Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

1st Inning.

Lounging in the pool

Highlights of the Brew Crew...Over the Fourth of July holiday the Brew Crew loaded up in the RV, along with my mother-in-law and headed to southeast Arkansas to Rohwer where my sister-in-law lives.  It was a long weekend vacation and it was very enjoyable.  Our little Lucy didn't seem to enjoy the ride down as much as the rest of us but once we arrived and jumped in the pool she seemed to be doing better.  The in-laws just put in a very nice in-ground pool and the girls were in it before I had the RV parked and plugged into the garage electric outlet.  We arrived on the 4th in the evening but didn't shoot any fireworks that night. 

A peek at my home away from home a few steps from the pool.

On Friday the 5th, after a morning swim with the kids, my brother-in-law, Stephen, took me for a day long ride in his new Polaris Razor complete with sound system.  We stopped to fill up the cooler with some beverages then headed out for a tour of the crop fields then off to the levee.  With the iPod cranked up and playing some Bocephus were on our way!  The only thing missing was orange paint, rebel flag on the roof, and a 01 on the doors.  I believe at one point we had that sucker at 60mph as we 'flattened the hills and straightened the curves'.  We stopped in Watson to watch a fire on the railroad tracks and to visit with Stephen's aunt that lived across and a few houses down.  A helluva day for a fire!  We headed back to the house and a few donuts in the gravel drive along with a tip over of the Polaris and we were back in the pool.  Later on we took it out again and ran into one of Stephen's old friends that farms in the area.  As we traded stories and drank a few cold ones we were back on the road at dark and on the levee headed for the house.  At some point an animal jumped out and nudged the passenger side rear panel.  We turned around thinking it was a deer but saw no sign.  I figured it was either an armadillo, raccoon, or possum but there was no damage to the Razor.  Back at the house we jumped in the pool and I swear I heard it was skinny dippin' time with the wives but apparently I was the only one that got that message and after a few hundred skeeter bites I was fully clothed again and resting inside with some cold A/C. 

The in-laws have a great doormat/door draft stopper.

Saturday was a stay-at-home day as the wives didn't appreciate all the fun we had the day before.  So, we just lounged in and around the pool ate bbq and drank adult beverages.  Then it was time to watch a couple of movies from the RedBox--the latest Die Hard installment and Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters.  It was a very lazy day.  Sunday saw us drive back home and all said it was a good little vacation.

2nd Inning.

Articles of the week.

• Museum Mystery..."Manchester Museum bosses have been left puzzled by the mystery of an ancient Egyptian statuette which - a video reveals - seems to turn itself around 180 degrees in its display case."  Can you say spooky?  Is Ben Stiller working security at that museum?
  
• Hypocrisy?...Bush...Obama...not really much difference on policy.
• Underground fort..."After most of the world’s population is wiped off the map by a wayward meteorite or hail of nuclear missiles, the survival of the human race might just depend on a few thousand people huddled in recreational vehicles deep in the bowels of an eastern Kansas mine."  Just up the road from my deer camp.  I need to reserve a spot now.
• What would Andy Jackson do?..."As long as our government is administered for the good of the people, and is regulated by their will; as long as it secures to us the rights of persons and of property, liberty of conscience, and of the press, it will be worth defending."
  
• Life of Julia..." What would the Schumer-Rubio amnesty bill look like from the perspective of an illegal alien named Julia?"  Interesting slideshow.
• Thomas Sowell..."We all know that guns can cost lives because the media repeat this message endlessly, as if we could not figure it out for ourselves. But even someone who reads newspapers regularly and watches numerous television newscasts may never learn that guns also save lives-- much less see any hard facts comparing how many lives are lost and how many are saved."
• In the year 2025..."As technology advances, some physical crimes -- such as kidnapping, armed robbery, and post office scams -- may decline or disappear entirely, experts say." 
• The secret of Pixar..."Jon Negroni spent one year untangling the secret world hidden deep within Pixar films..."  Prepare to have your mind blown!
  
• Everyone's a lawyer now..."The result of a verdict today in a criminal trial is that everyone with a twitter or Facebook account gets to let the world know how ignorant they are of the criminal justice system."  A great piece by Brian Tannenbaum (criminal and Bar defense attorney in Florida).

3rd Inning.

Politics...Okay, time for one of my tirades on a political/cultural/socio-economic subject--Poor and entitlements.  We keep hearing about the entitlements in our country and the ever rising costs of those entitlements.  Whenever any person or politician makes a statement about making cuts to them then there is a huge outcry over the poor and how they will be left out in the cold and won't be able to survive in today's society.  Well, I personally can speak to being poor and living in America.  A little background on me: I grew up in a suburb on Kansas City and spent the majority of my youth living in an apartment complex that accepted Section 8.  We didn't use Section 8 but lived there anyway.  My mom was and is a waitress at local restaurant.  My parent's divorced when I was very young and my dad was a sheet-rocker.  My step-dad has played the role of mechanic with a variety of employers.  Blue collar folks.  My relatives were all blue collar, living paycheck to paycheck.  My mom at one time owned the restaurant where she had worked for a number of years but issues with the IRS lead to her losing that dream.  We were poor but got by.  Our annual vacation was usually to Branson staying at a Best Western and going to Silver Dollar City.  We were on the school lunch program but never any food stamps or other entitlements.  I bought my first car with money I earned from washing dishes in that restaurant my mom owned.  There was a time after they lost the restaurant that they went through vehicle repossessions and furniture repossessions.  

At every corner my family turned was an opportunity to get on the government teat but we didn't.  My parents didn't waste money on tattoos, fancy material items, cigarettes, or other wasteful items.  Our circumstances didn't deter me.  I still graduated high school and after a bit of soul searching went to college and graduated.  I was the first grandchild on my mom's side of the family to graduate college.  I did use student loans to pay for college and I am paying those back...no defaults.  I applied myself.  I have several cousins and relatives that walked the same road and are on food stamps and using other government entitlements to get by.     

So that brings me to the point of this soap-box tirade...we don't have a problem with running out of money for entitlements or need to continue to raise taxes to pay for them.  What we need is more people applying themselves.  We need more parents teaching their children (not schools) good morals and what is right from wrong and that they should be striving to make their lives better through self-responsibility.  There is a great article by Neal Boortz that I have been reading and re-reading since last fall that really explains the issue.  Per Boortz, "What’s it like to be poor in America?  Dare I say it?  Not all that horrible, actually.  First – in a general sense – the average poor person in America has a higher standard of living than the average European.  Read that sentence again – you need to understand what I’m saying there.  Read it until it sinks in.  Take the average POOR person in America and tell them they’re going to have to live like the AVERAGE EUROPEAN .. and they’ll start screaming racism, discrimination, oppression, and every other leftist trigger word they can remember.  Tell a poor person in America that they’re going to have to lower their living standard to that of the average European, and the proggies will tell you that you be “hatin’” on the poor."  So, you are probably thinking that Boortz doesn't have a clue or any specifics to back up his comments.  Well, in his article he references a re-tread story in the local Atlanta newspaper where a poor person is complaining about not getting her heating entitlement money...all while pictured with a large screen tv, gaming console, and a space heater. 

 

Want more? A two-year old study from The Heritage Foundation reveals the following:

• The typical “poor” household in America has a car
• 78% of “poor” households in America have air conditioning
• 64% of “poor” households in America have cable or satellite TV .. most have two TVs, along with a DVD player and  VCR
• Most “poor” households in America with children have a gaming system such as an Xbox or PlayStation
• 38% of “poor” households in America have a personal computer
• Most “poor” households in America have a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a microwave. They also have other household appliances such as a clothes washer, clothes dryer, ceiling fans, a cordless phone, and a coffee maker.
• The typical “poor” American has more living space than the average European.
• The typical “poor” American family is able to obtain medical care when needed.
• The average “poor” household in America claims to have sufficient funds to meet all essential needs.

Boortz lays out a great example of disposable income between a one-parent household of four compared to a two-parent household of four.  You guessed it the single parent living on minimum wage has more disposable income through all the government assistance picking up the tab for the basic needs.  What is wrong with our government and society?  I always seem to hear from those on the left, "Should we just kick them to the curb for making bad choices?" But how many times do we keep allowing them to make bad choices and still catch them in the government safety net?  A few things Boortz points out as the bad choices people make that put them in the poor bracket:

• Having unprotected sex so that your boyfriend can knock you up, and then having a child you absolutely cannot afford to raise
• Ignoring your education and job training opportunities to the point that you can’t qualify for a job that earns more than minimum wage
• Getting hooked on drugs
• Spending your spare money on lottery tickets and at your local Tresses and Talons shop
• Taking money you could use to buy your kids a book .. and spending it instead on a cool tattoo
• Getting a job --- and then making a habit of not showing up for work on Monday’s and Fridays
• Refusing to move out of a crime-ridden inner city environment and relocating, by whatever means necessary, to an area with better schools, less drugs and crime, and some basic job opportunities...And don’t give me this “can’t afford it” crap.  Our ancestors did that walking alongside covered wagons with a few tables and chairs and maybe a bed inside.  They had to dig holes in the ground to drop a deuce along the way.  You have a car.  There’s rest areas on the expressways.  Load it and use it.
• Embracing the “no snitching” culture so that the police can’t do an effective job of ridding your neighborhood of the thugs that shoot your friends on street corners

Tough love, people.  At some point we are going to have to employ that method to save this nation.

4th Inning.

American History Lesson...July 14th, 1798, Sedition Act becomes Federal law.  With the current environment of government scandals and controversial legislation, it is eerie to think that we have 'been there, done that' with regards to the actions of the government in 1798 under the Adams administration.  The Sedition Act was part of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and was the fourth act passed.  The first 3 Acts dealt with the rights of immigrants but the Sedition Act was an attempt to silence political opposition.  Per History.com, "the Sedition Act permitted the prosecution of individuals who voiced or printed what the government deemed to be malicious remarks about the president or government of the United States."  Fourteen Democratic-Republicans were imprisoned under this law with most being journalists.  Madison and Jefferson drafted resolutions in opposition to this law referencing outright violations of the First and Tenth Amendments.  The main proponent of these acts was Alexander Hamilton and many Federalists in the Adams administration and in Congress.  By signing the Act into law, Adams forfeited any chance at reelection in 1800 due to the controversy.  The Sedition Act expired in 1801 but not before Jefferson himself used it to imprison a few of his opponents.  Some good commentary by Mark Levin on the history of the Sedition Act and its current relevance is below.  Enjoy!   

5th Inning.

Movie I want to see...Anchorman 2.  Ron Burgundy is BACK!  The rumors have been floating since the first installment came out and this year we will finally see the follow up to Anchorman.  Ron, Champ, Brick, and Brian are back for more fun and craziness.  Per Wikipedia, "After the 1970s brought prosperity to the Channel 4 news team, the group disbands and hits rock bottom until a 24-hour news channel is being put together and the group is recruited to join the channel."  Expect the same good humor and hilarious situations that Ron and his buddies always seem to find themselves in.  The movie is expected to be released in theaters around Christmas.  Trailer is below.  Enjoy!
 

6th Inning.

Uncle Jeremy's Tips to Get the Nation Back on Track...If you burn our flag then no more foreign aid to your country...Cut the umbilical cord on the Post Office and fully privatize it and let other carriers delivery mail...No politicians at any level of government can exempt themselves from any law...Start having more 'Pay it forward' situations in our personal connections with other citizens...Reduce the power of the worker's unions...Replace the singing competition shows on tv with science/invention competitions with the same amount of monetary payoff(let's kick start a science revolution!)...Promote hard work and education over a government program...Eliminate the Federal Reserve and its unelected power over this country...Repeal the Patriot Act...






7th Inning.

Firearms Corner...In one of my earlier posts I discussed the AR-15 rifle and all its features.  Well, this week I bring to you a handy video that shows you how to clean that AR-15.  Enjoy!



8th Inning.

FFL Factoid...NICS Background Checks.  FFLs have the following three methods of performing background checks depending upon the state in which the FFL is conducting business:

1. In states where the state government has agreed to serve as the POC for the system, the FFLs contact the NICS through the state POC for all firearm transfers. The state POC conducts the NICS check and determines whether or not the transfer would violate state or federal law.

2. In states where the state government has declined to serve as a POC, the FFLs initiate a NICS background check by contacting the NICS Call Centers for all firearm transfers. The FBI conducts the NICS check and determines whether or not the transfer would violate state or federal law.

3. Finally, in states where the state government has agreed to serve as a POC for handgun purchases but not for long gun purchases, the FFLs contact the NICS through the designated state POC for handgun transfers and the NICS Section for long gun transfers.

***Each state decides whether the FFLs in its state call a state POC or the FBI to initiate firearm background checks.***


9th Inning.

Baseball video...Two great Kansas City Royals had birthdays last week.  Hal McRae (July 10) and Willie Wilson (July 9).  Happy Birthday, fellas!