know that I’ve got some very, very bright people out there who are willing to slog through it, discuss it, and add information and insight to it. We may be Albert Jay Nock’s “Remnant,” but it’s good to know you’re there. Thank you. Thanks also to those of you who send me links to blogworthy stuff. And most especially, thanks to all you other bloggers who keep me interested in doing this. There are more and more of you daily, and I have to confess, as Bilbo did, “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.”

Six years down, and I’m not through yet.

Bad news, though, is that I’m not going to be blogging all that much over the next four days. The annual NRA Convention starts tomorrow, and I don’t think I’m going to have a lot of internet access for a few days. Since it’s just up the road a piece for me, I’m staying with my brother and his wife, and I don’t think I’ll be able to get on their service, so don’t expect much from me for a while. Besides, that last Überpost took a lot out of me!

OK, So, I Lied

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OK, So, I Lied

I said a couple of days ago that “normal blogging would resume” shortly.

OOPS!

I took the rest of this week off, and figured I’d use the time to write and reload. WRONG! Instead, I’ve been reading and vegetating – plugged Serenity into the DVD player Thursday and thoroughly enjoyed it for the nth time, finished reading S.M. Stirling’s In the Courts of the Crimson Kings yesterday, then went to the book store and picked up some more books, saw Wolverine yesterday afternoon, then blasted through John Scalzi’s Zoë’s Tale last night (first time I’ve done a non-stop cover-to-cover read in quite a while).

I’ve got stuff I want to write about. (Specifically, I want to finish my final reply to James Kelly, but I’m having problems working up the enthusiasm to actually do it. Sorry.)

I guess you could say I’m enjoying my vacation.

And now I’m getting ready to go to the gun show downtown to see if I can find any of that elusive prey known as primers. Wish me luck.