piper17

There is, in my opinion, a difference between the president and his wife versus members of Congress. There are security issues in the case of the president and his family (not to mention the camp followers that tag along with the prez and his wife) that I don't see in the case of members of Congress. Hillary and Chelsea went on overseas trips to Africa and elsewhere (Bosnia and the snipers ) and I saw that as appropriate use of government aircraft. Members of Congress can stand in security lines with the rest of us at the airport or drive their hybrids to and fro their home districts. Maybe they'd spend more time at home rather than in Washington where they do little except spend taxpayer dollars and pass more laws that restrict our freedoms. Let them teleconference "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

oh goodie...here comes the "race card". "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

If you paid attention to my previous postings, I have complained about this very thing. I don't give a hoot about the political affiliation of the hypocritical politicians who criticize those in the public sector but do the same or worse themselves at taxpayer expense. The politicians of both parties have abused the taxpayers long enough. The Democrats lost their hold on congressional power during Clinton's administration, the Republicans took over...and became "Democrat-lite". The American voters through them out and now history repeats itself. Those we send to Washington develop the idea that they are, somehow, better than those who elected them and are entitled to all these perks, self-granted pay raises, etc. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

It is senseless to argue about this. The real issue is DC is going to do everything it can to make it difficult for people living there to exercise their Second Amendment rights despite what the Supreme Court ruled. Color of the firearm, revolver versus pistol, number of rounds in the magazine of the pistol, hollow-point versus ball ammunition...all of this is load of bunk. The thrust of those politicians controlling the district (as well as those of California and other anti-gun locations) is they don't want citizens to have the ability to defend themselves from the criminal residents in this very dangerous city. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

Judicial Watch investigated possible congressional misuse of USAF aircraft for personal use. Funny how Congress and Obama berate corporations for their use of business aircraft then do the same thing themselves...at taxpayers' expense. I wonder why the airlines aren't "good enough" for them. Perhaps they don't like the TSA airport hassles to which they subject "the little people". "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly requested military aircraft to shuttle her and her colleagues and family around the country, according to a new report from a conservative watchdog group. Representatives for Judicial Watch, which obtained e-mails and other documents from a Freedom of Information request, said the correspondence shows Pelosi has abused the system in place to accommodate congressional leaders and treated the Air Force as her "personal airline." The e-mails showed repeated attempts by Pelosi aides to request aircraft, sometimes aggressively, and by Department of Defense officials to accommodate them. "I think that's above and beyond what other members of Congress are doing and what is expected of our elected officials," said Jenny Small, a researcher with the group. The group reported that Pelosi was notorious for making special demands for high-end aircraft, lodging last-minute cancellations, and racking up additional expenses for the military. In one e-mail, aide Kay King complained to the military that they had not made available any aircraft the House speaker wanted for Memorial Day recess. "It is my understanding there are NO G5s (Gulfstream G-5 business jet aircraft) available for the House during the Memorial Day recess. This is totally unacceptable ... The Speaker will want to know where the planes are," King wrote. In another, when told a certain type of aircraft would not be available, King wrote: "This is not good news, and we will have some very disappointed folks, as well as a very upset Speaker." Pelosi's office has not yet responded to requests for comment." I doubt that Nancy P. will be responding any time soon. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

If someone is adjudicated as having mental issues and has been committed, there is a record of that...at least in CT where I live. When the gun shop calls the Dept. of Public Safety here to get approval of a firearms purchase, that would come up...as would convictions for felonies, etc. If the legal system in VA had done their job instead of dropping the ball and not making his mental health issues a matter of record, the VA Tech student killer would never have been able to purchase a firearm. Safeguards for normal firearms purchases are already in place. Criminals will get firearms illegally....and there is no way to stop it. Look at Mexico with its drug gang problems...or the UK. What's the problem? "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

Perhaps you'd like to edit your response to make it coherent. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

Well, people in the USA are entitled to "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" but a lot of citizens here lose their "liberty" and as put in jail for committing crimes. Others lose their lives for taking the life of another. Felons lose their right to vote for comitting certain crimes so why shouldn't they lose their right to bear arms if their crimes fit this punishment. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

You are right! I stand corrected...and the scale I was referencing is "cm", not mm. 20mm is larger in diameter than a .50 cal round and I wouldn't care to be holding a handgun that fired a round that large....not to mention 40mm. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

Never heard of a 45mm and the 40mm is anti-aircraft gun dating back to at least WWII. 40mm is about 3/4" !!! I think you mean .45 ACP and .40S&W.....as in .45 or .40 caliber...measured in fractions of inches. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

You might want to check around your area to see if there are any IPSC, IDPA, or Cowboy Action Shooting groups. You can learn a lot about firearms, reloading, etc from such groups. You might also want to go to the Dillon Precison web site to learn about reloading equipment, etc. They have videos, DVDs, etc as well that can teach you about reloading, equipment, procedures, etc. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

I've reloaded thousands of rounds of .45acp using lead semi wadcutter bullets. I shot IPSC competition and had to achieve a certain power factor so these were not wimp loads but they didn't have to be super hot, either. I experienced some barrel leading but nothing that couldn't be easily removed with a Hoppes tool designed for the purpose. My .38 special reloading is for Cowboy Action Shooting and I load at the bottom of the reloading data...the starting load. No problem with leading at all in either revolvers or rifle. Same thing when I used to compete with .45 Colt revolvers and rifle. No leading. Oregon Trails produces very good lead bullets that seem to reduce or eliminate most leading. I believe it is a harder lead alloy than many manufacturers use. I only rarely load jacketed bullets as they are considerably more expensive than lead and for plinking and competition, lead is fine. For personal protection/concealed carry purposes, I use store-bought defensive rounds for legal reasons... in case I ever had to use a firearm in self-defense. By the way, if you decide to buy a Glock (or certain other handguns), you are not supposed to fire lead bullets due to the type of rifling in the barrel. Use only jacketed rounds. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

As far as reloading is concerned, I own two Dillon 550B progressive reloading presses. I can crank out 400-500 rounds per hour without pushing. I reload .45acp, .45Colt, .38special and have the stuff for 9mm but don't shoot enough of it to bother. Dillon makes other reloading presses...one cheaper and lower volume/hr and several others that are more expensive and really can crank out the volume. I'm guessing you do NOT own a progressive press? "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

The banks are not "scared to lend"; they just don't want to lend to those who cannot or will not repay loans. Lending to people who had absolutely no chance of making their mortgage payments had a lot to do with getting our economy into the mess that it is in today. Continuing this practice of lending money to poor credit risks is not the way to get the economy turned around. There is a reason that people have to QUALIFY" for loans - the have to demonstrate that they have the ability to repay them. Didn't someone say that the definition of insanity was continuing to do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Evidently, the word hasn't gotten to Barney Franks, Chris Dodd, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, et al. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

This says a lot of the inefficiency of the federal government's acquisition system. I worked in sales/marketing for a number of defense contractors over the years. I was astounded (at least until I realized it was the rule rather than the exception) of the incompetence of the government employees with whom I came in contact. I was also surprised how the specifications that the government stipulated drove up the cost of the simplest items not to mention buying parts in such small quantities that the cost to manufacture went through the roof. We had to buy materials in small quantities (we didn't want the cost of inventorying stuff we might not use again for years), plus special manufacturing set up charges for a special, low quantity run etc. Parts that should only have cost a few hundred dollars at most had specs so tight that the cost turned into tens of thousands of dollars. To get it into terms the layman can understand, the government wrote their own spec for A-1 steak sauce...something they should have purchased off the shelf for a couple of dollars a bottle. That is why we see the $500 dollar hammers, $1,000 toilet seats etc. This is not meant to deny there are crooked contractors...there are, big time, but often the government is too stupid to check things out...witness the Bernie Madoff financial boondoggle. Financial people on Wall Street were telling the SEC that something crooked was going on and the SEC personnel were too stupid or lazy to do their due diligence....just like the investors. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

How about posting the budgets of the Departments of Education, Health & Human Services, HUD, State, NEA, EPA, etc. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

"Chimpanzee in charge"???? Of whom are you speaking? "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

I own a Springfield XD in .45....like it a lot but a tad large for concealed carry except during the New England winter months. I also own an XD sub-compact version in 9mm which is pretty good for year-round concealed carry. I have owned Glocks in 9mm and .40 but prefer the Springfield XD because of the grip safety...also they tend to be less expensive than Glocks. Also, I had issues with the Glock .40 (compact model) and dumped it after two trips back to Glock. Probably just the ammo but I don't want a pistol that is that ammo-sensitive. I also own a Colt 1911 which I had set up for IPSC competition...fine for home defense but not something I would use for concealed carrry. My Colt Lightweight Commander, on the other hand, which has also been slicked up by a well-known gunsmith and has night sights is fine for concealed carrry...in winter, not so easy to conceal during the warmer months. I have a Sig P-239 in .357Sig....a good all-around pistol for home defense or concealed carry. Had night sights installed. I usually have it in my car. For summer concealed carry, I use a Colt Cobra .38 revolver...light weight, relatively easy to conceal, and very reliable. Have a good gun smith...or send it to S&W...look at your current piece. I almost NEVER buy NEW firearms - handguns or long guns. Used firearms are generally much less expensive...much the same as buying a used car rather than new. Let someone else take the financial hit of a new toy. There are several good gun shops in the area here with excellent selections of used firearms. I just keep checking in until I find what I'm looking for or something strikes my fancy...which happens way too often as indicated by my need for two gun safes and a slim bank account. Can't have too many guns! "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

ABC News had this to say about Congressional travel on Air Force aircraft....plus congressional members flying first class to the UK for a three day trip for $14,000. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6890812&page=1 "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

When CPI converted its student equipment to PCs, we switched to Strong piggybacks with the single-point release/reserve ripcord at the same time. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

I don't think it was "USPA rules" that said 100 round jumps were required before jumping a square. Might have been a recommendation...but I'm pretty sure it wasn't not in the BSRs. I have a hard time understanding why a drop zone would teach "hand deploying" a chest-mounted reserve that was NOT equipped with a pilot chute preceded by cutting away. Hand deploying a chest mounted round reserve was for when the jumper did NOT cut away from the main. If you had cutaway from the main, there would be no need to throw the reserve in any direction since the main that might be spinning was no longer attached. Are you sure you are remembering this correctly? "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

This in the news today. I wonder if Nancy is flying commercial...I think not. She will be off on this European boondoggle on the taxpayers' dime, polluting the skies with carbon from the engines of the USAF aircraft. What a hypocrite. HURRY, FELLAS, LET'S VOTE, I AM OFF TO ROME! Fri Feb 13 2009 09:18:52 ET Rep. John Culberson, TX claims the "stimulus" bill must be urgently voted on today -- because Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leaving at 6:00 PM for an 8 day trip to Europe! Culberson made the charge on Houston's KSEV radio. Pelosi is hoping to lead a delegation to Europe; there's a meeting with the Pope and an award from an Italian legislative group. Calls to Pelosi's spokesman went unreturned. In the rushing, Democrats have now broken their promise to have the public see the $790 billion bill for 48 hours before any vote. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) predicted that none of his Senate colleagues would 'have the chance' to read the entire final version of the 1,071-page bill before it comes up for a final vote. Developing... and if all these Democrats are so big on separation of Church and state and Nancy Pelosi is so pro-abortion, why is she spending taxpayers' dollars to make a trip to visit the Pope? "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

I think that is "Corcoran" jump boots....and I still have the scars on the front of my shins from the constant blisters from double-timing in them. Those boots were giving me blisters on my shins and heels even when they were falling apart of long usage and old age. Pretty looking and held a good spit shine but that was about it as far as I was concerned. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

1. Convicted by a jury of his peers who heard all the evidence presented by the prosecution. 2. Case reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court. 3. Twenty-five years to examine additional DNA evidence that the defense claims exists. If it exists, why hasn't it been done yet? Technology has existed for more than a few years? Does it actually exist? 4. You are basing your opinions on what you have read in a newspaper article. We all know how accurate they are! 5. Whether or not the jury heard about his prior "misdeeds"...it certainly influences my opionion regarding this individual. Sounds to me (based on the newspaper article so my opinion would therefore be suspect) that he has been given due process and this is simply a stalling tactic by the defense....but just my opinion. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling

...and the Pratt & Whitney Canada business jet group just laid off 1,000 workers. So much for stimulating economies. I wonder if 1,000 workers will blame the US Congress. Too bad. I seem to remember after the 2006 elections Nancy Pelosi berating the USAF for a larger jet aircraft for her to use commuting between DC and California. How is it okay for Nancy to run around the country on USAF jet aircraft on the taxpayers' dime but not okay for businesses to use aircraft. Why aren't the airlines good enough for her. I imagine a lot in congress are using military business-jet aircraft for personal travel besides Ms. Pelosi. "A man can never have too much red wine, too many books, or too much ammunition"...Rudyard Kipling