Go to The Gunshop And Get a Haircut

A visit to Calgary isn't complete, for me at least, without a visit to the city's world famous Gun Shop Barber. That's right, a gun shop that's also a barber; you'll find it in Inglewood on 9th Avenue, and it's called Proline Shooters. I went there yesterday to browse the guns and get a cut.

Proline has a good, if smallish selection of firearms, and I cast a covetous eye at their burnished Sakos, gleaming behind the counter. Their pistol selection featured Glocks, Berettas and, I think, Sigs, plus a variety of I want one large revolvers. I may be wrong, but it seems that Canada bought into Beretta's PX4 Storm to a greater extent than the U.S. Whatever, Proline carries several variants. 

Then, after looking at a couple of sporterized Lees in the 2nd hand rack, I paid a visit to Dan the barber.

Dan, Photo by Jared Sych

We reminisced about his predecessor, Doug, who died of pancreatic cancer some years back. I liked Doug and was always curious about his socialism. Calgary's Red Barber, in a gun shop, that was him. May he rest in peace.

Haircut over, I headed out into the winter wonderland of 9th Avenue, and that, readers, was that.

Go to Proline, they're alright, and so's their barber, Dan.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Tears of a Clown

Our Commander in Chief, Barack Obama, is in tears. No, not for the US soldier that was killed in Marjah, Afghanistan, but over gun control.

"And by the way, it happens on the streets of Chicago every day," said the rainbow unicorn, apparently forgetting Chicago's strict gun laws.

Spot the Smirk

"No matter how many times people try to twist my words around, I taught constitutional law, I know a little bit about this. I get it," proclaimed the great legal scholar of our time, who rules by Executive Order.

Commander in Chief

“Fort Hood, Binghamton, Aurora, Oak Creek, Newtown, the Navy Yard, Santa Barbara, Charleston, San Bernardino. Too many,” emoted our weeping leader. Too many what? No gun zones?

What a crocodile tear mountebank, and remember this. Everything that lib clowns like Obama propose, produce the exact opposite of their intended result.

As the Dow crashes, gun stocks surge.

LSP

Something Better Change

Do you remember America's 2008 presidential election? Sure you do, people went wild for "hope and change" and the libs were out in force, partying in the streets, while trads gnashed their teeth. I didn't grind my few remaining teeth, but I did watch Dallas Democrats whoop up the demise of the hated Bush as they danced, literally, in the leafy boulevards of Bishop Arts. 

You poor, mad, fools, I thought quietly to myself, as I sipped a glass of the right stuff from the vantage point of a street corner outside an overpriced restaurant.

Pull Your Pants Up, Fool

Nearly 8 years later, hope and change mania has turned into a choppy, sometimes explosive, discontent. The black urban poor aren't happy, witness Ferguson and Baltimore; it seems they're disinclined to be bought off with cell phones and food stamps. The pampered, whining, university elite aren't happy. For them, the Frankfort School revolution can never go far enough.

Student Stasi Whineleader

But that's not all. People looking for jobs aren't happy because, unless you're an artist, sorry, waiter, there aren't any, and people with jobs aren't too pleased either, as real income shrinks while prices rise. And it goes without saying that social conservatives are mad at what they justifiably see as an increasing attack on traditional values. Sorry, Christians, bake the cake.

Terrorists? Or Does The Government Just Want Your Land?

In brief, the vast majority of the population isn't pleased, and I'm being polite, with the way things are. Go figure, hope and change has brought us exactly what? Affordable healthcare that the poor get fined for not being able to afford and, wait for it, "Cait." Well thanks a lot, rulers, we may be poorer but at least we've got gay marriage and the awesome liberty to get a sex change.

In the meanwhile, in the public mind, a tiny minority of self-serving,  inside-the-beltway political insiders and their oligarch friends, continue to wax large without regard for the people they govern. I'll leave you with the Jeremiad ZeroHedge, commenting on the recent Oregon ranch stand-off:

This is what happens when people get desperate, when citizens lose hope, and when lawful, nonviolent alternatives appear pointless.

Whether the parties involved are blameless or not, whether they’re using the wrong tactics or not, whether their agendas are selfless or not, this is the face of a nation undergoing a nervous breakdown on all fronts.

Now all that remains is a spark, and it need not be a very big one, to set the whole powder keg aflame.

Behold Your Ruler?

Word to the wise. When you see big lines at the ATMs, get ready to get out.

Cheers,

LSP 

Epiphany Cheese And Bread

St. Francis in downtown Calgary transferred the Feast of the Epiphany to Sunday, so after Mass I drove out into Calgary like one of the Magi and followed a star to the Co-Op. But not before driving past a new Buddhist(?) monastery. 

You can't tell from my photo, but there seems to be a metal statue of a spider deity in front of it. Spider God, scary heathen juju, I thought to myself.

Safely back in Inglewood, we settled down to a feast of unpasteurized brie, aged cheddar, some sort of blue cheese and freshly baked baguettes. Vicious rumors of a bottle of port have no foundation in reality, whatsoever.

Got to hand it to Canada, they definitely get bread and cheese. Well done, Canadians!

God bless,

LSP

Is Giles Fraser Cursitor Doom?

Is celebrity Brit Reverend and Aleister Crowley look-a-like, Giles Fraser, Cursitor Doom? Photo evidence suggests that he is.

Or is the Guardian's pet lib, shariasymp Vicar just a willing Illuminati stooge for the pansexualist New World Order of the trans rainbow?

Cursitor Doom

Giles Fraser

The vote is out.

LSP

Leaders Number One, That Would Be Putin

Get your New Year off to a good start by investing in some Leaders Number One, Inspired By Vladimir Putin.

It only costs 6,000 roubles and smells like blackcurrant and pine cones, evoking the warmth of a forest floor.

No one has dedicated a fragrance to US President, Barack Obama, which is doubtless a very good thing indeed. But if they had, what would it smell like?

Readers, over to you.

LSP

Go Out And Get a Hat, in Calgary

After a short blast of living the downtown Calgarian dream, I fell back to Inglewood, which is nifty little neighborhood near the center of town.

Random Fridge Magnet -- Note former Detroit Mayor, with "entourage"

Inglewood's alright, it has shops, pubs, restaurants, an army surplus and Calgary's world famous barber gunshop. That's right, a gunshop that's also a barber, so you can go in there and get your hair cut and buy a gun. I'll go next week for a cut, it's a tradition.

Inglewood

As I walked around crunching my way through the snow, I noticed it was getting warmer, considerably so. It seemed like a Chinook was moving in, giving respite from the subzero, freeze your hair cold.

Your Old Pal

That meant a trip to the Chinook Center Mall, on McLeod Trail. I bought a hat from Lammles Western Store; it's a "Justin" and I wasn't able to get one in the right size or color in Texas. Well done, Calgary. You are a hat solutions provider.

Stay on the horse,

LSP

Happy New Year!

To make the New Years celebrations more of a celebration I went to the wine store and bought some of the right stuff. They had a good selection, if pricey, compared to the US.

A Typical Canadian Shop

When I paid the bill I used a piece of plastic without a chip in it, which confused the young baby-faced wine salesperson. "No chip, eh?" he asked, warily. "No," I replied, "We don't have those at the 1st Inconvenience Bank of Texas. We're a bit backward that way." The saleschild looked at me and said, "That's not the only way, over there, eh?"

I grinned and gave him a cheery, "Oh yeah. Except for gun rights, we're ahead of the pack there. Happy New Year, man."

A Bison Head

And with that, I wish you all a happy, blessed and joyous New Year.

Cheers,

LSP

What is This Thing?

Team LSP was confused, bewildered and perplexed by one of the Hyatt Calgary lobby sculptures, so we went out to the readership for an opinion as to what this thing was.

Some thought it was Germany's famous "Zwarte Piet" or a "PC" variation on the theme, "Pete." Others, fantastically, believe it to be a "Chocolate Christmas Hippo."

One reader wondered if it was Bill Crosby, in disguise. As Zwarte Piet, perhaps? All of these suggestions have merit, but look closely, the chocolate colored Christmas creature has minions.

What does this mean? As I reflected on the implications of this, I looked down at the newspaper. There's no doubt about the identity of the character in this picture.

That would be US President and Commander in Chief, Barack Hussein Obama, you know, the same genius who thinks Islam's a really peaceful religion. Like Buddhism, only way more peaceful.

Your Old Friend,

LSP

Morning Has Broken

Here's a Calgary sunrise, looking out over the city towards the Saddledome and Scotchman's Hill. They're still putting up large buildings here and there's a risk they'll go zombie as Alberta's oil economy collapses.  

Oil Economy

Thanks, Saudi Arabia, for that. Who knows what the consequences of the Magic Kingdom's oil price strategy will be. For that matter, who knows what this is:

It's in the hotel lobby.

Readers, all three of you, help me out here. What is this "sculpture"? 

Thanks,

LSP

St. Thomas Becket

The Archbishop of Canterbury, no, not Justin, Thomas Becket!, died today in 1170, killed by 4 knights in Canterbury Cathedral. I used to offer prayers at his shrine when I was very young.

Here's an excerpt from New Advent: 

Four knights who came from France demanded the absolution of the bishops.St. Thomas would not comply. They left for a space, but came back at Vesper time with a band of armed men. To their angry question, "Where is the traitor?" the saint boldly replied, "Here I am, no traitor, but archbishop andpriest of God." They tried to drag him from the church, but were unable, and in the end they slew him where he stood, scattering his brains on the pavement. His faithful companion, Edward Grim, who bore his cross, was wounded in the struggle.

A tremendous reaction of feeling followed this deed of blood. In an extraordinary brief space of time devotion to the martyred archbishop had spread all through Europe. The pope promulgated the bull of canonization, little more than two years after the martyrdom, 21 February, 1173. On 12 July, 1174, Henry II did public penance, and was scourged at the archbishop's tomb.

That was then, this is now.

Good luck, Church of England, and who knows, perhaps St. Thomas Becket will intercede for the soul of Mr. Kilminster.

LSP 

Lemmy, Rest in Peace

You once told me to ***k Off.

That is my claim to fame.

Rest in Peace.

LSP

Calgary Hippy Discovers Rhodesia

After a grueling flight, which was delayed by 3 hours because the plane was broken, I arrived in Calgary. It was good to be back in the land of the ice and snow and I checked in to the Hyatt, downtown.

A Typical Calgary Bar

Good stuff, I like the Calgary Hyatt and it's fun to walk out of the hotel and into the blinding snow, to look at the shops on Stephen Avenue. I was doing just that when a tall hippy came up to me, complete with long hair and beard. He was wearing a pink vest over his coat, and I noticed the pink outfit had a curious logo. "Because I'm A Girl," it said. Hunh, I thought, incisively.

Stephen Avenue Attacked by the Weather

"Can I speak with you for a moment?" said the hippy. "Sure," I replied, "but only for a moment." Heartened by my friendly man-in-the-snow demeanor, the hippy asked where I came from, then launched into his pitch. 

"I'm with Because I'm A Girl."
"Oh, you are?"
"Yeah, we're the oldest community development organisation in the thir... developing countries."
"You nearly said 'third world,' didn't you."
"Uhh, yeah, I guess I kind of did."

The Because I'm A Girl Hippy looked pretty sheepish and started to make a pink-vested excuse for his thought crime. I interrupted.

"Look, I really don't care. I still call it Rhodesia."
"Rhodesia? What's that?"
"Zimbabwe, mate."

Realization dawned on the face of my new friend, and Because I'm A Girl gaped, like a bearded Bass; then he began to laugh. I headed off to look for snow boots.

Make of this what you will.

LSP

I'm Headin' to Calgary

It's that time of year when I go North, to Calgary, and the land of the ice and snow. Unfortunately that means having to endure the nightmare of modern air travel, which is like taking a bus from Gloucester to Tunbridge Wells in the '80s.

But whoever said life would be easy? I remember no such promise, but I do remember that our elite rulers told us we're in a War on Weather.

There were tornadoes in Dallas yesterday. I guess that means we're losing that particular war; well done, team.

God bless,

LSP

LSP, Giver of Gifts

Some of you know her, she goes by BW. That's right, my youngest sister, and all she wanted for Christmas was an adorable dog. So I helped her out.

She created the "meme".

Your Pal,

LSP

Feast of Stephen, Tyson Fury

No sooner are our Christmas day celebrations over, than the Church brings us face to face with martyrdom, in the person of St. Stephen, it's his Feast today, and the Holy Innocents.  It seems that the Word made Flesh attracts enraged, deadly opposition. 

That was true then and it's true now, with more Christians dying for their faith than at any other time in history. Of course the secular governments of the West are complicit in this, not least in their refusal to protect the Christians of the Middle East.

Be that as it may, here's the Collect for the day:

GRANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

Tyson Fury

St. Stephen, pray for us, and I wish everyone a happy Boxing Day.

God bless,

LSP

Christmas, The Aftermath

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, some other vegetables, I'm not sure what they were, gravy and fun company. Presents, too and a good day was had by all.

I hope you've had a blessed and merry Christmas.

Be good,

LSP