Gun Blog Variety Podcast #121 - Armed Lutherans, Toy Guns, and a Man Without Pants

Wasn't that the synopsis of a Robin Williams movie?

• Are toy guns OK? Beth gives you her answer to this thorny question just in time for the holidays. 
• A man without pants was shot, and luckily for us it's not Robb Allen. Sean looks closer to see who would perform such an act of naked aggression. 
• Barron is on assignment and will return soon.
• Joining us this week is Special Guest Lloyd Bailey of Armed Lutheran Radio -- another podcast on the Self Defense Radio Network.
• Well, the world is coming to an end; just ask the Los Angeles Times if you don't believe that. According to them, if Concealed Carry Reciprocity passes, it'll be a "be a parade of horribles". Sean reads the article and Erin fisks it.
• Tiffany is also on assignment, and will return next week.
• What do you do to keep from being overwhelmed? Delegate. Erin gives you some tips on how to do that.
• Hollywood thinks it's time to take on The Gun Lobby™again. This time it's with Miss Sloane, a movie that looks to have all the box office appeal of that new Ghostbusters film. Weer'd has a few things to say about the movie trailer. 
• Our plug of the week is for Amy Dillon's GoFundMe raffle, where you can win a really nice AR-15. 

Thank you for downloading, listening, and subscribing. You are subscribed, right? We are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and now on Google Play Music!

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the show notes here. 

Thanks also to Firearms Policy Coalition for their support. And a special thanks to our sponsors for this episode, Remington Ammunition and Lucky Gunner.com.

Blue Collar Prepping Transcript:

Delegating Tasks

As I mentioned at the top of the show, I’ve been really really busy with managing Operation Blazing Sword. In fact, things have gotten so crazy that I’ve had to admit that I can’t do everything by myself, so I’ve swallowed my pride and admitted that I need help in keeping things running.

This is an important lesson for preppers as well: we need to acknowledge that we can’t do everything, especially in a disaster or survival situation. I know that there are some folks out there who believe they’re John Rambo or Chuck Norris, but as I like to point out, You have to sleep sometime. There’s a reason humans have banded together for protection since prehistory.

Now if I were really cool, I would be able to say “And that is why I’ve delegated this Blue Collar Prepping segment to so-and-so, who will talk to us about such-and-such,” and then Sean would play the segment. Unfortunately, I’m not that cool, so I’m going to talk about how best to delegate.

There are many people, myself included, who easily fall victim to the thought that if we want something done properly, we have to do it ourselves. While that may be true in very specific, I think we all know that for the most part it’s BS.

So the first thing you need to do is have an adequate skill and knowledge base. You create this by making friends with intelligent people who are experienced in ways that you aren’t.

For example, my co-blogger Chaplain Tim spent 20 years in the water purification industry, so whenever I have questions about water, or chemistry in general, I go to him. If he were part of my real-life prepping group instead if being in another part of the country, I would put him in charge of the water and rest easy knowing that he’d take care of it properly.

Just as importantly, I wouldn’t micromanage him -- I’d assign the task and get out of his way, trusting that he’d come to me if he needed help. Micromanaging is actually WORSE than doing it yourself, because it wastes everyone’s time, results in the person being micromanaged feeling annoyed and insulted, and the task still doesn’t get done properly.

However, while it’s very easy to delegate when someone has a clearly defined area of expertise -- it’s something else when that someone has little to no skill.

A while back, I was on another podcast and the host asked me what he should do with his children, who were young girls, during a disaster situation to keep them from panicking. My advice was to find a job for them to do, because it would keep their minds occupied on the task instead of the emergency, and by doing that job they would not only help the family but also -- perhaps more importantly -- stay out from being underfoot.

In his particular situation, the family had pet dogs, so I suggested that he delegate to his girls the task of wrangling the pets -- keeping them calm and out of the way, making sure they had food and water and were able to relieve themselves, that sort of thing. This was doubly useful to him because not only would it keep his children from panicking but also keep his dogs from freaking out and making a mess or causing a ruckus.

What’s important to remember is that everyone in a prepping group needs a job to do. It makes them feel useful, and feeling like a contributing and therefore important member of the group is good for morale. It’s also great for whoever is in charge, because however minor that task is, it’s one less thing for the leader to worry about.

So in conclusion:

• Make sure everyone has a job to do that is within their skill set.
• Have them do that job and praise them when they perform it well. 
• Watch them as they do their duties for signs that they might be better suited for other tasks, either in addition to or in place of the original. 
• If they’re doing a good job, stay out of their way!
• If you’re the leader, offload as much “doing” as possible to other people. In my admittedly limited experience, being a leader is more about thinking and making decisions and being a good role model than it is doing every little thing.

Erin Is Still Alive

Hey, all. I know you haven't heard from me in a week, and I just wanted to let you know that I'm okay. I've just been very, very busy this past week working on getting Operation Blazing Sword functional, and unfortunately that pretty much precluded me doing any blogging. The good news is that I think (I hope) I've gotten it all under control, and that regular blogging can return next week.

So here's what I've accomplished this week:

• Operation Blazing Sword is now recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 tax-deductible charity. This means that if you donated at any time after August 22, our effective date of exemption, that you can now claim it on your taxes. 
• We have a bank account, meaning that instead of sending the money to me (which is all kinds of awkward), you can donate directly to OBS without getting me involved.  Please don't get me wrong I am very grateful to people who donated to help me with expenses, but I really want to keep OBS finances wholly separate from EP finances. 
• We have a PayPal account linked to our bank account, so you can now make electronic donations. We have even been approved as a charity, so PayPal takes less of your donation in fees than they would if we were just a regular incorporated entity. 
• I've created the nicest, most professional "Thank You" letter/donation receipt I can come up with so that people who do donate can be properly thanked and use it for their taxes. 
• With all that said, if you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation to a pro-gun educational charity before the end of the year, now's your chance. You can donate electronically using this link, or you can mail a check to our corporate headquarters at 800 Belle Terre Parkway, Suite 200-302, Palm Coast FL 32164-2316. 

However, I'm not done. Here's what I still have left to do:

• Become an Amazon-approved charity so that people can help our organization through buying things via AmazonSmile. 
• Work on our long-neglected website. 
• Investigate ways of getting our message out into the larger LGBTQ community (I expect this will require advertising being purchased). 
• Once we have enough money, start sponsoring things like training classes in concealed carry states and safety seminars in states that are hostile to CC. 
• Generally "grow the charity" and "spread our message" and "do good works."

No pressure, right?

Finally, here's something else I was able to accomplish this week: an appearance on Eye on the Target Radio. You can download the episode here, or just click on the embedded audio player below.


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Fun with POV: Alternate Take on Baby, It's Cold Outside

When viewed through a certain ideological lens, the classic Christmas song Baby, It's Cold Outside takes on a sinister tone. That ideological lens, though, is very narrow and doesn't take into account (as usual) the social mores of the time in which it was written -- in other words, the lens obscures cultural context. Extramarital sex was frowned upon by society when it was written, and the song is about the internal conflict inside the woman who wants to stay, but is trying to talk herself out of it. (or maybe even into it?)

Much fuss has been made about that song since, and now someone's actually gone ahead and rewritten it based around the concepts of consent and rape culture, because social justice loonies are why we can't have nice things. But what if that lens wasn't the only one you viewed the song through? What if we take someone else's lived experiences and applied it to this classic song?

I give you, now, Salem's version of Baby, It's Cold Outside.

I really can't stay (But baby, it's cold outside)
I've got to go away (That's a funny way of putting it, but okay)

This evening has been (Problematic at best)
So very nice (Well, that's one way of putting it)

My mother will start to worry (Don't you have your own place?)
My father will be pacing the floor (You still live with your parents?)

So really I'd better scurry (A'ight, well, here's your coat)
But maybe just a half a drink more (I really think you've had enough)

The neighbors might think (They're busy playing X-Box)
Say what's in this drink? (Okay, this is getting weird. Why are you still here?)

I wish I knew how (Door. Right there.)
To break this spell (Bye, Felicia. Get gone.)

I ought to say, no, no, no sir (You already did. You're creeping me out.)
At least I'm gonna say that I tried (Is this some kind of setup? Are you recording this?)

I really can't stay (Look, just go, I'll call you tomorrow.)
But baby, it's cold outside

I simply must go (You keep saying that)
The answer is no (And yet you're still here.)

Your welcome has been (Retracted. You can go now.)
So nice and warm (And now we're heating the neighbourhood because you're leaving the door open)

My sister will be suspicious (You know, I really don't like your sister.)
My brother will be there at the door (Your brother needs to chill out.)

My maiden aunt's mind is vicious (Your what now?)
But maybe just a cigarette more (Out on the porch. My flat doesn't allow smoking.)

I've gotta get home (What do you want, cab fare?)
Say lend me a coat (The hell is wrong with yours?)

You've really been grand (You're starting to scare me.)
But don't you see? (I'm pretty sure you're the one that doesn't see.)

There's bound to be talk tomorrow (That's kinda what I'm worried about.)
At least there will be plenty implied (That sounds like a threat.)

I really can't stay (That's it, I'm calling the cops.)
Baby, it's cold
Baby, it's cold outside

(Hi, police? There's a crazy woman in my house that won't leave. Can you help?)

Gun Blog Variety Podcast #120 - Your Life is a Kitchen

So bake as many pies as you want with the GunBlog VarietyCast!

• Beth brings her husband Sean (not GBVC Sean, a different Sean) back on to talk about being a couple who shoot competitively.
• A 32-year-old woman is accused of stabbing her 61-year-old former roommate to death. Sean takes a closer look.
• Barron is on assignment and will return soon.
• In the Main Topic, Sean and Erin answer a pair of questions from a liberal gun-owning listener: "What do you hear when a liberal says 'We need to have a conversation', and what do you hear when a liberal says 'We need to compromise' ?"
• In a late night/early morning segment, Tiffany discusses the First Amendment concept of "fighting words" and how that relates to your Second Amendment right to armed self-defense. 
• When the oil from the hurricane lamps you've got stored in the garage leaks all over the floor, how can you get it cleaned up? Erin gives you some tips.
• Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey is back, this time in a Vice News interview. You know what that means: it's time for another patented Weer'd Audio Fisk™!
• Our plug of the week is for Roll20.

Thank you for downloading, listening, and subscribing. You are subscribed, right? We are available on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, and now on Google Play Music!

Listen to the podcast here.

Read the show notes here. 

Thanks also to Firearms Policy Coalition for their support. 

Blue Collar Prepping Transcript:

Lamp Oil Cleanup on Aisle Five!

Now that my family has unpacked the Christmas decorations and strung them up across the house, it’s time for the annual cleaning up of the garage in the hopes that maybe this is the year we’ll get it all organized. I say “hopes” because invariably something goes wrong, and this year is no exception.

We maintain several hurricane lamps in the house for, not surprisingly, if we lose electricity from a hurricane. And we’ve had these lamps for a long time -- at least 30 years now.

Now despite these lamps being old they haven’t received a lot of use, because storms rarely knock out electricity for more than a few hours and because (with my help) my family has moved on to battery-powered means of long term light.

But batteries can wear down, and it’s always good to have backups, so we’ve kept these lamps around. However, the drawback to owning one is that you also need to stay well-stocked with lamp oil.

Now I don’t know if our listeners know this -- I certainly didn’t until this past week -- but apparently the plastic bottles that store lamp oil can become brittle after, oh, a decade of storage in a garage, and past that point bumping them, or even moving them, will cause them to crack (or in our case, shatter) and leak all over the place.

So this past week has involved me asking the collective wisdom of the Blue Collar Prepping Facebook Group -- if you aren’t a member, you’re wrong, join today -- how to clean up the stinky stain in my garage and if there’s any hazard associated with it.

So first of all, lamp oil is just highly refined kerosene, with a flash point -- that means “the temperature at which it ignites” -- of 363 degrees F. This is not to be confused with the auto ignition point, which means “the temperature at which it spontaneously ignites without needing a spark”, and is a much higher 428 degrees F.

These are all good things to know, because it means that the spill won’t catch fire in a hot garage!

So, onto the cleanup, and the techniques I outline here can be used for other forms of fuel, like gasoline.

The first thing I need to do it absorb as much of the oil as possible. This is best done with clay-type non-clumping cat litter, although dry sand will also work. Cover the stain with it, wait until it’s saturated, then dispose of the litter or sand and replace it. I need to keep doing this until there’s no more oil to be absorbed, and if I really want to get aggressive I can scrub the litter into the floor with my shoe or a broom.

After that, I’m going to spray the stain with carburetor cleaner. This is supposed to “lift” any remaining oil out of the concrete and allow it to be absorbed as disposed of.

I need to spray the stain until it’s covered -- not a thick coat, just wetted down -- let it stand about 5-10 minutes, then put more kitty litter onto it. I’m told that I should repeat this about 3 more times. This will probably get out everything it’s possible to get out.

After THAT, I need to use Dawn dishwashing soap to break down whatever oil is left and cause it float to the top. More kitty litter!

After that’s done, it’s just a simple matter of washing off the rest of the Dawn with water and a mop.

Of course, all of this trouble could have been avoided if I’d prevented the lamp oil from spilling in the first place. What I’m going to do to keep this from happening in the future is to keep our remaining bottles of oil in a big plastic storage tub. That way, even if the bottles break, the only mess will be inside the tub instead of all over the floor!

SHTFriday: Steganography

I forgot to link to this on Monday, so if you haven't read my Blue Collar Prepping post on stegonography, now would be a great time.

Actually, It's About Ethics in Electoral Integrity

I feel very, very confused right now.

I grew up during the tail end of the Cold War and, being in a military family, moved around a lot. The escalating tensions between the US and its allies against the Soviet Union and its allies wasn't easy to understand by us kids living on-base, but I could tell something was wrong from the stress in people's faces as they watched the news. This tension only increased when we moved to West Germany -- which shared a border with East Germany, a an ally of the Soviets. 

Despite this, I went through a rebellious phase where I identified as Communist, Marxist, etc. After studying history, I eventually realized that those systems would never work in reality because human nature would not allow it. After all, someone had to make sure production went out from each according to their abilities and came back to each according to their needs, and in that accountable person's mind, their need is always going to be greater than that of the people in the bread line.

On a totally unrelated note, Fidel Castro is dead. Many people call him a 'divisive' figure, which I'm choosing to translate as "We're just to the right of Stalin, so we dare not criticize Castro too heavily lest we be cast out." Seeing as how I've cast myself out of progressive circles, I'm not going to worry too much about it and just call it like I see it: Castro was a brutal dictator who overthrew another brutal dictator who overthrew another brutal dictator. I also feel sympathy for people living in Cuba, and totally understand someone wanting to leave. I especially feel for those who were shot at as they fled the country. This entire situation reminds me of a particularly powerful scene that I can't quite put my finger on...

Oh, wait, that's it.

What bothers me here isn't the Ctrl-Left pseudo-marxists who are mourning Castro
s death -- like them, I would have expressed a similar sentiment at a different point in my life. No, I'm bothered by the sitting Prime Minister who referred to Castro as a 'revolutionary and great orator.' That worries me a little. But what worries me more is Dr Jill Stein.

Dr. Jill Stein, who ran on the Green Party platform and has a folk band. Dr. Jill Stein, who is calling for a recount in several states and has a crowd-funding campaign to back it. One that has apparently missed the deadline for Pennsylvania, so there's that gone.

Fidel Castro was a symbol of the struggle for justice in the shadow of empire. Presente!

— Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) November 27, 2016

Dr. Jill Stein is demanding recounts in favour of Hillary Clinton while praising someone who was 'President' in one form or another for 47 years. She's demanding Electoral Integrity while praising someone who, as far as I can tell, never had to face re-election because there were no elections for his position. Correct me if I'm wrong on this

Jill. what are you doing? Why are you collecting money from people who are tapped out from supporting you and Bernie and Hillary, then missing deadlines for the one state that mattered, and then praising someone with a reputation for firing squads, reducing rations, and cutting electricity to his people for 16 hours a day while having a net worth (estimated by Forbes about 10 years ago) of $900 million? It reeks of a scam to me, and I honestly don't blame the people who are asking you for refunds right now.

Fidel Castro is the exemplar of what I said previously regarding why Communism never works in the real world: Because one person always gets to decide what resources are taken from these people and given to those people based on their need, and that one person's own need is always going to be greater than the people starving in bread lines and using oxen to plow their fields because there's no fuel for the tractor. 

I'm frankly sickened by Dr. Jill Stein's sentiment towards Castro. He was just another cruel person who overthrew another cruel person, so he could be cruel to more people. The only good revolutionary is one that steps aside when the job is done, and Castro did not step aside when that job was done. Instead, he planted himself firmly in a position of power and soaked it up. 

Green Party, is this who you want representing you? If so, then I'm glad she's yet another candidate I didn't vote for. 

Because when it comes to Dr. Jill Stein, I guess it's actually about ethics in electoral integrity.

December is Upon Us

It's Dec 1st and I'm already sick of Christmas.

I realize no one wants to hear my complaining, so I'll keep this short by saying that this is the time of year that's hardest on me, due to a combination of stress and Thou shalt have Christmas Spirit or Else from my family and generally not having enough time to myself or quiet in which to think. So of my readers I ask the following:

1. Please be understanding as I try to get through what is, for me, an overstimulated high-pressure hell. 
2. Please be patient with me when I vent or otherwise write things you don't want to read.
3. Please don't think I've given up on the blog if I just disappear for days at a time. Next February is Lurking Rhythmically's 10-year anniversary, and I'm not going to miss that for anything. 

Thank you all for your continued readership. I'm going to try like mad to bring you quality nerdy content, but some days that may not be possible.