philoshop

Don't mess around with my woodchuck and long-range squirrel guns. I don't hike so well any more, so a comfortable hide and a ghillie suit works. ;-] I got the sarcasm and irony Larry, even if some others missed it.

I just want to follow up on my previous post. Has anyone ever heard a viable definition of the term "assault weapon"? Other than the standard, "It looks scary and it looks like it's military"? Which could apply to many of the people on the planet, BTW. I've been on the phone for a couple of days with gun experts, LEO's and former military personnel I know trying to find out what the definition is. They don't know. What I'm finding is that it's politicians who use the term. Hmmm!

They have an issue they're apparently passionate about. Fine. I applaud that. But they have zero ability to define the issue in any real way. This is the mentality of our youth today. "Someone, like, told me to, like, protest against it so I, like, came with my, like, friends to protest against it." No debate, no dialogue, no rational thought or reason. They want to ban something when they can't even define what it is they want to ban. My hand is an assault weapon if I use it to assault someone. Your pet guinea pig is an assault weapon if you use it to assault someone... Or your hair brush, or your jar of hair styling gel. At least be serious about your terminology if you want to try to solve big problems. I find it incredibly annoying.

I remember trying pollywogs decades ago. A big fat bullhead would slurp them off the hook before you even knew what happened. We went back to night-crawlers. Free, less work, and a lot longer lasting. Chicken livers were for 'gizzards-n-greens' rather than bait, but fatty chunks of chicken skin that were going to be tossed anyway were always good.

I know several people who don't eat any red meat for health reasons. It's not good for them for individual reasons having to do with digestion. Chicken, turkey and fish, etc are fine, but the red meat doesn't work for them. I get it. My sister-in-law, on the other hand, is a vegan for political purposes and has told me that straight out. My brother shrugs and says, "It means more steak for me when I grill." He's a very easy-going guy, bless his soul. I don't know how many times he's prevented me from absolutely scorching his idiot wife over the last 25 years. Take a breath and walk away.

Thousands of people have lied when filling out their 4473 forms for the NICS. That's supposed to be a federal offense. I think something like 40 or so have actually been penalized for it. Start there before bringing up any new laws.

I just hoisted a beer in your honor!! Happy Birthday!!

Understand two things: 1. Everyone in the D.C. establishment (swamp) hates the President because he's shaking things up and disrupting their cushy lifestyles. Political affiliation doesn't really matter; Paul Ryan hates him just as much as Chuck Schumer does, and for the same reason. 2. The republicans would like nothing more than to be back in the minority in Congress. It's an easier gig to complain about the work of others than to have to actually get off your butt and get stuff done. Mark my words, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell will actively work to throw the mid-term elections to the Democrats. Paul Ryan's PAC recently gave money to Conor Lamb (D) in the PA election. It doesn't get much more "in yer face" than that.

It's not just steel manufacturing. It's ALL manufacturing. How many times have we heard politicians tell us that we need to become "a service economy"? From the very first time I heard that phrase, many decades ago, my question was, "serving/servicing whom?".

Trump is fighting back. The previous four presidents didn't do that. We'll take a few lumps in the fight, it's the nature of fighting, but we can win. And we will win.

Entering serious talks with North Korea, regular funding for the military is essential. Even if it's only for six months. It's amazing how this 'budget' thing is being spun by even the supposed Trump supporters. Watch what happens in September, just a month before the mid-term elections. I'll put my money squarely on Trump for this gambit. He's damned good at this.

Closer to the target? ;-]

Keep the kids involved! Good for you!! The truck will be self-washing over the next couple of months, anyway. The rainy season is almost here.

It's a whole different world when they become necessary 'equipment' rather than 'toys'.

The old stuff just works better. Clean the mice out of the intake and check for rodent damage on the wires. And check your tractor too.

How did you keep it from sliding down in that thar picture? Enjoy the new rig, my friend.

The very same people who want to legislate restrictive gun laws created the need for more restrictive gun laws. Think about it. It ain't about the guns, folks.

That is way cool my friend. Looks like a rattlesnake skull, sort'a.

Eating only weeds is not very good either. It's a substitute for not being able to kill the animals who live on weeds.

Vegetarian: An ancient Indian word meaning "Doesn't hunt well."

Lookin' good, Airedale! Those light-weight little plinkers are a lot of fun to carry in the woods. I still occasionally carry a hundred-year-old pump-action Remington gallery gun for squirrels and rabbits.

Somehow, that really doesn't surprise me.

Ask yourself which came first: the Utopian idealism, or the vegan trend. One has become a very blatant manifestation of the other. The hippies I grew up with in the the 70's would chow down every burger, steak or hot dog they were offered at any sort of gathering.

Cool essay, and great photos. I've never been able to leave anything in the woods that the squirrels didn't chew up. I also have a number of duck decoys with muskrat tooth-marks on them.

I agree, to an extent. Cuomo will try, however, and there a lot of sheep/followers who will drink that koolaide. Being NYer's who have lived under that thumb, it's our job to make sure that the rest of the country knows where he stands if/when the time comes. The same can be said for Gillibrand. These are not good people.