Self Defense

If you're reading my little scribbles here, but you're not reading Xavier, what's wrong with you.

That being said, this post he put up tonight shows what self defense is all about...

and... Don't Bring a Knife to the Gunfight!

One of my daily carry setups

Screw Political Correctness!

Over at First In, Captain America points out this story about Political Correctness run amok.  As a former resident of the people's republic of New Jersey, I can assure you that political correctness is one of the largest threats that our country faces today.

Please excuse me while I go vomit!

--Jim

Congratulations to Rowan EMS

I'm an alumni of Rowan University, in Glassboro NJ. IN my 4 years at Rowan, I ran with Rowan EMS. I worked my way up the ranks and had the distinct pleasure of serving as the captain of that squad from 2005 to 2006 (my Senior year).

Rowan EMS, the 911 BLS Transport EMS squad that covers the college campus just took delivery of a brand new ambulance. The new rig will allow better coverage for the campus, as well as taking second runs while the first ambulance is already out on assignment.

I'll be looking forward to reading the press release early next year (the school is currently on break between semesters.)

A couple of quick pics for your enjoyment!

26-81 and 26-82 in front of Bunce Hall.


26-82

Congrats guys!

Good Samaritan Laws....

This news article that came out of California is extremely troubling.

Without knowing all the details, and without having researched the actual code in California (hey man, I have a hard time understanding the legal language... I'll happily follow most any law, just present it in a way that everyone can understand!) the story scares me.

While I was going through my EMT-B training in New Jersey, it was explained to me that although there was not a legal requirement to come give aid as a Good Samaritan, you might personally feel that you had a moral obligation to do so. If you chose to act (at least as it was explained to me), and provided care up to your level of training, and were not negligent in your care, thenyou were covered under the Good Sam laws.

That is, as an EMT-B, if I'm driving down the road and witness a car accident, outside of my jurisdiction, or when off duty, I have no obligation to stop, regardless of what kind of vehicle I'm in (ambulance included, although it looks bad for the agency you're representing). If I chose to stop, as long as I provided care up to the level of an EMT-B, was not negligent, and didn't exceed my standard of care, I would be covered. I wasn't allowed to act as an ALS provider, and start and IV, or tube somebody, but I could take C-Spine precautions, and if the equipment was available, start to package the patient.

If my brother was driving down the same road, and stopped to help, as long as he did what he felt was necessary, then he should have been covered (my brother doesn't have any sort of emergency training). Apparently, the woman in California fit into this mold, and is now being sued by her "friend." And the California Supreme Court said it can go forward.

Disgusting... just disgusting.

Election Results

Chris, over at The AnarchAngel posts this.

I'm not sure I could have put it better myself.

Does this mean we get to blame Obama for everything that goes wrong in the next four years?

--Jim

Election

Vote.

Hopefully it'll all work out the right way. I'm optimistic, but still worried.

Placed orders for the magazines I might need in the future :)

--Jim

Funny... but Scary!

http://view.break.com/584896 - Watch more free videos

Found in a comment from a friend on MySpace. I can't imagine how I would react to this.

Hunkering Down

I'm a field engineer for a major environmental company. That basically means that I work in the construction industry to support the construction of the equipment that we sell. It involves a lot of time spent away from my home and the ones that I love and hold dear.

It also leads to events like I'm getting ready to deal with at the moment. See, the project that I'm currently on is just north of College Station TX. If you look at a map quickly, you'll notice that I'm about 150 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. I'm preparing to get slammed by Gustav. I'm hoping it does not bother me too much, and my aunt and uncle who lived in Florida are saying that it should not, that I'm too far in land. Still, it's better to be safe then sorry as far as I'm concerned.

I'm a little worried about the whole thing, and I wish I had brought a little more of my prep gear, but I honestly didn't think about it.

Anyway, off to the store to make sure that I have the necessities to ride this out, and keep working (the jobsite will probably only be closed for one day this week, which could be interesting.)

Will keep all of regular readers (all 2 of you) posted as to what happens.

--Jim

Happy about McCain's VP Selection

John McCain and Sarah Palin!

I'm thrilled. Never having heard of Sarah Palin until a couple of months ago, when a bunch of the bloggers that I read on a daily basis mentioned her.

Following some of the rumors this week, I was worried about who McCain would end up choosing, especially because I don't think McCain is conservative enough. I'm thrilled that he chose a true conservative to be his VP on the ticket.

I had a friend comment to me today, when I posted a picture on facebook, that I would have voted for him anyway. But the way I figure it, now I'm voting for their ticket because I like their ticket, as opposed to holding my nose and voting for the one that I think is worse.

I mean, what's not to love.

Palin has the following traits:

1.) Good on the 2A (which is awesome)
2.) Pro Life - she elected to continue her 5th child to term, and have him, even knowing that he had Down Syndrome. That takes heart.
3.) Experience - she actually has some. Held down a real job before being elected the mayor of a small town, and later the governor of Alaska. And as governor, she's fought corruption within her own administration, and is trying to clean up that state.
4.) She's definitely cute.

I have a good feeling about this election for the first time since Fred Thompson dropped out oh so long ago!

Humans and Wildlife and "we know better than you" attitudes

Now, before anyone starts shouting otherwise, I have no issue with wildlife, and enjoy many of the scenes of nature. But when something like this happens, I get royally pissed off.

Now, for those of you who don't realize it, I lived the first couple of years of my life in Jefferson Twp. NJ, and then moved even further out in the country with my parents and brother. Although us seeing bear at home was a relatively rare event, it did happen, and it happened far more frequently around the county and area that I was really comfortable with.

Whenever the hunting community in the state would manage to get the state government to approve the bear hunt for the year, it would get canceled at the last minute, because hunting was cruel and inhumane.

It was so bad that you actually had to worry about protection yourself, and your loved ones if a bear invaded your yard, or even worse, your house.

The fact that the NJSPCA feels the need to charge the owner of the dog with a crime is ludicrous, and shows just how far over the edge NJ has finally fallen.

I'm glad I moved to the land of the free over a year ago...I'm not sure I could ever live as a subject again.

--Jim

Shooting in Montclair NJ, my old stomping grounds...

MONTCLAIR, New Jersey — A man shot and killed a woman in front of their 11-year-old daughter inside a YMCA recreation center while a swimming class for preschoolers was going on nearby, officials said.

Authorities said Monica Paul, 31, argued with the suspect, Kenneth A. Duckett, 37, before he allegedly opened fire about 6:30 p.m.

Duckett, the father of her two children, then ran from the building and drove off in a white Jeep with another man, who has not been identified, authorities said. The vehicle was later found; both men remained at large late Thursday.

Witnesses said YMCA staffers and parents helped get the children out of the building. None of the children was hurt, authorities said.

Essex County Prosecutor Paula T. Dow said Paul was shot multiple times at close range as she sat with her daughter in a waiting area outside the pool where her 4-year-old son was swimming. Witnesses told investigators they heard at least three or four shots.

Authorities said the slain woman was granted a restraining order against Duckett late last year.

I used to live up in New Jersey, and one of the things that I hated was how difficult it was to acquire a firearm for defensive purposes, and then, even if you did, you couldn't carry it with you. According to the actual law, NJ is a "may issue" state, but from everything I've ever heard, you can't justify a need, no matter what you say.

A friend I knew was the manager of the township department of public works. As part of his job, the crew had to install a new pipe at his direction. Part of the process was digging up the shoulder of a road, and happened to cut across the front of a gentleman's lawn. The homeowner came out and threatened to kill my friend. My friend went to the local police department (the town he worked in) and asked if they could issue him a permit to carry a firearm, even just while he was working, and he'd lock it up in the station every night. No go, he wasn't special enough.

The last line of that news paper article states that the woman had a restraining order against the shooter. In his post, Meditations on Paper Armour, Lawdog points how about how effective a piece of paper is at defending you, if you don't have anything to back it up. Go give him a read (which, if you're reading this, you should definitely already be doing...)

This happened just across the river...

From the city I now call home...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,371242,00.html

Gunman Kills 5, Himself in Kentucky Factory Rampage

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

HENDERSON, Ky. —

The CEO of a company that operates a western Kentucky plastics plant where an employee opened fire after an argument says a sixth person died Wednesday.

Atlantis Plastics CEO Bud Philbrook says the killings are just a "total shock."

The employee began arguing with a supervisor around midnight, then shot the supervisor before opening fire in a break room, according to Philbrook. He initially shot and killed four people and wounded two, one critically, before turning the gun on himself.

One of the wounded died later Wednesday morning.

The plant in the Ohio River town of Henderson employs about 150 people and makes parts for refrigerators and plastic siding for homes. Employees were sent home for the day.

Henderson police Lt. David Piller said the two who were wounded were flown to hospitals in Evansville, Ind.

The shooting victims were scattered around the plant, Piller said, and the employee had apparently retrieved the handgun used in the shootings during a break.

"It appears the shooting was random at this time," Piller said.

A 3 p.m. news conference was planned Wednesday.

Names of those involved in the shooting have not been released.

Hours after the shooting, police had set up a roadblock on the street leading to the plant, which is in an industrial area on the southern side of Henderson.

In a news release on the company's Web site, Atlantis Plastics said it is a leading U.S. manufacturer of three kinds of products: polyethylene stretch films for wrapping pallets of materials, custom films for industrial and packaging uses, and molded plastic pieces used in products such as appliances and recreational vehicles.

The company has 700 employees, including those in Henderson, and annual sales of $110 million, according to business directory Hoovers.

This is a breaking news report. Stay with FOXNews.com for more as information becomes available.

How much are you willing to bet that the plant bans the possession of firearms on company property. I know that my employer does. Worked well for them in this case didn't it!

Homes for the Homeless

Stolen from Common Folks Using Common Sense

(as told to me by “USMC - Retired” of Leesburg, Georgia):

I’m reminded of the time little Catherine, the daughter of some friends, told me she wanted to be President one day.

Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine - ‘If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?’

Catherine replied - ‘I would give houses to all the homeless people.’

‘Wow - what a worthy goal you have there, Catherine.’ I told her, ‘You don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that, you can come over to my house and clean up all the dog poop in the back yard and I will pay you $5 dollars. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $5 dollars to use for a new house.’

Catherine (who was about 6) thought that over for a second, while her mom looked at me seething, and Catherine replied, ‘Why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and clean up the dog poop and you can pay him the $5 dollars?’

I said ‘Welcome to the Republican Party, Catherine.’

We haven’t seen them since then.

Friday Funny

Stolen from: Rustmeister

I was having trouble with my computer. So I called Eric, the 11 year old next door, whose bedroom looks like Mission Control, and asked him to come over.

Eric clicked a couple of buttons and solved the problem. As he was walking away, I called after him, "So, what was wrong?"

He replied, "It was an ID ten T error."

I didn't want to appear stupid, but nonetheless I inquired, "An ID ten T error? What's that? In case I need to fix it again?"

Eric grinned.... "Haven't you ever heard of an ID ten T error before?"

"No," I replied.

"Write it down," he said, "and I think you'll figure it out."

So I wrote down: I D 1 0 T..

Parrots!

Stolen from the internet!

A woman went to her priest with a problem. "Father, I have two female parrots, and they only know how to say one thing. All they ever say is, 'Hi, we're prostitutes. Wanna have some fun?' "
"That's terrible!" exclaimed the priest. "But I think I can help. Bring your two female parrots over to my house, and I will put them with my two male parrots whom I taught to pray and read the Bible. My parrots will teach your parrots to stop saying that terrible phrase, and your female parrots will learn to praise and worship."

The next day, the woman brought her female parrots to the priest's house. His two male parrots were holding rosary beads and quietly praying in their cage. The woman put her two female parrots in the cage with the male parrots. The females said, "Hi, we're prostitutes. Wanna have some fun?"

One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed "Put those beads away, our prayers have been answered!"