End the War on Freedom

# I shot a couple of targets yesterday with my new One Ragged Hole One Hole Sight on my Marlin 1894P in .44 Magnum. I had the sight adjusted as far down as it would go. Each target has two sets of eight shots fired at 25 yards. The bottom set was fired with the point of aim just below the bullseye. The top set was fired with the point of aim in the center of the bullseye. As you can see, it fires a little high at this distance. The top target is my 1000fps cowboy action loads. The bottom is 1600fps magnum loads (guesses based on velocity figures in my loading books). 1000fps drops an inch by 25 yards (1/2 at² where a is 32 feet/sec²). 1600 fps drops 0.4 inches. So I expect the top target's groups to be about 0.6 inches lower than the bottom's. It would be nice to be able to shoot to point of aim at 25 yards, but a 50 yard zero makes sense to me for this rifle, and it should be pretty close to right on there, though I still have to try it (the magnum load should be right on, but the cowboy action load will be an inch or two low). Looks like the sight needs to be just a tiny bit shorter. Not sure why I spread out the upper shots so badly with the cowboy action loads.

I scanned these targets, rather than photographing them. Better resolution, but I can't fit a whole NRA 100 Yard Small Bore Rifle Target on the scanner. The black circle is 8 inches in diameter.
Bottom line. I really like the One Hole Sight. It was easy to install, picks up easily with both eyes open, tracks well when moving the rifle, adds no weight, and is the least expensive aperture sight going. Great for this rifle, though I like my Wild West Guns ghost ring a little better on the .444 because it sits at the back of the receiver giving me a longer sight radius. But I'd have to compare my shooting with both sights on the same rifle to actually know which works better for me. Not likely, given what a pain it was to install the WWG sight. I ain't takin' it off.

# startrek.com - Celebrating the Life and Career of James Doohan - the actor who played engineer Montgomery Scott, "Scotty", in the original Star Trek TV series, is 84 and has been diagnosed with early stages of Alzeimer's disease. There will be a farewell convention for him on Tuesday, August 31, and then he will retire from the convention scene. I found my favorite Scotty scene here. It's from episode 42, "The Trouble with Tribbles". Kirk is questioning Scotty after he gets into a fight with some Klingons. [lrtdiscuss]

Kirk: Scotty. You were supposed to stay out of trouble.

Scott: Aye, sir.

Kirk: Who did it, Scotty?

Scott: Umm... *looks down* I did, Captain...

Kirk: You did, Mr. Scott?

Scott: Aye...

Kirk: You... threw... the first punch...

Scott: Aye. Chekov wanted to, Sir, but I held him back!

Kirk: You held him b--- Why did Chekov want to start a fight?

Scott: Well sir, umm... Is this off the record?

Kirk: No, this isn't off the record!

Scott: Well, sir. They called you a... tin-plated, overbearing, swaggering dictator with... delusions of God-hood...

Kirk: Was that all?

Scott: No, sir! They also compared you to a denebian slime devil!

Kirk: I see...

Scott: And then they said---

Kirk: I get the picture, Scotty!

Scott: Aye...

Kirk: And... that's when you hit the Klingons.

Scott: No, sir.

Kirk: No?

Scott: No, uh... Well, you told us to stay out of trouble... and after all, we are big enough to take a few insults... aren't we?

Kirk: What was it that started the fight?

Scott: They called the Enterprise a "Garbage Scow!!!" ... Sir.

Kirk: And... that's when you hit the Klingons.

Scott: Yes, sir!

Kirk: You hit the Klingons... because they insulted the Enterprise... Not because they insulted---

Scott: Well, sir! This was a matter or pride!

# The Misanthropic Bitch - Good Morning, Slaves - the Bitch chimes in on how Homeland Sekurity has actually made the average American less safe.

Ever since September 11, 2001, when funding started being diverted from preventing run-of-the-mill crime that affects hundreds of thousands to preventing a chance terrorist attack that might kill a few thousand, I've noticed that the number of lunatics and criminals I encounter has increased, as have the quality-of-life issues that Giuliani made a cornerstone of his iron-fisted rule.

Part of me thought that it was due to getting older, when one naturally becomes observant of the activities that the whippersnappers engage in that never, ever happened in one's own generation. But I'm only 25. This is my generation.

Then I came across an article in The New York Times that detailed how much funding police departments across the country have lost as the government shifts its focus to extraordinarly rare events that have the power to cost them an election.

According to the Times, the FBI no longer has much interest in surfers in Nixon masks robbing banks because the agency is trying to make up for the years they wasted playing Solitaire instead of engaging in counterterrorism operations. (But they'll make time to arrest a vicious criminal sharing copyrighted files.)

And of the nation's 17,000 police forces, the federal government has ordered many to redeploy officers to anti-terrorist duties, such as guarding airports and water works.

...

Americans, the polls show, want a tough president. A president who isn't a girly-man. One who won't waffle. One who will be strong in his resolve. One who will clean up crime, promote social and religious values, unite the country under one flag and improve the economy. One who will fight for his people even if the entire world thinks he's nuts.

So, when you -- if you're legally able to vote in the country and aren't erroneously on a list of disenfranchised voters in Florida -- cast your vote this November, don't touch the screen, pull the lever or check the box for Bush or Kerry.

Vote Saddam in 2004.

He knows how to whip a country into shape and bypass all of that partisan bullshit, and he won't take, "No, Great Leader! I will not vote for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage even if you do cut off my ear and rape my daughter!" for an answer.

# Matthew Davis at BBC News - War protests erupt in Athens - against the visit of the Secretary of State of the imperialist United States. Things got violent when the police decided to stop their march. madogre wrote that Colin Powell cancelled his visit because of the protest/riot. Good. Mission accomplished. [whatreallyhappened]

# RNC Watch - Over 5,000 Bike in Critical Mass; 260+ Arrested - the largest Critical Mass bike ride in the Big Apple's history. Links to stories in the Village Voice and NYC Indymedia (corrected bad link on the RNC watch page), who have photos, video (link goes to page with QuickTime video link), and audio. From the arrest video, I'd say the cops were lucky the crowd was peaceful. There were plenty of unarmored white-shirted officers there with their backs to the crowd: suckers for kidney punches. [rncwatch]

# Jed Brandt at New York City Independent Media Center - Tactical Assessment of NYPD for Direct Actionists, Some Notes on the Strategic Importance of the Protests - some good advice for people who want to be active, but not violent, about how to protest effectively, and to stay in the fight for the long run. [rncwatch]

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