Gun appreciation rallies in Iowa

In Cedar Rapids:



More than 600 people attended a rally outside the State Capitol in Des Moines.

"Any assault on a part of the Bill of Rights is an assault on the entire Bill of Rights. When we swear an oath of office as an elected official, I don't get to pick and choose which parts of the Constitution I want to uphold. I have to uphold it in its entirety," says Rep. Tom Shaw from District 10.

Meanwhile over in the freedom paradise called Illinois:
As Gov. Pat Quinn and other Illinois Democrats vow to pursue a statewide ban on assault weapons, some of those same guns were on sale Saturday at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

``... You put a body kit on a Ford Pinto, it doesn't make it a Ferrari.'' - Nathan Hoefs of Lincoln, describing civilian versions of military rifles.

PETA piping up

The old saw, "I support the Second Amendment and no one wants to take your right to hunt..."

These idiots do:

PETA says the Obama administration is sending a mixed message to children about gun violence by not calling for a ban on hunting.

Gun Appreciation - Jan 19th

Should I express my appreciation with the acquisition of a firearm for the collection? How about assisting a citizen to become a new gun owner? Or maybe practice my marksmanship? How about all three?

Used Magazines

$80 for used AK 30 round magazines.

Demand vs Supply with a little bit of scarcity thrown in to muck things up.

"Guns and Freedom" from Judge Napolitano

Most people in government reject natural rights and personal sovereignty. Most people in government believe that the exercise of everyone's rights is subject to the will of those in the government. Most people in government believe that they can write any law and regulate any behavior, not subject to the natural law, not subject to the sovereignty of individuals, not cognizant of history's tyrants, but subject only to what they can get away with.

These words from Judge Andrew Napolitano, express what many of us have been thinking and believing for a long time.

Most people in government won't leave us alone.

Idiot Wind

The wind was blowing today and there was a familiar stench that I hadn't been around for a few months.

The legislature is back in session in Des Moines.

For you young-uns who aren't familiar with the title.

From the song:

Idiot wind blowing every time your move your mouth
Blowing down the backroads heading south

We have our work cut out for us this year.

Camp Stranded Update - Bluebirds on my shoulder

I've caught hell for this but I built a birdhouse for my wife and gave it to her for Christmas. In fact, I built two bluebird boxes while #1 and #2 sons built one each.





 

The Mrs. loved them but her friends thought of me as a cheapskate (which is true). They have other words to describe me, but this is a PG blog.

Why did she love these? We built these with our own hands, no store bought fancy-house will grace the confines of Camp Stranded. If we can only get one pair of birds to nest, the thought having those little song birds singing will brighten up the place. That's why she appreciated a gift that will hopefully bring some joy down there during our visits.

We put them up last weekend as I'm hoping they will get aired out by the time they go house hunting in March. Two out of cedar and two out of pine and I coated them with linseed oil to protect them from the elements. I used two clamps through slots on a facing board to attach to steel posts that we put in the open and facing a tree to roost on after leaving the nest. Then I mounted the box to the facing board.

Will we get some boarders? I hope these are inviting to any newcomers to the area and with different woods and locations, I'll have a good idea of what works. We can add more boxes next year, but I better have something different for the Mrs. at Christmas.

I am not a Resource, I am a Human Being

This being a paraphrase from the late sixties British series, The Prisoner, the iconic "I am not a number, I am a Human Being." I spent more time than I wanted serving my employer this past year, culminating in a late July confrontation with my supervisor. I've never done that before with an employer. I'm under no illusions about being irreplaceable - but I have the unique position of being the person to contact when things go wrong. (Having the answers is another story)

This past six months have been spent trying to move to a new position and barring that, finding a new employer that appreciates my services. Coming home at night (or sometimes the next morning) I lost most of my motivation to post for the most part. And Iowa has been quiet on gun issues until the last couple of weeks. Along with challenging technology on the home front and a serious family issue  that drew attention away from all else, I've fallen out of grace regarding blogging etiquette.

I'd like to share my philosophy of the employer/employee relationship.

I hate the term "Human Resources" - People are not resources.
Resources are products used in production like coal, steel, or power resources like electricity. When we think of employees as nothing more as units of production, employers may look at not much beyond productivity levels. The old "What have you done for me lately" syndrome. For example, in the middle of a project, getting pulled into a second project, and then being asked if I have the first one done. (That resulted in a bit of a conflict)

I view employment as a partnership.
Yes, there is a subordinate relationship, but it is a group of people focused on a common goal. Hierarchical leadership is necessary to achieve goals with the key of having that leader keep a "follow me" quality. The best leaders I've worked for were those who focused on getting resources to their team members for them to do their jobs. All partnerships require communication. All partnerships require a balance which relates to the next thought.

The law of Reciprocity will be obeyed.
When hard work is rewarded, people respond. When an employer neglects this law, the employer/employee relationship is not in balance. As in all relationships, when a side is taking and the other is giving, there is an imbalance that must be corrected. If not, irreconcilable differences ensue and a mental "divorce" takes root. Soon a separation is the only answer.

And a separation was completed at the beginning of the new year as I've moved to a new part of the organization.

I've got the same demands as before and in some cases, more. But in less than a week, acts of reciprocity has already taken place with the new supervisor. The old supervisor has made demands from both me and the new super since the transfer, but maybe that would calm down.

There are dark clouds on the horizon with idiots in the statehouse in Des Moines demanding a full semi-auto ban along with confiscations. I'm getting tired of talking heads on the idiot box yammering the familiar, "I'm support the Second Amendment, but...". Just fill in the blank with magazine limits, treating semi-autos in the same category as full-auto, and the eye rolling, "No one needs an assault weapon to hunt deer." (SKS rifles are considered "assault weapons" by many but are used by hunters in Wisconsin).

We've got our work cut out for us and it's time for me to get back on the blog and keep you aware of what's going on here in Iowa.

That is, if any of my former loyal readers are still around. I hope you all understand.