Go Ahead and Get Angry.....

If you're not already.
This is just unbelievable.

Paramedics, Troopers Defend Themselves After Fight

What is so strange about this story is not that a policeman would choke someone who didn't deserve it. That kind of behavior seems to be getting pretty commonplace.

What is odd about this is that there is a symbiotic relationship between Law Enforcement, EMS and ER personnel. It's an understanding that we will take care of each other because we may NEED to take care of each other someday.

We all interact so closely and each of us understands that the other faces the same types of dangers.
It's just an unspoken agreement.

Hopefully you clicked through and watched the video. If you didn't, do it now.

Read the statement of the Paramedic Here.

I understand that what I've seen does not constitute all of the facts, but Dayem!! It sure looks wrong.

Hopefully, the State of Oklahoma will do the right thing when all is said and done.
I can guarantee that that Trooper better hope he never ends up in the back of that guys ambulance if he's got a gunshot wound or something serious wrong with him.

What you should be thinking is "If they will choke that guy, someone who they should be depending on, what will they do to me?"

Gratuitous Picture for a Thursday Night-

Look at the size of that bastard. One of the kids I work with got him a few years ago. Little Shit.

Graphic Illustration of Why You......

DO NOT POINT GUN MUZZLES AT YOUR OWN BODY PARTS!

Massad Ayoob explains. As if the pictures aren't enough.











What goes in must come out.



Like we always say in the ER - "Darwin Rules!"

Hat tip - Say Uncle

They Never Stop .........

Via Jennifer at Liberty Belles Here Comes the Bullet Ban

"The usual suspects in New York and California have introduced legislation that would require you to register your ammunition and would limit the number of rounds you could buy per month."

What part of "Shall not be infringed" do these people not understand?

It's been 14 days now since my last communication with Senator Dick Lugar (RINO,IN) mentioned Here regarding the CIFTA Treaty. Two calls and no response yet.

I was reminded of this while visiting curmudgeonly & skeptical this morning as he had the Lou Dobbs video of Lugar on the CIFTA treaty.

Lugar was a good Senator at one time. He started getting hinky a few years ago, but really went around the bend during last years push to give amnesty to all the Illegals. Whatever virus he's infected with I guess it's gone systemic in Washington.

These silly Bastards just keep pushing for more ways to disarm and piss off the law abiding folks in this country.
There appears to be no cure for this.

Gratuitous Picture for Thursday Morning-
On second thought, maybe there is.









UPDATE - Via David Codrea

Gun-rights advocates plan to rally this week against legislation that would require ammunition purchases to be logged into a statewide database for tracking purposes.

Good for them.

Rope. Tree. Politician.
Some Assembly Required.

Hope You All Had a Nice Holiday .......

The Weekend at work was a friggin madhouse. Nothing unusual about that. People out and doing things, having fun and whatnot. Lot's of cut's, crashes and broken bones.

I was wore the hell out and basically sat on my ass all day yesterday and watched it rain.
That was good. Needed to recharge my batteries so I can go do it again today.

Here's Something I Knew About, but not in this detail -
The Full Story Behind The Great Tennessee Pot Cave



I'd seen pictures of this place years ago and have to say it's an incredible operation.

Very illegal, but you have to admire the technology and layout.

Even if you didn't want to grow reefer it would be pretty cool.

Keeping an Eye on Things.......
Sorta.

Hope you all get out and enjoy the weekend and please take a moment to reflect on just what The Memorial Day Holiday is all about.




Give thanks for all the Veterans that have kept faith and made the ultimate sacrifice.


Gotta go get ready to work. So I'm leaving, Major the big dumb Boxer in charge here till Monday.





He's got his eye on you, so behave.

Hopefully, the annual tradition of the Indianapolis 500 getting a rain delay at best will work again this year. A little rain right now will help all the farmers that have been out in the fields for 20+ hours a day this week planting. They're behind and could use a bit of help.

Friday Night Roundup.......
It's been a busy week around here. The holiday weekend approaches and that means that most of you will be having some off time.
Enjoy it and spend a little time with family if you can.

I'll be in the ER fighting off the Zombie Hordes. Just the way it is. I chose this schedule and as much as I dislike my job anymore, I'm damn glad to have it.

Went to the range this morning with MiniD. He's gonna get me to where I can actually hit what I aim at if he's not careful.
He had his 338 Rem Ultra Mag and was testing some loads out.

Holy Shit! That things is a cannon. I extracted a promise from him to let me shoot it next time. Oh Yeah!!

He's got a really nice collection of rifles and knows how to shoot them. The guy is also a walking encyclopedia of reloading data and why things work the way they do. He amazes me and patiently answers all of my questions before he makes fun of me, which I think is an ok trade off.

I finally got to cut the grass out behind the barn this afternoon. First time this year. The last 5-6 days of dry weather have finally got it dry enough. It was still a bit wet in a couple of places but I didn't get stuck so it's all good.
Unreal how tall some of that was. Some fence and a few goats and sheep would be a much better alternative. But who's got money for fence?

Oh well. Don't wanna bitch to much as things could be a lot worse.

I've been fortunate to have been able to travel to some third world places and unlike in the USA, the poor people there aren't fat.

So again, I'm damn glad for what I have.

Speaking of - The Wife will be home Sunday. That's a winner. Miss the old girl when she's gone.

Youngest Son, Dogboy came by last night with his Girl and we had dinner and sat out by the fire later and shot the shit. That was nice.

Here's a couple of crazy ass news stories for ya - Woman hunter kills elephant with bow and arrow Yeah, you read that right. With a Bow and Arrow. That's amazing.

On a different tack - Police: Shoplifting aunt used baby as weapon Not so amazing as the above, but ....... interesting to say the least. Throw a 2 month old kid at the cops and haul ass.
I still hate people.

Gratuitous Picture for a Friday Night-
PLAY BALL!!!

If You Still Have Any Questions.....

About Why the DHS Has Been Spending So Much Time Worrying About "Domestic Terrorists" Lately....

No need to wonder anymore.
Obama Is Said to Consider Preventive Detention Plan

From The New York Times-
WASHINGTON — President Obama told human rights advocates at the White House on Wednesday that he was mulling the need for a “preventive detention” system that would establish a legal basis for the United States to incarcerate terrorism suspects who are deemed a threat to national security but cannot be tried, two participants in the private session said.....

“He was almost ruminating over the need for statutory change to the laws so that we can deal with individuals who we can’t charge and detain,” one participant said.

There's a lot that remains unsaid here and I expect it will remain that way. For now.
I'll hand it to these guys, they aren't going out of their way to hide the fact that they have created a Gangster Government.

This ain't good, Kids. Remember just who was included on the DHS List?

You may not be on that list now, but if they can do it to others they can do it to you.

And they will.

Gratuitous Thursday Evening Picture-

Because I Care for Y'all....
I'm gonna tip you to the most powerful and life changing thing ever.
The Three Wolf Moon T Shirt

Don't laugh. No really. Don't laugh. It could turn out really bad for you.

If you think I'm kidding, you need to read the reviews for this shirt. (No really. You NEED to read the reviews.)
I was just looking at, The Shirt and Shania Twain called and offered to ......... Well, let's just say I told her yes and she's on the way over now.

That was enough for me and I ordered, not 1 but 2 of these shirts! I can tell already that my life will never be the same.

If that isn't enough AWESOME for you, there's always - The Sea Cows Shirt

(Again, read the reviews.)
Seriously, I wouldn't order both of them. That may be to much AWESOME for any one person.

Hat tip to Larry Corriea
Go buy his book, Monster Hunter International while you're at it. Maybe not as AWESOME as the Three Wolf Moon Shirt, but it's still pretty AWESOME.

AWESOME Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Evening-
Sticking with the theme here.

It's Humpday and it's Good......

Just got home from the second of the 2 re-certification classes I needed to do this week.
Glad that's over and now I'm good for another 2 years.

These are a stress free event anymore. The first time I took them I was nervous as hell. This is the 5th or 6th time I've taken them and other than the regular changes that evolve in any program like this, it's no big deal anymore.

The training style has changed dramatically over the years, too. It used to be very hardcore and regimented. No mistakes tolerated at all. That only made the participants more nervous and prone to Brain Farts and not real conducive to really learning anything other than passing the test.

They've relaxed the program to push for more critical thinking and actual learning for the real world and it's much better nowadays. You tend to remember things better that way.

Anyway, I'm glad that's over and I got to make a few extra hours on the paycheck.

Gratuitous Picture for a Wednesday Afternoon-
Maybe I can get out in the morning and work on this. From 1918.

A Long Day of Study.......

It was a beautiful day today. Mid to high 60's without a cloud in the sky.
And I didn't get a darn thing done around here.

I have bi-annual recertification classes scheduled for the next 2 days at work. Pediatric and Adult Advanced Life Support.

I've taken both of these classes at least 5-6 times or more, but it's something that needs to be done to stay in compliance with hospital policy and it's just a good idea to have an organized review of this info every now and then.

Thank G-d I don't have to do a lot of Pediatric resuscitations, so a review is way better than staying sharp by doing it all the time.
That would definitely suck. Unlike on TV, most people or kids DON'T come back after they code. If they crump right in front of you the odds are way better, but unfortunately, a lot of the time we don't get them in time to make a difference. Unless there was someone at the scene who can do good, quality CPR till EMS shows up. But that doesn't happen much.

In a large rural county like this, it may be 15 minutes till EMS shows up. This ain't a knock on them, even with 3-4 stations scattered around the county, it's a huge area and there's a lot of waaaaaaaaay out yonder to cover.

So I spent the day cleaning and doing household chores and going over things that I don't use to often and brushing up.

I'd have rather been out working in the garden, but all in all it's time well spent.
Ya never know when a piece of info you forgot will come back at the right time to make a difference.

Because shit does happen in this world. I've been doing this for quite a few years now and I can remember every Young Kid or Baby I ever coded.

They come and visit in, what I call, "The Gallery of Bad Dreams" every so often and I get to see the faces again. Even if I don't want to.

Never know when or why they come and visit. They just do & I doubt that this is unique to me. Adults never bother me as that's just the way life is and dying is part of it.

Kids? Never good. Just not how it's supposed to work. Kids are supposed to bury us. Not the other way around.

OK, I'm gonna go back to reviewing all of the drug dosages that I can't remember without my cheat sheets in real life, but won't be able to use tomorrow.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-

Death in the Long Grass......
If memory serves me correctly, that was the title of a book by a guy named, Capstick. I could be wrong on the author, but it's not important enough to google up right now.

What made me think of that book, read long ago was an incident this morning.
I let the dogs out to do there doogie thing and was standing in the garage smoking when they all got stupid at once and started running around in a fashion that told me something was up.

Sure enough, Pete the Gay Boxer had caught a small rabbit and was in the process of chewing the shit out of it and trying to keep the other 3 dogs from sharing it with him.

By the time I got over there and got the little bugger free from the dog he was already displaying the "Universal Movie Sign of Impending Death".
Meaning there was blood coming from his mouth and nose.

In the movies, nobody survives any serious injury once they start having bleeding from the mouth and nose no matter how loud or long their buddies yell at them to "Hang in there. Stay with me, etc."

Just the way it works and in the case of the little bunny it proved a reliable indicator once again. He died in a few minutes while I held him.

Proving once again that life isn't like a Disney movie and that the only un-natural death in nature is to die of old age.

No, I wasn't yelling for him to "Stay with me, Bugs!" either.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday-

Surprise!!!!!
Went out to the garden to look around at the swamp out there & transplant a few things out of the HoopHouse.

It's really to muddy to be doing much so I just gave everything a once over.

And got a surprise.
Several, nice ripe Strawberries!





I ate most of them before I made it to the house.

This one had some mud on it so it made it to the kitchen.

I won't have a lot of them like I did a few years ago, but next year should be good.

And even a few Strawberries are better than none.

Gratuitous Picture for this Afternoon-


Yeah, say it loud.

Alien Invaders in the Yard.......

The Sun has poked a hole through the rain clouds this afternoon. I looked out in the back yard and what do I see?
Guinea Hens!




Oh wait, there's more!



They are a regular hoot to watch.

They make the craziest damn noises as they amble around eating.

One of the nice things is they eat ticks like machines. That's one of the big reasons to have them around.

Even if they didn't eat ticks they'd be worth having just for the entertainment factor alone.

Speaking of ticks and other bloodsucking pests - I just got off the phone with a Minion that works in the office of Senator Dick Lugar.

It seems that the Senator really is in favor of the CIFTA treaty. I can't think of any reason why this should be, but nothing should surprise me about this dickhead anymore.

Here's a short video from Lou Dobbs about CIFTA with Senator Lugar as a bonus.

And here is David Codrea in a column almost a month ago.

I called Lugars office last month and have yet to hear anything about this so I called again today. The Minion I spoke with today was barely even civil. I always try to be pleasant and put on my happy voice when I call legislators. Being a dick will get you nowhere so be polite at least.

This treaty is another round about way to institute more gun control without anyone in our .Gov going out on a limb and introducing it.

"Hey, It's a Treaty. Don't get all upset." Congress has no say on it. Only the Senate. And with RINO's like Dick Lugar coming out in favor of this treay, you have to worry that it could get legs.

So get on the phones and call your Senators. Even if the Minion you speak to is a shit, be polite and tell them you seriously disagree with the CIFTA Treaty.

That's it. Just do it.

Gratuitous Picture for the Afternoon-

Unless you help, this Instructor of the GrumpyUnk Sniper School could be out of a job.

Thursday Morning and the Rain Keeps Falling......

The GrumpyWife just left the compound and is headed to the big city airport for a trip South with the DaughterUnit.

Me and the Dogs are here on the ramparts watching over the Command and Control Bunker till she returns next week.

Assuming that the rain is not gonna wash us out that is. It's been raining steady for over 24 hours now and the little creek behind the house is doing it's best impression of the Snake River Rapids.

Some of the local farmers got corn in during the last week or 2 and it should be ok as long as it's not on the low areas and floods out.

Those who didn't get planted are gonna have a wait now. Unfortunately, once the rain stops it'll probably stop till September if the last 3-4 years is any indicator.
Farming is still the largest form of organized Legal Gambling out there. God bless 'em. They're gonna need it.

Lots of news out there, all of it bad so I'm not even gonna comment on much of it right now except to again exhort you to start gathering like the Ant for the hard times that are coming.
It looks like I'm gonna be stuck inside today, so maybe later when I wake up completely I'll have something. Not enough coffee yet.

Gratuitous Picture for this Morning-
Child rearing 101. Keep a firm grip on the little Crumbsnatcher.

Monday, Monday ......
Can't trust that day......
Apologies to, The Mamas & The Papas for that. But it seems to fit this morning.

Rained quite a bit last night and that is gonna put a crimp on my plans for today. Oh well. Can't always have it your way.

I caught some of the crappy respiratory virus that's making the rounds here and feel like ass anyway. So I probably wasn't gonna get a hell of a lot done today anyway.

There's still a ton of things to be done around here that aren't dependent on sunny weather.

Ain't that always the case?
If I live to be a hundred I'll never finish all the things I want to do now.
But that's really a good thing I suppose. Like they always told us in the Army, "It's good to have a mission."

In the ER, I piss a lot of Zombies off by telling them they should get a job, a hobby or do something to occupy their time in a constructive manner. This isn't just because I want to piss 'em off, but because it's true.
People need to be busy at something. It's good good for you.

Making Methamphetamine isn't what I'm talking about either.

To much of that crap going on around here as it is. The farmers are parking the Anhydrous wagons up closer to the house (but downwind if their smart) now to keep the Meth Zombies from stealing it for cooking. It's the big season for the Meth Heads now when Farmers are trying to get crops in. Lots of Anhydrous out there right now and those pesky little bastards will be looking to steal it.

Oh well, time to get my day started.
Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Morning-
Remember to wear your safety equipment.

Happy Mothers Day ......
to all you Moms out there.
Hope you all have a great day. All of you who can, go see your Mom today.

I'm off to do battle with the Zombie Hordes in the ER where the place will be packed with little old ladies from the Nursing Homes all day.

Happens every year.

The families, who shuffle Granny off to, "God's Little Waiting Room & Extended Care Facility", will go visit and be SHOCKED that she looks so bad since the Christmas visit.
They will insist that she be sent to the ER for an evaluation.

Or, Granny will complain of chestpain and get sent to the ER. That will ensure that the Family who ignores her all year will come to see her.

Either way it's depressing to see.

I hate fucken Nursing Homes and I am eternally grateful that my parents both just up and died. Saving me the need to even consider the Nursing Home option.

Gratuitous Picture for a Sunday Morning-

A few More Garden Pictures ......
Just because I took some today.

The Peas are coming along well.













I tore up the old Raspberry patch and transplanted them.
These are some red raspberries.














Here's a Clematis Bloom that opened yesterday.














One of the new Grapes.
Of the new ones, 2 of 3 look ok.







The other looks like a stick.

All in all things are coming along well. Lots of work yet to get this thing up to speed.

Grooving. On a Thursday Afternoon ......
With apologies to the, Young Rascals for that title.

After being surprised to find that I was supposed to work yesterday, yep, they called and said "Do you know you're supposed to be at work?"

I hate when I do that. My regular schedule is every Saturday and Sunday. Since I haven't been able to pick up any extra days for the last month I just forgot that I had a Wednesday tossed in there to work. DUH!

Oh well. I was a little late, but made it. It rained all day anyway and I'd already gotten the garage cleaned up and that was probably about all I was gonna get done anyway. So being able to make a few extra bucks was all good.

Today I was sure there were no surprises in store like that.

Called one of the local farmers who sells straw and ran over & picked up 10 bales for Potato mulch and Chicken House bedding.

One of the advantages of country living is when you need to know who to talk to about, say buying straw, you ask most anyone and you find out. I've been dealing with this guy for 4-5 years now and he cuts me a deal even on the small amounts I get.

My Potatoes have really taken off in the last week and it was time to get with the program of maximizing them as I Talked about here

I've had pretty good luck with this method in the past for getting the most from a small space.

Here you can see where I mounded dirt all up around and over parts of the plants.







This will give the new growth some good soil to take off in. I took my time and tucked it all in well and gently.

Next I got some old ratty chicken wire I had stashed in back of the barn and strung it around a few stakes and packed the straw in tight around the plants, basically burying them.





I'll add a bit of dirt to this in a week or so and keep up layering the whole mess till the sprouts reach the top of the fence.

With any luck, I'll have multiple layers of potatoes filling each bed.

We'll see anyway. It's worked well in the past so it should work again.

Check out the Maters in the Hoophouse -




They are close to 4 foot high & several have blossoms on them now.

This is cool.

Ok. That's it for now. I gotta go take a shower and wash my nasty self.

Range Day Today ......
Finally got a day out to do some shooting.

I got another first class lesson from, MiniD. It's amazing how much a schlub like me can learn in a few hours time with a good instructor.

And he's a very good teacher.

We worked on both pistol and rifle today.
I've never had any real instruction other than what my Dad gave me and the basic Army thing. So I'm basically self taught, especially on the pistol.

He reinforced a lot of things he'd taught me on our last session and then moved up a bit.
I was very happy with my shooting overall.

All in all a great way to spend an afternoon. I'm looking forward to doing this again soon.

Gratuitous Picture for a Monday Night-

It's a Hard Rain, a Gonna Fall .......
With respects to Bob Dylan for the title.

We just had one heavy ass rain blow through. The little creek, or crick, as they call it around here, has overflowed it's banks and is spreading out into a shallow pond in the back yard.

Was raining so hard you could have shown a movie on it. Wow.

Sure glad I cleaned all the limbs and leaves out a few weeks ago.

Makes me look smarter now.

Gratuitous Friday Night Picture-

Funny on Friday .........
Just saw this over at SondraK's and had to set it as my desktop background.











It's not often that you really do have an "LOL" moment.