Biden, Grinning Like A Fool

Some on the right of U.S. politics were hoping for a massive and embarrassing meltdown on the part of Joe Gaffemister Biden. Perhaps they didn't get it but they did get a grin. Here's what some of the media had to say on this thing called Twitter (Politico via Drudge):

TIME’s Michael Scherer: “Not sure debate cameras have been light tested for Biden’s teeth. Best to watch with sunglasses.”

Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein: “Biden’s strategy seems to be to laugh at Ryan constantly. Will it work to infantalize Ryan, or backfire like Gore sighing?”

NBC’s David Gregory: “Biden’s smile is out of control.”

ABC’s Rick Klein: “Biden on verge of breaking down in laughter when Ryan talks.”

Former Eric Cantor staffer Brad Dayspring: “Joe Biden needs to realize this isn’t a Senate Foreign Relations Hearing. His laughter and condescending attitude is a disaster.”

Radio host Neal Boortz: “Looking like Biden’s gameplan is to laugh his way through this.”

Townhall.com’s Guy Benson: “Will Biden laugh his ass off at the terrible economy, too?”

I'm not biased! Obama went to my wedding!

MSNBC’s S.E. Cupp: “Biden needs to laugh a little less through the Libya, Middle East, nuclear Iran segment.”

Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza: “Ok. I have decided. I find the Biden smile slightly unsettling.”

PBS’ Jeff Greenfield: “Biden has always had a smile that at times is really, really inappropriate.”

For what it's worth, I thought Ryan came over pretty well. Young, positive, earnest. He didn't grin, grimace, interrupt and smirk his way through his elder rival's statements. Bidenrude did. 

Now. Whether either party is going to reverse our consumerist death-slide is another matter again, but it does seem that one group won't preside over the downfall with a grinning smirk.

Cheers,

LSP

Yoko, Paglia, Schori, Lee Enfield

The news is coming in fast and, well, furious. Texan school kids are getting in trouble for not carrying about microchip i.d. cards, the FAA tells us that the Land of the Free and the Brave will soon have 30,000, yes, 30,000 drones patrolling its airspace, Yoko Ono's awarded her fellow Illuminati, Lady GaGa, with a peace prize and famed Madonna fan and lesbyterian Camille Paglia has given up on Obama. 

Smile, Yoko.

Oh, and there's that rogue monkey "copping an attitude" somewhere in Florida, to say nothing of impending fiscal doom and another war in the Middle East.

Mistress Chronos Has Frowned On Camille

I'm worried about all these things and more, such as Jefferts Schori's potemkin diocese suing my diocese for all our buildings and assets. Who knows, if the courts go their way I'll be handily out of a parsonage, Lonestar or otherwise.

Boy Bishop Litigator

But in all of this, one question looms large. What to do with the 2nd Lee Enfield sporter. It's a No. 4 Mk.1 that was, I think, a bring-back from WWII and then sportered. The bore's good, it shoots well enough, though a little low -- just compensate, LSP -- and the furniture's O.K., typical post-war sporter. I think the forestock's a little shrunken, but usable.

I could leave it "as is" and keep it as a hi-power truck gun. I could get the barrel shortened an inch or two and re-crowned, put a synth stock on it and have a handy knock-about brush gun carbine. I could do the same but with wood instead of synth, and so on. The variation's are pretty endless.

So I'm open to advice; if you had a No. 4 sporter that needed fixing up, where would you take it, on a simple country parson's stipend?

Shoot straight,

LSP

Space Alien Bishop Held In Catholic Basement!

The Roman Catholic Church moved swiftly to protect itself from space alien attack when a prominent off-worlder, the Andrus, attempted to infiltrate the installation of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco on Thursday, October 4.

Busted!

After arriving at the cathedral, the Andrus, who refers to itself as "Bishop of the Diocese of California," was detained by security in the church's basement, preventing it from joining an entrance procession of religious leaders. 

Just goofing off

According to the Andrus' account of its experience in the basement, the alien confronted its guard saying, "I think I understand and think I should leave." The space creature then left the building in what some witnesses have called a "quiet rage."

Cordileone

On October 1, the Andrus attacked Cordileone and made an appeal for Roman Catholics to join its gay-friendly space community.

"I will not change my course with regard to the full inclusion of all people in the full life of the church. I hope that public disagreements can be handled respectfully and that criticisms of public statements may be met with mutual respect. Some Catholics may find themselves less at home with Salvatore Cordileone’s installation and they may come to The Episcopal Church. We should welcome them as our sisters and brothers."

It makes Yewkrist.

In contrast with the Andrus, Archbishop Cordileone defends the human point of view that marriage is between a man and a woman and claims that this is sanctioned by God.

Sunday attendance in the Episcopal Diocese of California declined by 15% from 2002-2009, its parent body, the Episcopal Church is currently losing 50,000 members a year.

Ad Astra!

LSP

Women Love Putin, Obama's Not So Hot

It's official, Russian presidential strongman, Vladimir Putin, is about to turn 60 and the women love him. According to the U.K's left-leaning The Independent newspaper, 1 in 5 Russian women want to marry the animal loving head of state. But not all of the former Communist country's women are smitten with their virile premier.

Female punk band Pussy Riot, who screamed out "Mother Mary, please drive Putin away!" in Moscow's Christ the Savior cathedral, are currently incarcerated for hooliganism driven by religious hatred. 

Former Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, is also in jail. Tymoshenko, who rose to political power through her leading role in the Ukraine's Orange Revolution, is married to a businessman. She has not expressed a desire to marry Putin, despite his statements that she is innocent.

U.S. President, Obama, was described in The Nation in 2008 as "so cool he's hot" has lost his sex-appeal following an empty suit performance during his Thursday debate against Republican rival Romney.

Unlike Putin, Obama shows no interest in guns and horses.

LSP

Piers Morgan, Illuminati Dupe Sycophant

I know everyone's talking about last night's debate and the way high altitude messed up the President's performance. But my mind strays to Piers Morgan. In his own words:

"Wake up and smell the cappuccino everyone... But let's not fear this new world order, let's embrace it."

What a willing Bilderberger, Illuminati dupe sycophant.

Sorry, old news. Just had to get it off my chest.

So kick out the Jams. In this case, all the way back to England.

LSP

US Debt Soars. Now What?

As of the first day of fiscal year 2013, US debt stood at an outstanding $16,159,487,013,300.35, or 103% of GDP and rising at a handy 1.5% per month. You can read all about it on ZeroHedge if you've a mind to.

But what happens when you spend more than you have and end up massively in debt? Detroit happens.

Which reminds me of a time, long ago, when I was taking an English friend across the river from Windsor to visit the Motor City and its suburb, Troy. We reached the US border and the usual questions.

"Where you headed?"

"Troy, officer."

"Anything to declare?"

"Just me and my wooden horse, sir," quipped my English friend.

"What?"

"Nothing, officer."

There's a moral in that, if you care to draw it.

But carry on, nothing to worry about here.

LSP

Pius XII and the Lee Enfield

Pius XII said this:

“We belong to the Church militant; and she is militant because on earth the powers of darkness are ever restless to encompass her destruction. Not only in the far-off centuries of the early church, but down through the ages and in this our day, the enemies of God and Christian civilization make bold attack on  the Creator’s supreme dominion and sacrosanct human rights.”

I like that. Here's a picture of a Lee Enfield.

I like that too.

LSP

Sioux Nation Sucedes

Just learned via Drudge that the mighty Sioux Nation has left the Union. Well, what can we say?

Come on Texas, get a move on.

Cheers,

LSP

Anglican Church of Canada Declines, Members Sing and Dance!

Faced with over 50 years of continuous decline, graying membership, a second quarter deficit of 900,000 "loonies" and a mere 320,000 pewsitters per Sunday, dioceses and parishes across the Anglican Church of Canada (ACoC) are being forced to take drastic measures.

Justice Camp. That'll pack 'em in!

The Diocese of Toronto is advertising Justice Camp, where the people sing. Here's an excerpt, to the tune of My Favorite Things, apparently:

Meeting with Linda, with movers & shakers,
Activists, greenies, and health-and peace-makers,
MP’s and editors, right on the ball,
Help us respond to our fai-aithful call.
Postcards and letters and online petitions,
Rallies and sit-ins with local musicians,
Scripture reminds us to take care of all-
Working for justice can be such a ball!

Refrain 

When our greed strikes,
When our fears roar,
When we’re feeling proud,
We simply remember our fai-aithful call -
And then we can speak out loud!

Catchy, isn't it.

Some churches have turned to liturgical dance in a desperate bid to feel good, despite all those empty pews.

note the disgruntled 'subdeacon'...

And the circle just gets wider, unless you're a trad, in which case the Diocese of Huron evicts you and puts concrete blocks in front of your church so no one can get in.

Well done ACoC. Now no one gets to go to St. Hildas's. 

ACoC looks set to continue on its current trajectory away from earth and into the stellar void of deep space.

Thanks, Samizdat, for the stats and pics.

God bless.

LSP

Dialing in the Lee Enfield Sporter

It's all very well restoring a rifle but the question is, will it shoot? With that in mind I took the newly minted sporter to the range, only to find a tree blocked the path. I moved that and set up at 25 yards to dial in the scope, bore-sighting the old fashioned way, because I've been too parsimonious to buy a laser, and using the tailgate as a rest. Must get some kind of sled to put the guns on in future.

warrior on the edge of the tailgate - note cloak of invisibility

I was nervous as I took the first couple of shots. Would the gun blow up? Would the lovingly shaped and polished forestock splinter into a deadly hail of wooden shrapnel on bearing the shock of the mighty .303 Brit? For that matter, would the thing shoot straight at all after my expert gunsmithing...

getting there...

I needn't have worried. The rifle got on paper quicly, which is a good testimony to peering down the bore with the bolt removed and shot some reasonablegroups from 50 and 75 yards. Performed well offhand at a steel ram at 100.

Due to time and ammo constraint I cut the exercise a little short but I'll return with a few boxes of the right stuff and finish the job. But not a bad result at all.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Sporterizing the Lee Enfield Porch Project -- All Scoped Up & Ready To Go

It took some time, a little patience and an amount of sanding, but the venerable SMLE is finally ready to shoot.

getting ready for bed

The ATI scope mount was easy to install along with 1" medium Weaver rings from Walmart, it's topped off with a Burris Fullfield that I found second hand at a local gunshop for $50.

Now I won't bore you with the rationale behind the project other than to say that  SBW put me up to it and it seemed like a good idea -- get a beat up old sporter with some fine Empire history behind it and turn the rifle into a handy shooter with 10 rounds of .303 power. A custom gun on a budget, sort of thing.

apply the safety, for goodness sake

So how much did it cost? Less than something plastic from Walmart, with the added satisfaction of having a hand in its making.

I'll dial it in at the range tomorrow.

Thanks, Bushwacker, for the inspiration and Lukeya for chivvying me on...

Cheers,

LSP

Modern Art, Some Kind of Joke?

Aluminium Road

It's not all about guns and horses in LSPland. There's church, obviously, and trucks. But let's not forget Art and a sister that drove me away from the sensible task of weapons cleaning to visit something called the Nasher, which is a kind of modern art museum in Dallas.

sister playing about in the art

Off we went and there was modern art in all its glory. I especially liked "Aluminium Road" which evidently "captured the essence and quality of road" in a series of cast aluminium ingots placed stairwise, as though ascending to something that wasn't defined. Who knows, we ask, where the "stair" will take us as life's road climbs higher into the ineffable Other.

Such rubbish..

So here's a picture of some Selous Scouts to set things right.

Selous

Dove hunting later followed by birds on the grill and some rabbit.

God bless,

LSP