WHY?

WHY?

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

God Bless America - Official RED BAND Trailer (2012)

Gotta see this

Pythons.... and NOT the Colt kind

####
Pythons have stranglehold on Florida Everglades ecosystem

It sounded like a joke when the news first hit in 2000: Giant Burmese pythons were invading the Everglades. Now scientists have measured the real impact of the arrival of this voracious species, and the news is troubling.

In areas where the pythons have established themselves, marsh rabbits and foxes can no longer be found. Sightings of raccoons are down 99.3%, opossums 98.9% and white-tailed deer 94.1%, according to a paper out Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.



"What if the stock market had declined that much? Think of the adjectives you'd use for that," says Gordon Rodda, an invasive-species specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) who published research in 2008 showing that Burmese pythons could conceivably expand across the southern portion of the United States.

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia, but accidental and deliberate release of snakes kept as pets in Florida have allowed them to find a new home there. They can grow up to 16 feet long and weigh up to 150 pounds. The first reports of Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades began in the 1980s; a breeding population wasn't confirmed there until 2000.

Since then, the numbers of pythons sighted and captured in the Everglades have risen dramatically. According to Linda Friar with Everglades National Park, park personnel have captured or killed 1,825 pythons since 2000.

Now researchers have shown that just as python populations established themselves, the native mammals of the regions began to decline — severely.

People working in the Everglades knew they were seeing fewer mammals, but only when the hard numbers came in was it clear just how devastating the decline has been.

"These were once very common animals in the Everglades, and now they're gone," says Michael Dorcas, a professor of biology at Davidson College in Davidson, N.C., and lead author on the paper.

The pythons aren't a danger to humans. The only known python attacks on humans in Florida have involved snakes kept as at-home pets, says Dorcas, who also authored a recent book, Invasive Pythons in the United States. Now coyotes and Florida panthers are believed to be affected, as well as birds and alligators.

The decrease in mammals is highest where python populations have been established longest, and more mammals are being sighted in areas where the pythons have only recently been documented.

Although scientists can't say conclusively that the decline is a result of python activity, there's good anecdotal evidence. "Last October, we found a 15-foot snake with an 80-pound doe inside it," Dorcas says.

The researchers base their findings on systematic nighttime road surveys done in the Everglades that counted both live and road-killed animals. Ten researchers traveled a total of nearly 39,000 miles from 2003 to 2011 and compared findings with similar surveys conducted in 1996 and 1997.

Mammals in Florida have no natural fear of large snakes because they haven't existed in the area for about 16 million years, when a boa-like snake that used to live there became extinct.

The loss of the mammals is devastating not only to those populations, but to all the animals that rely on them. It's possible that the decline in bobcats, foxes, coyotes and panthers is linked to the disappearance of their typical prey: rabbits, raccoons and opossums.

Pythons also are eating lots of birds. More than 25% of pythons found in the Everglades contain bird remains.

They also happily eat pets, including cats, dogs and some farm animals. Roosters and geese have been found in their stomachs.

And there's not much that can be done. These snakes are "notoriously hard to find and very secretive," Dorcas says. Because much of South Florida is a vast wilderness, the possibility of exterminating or even suppressing them doesn't seem promising, he says. "It's an ecological mess, and exactly what's going to happen down the road remains to be seen."

On Jan. 23, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started the paperwork to ban the importation and interstate transportation of Burmese pythons, northern and southern African pythons and the yellow anaconda because they threaten the Everglades and other sensitive ecosystems.

These snakes are being listed as injurious species under the Lacey Act. Some reptile breeders and collectors, along with Republican lawmakers, argued the restriction constitutes job-killing red tape.

How far the snakes might expand their range is unknown. Research in 2008 showed they could possibly survive across the entire southern United States.

And research this month showed they could survive in saltwater, which had previously been believed to be a barrier to their expansion.

"All of Florida and much of the coastal plain of the southeastern United States is suitable habitat," Dorcas says.
####

The solution to this seems very simple to me.
1. STOP SELLING PYTHONS.
2. Open season on Pythons.
3. Sell licences at $30 a person.
4. Give a 'reward' of $1 a foot or some such.
It may take years, but it will at the very least keep them in check.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Monday, January 30, 2012

An answer

A friend Emailed me about a comment they overheard. Thought I would answer the comment even if it wasn't directed at me.

Dear Mayor:
What do I get paid to do?



I get paid to be here late at night when your Son or Daughter gets hit by a drunk driver and needs to be cut out of their car and taken to the hospital for emergency surgery.

I get paid to be here on Christmas (and every other holiday) when your neighbor’s house catches on fire and they need us to be there within minutes.

I get paid to be here during a blizzard, when nobody else can get to work, and respond to emergency calls.

I get paid to treat a gunshot wound in the middle of the night, even if that person has hepatitis, AIDS, HIV, or bedbugs.

I get paid to be here when it’s 100 degrees outside to help a elderly person having a heart attack who needs immediate emergency medical care.

I get paid to be here in the event that we have a terrorist attack (bombings of doctors offices, clinics, and places of worship are terrorist attacks) to protect the citizens of this city and the men and women working here or just visiting.



I get paid to put up and take down the barriers that hold back flood waters, In the cold driving rain.

I get paid to open a car door when a mother accidentally locks her infant inside.

I get paid to rescue people from the Susquehanna River, no matter what its state is.

I get paid to go on rope rescues where the slightest mistake can end my life.

I get paid to enter a burning building even if it is a Meth lab, abandoned, or a high rise.



But bureaucrats have no clue about what it means to respond to fires and shootings and fumes that might kill you.

Like Marines, firefighters put themselves in harm's way. After the 9/11 attacks, the Public SAW that. Do you remember?



I do more with less, eat cold meals (or don't get to eat), miss important events with my family, and put the lives of people I have never met above mine.

I love my job and only ask that you become familiar with exactly what I do before you make decisions that will affect my chances of survival.

We call ourselves Firefighters. We have earned that right.

What do you get paid to do???
Lie?
Cheat?
Steal?
Lie again?
Blame others?
Risk lives to fund YOUR pet projects?
Ignore Public safety? and again, and again, and again. The Lloyds study is there IN YOUR OFFICE. READ IT.
Ignore needed repairs for YEARS.
Lie AGAIN to get federal money for the demolition of the Sterling
Lie AGAIN to get tax forgiveness for a campaign contributor
And that is just a few thing YOU DO.


Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

OK this is WRONG

What is wrong with us?
####
Marine's career threatened by controversial rules of engagement
By: Sara A. Carter | 01/23/12 8:05 PM

Joshua Waddell, a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, appeared on his way to a stellar career as an American military officer. The son of a retired Navy SEAL commander, Waddell was awarded a Bronze Star during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan and had returned for a second.
Then he made a decision in combat that military experts say has severely jeopardized his future in the corps.

But some military experts say the black mark on Waddell's record was undeserved, that he and other young American officers are being put in a difficult, if not impossible, situation by unreasonable rules of engagement foisted upon the military by politically sensitive commanders in the Pentagon.

The facts in Waddell's case are spelled out in Marine Corps documents. But how those facts should be interpreted is a matter of heated dispute.

On Nov. 1, Waddell, a 25-year-old executive officer with 3rd Battallion, 7th Marine Corps Regiment, was monitoring a surveillance camera in Sangin, Afghanistan, when he spotted a man who had been identified as a bomb maker working with area insurgents. Two days earlier, a sergeant from India Company had lost both legs and a hand when a bomb detonated in their area of operation. The man spotted on the camera was believed to be responsible.

After receiving permission from his battalion commanders, Waddell ordered Marine snipers to open fire on the man, and he was hit. A group of Afghans rushed to the man, put him on a tractor and attempted to flee. Waddell ordered the snipers to hit the engine block of the tractor, disabling it so the man believed to be a bomb maker would not escape. The tractor was hit but no civilians were injured.

Then, about three weeks later, the civilians who helped remove the wounded man from the area were found to be teenagers.

As a result, Waddell was demoted from executive officer, and the battalion commander, Lt. Col. Seth Folsom, determined he had violated rules of engagement that governed when Marines could fire, and at whom. Folsom said Wadell "is not recommended for promotion" and "in violation of [combat rules] during an engagement." The report stated that "noncombatant local nationals" were in the area of direct fire and that "the engagement resulted in a damaged local national vehicle."

A Marine brigadier general who reviewed the case was sympathetic to Waddell, whom he described as a "superb and heroic combat leader. But the general said the decision on whether Waddell should be promoted was "the commander's prerogative," noting that the battalion commander on the scene had lost "confidence in [Waddell's] abilities."

Marine Maj. Shawn Haney, spokesman for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs, said Waddell's fitness report will go before a review board at the time of any promotion "and everything is under scrutiny, so Waddell will have a chance to defend himself against the accusations." Still, Haney conceded, Waddell's fitness reports play a "significant role in future promotions."

The upshot is that Waddell's career has been effectively blunted, his chance for promotion blocked.

Waddell is just one of hundreds of cases of troops who have suffered under stringent rules of engagement, said Jeff Addicott, a former senior legal adviser to U.S. Army Special Forces.

"We have hamstrung our military with unrealistic ROEs that do more harm to our soldiers than the enemy, and now a Marine's career is on the line because he disabled a tractor," Addicott said. "In many ways our military is frozen in fear of violating absurd self-imposed rules on the battlefield, How can you tell if it's a teenager or a man, a farmer or an enemy when you're fighting an insurgency?"

A Marine stationed in Afghanistan who does not know Waddell, but who has operated under the same rules, said, "The rules of engagement are meant to placate [President Hamid] Karzai's government at our expense. They say it's about winning the hearts and minds, but it's not working. We're not putting fear into the enemy, only our troops."

Waddell's father, Mark Waddell, who served more than 25 years in the military and retired as a commander of a Navy SEAL team, said his son and other Americans fighting in Afghanistan are being victimized by these rules.

"I feel what's happened to my son is a complete betrayal, and he isn't the only one," said Waddell, of Fort Worth, Texas. "Josh is a hero. We expect them to go out and make instantaneous combat decisions, then we Monday-morning quarterback their decisions. It's an outrage."
####


^ Edited for language

And WHAT THE HELL did he do wrong? Are we supposed to let a IED maker go because he may be rescued by teens?
Here is a review of the details:
Waddell was awarded a Bronze Star during his first tour of duty in Afghanistan and had returned for a second.

Military experts are calling the Rules of Engagement (ROE), "difficult, if not impossible"

He spotted a man who had been identified as a bomb maker working with area insurgents.

Two days earlier, a sergeant had lost both legs and a hand when a bomb detonated in their area of operation. The man spotted on the camera was believed to be responsible.

After receiving permission from his battalion commanders, Waddell ordered Marine snipers to open fire on the man, and he was hit.

A group of Afghans rushed to the man, put him on a tractor and attempted to flee. Waddell ordered the snipers to hit the engine block of the tractor, disabling it so the man believed to be a bomb maker would not escape. The tractor was hit but no civilians were injured.

"We have hamstrung our military with unrealistic ROEs that do more harm to our soldiers than the enemy, and now a Marine's career is on the line because he disabled a tractor," Jeff Addicott (a former senior legal adviser to U.S. Army Special Forces) said. "In many ways our military is frozen in fear of violating absurd self-imposed rules on the battlefield, How can you tell if it's a teenager or a man, a farmer or an enemy when you're fighting an insurgency?" (And IMHO, Why should we give a crap?)

A Marine stationed in Afghanistan who does not know Waddell, but who has operated under the same rules, said, "The rules of engagement are meant to placate [President Hamid] Karzai's government at our expense.

"I feel what's happened to my son is a complete betrayal, and he isn't the only one," said Waddell's father, Mark Waddell, who served more than 25 years in the military and retired as a commander of a Navy SEAL team. "Josh is a hero. We expect them to go out and make instantaneous combat decisions, then we Monday-morning quarterback their decisions. It's an outrage."

So because of some PC libtard political crap a heroic Marines career has been destroyed.

Here is two quotes from JFK to think about,
"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
And
"A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers."

Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Different Presidents, A Different Corps



####
This video has received a lot of attention. As of right now, it is showing well over a half a million hits since it was posted on March 1. It is also controversial. Many Obama supporters have claimed to debunk the video by pointing out that the events were not comparable. They argue that the event in Anbar province that President Bush attended in September 2007 was informal. The Camp Lejune event that President Obama attended, on the other hand, was more formal. They point out that it is not fair to compare two events in which the Marines are subject to different rules of behavior.

In fairness, they are correct. The events were different in many ways and the Marines present were subject to different behavioral expectations. There is, however, more to this video than that. If the content of this video were that easily debunked it would not still be drawing tens of thousands of hits per day. The different degrees of formality aside, this video is quite revealing.

In the video, the Marines exhibit obvious love and respect for President Bush. His visit was not an event that followed closely on the heels of 9/11. This video was taken after the worst days of the war and after the surge created major progress in the region. The president is visiting the troops in Anbar Province, the home of the infamous Falluja and Ar Ramadi killing grounds. This visit took place after the province had been pacified. In other words, the Marines showed their love of Mr. Bush even after the darkest days of the war.

The Lejune video, on the other hand, shows Obama entering with all the pomp and circumstance of a royal visit to the peasants. Hail to the Chief plays in the background; something that President Bush didnt allow during his military visits. Obama knows that keeping the Marines locked at the position of attention means that no comparison can ever be made to the loving reception President Bush regularly received from the troops. Obama knows how the Marines feel and will always treat them exactly like the rabble he sees.

This is the real truth of the video and why it is so popular. It warms the heart of Bush supporters to see President Bush receive the love, gratitude and respect of these warriors. It angers Obama supporters because they also see the love President Bush receives and they know their man will never see anything similar from the troops. They know that these warriors loved the last president and will never give similar respect to this one.

A good YouTube video stirs the emotions and this one does that. It elicits different emotions in different people but the underlying truth that is the catalyst for the emotional response is the same for everyone. The Marines loved President Bush in a way they will never love President Obama.
####


Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Peeing pt 2

###
Rep.Allen West chimes in.....

Allen West on the Marines Incident: 'Shut Your Mouth, War Is Hell'

“I have sat back and assessed the incident with the video of our Marines urinating on Taliban corpses. I do not recall any self-righteous indignation when our Delta snipers Shugart and Gordon had their bodies dragged through Mogadishu. Neither do I recall media outrage and condemnation of our Blackwater security contractors being killed, their bodies burned, and hung from a bridge in Fallujah.

“All these over-emotional pundits and armchair quarterbacks need to chill. Does anyone remember the two Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division who were beheaded and gutted in Iraq?

“The Marines were wrong. Give them a maximum punishment under field grade level Article 15 (non-judicial punishment), place a General Officer level letter of reprimand in their personnel file, and have them in full dress uniform stand before their Battalion, each personally apologize to God, Country, and Corps videotaped and conclude by singing the full US Marine Corps Hymn without a teleprompter.

“As for everyone else, unless you have been shot at by the Taliban, shut your mouth, war is hell.”
####

Honestly, These marines should be punished.... for being STUPID enough to record the event. What did they think would happen the second the libtards saw the video?
On the other hand, We put a crew of HIGHLY Trained, very alpha, 20 something year olds in combat with little supervision (If they were supervised then the officer should take the brunt of the punishment, they take the lions share of the credit when things go right).
I think the libtards will get their way.

Of course the peanut gallery took umbrage
###
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Peeing":

9-11 was an inside job by the gov't to take our rights away. Another false flag attack will be coming so we can attack Iran. Shame on those marines. That is against the military law. They don't speak for me. The only reason we are there is for the drugs(Heroin). We created the taliban when Clinton was president to fight against Russia. You need to do some research.
###
Take your meds and put your tin foil hat back on.

Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

Peeing

Forwarded from Robert O. Roberts Jr.'s facebook post
###





YOU PEE FOR ME, MARINE

You pee for us all, Marine.

This has to do with the video that popped up yesterday. It’s 40 seconds, and it shows four Marines standing above the bodies of some dead Taliban.
Peeing on them.
“Have a great day, buddy,” one of the Marines says to the corpse at his feet.
Let’s review.
America is at war with militant Islam. In Afghanistan, the Taliban is militant Islam. In Afghanistan, the Taliban gave refuge and support to Al Qaeda as it prepared the attacks of September 11. In Afghanistan, the Taliban works around the clock to put American servicemen in their graves.
The Taliban are the bad guys.
And the United States Marines are the good guys.
And this is much ado about nothing.
Because the brass are crapping their in pants.
“This is egregious, disgusting behavior,” said Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby. “It turned my stomach.”
Kirby’s branch of the Service is not listed, but I’m guessing it’s Girl Scouts.
It turned his stomach?
We are a Nation at war. We’ve had thousands of Americans die. We’ve brought hundreds of thousands home with losses of limb and mind, and THIS turns his stomach?
That is not exactly a warrior spirit.
And it makes you wish that men like those urinating Marines were running this operation.
But they are not.
And they will be crucified.
Because our military establishment specializes in throwing young GIs under the bus. Any number of desk jockeys and political Generals are glad to backstab as many warriors as they can. In the White House and at the Pentagon, the god of political correctness is fed with the frequent sacrifice of young soldiers’ careers.
You send people to war, but heaven help them if they act like it. Hamstrung by Marquis of Queensbury rules in a bar fight with savages, our GIs are attacked by enemy fighters on one side and government lawyers on the other.
It’s a funny game where no one has their back.
Except the American people.
Which gets me back to my point.
You pee for us all, Marine.
That group of Camp Lejeune snipers is condemned by the political Generals, but embraced by the American people.
Because that’s what you get when you screw with the United States of America. You get a bullet through the brainpan, and we’re going to line up to spit on the pieces.
Unless we have a full bladder.
And show the YouTube far and wide, as a warning to your pals. This is what it means to mess with America. The pantywaists in the Pentagon might want to win your hearts and minds, but the men pulling the triggers want to snap your freaking necks.
And some 310 million real Americans feel the same way. Mess with the best, die like the rest. The sooner the better, the more the merrier, and don’t be surprised if it’s not Holy Water you get sprinkled with.
Real people aren’t bothered by this.
Real people believe this is how war should be fought.
Real people think that we’ve pussyfooted around long enough, it’s time to make the rubble bounce. Pull the B-52's out of the barn and let’s light those mo-fos up.
And real people are sick and tired of the feigned indignation coming out of the Pentagon and White House. Life is not group therapy and war is not run by “Robert Rules of Order.” War is where you kill people and break the will of a Society.
War is where you make the other guy cry “Uncle.”
Ask the people of Hiroshima and Dresden.
Or Atlanta, for that matter.
You attack the United States and you die. You die ugly. There are only two sure winners – us and the maggots. And any people, Nation or Religion that can’t stand that heat should stay the hell out of the kitchen.
So if you don’t want to be blown to bits and pieces, and pissed on by fine examples of American manhood, then you better stay home with Mama. You better lay off the jihad. You better learn some manners and mind your P's and Q's.
Because Lady Liberty is shaking her fist.
And that’s not just some words in a song.
That’s our pledge.
We’re going to kill you, and we’re going to cheer the men who do it.
And the rest of you goat-bearded savages better shake in your sandals, because those Marines pee for us.
And they’re coming for you next.

- by Bob Lonsberry © 2012
####

Nothin' more needs to be said.

Dan Emplit WBFD
USN 1986 - 1992

Sunday, January 15, 2012

LIARS!!!!

City: Patent eliminated need for truck bids

###
When choosing which fire engines to buy in 2005, Wilkes-Barre officials apparently wanted pumpers that could precisely proportion the mixture of foam and water used to fight fires.
###

To quote Tony DiNozzo from NCIS,"Lies make my ears itch, and BOY was that a BIG ONE!"
####
Records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office show just one patent assigned to KME-Kovatch Organization, which built the engines for $860,000. Filed in 2000, the patent relates to a system that monitors water flow and pressure to accurately add foam.
####

Our new engines DO NOT HAVE an onboard foam system. Wilkes-Barre seldom uses foam (in 18 and a half years, the ONLY time I've used foam was in training). We use a special nozzle called an 'Eductor' which uses a Venturi effect in a constricted stream of fluid.
This is it.

They've been around for DECADES.
This is nothing new to the department.

####
Despite the affidavit and despite citing the bidding exemption during Thursday's council meeting, Vinsko argued the city competitively bid the fire engines because it set up a committee of firefighters that issued requests for proposals for the fire engines.

The committee, under former fire Chief Jacob Lisman, recommended KME-Kovatch Organization, Mayor Tom Leighton said earlier last week. Leighton did not specify exactly why the committee chose the Nesquehoning company.
####

We did NOT recommend KME, we DID recommend the American LaFrance.

So the list O' lies are:
1. We got a Grant
2. The city went through financial hardship to get the engines (IE it came from the general fund)
3. The money came from revenues from the city's emergency services tax.
4. It was part of COSTAS
5. KME got the bid because of a patent (of something OUR engines DO NOT HAVE)
6. There were bids
7. City used a state cooperative

Seven lies so far and NO end in sight. Eight if you count the, "$1 Million donation should be celebrated". (How were we supposed to celebrate something we were not made aware of?)

Here's something to think about. It is a definition.
Money laundering
Specifically;
Shell companies and trusts: Trusts and shell companies disguise the true owner of money. Trusts and corporate vehicles, depending on the jurisdiction, need not disclose their true, beneficial, owner.

There is something most definitely WRONG going on with this.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Friday, January 13, 2012

Miss the Bus?

Did you know Wilkes-Barre owns a school bus? No really. A school bus. The rumor is that it was bought, in 2006, to ferry the summer hires around.


Is that supposed to be a hood ornament or camouflage?

It was bought from DeNaples.

We paid $9,000 for it.

There is NO TITLE. Therefore it can NOT be legally registered and has never left the city's DPW lot.


After YEARS of the windows being left open, you know the interior is shot.

Since it can not be used, why didn't we get our city's money back? Why are we getting stuck with the pieces of crap anyway? Does WHO we are buying them from hold the answer?


Not trying to hide anything here, Are you?

And this is NOT the only piece of crap that we have bought from DeNaples. Lets not forget the animal control van (bought from, guess who?), No title, and returned after Tyler Hammond questioned the purchase. There are several of these questionable purchases that are being investigated, by citizens, using Right-To-Know requests. It is going slow because we aren't professionals, but we are getting there.

Add on: I had left this info with a reporter and was going to leave it with them for now. Until a friend from city hall told me that (after taking the pictures) the fourth floor had been informed of my interest.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Why lie?



In the latest round of lies from city hall, the dictator claims the,"donation should be celebrated". WHAT? We should 'celebrate' it 6 years AFTER the fact!!??
Leighton: $1M donation should be celebrated

Mayor details fire engine purchases

We should have been told. Not the name (if it was an anonymous donation and above board), but that there was a donation. Instead, Leighton DIDN'T EVEN TELL COUNCIL!!! The people WE elected to have control of the budget! How can they approve something without knowing what is in it? Wait, how could THEY? Obviously by rubberstamping whatever the dictator puts under their brown-stained noses.

Here's part of what is bothering me. Everytime I confronted Leighton about fire cutbacks and how they were risking lives, His answer, well, every time he has claimed that the city's finacial hardship from purchasing 3 new engines is one of the reasons.

I have figured out how to tell when Leighton tells a lie. His lips move.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

What are these 'Revolvers' of which you speak?

Revolvers, wheel guns, six shooters. For those too young to remember those names, They are the guns cops in old TV shows carried. After SHTF Ammo, I've gotten a few E mails asking me what I have against a good revolver. The answer is, "Nothing". I just think they are technically obsolete as a SHTF weapon. Why? Well lets look at what Technical obsolescence means.

Technical obsolescence happens when a newer BETTER technology is introduced. Think VHS versus DVRs. Does VHS still work? Yes. Are DVRs Better? MUCH. In this instance, having 6 rounds with a, comparatively, long reload time versus, say, 17 rounds and a very short reload time. And remember even trained officers have only about a 25% hit ratio.

So with a wheel gun you are looking at 1 hit, 2 if you are lucky.
IMHO 18 rounds is better than 6.



Also a revolvers barrel sits very high above your hand. This means recoil will take your sights farther off target, making reacquiring the target slower and, under stress, less accurate. In their defence, many semi automatic handguns also have this fault, like the Colt 45 (M1911) also has a high sitting barrel and the same problem.


I cant help it. I still love 'the .45'

Do I have any? Yes. Would I use one? Yes. Are there better choices? Yes.


Look how close his hand is to the line of the barrel

There are reasons why our military, U.S. law enforcement, and professional instructors don't use them.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Light seeking a subject: Personal Experience: Carwash Ambush

Had this sent to me because it goes against the Moronic Asshat Troll's assertion that 'bad things only happen to Bad people or in Bad places'


Light seeking a subject: Personal Experience: Carwash Ambush:  This isn't the first time I've had to use a firearm in self-defense.  It's merely the first since I started blogging.  But, several things ...



Dan Emplit WBFD

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Million Dollar mystery



Million-dollar mystery in Wilkes-Barre
Well, I wasn't going to put my two cents in on this, just yet, but obviously I changed my mind. I'm still trying to get some facts, but here is some of what I have so far.

1. Leighton lied. Why? I have no idea why he would, except for nefarious reasons. If it was a gift to the city for the purpose of purchasing Fire Engines, even I could write that speech, "A generous anonymous donor has seen the bright future the city now has and funded the purchase of ......". He had permission to do just that. But instead he lied.

2. And council DIDN'T KNOW??!! "Some city officials, including Councilman Bill Barrett, said they learned of the donation only recently."
Wait, isn't their job to go over the budget? And to do that shouldn't they know where the money went last year? Didn't the question where the money for the new engines was in the '06 budget? Did they just rubber stamp what was put in front of them?

3. "The city's deputy controller, Raymond McHugh, sent Ceppa an email Tuesday indicating there had been little activity in the fund in recent years, but he noted the city used a $1 million "public safety grant" to buy fire equipment in 2006."
What? Was it a grant or was it a donation? Did we receive a grant? If so did it buy the Engines? And if it did, where did the donation money go? If we didn't get the grant, then shouldn't the city's deputy controller know? This REALLY sounds like things McGroarty did financially.

4. "Council normally must approve expenditures of $10,000 or more and, at its public meetings, routinely authorizes the purchase of emergency vehicles through the state piggyback program. Because the donor specifically earmarked the $1 million for three fire engines, that protocol was likely unnecessary when buying the vehicles, Barrett said.

"If they say, 'Here's $1 million, put it in the general fund and spend it the way you want,' it's a little different, I guess," Barrett said."

"Likely" and "I guess"??!! Does our council know their jobs?! Or are they 'guessing'?

5. "The city purchased the fire trucks through COSTARS, a state "piggyback" purchasing program that eliminated the need for a public bidding process, McLaughlin said Friday."
Sorry Drew, That isn't how COSTARS works. With COSTARS Engines are made to a exact specifications and can NOT be altered. Our Engines are not to those standards. So they weren't COSTARS purchased.


On a different note. Is everyone as sick of the way people run elections today? They spend MOST of their time telling us how they aren't as bad as the 'other guy' and not enough time telling us what they hope to achieve.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

What pistol should I buy by Jack Leuba




I mentioned that I took a firearms class last month. And at the end of the SHTF post, I made two recommendations for handguns. The Glock and the S&W M&P.
Well if you don't want to take my advice, then here is a REAL pro's advice.

What pistol should I buy for practical use?. Damn he is a LOT more eloquent than me.


Dan Emplit WBFD

Is a Shotgun obsolete if the SHTF?

This is a sequel to SHTF ammo.
IMHO, it depends. What has happened for the SHTF? Is this a personal SHTF, like the druggies from down the street are breaking in your door to take everything they can? Or has there been an economic meltdown, like the Great Depression? Are we talking about massive riots? Or are we (oohhhh) Talking about the ' Zombie apocalypse'?

All joking aside, what I'm asking is,"How long" and "HOW VIOLENT"? A 'break in' is relatively short term , less than an hour from beginning to end but by definition violent (they aren't there to borrow a cup of sugar). Massive riots, Days and also violent by definition. The Great Depression, ALMOST A DECADE, but not as violent (I'll get back to this).

Please remember these are MY OPINIONS.
In a riot or a break in, I can think of few weapons that will serve as well as a 12 gauge pump shotgun. Why? Buckshot will not penetrate as much as rifle or pistol rounds will, so the risk of injuring an Innocent is smaller (BTW, why do so many people think BIRDSHOT is a defensive round? Hunters don't use it on feathered turkeys, why would someone think it would work on mammalian turkeys?).
Another point is that the spread of buck shot at 15 feet is only 2-4 inches. At 60 feet about 10-15 inches. So the whole, "you really don't have to aim a shotgun" is idiotic monkey poo.
Another myth is that racking the slide will TERRORIZE someone. BULLCRAP. I've been around lots of people when a slide has been racked and no one lost control of their bladder. If druggies are the problem, they won't care and if it is a riot they won't hear.
In an economic meltdown..... Yes and no. One of a shotguns main strengths lays in its being 'a jack of all trades, master of none' except for hunting small game (where the shotgun reigns supreme). Nothing will keep game on the table like a shotgun. Many people survived the Great Depression because a hunter used a shotgun.
The other main strength is that few things will stop a violent person as quickly or as well as 00 buckshot.
It's weakness, however, HAVE to be considered. Shotgun ammo is HEAVY. a 3 inch slug round weighs about 1.7 oz. a 2 & 3/4 inch 00 buck round about 1.5 oz. So for the same weight I could carry 4 TIMES the amount of .223 or DOUBLE the number of .308.

Most shotguns only hold 5 to 9 rounds in their magazine.

Shotguns have a LONG reload time. In a pump shotgun rounds must be individually loaded.
You need to decide for yourself if they are obsolete.

One last thing about the Great Depression verses a modern economic meltdown. We've all heard our parents and/or grand parents talk about how the neighborhoods were MUCH tighter and friendlier 'back in the day'. Does anyone think that our neighborhoods will improve with the constant stress that would be prevalent in our lives?



My grandfather got through the Great Depression with only a double barrel 16 gauge shotgun. I think he would be out gunned massively now.



Dan Emplit WBFD

Hollenback fire station

This engine house is 5 and 1/2 years old. It needs help. Serious help. (Here comes another list)

1. The Phone system. Which requires someone to go to the answered phone, you can not just pick up an extension.
2. The Kitchen door jams and must be SLAMMED shut.
3. The women's restroom floor is uneven. It has a large lump in the center.
4. The women's restroom floor tiles are coming up. Possibly because of the lump.
5. The Dispatch Radio gets interference and the kitchen light needs to be turned off or on to clear it.
6. The Internet router doesn't work if more than 2 computers are hooked in.
7. The air conditioning system can only be run a certain amount of hours per day.
8. the apparatus (Garage) floor is angled AWAY from the floor drains causing water to flow to the wall.
9. The apparatus floor is cracked.
10. apparatus floor drains are to small.
11. Concrete in front of the garage doors in deteriorating and BADLY cracked.
12. The dispatch Radio is old it's from old station #9 (This was a NEW Station, why didn't it get a NEW radio?)
13. The hose dryer is old also from #9. A new station should have new equipment, if just for savings from efficiency.
14. The Hose washer is old (from #9).
15. The Water main for the engine house is too small. Taking much more time to get the Engine back in service.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to take credit for something, you have to take the blame. But we know Leighton won't. He'll blame someone else.



Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

"I'm not anti-gun" yeah we 'believe' you



From the comment box:
####
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "I am flypaper for freaks and morons":

It is largely "bad guys killing other bad guys" that make up the bulk of crime stats. And the risk involved delivering pizza to Sherman Hills is a pretty good example of why you shouldn't deliver pizza to Sherman Hills. Plenty of businesses across the country do exactly that. Try and get a Domino's pizza delivered in East L.A. or certain neighborhoods in New Orleans. I'm not anti-gun either. If it makes you feel better, carry a bazooka, but you're kidding yourself if you think you're going to be Batman. And stop watching local news. It's designed to frighten senior citizens, not to provide an accurate assessment of risks facing average citizens. And those risks are easily minimized by personal actions that don't involve upping your arsenal. Plenty of rational people reject both the NRA and anti-gun groups just like plenty of people think FOX News and MSNBC are equally full of shit.
####



First off, ACTUALLY READ the first post. It is about SHTF choices, not concealed carry. I even pointed this out in 'I am flypaper for freaks and morons'. That you keep trying to say that it is about something else, makes me believe you are just a troll. One I've banned before.

You say, 'It is largely "bad guys killing other bad guys" that make up the bulk of crime stats'. Where is you proof. Do you have ANYTHING to back up your outlandish claims. No, you don't, because there is none.

Your claims that we should avoid areas are ludicrous. Last time I looked at a map I was living in the United States, not Lybia. Allowing dirtbags to control areas is like allowing a bully to beat you. It is STUPID.



'It's designed to frighten senior citizens, not to provide an accurate assessment of risks facing average citizens.' Really? Did you forget what I do for a living? My thoughts are colored. They are colored by what I see, almost every day.

'stop watching local news' and 'FOX News and MSNBC are equally full of shit' Tells me that you are against anyone that does not agree with the view through your 'rose colored glasses'.

Believe it or not, YOU ARE ANTI-GUN, your statements prove it.



By the way, Batman doesn't carry or use guns.

Moronic asshat troll.

Dan Emplit WBFD

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Dana & Hazle

We lost 2 Apartment buildings yesterday,12-31-2011, because of Leightons cuts. It is a sign of what's to come.
The acting chief and his crew HAD the fire under control, but without the NEEDED, onscene, manpower they couldn't put it out.



Like pushing a car UP a hill they got it there, but didn't have the needed amount of people (in the critical amount of time) to push it over the top.



Fire is like water, it WILL find the path of least resistance. And it will double in size EVERY MINUTE. Thankfully no one was in the buildings.



"Horrible. You couldn`t see, you couldn`t breathe. It was just a big puff of smoke and flames everywhere. I tell you, these firefighters, I give them credit," said neighbor Tammi Lord. (WNEP) That link also has the TV report.

Some good pictures of the later stages of this fire, here.

12 men per shift is NOT enough.
If you want this to change, don't 'call Leighton' or city hall. Call the newspapers and the TV stations. At least then people will know Leighton cares about his own safety, not ours or yours.

Dan Emplit WBFD
AKA Don Quixote