The US has the largest armed force in the world

“You cannot invade the mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass.”

That, according to Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto during WWII.

Back then, even into the 1960's, boys, especially those in the South, grew up with guns. Goodness, my dad bought me a .410 gauge shotgun when I was about 10 or 11. I hunted with it. Alone, in the woods. And, I never shot anyone with it.

When I was 15, he gave me a .22 caliber pistol, a taget pistol. In fact, a competition pistol that a former marine colonel used in competitive shooting. I admit, I got pretty good. Snow days saw me popping off a brick of .22 long rifles (500 rounds) at targets in the back yard. That's a lot of shooting.

I've owned a lot of firearms over the decades. Rifles, pistols, shotguns. Still got that .410 and .22. Along with another .22, a Winchester pump that a dear family friend gave me about 1962, not long before he passed away. For those in Wilmington (NC), you might know a little about him. He was a shop teacher at New Hanover High. A building is named after him, the George West Building. He taught my dad. In the same class, there was a guy named David Brinkley. Somewhere, I have a class photo...has my dad and Brinkley in it.

Someone did a lot of research recently. On the number of gun totin' hunters in just four U.S. states. Admiral Yamamoto might have been on to something back then. Something that, in spite of the efforts of anti-gunners in this country, might just be one of the reasons that this country has not been invaded by conventional armies. The now defunct red army certainly outnumbered U.S forces. Might have been an easy takeover save for these stats:

In Wisconsin, alone, there were 600-THOUSAND hunters in the woods. They had guns. Powerful ones. And, they could reach out and take care of business hundreds of yards away.

In Pennsylvania, there were 750-THOUSAND hunters. Michigan had another 700-THOUSAND, and little old West Virginia saw a quarter million more.

Those are the hunters in just four of the country's 50 states. A bunch more gun owners that do NOT hunt..collectors, competioin shooters... are scattered all over the United States. Perhaps that is the reason that this country will never be invaded. Why the Second Amendment should never be tampered with. In fact, why our original Constitution should remain intact. Forever. One crack in that great work by men smarter than those we have today will be the beginning of the end of this great nation.

Please, remember those brave men and women fighting every day to preserve the freedoms our forefathers gave us. Freedoms that were earned with guns. Maintaining those freedoms is the responsibility of every U.S. Citizen.

Happy Fourth of July. The day we celebrate our independence. While you celebrate, please keep our armed forces in your prayers. And, at the same time, don't forget those, here at home, who keep you safe every day and night. Firefighters, lawmen, EMS workers, hospital staffs. A list that goes on and on. Combined with our armed citizens, this country should last a long, long time.

Play safe, and stay safe.

Brown Recluse Spiders. Tiny, but vicious.

Yeah. They're nasty little devils. Pound for pound, if we could train ém, beef ém up, and send them to any hot spot in the world, we could neutralize (that's a CIA word for kill) our worst enemies. In about a week.

They're not very big. About a half inch long. The juveniles are even smaller, and are less identifiable. But, like the children of some of terrorists, they're just as deadly. You can usually identify them, if your vision is pretty good, by the violin-shape on their head/mid-section. They don't look all that menacing. Nothing like a big old snake or a black widow spider. But, they can lay a hurtin'on you. Been there. Got the tee-shirt.

These vicious monsters lie in wait, often in attics, under rocks, in wood piles. Dark areas are their favorites. Seems the southeastern part of the United States is their stomping ground. Some Southerners think that General Sherman left them here during his raid back in the 1860's. Wouldn't put it past him. (Come on, have a sense of humor)

All joking aside, their bites will lead to serious infections. The venom contains a protein-eating enzyme that destroys skin tissue. It is more poisonous than the venom from a rattlesnake.

The symptoms include:

• Reddened skin that may be followed by a blister that forms at the bite site.
• Mild to intense pain and itching for 2 to 8 hours following the bite.
• An open sore (ulcers) with a breakdown of tissue (necrosis) that develops a week or more following the bite. This may take months to heal.
• Some people have a severe, systemic (whole-body) reaction to brown recluse spider bites, including the rapid destruction of red blood cells and anemia (hemolytic anemia). Signs and symptoms include:
  • Fever and chills.
  • Skin rash all over the body with many tiny, flat purple and red spots.
  • Nausea or vomiting.
  • Joint pain.Fever and chills.
• Skin rash all over the body with many tiny, flat purple and red spots.
• Nausea or vomiting.
• Joint pain.

It's important to know, too, that the bite doesn't necessarily hurt. Nothing like a bee sting. No pain. At first. But, when the symptoms begin, you'll be fully aware that something ain't right.

Ok, so you thnk you've been nailed. Now what. Here are some suggestions:

Remain calm. Too much excitement or movement will increase the flow of venom into the blood.

Apply a cool, wet cloth to the bite or cover the bite with a cloth and apply an ice bag to the bite.

Do not apply a tourniquet. It may cause more harm than benefit.

Try to positively identify the spider or catch it to confirm its type.

A brown recluse bite can be serious and may require immediate medical care. Call a health professional if:

• You have severe symptoms throughout your body.
• An open sore and necrosis develop. Necrosis is black, dead tissue.

Black, dead tissue. That's what I ended up with. I had a small area that was irritating, a little sore. I used good old neosporin, having no clue what I was doing. Thank goodness I was going in for a regular doc-checkup. He saw it, and knew immediately what I had. Got it in time, after a little digging around, along with a couple stitches, followed up by anti-biotics.

Other victims have not been so lucky. Warning. Some of the pictures that follow should not be viewed before eating, or by little children. Unless you want to scare the stuffing out of them. Gross is the polite-est way I can think of to describe them . Don't say I didn't warn ya.

After a couple days. Nothing overly concerning. Just some mild irritation, itching, burning, slight pain.

Fifth Day. Notice the streaking. NOW, you should be very concerned.

Ok. Enough is enough. This is serious. Do you need that thumb? What are you waiting for? And, this is Day 6. The poison did a lot of damage overnight.

Notice the medical environment. It's about time. Recovery is going to take a while.

I told you not to look at these before dinner.

                          Just so you'll remember what one looks like. Consider yourself warned.



Obama, Then and Now

I try to Snope out a lot of stuff that I get in e-mails. Snopes, though, isn't always the best way to verify info, it seems. As a number of others have pointed out, the rumor-control folks at Snopes may be a little one-sided.

True, they have answered a lot of questions about rumors over the years. Rumors that are making the rounds on the internet. Mostly non-political stuff. But, when it comes to rumors about President Obama, it seems they take a one-sided stand, either blowing off the claims as Mostly False or, in many cases, reporting that they can't find anything in their files about the rumors

Such is the case with an e-mail about Navy Seal Team 6. Yeah, the team that made Osama bin Laden better known as Osama bin Killed.  From the e-mails (about a dozen, in all)  I have received:

OBAMA'S  OWN  WORDS TRAP HIM:

2008:  "Navy Seal Team 6 is Cheney's private assassination team."
2011:  "I put together Seal Team 6 to take out Bin Laden."
  
2008:  "Bin Laden is innocent until proven guilty, and must be captured alive and given a fair trial."
2011:  "I authorized Seal Team 6 to kill Bin Laden."
  
2008:   "Guantanamo is entirely unnecessary, and the detainees should not be interrogated."
2011:   "Vital intelligence was obtained from Guantanamo detainees that led to our locating Bin Laden." 
I posed  each of these "in his own words" to Snopes, in a variety of ways. Snopes did not own up to even one of them, not even to say that they were mostly false. Just said they couldn't find anything about them. Makes one wonder, doesn't it?

If they are true, I wonder why more hasn't been made of it. Maybe would-be presidential candidates will, indeed, use it for the next campaign. It would seem, though, that it would be easy enough for legitimate media folks to verify. And, regardless of one's political leanings, I would think that a good journalist, in a one-on-one with Obema, would have a blast. Play the 2008 statement, then the 2011 "I take credit for everything" statement, and watch POTUS squirm. Of course, by now, Obama's team has no doubt come up with some sort of response. Most likely, it's going to be the generic that was taken out of context excuse. It's an old one, but remains a catch-all for virtually every politican when confronted with what he once said.

The 2012 campaign should be an interesting one, to say the least. For one, I will find it difficult to believe anything that any candiate for the highest office has to say. Maybe we should look for someone fresh and honest. Like William Shatner. A cute video making the rounds will, at the least, make you smile. I like the honest approach. And, of course...for those who know me...you'll understand why I love the last scene.

Bow Riding, Dangerous and Illegal

Any idea what Bow Riding is? If you're a boater, a boating safety lawman, or a lawyer, you might know. Or, you might not.

I'vve been boating almost my whole life. And, so far, that's a long time. There were a LOT of things we did when I was a kid that are considered unsafe and illegal these days. In cars, there were no seat belts. We even rode in that back area behind the back seat, lying down, and thought it was pretty cool. The back bed of a pickup truck was not a problem, either. And, on some of the older cars, those made before my time but  still around back then, we stood on the running boards (look it up). Firefighters did, too.

Of course, that's not safe anymore. Truth be known, it wasn't safe back then, either.

Bow riding. On boats. The bow, that pointy-end of a boat. At least, that's how many of us boaters describe the forward section to non-boaters. (Of course, even we get confused when you throw a canoe into the picture).

Bow riding is illegal. Sort of. In typical style, some rule-making body, somewhere, wrote it pretty much that way. Then, as is all too often the case, it was left up to individual law enforcement officers to interpret it and write tickets for violating it. For the life of me, with all the help from Google, I cannot find a definitive definition. Lots of opinions. Boaters'message boards are loaded with opinions. News articles say the Coast Guard is cracking down on boaters who violate it. But, just exactly what  is it? Of course, for the water-cops, if all else fails, they can write you for unsafe boating.

Is this bow riding? These folks are certainly at the pointy end.

Cute. And, no doubt, a lot of fun.

Without a doubt, she's bow riding, by any definition. Or, maybe not. Her legs are outside the boat. She's definitely on the bow. It's dangerous. But, there are those who say this is ok when running at slow speeds. 

Here's the danger, law or no law. Even if you are doing what you 're suppose to be doing, all it takes is for some jerk, who is running a bit too fast, to generate a little wake (that's the waves caused by boats passing through water) and send this lass off the bow into the drink. Life jacket or not, she's gonna get hurt. Or worse. At the end opposite the pointy thing, there's a big gasoline powered motor turning a sharp three or four bladed propeller at 1000 or more RPM's that can make mincemeat out of a human. Even if one survives, one will never be the same.

Bad, bad plan. Even if the bow rail keeps him from ending up in the drink, a chance encounter with a dock, another boat, or a piling could change his name to Chester (for goodness sakes, check out the characters on the old TV show, Gunsmoke).

What part of this even looks a little bit safe? Meeting a piling, a floating log, or one of those wakes will send this trio into the drink.

This is where the law is sticky. Is this safe? Is it illegal? There are bow rails. There's obviously turbulence, i.e. wake from another boat. Is the front of this boat designed for seating? That is the ultimate question Coasties (Coast Guardsmen) will decide as they're breaking out the citation books.

Bow riding? You bet. Safe? Should not be a problem. Unless the dog bites. Both are INSIDE the boat. In a boat with a forward seat, designed for riders.

Lucky dude, you might think to yourself. Not one, but two bikini chicks on his bow.

Here's what I see. More than a slow idle speed. Note the wake he's generating. Boat is about 18 feet long. Just imagine the wake generated by a 30 or 40 footer running the same speed. One big bump and you have two young girls in the water. That prop of that 100-plus horsepower meat grinder on the stern will no doubt hit one or both girls.

The Emergency Room will be busy. 

As will their lawyers.

This lucky dude will then kiss his cool boat goodbye. Along with everything else he'll ever earn.

The girls? Scarred for life.

If they survive.

The difference betwen this nation and the Boy Scouts of America is...

Got an e-mail in response to the blog about the North Carolina republican senators and their backroom deals. The deal that took the meat out of a state house bill that would have certtainly sent a lot of illegal aliens who are sucking up jobs in the state packing.

The writer, a longtime friend, said it was time to start a we the people movement, a movement to restore government.

Wouldn't that be nice. Not a question. A statement.

I gave it some thought, and my reply to him went something like this:

Don:

Unless we take some extremely drastic action, something more meaningful than all the lip service politcal wannabes continue to give us, there's not much hope for this country. It is headed for the toilet.

 

Every young man and woman entering the US Marine Corps is taken to his knees, beginning with his first day in boot camp..

This once great country is headed for its knees, too.

The strong marines...men and women...will fight their way to their feet.

They will stand taller than ever.
They will be stronger than ever.
First thing, though, is to get beaten down.

 

Now, for the unfortunate part.

The difference between a marine and this country is that the marine has someone looking out for him. Someone to protect him while he's building his character, his strength. He has adult leaders. Much like the Boy Scouts of America.

 

This country has excuses for leaders that we, the ignorant ones, have allowed to take over. While this country is on its knees, it will be taken over. The process has begun. This country marked its 200th anniversary in 1976. It will not be a country, as we knew it, that will celebrate 300 years. The 250th anniversary will be completely meaningless.

 

With no respect from the excuse for a commander-in-chief for our flag, for our national anthem, for our country, with nothing but personal greed controlling the decision-making processes by almost every  elected leader at every level, what would you expect?

NC Senators and Illegals...what are they thinking?

You've gotta be kidding, right? The North Carolina House approved a bill that would REQUIRE all employers with more than 25 employees (not sure why ALL employers were not included) to run prospective employees through a FREE data base to make sure they were LEGAL. 

Cool. A good step. And, one that the republican-controlled North Carolina Serante would certainly jump on. Right? Wrong. They jumped on it, all right. And, took out the meat. With a back-room deal, our senators have changed that bill to affect ONLY employers who have state contracts!!!! What about the thousands upon thousands of contractors and subcontractors hiring ILLEGAL aliens to work for cheaper wages to build houses, wire houses, do landscaping work...all sorts of jobs. Jobs that would be open to the LEGAL, but unemployed North Carolinians out there.

Was someone asleep at the wheel? Shades of the Exxon Valdese! Our elected senators, with proimses they made only a few months ago, have let us down. So much for politics.

According to published reports, five North Carolina GOP senators...at least five...are to blame. They and their contact info: 

Senate President Phil Berger
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=64
Senator Tom Apodoca
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=83
Senator Rick Gunn
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=276
Senator Harry Brown
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=139
Senator Bob Rucho
http://ncleg.net/gascripts/members/viewMember.pl?sChamber=Senate&nUserID=11

Are you fed up, yet? I am. Join me and let your senator, and all other North Carolina senators, know that, as Bill Cosby once said about his kids, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out".

(If any of these seantors are innocent, let them speak up, loud and clear)

A day on the water is better'n, well, pretty much anything else

Had a blast Saturday, fishing the NC State Spanish Mackerel Championship. Well, ok, that's  a little self-serving, perhaps, because I was the chairman of this event.

Let me explain. I joined the Onslow Bay Saltwater Fishing Club last year. The club is small, but it has some pretty cool members. From all walks of life. Like me. After a few months, it came time to hold elections for 2011. I was nominated to be the vice president, and I graciously accepted. So, in discussions about what projects the club should undertake for 2011, the new kid on the block suggested a spanish mackerel tournament. We hear about the big-bucks king mack tourneys. The ones with tens of thousands of dollars in prizes. The ones where professional anglers from all over the southeast trailer thier big boats, wrapped with the finest advertising logos, pretty fish, pretty women, or whatever. Yeah, those big center console boats sporting three...count ém, three...300 horsepower outboars! Wow.

Well, that's not the kind of tournament I had in mind. I wanted one that the everydáy guy, like me, could enter. And, stand a chance of winning. So, as many of us know, make a suggestion, and you can become chairman. I did, and I did.

We had hoped for 40 or so boats. Some negativity on a couple fishing web sites put a little damper on my enthusiasm. Some folks would rather sit at their puters and nitpick or complain than fish. I just don't get it. I  have to quote Ann Landers or Dear Abby...I forget which...from many years ago: Son, you have a problem and should seek professional help. At least, a change of latitude would be good for some of these folks, one far, far away from me, and one with no computer connection.

Ok, enough about that.

We had fun. And,  in talking with the anglers that came in for the weigh-in Saturday afternoon, they did, too. Didn't matter whether they had a small fish, like us, or several very nice spanish macks, the point was they had a good time.

Like Michael Bishop, a 13-year old from Raleigh. He took the junior angler award for the heaviest spanish caught by a kid under 16.

Not his first kiss, he told me. At least, not the first time he's kissed a fish, he said. How much value can you place on a smile like this one?

Jeffy Naylor aboard the Reel ém "N" did well, too. With a three fish total of 12.78 pounds, he took second place for aggregate weight. He also took home the prize for the single biggest spanish mack in the TWT (Tournament Within a Tournament...a side wager, if you will), with a spanish that tipped the scales at 5.34 pounds. A nice fish for Jeff.

In first place was the crew from Bubbalicious (I want to know where some of these boat names come from). They nailed the top spot with three fish that weighed 13.22 pounds.

In third place, with an aggregate three fish weight of 11.36 pounds, was the crew of Reel Outdoors.

Nice Spanish.

Thanks to all of the volunteers, Marine Fisheries (they took samples from the fish to study), and ALL of the anglers who participated. And, with any luck, we'll do it again next year. 

Let's Go Fishing. Or, let's take some pictures. Maybe we can just talk. How 'bout a pizza?

So, I've been busy. I thought retirement meant resting, not getting tired and re-tired. But, I am not complainting. I'm having a blast!!!!!

Nice trip, as you've read...I hope...with our friends aboard their sailboat in the British Virgins. Great time to relax, soak up some sun, soak up a little rain. It was all good. And, the food! Wow. Better'n good. I promised, and I will deliver. Some recipes from a week at sea. Coming soon to a blog near you.

Back to now. My pal. Captain Andy Everhart, of Southern Sport Fishing, called and asked me to go fishing the next morning. At oh-something or another real dark-thurty. Not a problem. I was ready. Mostly. And, I needed this trip. Just to get me psyched up.

Off we went, out of Carolina Beach, aboard his 30-something Contender. Headed for Dolphin country. Not the Flipper kind. The mahi-mahi variety.

Early morning. On the water. Can only compare to early evening. More on that shortly.

The attitude here is So-Y-Knot. Not the name of this boat, but my late uncle, a sea captain, took an 8-foot boat from south Florida all the way up north somewhere. Back in the 1960's. He named the little boat So-Y-Knot.

With this, you know its going to be a good day. With or without fish.

Cap'n Andy with what turned out to be a 40 pound amberjack. Good eating, if you know what you're doing.

Now, this is what I'm talking about. Mahi-mahi. Yum-yum.

We found a lot of dolphin. Unfortunately, most were pretty small. They followed us, in large schools, just under the wurface.

A 30-foot Contender has lots of room. Especially when there's Just the Two of Us.

Sorry about that pun.

The pelicans, at dockside, know a good thing. The fish cleaning station brings out the aggressive nature of these big birds.

Pains me to say it. Sort of. Enough fishing. At least right now. A sunset ride down New River from Tideline Marine in Jacksonville (NC) had its moments. Robie, my wife, her sister Suzi, and brother-in-law Thurman (got lots of pics of T-Man over the years...he's another fishing buddy) needed no other excuse than "hey, let's make sure the boat's working good" to head south.

Some pizza (have you tried Carlone's in Jax? Good stuff) and a soft drink, T-Man at the helm (I was shooting pics), and off we go. At a blazing 7 knots.

Robie and Suzi catch a little sunset breeze. Plays havoc with the hair.

Isn't that just way too cool?!? A couple late afternoon chopper pilots heading for the barn at New River Marine Air Station.

Ahhhhhh....we can go home now. I have my picture of the day.