Charles C.W. Cooke has a good piece over at NRO on the ammo purchases.

It’s all about scale. Forty-six thousand rounds also sound like a lot for the National Weather Service. (Actually, the ammo was requested by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement, which is overseen by the same department.) In reality, it’s not that much. The service has only 63 armed personnel, which brings the purchase out at around 730 rounds per officer. This, suffice it to say, does not present a great threat to the Republic. As the NRA has noted, “more than a few NRA members would use that much ammunition in a weekend shooting class or plinking session.” There are enough risks to the right to bear arms and to American liberty in general, the NRA continued, without “inventing threats.”

On a related note, one thing I've found amazing in recent months is that what you'd have to think what was only a slight uptick in demand after the election translated into essentially a run on the bank as far as ammo's concerned.

Between the government purchase stories that circulate around and the actual gun control mania that ensued after Sandy Hook, it's been really eye-opening as to how thin the ammo supply chain really is.

I've had a policy in place for years now that basically is "never pass up a chance to buy ammo" ... meaning that I never leave the gun store empty handed, even if it's only a couple of boxes of .45 or something. Over time, this really adds up when you look at the ol' ammo cabinet, and it's also nice being an ant to all the panic-buying grasshoppers.

When things return to normal, as they hopefully will and soon, you might want to think about doing the same.

(open thread in the comments - I just wanted to throw up a new one to cut down on the scrolling)

Posted by: andy at 11:17 AM | Comments (466)
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Since we have a few months before Comet ISON can wow us, and PANSTARRS is leaving us fast, here's two challenging object for you morons and ettes blessed with a decent pair of binoculars or gifted with a half-decent telescope.

In the Northern Hemisphere, only a small portion of the Centaurus constellation makes an appearance**. However, two of the most spectacular objects "in" it are visible right now if you know where to look. Late March/April gives everyone south of NYC their best chance at spotting Centaurus A and Omega Centauri. Here's how. more...

Posted by: CAC at 04:30 PM | Comments (176)
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They told me that if I donated until I bled to the Romney campaign, I'd ultimately end up just pasting a frozen smile on my face and shilling for a shiftless and abusive guy with a particular thirst for the blood of the homeless.

Well, here we are. Good news is, unlike other contributors who I won't name, I don't post pics of turkeys with testicles on their necks.

I meant Andy. I mean, wtf is wrong with that turkey? Did it get in a fight with a midget turkey? Did it try to stick a hard landing on a slick branch? Is it a feminist turkey sporting one of its trophies?

meh -- at least you won't catch me wasting your time with tasteless content like that.

Here we are at Ace-a-thon 2013, and like all good fundraisers, you get to see D-list celebs (or in this case, COBs) shilling for an organization that is big on promises (Smart Military Blog, Lesbian pr0n, & the Guys Get Shirts), and short on delivery (double posts, movie reviews that take longer to read than to watch the actual movie, and, kitteh pics).

But he tries. Lord knows Ace tries.

Getting up at the break of noon (or 1, or 2) requires a fortitude and dedication to the moron hordes that most cannot fathom, let alone even begin to contemplate before the 2nd cup of coffee @ 9 a.m.

It is this attention to detail and the needs of its clientele that made AceCorp number one with a hobo-gig at the CPAC awards.

Unlike other fundraisers, we promise no ringing phones, no useless "gifts" for donations, and most importantly, no Jerry Lewis stumbling through tired old jokes.

And you just can't put a price on that.

So please, if you value the blog and can afford to part w/ a buck or two, before you hit the jump hit the tip jar up there in the top left corner. Like a viking, if you must.

more...

Posted by: Open Blogger at 07:40 AM | Comments (468)
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Yesterday a documentary about LT Michael Murphy called Murph: The Protector opened in limited release. Here's a list of theaters.

This being a Smart Military Blog™ and all, I know you all know the story, but here's his Medal of Honor citation.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life and above and beyond the call of duty as the leader of a special reconnaissance element with Naval Special Warfare task unit Afghanistan on 27 and 28 June 2005.
While leading a mission to locate a high-level anti-coalition militia leader, Lieutenant Murphy demonstrated extraordinary heroism in the face of grave danger in the vicinity of Asadabad, Kunar Province, Afghanistan. On 28 June 2005, operating in an extremely rugged enemy-controlled area, Lieutenant Murphy's team was discovered by anti-coalition militia sympathizers, who revealed their position to Taliban fighters. As a result, between 30 and 40 enemy fighters besieged his four member team. Demonstrating exceptional resolve, Lieutenant Murphy valiantly led his men in engaging the large enemy force. The ensuing fierce firefight resulted in numerous enemy casualties, as well as the wounding of all four members of the team. Ignoring his own wounds and demonstrating exceptional composure, Lieutenant Murphy continued to lead and encourage his men. When the primary communicator fell mortally wounded, Lieutenant Murphy repeatedly attempted to call for assistance for his beleaguered teammates. Realizing the impossibility of communicating in the extreme terrain, and in the face of almost certain death, he fought his way into open terrain to gain a better position to transmit a call. This deliberate, heroic act deprived him of cover, exposing him to direct enemy fire. Finally achieving contact with his headquarters, Lieutenant Murphy maintained his exposed position while he provided his location and requested immediate support for his team. In his final act of bravery, he continued to engage the enemy until he was mortally wounded, gallantly giving his life for his country and for the cause of freedom. By his selfless leadership, Lieutenant Murphy reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

God bless you, LT Murphy. more...

Posted by: andy at 03:30 AM | Comments (195)
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Turkey season opens in Georgia today, but unfortunately I won't be able to get down there until mid-April.

Season's probably starting in lots of other Southern states, too, but it won't open here in MA until late April. My master plan of getting down to GA for an early hunt was foiled by work. Stupid work!

As a youngster in Georgia in the 1970s, it was almost impossible to believe there was a time when the state wasn't just covered up with deer. But my dad always talked about the first time he saw one when they were being reintroduced to the state after being all but eradicated.

I got to see this phenomenon for myself with the wild turkey, though. I'll never forget the first one I saw ... it flew across a road in front of the car, and I didn't quite believe my eyes. Fast forward a few years, and I could barely go hunting without seeing some from the stand or on the way to and from the woods.

Thanks to the efforts of the National Wild Turkey Federation and hunters across the country, the restoration of the wild turkey has been an amazing success story, and, honestly, there's nothing I'd rather hunt these days.

If you're lucky enough to get out to the woods today and go after 'em, best of luck.

Posted by: andy at 06:27 AM | Comments (181)
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Comcast bans gun, ammo ads I'm sure they'll be getting right on those action movies and cops shows.

Posted by: andy at 04:49 PM | Comments (2)
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It's a real scene, Man.

And there's even a Part 2.

I wrote over at the other place:

[T]he main problem here is that we have three Major Players who each claim to be the Most Marginalized. Whoever is the Most Marginalized is permitted, according to the rules of Leftism, to say whatever he or she likes without challenge and have his or her assertion simply accepted without any backtalk.

And the problem is that Lesbian Avenger, Shirtless Transgendered, and Gay Guy/Lesbian all claim the status of Most Marginalized simultaneously and ergo argue that each one's Unquestionable Truth must trump all others. Which leads to a lot of frustration and confusion among all the players, as literally none of them can fathom why their "I Win" trump card isn't being honored.

By the way, anyone who said "We're living in the Burning Times," please contact the prize desk to pick up your reward.

Posted by: Ace at 04:39 PM | Comments (516)
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Remember, when the cuts come, they immediately begin denying basic services to the public.

But what about services that our tax dollars provide to our Congresspersons?

No effin' way, man. Those are sacred.

At a House hearing earlier this week, she worried that her staff is being “priced out” of a good meal due to price increases at the House cafeteria, and worried that a potential 8-percent budget cut for congressional offices would further lower “the quality of life” on Capitol Hill.

Wasserman-Schultz' claim is that Congressmen and their staffs are so incredibly valuable that we cut their perks at our own risk. After all, they could easily jump to other jobs, leaving us all the poorer.

I always hear the same thing from teachers, incidentally.

Erika Johnson notes:

[T]he federal government has the all-too-convenient ability to essentially keep writing themselves checks to fund whatever it is they deem they need to be competitive — which probably explains why the government has a consistent tendency to compensate their employees with benefits much more lavish than those in the private sector.

I don't trust state employees to decide for themselves how much the state should pay them, or what perks it must offer to keep them working for the state.

For some reason, I think they tend to highball their guestimates.

Posted by: Ace at 03:48 PM | Comments (158)
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Wow.

Judge Walker was criticized for not recusing himself from the case because he himself is gay.

Well, leave that argument for another day. But the import of that criticism is that Walker was too emotionally invested in a particular outcome to rule the case. A judge, after all, is supposed to be unbiased as to the matter before him.

Well, Judge Walker is so unbiased as to the ruling he's emailing the winning side of the case -- the lawyers who argued, successfully, that a constitutional amendment was itself unconstitutional (???) --if he should attend the Supreme Court's hearings on it, or if that would create a political difficulty for the pro-gay-marriage side -- or, as he calls it, an "unwanted distraction."

But he means "political difficulty."

So a judge, who was supposedly unbiased in the matter, is emailing the lead attorney he gave the win to as to whether is his presence at the hearings would be helpful to them, or unhelpful.

The only thing that can keep this from stinking to high hell is if Walker sent the same email to the legal team on the other side of this. I doubt he did, but we'll have to see.

But what we have here, at the moment, is a supposedly-neutral judge asking the legal team pushing the position he obviously favors what he can do to help them win at the Supreme Court.

You know, like neutral, unbiased judges do.

Posted by: Ace at 02:59 PM | Comments (244)
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Sure, why not.

IÂ’m going to hang up now, but I want you to know I am not resigning,' he said.

There's also more:

This is not his first scandal, as he has a history of violence towards his family members that has put him in trouble with social services.

In 2005 he reportedly physically abused his then-13-year-old daughter, and that came nearly a decade after he was arrested for beating his then-wife in 1996. She later dropped the charges.

And there's actually still more:

Blogger Michele McPhee reports that he is now on paid administrative leave, which is allegedly angering his colleagues.

'ItÂ’s bad enough that he pulled an Anthony Weiner and had pictures of his penis on State House computers, but then he tried to get his per diem pumped up. No one puts in for 220 days of commuting and with his commute thatÂ’s a lot of money,' a state representative told her on the condition of anonymity.

Maybe it was a pun.

Posted by: Ace at 02:08 PM | Comments (192)
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