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A while back I wrote about my experience in the Keller Citizen’s Fire Academy and CERT class when we were given a chance to suit up in full bunker gear and go into a darkened room.  This morning we went to an old house here in town and did the exercise in a more realistic environment.  Before we entered they filled the house with smoke (theatrical smoke, rather than the real thing) and then took in a “baby” that we had to go find (it was actually a rope bag). 

They sent us in in groups of four with a hose line.  I was the first one in, so in addition to carrying the nozzle I had to feel out the obstacles in the environment and relay that information back to the people behind me.  We followed a left-hand search pattern, which means we stayed to the left and always took left turns.  I have to say that crawling on your hands and knees, carrying the hose line, and feeling your way around is a pretty tough thing to do.  You almost need a third hand to do it all.  As for actually being able to find anything, I’m amazed that we did it.  The third person in our line was the one who found the baby.  It was fortunate that he did so when he did, because just after that I heard the low air warning bells coming from someone else’s pack.  At that point we all turned around and followed the hose line outside.

One thing that I found amazing is that more firefighters aren’t injured doing search and rescue.  Something you don’t think about, but that poses a real hazard, is a drop-off.  Since they’re feeling their way around, they can’t easily tell that there’s a drop-off in front of them.  An example of this would be a sunken living room or a garage.  In some houses, the garage may be several feet below the floor level of the rest of the house.  We had one that was only a few inches and it felt like a mile when I stumbled across it with my knees.

It was definitely an eye-opening experience.  In a real fire you won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face because of the smoke, and it’s imperative that you stay low as the smoke above you is extremely hot.  Not only would you not be able to breathe, you would be burned.

Here’s a good shot of how thick the smoke was as one of our class members was entering:

I’m off to the range for the evening.  Provided I’m ideologically pure enough to be allowed to do so. 

Is it just me or does anyone else find the idea of the The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie 300 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway humorous?  I wonder how the macho, beer-drinking race demographic is going to like this one…

I went off on somebody yesterday in the comments to this post.  I don’t usually do that.  People who have read this site for a while know I’m usually pretty mellow.  But there’s one area that pushes my buttons and I’m going to have to learn to calm down.

Why is it that some people feel the need to attack other RKBA supporters if they aren’t Republicans and/or they don’t care for George W. Bush?  My post was about how I don’t think Bush is a really good friend to RKBA and I was trying to imply that I’d need a clothespin to hold my nose as I voted for him, given that I didn’t see any other choice.  (On a tangent, a lot of people harp on the Second Amendment, but I think that too easily lets people forget that RKBA is a human right and it would exist regardless of the 2nd.)

As I mentioned in the comments, I’m neither a conservative nor a liberal (at least in the current usage of the term).  I’ve tried on a number of parties and ideologies over time.  When I was in college, I was a Democrat as I didn’t know any other position.  That’s just how I was raised.  My father was quite a bit older than my mother and he had survived the Great Depression as a teenager (he was 18 in November, 1929).  As far as he was concerned, Democrats could do no wrong and FDR was a god among men.  As I got out into the “real world” I started noticing how things weren’t as simple as the Democrats made things out to be.  Idealism is nice, but it tarnishes a bit when it meets reality.  After the 1994 crime bill and assault weapons ban passed, I really started questioning things, as RKBA was an area I never compromised, despite my Democratic leanings.  That got me started moving towards the Republicans to the point where I actually considered myself a Republican around the time of the 1996 elections. 

However, my brief foray into the Republican party was not to last.  Their social conservatism was simply unacceptable to me.  Having a number of gay and lesbian friends, I couldn’t accept their views on homosexuality.  Further, even as a Democrat, I had a strong respect for individual rights and the Constitution, so I never could see a justification for continuing the war on (some) drugs, or the war on porn, or the war on people’s right to die, or anything else where I didn’t see anyone else being harmed.  I started exploring other ideological alternatives, finally coming to rest in the Libertarian party by the 2000 elections.  I even toyed with hard-core anarcho-capitalism for a while, but ultimately gave it up as unworkable. 

So, like everyone else I suppose, 9/11/2001 changed things for me.  When Harry Browne started sending out essays on how it was America’s fault that we were attacked, I found that my core values couldn’t accept that.  Even back when I was a Democrat, I was for a strong national defense (I suppose that was the Southern Democrat upbringing, which is probably why Zell Miller’s speech at the Republican National Convention resonated with me a bit).  So I found myself in agreement with a Republican president when he went into Afganistan to root out Al Queda (and the Taliban, which supported them).  I reluctantly agreed with his decision to go into Iraq.  Despite the absence of WMD, I’ve come to fully support him on that as we’ve learned more about how things were in Iraq under Saddam Hussein.

I used to say I was a single-issue voter, and that issue was RKBA.  If RKBA was the only issue, I wouldn’t vote for Bush.  However, I understand that our country’s security takes precedence over all the other things I hate about Bush’s policies.  I just hate having to be forced to make that choice, and I’m going to complain about it from time to time.

I’m not going to enthusiastically support George W. Bush.  I’m not going to join the RNC.  I’m not going to ask “How high?” when the NRA says to jump.  If that somehow makes me a traitor to RKBA, then so be it.  However, anyone who really knows my position on RKBA and continues to think that is deluded. 

I suppose the question for Republican NRA members to ask themselves is whether they want as many allies as they can get in the fight for RKBA or do they want ideological purity?  If they want allies, they will have to accept that some of us aren’t conservatives and don’t belong to the RNC.  Otherwise, they can continue to attack other RKBA supporters, thereby alienating potential allies.  It’s their choice.

Update:  In an interesting display of synchronicity, Stephen Green expresses a lot of the same ideas, although he does so more eloquently than I did.

The NRA finally made their official endorsement of George W. Bush for re-election today (or more accurately, the NRA Political Victory Fund did).  In addition to the above news release, they sent out an email (reproduced in the extended text section) that tries to rally members to participate in the Bush-Cheney campaign.

What I found interesting was the elephant in the room that Mr. Cox failed to acknowledge, specifically the President’s promise that he would sign an “Assault Weapons” ban renewal if it came to him.  Frankly, I don’t care if he didn’t think one would ever get to him.  That he would support such a thing tells me that he’s no real friend to gun owners, despite his past in Texas.  Sure, he’s better than John Kerry, but then a crack-addled syphilitic howler monkey with a case of diarrhea would be better than John Kerry.

So, I don’t think I’ll be enthusiastically running out to join the Bush-Cheney campaign.  If NRA really wants people like me to get out and vote for Bush, perhaps they’d be better served by sending out some of these to the members.

Below is the full test of the National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund endorsement press release.  (Note that I have added a bunch of verbiage here to prevent the EE Acronym Plugin from munging the first couple of lines, which breaks EE’s use of eval() in the templates).

NRA’S POLITICAL VICTORY FUND ENDORSES PRESIDENT BUSH!

Today, NRA’s Political Victory Fund (www.NRAPVF.org) endorsed President George W. Bush for re-election to the White House.

“On behalf of NRA’s four million members and tens of millions of American gun owners and sportsmen I’m proud to endorse President Bush for re-election to the White House,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “The differences between President Bush and John Kerry on issues of concern to gun owners and sportsmen couldn’t be clearer. John Kerry has never met a gun control bill he didn’t like. He has voted against gun owners more than 50 times as a U.S. Senator, and has accepted the endorsement of the Humane Society of the United States-one of the most virulently anti-hunting organizations in America,” Cox added.

“NRA stands with President George W. Bush on November 2,” said Wayne LaPierre, NRA Executive Vice President. “If you believe in freedom and want to preserve the Second Amendment for future generations, vote to re-elect President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In the United States we have a long tradition of hunting and sport shooting,” stated LaPierre. “President Bush and Vice President Cheney both love to hunt and fish. They know the Constitution guarantees people the personal right to bear arms. And, they want to pass the values of our Nation on to a new generation.”

President Bush: Friend of Gun Owners

• The Bush Administration stated, “that the text and original intent of the Second Amendment clearly protect the right of individuals to keep and bear firearms,” reversing the Clinton Administration position that the Second Amendment only applies to state militias;
• President Bush sent representatives to the United Nations with a clear message: we will not allow the UN to impose international regulations that would violate the Second Amendment and infringe on our sovereignty;
• George W. Bush respects America’s sporting and hunting heritage. His administration signed an agreement with 17 major sportsmen’s organizations to improve hunting and fishing access to Federal lands, and initiated a conservation agenda to protect millions of acres of forest, wetlands, and grasslands for future generations of hunters;
• As President, he gave money to prosecute federal gun crimes through Project Safe Neighborhoods and signed a national Right-to-Carry law for law enforcement officers;
• President Bush knows that holding the American firearm industry responsible for the acts of criminals is wrong. That’s why he supported the “Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act,” to prevent reckless lawsuits against lawful American businesses.

John Kerry: A Gun Owner’s Worst Nightmare

• Kerry voted in 2004 to ban most center-fire rifle ammunition, including the most common rounds used by deer hunters, siding with Ted Kennedy, and said in a CNN interview, “I think you ought to tax all ammunition more, personally, I think you ought to tax guns.” (“Late Edition,” Nov. 7, 1993);
• Kerry cast numerous votes to ban guns, and currently is a co-sponsor of S. 1431, which would ban all semi-automatic shotguns, all semi-automatic rifles with detachable magazines, and many other guns commonly used by sportsmen;
• Kerry voted to effectively shut down gun shows in America; voted to hold firearm manufacturers responsible for the acts of criminals; and voted 11 times to impose waiting periods on law-abiding gun buyers;
• Kerry has a 100% voting record with, and earned the endorsement of, the Brady Campaign (Formerly Handgun Control, Inc.)-a group that says you have no right to own any gun. And, he repeatedly earns the support of PETA and the Humane Society of the United States-groups who openly want to ban all hunting in America.

Chris Cox summed it up well: “Without a doubt, John Kerry and John Edwards are the most anti-gun presidential ticket in our country’s history.”

Not understating the importance of the November 2 election for the future of our Second Amendment rights, Wayne LaPierre concluded, “The future of our freedom is at stake on November 2. Join with us, and ask your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen to join with us, in voting for a freer and stronger America. Vote to re-elect President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.”

There are a number of ways you can get involved with the Bush-Cheney re-election efforts:

1) The Republican National Committee (RNC) has put together a sportsmen specific 72-Hour Deployment plan. This entails sportsmen and sportswomen from “non-target” states traveling to “target” states to organize sportsmen during the last 72 hours of the campaign. A 72-Hour Task Force Volunteer must be willing to participate in grassroots activities such as walking door to door, mailing literature, and phone banking. He or she must be willing to commit at least five to seven (or even more) days of his time to the 72-Hour Task Force Volunteer Program (though if you can only volunteer a couple/few days, you will be utilized). Each volunteer would need to commit to arriving in the assigned target state no later than the evening of Thursday, October 28, and stay through Election Day. Travel and hotel expenses would be covered. In addition, volunteers will receive a per diem for food. (The RNC will make your travel arrangements.) If you or someone you know can help with this endeavor, please contact Angela Hill at (202) 863-8600 or via e-mail at: ahill -at- rnchq.org. WHEN CONTACTING ANGELA, PLEASE LET HER KNOW YOUR ARE AN NRA MEMBER AND SECOND AMENDMENT SUPPORTER!

2) Please contact your local NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC), who is a local NRA member spearheading our pro-gun volunteer campaign efforts. To locate your EVC, please visit NRA’s websites (www.NRAILA.org or www.NRAPVF.org) or contact the ILA Grassroots Division at (800) 392-VOTE-8683.

An interesting thought just occurred to me.  Under the “sneak and peak” rules created by FISA in 1994, the FBI is allowed to get a FISA warrant under which it has the authority to enter your house, photograph your papers, duplicate your computer hard drive, and never let you know it’s been there.

I wonder how they would accomplish the task of duplicating my hard drives?  My computer systems are a) always powered on, b) protected by screen lock passwords when not in use, c) protected by power-on passwords, and d) require a valid id and password to log on.  Further, the system that stores most of my important data is a Linux system using a RAID-5 array.  I will notice if that system is powered off and tampered with.  Not only would they have to take the system down, they’d have to root it and remove all traces of the shutdown and restart, and then somehow restore my desktop to its original state (which might vary based on whatever I was doing last before I locked it).  At least they’d have to do that if they wanted an exact duplicate of the hard drives.  If they just wanted the data, perhaps they could root it and plug in a USB device (and then remove the evidence from the logs, since Linux logs these connections). 

If I really wanted to be paranoid I suppose I could hook up motion sensitive cameras to my computer and have it upload the pictures to an offsite server somewhere everytime it noticed movement as well as storing them in encrypted form in several hidden locations on several hard drives (just in case they got smart and posed as Verizon techs and disabled my internet connection and phone, which takes out the alarm system as well). 

This makes for an entertaining thought exercise.  Trying to come up with a foolproof way to determine someone with lots of technical knowledge, power, and resources has secretly entered your house.  The cards are stacked against you.

For my NRA post I wanted a picture of a clothespin.  While looking for one I learned that you have to be sure to vet your search results carefully if you just Google for clothespins.  The first link was to a BDSM FAQ on how to use clothespins for sexual purposes, the second was to a domain for sale, and the third was to another BDSM article.

The fourth link looked more promising, until I clicked it and realized that “JT’s Stockroom” is a BDSM shop, and these clothespins were special, having been coated in black rubber to eliminate the “scratchy feel of bare wood.”  How considerate of them, although I wonder just how much this helps, given what they’re planning to do with them.   

A quick note to police and other public servants.  Unless you’re currently serving in the military, you may not call me a civilian.  If I hear this word out of your mouths, I know immediately that you are not to be trusted.

I was paging through Cabela’s Christmas catalog last night and came across this:

It’s a gas-powered blender called the TailGator.  It’s got a 24cc Poulan 2-stroke 2-1/4 hp engine.

For when you absolutely have to make a margarita right now and the nearest electrical outlet is 20 miles away.

I saw something on the news this morning that pissed me off to the point where I was yelling obscenities at a Colleyville police officer and an airhead reporter.  It seems that some miscreants are targeting home owners in the Colleyville and Coppell areas for home invasion robberies.

Police in Colleyville and Coppell are warning homeowners to be alert after a string of home invasion robberies.

The departments are investigating four incidents that happened around 10 p.m. Monday night. Authorities believe they are all related.

Police are encouraging residents to lock their doors and be aware of their surroundings. The suspects are armed and searching for easy opportunities, they said.

That’s bad enough, but what got me was that the cops are pushing the typical “give them what they want” crap. 

Police said the robberies were crimes of opportunity and added that only a trained expert should ever try to confront a suspect.

“The bad guy has the advantage,” Hudgins said. “He knows what he’s gonna do, whereas the complainant or the victim doesn’t know what is going to happen next.”

“Just give them what they want. If they’re not gonna hurt you, then you’re that much better off.”

To which I can only say, “Bullshit!”  We all know that simply giving them what they want doesn’t work anymore.  You’re just as likely to get shot after complying as you would if you’d resisted these days. 

Of course, if you’re in condition white, you’re an easy target and it’s too late after the robbers stick a gun in your face.  One of the problems here is that people get a false sense of security and let down their guard at home, especially because Colleyville hasn’t had a home invasion in seven years prior to this string of them.  People need to remember to stay alert (condition yellow) and be prepared.  If they do this, it negates the bad guy’s advantage.

Frankly, I’m a bit disappointed.  This is Texas after all.  We should be getting righteous shooting reports out of Colleyville or Coppell instead of more “trained expert” nonsense!  Anyone who would invade someone’s home at gunpoint deserves whatever they get.