Fun With Shooting Sports

Being a gunnie is awesome. We get to play with devices that basically use controlled explosions to propel small projectiles at incredible speeds. Not only do we get to play with these devices but we keep coming up with more awesome ideas for sports involving these devices. Every Day, No Days Off posted about the American Zoot Shooters Association which is basically a multi-gun competition using Prohibition era firearms. Participants dress in era correct apparel making it similar to many of the cowboy action sports except the participants in the Zoot Shoots actually look good while shooting.

I seriously need to bring out my replica Tommy Gun and try this out someday.

Keeping Hidden from Satellite Surveillance

This is an interesting story about how Area 51 was kept hidden from Soviet spy satellites during the Cold War. So how did they do it? Did they use some kind of optical camouflage? Did they have some method of distorting the view of what the satellite picked up? No, the solution was far more low tech:

Often hoisted atop tall poles for radar tests of the planes’ stealthiness, OXCART prototypes were tested outside—making the Soviet spy satellites especially aggravating.

“We had hoot-and-scoot sheds, we called them,” Barnes says in the new National Geographic Channel documentary Area 51 Declassified. (The Channel is part-owned by the National Geographic Society, which owns National Geographic News.)

“If a plane happened to be out in the open while a satellite was coming over the horizon, they would scoot it into that building.”

Former Area 51 procurement manager Jim Freedman adds, “That made the job very difficult, very difficult.

“To start working on the aircraft and then have to run it back into the hangar and then pull it out and then put it in and then pull it out—it gets to be quite a hassle,” Freedman says in the film.

That’s pretty simple and sounds pretty effective. The Soviets couldn’t see what wasn’t there after all. I find the stories of how the Americans and Soviets tried to keep secrets from one another fascinating and I think a general rule of tactics that were both simple and effective eventually sprung up.

Mixed Messages

I think part of the reason politicians anger me so greatly is the simple fact that they’re not consistent (well maybe one or two are consistent). Take for example Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. Leahy has introduced, S. 1011, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2011 which in part would require the government to obtain a search warrant before going to online data service to acquire information on customers. Oh wait I understand why somebody who voted in favor of the PATRIOT Act renewal would introduce this bill, it also expands government power:

The bill isn’t absolutely free of problems: although it clearly would require a warrant for ongoing tracking of your cell phone, it would also and unfortunately preserve the current statutory rule allowing the government to get historical records of your location without probable cause. It also expands the government’s authority to use National Security Letters to obtain rich transactional data about who you communicate with online and when, without probable cause or court oversight. You can count on EFF to press for these problems to be fixed, and for all of the DDP principles to be addressed, as the bill proceeds through Congress.

I was wrong as there are no mixed messages only one consistent message about authoritarianism.

Senate Votes to Extend the PATRIOT Act

The Senate has voted, by a margin of 74 to eight, to shit all over our rights for four more years. This isn’t at all surprise at all. So who were the eight that actually give a shit about us? Well here is the vote breakdown:

Baucus (D-MT)
Begich (D-AK)
Heller (R-NV)
Merkley (D-OR)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Paul (R-KY)
Sanders (I-VT)
Tester (D-MT)

These people are at least decent human beings. Fuck the rest of those yahoos.

Government Officials Covering Up for Other Government Officials

Uncle post up a story that demonstrates once again the conflict of interest that exists when law enforcement and those who determine the justification of law enforcement action are controlled by the same entity.

In this case Pittsburgh police officers beat a man, Jordan Miles, because they’re authoritarian assholes who get off on power trips they claimed to believe Mr. Miles was holding a gun:

The officers say Miles resisted in January 2010 when they claim he was acting suspiciously and thought he had a gun, which the officers claim turned out to be a soda bottle.

So what happened? Simple, the Department of Justice has determined that no charges will be filed against the police:

Under the applicable federal criminal civil rights laws, prosecutors must establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a law enforcement officer willfully deprived an individual of a constitutional right. Proving “willfulness” is a heavy burden, and means that it must be proven that the officer acted with the deliberate and specific intent to do something the law forbids. To act “willfully,” for purposes of the federal statute, means to act with a bad purpose to disobey or disregard the law. Neither negligence, accident, mistake, fear nor bad judgment is sufficient to establish such a criminal violation.

Did you get that? In order for our “justice system” to move against a police officer it has to be determined that the officer “willfully” disobeyed the law. Of course making a mistake or having bad judgement isn’t grounds for such charges. Had you or I been in a similar situation (let’s say you ended up shooting somebody thinking they had a firearm and were going to shoot you) we’d be up on charges so far our heads would spin. I guess the police are just like you and me only better.

My Government Curfew Rant

I mentioned that parts of Northern Minneapolis were under government enforced curfew but honestly I didn’t realize how pissed off the whole idea made me so here is my little rant on the subject. The United States was supposedly founded on the ideals of individual liberty. You were supposed to be free of government interference unless you were actively harming another individual or their property. There was supposed to be little government interference in your life. Well through the centuries our government, like all governments throughout history, has decided to give us all the middle finger.

Now there are few aspects of our lives where government interference can’t be found. Everything we do must be approved, stamped, and sealed. But the idea that a government goon can tell you when you must be in your home and when you can leave is disgusting. They have literally placed you into a prison during the hours of a curfew. The fact that our society has come to a point where it’s felt acceptable for the government to restrict your movements because they declared an emergency is sickening. As a free individuals nobody has the right to tell me when and where I can go unless my travels violate the property rights of another individual.

The only reason the police declare curfews is because they’re lazy and it makes their job easier. Instead of having to deal with those pesky problems like due process a state of emergency gives the police complete power to assume everybody that isn’t in a government approved uniform is doing something wrong. Evidence? Due process? Probable cause? Fuck all that noise, if you’re walking from your neighbor’s home back to your place after a specified hour you must be up to something wrong! After all anybody who disobeys the orders of our glorious leaders is probably a subversive person and should be dealt with anyways.

I haven’t granted the government any authority over my person, especially when it comes to my free movements. The people in Northern Minneapolis are being punished by the state because their homes happened to be conveniently located right in the path of Mother Nature’s range induced path of destruction. Those denizens are being imprisoned in their own homes by the government because of events nobody could control. I’m sure it goes without further saying but the entire concept of a government mandated curfew pisses me right the fuck off.

Congress Voting to Extend the PATRIOT Act

As it’s not getting much play in the news I thought I’d let everybody know that the PATRIOT Act is up for renewal. I can already tell you that the renewal will go through and we’ll be subjected for several more years of government tyranny in the name of fighting a tactic which is impossible.

There isn’t much left to say on the PATRIOT Act other than it remains a great litmus test to show us which of our “representatives” are against our rights and which are completely against our rights (OK there is also Ron Paul who has proven he’s for our rights but he’s a very rare individuals indeed).

Police Block Off North Side Minneapolis

For those of you unaware tornados touched down in the northern region of Minneapolis and caused some pretty major damage. The local police have basically blocked the region off and sent those living there packing:

Minneapolis police established an “exclusion zone” Monday for a section of the city’s tornado-stricken North Side, where only residents will be allowed entry once officials deem the areas safe.

The impact of Sunday’s tornado is also closing schools, rerouting traffic and sending hundreds of people to seek shelter from their damaged homes.

Basically the affected areas are basically under martial law with curfew in place and everything:

Although rumors of looting were largely unfounded, the 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew that was first instituted Sunday night will remain for the next “couple of days,” Rybak said. The curfew is not only to deter potential crime but to keep people safe.

Remember citizen if you’re found outside of your home after curfew you will be shot or arrested depending on how the officer who find you feels at the time. I’m sorry but I despise government enforced curfews. They have no right to tell anybody when they can and can’t be in their home. If somebody wishes to walk around a dangerous area in the middle of the night that is their business and their business alone. Frankly I find it absolutely disgusting that government agents can keep your imprisoned in your home for whatever hours they deem fit regardless of any situation.

Those of you living in the areas affected by the tornadoes have my sympathies. You also have my sympathies for being subjected to government mandated removal of your rights.

Minnesota Senate Doesn’t Want You to Defend Yourself

The Minnesota senate has sent a clear message to the citizens of the state; we don’t want you being able to legally defend yourself in your own home. They sent this message in the form of blocking the Defense of Dwelling and Person Act from being voted on. I’m not at all surprised by this as our “representatives” have never really been too keen on actually representing us.

So what is to be done now? Well you should certainly call senate members and let them know you’re not too happy with their decision to avoid giving you better tools to defend yourself. You can also remember this next election cycle and ensure these “representatives” no longer have jobs. Personally I don’t take getting fucked by politicians well and thus will work hard to ensure the clowns currently sitting in the Capitol won’t be coming back next election cycle.

The job of the government from a politician’s point of view is to fuck over the people as thoroughly as possible.