Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year!

Mr. Marketing


OK, everyone's sick of Tiger Woods stuff. I stayed away from it, mainly because a marital tussle between a hyper-rich "athlete" and his trophy wife means nothing to me. Now, I've just seen on the news AT&T dropped his sponsorship. Being the caring, compassionate individual I am, I've thought of a few potential replacements to help Tiger out.

K-Y Jelly: "Even Tiger Woods isn't so slippery he can't use a little help now and then."

Trojan Condoms: "Field tested by Tiger Woods, again and again and again....."

Las Vegas Tourism Commission: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. As long as you manage your cell phone contacts, that is."

Enterprise Car Rental: "Pick Enterprise. We’ll pick you up. If your wife has put the golf club down."


Now, who else can use my expert marketing skills?

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Feel The Love



After being advised approximately two weeks ago of being called up, I've learned that I'll be backfilling a slot in another company within my battalion. Specifically, an ambulance company. No word yet on exactly what type of missions we'll be covering, but I don't think it will be particularly peaceful, given the way things are building up for Afghanistan. The major pain in the ass currently is the new drill schedule has a large number of extra days on it, in addition to a 21-day annual training that is still unsettled as to exact dates. As long as this overall deployment has been planned, and deployments have been occurring, one would think things would be more organized, but since our unit is playing catch-up to the originally notified units, things are......interesting. One thing I know for sure at the moment. I am Very Much Not Popular with the coworkers whose summer vacation plans are now at the mercy of the National Guard; lucky for me federal law forbids tarring and feathering by mobs. Can't say I blame them though. I'd be pissed if I were on the other side too.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



Somehow, I see this being towed behind somebody's ATV........


I want one.

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas




I hope everyone has a peaceful and fulfilling Christmas!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Winner, Winner, Lamb Kabab Dinner



Uncle Sam has seen fit to give me the Christmas gift of another all-expense paid trip.

Now then, where'd I put those plans for a still?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



I haven't seen a pink gun I like yet. The camo pattern on this one doesn't help in that regard. And, I really, really hope that somewhere out of the image frame, there's a little girl watching her dad trying out her rifle.

Friday, December 18, 2009

You Shouldn't Be Surprised


I've noticed, since (former) Major N. Hassan went on his spree, that many people are under the impression that military bases are armed camps. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, military bases are highly regulated in weapons possession; it only takes one incident to ruin some officer's career, so like so many other things in the military, the easy route is to institute so many restrictive rules for possession that it's more of a pain in the ass to comply than to do without for the average person. An excellent example of this is found here, at an Army post of all places. Perhaps they hired little Chuckie Bloomer to do this poster also? Fifteen years ago, I saw a whole display produced by Handgun Control, Inc. at an Air Force base in South Dakota in a hospital entrance. There's a lot of individual soldiers who enjoy and support private arms ownership. Just remember there's also a lot of brass that view the military as a corporation with matching suits, expensive toys, and a large number of drones who should shut up and do as their told.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I Felt Sorry For You........


until you told me the reason your transplant failed was that you "forgot to take my medicine" because you "felt so good". Yes, it's amazing how much better one feels when your internal organs actually work. Even if it's an organ someone else gave up for you. That you couldn't be bothered to maintain.


Congratulations, you've pissed away at least six figures worth of work and sacrifice by a large number of people dedicated to improving the quality of your life. Good luck finding another donor.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

A Quick Prayer


Dear Lord,
Please do me the favor of taking me out before I become that old guy that leaves a butt-track everywhere he sits in the hospital.........

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

Tiger striped. Gotta be honest, I would have never thought of this one on my own. Thankfully.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Glad Tidings.........Not


This past weekend was the unit's drill weekend "holiday meal" (formerly Christmas meal; oy, how low we've fallen as a culture) and briefings. Our's wasn't bad; good food, relatively short briefings, etc. Things could've been worse; we could have been in the company of our battalion that got notified at the holiday meal that they'd just won an all-expense paid trip to Afghanistan. Nothing like a little forethought and consideration to make everyone happy, right? I'm sure there's going to be a load of Christmas celebrations this year that will feature more tears than smiles. And they're not even leaving until well (really well) into 2010.
The brass has been making these announcements for almost 10 years now; is it too hard to figure out that maybe right before one of the major family holidays isn't the time to do it?

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

"Loose, sloppy, and too dangerous to shoot". With a description like that, I guess the only reason to buy it is the aesthetic appeal.............Truly, how can one pass up a revolver with plexiglass grips secured by a hardware store hexnut?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Curtains for Criminals


One of the interns at the hospital recently had an early-morning home invasion. 5 AM on Black Friday, and someone came in through the back door uninvited. As he and his wife happened to be up, getting ready for shopping, the intruder was noticed, and ran as soon as he realized he had someone running down the stairs at him. He got away, and we now have a group of very nervous doctor's wives.

These walk-in attempted burglaries have become rather frequent in my town lately. We also have a large number of unemployed urban youth imported here from Illinois in the last year, which is a major change in our demographics. According to friends who circulate in law enforcement circles, a good number of them already have convictions and outstanding warrants, but Illinois won't spend the money to put them back in their system. Their our problem now. Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

So far, no one has been hurt; just missing cash, purses, and snatch-and-grab items. But what has been the response by the doc's wives to up security? New locks, and.....curtains. Apparently, if they can't see you, they won't bother you, is the current thinking. I'm thinking locks are good, as long as they don't want in very badly. It's a good start; but curtains? Curtains are good for making sure no one can see what's happening to you if something does happen, not for keeping burglars (or worse) away.

At least one of my docs has the right idea. A police-style shotgun is now on the shopping list, along with some buckshot practice to follow, which is more my idea of an appropriate dissuasion technique. At least there's one family around here that won't have to rely on wishful thinking for protection.

Monday, November 30, 2009

Intermittent Posting (Even More Than Normal)



Posting will be even more haphazard than usual, as the combination of an accelerated finance class studies(I feel like the guy above looks), Guard drill weekend, and work join to create a perfect version of The Suck. When the alternating periods of personal conviction that I'm on the low end of simple and desire to strangle random people cease, the usual torrent of intolerance, anger, and amazement will commence once again.

In the meantime, here's a belated Ugly Gun Sunday Post in honor of Sino-Soviet Saturday's topic:




I'm guessing the artist is question didn't take the time to modify the gas system to function, so we have a really poorly engineered straight-pull pistol at this point. Bet that flash hider works just super too. Although I'll admit, if this was given to me for free, I'd keep it just for shooting at dusk as personal entertainment.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Sino-Soviet Saturday




Took a break to attend an auction at the local fair grounds today. While the focus of it was various auto repair shops cleaning out their obsolete and redundant tools, there were two items of interest to me noted in the paper; a "Russian rifle, 7.62x54" and a "rifle, 7.62x39". Can't hurt to look, I figured.

After getting there, I found an M-44, dated 1944, and a Norinco SKS. Both in relatively good shape. While I was waiting for the auctioneer to get to the rifles, I got a brief lesson in rifle identification listening to bystanders. Apparently, M44 carbines are easily confused with Springfield rifles. Also, they're American made, because there's writing on the side of the receiver in English showing "the company that made them". And according to one man, at least in his fifties, speaking to his friend, no one with any sense would by either of them, because "they're old junk; only modern rifles are any good".

All that may be why I now have another SKS for the cost of $140, and another M44 for $110. A damn good price for an SKS, and a not-bad price for a bolt rifle selling for $169.99 two blocks away at the local Fleet Farm.

I'll be watching the auction advertisements a little closer from now on.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Ain't Reality A Bitch?


I expect children to whine, cry, and sob when they see a needle coming at them. When you're a young, but adult, woman, it's simply pathetic. Especially if it's a change-out of central venous catheter you already have in, in which case you know damn well it's not horribly uncomfortable to have done. Keep in mind, we're doing this to keep you alive. So swearing at the staff, screaming that we made you look like a freak, and yelling there's a massive length of tubing that's disfiguring after your procedure is done isn't something that makes us look forward to working with you. And we are the ones that will keep you alive when your line fails, which it eventually will, unless your dialysis loop in your arm has time to mature. In which case, you'll be really unhappy when you notice that success means having something that looks like a massive hemorrhoid on your forearm, that will be stuck at with a couple of sixteen-gauge needles three times a week, which will leave plenty of additional scars over time. And you'll come to see us when that eventually fails too, and we have to angioplasty it open three or four times until it's unsalvagable, and the surgeons move to the next area of your body to make a new loop. Where we will start over a square one again, putting in another central catheter.

We'll do the same quality of work, each time, because it's our job to do it right, regardless of how much on a spoiled ass you are. But don't expect much sympathy. We have it, but it's not infinite; and believe it or not, your not super-special. There's lots of people worse off than you, who are simply happy someone helps them live longer with a better quality of life than otherwise.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Efficiency


Based on personal experience, if FedGov healthcare administration works as well as VA education benefits administration, the corpses will be stacking up in the waiting room before they ever encounter an actual human being.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



Skeletonized wood stock, patterned barrel, multiple colors of metal around the rifle; it's as attractive as plaid pants with a striped jacket over a polka-dot shirt. That wood would have made a pretty stock in a traditional pattern.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

A Glimpse Into The Future


So two people were arrested in Minneapolis for randomly attacking people while videotaping themselves, all in the name of........entertaining themselves. The video showed young males taking turns pushing people off bicycles, pushing down a jogger, and pushing young children. In one case, the victim fought back and punched the attacker. Before most of the assaults, the attacker looked into the camera and said "Watch this."

Remind you of anywhere else? It does me; it reminds me of what I've been reading out of England for years now. Where it's easy to assault people, since most won't fight back, as they might be sued, charged, or jailed for injuring the person attacking them.

I realize most people don't believe this any more, but the biggest reason this kind of behavior happens is that young males don't have a serious fear of having the shit kicked out of them. There used to be a time when, if you were accosted, you or your escort were expected to smack idiots upside the head for this kind of behavior, and people thought there was something wrong with you (as in, you're a coward) if you let it pass. Now victims are expected to quietly report this to the proper authorities,who will properly investigate it, and properly permit you to testify, when they feel the time is right.

It's an excellent method raising bumper crops of modern savages, who will in turn have virtually limitless opportunities to amuse their selves upon the rest of the populace.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

How Long 'Til We Hang Him?



(Image swiped from S. Weasel's website, as she has way better photo skills than any I'll ever have, and it's one of the most accurate representations of that bastard's convictions we'll ever see. If she says it's a problem, I'll take it down ASAP)

Number One: This useless waste of oxygen wanted charges pressed against his patients for war crimes. Why? I haven't seen any info on that yet, because it would be a major violation of patient privacy rights. But it wouldn't surprise me that some of his patients have major guilt issues bacause they participated combat that resulted in the deaths of people who aren't soldiers. Now before I get a bunch of pointed messages about turning into a lefty moonbat, let's clarify a few things. We haven't fought against regulars in Iraq since 2003, and not at all in Afghanistan. The enemy, and I won't dignify them with the title Soldiers, as they are certainly NOT, uses civilians as targets, cover, concealment, and delivery systems. We have Soldiers who've killed civilians for these reasons: they represented a high threat likelihood, they were used as cover for attacking forces, or they blundered into situations and areas were there was combat going on. And I would hazard a guess that former Major Hasan was actually seeing them because they had real emotional problems, such as guilt and horror, for having harmed or killed civilians. Because I can tell you one thing from my time in Iraq. Our Soldiers don't go looking for civilians to kill for personal satisfaction. We get training and indoctrination, year after year, on ethics and law in warfare. Civilians Are Not Legitimate Targets. It's that simple.

Secondly: How can anyone say this turd isn't a terrorist? I watched some yahoo on Fox News state he isn't because he's not part of group, and he wasn't politically motivated. Islam dictates personal behavior in all aspects of life; politics is the process of generating the laws that will determine what behavior is or isn't to be penalized and rewarded, temporally. Anyone else see a link there? And as far as needing to be in a group to be a terrorist; terrorism is the pursuit of changing behavior and/or beliefs through violence. It doesn't require a damn charter and bylaws of like-minded individuals to pursue that agenda.

This situation is one of the downsides to being an economic superpower; the burgeoning numbers of idiots that nature would weed out otherwise, kept alive by the excess wealth of a successful economic system. Spare me from the stupidity of those who believe all people are inherently good, misunderstood, or simply in need of more understanding and concessions.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday





First:

Gold should be an accent on a gun, not be the gun. Primarily golden guns are for pimps and dictators.

Second:

If there is going to be any work beyond plating, especially the rendering of people or animals, hire someone who didn't go to an art school whose entry standard involves tracing the cartoon turtle character at the beginning of the school's add.

Spammers Must Die



I'm getting spam on comments about six times a day now. Thus, the word verification function has been enabled, because I'm sick spending more time erasing this crap than I do on posting my minimal effort, low-talent posts. So, I hope this won't dissuade the three of you who comment here from continuing to leave a comment on the rare occasions I exert my self.

Oh, and die in a fire, spammers.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



Seriously, buy a Savage 110. It will probably cost less in the long run compared to buying a stock, butchering a bolt, tapping the receiver, and throwing some aftermarket flash hider on the barrel. You can get it in 7.62, allowing you to find ammo in any sporting goods store worth the name, reload with components ranging from cheap to premium, and hand tune them to the rifle (yes, you can buy lots of cheap 7.62x54R, but most of it isn't reloadable, a fair bit is corrosive, and you have to buy it by production lot if you find some that's really good in the rifle; good luck with getting the same lot if you're mail ordering small amounts). Most important, you won't be ruining a rifle that's possibly participated in major historical event or rare by turning it into a half-assed attempt at a tactical rifle that will eventually sell for a quarter of what the assembly cost was.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Things Are Looking Up


A recent trip to the local Fleet Farm turned up shelves well-stocked with .45 ACP, 9x19mm, 5.56 x 45mm, and .357. Semi-auto AK clones and three different models of Mosins (91/30, M38, and M44) were present in the racks. I've been picking up Blazer 230 grain FMJ in the aluminum case for the ammo bank. Now if primer production would catch up.....

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Justice



I can't think of any good reason an officer who's a treasonous murderer shouldn't hang. I don't give a damn if it pisses off the "muslim street", this bastard needs to be offed if we don't want to see worse in the future.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Managers and Modern Times


According to some of my study materials, more than 300 million people now are on Facebook. Many managers and employees have moved beyond their working relationship by friending each other.

This seems like a pretty bad idea from both sides from my point of view. What about when working relationship turns bad? Managers can have far too much personal information if they have friended their employees, including some potentially within a protected category under federal or state employment laws. A dismissed or disciplined employee might later argue that information was the real reason for any adverse employment action. At the same time, managers leave themselves open for an adverse event. Who wants a their staff having access to what and where one was for the last several weekends, or pictures that might show a good time among friends that has the potential for embarrasment later?

Even harder, what to do when the boss is the one who sends the friend invitation? Is it better to say no, and probably insult them, or say yes, and have to double check everything that may be posted for potential conflicts? It's easy to say just don't use it, but the upside of Facebook is the ability to reestablish contacts with old friends and colleagues that would be immensely time-consuming otherwise. Not to mention the potential for networking if you're looking to advance in a career.

Which leads to once the friending is there, should one ever block or delist a supervisor? What kind of results will that have on a work relationship?

I wouldn't be surprised to see employment-related court cases start coming out in the next few years related to this stuff. People seem overly willing to let everything hang out now, without thinking about consequences down the road.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

How Inspiring...........


it is to assist a medical professional as they manage to make a 45 minute, in and out, simple surgical procedure into a marathon monkey humping a football session. And having to listen to perpetrator of this gripe about how he'll going to miss out on his planned activities, then blame the staff for making him late, after creating the additional several hours of problems through his own actions, just makes the rest of the staff wish for a ski mask and baseball bat for after the procedure.

Medicine. It's where the professionals are.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



Another Krylon Commando special. This one was a Turkish Mauser at one time. As the author of the webpage I found this on states, many people feel that "thousands going for $39 and up. With prices like these, even if the gun dies during surgery, who cares?" I bet people used to say that about well-used but original Ford Model Ts back in the day, before buying them for their kid to chop into a piece of crap jalopy for high school. Those aren't to0 common anymore, and original Mausers won't be for much longer either. Pity.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday


Last week, we saw a high-quality Bubba'd Mosin rifle made into pistol. Although the collector in me hates to see non-standard permanent mods to an issue rifle, I thought the execution of the concept was very well done.

That's not the case this week.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Ibuprofen: It's What's For Dinner


Time: the more you have of it over your life, the less it takes to start stiffening up after the APFT, and a damn sight more to stop hurting. I hate you, young people.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Another Day........



gone. I'd write more, but it would be irritated, self-pitying drivel, so screw that. Going to bed so I can go through the annual Army-mandated physical fitness test tomorrow AM. I'll be studying with a six-pack tomorrow evening, I think.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday



As I've out with one of the Mosins lately, here's a little gun butchery along those lines.

What do you think the recoil would be on one of these?

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Mosins N' Carhartts




Actually made it out to the range for the first time in months, which is way too long. And instead of being 28 degrees, it was a balmy 42, with a 10mph wind out of the very flat, unobstructed west. Anticipating this, I decided to take my snowblowing gear, which is a set of lined Carhartt bibs and jacket.

Getting to the range, I was a little suprised there was anyone else there, but there was one pistol shooter with his very supportive wife/girlfriend/something, who looked decidedly cold. Shortly after this, another two pistol shooters showed up, one of them shooting in jeans and a t-shirt. I love shooting, but not enough to freeze my ass off for a fifty round plinking session. Then again, he was probably wondering why some guy was shooting an antique dressed like a construction worker in January. Hey, at least I was comfortable, even lying on the ground for an hour of prone unsupported at 200 yards.

Some realizations from this session:

I can shoot my Model 1891 Mosin made in 1916 more accurately at 200 yards than I can shoot my AR, which also went along today;

With the right weather and a good tin roof overhead, the 7.62 x 54R makes a beautiful rolling boom that really stands out on the range;

My AR fires Brown Bear 62 grain softpoints without a hiccup;

Two years of no shooting past 50 yards takes a noticeable toll on my skills;

Carhartts are a great product;

I may start doing some winter shooting if I can be as comfortable as I was today.

Friday, October 9, 2009

The Gore Effect


I was planning on setting aside some time to work with my AR tomorrow morning.........

but it's supposed to be about 28 degrees.

I actually have worked with M16A2s in in sub-zero temperatures. Wisconsin in February is a suck-ass place to have three days of range time. Although it was interesting watching the Colorado Guard try to shoot under those conditions with nothing but M-65 field jackets and leather glove shells for hand protection. Anyhoo, 16/ARs need extra attention when the temperature drops below freezing. Maybe things are different with the A4s and civilian models these days, but somehow I doubt it. So, if I'm willing to submit my arthritic carcass to a little cold (and in Iowa, 28 degrees is just a taste of what's to come), what would be a little easier to work with?

Why, a Mosin-Nagant 91 modified by the Finns, I suppose. Reliable and proven in winter conditions far worse than what I'll see tomorrow, and with far more thumpy goodness than my poodle shooter.

Plus, I'll bet I have the range to myself.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Building Character


What could be more character building than setting a rifle and ammo by the back door on a sunny, 62 degree fall day off from work, and then doing chores until it's too damn late to get to the range?


Beats the hell out of me, but I managed it. Nearly 2200 hrs, and that rifle is still by the door.


Just about as rewarding as a kick in the ass, though.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Another Summer Gone.......


The cycles are are trailered for winter, all the wood is split and stacked, and the lawn mower is stored. Now the six month wait for the weather to be good enough to get the bikes back out starts.

There's been a number of years where I've ridden well into November, but those summers weren't short, cold, and wet like this one. I'm guessing this winter will be early and hard, so the riding season is pretty much over for me.
I gotta get a job further south.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Here's one that's something of a departure; an ugly gun that's worth a great deal of money.

This one is a Bittner lever action pistol in 7.7 mm Bittner. A repeating pistol with 6" octagonal barrel with matted top flat, tall front sight and an unusual ramp rear sight graduated to 150 meters. This is a stripper-magazine-fed pistol with the housing in front of the action with checkered wood panels on sides. The action mechanism is unusual in that the bolt stays fully retracted until the ring trigger is pulled which moves bolt forward stripping a round into the chamber. The ring lever has a slot in the back to allow the trigger contact with shooter's finger which releases when bolt is fully closed. Per the web page it was found at, it appears less than 500 of these rare pistols were made in 1893. As noted by the page's author, when a pistol is scarce, a magazine and cartridge are even more so. Asking price for this particular piece is $17,500.

More images are at http://www.horstheld.com/0-Bittner.htm

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

Odd.........that's the same pattern on my 10 year old Golden's naked gut. Who's running around making camo patterns based on dog moles?

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Yay Food!

Ketamine- helping patients wake up with terrifying visions of hell post-procedure since.......holy shit, did you see that flying lizard?

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

Jeez, doing this stuff to pistols is just wrong. I'm waiting for the technological breakthrough that allows temperature sensitive polymer frames that change color. Mood-guns, anyone?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Yarr!

Happy International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Another excuse to drink rum.............

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

A Good Day


It's been only three days into the week, and I've already had my fill of the weird. The patient with a flea infestation, who both doesn't seem aware she has them, and went to the Tammy Faye Baker School of Cosmetology; the near centenarian who didn't know where she was, why she was here, or what the hell we were doing to her, getting her next ten years of pacemaker power; the female patient with more tattoos than most bikers will ever consider getting. But today, one little jewel shone through, even though his family was enough to make Mr. Rodgers consider going postal. An older man in his eighties, here for procedures to help diagnose his leg pain. A short word by the patient, "Uff-da" on being stuck with a needle, led to a question by the physician about being from a particular ethnic group. Which led the patient to say he wasn't, but his wife was. Which led the doc to note his wife was descended from that group, and that her parents came over after WWII, after her teenage father had spent years avoiding conscription by the Germans. Which led me to note the patient had been twenty in 1943, and saying he was probably somewhat familiar with the situation the doc's in-laws were facing. Leading to his Army Air Corps years in '43 to '46, working on Mitchell bombers, and an even better story of the two Master Sergeants, a bottle of whiskey, a bet in a bar, and a B-25 that had it's landing gear punched through its wings and nose by the end of the night.


These are my favorite patients; reading their personal accounts of their service fed my love of military history growing up in the '70s and '80s. I hate to think of them fading away so quickly.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Jackass.......


I see Jimmy Carter has been on NBC saying that most of the resistance to President Obama's policies are due to racism. As far as I can tell, the Left must think that if a person isn't white, and the person disagreeing with them is, there can't be any reason to disagree with them other than skin color. Outside of my perception that whites are becoming quietly sick to death of being accused of being racists, I have come to believe that the politically active Left has at least one of the following core beliefs:


"People who don't think as I do are:"


Stupid

Evil

Self-serving
Greedy

Amoral

and...


Evilly Stupid Except When They're Malignantly Brilliant By Persuading The Unwashed Proles To Vote Against Their Own Best Interests As Defined By The Left.


I personally wouldn't waste a rat's rear on worrying about someone's forebears being from a different continent than mine. I worry about self-satisfied, smug, intellectually vapid, narcissistic individuals who feel the need to tell me what I should think and do to meet their standards. And socialists. But I repeat myself.


Carter's an intellectually bankrupt hack who's spent his time after the Presidency validating rigged elections in dictatorships; the only time he'll have me worrying about my ethics is if he says something I actually agree with.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

Yech. But, note the upper right corner of the price tag. Somebody was thinking ahead.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Good Intentions & Bad Decisions

Something people need to consider when it comes to extending the life of a family member is, just because it can be done, should it be done? Is it what the patient would want?

Recently I've assisted in placing defibrillators in people who cannot walk, eat, use the bathroom, or get out of bed unassisted. And never will again. Because they're not only so elderly that they are incredibly frail, and weakened, but mainly because most of who they were isn't there any more.

Nobody wants to think about a loved one having dementia so severely that they no longer recognize their family, can't care for themselves, or communicate. It's something I personally consider worse than death. Day after day, sitting in a chair or lying in a bed, not knowing anyone, developing bed sores, totally dependent on others to feed, dress, and clean you. Think about it: nothing to look forward to, no comprehension of what's happening, just a steady degeneration into a shell of what used to be a vital, active person.

Why, if you love that person, would you choose to ensure that someone will have to endure this for another one, two, or ten years? Why do you want to have a device in them that will deliver a substantial unexpected shock, or series of shocks, to them when you have decided to list them as DNR in the medical record? Do you really think that's the caring thing to do? Is it what you would want for yourself?

Someday, perhaps that won't even be an option. Many of these devices are well over $10,000. If we get to the point where we're looking at cost/benefit models for getting a procedure, I'd guess a lot of these defibrillators won't be going to people we do them for now. I don't particularly like that approach. But I do recognize none of us are supposed to be here indefinitely. And at some point, if we last long enough, quality of life will reach the point where most of us would rather not be here. Work in a hospital long enough, and you'll see people in conditions you'll never see on TV drama. Their quality of life is almost zero. Feeding tubes, IVs, bruising, bleeding, and opportunistic infections; blood clots, bed sores, poor circulation. Sooner or later, everyone goes. The lucky ones go fast, and sometimes even in their sleep. For most of us, it will be a long, slow decline.

Think long and hard before making that decline harder and longer for someone you care about.



Sunday, September 6, 2009

Ugly Gun Sunday

Gold-plated AKs seem to be a dime a dozen these days. But gold-plated sorta Krinkovs with utterly useless horse head front sights and pointless thumbhole buttstocks that can't really be mounted to one's shoulder? That's taking it to the next level.

Thanks to Mr. FreeMarket for the picture, and an outstanding blog. If you've never been there, check the African Infantryman series for a fine compilation, and combinations, of the worst in fashion and gun-handling all in one.