For several years now a growing body of suspicious folks has been investigating rumors of a fix in the gold market. They have accused bullion banks – firms that facilitate the lending of gold and silver – of colluding with central banks and governments to jimmy the gold market.

But nobody could find the smoking gun.

Then last December James Turk, editor of the Freemarket Gold & Money Report (Box 5002, N. Conway, NH 03860, http://www.fgmr.com/) found the gun, and it was still smoking. This came in the form of proof that the US Treasury’s secretive Exchange Stabilization Fund (ESF) was intervening in the gold market.

THE MEANS

The Roosevelt regime created the ESF as a presidential slush fund (without any congressional oversight or control) to monkey in the currency and gold markets to manipulate the value of the US dollar and gold – and silver.

So where was the surprise? A string of high level Treasury officials and Federal Reserve officials, including Treasury Secretary Larry Summers (through intermediaries) and Fed chairman Alan Greenspan, had been denying that the government and the ESF had been acting in the gold market recently. But James Turk established that the amount of gold in the US Reserve assets had been changing, and that the changes resulted from ESF games in the gold market since 1996.

THE MOTIVE

But where’s the motive for the crime? Money. Bullion banks were lending gold – borrowed gold — at a 1.5% interest rate. The gold was coming from central banks eager to put a “non-performing asset” to work, at any price. Hedge funds and others were borrowing the gold, selling it into the market, and investing the funds in safe US Treasury bills, pocketing a neat 5% gain with no risk.

Except the risk that gold’s price would rise. If that happened, well-connected bullion banks and other “players” would have been forced to repay borrowed gold that didn’t exist, or be ruined.

THE OPPORTUNITY

In April James Turk turned up yet more smoking guns.

The Federal Reserve Open Market Committee tapes its minutes, transcribes them, and releases them five years later. However, they only release them after they have heavily edited anything they want to conceal from the public. Apparently James Turk found one place they missed. In a 1995 meeting the chief legal advisor to the Federal Reserve, Virgil Mattingly, opined that the ESP statute was so broad that “it has covered things like the gold swaps.”

What gold swaps? James Turk asked himself. Obviously, the gold swaps which the ESF had already been making in the market.

The trail didn’t stop there. Then Jim put that bureaucratic slip-up together with the new audit of West Point gold storage taken when the US Mint got a new director. Bureaucrats tend to be very cautious about a change of management. They don’t want to get stuck with responsibility for something that doesn’t exist.
The August 2000 Status Report on US Treasury Owned Gold stored at West Point is designated “Gold Bullion Reserve”. But in the September 2000 status report and later ones, without any explanation this same gold stored at the US mint in West Point is designated “Custodial Gold.”

James Turk theorizes this happened because the US Treasury wanted to loan gold to bullion banks. To keep the banks from defaulting on their gold loans, they had to find gold somewhere. Treasury (and the bullion banks) also needed to keep the gold price low enough that the likelihood of the banks defaulting would be lessened. James suspects the US Treasury swapped this gold with the German Bundesbank – they couldn’t throw all their own gold onto the market because it was coin melt, 90% pure bars that would raise too many eyebrows. Nor could Treasury act itself without raising too much attention, so it had to use a cat’s paw: the ESF. Since the banks needed gold to deliver in Europe, the Treasury through the ESF just swapped the gold to the Germans. German gold in Bundesbank vaults becomes ESF gold for delivery in Europe, while US gold in West Point was titled over to the Bundesbank.

James Turk writes, “Case closed. They mystery of the abnormally low gold price is solved. The ESF did it.”

What does this mean for us? That these criminal manipulations by rogue bureaucrats and criminal insiders from the bullion banks have created deep, deep imbalances in the gold market, suppressing the gold price far below its true market rate. One day they will lose control, as manipulators always do, and that day gold will blast them all aside.

For that ride we have to buy our tickets now.

F. Sanders

There is a sense of world weary cynicism that envelopes the news coming out of Knoxville . We have been here before, a demented angry individual creates havoc and tragedy in a small corner of the United States , and we all go through a form of Kabuki theater.

The second Amendment types will roll out the argument that this proves even more people need to have guns. Never mind that statically speaking the only people not packing in the US are toddlers and newborns. There is almost one gun for every person living in the USA . Again, statistically speaking there is one firearm for every adult in America . There are roughly 200,000,000 million firearms in circulation for over 300,000,000 citizens. With only roughly a quarter of the population being gun owners, most of them own multiple fire arms. Seventy Five percent of gun owners own one or more firearms. Firearms are just like Lay’s potato chips you can’t seem to have just one. The issue is not owning the weapons, it is the owners themselves. The NRA types have never given a rational plan for preventing firearms getting into the hands of bad actors. They continue to post the idea that individual citizens go back to the glory days of Deadwood and Tombstone were all adults were running around with six-shooters. They seem to forget that Federal Authority had to step in to those towns and reestablish law and order.

The central myth here is of privatization. It is assumed that individual private citizens can best provide their own protection. It has been tried; the idea has always degenerated into the lynch mob and rampant lawlessness. We have police forces because collective security has always ended up being the better way to go. Unfortunately that means submitting to the bug-bear of the conservative movement- Government. Conservatives hate Government; they hate the commons. Most of all they hate the idea of “We”; as in We the people. They support them selves and no one else. Cut though the rhetoric and what you here at its core is “Me.”

This is not to say that individual do not have a fundamental right to protect themselves and their loved ones. It is to say that such protection is best done as a shared responsibility. It is to say a community has the right to set standards of gun ownership. At the very least a community has the right to bar firearms ownership to mentally unstable individuals and others who present a clear and present danger to that community.

Unfortunately we as a culture are stuck in a John Wayne movie. We are still carrying the myth of the cowboy in our collective head. We forget that in the old west most shootings were done by ambush. Most cowboys got shot in the back or otherwise surprised. The shoot out at the O.K. Corral was atypical, Wild Bill Hickok’s end was a much more normal occurrence. The Old West gun culture ultimately failed because allowing each man to be a law unto himself did not work. It is passing strange that we have failed to learn that particular piece of history. But then we do seem to prefer myth to reality; we voted for Ronald Regan- Twice.

Except for using terms such as “armor piercing bullets” and “assault rifles” he gets it right.

I don’t think the Democratic nominee would have felt at home with this crowd. I heard several references to Comrade Obama, and saw one button (which I coveted) that said, “I am a BITTER gun-owner.” They seemed to me an affable, friendly and very courteous bunch (well, you would be, wouldn’t you?). I don’t think you could mix with the show’s visitors for more than five minutes without thinking it was nonsense to attribute their interest in guns to bitterness or disappointment or some form of social pathology. But of course there is a political dimension. Aside from other motivations–sport, self-defence–the gun-show universe is about pride, self-reliance, and resentment at being bossed around. Distinctively American traits, wouldn’t you say? Best in moderation, no doubt–but still, where would the country be without those attitudes? I may get thrown out of Georgetown for this, but I say, good for them.

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A Federal Grand Jury has recently indicted thirty-nine people charged with serious and violent gun crime in Shelby County, ensuring these individuals will face tough federal sanctions rather than weaker state gun laws. The indictments are part of the Memphis/Shelby County Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Initiative, a strategy of Operation Safe Community.

PSN is a collaborative effort between the United States Attorney’s Office, the Shelby County District Attorney General’s Office, the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive, and the U.S. Marshal’s Service.

Since February 11, 2000, members of the PSN Task Force have met weekly to review every arrest involving a firearm that occurs in Shelby County. These cases are presented each week to federal and state court prosecutors. Through this unit, 11,500 arrests have been reviewed resulting in over 1,000 indictments in federal court and over 400 guilty pleas in state court to “above-range” offers to avoid the higher federal penalties for firearms related offenses.

This approach ensures that whenever possible defendants with the most serious criminal history and those who pose a danger to the community are subjects to the higher federal penalties for gun crime, while other individuals charged with illegal gun possession are given the opportunity to enter a guilty plea in state court.

For More Information Contact: Leigh Anne Jordan (901) 544-4231

Click here to learn more about Fast Forward news and progress.

Director:
Jeff Nichols

As children, we are urged to deflect insults by recalling the tried-and-true rhyme, “sticks and stones may break our bones but names will never hurt me.” However, even if we repeat that phrase until we’re blue in the face, the secret that no one ever wants to admit is that names do hurt. And still reeling from the pain, it makes us recall another childhood morality lesson, specifically that “actions speak louder than words.” In fact, it’s what we do with those actions — whether it’s as simple as turning around and walking away or striking a blow — wherein we not only reveal our true character but sometimes, whether fair or not, chart the course our lives will take.

In Shotgun Stories, writer/director Jeff Nichols’ startling and deceptively quiet filmmaking debut about a bitter feud between two families, insults and violence coincide. And more than just creating an instant visceral viewer response to the film and its inhabitants, the bleak foreshadowing and bursts of hatred makes one think just as much about what we’re not being presented onscreen. Particularly we find ourselves dwelling upon what isn’t being said or done and what may or may not have happened in the past to the wounded, struggling young men depicted throughout the film. It’s only when you realize you’re that invested in a film that your mind begins to race to understand each nuance as if somehow you can reach inside the screen to intervene or mediate that you realize you’re in the hands of a masterful storyteller.

Produced by George Washington and All the Real Girls director David Gordon Green, Nichols’ award-winning festival favorite has garnered unprecedented word-of-mouth support from such notable critics as its greatest champion, Roger Ebert. It’s been frequently compared to a modern day Greek tragedy, a Shakespearean epic, biblical morality play, as well as a new spin on the legendary feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys. While every one of those parallels that have been drawn are indeed correct, one realizes more than anything and only within a few moments of Shotgun Stories, that this story is so effective because it’s painted using many of the same brushstrokes as numerous other Southern Gothic morality plays, where the sparsely populated canvas is filled with wide open spaces and the dialogue is lean, muscular and only employed when absolutely necessary.

Not to mention there’s something about Nichols’ work that feels as though it could only happen in the United States as the sense that an American tragedy looms heavily as soon as we witness our main character, Son Hayes (Michael Shannon), a fish farm employee with a weakness for gambling, change his shirt to reveal that the overly scarred skin on his back resembles a bullet strewn battlefield. Additionally, upon discovering that the formerly abusive, drunk father who’d abandoned him and his two brothers had passed away, we realize that the father took the American opportunity of a second chance to become a born-again Christian, quit the bottle, and start a whole new family with four sons he’s doted on who live nearby in far better condition than Son’s discarded brood.

While the bitter mother who raised them refuses to go to the funeral, Son and his other apathetically named brothers, the loyal, sweet natured Boy (Douglas Ligon) who coaches children’s basketball and lives in a van overlooking the river, and the youngest brother Kid (Barlow Jacobs) make an appearance wherein, fueled by so many years of resentment and anger, Son curses his biological father and spits on his grave. In this volatile combination of insult and action, a war is declared by the four newest Hayes boys who consider Son, Boy, and Kid to be “a pack of dogs” without manners and they’re all too eager to get revenge.

What begins as a series of hard stares, dangerous pranks, and macho confrontations soon escalates into inevitable violence and although we’re prepared for it early on, it still comes as a shock when the boys start trying to one-up each other with an eye for an eye. Interestingly playing off that biblical warning that soon everyone will be blind, Nichols introduces us to a Shakespearean clown-like character named Shampoo (G. Alan Wilkins). He initially seems to be a laughable slacker but gradually grows into first an observer of the increasing rivalry but also an outside agitator as he not only eggs them on by reporting gossip overheard from the new brothers to the old ones but also in a climactic moment teaches one angry brother how to prepare a shotgun.

Still, admirably, much like the dialogue that is only offered when it’s crucial, the director isn’t one to revel in violence or go overboard in too much symbolism, which is quite a feat for a new filmmaker and especially one who’s following in the footsteps of such a rich historical tradition of classical tales of familial revenge. In the end it’s another one of those excellent, underrated independent films that may otherwise go unnoticed if it weren’t for its tremendous success earning awards and nominations from festivals across the country.

Impressively, Shotgun Stories feels far more naturalistic and real than most Hollywood films which deal with revenge-based violence and benefits from not only stellar acting especially by scene stealer Ligon in a heartbreaking role but also for its crisp cinematography which is punctuated by a nice, subtle score that becomes all the more apparent on repeat viewings, especially considering that the DVD offers an option to watch Shotgun Stories with a music only track from the band Lucero and composer, musician Ben Nichols. Featuring a photo gallery as well as trailers and an insightful audio commentary from writer/director Jeff Nichols, Shotgun Stories is one sleeper you won’t want to miss and one that — much like the effects of a shot — will probably continue to ricochet as more viewers discover this hidden work I highly recommend.

Since the shooting at Tennessee Valley UU Church, I’ve been waiting for the obvious response from Gunnitistan: That the answer is to allow concealed carry in churches. The first on my radar screen, via this week’s Carnival, is Conservative Culture.

Let’s acknowledge a few obvious points. First, great caution should be exercised in drawing public policy conclusions from any data set in which n=1. Second, Conservative Culture isn’t exactly the brightest star in the Rightysphere constellation. Using this post as foil is little better than constructing a straw man. Apologies in advance.

Third (and less obvious) massacre prevention shouldn’t be our primary focus in gun policy. Massacres inflict a horrible psychic toll and make big splashy news, but they amount to less than a rounding error in the overall homicide rate. If we find that Policy Change X would prevent some massacres but increase the overall homicide/assault rate, then on balance X is not good policy.

Much of ConCult’s post is directed at criticizing the “liberal thinking” at the UU Church. Thanks for that. Probably some conservative comment on the tragedy hasn’t included some sort of criticism of the politics and/or theology of the church, but I have yet to find it. The shooting seems to have inspired a small ebb in “Kill the Libruls” rhetoric since some guy decided to actually do that, so we have that going for us. Which is nice.

And by the way, the criticism is a bit off the mark. Ethical pacifism is not an integral part of UU theology (you are closer to that in Quaker and Mennonite churches, though even there CC’s depiction is probably a bit off).

In our church few if any people would say that the man shooting at them should be spared if someone has the shot. Where we differ is the level of glee. We would find the death of one more person a tragedy, if a necessary one that on balance saved lives. We wouldn’t be all “He’s dead — Yay!” Personally I’m glad he’s still alive, if for no other reason than his plan was to commit suicide by cop and it’s a Good Thing that any plans of this hateful bastard were thwarted.

Anyway, on to the gun issue. Experience with massacres shows that guns at the scene of a massacre may lower the death toll, but won’t prevent massacres. Massacre assailants have almost invariably intended to die in the assault, rendering deterence meaningless. They also start blasting before anyone knows what is happening, meaning that people will likely die before anyone can return fire. Looking at the Colorado Springs massacre (n=2), the assailant managed to kill two people despite the fact that the church had an armed security guard on duty.

On the other hand, the Tennessee shooting illustrates the value of restricting assault weapons. While most assailants use multiple semi-automatic weapons with high-capacity magazine, Jim Adkisson used a shotgun that he had to reload after three shots. That’s when the congregants had a chance to tackle him and prevent further carnage.

I’ll concede that guns among congregants might make people safer, so long as those congregants are well-trained and fairly balanced. For personal reasons, that’s not the choice I’d make for my church, but I see the argument.

Unfortunately Gunnutistan insists that regulating high-powered assault weapons and banning high-capacity mags is a half step from throwing us all in irons. Twenty round magazines are necessary for nothing but killing large numbers of humans at a time. Yet the gun lobby fights every common sense gun restriction, arguing that the only possible solution to the problems posed by guns is more guns.

Pray for us.

team.airSOCOM.com took a poll of all of its members to find out what airsoft gun types are the most popular to use on the battlefield. And now for the conclusion of our list of the top 10 airsoft gun types..

5. XM8 Airsoft Gun

The XM8 was developed by the US Military from the late 1990’s to the early 200’s as a lightweight assault rifle.  Based around the 5.56mm NATO round used in the M16, the XM8 has gone through countless revisions and its deployment into the various branches of the US Military seem troubled. The XM8 gained massive popularity in the airsoft world after it was featured in the blockbuster video game Ghost Recon, and has become a pretty common airsoft gun on any field.

Example:

SRC/TSD Tactical Gen II AEG Airsoft Gun:The SRC version of the XM8 features an Ultra-Torque Motor, M1100 Spring and Ported Piston Head as well as a built in scope and retractable stock.  This popular airsoft gun shoots at over 350 FPS, and is sure to smoke the competition.

4. G36 Airsoft Gun

The H&K G36 is a 5.56mm assault rifle that was developed in the early 1990’s in Germany. The G36 has a huge number of variants, including a light machine gun version MG36, and the G36C (compact), making it one of the most versatile assault rifles in the world.   Since its development that G36 as become a movie and video game main stay, being featured in such block busters as Iron Man and video games like Call of Duty 4, Battlefield Bad Company, Army of Two and many many more.  With its innovative design and built in tactical rails, the G36 makes a great airsoft gun, the most popular variant being the G36C.

Example:

Jing Gon G608 (G36C) AEG Airsoft Gun: The durable composite body, metal gears / gearbox, and adjustable hop up make the JG G36C a very popular airsoft gun for beginners.

3. MP5 Airsoft Gun

If you have ever seen a SWAT team on TV or in a movie, you have seen the MP5! Originally developed in Germany in the mid 1960s, the MP5 uses a 9mm round and boasts a high rate of fire.  The MP5 is used by various special operations units, both police and military, because its ease of use in close quarters battles as well as room clearings.  The MP5 version of airsoft guns are widely popular for the same reasons their real world counterparts are, and many players feel that its compact size and high rate of fire give them an edge in various types of games.  The MP5 has been featured in more video games and movies that is really worth listing on this blog.

Example:

ICS-14 MP5 Airsoft Gun: When it comes to airsoft guns, you get what you pay for (for the most part that is). ICS features a split gear box that makes trouble shooting your airsoft gun on the fly much easier than other weapons.  Furthermore, the ICS-14 features a metal gearbox, steel gears and silicon steel bushings and shoots at 320 FPS.

2. AK47

The AK47 is world’s most popular assault rifle!   The AK47 is a 7.62 mm assault rifle that was developed in 1947 by Soviet tank mechanic Mikhail Kalashnikov.  Since its development the AK47 has become the most produced firearm in history, and has played a critical role in every conflict since the 1950s.  Featured in thousands of movies, news stories and video games, the AK47 has become synonymous with revolution, violence and warfare and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.  The fact that the AK47 has become such an icon of war its not too hard to understand why it is a very popular airsoft rifle, and with almost every airsoft manufacturer in the world producing them, its easy to find a model that fits what you are looking for.

Example:

Echo 1 Vector Arms VGM-74 Airsoft Gun: Echo 1 makes durable, long lasting, hard hitting airsoft guns, and their VGM-74 is no exception. With its metal gearbox, upgraded M120 spring and FPS of 400, the Echo 1 Vector Arms VGM-74 is a great airsoft gun.

1. M16 (M16A1, M16A2, M4 Carbine)

The mainstay of the US Military since the 1960’s, the M16 is either loved or loathed.  Originally developed by Eugine Stoner, the M16 service rifle shoots a 5.56mm NATO round and has been continually upgraded throughout the years.  Currently the M4 Carbine, with its shorter barrel length, tactical rails and retractable stock, is the go to weapon for the US Army, and is currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Since the M16 has been the standard service weapon of the US Military for so long, the airsoft version of it is extremely popular. If you are looking for the most popular, M4 Carbine airsoft guns are by far the weapons for you.

Example:

SRC/TSD Sports Competition M4 AEG: Many times airsoft players overlook the SRC M4, but for the money, it is one of the best M4s on the market.  With its reinforced gears, durable steel internals and FPS of 350, the SRC is an awesome airsoft gun!

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Well, looks like that baby trapped him gurl. Jamie Lynn Spears and baby daddy Casey Aldridge are set to be married ya’ll,

She loves everything about the area where she lives. She’s not going to get married at some luxury resort in the Caribbean or a hotel in Beverly Hills,” a friend of the bride-to-be tells OK!. “Her own backyard with just the people who matter most is more Jamie Lynn’s style.” And with the wedding approaching quickly, Jamie Lynn is planning to look her best on the big day. “She’s already down to her pre-pregnancy weight,” says the friend. “She has the cutest figure!”

How quaint, a backyard wedding with, get this, Britney as maid of dishonor. I can hardly wait! I wonder if they’ll be wearing shoes?

Fast forwards 5 years 1 year 1 month…she’ll be fat and bitter, he’ll be drinking a 12 pack of Bud and porking a prossie…happily together after, Mississippi style.

OK!

(We are pleased to post the following alert from the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence).

ICHV Insights

July 31, 2008

Dan Gross is a co-founder of PAX, an organization that has become the largest non-lobbying organization dedicated to the gun violence issue. One of the organization’s programs, the national ASK Campaign (ASK stands for Asking Saves Kids), raises awareness among parents about the importance of asking whether there are guns in places where their kids play.

Like many people who work to raise awareness on gun issues, Gross was deeply affected by a single unforgettable incident.

In 1997, his brother was shot in the head and critically injured on the observation deck of the Empire State Building. He was in a coma for a while, but survived, and has faced significant challenges in living independently ever since. Gross’ brother was in a well-known band at the time, the Bushpilots, and one of his bandmates – who was his very close friend — was killed in the shooting. The gunman later killed himself on the spot.

Tragedy Inspires Positive Action

“The shooting changed a lot of our lives forever,” said Gross.

The story made the front page of The New York Times. Right after the shooting, Gross knew he wanted to do something. “When my brother was in the hospital I went to Washington, D.C. and had the chance to meet the president,” he said. “People were talking about what to do on the gun issue, but I knew that I didn’t want to change my life to be a flash-in-the-pan based on this tragedy. I wanted my response to be thoughtful as well as emotional. Soon, I realized the magnitude of this issue – and learned that what happened was not unique to my experience.”

At the time, Gross worked in advertising as a partner with J. Walter Thompson. He decided to quit his job and use his background and passion for marketing, media and communications for this cause. “It was a big decision for me,” he said.

Gross’ brother attended the launch of the organization, which was held on the one-year anniversary of the shooting.

When PAX was formed, the organization took a purely public health and safety approach to the gun issue. It doesn’t get involved in political advocacy, laws getting passed, or court decisions regarding the second amendment. “We view gun violence as an urgent issue of public safety – an issue that we are all in a position to do something about,” said Gross. “What we set out to do is create the changes in attitude and behaviors that can make a difference.”

National ASK Day

One way the organization does that is through National ASK Day. Through this education and awareness program, more than 50 partner organizations and individuals across the country joined PAX this year in urging parents to ask if there are guns in homes where their children play.

The program is part of the ASK Campaign, which PAX created with the American Academy of Pediatrics. National ASK Day has been held for the last eight years, and typically kicks off summer vacation, a time of year when kids are more likely to play in other homes.

Studies have shown that 40 percent of all homes in this country have guns; many are left unlocked and loaded. Gross said that “When we told parents that, we heard back things like ‘That’s means there’s a 40 percent chance of kids playing in homes where there are guns? And I’m asking other questions?’”

“Once you tell parents some of these facts, they say “I am going to start asking questions,” he added. “One of the things we have learned is that there is no other side to just asking if there are guns in the home. Everyone can do it.”

Gross said the organization has seen changes, through its work and the work of others. “We may not solve the whole issue every day, but we are providing people with genuine things they can do to make a difference based on things they care about,” he said.

Making change measurable is a big part of what the organization does, according to Gross. National polling has shown that 19 million parents have asked about guns in the home. The numbers also show that fewer children and teens are dying from guns in this country.

Meanwhile, PAX runs another program, Speak Up!, the first and only national toll-free hotline dedicated to giving students a way to report weapons threats anonymously. Twenty-five thousand young people have called to “speak up” through the program.

The link between these programs is that PAX is working to empower targeted groups of people to do something about improving safety – while creating shifts in social and cultural norms.

A lot of people in our country are disheartened about the gun issue, but there is still tremendous reason for hope, according to Gross. “People have been taking the fact that kids are dying and doing something about it,” he said. “It’s not because we are master communicators – but because this issue resonates with people. Together, we are saving lives – and have an opportunity to save many more.”

Thank you for your support and dedication to reducing gun violence.

I know, I know. Every red-blooded American boy thinks he was born with a God-given ability to humble John Wayne and make 500-yard headshots on gophers. Well folks, I’ve been shooting for some time now and while I hate to break the news, it just ain’t so. Yes, even I have missed once or twice.

Most of the people I know here in Montana, even the “rugged outdoorsmen” have a box or two of shells in their sock drawer. Once a year before hunting season, they go out and fire a few shots off the bench to check their zero. Then off they go to sling lead in the general direction of game animals.

The Appleseed teaches you (painfully, in my case) to get your butt off that shooting bench and learn to be stable, steady and accurate while shooting from real-live field positions. Part of the trick is the lost art of sling shooting. It is an amazing, lightweight marksmanship tool that’s already right there on your rifle, ready to go.

I will be attending my third Appleseed in September. Even old dogs CAN learn new tricks at an Appleseed. Woof, woof. Since kids can shoot free, I’m working with the local American Legion shooting sports program and our church Youth Group to get some teen-agers to go one Saturday and learn real rifle marksmanship.

You don’t have to have an M1/FAL/M1A, AR, whatever and a crate full of expensive center-fire rounds. You can use the trusty dusty old .22 Rimfire. It works better with a sling and peep sights, but the basic fundmentals work for ANY rifle.

It’s not a competition. Nobody will laugh at you if you’re ot already an Alvin York. There’s no such thing as a dumb question. Everybody is there to learn something. I can’t reccomend this program highly enough.

To learn about Appleseeds in your area, check with Fred at
http://www.appleseedinfo.org/smf/

Washington (dbTechno) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came ou t Wednesday and reported that they have found the smoking gun responsible for the nationwide salmonella outbreak at a farm in Mexico.

Federal officials made it clear Wednesday that they have managed to find what they believe is the root of the food-borne illness.

They found that a Serrano pepper farm in Nuevo Leon, Mexico is the likely culprit for the start of the outbreak.

FDA chief of food safety Dr. David Acheson stated to a House subcommittee “We have a positive sample in water used for irrigation and Serrano peppers from the same farm that have matched the outbreak strain.”

This comes as federal officials continue to warn consumers to avoid eating jalapeno and Serrano peppers from Mexico.

According to the CDC, the Saintpaul strain of the Salmonella virus has managed to sicken over 1,300 people to date, sending hundreds to the hospital, and killing 2.

Federal health officials are now confident though that they have their smoking gun, and can now focus on what to do next.

My sons have been hunting with me for years. #2 starts this year on his own as an adult with 6 Youth seasons under his belt. #3 son is 10, and is finally deciding he’s ready.

I made some simple rules above and beyond what KY law requires:

1) My sons had to have passed Hunter Ed before they could hunt. #2 did it when he was 10. #3 passed his at 8. That gave them something to work for, and it made sure they understood what they were doing.

2) No Yute rifles. My kids are big for their ages. #2 went three seasons with a regular Marlin 336 in 30-30 and then switched to a M1 Garand. #3 is starting with the Marlin 336 this year.

4) In order to hunt, you have to be able to hit a pie plate 3 times offhand at 50 yards. With #3, that was his big stumbling block, but he’s conquered it now. #2 on the other hand shot as well as I could with the Marlin 336 from the get-go.

Here are some things we tried along the way.

SKS– 7.62X39 with a 125 grain soft point is plenty for deer at short ranges. It’s a semi-auto, so the recoil is diminished. The stocks are short.

Mosin Nagant M44 — I reload in 7.62X54R, so cooking up a 30-30 ish load was no problem.

20 GA Rem 1100 — Semi-auto tames recoil.

Mini-14 in .223 Rem: Both the SKS and the Mini-14 ended being good transition weapons for the kids. Neither rifle has actually been out on a deer hunt, but the kids used them a lot, building up good safety habits and good marksmanship.

Some people don’t like the idea of a giving a semi-auto deer rifle to a kid. However, In KY the adult has to be able to take control of the rifle at all times anyway. I looked at how much time both kids had spent with the Ruger 10/22 and decided semi- operation was not a big deal. All of us only hunt with only three rounds anyway. Working with a semi in a controlled environment got both my sons very aware of the state of their rifle. Levers and bolts ended up being simple.

#2 son could not wait to hunt after he saw me bag a buck on his first time out with me at age 9. I would have taken him sooner, but I was having trouble with the Ex. #3 was sort of the same way. He started coming out with me at age 4, and got his Hunter Ed out of the way by 8. Then it came time actually do it, and he balked. He was happy just to accompany me to the stand and watch for two more seasons. However, the bug finally hit him this spring, getting ready for turkey season, and he’s been begging to shoot the 30-30 at every opportunity.

Some other thoughts:

1) Although our family has eschewed Yute rifles, we are big on Yute loads. In fact, I use H4895 in all my deer loads and load well under the max. As a result, my kids were shooting 30-06 as early as 10 and loving it.

2) Try to find a venue that keeps the shots short. Kids get worked up on their first few deer, and a lot of things can go out the window in a hurry.

3) Shooting offhand was a confidence builder for my sons, but not a requirement for the actual hunt. Make sure they’re shooting off a sturdy rest the first time they shoot a deer.

In which the TNoftheAWSPWTBIM moves from our “hooved animals in police custody” theme to our “teens misbehaving” theme.*

Conference or no conference, I could not stand to skip this week’s Thursday News of the Absurd Will Someone Please Write This Book Inspirational Moment (TNoftheAWSPWTBIM).

Sometimes, I have to search high and wide for odd news that’s appropriate. Sometimes, the news inspires a question in me that is unrelated to the actual story (like Tank on the Lam). This week the story jumped up and hit me in the head from the headline alone:

From Reuters:

Teen Girl’s Bank Robbing Days Over

Apparently, French police arrested a 16 year-old girl who “played a crucial role in six previous bank robberies since the beginning of July, threatening staff with a gun to force them to open security doors to let in two or three masked accomplices.”

Wow. Will someone please write me this book? Not the story of how a 16 year-old girl falls in with a crowd of bank robbers. Meh. Too serious. I want a first person girl-led adventure story in the voice of a French Annie Oakley. I want dopey co-robbers and men who don’t think she can best them until she shoots their berets** off. And I want a satisfying reason she lets herself get caught in the end (because they’d never catch her if she didn’t let them).

And after you write it, I want a cut of the movie rights. But I can’t think who could play Brigitte. Hmm…***

* Just think of the poor souls who are going to google “teens misbehaving” and end up here. Serves them right. Heh heh.
** Yes, I am aware that not everyone in France wears berets. But I like the image.
*** …much fight urge to spend all the time allotted for revising today playing around on internet casting movie of book nobody has written…

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6.11562299728

Looks like a standard Lewis Gun, doesn’t it? But it is really a camera designed to train aerial and anti-aircraft gunners without having them shoot dangerous live ammo. I found it on a website for a camera shop. Check it out! There’s more machine gun cameras there, and they even loaded some film up to see how these bad boys take a picture. You know, I bet that kid shown in the pics had a blast.

You Wanna See a Big Gun
In August of 2003 when I went to Iraq, I saw some big guns and tanks that sounded like Helicopters.

Today I saw one of the bigger guns carried by a man here in Manila, Philippines in front of the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Shoot, I could have just went to the Philippines, a lot simpler… hehehe, but Iraq was a bigger thrill.
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Manila, Ermita Philippines
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Blog of Andy HoboTraveler.com — Add a Hotel — Backpack Design Survey
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A good guy allowed me to take his photo in front of the Pan Pacific Hotel here in Manila, Philippines.

I alwasy chuckle when I walk by the Hotel. The name of the private security company that works in front is called Shooters.

Funny, is my hotel or the Pan Pacific safer, I tend to believe big guns means there is a need. My cheaper hotel has a man that stays up all night, but no gun, as normal always safer to not live in a Five Star Hotel.

Pan Pacific Manila, a nice hotel, at least the front is cleaner than than most, the whole street resembles a construction zone with wash water running down it, this is the only beautiful stretch on the street.

The man on the right has a very large gun, as I understand it, about 1 in 3 soldiers were required to carry this size gun. I met these to American Soldiers in Mosul Iraq in the internet cafe in August of 2003.

This is the same gun, but set up read to use.

Three American Soldiers in Mosul, Iraq in August of 2003, notice their bulletproof vest. This is a hot place, no girls, no beer, not the same as WW II and landing in France with a lot of lonely French girls.

Thank boys, I appreciate you.

I guess, I did not need to go to Iraq, I could just go stay in a Five Star Hotel in Manila, Philippines to see a big gun.

You Wanna See a Big Gun

Blog

http://www.gizmag.com/medusa-microwave-crowd-control-raygun/9605/

MEDUSA: Microwave crowd-control raygun

As part of the U.S. Navy’s investigation into futuristic nonlethal weaponry, the Sierra Nevada Corporation is building a microwave energy pulse gun that can produce a painful screaming sound inside a person’s head from a long distance away. The inescapable sound, which is inaudible to untargeted bystanders, can be set to irritate, nauseate or even incapacitate people and animals that lie within range. Future applications may include crowd control, military use and even incapacitate people and animals that lie within range.

Future applications may include crowd control, military use and even shopping mall security, provided it proves safe from permanent side effects.

The science behind it also has the potential to give hearing to certain deaf people, or even projecting voices into peoples’ heads.

The Sierra Nevada corporation has signed a contract with the U.S. Navy to follow up on successful recent testing of a non-lethal crowd control weapon that uses microwaves to project high-intensity sounds in the heads of targets, according to New Scientist magazine.

The MEDUSA (Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio) system makes use of the well-established Microwave Auditory Effect, in which microwave stimulation causes parts of the ear around the cochlea to expand thermally, which is interpreted as sound by the brain. The effect is a sound that appears to originate in the target’s head, and can’t be heard by anyone not directly in the beam’s path.

This is not to be confused with Raytheon’s Active Denial System, another crowd control weapon in development which uses a similar directed energy beam to cause unbearable but non-damaging heat pain in the top few layers of a target’s skin.

Because MEDUSA’s sound doesn’t vibrate the eardrum itself, and thus the eardrum is not exposed to the damage potential that loud acoustic noise produces, traditional noise level limits don’t have to apply with the MEDUSA system. So it’s possible to dial in any level of sonic deterrent from mildly annoying up to physically and mentally incapacitating levels that the target has no way of blocking out of their head.

The MEDUSA system has the ability to be aimed at specific targets, multiple targets or even cover large areas with a broad beam, which will make it an effective security deterrent for the perimeters of protected areas. The same technology, on a smaller scale, could be used as an invisible sonic scarecrow to keep certain areas free from birds, as birds appear to respond to very low levels of microwave audio.

There are certain side effects - in 1961 testing of the first Microwave Auditory Effect system, Allen H. Frey noted dizziness, headaches and pins and needles in his subjects - and little is known about what further effects might occur when power levels are turned up to an incapacitating level. The potential for serious neural damage can’t be ignored when you’re effectively microwaving the inside of somebody’s head - and if it does turn out to be lethal, the research may continue down that path and the technology may end up being used as a microwave death ray.

Beyond being used to generate an annoying high-pitched scream, the Microwave Auditory Effect has shown itself to hold interesting peacetime possibilities if it can be proven safe. By modulating the projected frequency, Sharp and Grove showed in 1975 that it’s possible to “plant” voices, music and other sounds directly into the head.

Because the eardrum is not involved in the transmission of this sound, there have been hopes that patients with outer ear problems might be able to listen to music or voices through microwave transmission. On a more sinister note, it’s easy to see how one might abuse the ability to direct “voices” straight into a person’s head, as would appear to be feasible using the device described in this 2002 patent.

Still, the MEDUSA system is expected to be testable within one year and a mobile deployment unit built within another 18 months. And if it can be proven not to be harmful, it could be deployed within a few years in warzones, protest situations and shopping malls.
•••••••
IEEE Spectrum Online

Death Ray

The MEDUSA crowd control ray gun we reported on earlier this month sounded like some pretty amazing—and downright scary—technology. Using the microwave auditory effect, the beam, in theory, would have put sounds and voice-like noises in your head, thereby driving you away from the area. Crowd control via voices in your head. Sounds cool. However, it turns out that the beam would actually kill you before any of that happy stuff started taking place, most likely by frying or cooking your brain inside your skull. Can you imagine if this thing made it out into the field? Awkward!

“Any kind of exposure you could give to someone that wouldn’t burn them to a crisp would produce a sound too weak to have any effect,” said Kenneth Foster, a bioengineering professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Foster knows what he’s talking about, too. In 1974 he published the first research on the microwave auditory effect.

Fellow scientist and microwave research author Bill Guy agrees, citing some hard facts to support his conclusions:

Guy says that experiments have demonstrated that radiation at 40 microjoules per pulse per square centimeter produces sound at zero decibels, which is just barely in hearing range. To produce sound at 60 decibels, or the sound of normal conversation, requires 40 watts per square centimeter of radiation. “That would kill you pretty fast,” Guy says. Producing an unpleasant sound, at about 120 decibels, would take 40 million W/cm2 of energy. One milliwatt per square centimeter is considered to be the safety threshold.

Both scientists were in agreement about one other thing too: the MEDUSA just morphed from a crowd-control device into a monstrous weapon. We need more of those, right?

http://gizmodo.com/5029484/update-oops-the-medusa-mind-control-ray-gun-will-actually-kill-you

Posted by Alex Constantine