Thursday, November 05, 2009

Hectic Days...

...yesterday and today, travel and meetings. Been watching the coverage of the mass shootings at Ft. Hood...we'll see. Too early to comment...

In the meanwhile. the questions on the AR are continuing to bubble up. The NYT had an article last weekend:
In recent weeks, a fresh round of complaints about weapon malfunctions in Afghanistan, mentioned in an Army historian’s report that documented small-arms jamming during the fierce battle in Wanat last year, has rekindled the discussion. Are the M-16 and M-4 the best rifles available for American troops? Or are they fussy and punchless and less than ideal for war?
We've heard all this before, and outside of SOCOM I can't imagine the present administration green-lighting a hugely expensive changeover of either rifle or caliber at this point in time.

I see that my personal hero Buffalo Bill's 44-40 black powder Colt Peacemaker is getting ready to go on the auction block at Rock Island Auctions:
Condition:
Very good plus. The revolver has traces of original blue with the balance having been lightly cleaned and has a crisp smooth, silver-gray patina. The backstrap has a fine stippled finish, which is contemporary with to the revolver but is not factory work.

The revolver has a hand-made cylinder pin that appears date from the period of use. The backstrap screw is an old replacement. The Martin letter states that the revolver appears to be original with the exception of the cylinder pin and backstrap screw. Grips are good with a small chip on the toe and upper edge at frame and a few minor dings. The faint markings “03/WCP” are stamped on the upper portion of both sides of the grip at the junction of the backstrap and the frame. The significance of these markings is unknown but they may be property or inventory markings associated with the Wild West Show.

The action is tight but the hammer will not hold at half-cock. The case is in good overall condition with a repaired chip above the right hinge and a notch above the key-hole that was apparently used to open the case. The case lining is faded and shows moderate to heavy wear. The lining has compression marks, scattered oil stains and some edge-wear on the case partitions.
As much as I'd love to have one of my hero's guns, I checked my wallet and I'm a little light on the $50-$70K that the gun's likely to go for!

An interesting column from Megan McArdle on some of the implications for Tuesday's Republican victories on the Republican Party overall:
As long as social issues dominate the Republican Party, they will continue losing their north--I had a lot of relatives who at least considered voting for Obama. Ironically, I wonder if the tea parties won't help bring the two wings of the Republican party together: guns and lower government spending are the two things all members can agree on. But if the south wants to keep its northern Republicans--and the congressional seats that come with them--it's going to have to back off trying to make the northern party look like a miniature version of itself.
You guys know I've been pretty much fed up with Republicans' endless obsessions with wingnut social issues while leaving those of us who actually get them elected twisting slowly slowly in the wind. While I might question the northern/southern divisions, I totally agree with Ms. McArdle on those 2 things we can agree on — guns and lower government spending.

10 comments:

George said...

Michael Bane = Rockefeller Republican + Guns
?????

Anonymous said...

At the moment those who demand orthodoxy are in control. There is no room in the Rep party for a libertarian on social issues.

I've come to conclude gun owners are better off supporting progun Dems.

Dave S. said...

When the national debt is multi-trillions, I don't give a rat's ass if Adam marries Steve. Nor do most folks.

The Tea Partiers are marching for fiscal responsibility. Anybody who thinks they can coat-tail off of them for their Falwellian obsessions is deluded.

Haji said...

I've been working in the Military Industrial Complex for the last five years. That time has been spent interfacing face to face with Soldiers, Marines, Airmen, contractors and the occasional foreign military SOF. Those that don't know how to run an M4 complain about it. Those that do, and who can actually shoot, don't. Would the Face Shooter in Question like something better? Of course. Do they complain about the M4 and the 5.56X45 cartridge? Nope. That combo kills bugs dead. The guys who complain about their guns not running don't know how to keep them running, and those that complain that the 5.56 can't kill anybody can't shoot. What's the solution? Quit sending the guy that be done without when CATC and AWG provide training and send the switched on guys that will benefit and be able to pass it on.

I fear the Repubs still don't get it; like the Dems, they can't figure out where they went wrong, even though they're being told. Its the Blue Blood Country Club wing of the GOP that's lost the Conservatives. Until they're out of power, the possibility of a Conservative Party is very real. How to fix it? Two easy steps: quit the out of control spending. Secondly, get the gummint's sticky fingers out of our lives and wallets. Not that tough, but they can't figure it out.

Mathew Paust said...

Do the gubernatorial victories in NJ and VA encourage the orthodoxists? I didn't follow the New Jersey campaign, but here in Virginia McDonnell emphasized the economy.

The wingnut issues rarely came up in VA. Deeds, the Dem candidate, tried to distance himself from BHO, who'd won surprisingly big in VA, so it's hard to say McDonnell's win was a referendum against the O.

Deeds got an NRA "B" for supporting a gun show control bill, despite claiming he otherwise supported gun rights. McDonnell got an "A."

It would seem that orthodoxy played a miniscule role, if any, in VA's election.

It did seem to be largely "the economy, stupid."

Robin said...

"Wingnut social issues" ? You do realize that both California and Maine, neither exactly hotbeds of conservatism, have recently rejected same-sex marriage.

Anonymous said...

I don't know how much you know about Maine, but you can't look at the gay marriage vote as proof of much unless you look at the other ballot issues.

People voted against gay marriage based on their religious obsession. But the same people voted in favor of a huge spending bond and voted against two initiatives to limit taxes and spending because they're on the government dole and they want to keep their free money from the .gov coming in.

Robin said...

You missed the point. A majority rejected same sex marriage in California and Maine. Social conservatives are hardly holding extreme "wingnut" ideas.

Fiftycal said...

I don't care if you believe the pope is the cousin of jesus. Your religious superstition should not effect government in any way, shape or form. And if you don't like abortion, then don't have one. Past that, it's none of your business how someone else lives their life. The busybodies that are trying to make the Republican party into taliban lite are as onerous as the ones in the 'leadership" that are trying to make it dimorat lite.

Richard Letaw said...

On the Republican party line that places so much emphasis on social issues, that stance makes me evaluate Democratic candidates against the GOP's rather than try to get the GOP back in power. I become disgusted with the Dem's trying to regulate everyone's life but then I open my eyes and see the Repubs are no different.

I want the GOP to reflect a governmental point of view not a religious or "moral" one. We need them to recognize what is and what isn't any darned business of the Federal government. Richard.