Focusing on numismatics, and commenting upon current legal and world events, not to mention asides into the world of scuba diving, flying, and fine firearms.
This morning was a USPSA match at Wayne County Racoon Hunters Club. I met up with Tosh and we headed to the match,
It's a very nice club, good bunch of people and they put on quite a challenging match with a lot of distance targets.
Overall not my best match ever. Had a few moments that were good. but pretty average otherwise and one major flub during a stage where I completely missed a hidden popper that could only be seen at just the right angle and the drop-turner it controlled. Would have been a great stage, had I not blasted right by it would have been a great stage, but I did so it was not so good.
Overall I'm in the 3s hit-factor wise and need to get that up if I'm going to improve. Accuracy is good, but I really need to get the speed up to snuff.
On the last stage of the match, I had a failure to feed while doing a reload, likely I messed it up somehow but it does count as a failure, I cleared it and went on but it slowed me down a tad. Would have made it into the 4s but for the failure but ended up in the 3s yet again.
Today was a good day to get out and clean the aircraft. It's also mandatory to attend as part of the flying club, and itg's a nice time to meet up and chat with your fellow members.
Pretty much all the club members showed up and that made cleaning and waxing the planes a much faster job. The weather being nice didn't hurt either.
What did hurt was when a fellow member decided to turn with his long-handled cleaning bush and didn't check his six or do a clearing turn before doing so.
Ow.
At least it missed the eye itself, but I sure as heck saw stars. Aviation after all has inherent risks, even on the ground.
No major harm done, but I had quite a headache from it and I'm gonna have quite the shiner.
Well, the planes were taken form their hangars and first de-greased and their bellies soaped down by hand. Then we did a taxi to the wash stand and soaped them down completely and washed them with a pressure washer. Then, we taxied them back to the hangars and toweled them dry and then sprayed Brillianize wax on them and toweled that to a shine.
They looked darn nice when we were done with them, and it took less than two hours to detail both aircraft.
One of our former long-standing members showed up to the wash n wax. He recently left the club because he had decided to buy his own airplane, and after we were done cleaning and putting the planes away we went to admire it.
It' a 1978 Bonanza A36, and it's a beast.
6 seats, 160 knot cruising speed, complex, and all tricked out with some awesome avionics. He also wisely got 35 hours of instruction in the Bonanza to learn its idiosyncrasies and how to keep ahead of it. It's a very, very nice plane.
Sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and winds calm to 3 knots.
So, I jumped into the trusty Archer and took to the skies.
I decided to leave the local airport environs and get some un-towered airport practice.
It turns out a lot of other pilots had the same idea.
First, I took off from Pontiac and they had me cross 27R and instead use the big runway - Runway 27L, which is always fun.
Then I flew northeast to Lapeer, where I entered the pattern for Runway 18 as planes were already using 18, using appropriate radio calls all the while.
Another couple planes were there and not an issue, we had each other in sight and it's all good.
I did a good landing and then taxied back and held short and waited to takeoff as an bright yellow amphib piper cub was coming in to land, sans radio (but smartly with another pilot who had a radio flying with him letting everyone know), and with the other aircraft coming in to land behind him. Fun to watch.
I then took off and remained in the pattern. Radio calls all the while, a few more planes entering the pattern, all is well and everyone is showing solid awareness.
That is until I get on short final. Very short final, got the numbers in the windscreen, landing looks and feels just perfect, this is going to be great ----
And a dickhead in a blue painted Cessna decides it's a perfect time to roll onto the runway and takeoff without any radio call or looking at final to see an aircraft about to land on the numbers.
"Archer 28S is going around, sidestepping right due to traffic taking off!"
Not stated but understood by everyone else in the pattern - "You flipping f'ing moron taking off while I'm about to land!"
Thanks a lot there super chief. Full power, slowly retract the flaps, and fly the airplane and keep separation from the moron that's taking off.
So I headed off to my next airport - D98 Romeo.
Flying to Romeo and I overfly and then setup for Runway 18. Do my radio calls and enter the downwind and get a report from the ground that they are working on the lighting to the left of runway 18 but should not be a factor. I can see them and let them know I appreciate the heads up.
Another airplane also comes in and we've got good communication and spacing, I land, he then lands, and we both taxi again to takeoff. Another nice landing.
I bid him a good flight and takeoff and head back to Pontiac.
12 Miles out from Pontiac I give the tower a call. I then get instructions to do a straight in and report a 3-mile final to Runway 27R from the tower. Yay.
I'm #2, following another Archer who is in the pattern, and he clears the runway and I land and just grease the plane in perfectly.
Then I park, refuel the plane, and put the plane to bed.
1.3 and 3 very good landings and a very mandatory go-around.
A female gay white sergeant was allegedly passed over for promotion as a post commander in a favor of an African-American female who was allegedly less qualified, and allegedly had lied in the course of her employment.
The interesting part of the article however is the report of a pronouncement apparently made publicly by the commander of the Michigan State Police:
Each of the suits points to comments state police director Col. Joseph
Gasper reportedly made at a public meeting on Oct. 8, 2019, in which he
said the agency was "way too white and way too male," and added that he
planned to set aside 25% of future job openings for minorities, and 20%
for females.
That certainly constitutes racial set-asides now doesn't it?
The state shall not
discriminate against, or grant preferential treatment to, any individual
or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national
origin in the operation of public employment, public education, or
public contracting.
That's going to be a problem and his pronouncement just opened the door to lots of discrimination lawsuits by potential new hires turned down because they may be too white or too male, and from current members of the force that may be passed over for promotion based on their being too white or too male.
The Michigan State Police currently has a well-deserved reputation and is renowned for being composed of capable and highly-skilled law enforcement officers - regardless of their color, sex, or sexual orientation.
Colonel Gaspar risks this reputation with his misguided and illegal affirmative action plan.
Both Whitmer and Cuomo (and the govs of PA, MA and NJ) issued orders requiring nursing homes to take in Covid-19 infected patients. As a result, and surprising no one, Covid-19 ripped through Michigan and New York nursing homes - causing 40%+ of all the deaths in these states. States that didn't have such an insane order fared much better.
Quite a sheer lot of chutzpah to call for an inquiry over Trump's response when your own horribly inept responses led to the deaths of thousands and made the situation much worse than it would have been had they acted sensibly.
This demand on Whitmer's part is even more astonishing, but not truly unexpected, given her continued refusal to cooperate with GOP inquiry on virus in nursing homes. and her actions during Covid that led to the deaths of thousands of Michigan nursing home residents.
My bet is she's trying to both cover her actions by pointing elsewhere and to tee up some more spurious grounds for another impeachment campaign against President Trump, while hiding her and Cuomo's own misdeeds and mishandling of the Convid-19 pandemic.
California will halt sales of new gasoline-powered passenger cars and
trucks by 2035, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday, a move he says
will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 35% in the nation’s most populous
state.
As there's no simultaneous push to increase reliable electric power generation in the state of California to meet the demand of all these new electric cars, and they can't even keep up with electrical demand as it stands now.
So this morning, I went to the gas pumps at Costco to fill up and moved into a spot behind a Volvo that had its driver's side door wide open with the engine off at the pump ahead.
I waited a moment before stopping at the second pump, as often people finish and drive off and there's no point leaving an empty pump in front of you and making someone wait behind you if they're about to leave, when you could have waited a second and moved forward.
Well, after a polite minute of waiting, there's still no movement out of the vehicle and it looks like he's coiffing his hair, as one does at a gas station I suppose.
Ok, then.
So, I level up to the second pump, turn the car off and get out.
Still no movement out of the vehicle ahead.
I feed the pump my card, press the appropriate buttons, open my gas tank, and am about to remove the handle when the guy finally gets out of his cart. Older fella, rather spry, with very nicely coiffed hair for pumping gas, I must say.
Ok, so I've now started pumping gas and he slowly makes his way to the pump.
He doesn't start pumping gas.
Instead he takes what looks like a Clorox wipe and starts wiping down the entire gas pump handle, the swivel beneath it, the entire hose, he's really seriously wiping down everything, including parts no one ever touches. Neglects to wipe the lever inside of the handle though, which is funny as that's where your hand is going to actually be touching, but every other surface gets wiped.
He then wipes down the card reader, screen and all the buttons. Again, he hits areas you're unlikely to be touching as he's busily wiping everything down.
He's about to place his card in the machine and that's when I'm done filling my tank.
He has yet to remove the handle from the pump when I'm leaving the gas station.
I'm sure that gas pump has never been cleaner, aside from the lever mind you.
Macomb County Animal Control is investigating reports a critter that may
be an alligator or a crocodile has been spotted in the Clinton River in
Harrison Township, officials said Tuesday.
Most likely this is the result of some idiot who had an exotic pet that got too big, who then had the brilliant idea of releasing it into the wild.
But, with 2020 being what it is, a full-on Alligator invasion of our fair peninsula cannot be ruled out.
The Ingham County prosecuting attorney, while a Democrat, at least knows the law and a parody when she sees one, and announced that no, she is not going to seek criminal charges in the case of the clear toilet ballot drop-box parody.
While Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum sought charges against the maker of the parody, as she claimed voting is no laughing matter, and then later stated that "she didn't see the toilet Tuesday".
If that's the case, Ingham County really should reconsider Barb Bayrum as being a clerk in charge of overseeing the election. If her eyesight is so poor that she can't spot a toilet, she's going to have major problems counting ballots, not to mention detecting fraud.
Then again, that inability to spot fraud as a Democrat clerk in charge of a very Democrat county's elections may very well be a feature rather than a bug.
Yep, seriously, she's seeking criminal charges for a clear First Amendment Parody regarding mail-in voting.
A Michigan resident’s apparent joke showing disdain for voting by mail is no laughing matter for one election official.
The resident put a toilet on their lawn with a sign that says, “Place mail in ballots here.”
Barb
Byrum, the Democratic clerk of Ingham County, filed a complaint with
police over the display, saying it could mislead people who aren’t
familiar with the voting system.
Hopefully the police throw the idea of charging the man for his valid and rather humorous protest display right down the toilet.
I guess that if you can't tell the difference between a drop-box for a vote, a Post Office Box to mail a vote in, and a toilet, then you might just be a Democrat.
Rosh Hashanah was rather atypical this year as has everything else this year. No going to synagogue, but instead logging in on a livestream of services and praying from our couch.
Certainly different, but the live-stream was very well done with with our rabbi and cantor at the synagogue and various readers reading from their homes. Tradition well blended with technology as needed.
After the service, we went for our Rosh Hashanah tradition of going for apples, and having doughnuts and cider.
We went to the Parshallville Cider Mill, located in an historic grist mill that was built in 1869.
Lots of people were there and its a nice place. The cider was excellent and the doughnuts superb as only fresh, hot, cider mill doughnuts can be.
Of course, we then got attacked by wasps. So, how did we know they were wasps? 'Cause they weren't wearing kippahs.
That's some Rosh Hashanah 2020 humor for you right there.
Anyways, a good time was had by all.
Then home for some introspection and quiet contemplation and then a nice dinner.
Mouthing woke bromides in an official capacity can cause issues.
The President of Princeton was quick to abase himself before the BLM masses and pronounced in an open letter, published on their website no less to state that:
Racism and the damage it does to people of color nevertheless persist at Princeton as in our society, sometimes by conscious intention but more often through unexamined assumptions and stereotypes, ignorance or insensitivity, and the systemic legacy of past decisions and policies.
Racist assumptions from the past also remain embedded in structures of the University itself.
Yep, the President of Princeton publicly announced that Princeton is a racist institution, embedded with racism. What could possibly go wrong with such a statement?
Now, he meant it in a wonderfully self-abasing progressive way that all the proper-thinking and feeling would understand, but words do mean things after all.
So the Department of Education decided to take action, and based on the admissions by the President in the letter has decided to launch an investigation into whether Princeton has been violating the Civil Rights act and should continue to receive federal funding, as racist institutions should not be receiving federal dollars:
Oopsies. Yep, Princeton may just lose federal funding for their president's woke announcement that they are a profoundly racist institution if such racism is actually found to exist if not then the President was lying in his letter.
Even better, it just opened the door to an investigation to see exactly how racist they in fact are - which could look into their admissions policies regarding Jews and Asians which could be rather embarrassing to Princeton as well as other race-based policies they may have adopted.
A 29-year-old Adrian man jailed for murder in the
fatal stabbing of an 85-year-old man at a Meijer store in the city faces
three felony charges, officials said Thursday.
Alarik
Guajardo was booked Wednesday on an "open charge of homicide," said
Sgt. Nathan Adams, who works in booking at the Lenawee County Jail,
early Thursday.
. . . .
Police arrested the 29-year-old man at the scene after a customer with a
concealed carry license held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
So the female concealed carrier held him until the police arrived and likely prevented him from stabbing other customers. There's no information that the killer knew the victim and it appears to be a random opportunistic murder attack.
Went to a local gun shop, not "my" local gun shop mind you, as this one is rather out of the way typically for me, charges a transfer fee over twice that which my local gun shop charges, is known for high prices and so-so service even in normal times.
But figured I'd look inside anyways on my lunch break.
Well, it was hopping.
New Glocks were being priced at around $799, with a few used ones in the high fives. One Glock 19 Gen 5 and One G17 and a G43 and that was it. Other firearms were similarly on the high end of the cost index and nothing even getting down to MSRP.
Ammo, however, was where the mark-ups really got crazy.
They had 50 round boxes of 9mm fmj for $40 a box, limit 2, and 100 round boxes of Winchester White Box for $80 - limit 1. That's $800/per thousand rounds - for WWB. Most LGS shops by comparison have it in the $19-$24 range per box of 50.
That is the highest I've seen locally so far. Only Cheaper Than Dirt beats that with their "we're lower than dirt" price of $59.89 for a box of 50.
There's a lot of new gun owners out there who have no idea what normal prices for ammunition are like when we're not in the middle of both an ongoing civil disorder scenario and an election year with a candidate running on a campaign of banning guns.
A needed distraction and a good time was had at the match on Sunday.
I attended the match along with my friends Tosh and Duffy, with this being Duffy's first USPSA match. Matches like most events, are best done with friends.
While I did not set the world on fire and seem trapped at the C-Class level, on the upside, my accuracy is certainly getting better and I do need to work on speed.
We were in Squad 2, which was a pretty chill bunch of folks, all very nice, laid back and mutually supportive which was nice, especially as we all faced the insanity that was the stage at Bay 5.
Bay 5 was basically nuts. Think congested sight-lines and viewing targets only possible through three main lane-ways, combined with targets visible from multiple locations, and multiple targets that could be seen through the lane-ways as you moved laterally along the fault line. Everyone missed at least one target, and some people missed entire arrays due to how it was setup. The stage took the majority of shooters at the match over a minute to shoot through, and quite a few took 90 seconds to two minutes to get through it. Oh, did I mention the no-shoot targets surrounding each lane-way? Hellacious stage design, that one was.
After that every other stage was no major problem. The classifier was 06-06 Golden Bullet Standards, a fun classifier and I'm happy to report I had zero misses but again landed right in the middle of C class.
I ended up RO-ing a lot of the match which was fun and quite a bit of work - you need to really focus when RO-ing including watching the shooter, anticipating and figuring out where they're going to go and where you should best put yourself to safely observe them to make sure they're safe, don't commit a procedural (a few shooters managed to do that, mainly on the classifier) and keep the match moving along. A lot of fun, but a fair bit of work and I did over 9,000 steps during the match alone.
Another 185 rounds through the Masada with zero issues aside from the SRO screws starting to move even though I had locktit-ed them in with blue locktite. Weird.
So yep, a good match, and yet another sign I need more practice.
Lawfare continues apace as local Detroit BLM types, with the help of the National Lawyers Guild, a communist legal front, seek to hamstring the Detroit Police from keeping order during the local BLMers "mostly peaceful" demonstrations.
Yep, a Federal District Court judge, an Obama appointee, had quickly granted an injunction of behalf of Detroit Will Breathe prohibiting Detroit police from using less-than-lethal riot control methods.
What could possibly go wrong?
This leaves Detroit Police with the following options when the local BLM types start again throwing "mostly peaceful" rocks, bottles, bricks, etc at them:
1. They can ask them to stop, and then ask them to stop again;
2. They can throw the bricks, etc, back at the protesters; or
3. They can use live fire to protect themselves as less-lethal options including use of batons, tear gas, and pepper spray are now all off the table.
If that sounds imbecilic, it's because it is indeed imbecilic.
The Detroit Police and City have at least gotten creative after the injunction was entered.
They've rather cleverly decided to file a motion asking the judge to make the injunction mutual and enjoining Detroit Will Breathe and company from throwing rocks, bottles, and bricks at police. The judge has yet to rule on that motion but has required a response from Detroit Will Breathe et al., which should be entertaining reading.
Well I'm now busily hopping through and back and forth all the different stages of grief over the loss of Matt, but at least one stage, anger, found a valid use.
Yesterday, I had a Zoom trial, and it was a commercial landlord-tenant case, the first commercial landlord-tenant case the 16th District Court has had since Covid.
I'm representing the Landlord against a tenant who has not paid rent and CAM (common area maintenance fees) since even before Covid hit, a tenant that has been busily trying to unilaterally expand its tenancy beyond its space by setting up an outdoor restaurant on the back parking lot when the lease only allows outdoor seating in the front, and is otherwise acting as a pain in the rear to the landlord.
Quick note of advice: If you as a tenant want any opportunity to settle a case and stay in your premises while not paying rent, then blatantly violating the terms of your lease and blocking a parking lot will not be helpful. Even more valuable advice - texting the landlord the weekend before the trial and calling him a bitch will really not help you get a favorable settlement. - That's your free legal tip of the day - and it's worth what you paid for it.
So yeah, some anger on behalf of my client was called for and put to good use.
So to trial we go:
Defense counsel came out swinging with Argument #1 demanding a jury trial. Defendant has a cocky grin on his face as this is demanded, as it will delay the trial for at least another month and he'll get away with not paying rent the whole time.
Sorry, I say, but when there's no question you haven't paid rent, you lose your right to a jury trial. The Judge agrees with the court rule and my position on that.
Defendant appears unhappy and a tad less smug.
Defense counsel then tees up Argument #2 and still says there's triable issues before a jury as the Michigan Liquor License Commission gave them a license to setup in the back parking lot of the mall and my client is a bad man for not letting them do that, and is thus violating the covenant of quiet enjoyment by not letting him do so.
I point out that no, its not a breach of quiet enjoyment, and the Lease diagram and written language shows the only place allowed for outdoor seating is in front of the building and note that while it's really nice the MLCC gave him a permit to setup a restaurant in the back parking lot, the MLCC cannot change the terms of a lease, and next time he really should have asked his landlord for permission first, and perhaps even have made a rent payment.
The Judge is not amused with his argument and it is rejected.
Defendant is more unhappy, and the cocky smile has turned upside down into a frown.
Defense counsel comes out with Argument #3 - allegedly my client orally agreed at some point to let his client pay CAM and outstanding rent over time and thus modified the contract. Client did not do that in reality and funny, there's nothing in writing nor in their relationship that shows this happened.
I point out the lease clearly states any one waiver even if one occurred, which it did not, cannot modify the lease, and the lease states any modification must be in writing, so his making stuff up isn't legally cognizable.
Judge shuts down his argument that there was this fabled verbal agreement as the lease clearly states these kinds of agreements need to be in writing to stop just this kind of making stuff up.
Defendant is much sad at this point.
Defense counsel then swings for the fences with Argument #4 and claims since there's frustration of purpose due to Covid, then the tenant doesn't have to pay rent and can still stay there operating his restaurant/bar with impunity and thus he should get a jury to decide this case.
I point out that's a nice argument but it has no legal authority in the state of Michigan for that. The only case that comes close and deals with frustration of purpose states that if there is frustration of purpose, then the lease is rescinded at that time of frustration and the tenant would have to leave - he can't get all the benefits by claiming the portion that lets him stay is not frustrated but his requirement to pay rent is frustrated. Yep I had that case all lined up and ready to go.
Judge agrees with my point on that too.
Defendant is showing visible signs of depression and the smug look on his face that was there at the start of the trial has completely vanished.
Then I, in a more legally dignified manner, but conveying the same meaning, gave basically the following summation:
So yeah, some anger was put to good use.
Judgment in my client's favor.
Defendant tenant can pay the rent, or move out in ten days, or try to delay further by appealing.
My cousin, and one of my best friends, RCMP Constable Matt Panzer, just lost his battle with PTSD.
Matt served with distinction in the RCMP, serving first as a general police constable, then passing a rigorous selection process, served as an Air Marshal. He then served at the Pearson International Airport in an anti-smuggling role, and his last post was serving with distinction in the Diplomatic Protection Group protecting the Prime Minister of Canada and other Canadian and foreign dignitaries.
The PTSD was a result of an incident that occurred during his service in the RCMP.
Matt was also a great father to his child, a great child to his parents, a great brother to his sister, and always a good man always ready to lend a hand or provide a humorous remark whenever one was needed to all who knew him.
No finer friend could be asked for. Not just a cousin, but more like a brother to me.
Every time we got together it was like we had never been apart. The damn Corona travel ban and border closing messed up our plans to see each other this summer, and now we just won't see each other, and that's hurting a lot.
Rest in Peace Matt, and may you find the solace you lacked in life, and thank you for all the great times we had, and all your good advice, wit, and humor through the years.
Shootsteel.com has a nice Labor Day sale going on with 20% off of their steel targets.
It just started a couple days ago so I couldn't resist and I picked up an A-Zone steel along with one of their improved target hangers and target stand. It's a true A zone in size and matches the USPSA A-Zone exactly.
Shipping was fast and it arrived today after I got back from the range.
Easy to setup, the target hanger is nice and solid, and now we'll have two steel A-Zones at the range for practice of the whole test without having to move anything, and I'll have one if I'm at the range myself.
The nice thing about the steel A-Zone is you don't have to patch the hits - and you hear it if you hit it, and you know immediately if you missed. Pretty good and fun for practicing too.
Went to the range this morning with Tosh, Tosh's brother visiting from New York, and Duffy.
First we did some rifle shooting, Tosh's brother got to try out lots of this he can't have in New York, like 30 round magazines, modern sporting rifles, SBRs, and suppressed .22s.
He really liked the Tavor, and had fun shooting Tosh and Duffy's ARs.
Much fun was had as a result. He really enjoyed the opportunity getting to shoot all that stuff.
Then on to pistol shooting, and here's where the Modern Samurai Project class and some dedicated dry fire practice trying to learn the techniques afterwards really showed some results.
First for a warm-up we shot the plate rack. I cleared all 6 plates in 4.45 seconds which was decent. Plate racks are fun.
We then shot the various drills that are part of the MSP standards.
My best times were the following.
3x2 drill: clean in 2.79 seconds and a 1.25 second draw.
7 yard one shot: 1.57
Bill drill: 2.8 clean
25 yard single shot - best time was 1.33 with a hit!
That was pretty darn good, I also did it in 1.44 and 1.50 with good hits, and all three of which would meet the standard. Yes, that was with practice, and not nearly all shots were that fast and accurate, but I'm rather happy with those times. Now that I know that I can do it, I can work to try and start doing it consistently.
Overall it's still not near the MSP Black Belt standards. But, amazingly to me at least, the 25 yard 1-shot drill did meet the standards, and if I can do it on the hardest part of the standards, I should be able to work to get the other parts up there too.
My shooting has definitely improved in both speed and accuracy due to the class.
That's 200 more rounds through the Masada, zero failures.
A darn good time at the range, now to try and scrounge up some more 9mm.
2 attackers try to rob a car wash customer at gun point. The customer happens to be legally armed, shoots back and nailed at least one of the attackers, who later died.
Police say they've identified the suspect who was
shot and killed during an alleged attempted robbery at a car wash
Tuesday as a 16-year-old male from Detroit.
Authorities say they also are looking for a second suspect in the attempted robbery.
Excellent result from an armed law-abiding citizen.
Thanks to our legislature and Governor Snyder making this change at the end of in 2018, which I somehow missed until I did a recent dig through the Michigan Complied Laws, Michigan residents can now carry more effective pepper spray without violating the law.
Previously it was a maximum of 5%, then it was increased a few years back to a maximum of 10% oleresin caspiscum.
Now, thanks to a law passed in late 2018, you can carry up to 18% pepper spray in Michigan, catching us up to 45 other states.
It can also now contain an ultraviolet dye for later identifying the attacker, which is nice.
