The Ten Ring is four.

A flowchart on understanding flowcharts.

I guess it’s going well since their site is inaccessible. And a bit from the Independent Institute. You can get a copy here.

Various anti-gun groups said that assault weapons were the reason for the increase in police deaths during the 1990s. There was a ban. The ban has since expired but police deaths from gun fire are down 40%.

Meanwhile, other demographics have an increase in gun violence.

Particularly when the product was sold to a guy with his own TV show.

Apparently, Cannon Safes doesn’t grasp what is meant by lifetime warranty.

If you rob a place using an airsoft pistol, guys with real guns may be a problem.

There are plenty of reasons not to like Packers GM Ted Thompson, but unlike many of my fellow green-and-gold bleeders, I don’t think letting Favre go was one of them. Favre’s perennial will-he-or-won’t-he retirement drama had become a huge distraction, and the team was going to have to find a new QB, whether it was in 2008, 2009, or 2010. With Rodgers in his fourth year, now was the ideal time to see whether or not he’s good enough to be the starter. The numbers should speak for themselves:

Rushing:

Belied by the Jets’ 9-7 season versus the Packers’ 6-10 season, Rodgers had a better year than Favre in every Statistical category except fumbles lost (3 against Favre’s 2, though Favre fumbled more times) and completion percentage. All told, Rodgers was responsible for nine more touchdowns than Favre — six more passing touchdowns, and three more rushing touchdowns — while throwing nine fewer interceptions. In fantasy football terms, you did 90 points better if you had Rodgers on your team than if you had Favre.

Now the stigma attached to Rodgers is that there were several games where the offense had the ball late in the game with a chance to tie or win, and they didn’t get it done. And there’s some validity to that. But in most of those cases, they never would have been in that situation if not for terrible defense and special teams. As it is, the Packers were fifth in the league in scoring, at 26.2 points per game (Jets: 9th, 25.3), despite being 17th in the league in rushing, at 112.8 yards per game (Jets: 9th, 125.3), and despite having the most penalized team in the league in terms of yards, 984 yards on 110 penalties, an astounding 61.5 yards per game in penalties (Jets: third best in the league, just 569 yards on 77 penalties, 35.6 YPG). The Packers were also 5th in the league on third down, converting 44.2% of the time (Jets: 14th, 41.1%).

Meanwhile, the Packers’ defense was 26th in the league against the run, allowing an average of 131.6 rush yards per game (Jets: 7th, 94.9), and 23rd in the league in points allowed, at 23.8 (Jets: 18th, 22.3). If the defense hadn’t scored an NFL-best 7 defensive touchdowns (Jets, T-3rd, 5), a lot of those games would have been a lot worse.

Special teams, however, is where it gets really ugly: the Packers tied the Ravens for worst in the league in return yardage, 20.1 yards per return (Jets: T-14th, 23.1); they were 27th in punting average, at 41.4 yards (Jets: 23rd, 42.9); and 28th in punts downed inside the 20, at 15 (Jets, 27th, 16).

Looking at the numbers and the particulars of the two teams, it’s clear that the Packers have many problems, but the QB position isn’t one of them. The Jets finished with a better record than the Packers, but they were statistically better in almost every category except QB play, where the Packers were clearly superior.

So enough ragging on Rodgers and pining for Favre already. Rodgers played exceptionally well, especially for a first-year starter on — let’s face it — a bad team.

In December, a first for me. I have exceeded my monthly bandwidth transfer limit of 40,000 MB. If this keeps up, I may have to upgrade my webhosting service.

And, because Les said it worked, I added the Share This plug in so you guys who are into Facebook, Stumble Upon and Digg can share the posts here with a click. I don’t use any of those services but, hey, you might.

30 lobbyists for every member of congress.

Seems to be a trend for the anti-gunners. Someone staged a gun buyback. But had it turned into a giveback because organizers were hoping to collect $5,000 to $10,000 in donations, but the money never materialized.

Massacre involving a gun in Brady A-ranked and number 1 on their list of best gun control California. Brady issues presser that doesn’t note said rankings.

By seizing land:

Relatives of those who died aboard United Airlines Flight 93 want the Bush Administration to seize the land needed for a memorial where the plane crashed in western Pennsylvania during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Great way to honor their memories.

Surge in homicides involving black males and guns.

Can we talk about it yet? No?

Rusty’s blog turns one.

With pics and video.

A can (or 2) of whoop ass.

Brady check numbers: Less than impressive.

I dunno. If it’s time to bury them then it’s time to dig them up.

Took The Second to the pet store yesterday. Then we stopped by Dick’s Sporting Goods to check out ammo prices. Trouble was, the ammo shelf was bare:

From Misc

Who said AKs have none?

ATF not so good.

The Nordyke v. King case brings up the incorporation issue with respect to the second amendment (i.e., does it mean the same thing in Chicago as it does in Cheyenne). David Hardy has a look at three potential outcomes.

Over at Walls of the City, some advocate packing the courtroom.

China’s new assault rifle.

Trying to break into his ex-wife’s home, her mom shoots the guy. He keeps on and the neighbor shoots him too.

And getting shot by Elvis would be memorable.

Via Paul, we see that Las Vegas Sun covering a United States Practical Shooting Association shoot. Video here. With bonus chicks and guns.

Got my nephews two of these marshmallow guns for Christmas. A big hit.

One’s OK. The other not so much

If you want to annoy some folks, poke fun at a religious figure for what I thought was lavish excess.

And that’s not to disparage the good things the church does.

Update: Wolfwood says Know Your Allies. Ya know, I’m not all anti-religious or anything. And as I’ve said before, I got no issues with God thing. Just an note on my part, as a casual outside observer.

Blogged from beyond the grave.

Some holiday cheer.

He says don’t be selfish and help those who live in places where the basics needed for survival are missing. He said this from an extravagant mantle, on a gold throne with jewels, wearing a priceless gold cross, and some expensive clothes.

Good message there, chief.