Red Dots

6" Ruger SA .17HMR


The Bushnell was just too bulky, it was replaced with an ATN Compact Digital sight. It has a choice of three reticles and has an on/off switch unlike the FirePoint on my 10mm Glock.


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Here's the ATN


These are 10 yard sight-in groups. The red dot sight sits high above the barrel so I like to have it sighted in to hit a little low at this distance and then be just about right on at 50 yards or so.
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These were shot at about 45 yards in fading light this evening. The ATN's red dot is a little too big as it seemed to cover most of the 5.5" target. It worked well on 20oz water bottles at about 25 yards so it should shoot minute-of-gopher. Maybe find out this coming weekend. The two large cartridges are 17 HMR with a 22 long rifle for comparison.

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Musings

It's too wet !

I think some parts of the lawn are going to be subject to "drown out." Makes me think I'm back farming but at least our life savings aren't planted in the lawn like a farmers field is.

Spoiled, whining fans !

Show me another race track with two main features every week. Stop whining about the River Cities Speedway and show me where, anywhere, they have Late Models AND Sprints racing every week throughout the summer. There are a lot of tracks that don't race any higher than Modifieds every week. If the same number of folks that come to each Friday night race, showed up at special events like the Late Model Special, maybe the tickets would be cheaper. Just guessing here as I don't know for sure.

Ex-Wives Club

While working on Joker's training trail log and waiting for my turn on the treadmill (is working & waiting multi-tasking?) I happened to channel surf onto the Ex-Wives Club. Sorta interesting, especially when they blew up Ex-Hubby's pride and joy ski-boat. Wonder what the environmental expense for the clean-up was. Dumping gasoline in the water and throwing a lit flare in the water/gasoline. I wonder how they got the boat to stop where it was when they sent if off from the dock with nobody in it. It was pretty neat watching it explode.

Weather & Dog hair

ND weather! Where it's 90* and humid one day and nearly jacket weather less than 48 hours later. The heat really makes the big dogs shed. My wife claims we get enough hair to make another dog every spring. I hope not. We buy enough dog food and scoop enough poop as it is without adding any more. If someone could come up with a marketable use for doggy doo, count us in.

"Invitation only" blog. Why bother?

What's the deal with Voice of Dakota Blog? Were some of us too hard on her? Too controversial for her "day job"? It seems to work pretty good for 2E at the City Beat but since he does a lot of research for his "day job" it may not work as well for others. I guess there's a difference between having time to write it and wait for it to be seen/read and having to think fast at a microphone. (honestly - I couldn't do justice to either, but don't tell anyone)

Later . . . . .

NPBA Seminar pictures

National Police Bloodhound Assoc. Seminar pictures.

Vilas County, Eagle River Wisconsin

2 months short of her 9th birthday

"Trail" was one of our first bloodhounds and she died one year ago today.
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I always thought she was "flipping me off" in this picture.
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Here she is with one of our granddaughters.
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Alyssa is going to read to Trail.

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here's my email message sent to friends a year ago:

Trail died today.

She had been throwing up and we thought she had eaten something she shouldn't have, but it didn't get better as the day went on.

She refused to eat anything all day and this morning she was way too lethargic. We took her to the vet and he found a lump in her abdomen and it appeared that she was bleeding internally. She died on the table with Helen & I with her.

She was a champion counter surfer and we had to keep everything back from the edge. Her hips were getting arthritic and she would have good & bad days. Every time we went out to scoop poop she would come along because she knew she would be let out of the fence for awhile. She would prance around in front of the other dogs that were still inside the fence.

She taught me which end of the rope the dope was on and it wasn't the one with the raised tail.

It's been a terrible day around here and Trooper appears to know something is wrong.

Trooper is one of her pups that we still have.


"Trail" and "Trooper" (about 2002)

Latest project

About 90% finished. Needs a coat of paint, a rear tie-down, and a padded floor.

It should get us and our gear most anywhere we need to go.


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Mattie isn't too impressed.



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Joker says "Add some carpet down here and not so bad!"



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Joker & I are leaving in about 8 hours for a National Police Bloodhound Assoc. training seminar in Wisconsin. He's laying by my chair wondering about all the preparation going on over the past few days. Mattie won't be happy being left behind but she had her training weekend away from home a couple of weekends ago. Now it's Joker's turn.

Gun violence solved ! ! ! ! ! !

It's all here, (somewhere)

What Are You Going to Do about Gun Violence?
Keep Up the Pressure: Our Leaders Need to Do More than Offer Condolences

We Can Do Something about Gun Violence.
See Brady in the News.




Dear C. Y.,

I'm charged up after my appearance with Jim on CBS's Face the Nation Sunday morning. And I'm even more excited that so many of you have taken action in the wake of last week's tragic shootings at Virginia Tech.

More than 50,000 calls and emails have been made to our elected leaders to ask them "What are YOU going to do about gun violence," including thousands to President Bush, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader Reid.

This pressure is absolutely critical if we don't want our leaders to retreat and do nothing after offering condolences.

So thank you! But we need to keep that momentum going. Please support our efforts today.

Why do we have to keep the pressure on? Because every day in America, 32 people are murdered by guns. The same number that was killed last Monday.

A supporter last week had the great idea of asking her friends to donate $32 to the Brady Campaign. So we are asking you to do the same now. Please give $32 today.

Despite the daily toll of gun deaths, Congress has done nothing. And to help your Brady Campaign keep the heat on Congress, we are asking you for your financial support right now.

As a nation, we can do better. And to keep the dialogue going and the momentum building to find a solution, please keep asking the question "What are YOU going to do about gun violence in America?"

Sincerely,

Sarah Brady, Chair
Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

Someone tell the ignorant twit, should that be capitalized "Ignorant Twit"?

But anyway, someone needs to tell the Ignorant Twit she should be pushing to make murder illegal. That way I can enjoy my guns and she can continue to beg for money every time some gets murdered.

Hot off the wires . . . .

This just in: Disney to hold press conference at 10:00 a.m. today. Word on the street is that Disney will apologize for the Seven Dwarfs singing "Hi Ho, Hi Ho" in the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Disney plans to remove all items, currently for sale, associated with this movie. This includes books, dolls, and movies.

Later in the week the Seven Dwarfs will appear on the Al Sharpton radio show to apologize and undergo a 7 hour grilling.

Je$$ee Jack$son has not been contacted for comment on this. His office stated that he and his personal secretary were attending a meeting in the Bahamas. However, people at PUSH hinted that a large protest is being scheduled at Disney World.

Snow White could not be reached for comment.

What's Sarah Brady's answer to evil??

Send money!! It's an opportunity to ask for more donations.

"This is a college Columbine."
-Virginia Tech Student, Fox Television News, April 16, 2007

Dear C. Y. ,

Yesterday, we witnessed America's worst mass shooting on the campus of Virginia Tech. Thirty-three students and faculty were killed, including the gunman. At least fifteen more were wounded.

How many deaths and injuries must we endure before our nation's elected officials act to end gun violence? We must ask our leaders: "What are you going to do about it?" What are you going to do to make our schools, workplaces, and communities safe from gun violence?

President George W. Bush said yesterday that schools should be a place of "safety and sanctuary for every student," but he and other national leaders do nothing to ensure that safety. They provide condolences, and then do nothing to stop future tragedies.

Eight years ago this week, we watched in horror as students at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado fled a mass shooting. Twelve students and one teacher were killed. Just seven months ago, five girls were gunned down in a school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

These aren’t isolated incidents. February 12, 2007, Salt Lake City: A teen opens fire in a mall killing five and wounding four. On the same day in Philadelphia: Three men fatally shot and a fourth wounded at a board meeting. January 11, 2007, Indianapolis: A man shoots four fellow employees. The list goes on and on.

There are common threads in all of these tragedies — it is much too easy for the wrong people to get high-powered, deadly weapons and our leaders fail to do anything about the problem.

It is urgent that you email or call your elected officials today.
They must hear that you want action to keep guns out of the wrong hands.

Please make as many of these phone calls as you can:

President George W. Bush 202-456-1414 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi 202-225-0100 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid 202-224-5556

The message for all three calls is simple:

It is much too easy for the wrong people to get deadly weapons in this country. It is time for you to take steps to end gun violence to prevent tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech.

If you can't make the calls, you can click here to send an email, which will go to the President, the Speaker, the Majority Leader, as well as your U.S. Senators and Representative. One click will email all six of them.

The Brady Campaign is working nonstop to get the message out that there are solutions to gun violence. We can ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips that make it so easy to kill quickly . . . we can require Brady background checks for all gun sales, including at gun shows . . . we can stop large-volume gun sales that supply illegal gun traffickers. These are just some of the steps we can take to make it harder for the wrong people to get guns.

We are building a crescendo of public outcry to ensure that action is taken. We are aggressively rallying support among allies for our solutions. And we need your continued support to make it happen. Please make a contribution now to keep the momentum going. When you do, a generous donor will match your gift.

Gun violence is a solvable problem. We know it won’t be easy. But we can make it harder for the wrong people to get their hands on guns through strong gun laws.

It is time for our nation’s leaders have courage to say "no" to the gun lobby's mantra of any gun, anywhere, at anytime for anyone, while wrapping it in distortions about "freedom" and "liberty."

Americans have the right to live free from the constant fear of gun violence. Please take a moment to forward this email to friends and families.

Thank you for your support.


Sincerely,
Your Friends at StopTheNRA

What an ignorant twit.

When are people going to realize there is "evil" out there and until there is a reliable test for "evil" we are basically stuck with it.

What can we do about it? Don't sit on your a$$ and wait, for one thing. Prepare yourself to deal with it. If you want to call 911 and wait for help it's your choice but instead of passing one more stupid law "for the children" get off your a$$ and take on "evil" with something besides a phone.

Jihad movie

Watch this and then comment.

As long as you are at it, view this.

Bloodhound

Definition of a Bloodhound:
Life support for a nose.

I wish I could say that glow from behind his head is a halo but Joker is no angel.

I wanna go outside!

2 bloodhounds
1 basset
1 lab
all waiting to go outside.

Ever wonder where the "2 much dog hair" came from ????

(There's two mini-dauchsunds in the other room.)

Urine test email

I'm sure you've seen this email making the rounds. It arrived a couple of days ago in our email:

Urine test

"Like a lot of folks in this state I have a job. I work, they pay me.

I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit.

In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test, with which I have no problem. What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them??

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do on the other hand have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ass.

Could you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?????

Where I work we aren't yet required to do random urine tests. We may be required to take one if we are involved in an accident with a company car or in another incident involving the company and we're thinking it won't be long until they become random.

Personally I couldn't care less except I haven't seen a policy on how would handle a positive result, especially since I'm sure they won't be spending the money for the best test available.

So, going back to the email, who would pay for the tests? How would they handle positives results, especially false positives? Retests?

I also agree with the general gist of the email, it would just take some planning.

My new litterbox ! ! ! ! !

We almosts match . . . .

Easter may be late

Sorry.....

My cent & a half ->

Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant"

is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist."

I profit from my spouse's misfortune!

Gotta know the opposition you know.

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Dear -------- ,

Last week, a Federal Appeals Court overturned Washington D.C.’s long-standing restrictions on handguns — a decision that endangers all of America’s gun laws.

This case is most likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court and we have a tidal wave of work to do before it gets there.

This battle — to its very core — is the most important battle we have ever waged. We need your help today to build a strong Brady Gun Law Defense Fund to save America’s gun laws.

This fight is so critical to the safety and sanity of our nation that an anonymous donor has extended his challenge and will match dollar for dollar all gifts to this Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Your gift will be fully tax deductible.

The threat to all our gun laws is truly unprecedented. The hypocrisy of the ruling is astounding.

What is at stake for you and your community? An emboldened gun lobby will use the ruling to challenge strong local, state and federal gun laws.

We must prepare for an onslaught of lawsuits in which gun laws will be challenged under this new reading of the Second Amendment — a strategy the gun lobby rarely used because of past legal decisions … until now. And, if the U.S. Supreme Court reverses itself and adopts the “individual right to bear arms” view approved by the Federal Appeals Court, all good gun laws everywhere could be at risk …

... from the long-standing machine gun ban … to the 1968 Gun Control Act … to the Brady Background Check Law.

… to your local and state laws … like the ones in California and New Jersey banning Assault Weapons … and many more.

These and many other life-saving laws promoting public safety are at risk. And we need to be ready for an immediate onslaught of challenges and fight them tooth and nail. We need your help today with a tax-deductible gift!

Why is this ruling so radical? Because the decision defies almost 70 years of legal precedent. All courts before this — save one — have ruled that the Second Amendment is not an individual right to bear arms, and this is the first Federal Appeals Court ever to declare a gun law unconstitutional based on the Second Amendment.

In her dissent, Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson wrote that Second Amendment rights relate to “Those militia whose continued vitality is required to safeguard the individual state.” Unlike Judge Henderson, the two judge majority ruled against decades of legal precedent…

… And completely disregarded the democratically-expressed will of the people of the District of Columbia, depriving D.C. citizens of a strict handgun law enacted thirty years ago.

Talk about judicial activism! We can’t help but note the unbelievable hypocrisy here too. Conservatives cry and gnash their teeth about activism from the bench. This decision is judicial activism at its worst.

Judge Silberman, who wrote the majority opinion, is well-known for his close ties to the right-wing. Now — with quintessential judicial activism from the bench — the gun lobby threatens to achieve through the courts what it has been unable to do in Congress.

This is going to be a long, hard fight, but with your help we will save our nation’s gun laws. We will keep you up-to-date as we confront this extraordinary threat to our efforts to reduce gun violence. But right now, we need your support to build our Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Remember that right now your gift to this fund will be doubled! Please act now.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brady, Chair

P.S. Your gift will be worth double when you give to our Brady Gun Law Defense Fund. Please give a tax-deductible gift today.



You can also mail a check to:
Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence
1xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxyz
Washington, DC 20005

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I'm no rocket scientist nor played one on TV but most intelligent people
don't blame inanimate objects for things people do.
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Spring appears to just around the corner

I guess an indication that spring is almost here, the dUMB aSS was driving through the parking lot announcing to the world he/she has a 4-wheeled stereo system.

Couldn't miss it.

In fact it could be heard a few rows away and then as got closer, it's windows rattled.

I'd love to put a Louisville slugger right through the side window just to advise the driver that a stereo is no big deal. Most every car has one now days. Even my 8 year old suburban has a pretty dang good system. No problems at all hearing the words while listening to MacTalk or Rant of Dakota, I just don't share with everyone in a 50 foot radius.

Makes me cringe knowing it's almost time for the the 2 wheeled mufflerless leg removers to start cruising.

I used to live on a street corner with a stop sign. Never failed whenever the 2 wheelers stopped at the sign during the night they couldn't leave quietly.

The person that invents a muffler that cannot be removed will be a millionaire.

I wonder what happens when the dUMB aSS meets the loud 2 wheeler?
(can't hear the other one since they are already deaf ? )

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This is not new, but it's still a very good explanation of our tax system and very relevant after the last election.

This is a really good explanation of how “tax cuts” really work! Lets put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten men comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay $1.

The sixth would pay $3.

The seventh $7.

The eighth $12.

The ninth $18.

The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve.

“Since you are all such good customers, “ he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20.

So, now the dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So, the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free.

But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his “fair share”? The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being PAID to eat their meal.

Finally, the restaurant owner suggested it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).

The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).

The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).

The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).

The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).

The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the sixth was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But, once outside of the restaurant, they began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man “but he got $10.

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than me!”

“That’s true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I only got $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all! The system exploits the poor!” The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money to between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore. There are lots of good restaurants in Europe and the Caribbean if you don’t like the food in the United States.