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Monday, August 31, 2020

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 116: The Round Table of Randomness



In This Episode
Most of us had a "Very 2020 Weekend" and so we called an audible and had another Round Table Episode. This week Weer’d, Erin, Oddball, Adrian, and David talk about a whole bunch of random things including Magic: the Gathering, the politics of new gun owners, and more NRA shenanigans.





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Show Notes

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

State of the Erin Report

Hi, everyone. Other than recording podcast episodes I haven't been terribly regular with my posting here, and believe me that bothers me at least as much as it does you, if not more.

I'm trying to figure out the reason for it. Some of it is just the typical COVD craziness: people have been cooped up for a long time and the cabin fever is setting in, and they are lashing out on social media. Putting out figurative fires and keeping more from starting, all while trying to write a blog AND run a nonprofit AND record a podcast AND look after my elderly parents... well, something has to give, and sadly what's given has been my time / energy / ability to write. (Yes, I'm still annoyed that I haven't done more on Three-Line Rifle, either.)

I also haven't been sleeping well, which is probably the predictable result of trying to do too much with too little.

Finally, and I know how much this sounds like an excuse, but I think I have a mild case of ADD. I've been doing some research and it does seem like it based on my sleep patterns:
  • Circadian rhythm obstruction that moves my sleep cycle to 2am - 10am
  • Restless sleep at night
  • "Sleep of the dead" starting at dawn
  • Grogginess after waking and inability to feel fully awake until noon or later
I think it went undiagnosed as a child because I was never truly hyper (other than a constant fidgeting to get comfortable while sitting) and I had a tremendous ability to focus on things which interested me, like reading. I also think it's gotten worse lately, mainly due to all the distractions of modern life such as smartphones and rapidly-evolving social media which provide an "ooh shiny!" disruption to my concentration. Of course, there's also the whole "Erin, stuff is on fire and we need you" thing as well, which sometimes makes it difficult for me to justify turning the phone off and getting down to work.

The next time I see the doctor -- if I can see the doctor, which is a crapshoot due to all the COVID hysteria -- I'll ask about it. Given that he was practically eager to prescribe me anti-depression meds (which didn't do anything for me) perhaps he'll start me on a low dose of whatever ADD folks take to be less "Squirrel!"

But speaking of focus... which I was a few paragraphs ago, great segue, Erin... there is something which has been occupying my attention for the past month or so, and why I haven't written more Vampire: the Masquerade stuff. I've mentioned my friend and GM Adrian before, and when we were driving to ConFinement and back we talked about game systems we've run and liked. One of those systems was In Nomine, which I've talked about on this blog but not very much and not recently. The short version is "Think Good Omens:the Role-Playing Game. You can play as angels and demons on Earth, and it can be tongue-in-cheek or deadly serious or anywhere in between." I played it pretty heavily from 1997 to 2003, and because it's based on Abrahamic monotheism like V:tM (vampirism is God's curse upon Cain for killing his brother and spilling his blood), I quite naturally hacked the setting and mechanics of IN to fit VtM. Now that I'm back into V5 and Adrian kept asking about IN and making noises like he was going to try to integrate it into our game (I was right), I decided in proper Game Master dudgeon that "He's going to try to convert it and do it wrong, so I guess I'd better do it myself to make sure it's done properly."

Yes, I do have a huge ego, thank you for noticing.

I've been calling the project ErIn Nomine because it makes me laugh, and that's really what matters here. I'm not entirely certain how far along I am because there's so much to convert, and yes I know that I could spend this time writing but 1) this is what has grabbed my attention now and 2) this project lends itself more easily to writing in bite-sized chunks than writing essays on this blog or working on 3LR.

When I'm done with it -- if I ever finish, let's be realistic, I have a terrible track record for starting projects and then never finishing them (squirrel!) -- I have a notion to PDF the whole thing and send a copy to Steve Jackson. You see, IN never finished its game line, and given that Good Omens came to video last year and was (and presumably still is) immensely popular, I want to show him that there's a market for the game. He probably won't like the conversion to V5, but I'm primarily doing this for myself, my GM and my gaming group anyway, and who knows? he might surprise me.

Is it me, or has this entire post basically been a handful of giant run-on sentences?

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant in your direction, gentle readers. Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing the completed ErIn Nomine and, I dunno, maybe I'll start releasing it on Patreon or something?

Take care and be safe. Strange times are upon us and they're only going to get worse the closer we get to November.

Toodles!


Monday, August 24, 2020

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 115: Is Arguing on the Internet a Fruitless Endeavor?



In This Episode
  • Erin and Weer’d discuss the 9th Circuit Court's ruling against California's "Large Capacity Magazine" ban;
  • Xander brings us his independent thoughts on how to optimistically prepare for the worst;
  • Weer'd discusses the theory behind his Weer'd Audio Fisks and how best to argue for the Second Amendment, both online and off;
  • and Panya talks about an encounter where somebody was arguing on the internet in bad faith.




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Show Notes

Sunday, August 23, 2020

OBS/PP's Amicus Curiae Brief in Duncan v. Becerra



For those of you who aren't as into gun rights as I am, Duncan v. Becerra is the name of the court case whereby the California Rifle & Pistol Association sued the state of California (Xavier Becerra is the Attorney General of California) over the constitutionality of California's ban on magazines over 10 rounds, which California called "large capacity".

When this case went to trial last year, San Diego Judge Roger Benitez ruled that California 's ban on magazines over 10 rounds violated the Second Amendment and struck the law down. This resulted in what is now known as Freedom Week, where thousands if not millions of suddenly-legal 11+ round magazines were bought by Californians. It only lasted a week before the ruling was stayed due to California filing an appeal, but by then the damage was done: countless Californians had bought them, and it would be nearly impossible to tell if these "large capacity magazines" were bought during the time it was legal to purchase them due to the fact that most magazines do not have serial numbers.

That appeal was heard last week by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, where the lower court's ruling was upheld.* Of particular interest to me, and hopefully to you as well, is the fact that the Amicus Curie brief (that's "Friend of the Court" in Latin, and it's basically a legal document which says "We aren't suing but we agree with this side, and here's our argument why you should rule in their favor") which was filed on behalf of the Pink Pistols and the National African American Gun Association for this case was quoted in the Appellate decision! 

You can see it here:

This ruling is quite frankly amazing, because not only does it explicitly state that magazines are protected under the Second Amendment, it also states that strict scrutiny should be applied to such laws. This is a massive victory for gun rights, and I hope it survives the en banc appeal.

If you'd like to read the entire 9th Circuit ruling, go here to read the PDF.

If you'd like to read our Amicus Curiae brief, go here to read the PDF.

Finally, if you're a fan of what the Pink Pistols are doing, please donate to Operation Blazing Sword (Pink Pistols is a division of Operation Blazing Sword) so that we may continue fighting for gun rights nationwide. 

You can donate a multitude of ways:
  • Paypal (donations@blazingsword.org)
  • Zelle (386 401 0386)
  • Venmo (@OperationBlazingSword)
  • CashApp (cash.app/$OpBlazingSword) 
Or you can mail a check to us. Please make it payable to Operation Blazing Sword and send it to 800 Belle Terre Parkway Suite 200-302, Palm Coast, FL 32164. 

We are a 501c3 charity, so any donation to us is tax deductible. 


* The law is still on the books, however; Xavier Becerra has 14 days to file an appeal, so don't go out and buy your "large capacity" magazines just yet. I have to say that an appeal is likely, which will result in an en banc hearing whereby many of the Ninth Circuit judges hear the case. This is risky, however, because if the en banc upholds the ruling, the case will appear before the Supreme Court because there will be a Circuit split between the Ninth and the Third Circuit, which in 2018 ruled that such a magazine ban was Constitutional. The politicians in Sacramento may not want to risk a national ruling in such a manner as it could cost them allies in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Based on my understanding of the situation as told to me by pro-gun lawyer friends, this will go to en banc and there's a 50-50 chance we'll win. I like those odds.


Monday, August 17, 2020

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 114: Will the NRA Be Dissolved?



In This Episode
In this ACP Round Table episode, Weer’d, Erin, Oddball, and David talk about New York Attorney General Letitia James' case to dissolve the NRA.  To say this is a complex story really doesn't do it justice!

Monday, August 10, 2020

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 113: The Devil is in the Lands & Grooves



In This Episode
  • Erin and Weer’d discuss some goofy anti-gun proposals and anti-gun double-standards, then talk about the dangers of lasers and why it's a bad idea to use them to blind law enforcement;
  • David tells us about the history of bullet development;
  • Xander talks about redundant multiple methods of redundancy to accomplish tasks in multiple redundant methods;
  • and Weer'd brings us the final part of his fisk of the Brady Campaign Panel of Anti-Gun Gun Owners.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.


Show Notes

Main Topic:

Gun Lovers and Other Strangers:

Weer’d Audio Fisk:

Monday, August 3, 2020

Assorted Calibers Podcast Ep 112: Medicinal Rum Gives Erin the Giggles



In This Episode
  • Erin and Weer’d discuss how the anti-gunners are trying to BS about background checks;
  • Xander brings us his Independent Thoughts on fear and his body's reaction to it;
  • and Weer'd presents Part 3 of his fisk of the Brady Campaign's Anti-Gun Gun Owners, this time with Mark House of New York City.




Did you know that we have a Patreon? Join now for the low, low cost of $4/month (that’s $1/podcast) and you’ll get to listen to our podcast on Friday instead of Mondays, as well as patron-only content like mag dump episodes and our hilarious blooper reels and film tracks.


Show Notes

Main Topic:

Weer’d Audio Fisk: