THE QUEEN

I offer some words from Col Jeff Cooper, taken from his excellent book, The Art of the Rifle:

"Personal weapons are what raised mankind out of the mud, and the rifle is the queen of personal weapons. The possession of a good rifle, as well as the skill to use it well, truly makes a man the monarch of all he surveys."

"The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, because a citizenry armed with rifles cannot be tyrannized."

This clip also sums up my feelings about firearms.




I have a few in my modest collection that I regard as tools, to be kept close. I live in the Southwest, 30 miles north of the border and like Karl Malden suggests, I don't leave home without them. I do not like unpleasant social situations.

Remington 870 Police model with sidesaddle. A crowd pleaser.

                                                    AR 15 with an ACOG sight. We have wide open spaces down here. The kind they sing about, don't fence me in. There's not much lone prairie to be buried out in. Just flat-assed desert.     

This last one a recent acquisition; the following clip may be a bit, er, overstated.

This seems out of place indoors and besides, mine is chambered in 5.56x45. Good old NATO.

                              

I fitted a new stock set to it, make it look respectable.

Alas, no stacking swivels.

She's part of my perimeter defense.

My early warning. He is trained to go for the throat.











"Monarch of all I survey, resisting tyranny."

Yeah, I kinda like that.

Now I'm heading out to the range, work on my social skills.

MEMORIAL DAY

I am a veteran. I served my country 1966-1968 in the Army. I did not make the sacrifices so many others made. I am thankful, and to this day when the Brocker and I see active military guys and gals in the airport, shopping mall - wherever - we go out of our way to shake hands and thank them.

"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm." - quote attributed toWinston Churchill but that is not confirmed. Doesn't matter.

THE LOVE CHAPTER

So called because of the theme: Love.

In some versions of the Bible Charity is used in place of Love.

That might give you a clue: Love has many meanings.

---

1 Corinthians 13

1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profits me nothing.

4 Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love brags not itself, is not puffed up,

5 Does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not her own, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil;

6 Rejoices not in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 Bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never fails: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child; I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

13 And now stays faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

So let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart

be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord

NYUK NYUK NYUK

Well, it was bound to happen. The Three Stooges. Legends in their own time. I never met a chick*, liked the Stooges. That speaks to their validity in my opinion. I'm talking about the originals, not the wretched remake recently released. 



The Three Stooges started in 1925 as part of a raucous vaudeville act called 'Ted Healy and His Stooges' (a.k.a. 'Ted Healy and His Southern Gentlemen', 'Ted Healy and His Three Lost Souls' and 'Ted Healy and His Racketeers' - the moniker 'Three Stooges' was never used during their tenure with Healy). In the act, lead comedian Healy would attempt to sing or tell jokes while his noisy assistants would keep "interrupting" him. Healy would respond by verbally and physically abusing his stooges. Brothers Moe and Shemp were joined later that year by violinist-comedian Larry Fine. Soon they broke with Healy and a short time later Shemp left the trio, to be replaced with Curly.

Larry, Curly, and Moe is the combination I like best.





In 1934, the trio – now officially christened "The Three Stooges" – signed on to appear in two-reel comedy short subjects for Columbia Pictures. In Moe's autobiography, he said they each got $600 per week on a one-year contract with a renewable option; in the Ted Okuda–Edward Watz book The Columbia Comedy Shorts, the Stooges are said to have received $1,000 among them for their first Columbia effort, Woman Haters, and then signed a term contract for $7,500 per film (equal to $130,299 today), to be divided among the trio.






Film critics and stooge fans alike have cited Curly as the most popular member of the team. His childlike mannerisms and natural comedic charm (he had no previous acting experience) made him a hit with audiences, particularly children and *women (the latter usually finding the trio's humor juvenile and uncouth yeah, so?).





I like the Stooges because they are decidedly masculine and represent males accurately, if perhaps a bit exaggerated. All us guys take ourselves oh so seriously but really we can be so effing goofy in some of the things we do. Look at yourself honestly and consider how you appear to others. When I laugh at the Stooges antics, and they are pretty funny, I am laughing at myself. Which is not a bad thing.




Erleichda, erleichda, is my message for today. The curious among you will google it up. You can cross-reference Einstein if you wish. 

DAYS OF REST

It takes time and effort to run a blog which turns out good material. The author must have a good "voice". Somebody, you want to hear what he has to say even if you disagree. Someone who has a good "come-from". That is an old Lifespring term but you readers are clever, you can figure it out.


Remus has a good come-from.


This guy is a wordsmith. That is a good thing.


Sean is best when he handles matters military and intel.


Hanify gets all metaphysical; I lose sight of shore when I read him.

I am not spending time and effort lately on this site. It has a lower priority for now. I picked out a few tunes that I like and they are here for you, whether you like them or not.


These guys used to back up Ronnie Hawkins. Uh? You don't know who Ronnie Hawkins is?




Presidential primaries and debates? Get serious. You need to hear the "Nothing" post again?




Some union folks don't have it so good.









Hardscrabble, with a whiff of resentment. Omar don't say "they owe me" but does acknowledge the disparity twixt rich and poor. If Philistine were doing his Public Radio Interpreter job instead of being out there earning money (see? he understands one of the basic principles of Life: if ya don't work, ya don't eat), well if he were on the mark he would chime in with comparative analyses of the downtrodden working class under the boot of the Capitalist/warmonger/WASP/ ruling class. Sigh. Hard to get free help.

REVELATION

Never mind Coppola's movie, was only made for the money. Read Conrad's Heart of Darkness if you have a mind and don't need psychotropic drugs and flashy video stimulation for cognitive activity.


I mentioned Fear and Faith. I don't know about you but I sleep easy at night. Them fear dogs don't be coming 'round my yard. I hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Hope is sweeter.



The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament corpus. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation" (the author himself not having provided a title). It is also known as the Book of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine or the Apocalypse of John, (both in reference to its author) or the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ (in reference to its opening line) or simply Revelation, (often dubbed "Revelations" in contrast to the singular in the original Koine) or the Apocalypse. The word "apocalypse" is also used for other works of a similar nature, and the genre is known as apocalyptic literature. Such literature is "marked by distinctive literary features, particularly prediction of future events and accounts of visionary experiences or journeys to heaven, often involving vivid symbolism." The Book of Revelation is the only apocalyptic document in the New Testament canon, though there are short apocalyptic passages in various places in the Gospels and the Epistles.

Revelation brings together the worlds of heaven, earth, and hell in a final confrontation between the forces of good and evil. Its characters and images are both real and symbolic, spiritual and material. Revelation's cryptic nature makes the book a source of controversy among scholars who try to interpret its meaning and its message. Nevertheless, it has not only endured, but captured the imagination of generations of Bible students, both professional and lay readers alike. The author, named John, has traditionally been identified with John the Apostle, to whom the Gospel of John is also attributed. Historical-critical scholars, however, generally conclude that the author did not also write the Gospel of John. Most scholars think that Revelation was written near the end of the 1st century.

I read Revelation if I want to see what's in store for me. Don't have to look at chicken entrails, burn something in a pentagram circle, see the gypsy lady, none of that hoo doo crap. Better than Cayce or Nostradamus, it fits my spiritual orientation. If I take it literally or as allegory, take it any way I want, there is enough described that is happening or that is waiting to happen as we sit here chewing electrons.

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse will be featured in following weeks.

DONKEYS and ELEPHANTS again

Certain messages should be repeated.

I read this in The Woodpile Report:

No matter who you vote for, the government gets elected.

(Traditional, cited by Francis Porretto, eternityroad.info )


 Is there anybody reading this stuff that still believes if only we had:

• Republicans   
• Democrats
• Tea Party
• Libertarians
• Penguins for a Gun-free Antarctica
• Sarah Palin
• Donald Trump
• all of the above
• none of the above

that all our troubles would go away?

 (Help at the bottom of the page in video form if you were one of those childs not left behind)

If you chose any of the above please click here. You have earned one of these:

Go away, stop breathing my electrons.

If you didn't even bother to answer there is faint hope.


Consider this:

Traces of nobility, gentleness and courage persist in all people, do what we will to stamp out the trend. So, too, do those characteristics which are ugly. It is just unfortunate that in the clumsy hands of a cartoonist all traits become ridiculous, leading to a certain amount of self-conscious expostulation and the desire to join battle.

There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tinny blast on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us. —Walt Kelly, June 1953

Here's another cartoon from the 30s or 40s.

These guys did not have super-vision nor were they Nostradamus/Cayce prophets. They did not have their heads up their asses nor were they smoking dope. They just saw things.

They saw things like this:

Here's another quiz, you can make up for the question you missed above:

How many cows are in this picture?