9/11 Never Forget, The Religion of Peace

I won't bore you with my 9/11 stories except to say that I was in DC at the time and there was a moment, when the plane went into the Pentagon, that we were more than half expecting a nuclear flash. First a plane, then a suitcase nuke, sort of thing. That didn't happen.

What did happen is that we launched a war against radical Islam, without naming the enemy, and I was in favor of that. I still am. This led to some arguments in London, a few months later, where everyone seemed to think that the best response to the Islamic terrorists was to do exactly nothing while we wept into crying towels, went to face painting workshops and got on with the business of denouncing the evils of America.

But one friend was different. He said that Saddam Hussein was the wrong target and that the real enemy was Saudi Arabia. I pounded my fist and bellowed and drank many more pints like the best kind of public house jingoist until the conversation shifted.

Looking back on that conversation, I have to say my friend had a point. In the meanwhile, Western Europe is opening its borders to hundreds of thousands of Mohammedans from the Middle East. Some of these will do their very best to emulate their Prophet, and live by the Koran and the Hadith.

What could go wrong with that, it's a religion of peace, right? Go ask Kayla Mueller; oh, you can't, she's dead, after having her finger nails ripped out and being turned into a Koranic sex-slave.

LSP

Womyn Bishops Are So Very Awesome

The shrinking Church of England is falling over what's left of itself to make womyn bishops, the top jobs that the declining denomination has to offer. A former Archdeacon, Christine Hardman, is the latest in a series of womyn to break through the stained glass ceiling this year, and has been nominated as the next Bishop of Newcastle.

According to Church statistics, only 5 dioceses in the CofE grew between 2008-2012, with the other 38 in decline. Average church attendance shrunk by 37,000 persons in the same period. Maybe all the womyn bishops will turn this Titanic around. Here's a womyn's Creed to get things moving.

I believe in God, our Mother Bear,

source of all being. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s wisdom made flesh, 

along with Sophia, the church, and all that live in wisdom. 

Born of the bad-ass womanist liberation theologian, Mary, 

suffered under the systems of oppression of this world, 

was crucified, died, and was buried,

forever joining in solidarity with those murdered by Empire.

On the third day, the women declared him risen;

signifying God’s “No” to oppression.

He points to God our Mother Bear,

who works in this world, calling for justice for the poor and oppressed.

I believe in Sophia Spirit,

Christ’s body, the church,

the communion of saints,

the grace to reject this world’s systems,

hope for justice in the future,

and renewed life everlasting. Amen.

Beautiful, isn't it. Perhaps you didn't know that God was a Mother Bear and Mary was a bad-ass womanist liberation theologian. Now you do.

Good luck, CofE,

LSP

This Is Not Aberystwyth

It's raining, here in Texas, and that's about as far as the similarity to Wales' notorious seaside resort, Aberystwyth, goes.

A Typical Aberystwyth Street Scene

After Morning Prayer the power went out, so I took the dog for a recce patrol. I also took a pistol along for security, in case things got out of hand with the grid being down. 

Texas

In Aberystwyth that'd be illegal, because you can always call the police when you're being attacked by Welsh seaside rowdies.

A Bright Cheery Morning in Aberystwyth

The power's on, now, and we'll see how long that lasts. Smart people are building cisterns to hold the rainwater because, at some point, the electricity may not come back on again.

Off Grid,

LSP

Russian Town Ruled By Bears

According to the Primorska newspaper, a Russian town of 21,000 people near the border with China, Luchegorsk, is now ruled by two bears, a brown bear and a Himalayan bear. The two large bears wander the streets of their town, forcing scared locals to stay indoors.

A further 36 bears are reportedly circling Luchegorsk, in what one one female resident described as a military operation.

"Our hunters say that they looked at the area from a helicopter - there are crowds of these bears, like army units. My friends told me bears smashed their three yards where they keep bees. We are scared to walk outside. All doors are shut in kindergartens, there are written warnings everywhere walking with kids is allowed only in certain areas."

Some claim that Washington DC is ruled by a bear. That is as absurd as it is preposterous.

Your Pal,

LSP

Labor Day Pistol Shoot

To celebrate Labor Day I went to the range for a pistol shoot. I wanted to get more familiar with the Glock 21 and see how the pistol worked with its new Blackhawk SERPA TECH holster. Would the holster improve my accuracy with the famously smooth shooting piece of Austrian engineering achievement? To find out, I lined up against a 12" steel plate at around 20 yards.

Sure enough, the holster worked, and so did the Glock. Encouraged by the satisfyingly swinging plate, I unloaded a few 13 round magazines of .45 ACP against the pockmarked steel opposition. Big fun, then, on my last but one shot, remember to count your rounds, kids, the pistol fired, the plate swung, and a piece of shrapnel  fired back at me at lightning speed. 

I could see it coming, just, and there it was, a bit of steel embedded in my support hand. I looked down at the offender, holstered my gun, and picked the metal out of my hand, as though it was a bad heretic, getting excommunicated from the Church.

I fired off the rest of my Winchester White Box Value Pack against a paper silhouette. That didn't shoot back, fortunately.

Moral of the story? Be careful shooting against steel plates; I wasn't hurt, but that same bit of steel that found my hand could have chosen an eye, which might have made for a much less happy ending, sunglasses notwithstanding.

Watch out for the bears,

LSP

Putin Ups the Syrian Ante

Evidence is in that Russia is putting boots on the ground in Syria, ostensibly to fight ISIS, just like we're doing, kind of. Zerohedge was ahead of pack, two days ago, and had this to say:

"Of course, what is left unsaid is that since Russia is there under the humanitarian pretext of fighting the evil ISIS, the same pretext that the US, Turkey, and the Saudis are all also there for, when in reality everyone is fighting for land rights to the most important gas pipeline in decades, the US is limited in its diplomatic recoil.

"Indeed as we sarcastically said last week: 'See: the red herring that is ISIS can be used just as effectively for defensive purposes as for offensive ones. And since the US can't possibly admit the whole situation is one made up farce, it is quite possible that the world will witness its first regional war when everyone is fighting a dummy, proxy enemy which doesn't really exist, when in reality everyone is fighting everyone else!'"

What's the real driver behind the halfhearted  fight against ISIS, Assad's backing by Russia, and the Saudi, Qatari, US focus on deposing him? Oil and gas. Here's a helpful infographic, again, from Zerohedge:

The tragedy of this, to my mind, is the massive scale of human suffering unleashed by the Western power and its oil allies in their attempt to break Gazprom's leverage over Europe. Russia, understandably, wants to protect its interest and Putin appears to have upped the ante. We won't look so good fighting ISIS by, er, fighting the people fighting ISIS.

In the meanwhile, Syrian refugees should have the automatic right to resettle in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and inside the Beltway. Not that I'd imagine they'd want to go to any of those places.

Putin continues to ride the Bear.

LSP

Episcopal Church Pilgrimage to Ferguson's Holy Ground

The Episcopal Church is organizing a youth pilgrimage to Ferguson, which the Bishop of Missouri, Wayne Smith, describes as "holy ground."

The Saint

“A tourist merely passes through a place; a pilgrim comes to a place in a posture of vulnerability and then allows the place and its people in. No one intended it, but through the ravages of racism, past and current, St. Louis has become a place for pilgrims. There is holy ground here," stated Smith, referring to Ferguson, "And no one can stand on it and encounter its people without being changed.”

Lives Being Changed, by The Saint

Without being changed? Like the way a shopkeeper's life was changed when Michael Brown assaulted him before rushing a cop, punching him and then trying to grab his gun? Or the way people's lives were changed when their shops were looted by off-the-hook thugs?

The Saint's Friends Getting Some Change

There's nothing holy about Ferguson at all, it's an urban ghetto hell-hole, and trying to invent a phony race martyr out of a person like Michael Brown isn't going to fix anything. Except maybe salve your guilty, upper middle class, white privileged conscience. 

White Privilege

Bishop Wayne Smith, you and your fake pilgrimage to the fake shrine of the fake saint is risible at best. You are a mountebank and a fraud, like Al Sharpton and Lesley McSpadden.

The Frauds

Tickets to pilgrimage cost $500. Pilgrims get to visit the shrine of Michael Brown and take part in community organization and racism awareness workshops.

Pathetic.

LSP

Chasing Birds

I didn't get out in the field over the last two days to chase birds and shoot them, but my buddies did. They shot their limit, and I'd say that was laudable.

Maybe their success was down to brush pants and Yeti coolers? Who knows, but what we do know is that both Yetis shot their limit.

Well done, team.

LSP

Get Gay Or Go To Jail

Kim Davis has been jailed for refusing to give out gay marriage licenses in Kentucky. You can read all about it here.

Oppressed...

That didn't take long, did it.

LSP

Opening Day, On The Road

"Did you get out in the Dove Fields?" asked a sportsman friend, yesterday. "No," I replied, "I spent the opening day of dove season at the tire store." This is true, rather than risk a blow-out for the sake of a few avian acrobats, I got my tires changed.

Silent Running?

First I went to Walmart, and they wanted $700+ for a set of 4 of their cheapest all terrains. I thought better of that and went down the road to Pedro's. "I want some tires for this truck, Pedro," I stated, gesturing grandly at my rig. "You can have these," said Pedro, pointing at a stack of used Goodrich Rugged Trail T/As, "They don't make no noise on the road or anything."

Note Umbrella

Pedro fitted those tires for around a third the price of Walmart's offering, and I watched the progress in the blazing sun. A false economy? Perhaps, perhaps not, at least my truck will now be silent; no-one will hear it coming.

Californians, Heading to Texas

The tires may be used, but they have plenty of tread. There's a moral in that, somewhere, if you care to draw it, but in the meanwhile I'll get busy turning the old tires into sandals to sell to all the Californians who are surging into Texas.

On the Road,

LSP

Blackhawk Holster For The Glock 21 Review

I was looking for a holster for my Glock 21 that, in a word, worked, didn't break the bank and could be used at the range and for open carry. I settled on Blackhawk's Serpa Concealment offering.

It comes with two mounting options, a paddle, or a belt loop attachment, and both allow several cant positions for the holster itself. Assembly is easy, simply screw the holster into the attachment you want to use at the position you like. Don't be an idiot and overtighten the supplied screws, or you'll bust your new holster. 

Back of the Paddle. Note Cant Positions

The paddle comes with two snap in retention hooks that fit into the back of the paddle and stop it coming free. The belt attachment has two detachable snaps that adjust the attachment to the size of your belt.

What are the benefits of this holster? 

Its special SERPA Technology locks your pistol into place in the holster and it can't get out unless you depress the special SERPA Auto-Lock Release on the outside of the holster. This gives you weapon security. According to Blackhawk, your pistol isn't going to fall out of the holster, which is important, but you also have to be able to draw your pistol. How does that work? 

Mysterious SERPA Tech

Press the special SERPA Auto-Lock Release and out it comes, ready for action. To that end, Blackhawk advertise the holster as having a "speed-cut design for rapid draw, target acquisition and re-holster," as well as a "full firing grip for draw and immediate retention upon re-holster."

Is all this true, or just another exercise in marketing flimflam, flummox and smoking mirrors?

Don't Believe The Hype

I'd say it's true. Blackhawk's holster holds the Glock 21 tightly, in a mechanical Serpa grip. The pistol's not going anywhere unless you use the holster's release. And sure enough, its design makes for a quick draw, placing your index finger naturally over the trigger well, ready to shoot. That done, the pistol fits back in its holster easily and clicks authoritatively into place. Serpa Tech seems to work.

SERPA Auto-Lock Release

But there's a catch. If you have a stroke while you're drawing your pistol and allow your index finger to slide ineluctably from Auto-Lock Release to trigger, you might have a negligent discharge and shoot your foot off, or your buddy, or whatever. Don't do that, keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to shoot. Personally, I don't see this as a problem, some PDs and competition shoots do.

So, if you want a holster that works, consider Blackhawk's Serpa. It costs around $40. You can conceal it, too, somewhere.

Gun rights,

LSP

City of Screaming Tires

A churchperson's truck developed a mysterious flat, and the relative that was going to fix the tire had a blow-out on the way to do so. He rolled his truck and miraculously no-one was killed, though the vehicle was totaled. So I offered to help.

After getting the wheel off, the reason for the flat was obvious. A big spike had embedded itself in the tire, ruining its performance.

Similar, when you think of it, to all those classified documents that found their way into Hillary's secret server, wrecking her chance to travel along the road to becoming the world's most powerful woman, ever.

Californians Trying to Break Into Texas

We loaded the wheel in the back of my truck and took it to a used tire store in Slap Out, and got a new tire. As we waited, I looked at my tires. Lo and behold, the driver's side front tire was worn down to the metal. I got that fixed, too.

I reflect on this adventure from the front porch, after drinking a coffee and saying Morning Prayer. I haven't seen any Californian illegals coming down the street, begging and hustling, but if they do, I'm armed. With a Glock 21.

And that's country life, in Texas.

LSP