The Mermen Are Coming!

I just noticed from their tour page that The Mermen are coming to Kansas City on July 1st. This is just so incredibly great that I can’t stand it. This is the first time they will have come to Kansas City since I started listening. What makes it even better is that I figured if I got any chance to see them this year it would be at Burning Man, but I don’t think I am going to be able to make it this year.
Hooray!

By the way, if you have never listened to The Mermen here is a recording of an older live show for a radio station. I’ve only listened to the first 10 minutes or so but it’s great.

Shooting in Clinton

On Sunday Victoria, Alex and I drove down to Clinton, MO for some unsupervised shooting. As far as I could find with the terrible resources there are on the Internet for this kind of thing that was the closest unsupervised range to us so off we went. Unsupervised is important because our intention was to finally get a chance to shoot some melons. We hate shooting paper. Anyway, there was this huge family with gramps, maw, sis and Little John all carrying around guns so we didn’t get a chance to be irresponsible much. We did get to do a little gangsta style shooting at close range after we saw someone else do it so that was fun. Alex and Victoria took some good pictures of the whole event. I didn’t take any because I was too busy blasting the hell out of anything I saw.

I’m Going Bald

Alex has the most incredible ability to take pictures of me that make me look like I am losing all my hair. I am of course; losing my hair, but I can’t see it! This must be why people comb over that one remaining strand and go around thinking they look shit hot.

It make loud bang. Go boom!

So last night Alex, Victoria and I went shooting at the Lake City Shooting Range and much fun was had by all.

My new AR-15 performed admirably. I was firing at a paper target 50 yards down range and did pretty well. A few nice bullseyes but mostly all over the target. Didn’t really miss it though 🙂

That gun is LOUD. I mean, it’s really, really loud. There isn’t much recoil at all but there is just this concussion of sound and force when you pull the trigger that is difficult to describe. It’s a ton of fun.

Jim suggested that we take a 25 pound ham to the range for some firing into flesh experience, which sounds like a good time. Unforatunatly there is nowhere close where you can shoot at anything but paper targets. Alex has some leads on some unsupervised ranges within at least the bi-state area so we’re going to be visiting some of them.

If you happen to live in the Kansas City area and know of a place to go plinking, please let me know!

A Silly Purchase?

Everyone keeps asking me why I bought a Bushmaster AR-15 and I don’t really have a good reason. I like guns. I always have. I used to spend hours shooting bottles and cans on the railroad tracks with a BB gun; hours even after everyone else had gone. I’m older now, I’m allowed to have guns and I have money to blow so I figure I might as well do it right. Now I just need a place to shoot my high powered assault rifle. Do you have some land you aren’t using? 🙂

One Late Night on IRC…

One late night on IRC I read…

<bkw> nothing pisses me off except for those WBC freaks
<courtney> wbc?
<bkw> www.godhatsfags.com
<bkw> those folks
<courtney> HAHAHA
<bkw> now thats a bit extream
<bkw> I sure hope they get nailed under some terroism act
<ageless> I hate them too, but if they get nailed under a terrorism act then this country has pretty much just given up.
<bkw> ageless what they do borders on terrorism
<ageless> bkw: What, picketing funerals?
<bkw> they show up at funerals of gay people..
<ageless> So what?
<ageless> That’s terrorism?
<courtney> funerals are generally in public places
<courtney> where people are freely allowed to protest
<bkw> ya but you can’t protest in some cities without a permit
* mrunix sleep
<bkw> I need sleep too
* bkw has quit IRC (Quit: [BX] BitchX is as BitchX does)
<ageless> It’s pretty funny that we’re in Iraq fighting for Freedom, Democracy and the American Way while people in America are giving up their freedoms like they aren’t important.

I’ve been wondering how things like the PATRIOT act get passed thinking, “No one could be that blind.”, thinking “People realize what they are giving up don’t they?” and thinking that people realize how valuable their freedom is but I guess I am just confused.

I didn’t realize that when President Bush said, “You are either with us or against us” that he was talking to Americans too. I hate to be cliche, but if you have not read 1984 then you should stop what you are doing and read it. It’s not a long book, but it will change the way you think, or at least it should. Americans are losing the power to control their country. Our government is using fear to take away our rights, our freedoms and our power and we’re happy to give it.

I am as guilty as anyone for this. I have never voted in a presidential election. I have always said that I thought the country was so stable that no particular president could affect things for better or worse. I realize now that I was wrong and this election will be the first election that I vote in. I foolishly threw away my right to vote but in my defense I never saw things like the PATRIOT Act and PATRIOT Act 2 coming. I was never scared to express my views but sitting here writing this I wonder, “Will this be used as evidence that I am a terrorist?”

It seems kind of stupid, to me at least, to think that some gentle discontent with the government might be considered a terrorist act but there are people out there that would call me unpatriotic for saying these things. It has become unpatriotic to love this country more than you love it’s leaders.

I doubt that I am the first guy to blog the following quote but it seems like it was written for the days in which we are living.

“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
Benjamin Franklin

Hopefully it’s not too late.

If you have not read the PATRIOT Act, and what is being called the PATRIOT Act 2 you should do so. They give sweeping powers to the government that 3 years ago people would have gone crazy about. I’ve linked them below.

EFF Analysis Of The Provisions Of The USA PATRIOT Act
Draft Text of the Patriot II