BlountTruth writes in comments:

Just wanted to drop a line and say I have had the same pillow since 1971. The material has worn to points of feathers flying and has been re-sewn by the wife into a soft pillow case which I am sure will extend its life another 30+ years. As far as mites I want to let everyone know that there is one way you can febreeze and freeze a pillow and kill mites. Wrap your pillow in a garbage bag and put into the freezer for 24 hours, research has shown that this will in fact kill the mites (even the ones deeply embedded in the material) and only takes 10 minutes to warm up and be ready for use the next day.

His pillow is as old as me.

This is too rich. You can apparently take a semi-automatic AK type rifle and attach 14 inch long shoestring with looped ends, loop one end around the trigger and attach it to your finger, then tie the other end to the cocking handle to increase the rate of fire. As such, the ATF has ruled that such a shoestring is classified under 26 USC 5845(b) as a machine gun. It is therefore contraband if not registered under the National Firearms Act.

Seriously, read the letter from the ATF’s Firearms Technology Branch here.

I’ve stopped buying gun magazines (not the ones that feed the guns but the ones that talk about them) and have decided they must be run by the gun companies. I’ve never seen a bad write-up about a gun. And, my personal favorite, is when the front cover refers to a gun as Sub MOA Accurate in big letters on the cover. Then, you get to the article, and they’re shooting 2.5 inch groups with the thing. That’s not Sub MOA.

That’s me today. Not feeling so good. So, blogging may be light. Meanwhile, JR and Big D have posted some gun porn of their AR-15 carbines.

Tam has the skinny on The Proto-FAL.

First, to the in-laws for the mediocre food. Then to my parents for the good stuff. Hope you have a safe and happy holiday.

Subguns.com has the press release from the South Carolina US Attorney regarding the Wrenn case:

Evidence presented during the trial, which started on November 7, 2005, established that on June 20, 2002 Special Agent Baldwin of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited the defendant, Ernest Wrenn, owner of Poor Man’s Gun and Pawn Shop, at 614 Atomic Road, North Augusta, South Carolina, in order to pick up Maxim machine gun kits which had been deemed illegal by the Firearms Technology Branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. At that time the defendant provided Special Agent Baldwin with a written statement, in which he falsely represented the number of items from the Maxim machineguns that were still in his possession. On June 28, 2002 a federal search warrant was executed at Poor Man’s Gun & Pawn and the defendant admitted that he was in fact still in possession of the illegal Maxim machinegun parts Special Agent Baldwin had requested. Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives found two (2) fully assembled Maxim machineguns in the defendant’s possession.

The Maxims were only machineguns because the ATF arbitrarily decided they were. They were semi-automatic versions of Maxims.

Went over to Phil Bredesen’s alleged blog and it displays a 404 error and some garbled code. Any ideas if it has been pulled?

Update: It is back.

The Indy Channel reports that a CCW holder may have engaged the mall shooter in Tacoma:

Parents of the man most seriously wounded in a shooting rampage at a shopping mall said Tuesday that he drew a pistol and confronted the gunman before being shot.

Brendan “Dan” McKown, 38, was hit twice in the abdomen on Sunday, when a gunman opened fire on crowds in the Tacoma Mall.

Doctors at Tacoma General Hospital believe McKown may have suffered permanent paralysis because of spinal damage, hospital spokesman Todd Kelley said.

Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said detectives don’t know if McKown simply brandished his handgun to show the gunman he was armed, or if he was preparing to fire the weapon. Witnesses told the family McKown was shot after he pulled the gun.

Roger McKown, 63, of Yelm, called his son a hero and said he has been licensed to carry a firearm for years.

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. If anyone knows anything the family needs, let me know.

This is the first bit of coverage I recall reading about it.

(H/T Mike)

Update: The Seattle PI says he did confront the shooter.

Update 2: Mike alerts me that there is a fund:

There is the Dan McKown Medical Fund to help with expenses. donations can be made at any Bank of America.

Nearly a month ago, I got an email from a reporter named Dru Sefton. She was wanting to do a story on washing pillows and, in her research, she found this post (read it, it’s funny) I had written that was sort of related to the subject. She inquired about how long I had the pillow, and I said probably about thirty years as I’d had it since I was a wee lad. She asked me the following questions and I gave my answers (reprinted for your amusement):

Does reading that research give you pause about sleeping on your favorite pillow for as long as you did?

Not at all. My understanding regarding mites is that they are 1) every where and 2) absolutely harmless. No matter how scary those creepy little buggers look crawling around when magnified on the Oprah show, they’re quite harmless. Regarding the fungus, it sounds scary but doesn’t frighten me at all. Fungus is everywhere (among us, even) but unless it’s in huge quantities, I can’t see it being dangerous. It reminds me of the episode of Mythbusters where they measured the amount of fecal matter on tooth brushes. Sounds disgusting on the surface but is harmless and normal.

So what year did you get your pillow?

Had it since I was a kid. I’d guess about 1976 or so.

What made it so comfortable?

Probably because it was broken in

Did anyone ever try to convince you to get a new pillow?

Not really. As I said, the Mrs. only got scared because of Oprah

When did your Mrs. wash the pillow? Was it Aug. 3?

Actually, that was a reprint from an old post while on vacation (the original post was 9/8/2004) and the pillow was washed on 9/7/04.

What did you think when you first saw your pillow in tatters in the washing machine?

I was sad and I had to fight the urge to yell at my wife because I figured she’d just throw the old one away after watching that show. I had a pillow going on 30 years and it was quite depressing.

If I read this correctly, you put the clothes washed with The Pillow in the dryer hoping the vent would catch the feathers?

Yes. It worked but the filter got clogged up every few seconds which created quite a scent. And, I swear I am not making this up, I still occasionally pull the odd feather out of a white shirt (the Mrs. washed my pillows with whites).

And then you tried your shop vac?

Yes. It worked best.

So what pillow do you sleep on now? Think you’ll keep it for 19 years?

Funny but my wife, who is a bit of a cheapskate when it comes to stuff for me, went out and bought me a fancy goose feather pillow from some place online. It cost like $50 (too high for a pillow, if you ask me). It is similar in feel but considerably softer. I guess that’s because it doesn’t have all those mites and fungi in there hardening the feathers. As for 19 years, not sure. Now it’s just a pillow and not the pillow I had when I was a kid. Sentimental value is gone.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. She wanted me to call her and give her my name (confirming the source, I am told is the technical term for that). I told her that my preference was to remain anonymous. She then stated that she couldn’t use my interview due to rules regarding anonymous sources. I asked her (again, this was a month ago) if news agencies were so opposed to using anonymous sources, why did Judy Miller spend 87 days in the pokey? I emphasized that this was just a story about pillows and she concurred.

I also told her that I had been featured in a few papers and they always used my blog pseudonym, which she verified using Lexis Nexis. She said different sources had different rules regarding anonymous sources. I still refused to give my name. She offered to let me use only my first name and town. I countered with stating I’d be willing to use my first name only. She had to ask the editor. And this was the reply:

She isn’t buying it. She says anonymity is extended only for “very special reasons,” and this isn’t one.

ARG! I kid you not, we’re being very careful now because the public and citizen journalists are WANTING us to use names and not anonymous sources.

Undeterred, she asked if maybe my wife would be interested in being interviewed for the story. I asked the Mrs. and she declined. She sent a few more emails saying pretty please and such but I stood my ground choosing to remain anonymous.

I have to admit, Ms. Sefton was very persistant and quite pleasant. I hope she understands I wasn’t trying to be a jerk.

So, you may ask, why the Hell are you mentioning this? Because, via AlphaPatriot, I see her story has been published. And I just couldn’t not tell that story. It has some good advice:

New research shows pillows may be a breeding ground for fungal spores, which could aggravate allergies or asthma. To help reduce problems:

• Use a breathable, moisture-repellent pillow cover fabric, such as Gore-Tex.

• Wash pillows at least four times a year.

• When laundering, wash on the gentle cycle, two at a time.

• Fluff the pillows halfway through the dryer cycle to prevent lumps.

She found one guy who had a pillow for 19 years. I had mine for about 28 or so.

Gun Law News details how the anti-gunners attack gun rights. It’s a good read.

Bob tells that:

When I see a program in MyYahoo that I want my Tivo to record, I just click a link and it programs my Tivo to record the show. Before, I’d see the program in MyYahoo, then hop over to the Tivo site to set up the recording. Now it’s one-stop shopping. Another cool touch: When I set this up, Yahoo asked me if I wanted to sync up my Yahoo program guide with my Tivo program guide. Yup.

Cool.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn addresses tax relief and spending cuts over at Bill Hobbs’ place. I didn’t realize there were still Republicans interested in cutting spending.

The issue, as I see it, is that law enforcement officers measure success by the number of arrests. I would think that fewer arrests (i.e., fewer committing crimes) would be the appropriate measure of success. Sadly, it’s not or how could you explain this:

The arrests were for selling legal items like sudafed (in legal quantities), while “knowing” they would be used to make meth. The undercover cops would hit convenience stores run by Indians (who often spoke limited English) and casually mention slang terms like “cooking” to refer to meth — something the foreign clerks didn’t even understand. A stupid law, a stupid sting, and a gross injustice.

Abysmal. The ACLU is on the case.

Jeff has the latest on anti-gun bias in the media.

I am remiss in mentioning that Mugwug has published his Zombie Movie Guide.

Standard Mischief has written a letter to Wal-Mart regarding National Ammo Day.

Heh!

In Knoxville, Councilman Steve Hall proposed a charter amendment that would have required a seven-vote majority from the nine-member board to approve any and all condemnations by the city. The measure was defeated by a vote of 1-8:

Councilman Steve Hall, the measure’s sole sponsor, had argued that city agencies that would use such power, namely Knoxville’s Community Development Corp., are not elected bodies and do not answer directly to voters.

He also cited the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the case of Kelo v. New London, Conn., which upheld that city’s use of eminent domain for the purpose of economic development.

“I can perceive that municipalities all over the country will start using eminent domain more frequently for the purpose of economic development,” said Hall, the only member to vote in favor of the change. “All we’re doing is giving the citizens of Knoxville the opportunity to decide how they want to be governed.”

Good for Steve Hall. Bad for Knoxvillians.

Junior can now say No. God help us all.

This weekend in Knoxville, there are two gun shows. Mike Holloway’s and RK Shows. Sounds like poor planning to me. Which one will be best?

I’ve pondered what my platform would be if I ever ran for president. And I can say that one of the things on my platform, which would buck presidential tradition, is to not pardon the Thanksgiving turkey. President Bush is scheduled to do the traditional pardoning of the turkey today. After that, the turkey is going to Disneyland:

President Bush is set to make the traditional pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey today. But this bird isn’t heading to some petting zoo. It’s going to Disneyland.

The 35-pound Tom Turkey will be grand marshall of the Disneyland Thanksgiving Day parade.

And the big bird is flying west in style. After the reprieve on the White House lawn, the turkey and it’s alternate will be given a police escort to a Washington-area airport.

So, here we have our big federal government wasting money on buying a turkey. Then wasting money on security and knickknacks for the ceremony. Then wasting money on a police escort to the airport. Then wasting money to fly the bird to Disneyland. But that’s not my complaint here. My complaint is the message that this sends to the world. And that message is that our president is a pussy.

Yes, a pussy.

The White House will still have a Thanksgiving dinner and that dinner will feature meat which came from slaughtered animals. And the only difference between those slaughtered animals and the turkey is that the President hasn’t met them. He hasn’t looked them in the eye. Pardoning the turkey sends the wrong message to our enemies and, most importantly, our children. Do you think radical terrorist factions are scared of a country whose leader is unwilling to kill dinner? If the president can’t order the execution of a domesticated turkey after looking it in the eye, that definitely indicates our lack of resolve and makes us appear weak.

And instilling in our children this sense that all is fair and works out in the end for turkeys is a bit much. Face it kids, that nice dinner, the tryptophan-induced nap after, all the presents, and the month long consumer orgy known as The Holidays are tied to the death of an animal. An animal that is so stupid it will drown in the rain because it will stare up into the sky. The domesticated turkey is about as smart as a stapler. Actually, staplers may be smarter. I’ve never known of one to drown.

Not only should the president order the execution of the turkey, he should kill the gobbler himself. With his bare hands, while wearing a loin cloth. He should then rise, his body glistening with sweat and blood, and take a bite out of its head and display it proudly to the American people.

That’s what I’d do. Because I’m not a pussy.

Update: The AP:

President Bush spared two turkeys from becoming Thanksgiving dinner. Instead, the birds are going to Disneyland.

Thousands of people voted on the White House Web site to name the national turkey “Marshmallow” and an alternate called “Yam.” At a ceremony Tuesday, Bush peered into Marshmallow’s eyes, stroked its white fluffy feathers and patted its red head.

What a pussy. I guess he was scared because the turkeys outnumbered him. And the PETArds chime in:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which in the past has been critical because presidential turkeys have been sent to a working farm rather than an animal sanctuary, praised the decision to send them to Disneyland.

Wait, sparing them draws criticism?

“I don’t suppose we could have asked for better than Disneyland and southern California,” said Bruce Friedrich of PETA. “They’ll have mental and physical stimulation as well as proper care and a nice climate.”

Dude, they’re fucking turkeys.

I’m trying to figure out what gun the guy in the Washington shooting used so I searched Google news and it’s about impossible. Some sources say a machine pistol, others say an AK-5 (which is highly unlikely), and some report there were bursts. Via Les, Farnam’s sources say it was an AK clone and CZ 9MM. Farnam has posted a report from the officers.

Update: Another conflicting report. Ben says in comments that an officer he talked to said it was Similar to (but not) an SKS-definitely not a .22. He has more here.

Les Jones links to this study on BlogAds which concludes:

(1) the number of weekly page views (WPV) is a much stronger predictor of weekly ad revenue and price than are either the number of inbound links or the number of blogs providing those links

(2) the number of ads has a negative impact on ad price and a largely positive effect on ad revenue, and

(3) the political orientation of the blog matters: on average left-of-center blogs significantly out-earn their right-of-center counterparts.

I can say that once I got them rolling, I had no trouble selling them. In fact, I once had to refuse new ones because I had five on the main page already.

Regarding point number 3, a top spot on Kos goes for $5K per week. Wow. Of course, there are currently no ads in that spot.

Bill Hobbs has lined up some guest bloggers, including U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and Ben Cunningham of Tennessee Tax Revolt. It’s nice to have a blogging rep in Tennessee and I hope she keeps it up.

Also, Ben, you just need to start your own blog. I enjoyed when you were blogging over at South End Grounds and you should keep it up.

The Gun Guy alerts us to new offerings from Mossberg. They are getting back into the rifle market with the All Terrain Rifle and the Plinkster, which rumor is you can get at Wal-Mart for less than $100. The Plinkster is impressive for the price. A free float barrel and an auto bolt hold open are things you have to pay extra for on a Ruger 10/22.

Update on the AK build (you can see the series here): I had mentioned before that one of the laser cut flats wasn’t cut all the way which meant it couldn’t be bent properly. We got this laser cut flat from AR15plus.com. We sent them a picture of the flat and they sent us a replacement. Pretty good customer service, I thought, and worthy of a plug here. So, if you’re pondering rolling your own AK, AR, 10/22 or 1911, check out AR15plus.com.

Via Mike, comes Scott Adams’ (you know, he does Dilbert) first blog entry. In this entry, Adams shows the evolution of a comic strip in which Dogbert is a police negotiator. A cop shoots an unarmed man and that is OK. What’s not OK is the image of a gun in the strip, which is changed to a donut that fires bullets.

The latest is up. Oddly, I don’t remember getting the announcement.

No bulldozers, no evictions. The residents are still there. And quite confident they’ll stay:

Even though the holdouts lost their case, and the development that would displace them finally seems free to go forward, construction has not begun, and some elements of the project have been effectively paralyzed since the court ruling prompted a political outcry.

“I felt relaxed enough to get my checkbook out and put the new roof on,” said Mr. Von Winkle, who owns three buildings with a total of 12 occupied apartments in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood by the Thames River, where the city was sued for claiming 15 properties through eminent domain.

Ms. Kelo, also among the handful of holdouts, said, “We still have hope that we’ll get to keep our homes.”

Good. I think the pressure from this hideous ruling may have done more to energize the issue than a good ruling would have. I’d still have preferred the latter. But it’s something.

Yes, that’s a quote from me. You see, this morning I went to the dentist for a filling. I wonder if dentists think that they’re really smart or that their customers are really stupid. Or if they just like fucking with us. I lay there on the chair sucking down the gas (which I like) when here comes the dental assistant. She puts the topical anesthetic on, puts in a bite guard, and sticks gauze between my cheek and gum. In comes the dentist, with more tools and gizmos and they get to work

So, here I sit. In my mouth currently is gauze, a bite guard, anesthetic, a latex dam, the thing that blows air, the thing that sucks air, a drill, a scraper, three hands, a midget, and a kitchen sink. I also have a gizmo pumping the gas into me. At this point, the dentist decides it’d be a good time to engage me in a conversation. Seriously.

Dentist: You doing alright?

Me: Ruahh arhah hamma mamam (translated: Dude, wtf you talking to me for. My mouth is full)

Dentist: What’d you think of the game this weekend?

Me: Ruahh arhah hamma mamam (translated: If they don’t fire Fulmer over this season, they never will)

Dentist: What?

Me: Ruahh arhah hamma mamam (translated: If they don’t fire Fulmer over this season, they never will)

Dentist: Huh?

Me: Ruahh arhah hamma mamam (translated: Are you retarded trying to carry on a conversation when I have the entire US Army Corps of Engineers doing a little song and dance in my mouth, you idiot?)

Dentist: Yeah, UT looked pretty rough. Think they’ll get a bowl game?

Me: Ruahh arhah hamma mamam (translated: No, I don’t think they’ll get a bowl game. Why are you still talking to me? It’s clear you have no idea what I’m saying and that you have no interest in what I’m saying? Rather like my wife, actually.)

Dentist: You doing alright?

Me: ::blink:: (translated: Shut up and leave me to my nitrous buzz, you piss-ant)

I wonder if dentists like to get people in the chair sometimes and proceed to debate a complex social issue while their victim patient can’t address their points?