Love (of Country) and a 7.62x51mm

new M14

2010-02-10T22:25:00.001-05:00

The new baby has arrived, M14 with a shorty barrel... Handles great, can't wait to play outside with it.

Life has gotten in the way of shooting lately!

Suffice to say that I think Smith Enterprise did a great job on her. I'll know more when I get to actually make noise with her...

2009-12-23T14:40:00.001-05:00

Oh wow. Smith just called and mentioned that the new baby should be finished a couple months ahead of schedule!!!!!!

I can't WAIT..... More when I get the official word.

6.8 & other AR oddities

2009-12-16T15:50:00.002-05:00

Well, I have to admit it, I have been suffering from BRD a little lately (Black Rifle Disease). and ARs (Another Rifle)s have found there way into my gun collection.

I have had a 5.56 for about a year or so, and my latest add is a 6.8. Both of them are effective at far less range than the M14, but for women, children, and guys who don't / won't train, well let's say that a 150meter rifle is fine for them!

Saw a chart the other day recommended to me by a friend. Over at the ammo oracle.

Interesting stuff about what velocity the 5.56 stops fragmenting, and what length of barrel keeps the bullet going that fast out to certain ranges. Turns out that my 16" M4gery is good with 55grain projos out to 150 meters, but a 14.5" is only good to about 100 meters!!

Black rifles will never replace my M14 for that AT&T moment.. (For you young guys AT&T made famous a commercial about "reach out and touch someone"...)

Fuggit

2009-12-16T13:09:00.003-05:00

I'm back. Back as in trying to post something instead of gaffing off this blog.

So, here's what's up: Got to shoot last weekend, had a blast.

Got to infect a friend with M14-itis (that's the disease where you feel the need to sell all the shit you own to make possible the purchase of a M14). Which was cool.

Referred him to the posts here on the M14 to help explain things.

In Wisconsin and it's cold. More later.

It's April 19th

2009-04-19T10:32:00.002-04:00

If you don't know the significance of the date today, here is a little reminder:

#1 April 19th 1775 Battle of Concord Green and Lexington (the Shot Heard 'Round the World)

#2 April 19th 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising (The Jews in the ghetto resist the German Army for 27 days, longer than either the French or Polish armies resisted...)

#3 April 19th 1993 Burning of Waco's Branch Davidian Church (The US Government, led by Attorney General Janet Reno, decides to use gas grenades that are known to incinerate wood on a wooden structure)

#4 April 19th 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing (Someone, purportedly Timothy McVeigh, blows up the Edward R. Murrah building in OKC, killing 168...Mysteriously, the ATF and FBI offices in the building were vacant that morning)

Some quite pivotal events on April 19th...

Obama vs. Nat Taggart

2009-04-17T13:54:00.002-04:00

Yesterday and Today, the media has been abuzz with Obama's 'lets play with trains' statement. You can see that here. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/16/obama.rail/

Which got me to wondering, why in the name of all that is socialist and unholy does he want to subsidize another ailing and failing industry??? Well I guess I had no further to look than the book that I've been struggling with for a couple (sigh.. four) months now: Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

I do know that Atlas Shrugged basically spells out the leftist / socialist / communist manifesto, I forgot that the main character of the book is a railroad tycoon. Maybe while BarryO was reading Atlas Shrugged (and ignoring the MEANING of the book while MISINTERPRETING the good versus evil struggle in the book) he decided that, like the Taggarts, he should have a railroad to play with...

?? what happened here??

2009-03-26T19:50:00.001-04:00

One of the blogs that I try to read regularly, the Survivalist, has disappeared..... Anyone know what's going on with that???

Gun Shows used to be Fun Shows...

2009-03-22T13:43:00.003-04:00

Went to a local show here in Orlando (local this week...) this morning. Nine dollars to get in, 3 hours of walking, and the only thing I picked up was 4 boxes of .30 carbine ammo.... Came close to pulling the trigger on a 7mm Mag, but $475 seemed high, looked at a couple century arms rifles (1 L1A1, 1 AK47), neither sparked my fancy hard enough to get cash out of the wallet...

Ammo prices... Folks, lets face it.. Gun shows suck anymore... The average I saw FMJ 9mm going for over $20 for a 50 round box. FMJ! FMJ .308 / 7.62NATO? the CHEAPEST I found was .66 a round (300 round can for $200). But the going rate on it was closer to $1 a round. Much of it was OVER $1 a round... for FMJ! I found some .308 168gr match for close to that price!!!

Found .30 carbine for $40 for 50 rounds... Almost laughed in that guys face. Ended up getting mine for close to half what he was asking....

Saw a Chicom M14.. $1600... Laughed. He had a bunch of "USGI" 30 rounders too. LoL.

Anyway, this is the first time ever in my life that I have wandered a gun show for 3 hours and struggled to make a single purchase. Big time bummer!

ETA: Also, can ANYONE tell me why in the hell the ATF has a booth at a gunshow???? Isn't that like the DEA having a booth at a Cottonmouth Kings concert? Or an Islamic Jihad booth at a Jewish Synagogue?

More Great Economic News

2009-03-22T07:14:00.001-04:00

Denninger writes at http://market-ticker.denninger.net/archives/879-Bernanke-Inserts-Gun-In-Mouth.html.

Excerpt:

"Folks, this is the most frightening statement I've read from the FOMC - ever."

Not Good!

BOHICA!!!

2009-02-26T20:32:00.002-05:00

For those who aren't "in the know" that title up there is an acronym for "Bend Over, Here It Comes Again".... In this case I am referring to the Unconstitutional "Assault Weapons" Ban.. Enacted 1994, sunsetted 2004, and ready in the on deck circle here in February 2009...

Link to ABC news' coverage of Attorney General Eric Holder's statements on the issue: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6960824&page=1. Humorously, comments keep disappearing as fast as they are typed in, at one point tonight 25 posts disappeared in seconds...

Looks like ABC is a member of the "Censor the Second Amendment" Movement. "CSAM" seeks to silence those Citizens who value the Second Amendment enough to speak out about it.... But then as ABC is a member of the "mainstream media" and we all know that the MSM are pretty much in the tank for not only BarryO's administration (and previously his election), but they are also pretty much in the tank for the New World Order, and it's subjugation of America...

What in the Hell is Going On???

2009-02-19T20:08:00.002-05:00

Just received this in an email, and was immediately suspicious... I get a lot of emails that are not anything other than 'tinfoil hat' stuff....

But read this:

Presidential Determination No. 2009-15 of January 27,
2009

Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs
Related To Gaza

Memorandum for the Secretary of State

By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, including section
2(c)(1) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of
1962 (the ``Act''), as amended (22 U.S.C. 2601), I
hereby determine, pursuant to section 2(c)(1) of the
Act, that it is important to the national interest to
furnish assistance under the Act in an amount not to
exceed $20.3 million from the United States Emergency
Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for the purpose
of meeting unexpected and urgent refugee and migration
needs, including by contributions to international,
governmental, and nongovernmental organizations and
payment of administrative expenses of Bureau of
Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department
of State, related to humanitarian needs of Palestinian
refugees and conflict victims in Gaza.

Okay. You know who was President (of the US) on Jan 27th... And the Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund is a federal fund that allows for aliens to be transported into the US and set up with housing and the like - all at taxpayer expense.

It has been used before, but I am not sure that it has been used to let in "Palestinian Refugees" and "Conflict Victims" from Gaza who are largely supporters of HAMAS - a Terrorist organization!!!!

I guess we should be grateful that BarryO hasn't invited "AL QUEDA" "Refugees" and "Conflict Victims" of the US led intervention of the Taliban in Afghanistan.....

Oh, and as far as authenticity? Take a look - here is the link http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-2488.htm. Just in case you think that's a spoofed address, go to http://www.access.gpo.gov/. Then click on GPO access, then Click on Federal Register under the Executive Resources, then in the search box type "migration refugee" and click 'submit'.

The first search result is the one you want: "fr04fe09E Unexpected Urgent Refugee and Migration Needs"

That results in the text from above... So, not a 'tinfoil hat' email...

My, my the times that we live in...

Sumter!

2009-02-08T12:58:00.003-05:00

First, as a ground rule, I will not term the "War of 1861" as "The American Civil War" in this piece. I will not use "War of Northern Aggression", though I find it more truthful... nor will I use "War Between the States", as personally I believe it was a war between the southern states and the northern federal government.

The anniversary of the shelling of Fort Sumter is coming in a couple months - the 12th of April at approximately 0320 (3:20 am to you who aren't on a 24 hour clock). Fort Sumter is widely recognized as the first battle of the War of 1861. Why is Sumter the topic of discussion? Mostly because I wanted to reiterate MBV's sentiment that we have no new Fort Sumter, and perhaps explain why he (and I) feel that way.

A brief history for those who don't spend all day reviewing it: Fort Sumter was a fort in Charleston, South Carolina harbor. It was almost completed in 1861 when Lincoln was elected President of the United States on his abolitionist platform, the election that virtually guaranteed secession. In February of 1861, first South Carolina and then six other states did secede. Most of the forts and other federal properties within the 7 states of the Confederacy were surrendered to the Confederacy. Although the older fort in Charleston harbor (Fort Moultrie) was surrendered, Fort Sumter was not. As a matter of fact, the garrison of Fort Moultrie fled to Fort Sumter as Sumter offered virtually no avenue of ground based assault.

Sumter was besieged, a supply ship turned away, and then finally, on orders from the Confederacy, the commander of the South Carolina Militia ordered the shelling of Fort Sumter, starting at 0320 on the 12th of April. A truce was given the next afternoon, and the fort was surrendered to the Confederacy on the afternoon following, the 14th of April.

What's so important about Sumter? It is not that it was the opening battle in a war of four years that would claim over half a million lives. The opening battle could have been anywhere. It is not that the first casualties of the war were caused by accident, not the actual battle. This fact is very little known - most people don't realize that Sumter was surrendered after the bombardment produced zero casualties on either side!!!

It is the fact that it turned many against the Confederacy. As the Confederacy's Secretary of State, Robert Toombs, warned, attacking Fort Sumter preemptively would "lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet's nest. ... Legions now quiet will swarm out and sting us to death. It is unnecessary. It puts us in the wrong. It is fatal." Toombs could not have been more correct. Certainly, it was a catalyst for a few other states to join the Confederacy.. But it was a catalyst for many "fence-sitters" to side with the north, who looked like the victims of Confederate aggression...

This is the same thing that MBV is saying when he calls for no new Fort Sumters. The Threepers cannot be guilty of causing the first blood. We must be (and be seen as) righteous and above suspicion. They (the PTB) need to be clearly seen as aggressors. They need to be seen as the oppressors. They need to be seen as the ones in violation of the Constitution and in violation of Natural Law.

Which is, to say, that they (the PTB) need to be seen as they are...

Another threeper types his thoughts!

2009-01-26T06:43:00.003-05:00

Hey, for those who haven't yet, check out Boomers and BS. It's a pretty good read!

For those who are afraid that the blog is devolving into one big linkfest, I apologize, that is not my intent. However I don't see a problem with pointing the reader toward an article that was written by someone else. Preferably someone else who actually understands the subject at hand better than I do!

And for those who live under a rock:

PLEASE RIGHT NOW AS YOU READ THIS WRITE YOUR SENATORS AND TELL THEM TO DENY ERIC HOLDER CONFIRMATION AS ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES!

If you don't know how to do that, go to the Gun Owners of America web site and click on the "GOA opposes Holder" link. This will open a form that will do the writing for you, just provide your address etc. Takes about 3 minutes, maybe less if you type well. If you don't know who Eric Holder is and why you should oppose his confirmation as AG, get out from underneath that rock and google him.

Ponzi-Economics

2009-01-25T10:55:00.002-05:00

Here are two stories comparing both the US and British economies to Ponzi-schemes.

The first (dealing with the US & the definition and origin of the phrase "Ponzi-scheme)

and the second, dealing with Britain's economy.

Read them, and then understand that what Rawles wrote is (as the rear view mirror warns) closer than it appears.

If you have not read John Wesley Rawles' Patriots, please pick it up, it is coming back into print, but the older edition can still be found. Also, read his daily blog at survivalblog.

And last but not least, start looking at your "investments" and see if you will be prepared for what must come...

Ramos and Campion!

2009-01-19T18:42:00.003-05:00

Border Patrol agents Ramos and Campion have been pointed toward freedom today by President Bush...

Although he didn't pardon them, just commuted their sentences. At least in March (so the story goes) they will be free men, once again.

It is too bad that David Olofson still languishes in prison, and Keeku, and the rest of the jackbooted thugs sit at home free to watch the "Messiah", Lord Hussein accept the scepter and the crown...

Absolved

2009-01-17T21:12:00.005-05:00

Just got a note from a friend of mine who was asking me about "...some story chapters you had linked to me, like "Unintended Consequences" but more about the militia..."

My friend, you are referring to Absolved, a novel in the works, by Mike B Vanderboegh. The MBV III of Sipsey Street fame. Hopefully as I type this, a post is going up on Sipsey Street that the book is finished, and will be in print by the time I get out of bed in the morning... Until the book is published, fear not, you can read excerpts.

The Chapter List for Absolved (Thanks to David Codrea).

and a link to MBV III's Blog at the Sipsey Street Irregulars.

Happy to Help!

PS - and as a side note, for those who haven't read "Unintended Consequences", by John Ross, please go purchase a copy! It can be purchased at Accurate Press for $28.95 - and it is worth every penny.

Global Depression...

2009-01-17T19:03:00.002-05:00

So, here we are. 2009 has arrived and we are beginning to see the dreadful economic statistics of 2008 roll in. Anyone who hasn't read Rawles' "Patriots," please go and buy it! His scenario is beginning to look more and more prophetic...

A few tidbits of interest about the "global economy meltdown" or whatever you prefer to call the descent into financial hell...

From Bob Chapman's The International Forecaster:

"Now we have interest rates at zero as the Fed pushes on a string, and they are blindly followed by every major nation, all of which are waiting to get buried. Wait until you see the dislocation when the Fed attempts to borrow $2 trillion in 2009. In 2008, in real estate, stocks and commodities worldwide, $70 trillion has been lost."

"How can any sane investor accept a negative return or even 0.25% on Treasury bills when inflation is 11%? Stop and think for a second, interest rates cannot go any lower. They can only go higher. Even though this situation exists foreigners lend 60% of their savings to US entities. Needless to say, this cannot continue and as a result foreigners are in the process of pulling funds out of dollar denominated assets. We do not have fourth quarter figures as yet, but for the nine months in 2008 foreigners withdrew $324 billion."

And the statement that I sort of agree with: "There is simply no way out. This is why during this inflationary and hyperinflationary period you have to be almost totally in gold and silver related assets and eventually only in gold bullion coins."

I tend to think that in place of the 'gold and silver related assets' that copper and brass assets, along with edible assets, and intangible assets such as mindset, training, friends, and family should be gathered. You can clock someone with a gold brick, but they have to be very close... Much better to drop 150 grains of love in on them from 500 meters....

By far the worst part of this entire mess is the Belief of the US Government the bailouts, stimuli and stagflation are the answers to the problem that they created. The President Elect has over and over stated that by waving his magic job wand and creating from thin air (or thin dollars) 4 million jobs, the US economy can be saved. Or maybe it might take the aforementioned magic trick and a few more hundreds of billions of dollars... Or maybe more "money" than that even.

Although my post high school formal education lasted around 3 weeks, I will leave you with My words of wisdom: "I told you to buy it cheap and stack it deep. That option is no longer available, so buy it anyway, and thank yourself later."

Oh Gawd the "M" word!

2009-01-08T18:00:00.003-05:00

While perusing my favorite online gun forum (which happens to cover my favorite MBR, the M14), I ran across this wonderful (ahem) dialog:

(no attempt has been made to disguise users or correct their spelling...)

JohnnyJr: "a friend belongs too are local militia.An has asked me more than once to go to the meeting and camping with them on a few occasions. what do you men think of militias ?surviavalist or whack's"

M1AJAS: "I can only say two things: camping, shooting,beer drinking after wards,yes. "Timothy Mcvie" types, NO WAY."

cavman: "It could be a money maker for you... Before you join...go to your nearest FBI Office, and ask to sign up as an Informant! If, as is very likely, they already have one or more on the payroll...then you could consider starting your own group...and informing on new members... Edit: I forgot to add...And the BATF!!! They just love it when they have you on video where the guy walks over to you, hands you his rifle, and says...Check This Out! Converted It to Select-Fire Myself! I've Done It For Half The Guys Here! I'll Be Glad To Convert Yours Too!If you doubt me on this...just do some serious research on militia groups... I am not saying that Everybody in a militia group is a Whacko...just that militia groups actually DO Attract Whackos! And they ARE constantly monitored, investigated and infiltrated by the FBI... You ARE Judged By The Company You Keep..."

Sustinemus: "Internet gun-related message boards attract whacko's too."

cavman: "I Agree 100%...But There is Much Less Risk Just Being ON a Board...reading Messages from Whackos Who Want To Know How To Break The Law ... Than Being in a Militia Group, Weaing Para-Military Uniforms, and WATCHING People Break The Law?!? And on THIS Forum...They Don't Last Long !!!"

duckbuck: "You are absolutely "spot-on", Cavman... Here on the FL, we are dedicated to safe, sane and LEGAL shooting sports, especially things related to our beloved M14-type rifles. We also frown on trolling and flaming and it appears that this thread may be headed in that direction. Before this gets out of hand completely, I think we ought to agree that everything that needs to be said... has been said. The thread is now closed"

And that was that. The thread was open from 12:15 am (1-8-09) until 10:41 am (1-8-09). Glad that in ten and two thirds hours "everything that needs to be said... has been said". Also Glad to hear that (according to cavman) "They (militia personnel I'm guessing) Don't Last Long !!!" And so...

I have posted my last post on the M14 - Firing Line Forum (www.m14tfl.com) - which reads:

"Found out that I was breaking some rule that I was not aware of.

Quote:

And on THIS Forum...They Don't Last Long !!!

CAVman in WYoming

So, thanks guys, it was fun."

Sigh! Guess I'll go back to the Warrifles forum... Oh, well. Too bad...

Insanity....

2009-01-03T19:04:00.008-05:00

Welcome back from the Holidays! Hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I sure did. Which has a little to do with why in the heck there hasn't been anything posted in a couple weeks...

Anyway, for today, our topic is current events:

The insanity in the middle east (Gaza in particular, but the entire region in total). I have heard that insanity can be defined as doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting a different result. It seems to me that if that definition holds true, then the entirety of middle east politics and war can be summed up as insanity.

Israel is beset by the hordes of the (mostly Muslim) Arab world. The Arab world is still a little irritated by that whole "1948" thing - you know, the one where some guys in Europe (and in the US) decided that Jews needed to be given "back" their homeland, Arabs living there be damned.

Although they (the UN) split said land into two pieces, and gave one to the Jews, and one to the Arabs, the Jews seem to have made a little better return on theirs... Since the day (May 14, 1948) of the establishment of Israel, the Israelis have been at war, preparing for war, or planning the next war... and they have been victorious. Over and over again. Not that the Arabs have lost heart.

Currently the Arab tactics are whine on TV that Israel is oppressing them while they lob rockets into Israel. Israeli tactics involve dropping hundreds of tons of bombs into Gaza, prepping it for the ongoing ground assault...

The insanity in this is that Israel has been fighting this war, for their established land for sixty years... And yet there are many in the world who would like Israelis and their Arab neighbors to hold hands and sing cumbaya... And their opinion is that Israel needs to stop defending herself to do that. "If those uppity Jews would just stop demanding that the Arabs stop killing Jews, the Jews and the Arabs would get along so much better!"

Now flash forward a year, or a few years, and half way around the globe, to my own personal part of the world... The United States of America. How soon will that insanity have set in here? "If those uppity gun-owners would just stop demanding that the government stop banning guns, the gun-owners and the government would get along so much better!"

The only problem is, there won't be any "gun-owners" if the government bans the guns; nor will there be any Jews if the Arabs kill all of the Jews.

More quotes...

2008-12-16T00:15:00.002-05:00

Spent a while tonight looking up the Battle for Thermopylae (as in the movie 300), read a lot about Spartans, and came across the term "Laconic". I had seen the word before, but really didn't understand it's meaning. Wiki defines it as "a very concise or terse statement". They go on to further define it with the word humor, as in "laconic humor" which together come out something like a very concise statement with an injection of dry wit.

Obviously the most famous of Laconic statements occurred at the Battle for Thermopylae, as the Persians asked for the Spartan's weapons, King Leonidas replied "Molon Labe" or "come and get them". But there are more laconic statements to be found, and some of them are quite memorable.

With key Greek city-states in submission, Philip II of Macedon turned his attention to Sparta and sent a message: "If I win this war, you will be slaves forever." In another version, Philip proclaims: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." The Spartan ephors sent back a one word reply: "If." Subsequently, both Philip and Alexander would avoid Sparta entirely.

Spartan mothers or wives gave a departing warrior his shield with the words "With it or on it!", implying that he should return (victoriously) with his shield, or (his cremated body in an urn) upon it, but by no means after saving himself by throwing away his heavy shield and fleeing.

During the era of westward expansion in the United States of America a group of thieves, bandits and outlaws began terrorizing a small community in the state of Texas, killing several citizens. The townsmen quickly requested help from the Texas Rangers. When Ranger Pat Dooling arrived, the townsmen could not believe that only one man had been sent. In response to their question about the arrival of other Rangers, Dooling famously responded "You've only got one riot, haven't you?"

American President Calvin Coolidge had a reputation in private of being a man of few words and was nicknamed "Silent Cal." A possibly apocryphal story has it that Dorothy Parker, seated next to him at a dinner, said to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His reply: "You lose."

And (perhaps due to indoctrination) my favorite: During the Korean War, U.S. Marine Chesty Puller made the remark, "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."

and one that deserves honorable mention: During the French estrangement from NATO, Charles de Gaulle demanded that all American troops leave French soil. Lyndon B. Johnson is said to have responded, "Does that include the ones [buried] at Omaha Beach?"

Hope you enjoyed. Thanks to Wikipedia for the above quotes, and for allowing me to waste the better part of an evening reviewing 2500 year old history.

M14 - WSHTF Rifle

2008-12-14T21:07:00.003-05:00

OK. We have gone over the M14's development, the 7.62's performance, and briefly wandered through the various parts that make up a M14 rifle...Now for the reason all of that was important at all....When Sh*t Hits The Fan, I think that the M14 is, if not the best, one of the best firearms you can have in your arsenal (and more importantly in your hands).

The M14, with iron sights and a Rifleman behind them, can engage man sized targets out to 500 yards. At 500 yards, the 7.62x51mm FMJ round fired from a 22" barrel has more energy (*foot / pounds*) than a 5.56 (AR round, remember?) does at 100 yards... more than a 7.62x39 (AK round) does at 150 yards...That's a long range punch over both of the calibers you will likely see.

The idea here is that you can inflict casualties on your enemy farther out than he can on you. Not that I'm telling you to run out and form up shoulder to shoulder and fire on your enemies as they advance; what I am telling you is that you can hurt them before they can hurt you, as long as you see them first, and act upon it.

Penetration is another virtue of the 7.62x51mm FMJ round. Accuracy, another. The rifle itself is a sturdy piece of equipment - buttstroke a bad guy, and he breaks, not your rifle.

None of this is worth a hill of beans, though, if you have a defective or malfunctioning rifle. Hence the last two posts about quality of parts. A Chicom rifle for SHTF? Great, as long as you have had the necessary upgrades performed by a reputable gunsmith. SAI rifle that needs warranty work at SHTF +1 day ? Good luck getting your rifle to Illinois and back.

So what is my recommendation? Well there are a couple:

A) Pony up the cash, and get a LRB - either assembled at LRB or by one of a few gunsmiths. All USGI or better parts (as far as I am concerned, nothing SAI makes is better than USGI, ditto Chicom). A 22" chromelined barrel, FG stock, and (if you need it) a low power scope (1-2x).

B) Pony up the cash, and have your Chicom receiver inspected, and heat treated as necessary and then built by one of a few gunsmiths.

C) Get an early SAI, those had almost all USGI parts anyway, and if you are worried about it, send it to one of those gunsmiths and have them inspect it.

D) With any of these choice, I recommend getting a second bolt headspaced to the rifle. It's a dollop of insurance. Small parts that I recommend upgrading to: Smith Enterprise bolt stop (works like an AR bolt stop), Sadlak Mag release (bigger = better), Sadlak Op Rod Spring Guide (smooths the action and increases inherent accuracy in the rifle), Wolff Op Rod Spring (ditto that last), and try out a Sadlak TiN piston (This gas piston does not get as cruddy as quickly as USGI ones do, but it can impact your accuracy, depending on the diameter of your gas cylinder to the gas piston)

Some general recomendations: Buy lots of magazines (this would have been easier a couple months ago...). Buy lots of ammo (7.62 surplus. And ditto the timeframe). Shoot the rifle - everyone makes mistakes, and your builder can too. Shooting will help you find any bugs that do exist in your rifle. Practice with your rifle, mag changes aren't like those with an AR, cheek weld isn't what it is on your .30/30 deer rifle, and to be sure the trigger is not the same as your Remington bolt action. Practice shooting away from the bench.

Ok, now extra credit - some of you are asking "Well why not my XXX - it's in 7.62x51mm, and it is / was a lot cheaper than your $2500.00 M14!?!" My answer is that the M14 is more expensive for the same reason that a Colt pistol costs more than a HiPoint pistol - quality costs. An off the shelf or slightly used newer SAI will set you back around 13-1700 dollars. FALs, G3s, CETMEs, Galils, AR-10s all are cheaper - I am a firm believer in the "motorcycle helmet analogy". If you have a head worth only $50, by all means, please purchase a $50 motorcycle helmet. However, if you value your head at more than $50, by all means, purchase a better helmet. As we discussed before, the M14 is still in the service of the best funded military in the world...

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. For any links or information you might be looking for, I will recommend one place to go - The M14 Firing Line Forum. Or, feel free to ask me :)

Thanks, Mike

2008-12-14T10:05:00.006-05:00

This blog is a thank-you to MBV III (over at Sipsey Street Irregulars) - who has this in his sidebar:

"The Fate of Unborn Millions. . ."

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army-Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; that is all we can expect-We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die." -- George Washington to his troops before the Battle of Long Island.

"We will not go gently . . ."

This is no small thing, to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may be that our task is impossible. Yet, if we do not try then how will we know it can't be done? And if we do not try, it most certainly won't be done. The Founders' Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, will be lost.

But I tell you this: We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.

And when we are gone, the scattered, free survivors hiding in the ruins of our once-great republic will sing of our deeds in forbidden songs, tending the flickering flame of individual liberty until it bursts forth again, as it must, generations later. We will live forever, like the Spartans at Thermopylae, in sacred memory.

-- Mike Vanderboegh, The Lessons of Mumbai:Death Cults, the "Socialism of Imbeciles" and Refusing to Submit, 1 December 2008

Both of these men spoke of something that we, as Americans, should know quite a bit about: freedom. But it seems that assumption is incorrect - Americans know less freedom than they knew during George Washington's campaign of resistance and eventual independence from England. After all, King George did not require his subjects to file paperwork to buy a firearm! And "taxation without representation"? Consider the immense outpouring of public sentiment against the bailout. Consider that it passed.

As I said about Jefferson's "Tree of Liberty" quote a few days ago, "The tree is looking stunted too, needing of it's manure." This system of government is past self-correcting - the Second Amendment is the bottle, and we 3% are the correction fluid contained within the bottle...

2008-12-12T21:33:00.003-05:00

Okay, on to Part III of the M14...Everything Else.

Last installment we referred to the receiver as the integral part of the M14 - most every other part of the rifle hangs off of it. In this portion, we will talk of that "every other part" - and the functions thereof.

Stock - Originally the M14 rifle had a wooden stock - much like the M1 Garand. Later in the sixties, barely before it was "phased out" by the poodle shooter, the M14 was upgraded to a fiberglass (or synthetic) stock. The wooden stocks didn't handle the constant humidity and rain of SE Asia, the FG stocks don't swell in the wet. Just FYI, the fiberglass stocks are about an ounce or two heavier than the wooden stocks - and their forends are a little weaker; you can move POI (point of impact) on a FG stock by slinging in really really tight.

There are many aftermarket stocks nowadays - from precision stocks to stocks with miles of piccatiny rails... Maybe another post will deal with a few of them, but we don't have the space today.

Another point of interest with stocks is the fact that the M14 is not designed to use a free floating barrel - there is upward pressure exerted on the barrel from the stock. Rear Lugged receivers can compensate for this, but standard M14 receivers are not rear lugged. Another point of interest is bedding. Bedded stocks can improve accuracy, but at some cost: Both a cost in dollars and at the "cost" of not removing the stock for protracted periods of time... Every time a bedded M14 is removed from it's stock, the bedding suffers, generally loosening.

Hand guards are used on the M14 - they actually clip on to the barrel like a M1 Garand. Originally wood HGs were used, then FG slotted HGs, then solid FG HGs were introduced when it was found that the slots allowed too much heat to rise from the barrel and obstructed the front sight when the barrel was hot. Some scope mounts use special handguards, the SAI "scout" scope mount comes to mind.

Barrels - the standard USGI barrel on a M14 was a 22" chrome lined barrel. Chrome lined barrels are less subject to copper fouling and more corrosion resistant. Great for a battle rifle. Non-chrome lined barrels are supposedly more accurate, and stainless steel barrels are, well stainless steel, and therefore rust resistant. There are medium weight barrels (approx. 3/4 pound heavier than standard weight barrels), also, which can be had in stainless, standard, or chrome lined bore varieties. And then there are the heavy barrels (about 1.5 to 2 pounds heavier than a standard weight barrel), which generally use a standard, not stainless or chrome lined, bore.

The heavier the barrel, the more shots that can be fired before the barrel heats up; heating up causes changes in POI. Heavier barrels are generally more stable in a supported position, but can be very heavy when firing offhand, or simply when being carried around. Certain parts and accessories which mount to the barrel may or may not fit depending on the weight of the barrel, eg: generally heavy barrels use a different op rod guide (see below) than do standard or medium weight barrels.

Also, the "scout" length barrel (at 18" or 18.5" depending) is available in all the various combinations of weight and materials as the 22", and saves about 3-4 inches in length on the overall rifle, at the cost of some muzzle velocity and also sight radius (generally, the longer the sight radius, the more accurate the rifle..). SAI even makes a 16" barrel for their SOCOM models - originally this had a proprietary gas system, but current models are the same as a standard gas system, the only difference lying in the flash hider.. or lack thereof: The SOCOM uses a muzzle break only, although SEI has recently come out with an adapter which allows the use of a Vortex flash hider on a 16" SOCOM.

Flash Hider - Mounted directly to the end of the barrel, the flash hider provides less muzzle flash, saving the rifleman from being spotted as easily and from losing his own night vision while firing after dark. The standard (USGI) flash hider on a M14 is effective. The SEI Vortex is more effective at reducing the signature of the rifle at night, but the Vortex precludes the use of a bayonet on the rifle. There are muzzle breaks which can be used in place of a flash hider, reducing perceived recoil at the cost of vastly increased muzzle blast and noise. There are even "fake" flash hiders which appear at first glance to be standard flash hiders, but have no cut outs and do not function - these are generally used in places like the PRK (People's Republic of Kalifornia) which do not allow evil "Flash Hiders."

The standard flash hider (or muzzle break) is secured at the end of the barrel by a nut with a locking screw, but there are variations (notably the SEI Direct Connect Vortex - hereafter DC Vortex) that thread directly on to the barrel where that nut normally would thread on. This is to shorten the rifle, but the DC Vortex does not allow the use of a standard front sight mounted to the flash hider.

Sights - the standard rear sight on a M14 is mounted on the receiver, and is the exact same sight used on the M1 Garand. It is adjustable for windage and elevation. The front sight is mounted to the flash supressor, at the end of the barrel. The front sight is adjustable only for windage. Variations include National Match front sights (which is a more narrow blade), National Match rear sights (which is a hooded aperature and is adjusted in 1/2 minute clicks versus the standard 1 minute click), and aftermarket sights and adapters to include the SEI Gas Lock Front Sight (reduces the sight radius, allows the use of a DC Vortex, looks like a HK front sight, is not adjustable for windage) and Gas Lock Dovetail (which allows a standard windage adjustable front sight to be used with a DC Vortex, but mounts the front sight on a dovetail on the gas lock versus on the flash hider / muzzle break).

Gas System - the M14 uses a piston that is gas driven to push the op rod to cycle the action of the rifle. There are a few parts of the gas system: First the gas cylinder itself is mounted to the barrel. A gas lock tightens the cylinder to the barrel, keeping it in place under the gas port. There is a spindle valve on the gas cylinder, which allows the rifle to be fired single shot when the valve is shut off (this was originally for use with rifle grenades). There is a gas plug which holds the piston in the gas cylinder (adjustable models are available, standard gas plugs are not adjustable). There is a piston which is driven by the gas venting through the gas port in the bottom of the barrel into the op rod which cycles the action (standard USGI pistons are good, aftermarket pistons are made by SEI and Sadlak, perhaps others). The front band is held between the gas cylinder and the barrel, by friction or unitization (see below)

USGI Gas cylinders are available still, as are new ones made by SEI, SAI, and LRB. A gas cylinder can be unitized, which attaches the front band permanently to the gas cylinder as a method of improving accuracy. There are two methods of unitization, the welded method (USMC preferred) and the 'screw and glue' method(USA preferred). Both work, but the screw and glue method loses the ability of the spindle valve to shut off the gas system (a screw is run through the spindle valve, holding it open forever).

Trigger Groups - Trigger groups are similar to the M1 Garand trigger groups, in fact some parts are interchangeable between the two. USGI trigger groups are widely available, SAI manufactures their own. SEI has a couple tweaks they can do to a trigger group to prolong the life of the pivot areas (which are prone to fail after quite a few thousands of rounds) and to adjust the weight of the trigger. The trigger group is the part that locks the rest of the rifle (via the receiver) into the stock, therefore fitment of the TG into the receiver / stock combination is crucial.

Contained within the TG is the trigger, safety, hammer & spring, magazine release, etc. The trigger in stock form is a two stage trigger, trigger pulls can be safely reduced to around 3-4 pounds. Sadlak makes a larger 'tactical' mag release that is brand new (within the last 6 months) that has received very positive reviews. Many parts of the M14 TG can be interchanged with M1 Garand parts, with very little or NO modifications.

Bolt - The Bolt on the M14 is an improved M1 Garand bolt - it uses some identical parts from the M1 Garand, but adds a bolt roller which mates the bolt to the op rod. USGI bolts are forged, SAI bolts are made both by casting and by forging. For my dollar, TRW bolts are the cream of the crop in bolts.

A Chrome firing pin is a nice addition to the bolt, saves some crud from sticking to the firing pin, which can keep the rifle operational longer. SAI extractors are very suspect and should be replaced or at the very least a USGI spare should be purchased. Speaking of spares, a bolt is the one spare part that no M14 Rifleman should go into the field without - make sure that the spare is headspaced to the rifle, and should something go wrong with the first bolt or any of it's internals, it can be replaced quickly, without tools.

Op Rod (system) - the Op rod on the M14 is driven by the gas piston to the rear, driving the bolt to the rear, which clears the chamber, and then the op rod is driven by the op rod spring forward, dragging the bolt along with it, chambering a round and returning the bolt into battery, ready to fire again with the stroke of an index finger. The op rod rides in a track on the receiver in the rear, and in the op rod guide (attached to the barrel) on the front. The op rod spring is guided (oddly enough) by the op rod spring guide, which is also attached to the receiver, and functions as a contact point for the magazine.

USGI op rods are forged, either in one piece or two. Some demilled op rods were rewelded, and may not be "as good as new". SAI makes their own op rods, which seem to be a useable part. This year a Korean company started forging op rods, these are for sale by LRB among others, and they appear to be on par with USGI op rods, for a few dollars less than a USGI op rod.

The final major part on the M14 is the magazine. USGI magazines hold 20 rounds, but manufacturers have a whole range of capacities; from 5 round magazines to 30 round magazines, with sightings of higher capacities than that from independant (home workshop) manufacturers. I recommend only USGI 20 round magazines, which are still being made today by CheckMate Industries (CMI), and are available - or at least they were until the election of Barack Obama....

Next: More on the M14... stick around!

7.62 NATO US Rifle M14

2008-12-12T06:52:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Part II of the M14 Rifle. In this installment we will take a look at various manufacturers of rifles and of parts, and try to compare them in cost and worth.

First, complete rifles today are made by:

LRB Arms - Mostly USGI, very good rifles that are semi-custom, you can order whatever you like.

Springfield Armory, Inc, -SAI casts recivers, they use non-USGI (now) parts. Previously the rifles were mostly USGI parts. Off the shelf rifles in various configurations.

The Chicoms(Norinco and Polytech) - Non-USGI and suspect due to heat treatment / hardness of parts, particularly bolts. Most threads are metric pitch versus USGI and others which are SAE pitch. Currently only available new in Canada and abroad, thanks to wonderful US import laws of "assault weapons". Used rifles common in the US.

Smith Enterprises, Inc - SEI uses LRB receivers, they used to machine their own from billet. Semi custom, you can order what you like - but current government contracts due to the war limit their production.

By a handful of private armorers/gunsmiths/ etc (who use various receivers). Some of these are turnkey match rifles, but some are run of the mill simple. Quality varies tremendously.

Past M14 rifle manufacturers:

Armscorp - Cast receivers, most, if not all, USGI parts. Fairly common in used condition.

Enterprise Arms - very low production, I have not heard much about them.

Federal Ordnance - two kinds of receivers, one for USGI parts (good) and one for Chicom parts (not so good). The "Chicom parts" rifles had suspect components (the same suspect components on a Chicom rifle). Uncommon, but out there. Used condition.

Hahn Machine and Specialty Arms - rewelded USGI receivers. USGI parts. See below.

With the M14, the receiver is the integral part of the rifle. The barrel attaches to it, the trigger attaches to it, the rear sight attaches to it, the stock is locked on to the rifle via it, the magazine attaches to it, most scope mounts (the traditional ones) attach to it, and the bolt rides within it... Therefore we will begin our discussion there.

Originally, the M14 rifles built for the US military were forged. For most commercial ventures, the forging process is or was too expensive to handle, so rifles were built by casting or by machining steel billets (blocks) into receivers. Some firms (Hahn comes to mind, also Specialty Arms) actually rewelded USGI demilled receivers. LRB and the Chicom receivers are forged like the original USGI ones. Springfield Armory, Inc. and Armscorp (now defunct) are cast. SEI (Smith Enterprise, Incorporated) used machined billets (though they did forge a very few) when they did manufacture their own receivers, currently they use LRB receivers.

LRBs receivers are as close to a USGI receiver as can be bought. Their dimensions and hardness are a close duplicate of the original ones, the only thing lacking is the full auto lug - which is due to the Hughes amendment to the FOPA of 1986 - no more 'civilian use' full auto receivers can be made. The LRB receiver costs a premium, because it is a premium receiver. LRB also makes a "M25" receiver which has a picatinny style rail intergrated into the receiver, for a few dollars more.

Chicom receivers are suspended (indefinitely) from importation, but they are available as many of them were brought in before the ban. They are forged, reverse engineered from battlefield captured US M14s in Vietnam, but their heat treatment can be suspect. But they can be reheat treated and are truly excellent receivers when reworked. Fulton Armory and SEI are the two places that I know of who do a hardness inspection and can reheat treat the receivers.

Springfield Armory, Inc. receivers are cast, and are sometimes very suspect in their dimensional honesty. Sadlak (we'll get to them later) who makes scope mounts that mount on the receiver actually sells a gauge to check your SAI receiver for dimensional errors that might make their scope mount unmountable! On the other hand, SAI offers a lifetime warranty on their rifles... Which may not amount to a hill of beans when the S has HTF and a new ban is in place...

Armscorp (sadly out of business now) made cast receivers, and although they suffered from the same problems that SAI currently does, there is no warranty that exists.

The SEI billet receivers are said to be an excellent compromise, but are hideously expensive due to their being out of production for a time, and still highly regarded (and thus in demand). They have since changed their operation over to using LRB forged receivers.

The demilled rewelds (that is to say the government had the receiver cut in half to demilitarize the receiver and then someone took 2 parts (front and rear) usually from different rifles to get the overlap they needed and welded them back together) in my opinion are not worth having for two reasons - you are trusting the welds and there is a small problem legally with a "once full auto" recevier being "always" a full auto receiver, and if it was not registered before 1986, is can never be legal to own as a civilian.

Okay, short and sweet, Receivers are covered. Next installment soon!

seven point six two millimeter full metal jacket

2008-12-09T21:23:00.006-05:00

No, no, no...this is not a plug for the (most excellent) movie. This is a plug for the round (& rifle) that MADE the movie.

God's (and John Garand's) gift to the American rifleman, the M14 rifle. Chambered for the 7.62 NATO (or 7.62X51 or loosely the .308 Winchester). The LAST USGI Main Battle Rifle. The last (and best) of it's breed. The M14 is a Rifle, not a carbine or an intermediate rifle. It is designed to shoot distance, with power and accuracy.

The M14 is a product of the M1 Garand - it's posterity, next of kin, son, replacement. The Garand served the nation well in "the big one" (WWII) and in Korea. Some, though saw shortcomings with the design, and the M14 sought to overcome those shortcomings... The M14 was brought into service toward the beginning of the Vietnam war.

I'm not going to go into a lot of serious discussion of the M1 to M14 transition here, but I think that I prefer the 20 round magazine to an eight round en-bloc. The US military preferred the "one rifle to replace 4" economics of the M14 (the BAR, M1, M1 carbine, and the M3 grease gun). The M14 was itself torpedoed by Robert McNamara and his poodle shooter (the M16).

The M14 is still even in service, really it never went "out of service." It was merely regulated to a could specialized duties: Sniper rifle, designated marksman rifle (DMR) rifle, and Navy SEALs seem to like them too...

We will now begin speaking of the "civilian" or semiautomatic M14. I will not type M1A or M14S or M14SA or (LRB) M25 - they're all M14's to me. If you want to differentiate, fine, but for the purpose of this written piece, from here on out, the phrase "M14" refers to any of the semiautomatic "M14 clones."

The M14 is capable of shooting targets out to 1000 yards, and a good one can shoot Minute of Angle (MoA or about 1" per 100 yards) at that 1000 yards. Yes, a ten inch group would be MoA at 1000 yards. Smith Enterprises did it at Fort Benning earlier this year with a rifle they built. A non-bedded LRB receiver'd M14. Link here, maybe a fifth of the way down the page...

The M14 has significantly better stopping power than a poodle shooter (M16 / AR15 / M4). One way to look at this is the fact that in some states you cannot hunt deer with a .223 (5.56mm - M16 round) but in every state that hunting is allowed, you can hunt deer with a .308. If you can look at a deer and see that it is around two hundred pounds, an animal of some significant strength and will to live, and then compare that to a human - around two hundred pounds, strong, and generally a will to live - you can see that a cartridge that is minimal or marginal for a deer should likewise be minimal or marginal for humans.

What else can you ask for? Something lighter? Well, you can lighten a M14, but you are going to pay for that, depending on how you lighten it - if you cut down on weight in any fashion, you increase the recoil of the rifle. Something shorter? If you cut down on the barrel, you reduce the effective range of the rifle; if you were to make it into a bullpup, you cut down on the ability to share parts. Costs too much? Check out the current situation at Springfield Armory, Inc (makers of the M1A M14 clone) - their rifles of late (which are cheaper than a high end M14 like LRB or Smith Enterprises) have issues right out of the box. See also the Chicom rifles (which can really have problems with metallurgy). Sometimes cutting costs cuts deeper than the wallet.

Now I am not saying that a lighter, shorter, and cheaper M14 would be a piece of garbage, what I am saying is that there are trade offs for doing those things to a battle proven piece of equipment. I own a SAI M1A, and after replacing the bolt guts, it seems reliable - much more so than it was when I got it - it left about 2 of 3 empties in the chamber... I also own a Chicom receiver that I'm going to barrel with a "scout" 18" barrel - the receiver is awaiting me to send it out for heat treatment, and the rifle will likely not be as long-reaching as a 22". But, I do have a standard length, all USGI or better parts, forged receiver M14. It is the yardstick that I will measure the other two by.

A note on the fully automatic M14 - if you have fifteen grand you can look around for a full auto M1A or if you're willing to part with twenty five grand for a real deal USGI M14, you might be in the ballpark. Check sturmgewehr, then pay for a tax stamp, deal with the ATF, and pray that when it's all over, you have a rifle... I am not telling you how to spend your money, but these things like to eat, and a 20 round magazine weighs over a pound, costs around $10 to fill... and you're going to have to carry quite a few of them to keep her fed!

Well, there's our primer on the M14. The next installment will go into some detail on manufacturers and parts; what's old (USGI) and whats new (better than USGI) and what's crap (Chicom bolts, for example!).

Jefferson, my favorite US President

2008-12-08T06:22:00.005-05:00

While Jefferson is remembered for a lot of things, there is one quote that I find myself looking at more and more....

"God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. ...
And what country can preserve its liberties, if it's rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
It is its natural manure."

Well, it has been over twenty years. I guess the late sixties would count as a sort of rebellion. The people (the vast majority of the people) are mostly uninformed. And lethargy has definitely set in (look at both the waistlines and the wastelines of America...)
The rulers need to be warned, much as MBV III has suggested, among others. And thank god that we still have a somewhat stunted right to keep and bear arms. The tree is looking stunted too, needing of it's manure.

Change we can belive in...

2008-12-07T11:38:00.005-05:00

President (elect) Obama ran a campaign with the slogans "Change" and "Change" and more "Change"... Change is what he promised, numerous times. Well, lets take a look at what exactly "Change" means to him.

If Washington is to be Changed, I would think that the players would need to be Changed. Nominations are being made for his cabinet; I don't see much Change.

First and Foremost, the nomination of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Wife of former President Clinton, Presidential Candidate herself, and Senator from New York. I'd say there are a few things that tie her to business as usual in Washington.

Eric Holder for the position of Attorney General. Former U.S. Attorney (nominated by fmr. President Clinton), then Deputy Attorney General (under fmr. President Clinton, serving under the infamous AG Janet Reno). Again, ties to the most recent Democrat administration. Not to mention (as a side note), that while serving under AG Reno, he advocated a waiting period, limiting gun purchases to one per month, and "gun show loophole" legislation; He is definitely not a friend to the Second Amendment as written; he thinks that "The Second Amendment does not protect firearms possession or use that is unrelated to participation in a well-regulated militia." , as he signed fmr. AG Reno's brief to the US Supreme Court in the Heller Case.)

Timothy Geithner, nominated for Secretary of the Treasury. Former Assistant Secretary for International Affairs, and later Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs (under fmr. President Clinton). After those billets, he joined the CFR (Council on Foreign Relations, a whole topic in itself), and the International Monetary Fund. Arranged the Bear Sterns rescue. Definitely tied to the NWO, the former Democrat administration, and the current economic woes facing our country.

Governor (of Arizona) Janet Napolitano as Secretary of Homeland Defense. She was nominated as US Attorney for Arizona (by fmr. President Clinton) and was on the list in '04 to be Kerry's runningmate (for VP). While she is from a border state (a hot topic in Homeland Security), and has taken actions that suggest she may actually care about securing the borders and stemming the tide of illegal aliens into the Country and it's workforce, she can't be much of a Change if she was on the list to be Kerry's VP and spoke at the 2000 and 20004 Democrat conventions, and was nominated to a post by fmr. President Clinton.

Rahm Emmanuel as White House Chief of Staff. Former campaign finance commite leader for (then Candidate for President) William Clinton, Advisor in the White House under fmr. President Clinton, member of the Board of Directors at Freddie Mac (appointed by fmr. President Clinton), Democratic Representative since 2002 (US House of Representatives). Again, not much Change with a guy who worked for the Clinton administration from pre-election.

And Last but not Least, Secretary Gates (serving since Donald Rumsfeld) to continue as Secretary of Defense. Not much Change, and I don't have much doubt that he'll be replaced within a year probably with much contempt as the "guy who lost the wars for President Obama"; I think he's being kept as a Sacrificial Lamb.

So, we see what "Change" means in Washington: Nominate a whole crop of cabinet members who were members (in some capacity) in the last Democrat Administration. I am reminded of a quote from Will Rogers:

If you ever injected truth into politics you have no politics.

My voice

2008-12-07T11:25:00.003-05:00

New Blog, First Post. Yeah I know I lifted the title, but it's changed enough that if you didn't see the movie you wouldn't know. I think that the name fits anyway.

Just figured that I'd post some of the ramblings that I assault friends and family with; inflict them on the unsuspecting masses!

Expect to find things that might irritate those who have already sold their souls (and our Country) down the river, and expect to find things that might make those who aren't 3%ers wonder and think. And if they can be made to think, well there might just be hope for them after all.