Around the blogs

Here's this week's harvest from the blogosphere.


David McElroy starts us out with a reminder that 'No matter how 'defeated' you are, there’s a way to transform yourself'.  I'm partly disabled, and I'm also battling years of physical deterioration, so his story struck very close to home for me.  I'll do my best to apply it to my own situation - hopefully with equally successful results.

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A couple of years ago I wrote about 'fobbits, geardos and rooney guns'.  It was a light-hearted look at those who think that owning or wearing (but, of course, seldom actually using) the latest and greatest gear somehow made them more 'martial' or 'operator'-like.  I was pleased to see that Captain Tightpants shares my opinion of such individuals.  Here's an excerpt from his article.

There is a large percentage of the shooting/military/law enforcement/airsoft/wannabe/whatever crowd who will base their purchasing decisions on gear which is, or is rumored to be used by various Special Forces. Because, ZOMG if THEY use it then it MUST be teh coolest!

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There is a lot of "regular" gear that is outstanding - you ask most of the old Special Forces and Recon guys and they STILL think the 50 year old ALICE pack is the best military option around, and they should know. And, there are other things which simply don't cross over - what a line infantry guy needs to ride in a Hummer & patrol the streets is often different than what a SEAL needs to conduct an underwater infiltration and board a hostile vessel or oil platform. The mission drives the gear, not the other way around.

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As for me - just as a note - I'm finding as I age and look at things that I'm discarding more than I'm acquiring; and that I'm looking for ways to simplify and lighten each piece of kit I use. Some of it comes from being older & not wanting to carry 900 pounds of lightweight gear anymore, and some of it has come from experience and the lessons of time.

There's more at the link.  Worthwhile reading.  I, too, am very much in favor of the 'less is more' and 'lighter is better' approach.  (My advancing years, increased avoirdupois and physical limitations undoubtedly influence that, of course;  but years ago in Africa I learned the benefits of that approach the hard way.)

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Many readers will remember The Breda Fallacy, the now-defunct blog of the World's Most Dangerous Librarian.  Good news - Breda's back in the blogosphere at Self Evidence.  Bookmark it!

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Blunt Object provides a link to an excellent article at the Dynamist Blog on modern recycling as a 'feel-good waste'.  An excerpt:

Nobody sorts somebody else's garbage for free. Most of the developing world understands that, while the developed world - the EU and US, in particular - seems intent on seeing recycling as a moral activity (and a means of tribal identity) above all else. Unfortunately, when people view waste and recycling in moral terms, rather than economic ones, they have an unerring tendency to demand local governments set up recycling programs that are destined to lose money from the get-go (like curbside recycling in spread-out Houston). Meanwhile, the folks who know how to make money from recycling, like scrap yards, are denigrated and often subjected to totally unreasonable barriers to entry (and exit).

Word.  More at the link.

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Frank W. James links to an article in USA Today on the dangers of discarding digital devices, and points out that one's data may not be adequately protected when doing so.  Important advice, particularly when a smartphone can hold just about every important item of data about one's life - employment, bank accounts, Social Security number, address book, and so on.  Seems to me that one reason why identity theft has become such a problem is because we've made the job of identity thieves so easy!

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The Feral Irishman (warning:  site is sometimes not safe for work) lists the 'Top 30 Things that you will never hear [a] Southern boy say'.  A few examples:

28. Duct tape won't fix that.

22. We're vegetarians.

18. Who gives a damn who won the Civil War?

12. The tires on that truck are too big.

6. She's too young to be wearing a bikini.

Yeah, right!  Read the rest at the link.

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In a very thoughtful, provocative essay, Borepatch points out that Mitt Romney is merely a slightly different version of President Obama, and not worth voting for.  In fact, he's decided to vote for President Obama, on the theory that if things have got to get worse in order to provoke the people of this country into action, let's get them as bad as possible, as quickly as possible, so that we can get through this mess and out the other side all the faster.

I can't go along with him, but not because I disagree with his reasoning!  I fully support and endorse all he has to say about President Obama, Mitt Romney and their respective political parties.  My problem is that, from my own moral perspective, I can't actively support evil;  and I regard many of President Obama's policies as being intrinsically evil.  For that reason alone, I'm morally compelled to support the least evil of the available alternatives to them.  (Sadly, there aren't many morally good alternatives on offer from any candidate at this time.)  However, for those who don't share my moral compulsion, I can't find much to quibble about in Borepatch's argument.  Go read it for yourself, and make up your own mind.

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Also in the political arena, Rev. Donald Sensing (whose blog Sense of Events has just moved up to my frequent-reading list - he has a brain, and isn't afraid to use it) enlightens us about the true dangers of the so-called 'People's Rights Amendment' to the US Constitution.  It's clearly a wolf in sheep's clothing as far as our rights are concerned, and must be fought to the death.  We daren't let this one pass.  My personal thanks to Rev. Sensing for a very cogent analysis of its dangers.

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Robb Allen points out a major failure of the advertising process.  Talk about ignorance of firearms . . . !

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Julie is asked why she owns guns, and sets out to answer the question in her own inimitable fashion.  She throws open the topic to others, and so far (that I've seen, anyway) DaddyBear, Jay G. and Firehand have responded.  What says the rest of the blogosphere?

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Also in the shooting world, Brigid warns us of the dangers of exposure to lead while casting bullets and reloading cartridges.  If you do either, please read her article carefully, and take note.  It's not a laughing matter - I've seen at first hand what lead poisoning can do to a man's behavior.  It's not pretty.

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And last, but far from least, Old NFO tells (in highly entertaining fashion) the tale of the Battle of Palmdale, a major 'Oops!' on the part of the US Navy.  It's a true story, and also extremely funny - at least in hindsight!  At the time, I daresay it didn't appear nearly so amusing.


That's it for this week.

Peter