Wednesday, January 22, 2014

[The Difference Between A Gun Nut And A Gun Enthusiast] A gun nut thinks he can shoot outdoors and control an accidental discharge while not shooting in a completely enclosed ‘box’ — in a subdivision — with people living in close proximity.

A gun enthusiast may be someone like me that has been shooting  for nearly 50 years. I started at the age of 9 and still shoot weekly at ranges. Ranges are places where accidents are kept within the confines of the property. That’s not possible in a neighborhood like the ‘Avenues’ or Eden Pines. Can you imagine someone in the trailer next to you shooting? That tin can you’re in isn’t going to stop anything!No matter how much training you have you cannot insure an accidental discharge will not occur. That is why shooting ranges near homes and businesses are indoors and outdoor ranges have lots of space between them and down range, along with a berm and other safety features to prevent the bullet from leaving the property.Look up accidental discharge and see what it says. Experience breeds complacency and can cause you to lose your fear of the firearm making you dangerous. Without that enclosure around your home ranges the danger is real that the bullet will leave your property. We have reason to be afraid.This is not a Second Amendment right. No one is taking your gun away, telling you what kind of gun you can have, or telling you that you cannot shoot it. It’s about  common sense, safety, and being a good neighbor. It is wrong for the State to bully local officials and tell them they cannot even approach this issue without a $15,000 fine and loss of their elected or appointed positions.

So much for governance at a local level.

[Migrants Land Off Lower Matecumbe Key In Wooden Boat] With all of the Border Patrol, Homeland Security, Spy Blimps, Coast Guard, etc, how can these common events keep happening? If bad guys wanted to invade us I don’t think it would be very difficult to arrive unnoticed until it was too late. Link

[Duplicate Photo Finder] This freeware download works well. Set it to 100%, Compare, and it will find all duplicate pictures. You can recover a mistake delete by going into the Trash and restoring it!

I suggest you make a copy of a single folder and add a bunch of pictures to practice on. It will edit all your pictures at once, but takes awhile if you’re processor is old; and you must delete each found duplicate one at a time. 2,500 duplicates is a lot of work. Link

The Mexican Liberals defeated the Conservatives in the War of Reform leaving the Liberals without money and unable to pay its foreign debt (seem familiar?). The defeated Conservatives fled to Europe to muster support to make Mexico a monarchy. In 1861 ships and troops from France, Spain and England landed in Mexico, Spain and England were there to secure payment of Mexico’s debt to them. The French were there to make Mexico a French Monarchy and expand the French Empire even though they had a treaty with Spain and England not to.  The Mexicans gathered their best for a stand, but a saboteur blew up the powder supply killing 1500 of the best troops, their horses and weapons. They were screwed. The French thought they would be victorious in one month and after their victory over Mexico, Emperor Napoleon III was going to send his troops north across the border to support the Confederate Army, surely changing the outcome of the American Civil War. Luckily for us the war-weary and broke Mexican Army rallied and ultimately triumphed over the foreign invaders by calling on the peons to fight with machetes and pikes.

The Mexican victory took place on May 5 and that’s how the Union side won the American Civil War and why Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo..  

[Muzak] Many grocery stores play music with a rhythm that’s much slower than the average heartbeat, which makes you spend more time in the store–and buy 29%more. Disco music is equal to the average heartbeat.

[Shooting Iguanas] The law regarding using an air rifle to exterminate iguanas in the Keys? FWC calls them a nuisance reptile like the big snakes in the Glades. They are kill-on-sight like lionfish. Of course you’re supposed to do it humanely. If the critter is in your yard, you’re allowed to shoot them. I use a Crossman pellet gun with iron sights.

Just like any other time your fire a weapon, you’re responsible for where the pellet lands.

Hi there and Happy Wednesday from Springers Bar and Grill. There’s a chill in the air and we have just the thing to warm those bones. How about a bowl of our conch chowder, lobster bisque or beef chili and why not put it in a warm bread bowl for a nice hearty meal. Just the thing for a cold winters day in the keys. So come on in and warm up with us.

Speaking of cold weather did you know, The NFL has a policy against holding Super Bowl games in stadiums that have a climate of less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit, unless it is an enclosed stadium. Guess they overlooked that policy this year since the game is at MetLife stadium in East Rutherford NJ with an estimated temperature at game time in the upper 20’s to mid 30’s. Come join us on Superbowl Sunday, you can watch the cold game on one of our 14 televisions, sitting in one of our comfy bar stools, at just the right temperature. 

[Spelling Lesson] Well I guess that brings a whole new meaning to being “rear-ended”. 

[MusicBee] A much more superior music player than iTunes with custom skins, numerous visuals, smart gain and tons of other features, plus it doesn’t install numerous other difficult-to-remove-take-over-your-machine type crap like iTunes does. Windows only.

It’s a great iTunes or WinAmp alternative. Free. This is a real winner folks, recommend using the download mirrors, it’s very hot! Link

[NOAA Fisheries Appointment] Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, acting NOAA administrator, appointed Eileen Sobeck as assistant administrator for NOAA Fisheries.

She assumes her new position on January 27 taking the helm from Samuel Rauch, who has served as acting assistant administrator since 2012. Rauch will return to his previous position as deputy assistant administrator for Regulatory Programs.

As assistant administrator, Sobeck will oversee the management and conservation of recreational and commercial fisheries, and the protection of marine mammals, marine protected species, and coastal fisheries habitat within the U.S. exclusive economic zone. NOAA Fisheries employs 4,800 people in five regional offices, six science centers, and 12 laboratories in 15 states and U.S. territories. (Ed: Hey, where’s the picture?)

ABATE Chili Cook Off this Sunday at Coconuts! Video

[Endangered] Thousands of acres are designated as critical habitat for endangered Keys plant Cape Sable Thoroughwort. Link 

[Keys Cruiser?] Alternative to grinder pumps. The Keysey thing to do. Or you can rent out your outhouse to a tourist.

Sure, pot smokers drink alcohol, but in my case it’s much more moderate amounts. A toke and a glass of wine is enough, more than that puts most people to sleep early. Too much alcohol combined with the pot can make you queasy. In my many years of weed I have yet to see it make anyone violent.

[Captain Doom and Gloom] I tried to trade in my old lady for a case of beer, but no one would go for it. The Keys suck!

I miss the bad old days when our Deer Ed published national political comments from both sides of the isle. It always fascinated me that those from the left more often than not did not try to convince the readers of the value of their leftist beliefs, but rather routinely simply bitched that those on the right should be silenced. Now we see yet another example of that mindset from a national leftist politico.

Democrat New York Governor Mario Coumo very recently was interviewed on a radio show. In that interview he actually said that Conservative Republicans should leave New York.  He stated that if they have beliefs that are contrary to his on abortion, gun rights, etc…etc…etc. “if that’s who they are, they have no place in the state of New York because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

As a conservative Republican, I scorn that approach which seems to be so popular in Democrat ideology.  People of all political beliefs have a right to their views and a right to express them.

Once again, I urge every reader who holds political views contrary to mine or who disagrees with my postings, to e mail me with your point of view. If your posting is lucid, non-confrontational, and interesting, I’ll post it. Be aware that I might edit it for size or paraphrase it, but your base points will be posted. Just do it.

Part 2) The best way to ensure that you and yours will not be impoverished is to be part of a family that is based on marriage. Unwed childbearing has risen from 6.3 percent of all births in 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty, to more than 40 percent today. Single-parent families with children are six times more likely to be poor than are married couples with kids. Put differently, marriage lowers the probability of child poverty by 82 percent. In minority communities, the collapse of marriage has become especially acute. More than half of Hispanic children are born to single mothers, as are seven out of 10 black children. 7 out of 10, that’s astonishing and a terrible blight on the Americans of African heritage community. Among Hispanics, families headed by unmarried parents are three times more likely to be poor. For blacks, these families are five times more likely to be poor. Tragedy, a pure and horrible tragedy that has been visited on those communities by liberal politicos. A growing menace to our society is the trend to “multi-partner fertility” an antiseptic term to describe the relational mess of single women having children by more than one man.

The importance of marriage, while having religious, cultural, and moral implications, is that that marriage is the single strongest bond that holds our society together. It has always been so.

Policymakers should reduce anti-marriage penalties in welfare programs. Welfare offices and federally funded birth control clinics should provide facts about the value of marriage in fighting poverty.

And, in low-income neighborhoods and schools with a high proportion of at-risk youth, public education campaigns should teach the benefits of marriage and the perils of child bearing out of wedlock.

If we’re asking fathers not to walk away from their children, Americans must not walk away from the difficult task of restoring a culture of marriage.

Forget religion, morality, and cultural history, and simply realize that a society based on marriage makes good sense.

Please send me your comments at 1776ftr@gmail.com