American History Lesson...U.S. Navy Birthday. On October 13, 1775 the Continental Congress established a Continental Navy that would, of course, become the U.S. Navy after the American Revolution. Once the war for independence broke out the Congress realized the British Navy would be an issue. Per History.com, "Esek Hopkins was appointed the first commander-in-chief of the Continental Navy. His first fleet consisted of seven ships: two 24-gun frigates, the Alfred and the Columbus; two 14-gun brigs, the Andrea Doria and the Cabot; and three schooners, the Hornet, the Wasp, and the Fly." After the war, Congress sold the ships that survived. Upon ratification of the Constitution in 1789, Congress was given authority for providing and maintaining a navy. Congress then ordered the construction of six frigates in 1794 while the War Department administered naval affairs until Congress established the Department of the Navy on April 30, 1798. There have been many famous people including actors, musicians, and politicians that served in the U.S. Navy. A list of them can be found here.
"A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace."
President Theodore Roosevelt, 2 December 1902, second annual message to Congress.
2nd Inning.
Articles of the Week...
- But who will build the roads?..."Every libertarian has heard the question: If not for coercive taxation, how would society ever maintain infrastructure and provide services? In other words, 'Who would build the roads?' ." A quick look at alternatives to funding societal infrastructure other than through an overbearing government.
- The 47% take 100%..."In some Walmart stores, customers emptied shelves like it was Black Friday, while in others, no one could buy anything -- all thanks to a weekend of glitches with the nation's welfare system." If this is not a commercial for government fraud/waste then I don't know what is...
- Skynet and the T-800s..."Eventually, drones may have the technical ability to make even lethal decisions autonomously: to respond to a programmed set of inputs, select a target and fire their weapons without a human reviewing or checking the result. Yet the idea of the U.S. military deploying a lethal autonomous robot, or LAR, is sparking controversy." Where the hell is John Connor when you need him?
- Fight for your Rights..."When media consultant Brian Aitken moved from Colorado to New Jersey to be closer to his son in 2009, police found legally-purchased, locked, and unloaded handguns in the trunk of his car. Aitken was arrested, imprisoned, and denied the ability to see his son." A very horrifying incident and what can happen when you move to an anti-gun state.
- Do as I say, Not as I do..."Washington Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier seems to think that gun-control laws don’t apply to the liberal elite. The police chief helped Sen. Dianne Feinstein acquire 'assault weapons,' which are illegal to possess in the District, for a news conference early this year to promote a ban on these firearms, then tried to cover up the police involvement." I despise smug politicians who feel the laws they have passed or wish to pass don't or would not apply to them. Just need a tall tree and a short rope...
- Shutdown Theater..."If the public starts noticing that life goes on as usual without all 3.4 million federal workers, we might get dangerous ideas, like doing without so much government. Politicians don't want that." Even though Obamacare was mentioned throughout, in all this shutdown mess not one major issue involving the size of government was truly addressed. Kick the can one more time...
- Calling all Bigfoots..."A couple weeks ago in a small city in northern Pennsylvania, there was a 'Bigfoot calling contest.' John Stonesman didn’t participate, but he does think the calls could have brought the elusive, legendary creature out of hiding." I really don't have enough cryptozoological articles in my blog. Expect more going forward...
- Spare the War Memorials..."While gridlock is the game in Washington, pilfering and degradation apparently are the pastime of some unpatriotic thugs at war memorials across the country. For me, that is about as low as a nation and its people can go." There is something sacred about war memorials and you just don't dishonor them in any way.
- Sucker Punching Uncle Sam..."Ironically, the federal government is a victim in all this. As an institution, our government relies on the citizens’ perception that it operates fairly and transparency in upholding the laws of the land. When that credibility is eroded – as it assuredly has been in recent months – so too is the willingness of citizens to respect and obey the laws of the land." When that trust has finally been eroded there are two options--tyranny or revolution...
3rd Inning.
Scary Movies I want to see...again. My Top 5 Scary Movies Countdown Part 3...The Exorcist.
I believe the first time I saw 'The Exorcist' was during a sleepover I hosted where we went to the video rental store to rent several scary movies for a fright night. The plot summary per Wikipedia, "The Exorcist is a 1973 American horror film directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism case of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother's desperate attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests."
Linda Blair, 14 years old at the time, portrays Regan, the possessed girl. I'll be honest, with the graphic nature of the film and the role that Blair plays and her dialogue and actions, I would NOT allow my daughter to play that role. But that's just me. Now my previous two submissions for this countdown revolved around colorful serial killers that wore iconic pieces of clothing/masks that can be seen in every costume shop every year. Where this film departs from those is that it involves the Devil and God. Depending on your religious beliefs that is some real $h!t to deal with if you are a Christian and adds to the scary factor. The film had sequels that were not as scary and even a couple of prequels recently that were okay, but nothing compares to the original.
This is another one that I have not seen in a very long while and with little ones of my own roaming around this house I will have to book a late night after everyone has gone to sleep to watch it with the wife. Trivia--Director William Friedkin eventually asked technical advisor Thomas Bermingham to exorcise the set. He refused, saying an exorcism might increase anxiety. Rev. Bermingham wound up visiting the set and gave a blessing and talk to reassure the cast and crew. Trailer is below. Enjoy!
This is another one that I have not seen in a very long while and with little ones of my own roaming around this house I will have to book a late night after everyone has gone to sleep to watch it with the wife. Trivia--Director William Friedkin eventually asked technical advisor Thomas Bermingham to exorcise the set. He refused, saying an exorcism might increase anxiety. Rev. Bermingham wound up visiting the set and gave a blessing and talk to reassure the cast and crew. Trailer is below. Enjoy!
4th Inning.
Baseball stadium bucket list...Wrigley Field. In May 2006, I travelled with my wife on another one of her business trip conferences to Chicago. Once again, tickets were purchased for those attending the conference that wanted to take in a ballgame at Wrigley Field. When I found this out my immediate response was 'Hell Yeah!'. We were staying at the Sheraton downtown by the Navy Pier, so, after a quick cab ride we were there. The outside of Wrigley, aptly named Wrigleyville, has a similar vibe to Fenway. With plenty of vendors and bars surrounding the stadium selling fan gear or food you are good to go to enjoy a great time at one of baseball's classic stadiums. Once you are in and see the ivy growing on the outfield brick walls you are taken back to those days as a kid watching Cubs games on WGN on your cable television. Being the second oldest major league baseball stadium (behind Fenway), just like Fenway, it is like walking into a museum.
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| View of ivy from our seats. |
Brief history on the ballpark per Wikipedia,
"In late 1915 the Federal League (a minor baseball league) folded. The resourceful Charels A. Weeghman formed a syndicate including the chewing gum manufacturer William Wrigley Jr. to buy the Chicago Cubs from Charles P. Taft for about $500,000. Weeghman immediately moved the Cubs from the dilapidated West Side Grounds to his two-year-old park. In 1918 Wrigley acquired the controlling interest in the club. In November 1926, he renamed the park "Wrigley Field." In 1927 an upper deck was added, and in 1937, Bill Veeck, the son of the club president, planted ivy vines against the outfield walls. Although Wrigley Field has been the home of the Cubs since 1916, it has yet to see the Cubs win a World Series, even though it has hosted several (1929, 1932, 1935, 1938, and 1945, the last time the Cubs appeared in a World Series), the last World Series win by the Cubs (1908) happened while the Cubs called West Side Park home."
Well, that day in May we sat down to watch the Cubs play the Nationals of Washington. Tickets for Cubs games at Wrigley are a hot ticket item and can be very hard to get and expensive. But that has not deterred building owners that surround the ballpark. As you can see from the picture on the left, there are bleacher seats atop many of the buildings outside the stadium just beyond the outfield walls that give a pretty good view into this old ballpark. I don't recall which team won that day but I can truthfully say that by getting the chance to scratch this one off of my bucket list I was able to put a 'W' down on my scorecard.
A few bullet points of interest:
- Wrigley Field added lights in 1988.
- The Wrigley Field bleachers and scoreboard were constructed in 1937 when the outfield area was renovated to provide improved and expanded seating ... the original scoreboard remains intact.
- Seating Capacity is 41,160.
5th Inning.
Sports...Kansas City Chiefs. With baseball season over for me it is time for football. Over the past several years my real interest has been in Fantasy Football only because the Kansas City Chiefs have been horrible. Last season they were the worst team in the NFL. It's hard to stay awake on Sundays when your hometown team is playing that awful. Well, things have changed this year! With new head coach, Andy Reid, along with new quarterback, Alex Smith, and a revitalized Defense the Chiefs have definitely earned the 'Most Improved' team this season. As I write this, their record sits at 6-0 with only one other team undefeated and that is division rival, the Denver Broncos (6-0) lead by the immortal Peyton Manning. Over the past 20 years we have had a few very good teams with their strength on defense under Marty Schottenheimer and offense under Dick Vermeil. After six games, the defense has sure performed above and beyond but it will take the remainder of the season to see where the pendulum swings overall. To add to the fun, Coach Reid had the chance to return to play against his old team, the Philadelphia Eagles, in week 3 of the season. Red Tribe Cinema put together a great video to showcase that game and the Chiefs' win. Video is below. Enjoy! 6th Inning.
Firearms Corner...Gun Show observations. So, as I've mentioned in previous posts, I have a Federal Firearms License and I buy/sell firearms and other firearms related products to include ammunition, magazines, optics, and other accessories. As I type this inning, I have completed a day working a table at a gun show in St. Joseph, Missouri (The St. Joseph Big Buck and Gun Show). This marks the ninth gun show since I obtained my license where I have rented a table to sell merchandise and after all these shows I have made a few observations and I will list them below...
Politics...Pork Barrel Spending. With the recent Federal Government shutdown there has been increased talk about government waste so I thought I would list a few items every couple of weeks. When examining these items we need to ask a few questions such as 'Can we afford this at this time?' and 'Could this money have been better spent or not spent at all?' and 'Is this a national priority or is this something benefiting a special interest?' and 'Does this fit the role of the federal government, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution?'.- Professional Sports Tax Loophole--the NFL, NHL, and PGA are classified as 'non-profit' organizations that annually avoid at least $91 million in Federal taxes due to that status which also trickles down to local and state governments.
- Dead, duplicate, and disqualified food stamp recipients result in about $1.4 million worth of food stamp payments a MONTH.
- The U.S. Agency for International Development in 2009 began a $27 million project to train Moroccans to make better pottery to sell in Morocco and overseas. Moraccans...not Americans.
I have to take these slow or I will blow a gasket. Expect more in future weeks.
8th Inning.
FFL Factoid...Continuing with the 'Top 10 Frequently Asked Firearms Questions and Answers' per the ATF..
8. I have been convicted of a felony. How do I reinstate my rights to possess a firearm?
Persons who have been convicted of a "crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year," as defined by 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(20), are prohibited from receiving or possessing firearms under Federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1). Felons whose convictions have been set-aside or expunged, or for which the person has been pardoned or has had civil rights restored are not considered convicted under section 922(g)(1), unless that person was expressly prohibited by the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceedings were held from possessing firearms. Persons convicted of a State offense should contact the State Attorney General’s Office in the State in which they reside and the State of the conviction for information concerning State and local firearms restrictions, and any alternatives that may be available, such as a gubernatorial pardon or civil rights restoration.
If your conviction is for a Federal offense, you would regain the ability to lawfully receive, possess, or transport firearms if you receive a Presidential pardon. You can find additional information about such pardons by contacting the Office of the Pardon Attorney online at www.usdoj.gov/pardon/.
The GCA includes a provision that gives ATF authority to grant relief from Federal firearms disabilities. 18 U.S.C. § 925(c). However, since 1992, ATF’s annual Congressional appropriation has prohibited ATF from expending any funds to investigate or act upon applications for relief from Federal firearms disabilities submitted by individuals. As long as this provision is included in ATF appropriations, ATF cannot act upon such applications for relief.
9th Inning.
Baseball Video...Roy strikes out the Whammer. "Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don't like it when someone's stuffing it into you by the gallon. That's what it feels like when Nolan Ryan's thrown balls by you." ~Reggie Jackson
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