Jim

Having become a grumpy old skeptic, I have to agree 100% with Ham. Not that I'm not calling Ham a grumpy old skeptic. Our reactions are a product of our past experiences and are not easily controlled. My therapist tells me I can control my outward manifestations of my reactions while I give myself time to decide how to show others what they are. That's probably the best that I can do.

Do it. Anything within reason to take the financial burden off you. BTW, I think it would be perfectly acceptable for you to remind the crowd of your expenses and let it be known that you can accept paypal contributions to offset the costs. I drop $200-$300 per year at Amazon and I'd be *delighted* to give you the key click for the sales.

Might be cheaper for them to sell their furniture and buy new or used at Rhode Island.

"All those tech stocks are overvalued" My stockbroker in 1980 when I asked him if I should put $3000 in Microsoft.

Does this mean you're not going to go WOW again?

Then there's the whole Kennewick man controversy... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennewick_Man

Where does it say I have to comment on any book? I don't. I took the time to read her webpage because I *might* be interested in its content and her book. And because of her previous posts, I felt she might have some interesting insight. The other two books that you mentioned are of no interest to me. Her book might be quite good. Unfortunately, my reaction to her website, and I'll admit that it's *my* reaction and it might not be reality, that there's an absolute truth in these matters and you're a coward if you choose not to seek it with her. That's the way I read it. Words are powerful tools and having been offered "the truth" more than once, I'm at the point where anyone who offers or implies possession of the truth is suspect. If that isn't the message her website intends to present, perhaps it should be changed. Or not. Free country. In any case, all of us are entitled to our opinions.

From the first paragraph of your website.... Sorry, won't be buying your book. Frankly, I'm tired of people claiming to know the truth and implying that I'm a coward if I don't listen to them. Been there, done that, older and wiser now.

It's a no-win situation. You expect a certain level of competence and honesty and you don't get it. You didn't want to make the girl cry, you just wanted an honest answer and for the store to do the right thing. At this point I don't expect there's anything that can be done to fix it other than to take your business elsewhere. You know the supervisior is, at the least, unethical. Confronting him will only lead to more lies and fingerpointing. The girl was only doing what she was told, and didn't have the self-confidence to do the right thing. She knew she was doing the wrong thing and to me, that's worth something. Buy a digital camera and a decent photo printer. Stop trading at Walmart. That would be the best long-term fix.

Having spent 2-3 years in a pretty much self-governing branch, I was stunned to watch the interactions between senior and junior way corps. VPW said one time that "we don't use people, we love people and we use things". What a lie. VF came out to coordinate a visit from VPW. He not only used the local believers and WC, he borderline abused them.

Well, I'm a west coast sort of guy. After living in the South, New England, Germany, Japan and *cough* St. Mary's, I'm back in California. I can live anywhere from B.C. Canada to just north of San Jose and I'll be happy. Colorado, Wyoming, San Diego or Montana might be ok, Alaska would be interesting but doesn't work with my skill set. Truthfully, I liked the Ohio people, and not just the wayfers. But I flat-out could not stand the weather. Winters were ok, but the hot, humid summers were miserable. So here I am, out in the middle of California cornfields. It doesn't look so different from Ohio, just a little bigger and a little more industrialised.

Today is the day. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Heller v. District of Columbia. Most significent 2nd amendment court case in our lifetimes. My Tivo is reeling it in now, audio should be up on Youtube this afternoon.

Well, it is consistent with standing wayfers and the internet.

Hillary before makeup.

Bless me Pawtucket, for I have sinned....

A most excellent point and one that I 100% agree with. OTOH, VPW, the original VPW used to say that first you get the spiritual in line and the physical follows. #### And what's with that AOL email address??? You should have gotten a real email address with your website hosting. Damn, that's like wrinkles on the ducttape...

Just looking at those dorky pictures is way over my "comfort zone". Look at #6. That dude is about 3 inches from slipping into that firepit.

It was a beautiful 70 degrees in California today. I was reminded to get the car aircon fixed soon. I'm enjoying it because in 2 more months it will be 100. I wished I could say I miss the snow.

Of all the incredulous claims that Loy made, my favorite was that he had the training and ability to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation. I think we can all agree that his recent employment history has proven that statement false.

Certainly nothing here to argue with. It seemed that leadership at HQ had to be a unique blend of competence and asskissing. Plenty of blame to go all around. See the first line of my sig.

Pachmayr grips make a world of difference. http://www.lymanproducts.com/pachmayr/

I'm not a big wheelgun fan, but I do love the Colt 1911/.45 ACP and I can tell you it's a big pussycat to shoot. The muzzle jumps some, but it will with any high power handgun. The recoil is a nice satisfying shove, telling you you've launched a big chunk of lead, but nothing that will hurt your hand or upset your nerves. Shooting 100 rounds is nothing. OTOH, I've always found the recoil on wheelguns, even as small as a .38 Special, to be far more unpleasant than the 1911. Just remember to keep that web of skin between your thumb and index finger out of the way of the slide

Anyone have a concealed carry permit? I now live in an area of California where it it actually possible for a ordinary citizen to obtain one. A class is required, along with about $80/year to renew. Seems like it's not quite worth it.

No gun thread is complete without the hillbilly and his Lahti.

First of all, I'm not a fan of killing coyotes. We have them in our backyard and I've not seen anything like aggressive behavior from them. That said, it sounds like what you really want is a survival weapon. First choice, IMHO, is a .22LF rifle and a couple bricks of ammo. Very cheap insurance. On the other hand, if you really want to shoot coyotes, a 22 caliber rifle is not a humane way to do it. Look at a centerfire rifle something like a .223 Remington at the minimum.