This And That

 

Yesterday was momentous. Yes, I drove into the Mega City connurb metrosprawl that is Fort Worth/Dallas, and was reminded yet again that spaghetti junctions didn't go outta style in the 1970s. What an entanglement of concrete, but it was worth it to get to the Clergy Day at St. Vincent's Cathedral in Bedford.

Where there was a presentation by a consultant figure on character and the voice techniques associated therein. There are, apparently, various character traits, each with their own way of speaking, and understanding this is beneficial to team leadership and self-realization to boot. So what are you, a Nurturer, Pioneer or Creative?

Oh look, you're really safe now at the cathedral. How idiotic

You'll be pleased to know I turned up late and resisted the heady urge to ask, "I think you've missed something out, Imperialist, Space Imperialist, what about that?" Lord Curzon on the sands of Mars aside, it was good to spend time with fellow clergy, what a good bunch of guys, easily the best clericus I've ever served with.

And it was good to be at the cathedral too, so many memories gathered up over the years and not bad for all that. Reverie over, I climbed into the rig and headed East on murder expressway 183 to Ma LSP's place in Dallas. She was in fine form, though recovering from oral surgery, and announced, "Your parcel's arrived."

Keepers Tweed is the best tweed imo

Good! And there it was, a Keepers Tweed coat, thanks, eBay. "I tell you, Mother, these things cost a solid 600 GBP new, if you can even find 'em." She thought about this, "It's awfully heavy, perhaps you can wear it for about two days here." I replied, quick as a flash, "It's the cloth, you see, Winter coat." Which it is, and tough as nails to boot.

On the way out to the bucolic boulevards of rural Texas she gave me a Japanese altar, I think that's what it is, which belonged to her Mother who collected such things. This now sits next to the front door, sanctified by icons, guns, rods and all of that.

Maybe 18th C? I'm guessing

So there you have it, what a good day, and today being the Feast of St. Matthias it's celebration all 'round.

Cheers,

LSP

Swords In Texas!

For well over a century Texas has labored under the harsh strictures of the hated Reconstruction Government, which banned citizens from defending themselves, negating their freedom. But at last tyranny is being dismantled. 

This Friday, Texans will be allowed to openly carry swords and not only swords, but also daggers, dirks, throwing knives, stilettos, poniards, machetes and spears. 

So as of the end of this week, if you want to stroll over to the Tractor Supply Company, Karen's Authentic Mexican Food, the nearest feed store, Walmart or just down the road to the local Pick 'n Steal with your cavalry saber strapped to your hip, go right ahead. 

Here at the Compound we applaud this latest step forward on the path to ever greater liberty and are sensibly getting down to business, sharpening sabers and perfecting the drill. 

We believe that an armed society is a polite society, except at the charge in which case it's devil take the hindmost and ride like fury.

Thanks, LL, for the tip.

Your Pal,

LSP

Love Texas

After Mass on Sunday, two church ladies were talking about a town notable. Some time ago, he'd gotten into the beer and decided to saddle up and charge around town. His wife called her friend, "Have you seen my husband?" and the friend replied, "Have you seen my horse?" She hadn't, then all became clear.

"Well look at this," said the friend, "Your jackass has just turned up on my horse." Apparently he liked nothing better than to ride around town. I asked a matriarch whether that was against the law, thinking to myself that I'd like nothing better than to ride around town. She looked at me, "I don't think anyone ever told him that."

Someone's written a clever article saying that Texas has become a "caricature of itself." Others might say that the Lone Star State is larger than life and twice as big, the map alone suggests it. For goodness sake, you could put a large chunk of England in the Panhandle alone. But what do I think?

A Typical Cowboy

I'd say that the spirit of the frontier isn't that far away from this state, especially when you're in the countryside; it wasn't so long ago that people rode their horses in this town. 

I'm in favor of that.

All for Texas,

LSP

The Alien Gear Cloak Tuck 3.0 Holster

Texas allows open carry, which means you can walk about most places with a pistol on your hip. But almost everyone still carries concealed, they don't want to advertise the fact that they're armed.

With that in mind, it makes sense to have a good concealed carry holster and Alien Gear claim to have come up with the goods. Here's the marketing:

The Bag it Comes in -- Note Guaranty

"Your Cloak Tuck 3.0 retains all the aspects that made its predecessor the most comfortable, concealed holster on the planet, yet somehow, we've managed to improve our IWB (inside the waistband) holster even more." 

How could they possibly have done that?

By adding a thin spring-steel core for "retention and durability" and a ballistic nylon lining, which stops the steel from messing up the holster's neoprene back, and potentially lacerating your hip. But that's not all. The Cloak Tuck 3.0 has "Alien Skin Surface." What's that, you wonder, in awestruck amazement.

See The Alien Skin? It's Thermoelastic

It's "a perfect layer of thermoelastic polymer" which covers the surface of the holster. This is textured, adding "grip and retention" and has an alien head on it as well as a US flag. 

That's the advertising, and the reality? 

It Works

The Cloak Tuck 3.0 is rigid without being uncomfortable and clips securely to your belt. This holster's not going anywhere without a fight and its sturdy kydex shell holds your pistol securely; it's not about to slip off for a wander.  You can adjust retention by loosening or tightening the screws that hold the shell to the holster base, and it comes with extra spacers and hardware to allow for this.  Cant's adjustable too, by raising or lowering the holster's belt clips. It comes preset at a 15 degree "FBI Cant."

But what makes the Cloak Tuck 3.0 "alien"? Good question. Well, the Alien Skin Surface, for a start, and the off-world green of the holster's spacers. I like that, it looks space age.

Neoprene

So what's the verdict? Alien Gear's Cloak Tuck 3.0 works, holding your pistol comfortably and securely inside the waist band. It's sturdy and if the one I was sent is anything to go by, well made, fitting my Glock 21 perfectly, to say nothing of attention to detail -- good stitching, a neat alien head and overall high quality finish. 

But is it tactical? Oh yes, very, especially inside your spaceship, where the green spacers really stand out. How much does it cost? Around 50 bucks, and that's money well spent for a holster that works and works well. Do women like them? I'd have thought that was obvious.

Thanks, Alien Gear, for a good bit of kit, and if you're looking for an IWB synthetic holster that does the job at the right price, have a look at the Cloak Tuck 3.0. I doubt you'll be disappointed. And oh, it's made in the US, too.

Thanks, SBW, for the hookup.

Gun Rights,

LSP

Patron Saint of Handgunners

Today's Sunday, so let's not forget the Patron Saint of handgunners, Gabriel Possenti, whose Feast was yesterday, February 27.

Possenti saved a village from a gang of bandits in 1860:

Possenti found the gang about to rape a young woman, and ordered them to set her free. When they refused to obey, Possenti yanked two pistols out of the soldiers' holsters. (According to Mr. Paolo Tagini, who edits the Italian firearms magazine, Armi Magazine, the weapons likely were 1851 Colt Navy Model six-shot revolvers in .36 caliber or imitations thereof.) At that moment, a lizard ran across the road. Gabriel Possenti took aim, fired and killed it with one shot. Then, he turned his weapons toward the gang which, surprised and shocked, left the village.

Well done, handgun saint, for protecting the life and liberty of those villagers. That'd be illegal in England, where the State will protect you, except when it doesn't.

Gabriel Possenti, pray for us,

LSP

#Blackfacematters

Here is our presidential frontrunner.

Some say she is unfit for office.

That is all.

Your Pal,

LSP

A New Year, A New Gun

One of the ways I like to ring in the New Year is by getting a new gun, so I went to Gebo's and bought a wood stocked Ruger American, chambered for . 22LR. Why?

Why, LSP?

Because I wanted a bolt action, wood and steel replacement for my ancient JC Higgins .22, and Ruger's offering seemed right. Excellent fit and finish for the money and, if it's anything like my Ruger American .17 HMR, far more accurate than I am.

Nice Bit of Tang, Note The Buck

The rifle features a tang safety, a flush 10 round rotary magazine, compatible with the ubiquitous 10/22, and iron sights. The folding-leaf rear sight is the same as the 10/22, but the front sight's an improvement, a green Williams fiber optic.

Go Green

The stock's checkered and shaped per its synthetic twin, and you either like it or you don't. I think it looks sharp, and the rifle certainly feels right in the shoulder.

Check

At $359, I don't think you can get a better new, off-the-shelf deal, and you can see its specs here. But how does it shoot? I'll find out tomorrow.

Gun rights,

LSP

The Baptism of Christ

It's good to be back in Texas and we celebrated the Baptism of Our Lord today. I suggested that Christ's baptism served as a model, or template for our own, and encouraged everyone to renew their baptismal vows.

Part of that means renouncing the "world," as well as the flesh and the Devil, and I asked one of the congregations what that meant. "Just what are the 'evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?'" I questioned, in a display of stunning homiletic brilliance, "Some would say 'Global Warming' or would that be 'Climate Change?'" Everyone laughed at that. 

Speaking of which, El Nino's been captured in Mexico, thanks to Sean Penn and Nino's vainglorious desire to make a Narcos style biopic. But the question is, how long will the notorious weather criminal kingpin stay in jail?

God bless,

LSP

Very, Very Scary

Two friends came over from Dallas yesterday and stayed over. One of them brought along a SOCOM 16, which is a short barreled variant of the M1A, and we wanted to test that out and see if it worked. So, undaunted by rain, we headed out to a ranch where there's a good area to blast away in the wilderness. 

You can even access this range via rocky roads, in your pal's new Tundra. No danger of getting stuck in the mud, right?

Well Done, Team

Wrong. We got stuck in thick sandy clay. An hour later, and lots of rocks under the tires, we were out of the mess and shooting. The SOCOM worked just fine, a right little beast of a 7.62 barker.

Proper Little Barker

On the way home, one the crew had to ask, "How many soldiers, former and serving, does it take to get stuck in the mud?" That would be three, apparently.

Moral of the story? Get a SOCOM, and a winch, and a 4x4.

Happy Halloween,

LSP

Big Sky Open Carry

People say that Texas has a big sky. I won't disagree, it does. Maybe soon it'll be a Big Sky Open Carry (BSOC) state too, as the Mississippi Rebel reports.

But after looking at the enormous sky, I went for a quick spin around Malone. It doesn't have paved streets, but it does have a smoker in the form of a pistol.

I like that.

Malone was prosperous, once, but not anymore, even though it has has several saloons.

God bless,

LSP

Rural Ministry #1

For some clergypersons, rural ministry is all about Morris dancers, medieval churches and these picture-postcard villages. 

You get cottages.

And big old houses.

But make sure you have a sturdy vehicle, the roads can be a bit primitive.

Also, where I live, you find abandoned hair extensions in the gutter. Well, it beats needles, I guess.

Blue Apocalypse killed a neighbor's chicken yesterday. I'm not sure what to make of that, but the neighbors, Maria and Pedro, don't care. It was one of many and they ate it.

I'm also thinking that open carry might not be a bad idea for when you take the dog for a walk.

Cheers,

LSP

Good Day Against the Clay

Skeet

Urged on by belligerent open carry posts and a break in the icy blast that is climate change, I span out to the fields for some head-to-head action with our ancient enemy, White Flyer skeet. I shot reasonably well, partly because I remembered to aim, which helps when you're shooting things. Just a lot of shotgun fun, blasting the clays out of the sky.

Tailgating

After that I turned on the next opponent, a circular steel plate, swinging threateningly from a metal trestle. I shot that any number of times with a Beretta PX4 Storm .45, mostly from around 18 or 20 yards. Pure explosive enjoyment and something I need to do more of, especially now that .45 ACP has gone down in price.

Beretta PX 4

For me, shooting is for sport, and it's a good one too. For others it's also a matter of self-defense; I guess they'd be "Chaplain's Assistants."

gunman

Shoot safe and God bless,

LSP

Oklahoma

Terrible news out of Oklahoma, where a tornado ripped into Moore. According to Tornado Scientists the twister was somewhere between 8 and 600 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. We must thank God that more people weren't killed and pray, of course for the victims of the storm.

Oklahoma is fiercely in favor of 2nd Amendment rights and allows open carry, unlike Texas, which doesn't, oddly enough.

Wind's kicking up here, take cover...

LSP

Open Carry?

After the second Mass of the day I enjoy talking with the congregation over coffee and I like the conversation which usually follows a pattern. Horses, the price of feed, fencing, theology (today it was transubstantiation and God's timeless omniscience), and guns; sometimes the odd military anecdote. Things nearly got a bit heated this morning:

LSP: Why is Texas so anti open carry?

Congregant 1: I don't know, maybe it's because of Austin and its hippies. Ask him.

LSP: Why no open carry here?

Congregant 2: This state legislature will never pass that! Too many illegals running around and we can't have 'em carrying guns.

Congregant 1: That doesn't have anything to do with it, they can't legally buy a gun anyway.

Congregant 2 (with heat): It'll never happen! It's a matter of safety!

Congregant 1: Safety! I call it tyranny!

LSP: Calm down gentlemen, please.

But it's odd, isn't it, that the Lone Star State should be so vehemently opposed to people carrying their firearms about openly. You'd think it'd be the other way around. And, if Arizonans and New Mexicans can walk about pistol on hip style, why not Texans? Similar number of immigrants, legal and otherwise. So, is our open carry ban a matter of big brother nanny state riding down duvet over our freedoms? Or some other thing?

Not that I have a dog in the fight -- priests aren't supposed to run around shooting people, you see.

God bless,

LSP