Tuesday - May 22, 2007
Point Of No Return
I apologize for the paucity of posts today, gang. I’ve been at the doctor’s office all morning going over x-rays and scheduling surgery for this messed up lower back of mine. For the record, it’s bad. Real bad. L4 and L5 are compressed and twisted out of alignment. It will require a two hour surgery to “fuse” three vertebrae together with bone from my pelvis. I will be in the hospital three days afterward and then recuperating for 2-3 weeks afterward. This will happen some time in the next week or two. I’ll let you know before I leave to let the sawbones work on me. The really bad news is that, in the meantime, I have graduated from oxycontin to methadone to keep the pain down to a dull roar. This has temporarily brought my mental acuity down to the level of Michael Moore and Jimmy Carter - only one step above neural nihilism.
Anyway .... as I sat here reading Bill Whittle’s recent epic (thanks for the link, Mr. Christian) and contemplating the news from around the world which floods in here every day, I am really beginning to wonder if there is some kind of “Stoopid” epidemic afflicting mankind. I see the Senate backpedaling on the bullshit immigration bill, the candidates for an election that is eighteen months away are stabbing each other in the back, bombs are going off in Turkey, Palestinian gunmen are starting another civil war in Lebanon, Britain and Russia are going toe-to-toe over the Litvinenko radiation poisoning incident, and with hurricane season about to begin the Chicken Littles are screaming doom and gloom for the second year in a row.
Meanwhile, while you slept a few thousand more Mexicans crossed the border last night, Wal-Mart built six more stores somewhere, the trade deficit with China increased by a few billion dollars, the North Koreans and Iranians came up with seventeen more plans to prove they are barking mad and several thousand more non-Muslims were murdered in Darfur by followers of the Prophet For Profit.
Then again, you already know all this and just need a place to get together and figure out what we’re all going to do when the roof caves in - and make no mistake, the rafters are crumbling. Depressing? Sure, but what are we going to do?
We can start to fix our government eighteen months from now in the 2008 elections. The interim is going to be dicey as somebody out there decided in the last election to install a whole bunch of really crazy people in the Congress and Senate. That was not my fault, by the way - and neither was it George Bush’s fault.
As for the rest of the sitrep, we can wall ourselves off from the rest of the world and experiment with isolationism again or we can continue to muddle our way through the minefield of international relations - and that is where the problem comes in. We’re just no damn good at realpolitik. Not this administration, the whole country has never been real good at the devious games diplomats play. We haven’t been at this game long enough to understand all the rules.
All I can really tell you is (a) keep a firm grasp of right and wrong, (b) stay involved in government and watch the bastards in Washignton every minute, (c) use every legal means to make sure you can defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and (d) keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere.
Speaking of which, can someone help me come up with a logo and a motto for The Sheepdog Militia™. You know what I’m talking about ....
(I will try to post a little more in the coming days but it will probably be only one or two a day for a while. Hang in there. BTW, Midway USA is having a sale on .45 ACP shells - box of 50 for $30. Tell ‘em Skipper sent ya.)
Posted by The Skipper
on 05/22/2007 at 03:17 PM
Filed Under: • International • Personal • Politics • Stoopid-People •
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Permalink • Friday - May 18, 2007
This Is Spinal Tap
Bad news, gang. Posting will have to drop off somewhat over the next few weeks. Yours truly is falling apart. Over the course of the last 2-3 weeks I have gradually been losing touch with my lower back and left leg. I know they’re there but communications lines between them and my brain are fading in and out. I finally got the bad news today. Surgery. Next week.
The sheer agony is off the scale and even Oxycontin isn’t helping much. I have managed to make it this far but I’m afraid it’s as far as I can go. I have alerted Mr. Christian and he is going to try to fill in the gaps and I am sure the Recon Group will also have lots to say. I’ll be around, just not as prolific as usual. In the meantime, if you ever wondered what a totally FUBAR’ed lower back looks like, gaze upon the mess below.
(As for sympathy, forget it. I know where to find it. It’s in the dictionary between “shit” snd “syphilis”.)
Posted by The Skipper
on 05/18/2007 at 01:06 PM
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Permalink • Monday - May 07, 2007
Overcome By Events
I apologize for slipping on posting the past week, gang. I’ve just been overcome by events of a personal nature and I’m trying to dig myself out of “interesting times.” Nothing major or earth-shattering, just a whole lotta stuff at once.
I won’t bore you with the details, not because I am secretive but I just hate whining crybabies. It’ll all “sort itself out in the wash” as they say back where I come from.
No “Lost” fun-stuff again today ‘cause I have to be somewhere else this afternoon. I’ll try to catch up later this week. In the meantime, drag your butts over to the BMEWS Recon Group and check out what our hardy scouts are digging up. They have me outnumbered so go give their posts a look-see.
If you don’t I will be forced to cerate a visual image for you of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi caught in bed at a Motel 6 in Bethesda, completely nude with a midget, two cans of Wesson Oil and a whip. No, don’t go there. Stop. Don’t! ARRRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!
Posted by The Skipper
on 05/07/2007 at 04:33 PM
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Permalink • Wednesday - April 25, 2007
Bad Moon Rising
You’ll have to forgive me if I seem a little grouchy today. I have been in a great deal of pain the last two days and it’s getting worse. I seem to have ruptured a disk in my lower back, specifically the L5 vertebrae pictured at right.
The medical profession has stocked me up on steroids, muscle relaxers and pain pills for now and the misery has subsided to a dull roar. I’m going in for an MRI and X-ray tomorrow to verify the diagnosis so posting may be a wee bit light tomorrow morning.
On top of everything else the BMEWS site was hacked yesterday around 12:00 noon. Some pissant script kiddie managed to work his way in and overwrite one of the critical system files on our web server. I was online and caught it rather quickly (outage only lasted about ten minutes) but I’m still pissed about that and have spent hours going through the logs to track the rat bastard down. I’ll find him yet. Meanwhile, the hole has been securely closed.
Then last night some pompous worm decided to start critiquing one of the posts here yesterday and I finally had enough.
I majored in Computer Science for graduate and post-graduate degrees and my minor was in History. I still love reading history and learning more about it all the time.
What I post here has to be short and to the point, usually written in short bursts and quite often I have to condense stuff. Even then I manage over 20,000 words a month with as few grammar and spelling errors as time allows due to having a full-time freakin’ job to manage - unlike some of the cockroaches who have all day to pick through every word I type.
DAMN! I need another pain pill ... I wonder if Rush can loan me some of the good stuff?
Posted by The Skipper
on 04/25/2007 at 05:18 PM
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Permalink • Tuesday - April 17, 2007
I Pray ….
Gary Varvel - The Indianapolis Star-News
Posted by The Skipper
on 04/17/2007 at 08:39 PM
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Permalink • Friday - April 13, 2007
Firearms Party
The Skipper will not be blogging today and maybe not much tomorrow. It’s time for our annual firearms party and this year it’s in St. Louis! I decided to pass on the big banquet last night because I hate getting all dressed up in formal wear for a $65 dinner. The real fun begins today at the Americas Center in downtown St. Louis with the annual exhibitor’s open house. I’m so excited I’m about to pee myself. Oops. Never mind.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is that I plan on being downtown, wandering around getting my fill of NRA-goodness the rest of today and most of tomorrow. “The Rockin’ Rifleman”, Ted Nugent, is going to be downtown tomorrow afternoon for a “meet-and-greet” session with everyone. If you’re in St. Louis, drop by and enjoy the fun. I’ll be the tall (6’3") big guy (260 lbs.) with light brown hair and a Canon Sportster Pro I around his neck, wandering from booth to booth begging for handouts to fill my goodie bag. See ya there!
Posted by The Skipper
on 04/13/2007 at 02:00 PM
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Permalink • Trinity Site Visit
Macker went to the Trinity Site. Go see his photos of the tour.
Amazing stuff. I bet it was awe-inspiring.
Posted by Mr. Christian
on 04/13/2007 at 09:12 AM
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Permalink • Tuesday - March 27, 2007
Shame
I am sorry. I have tried with all my might to fight the good fight and convince all of you that America is still the best hope for mankind and that we believe in all the things that could make the human condition better. I have come before you every day here for the last three years trying to make sense of the complete mess the politicians in the Democrat Party and their Leftist, Liberal supporters would drag us into.
I have failed. Today, the Democrats in the Senate sealed the deal on the destruction of America and all that we stand for. All I can hope for at this point is that in some far, distant future time another beacon of truth and freedom will arise from the ashes we are now descending into to reclaim the honor of representing the best humanity has to offer.
All I can do now is hang my head in shame as the world watches our country slide into the dustbin of history thanks to men and women in our government whose sole goal in life is the petty, transient satisfaction of defeating anyone who gets in the way of their pursuit of power.
I am truly sorry I could not do more. I hope future generations will understand that not all of us were determined to lose. May God have mercy on us all ....
Posted by The Skipper
on 03/27/2007 at 09:10 PM
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Permalink • Sunday - March 25, 2007
Odds And Ends
First of all, I want to thank Mister Christian for filling in for me so wonderfully while I escaped from “civilization” for a while. We need to encourage him to post more often. I’ve been reviewing the posts from the last week or so and catching up on current events and I see the madness didn’t stop while I was away. Kudos to Mister Christian for keeping you informed.
I see we have a new advertiser in our right sidebar too. The Rudy Giuliani campaign would like to talk to you about putting Rudy in the White House in 2008. Go ahead and click the ad (shameless attempt to generate ad revenue) and see what Rudy has to say. Report back and let me know what you think. Our reader poll a few weeks ago had Rudy capturing your votes in 2008 by a wide margin. Things have shifted since then with Mitt Romney climbing in the polls, John McCain running out of money and Fred Thompson making presidential noises.
I’m still unpacking and getting things back in order around the house before I have to go back to work tomorrow but I’ll have a few observations later today about recent events. In the meantime, it seems the Democrat presidential candidates are getting down and dirty, real nasty and outright ugly with their campaigns. Here’s one from the Obama campaign and one from the Hillary campaign ....
Posted by The Skipper
on 03/25/2007 at 08:49 AM
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Permalink • Saturday - March 24, 2007
I HAVE RETURNED!
As for the mission - I managed to foil the evil plot of the dastardly Gorefinger who was planning to drag all the icebergs in Antarctica to the Caribbean and melt them down to make the oceans rise. His plot failed when I used Q’s Oscar-Destructor™ raygun to destroy Gorefinger’s boats (and his Oscar).
Of course, Gorefinger tried to do me in with a ravishing female Russian spy named Olga (from the Volga). I got around this obstacle with my usual charm and good looks, convincing her to switch sides in the Glowbull Warming War. Here is a picture of Olga (below the fold) riding on my dinghy. For Your Eyes Only (NSFW).
More to follow after I get unpacked and sorted out ....
Posted by The Skipper
on 03/24/2007 at 01:38 PM
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Permalink • Monday - March 19, 2007
Plagued
Sorry about the lack of posting this weekend. Real life took precedence. We spent a lovely Sunday afternoon driving the byways of the Shenandoah Valley though. 
I have a few stories in the hopper and will post them as soon as possible.
Feel free to use this as an open thread about weekend activities. Is it spring yet where you are? We had a taste of it last week with temps in the 70’s, then it snowed on Friday 
March drives me insane.
Posted by Mr. Christian
on 03/19/2007 at 08:01 AM
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Permalink • Monday - March 12, 2007
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!
In fact, I will be on the beach you see in the picture below, hopefully drowning in margaritas and pina coladas, while humming old Jimmy Buffet songs to myself. Perhaps I’ll invite Jimmy to come join me. Maybe I can convert him to conservative views.
I’ve been flogging this blog for over three years now in addition to a full time job and I’m exhausted. I haven’t had a real vacation in over ten years. For this reason I am treating myself this year to ten days in Paradise. I worked my ass off for this and I’m damn well going to enjoy it.
My flight leaves here Wednesday afternoon so I’ll post some stuff tomorrow and again Wednesday morning before I leave and then it’s up to Mr. Christian to hold down the fort and keep bashing bats, so to speak. He’ll be fine. You folks better behave.
I just want you folks to know I’ll be thinking of you as I dig my toes into the sand, order another Corona and listen to the waves. ... ... ... (If you believe that, I want some of what you’re smoking!)
So you all take care of yourselves and be kind to Mr. Christian. I shall return ...
Posted by The Skipper
on 03/12/2007 at 06:08 PM
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Permalink • Monday - March 05, 2007
For The Children
When I was in high school in south Alabama (a little town called Opp) way back when (the mid-1960’s), our biggest football rival was Andalusia, the country seat. The second biggest game each year was against Enterprise. They were a much bigger school than us but we always gave them a hard time - and sometimes won. Today I feel nothing but sorrow for the school - and for the parents who lost children there last week.
In addition to the school, the local Red Cross office was destroyed. So I’m asking you to make a donation if you can to help out. A little prayer for the folks down there would also be appreciated. Thanks.
Scott Stantis - The Birmingham (Alabama) News
Twister Hits High School In Alabama, Killing 15
ENTERPRISE, ALA. (GLOBE & MAIL) - March 2, 2007
Tornadoes ripped through Alabama and killed at least 18 people yesterday, including 15 at a high school where students became pinned under debris when a roof collapsed, state officials said. As night fell, crews dug through piles of rubble beneath portable lights at Enterprise High School, looking for other victims.
“The number could very well increase as the search effort continues through the night,” state emergency-management spokeswoman Yasamie Richardson said. The storm struck about 1:15 p.m., and Ms. Richardson said some students were still trapped three hours later. Erin Garcia, a 17-year-old senior, said students had gathered in hallways around 11 a.m. as a precaution.
School officials wanted to send them home around 1 p.m., she said, but the weather turned bad and sirens wailed. Then, she said, the lights went out. I was just sitting there praying the whole time,” she said. After the storm passed, she found the hallway she was in was spared, but a roof and wall collapsed on students in another hallway.
“It was scary. It sounded like a bunch of people trying to beat the wall down. It was complete chaos out in the hallway,” she said. More than 50 people were hospitalized as the violent storm front crossed the state. Two died elsewhere in Enterprise and one in rural Millers Ferry, where a separate storm wrecked mobile homes, Ms. Richardson said.
The burst of tornadoes was part of a larger line of thunderstorms and snowstorms that stretched from Minnesota to the Gulf Coast. Authorities blamed a tornado for the death of a seven-year-old girl in Missouri, and twisters also were reported in Kansas. At Millers Ferry, about 100 kilometres west of Montgomery, trailer homes were flipped over and trees downed, said Bernadine Williams in the Wilcox County emergency-management office.
Posted by The Skipper
on 03/05/2007 at 05:50 AM
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Permalink • Tuesday - February 27, 2007
Happy Birthday To Me!
First, an apology to all of you Zoomies waiting on today’s “Lost”. I’m afraid there won’t be one today and for that I deeply apologize. It’ll be back tomorrow. I promise. The reason is I have something I ABSOLUTELY must do this afternoon. I hope you will understand.
Here’s the deal: I have been on a waiting list for nearly a year (since they were introduced) for a SIG-556 and with my birthday coming up in a few weeks I finally gave up and went shopping. I came out of the gun shop with the CMMG you see below. It cost durn near as much as the SIG would have cost ($1,200) and looks to be as good a quality even though it’s not made in Switzerland (actually made right here in Fayette, Missouri).
Now, I can tell from the nervous twitch in my right hand trigger finger that I really need to get to the firing range ASAP, if you know what I mean. So wish this old fart (58 years young in two weeks) a Happy Birthday and know that in a few minutes I will be breathing in the sweet smell of chordite and trying to sight this baby in as best as my tired old eyes can manage. For now though, I will sing you my happy song ....
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
Happy Birthday to me ....
Posted by The Skipper
on 02/27/2007 at 03:28 PM
Filed Under: • Firearms • Personal •
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Permalink • Five Most Recent Trackbacks:
LAST POST FOR THE DAY AND A LAST FUN THING FOR THE ADULT KIDDIES. CHECK IT OUT.
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Tracked at Mazurland Blog
While my wife and I are at work all day, I imagine that our dog and cat, which are locked in a 150 square foot family room all day, are…
On: 11/19/08 04:21
The first colour photographs from the German front line during World War One.
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Tracked at Macker's World
WOW! Now this presents a new perspective on World War I: color photos from the German side: Given today's film speeds and grain quality, I can only imagine that what…
On: 11/15/08 11:19
Too True!
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Tracked at Macker's World
Now here's a parody of a parody: If Parker & Hart were around, I'm sure they'd be OK with this. HAT TIP: BMEWS
On: 11/09/08 11:38
Twas the Night Before
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Tracked at The Chronicles Of A Rogue Jew
A friend of mine emailed this to me. He said he got it from the Barking Moonbat Monitor. Enjoy! ‘Twas the night before elections And all through the town Tempers…
On: 10/30/08 12:38
Banned from using Hoover or hot water under health and safety rules. (ere we go again matey)
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Tracked at Goldwater Girl's Weblog
Perhaps some of BHO’s civilian security force (which will be funded as well as the military) can cook up something like the Elf and Safety over in the UK. This…
On: 10/23/08 09:48
DISCLAIMER
THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.
Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.
- Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
- Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
- Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
- Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere
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