Progress

I've finally got a chance to hang out with the family and work on the room downstairs. The walls are painted and the doors are hung. I've heard three people in the last day or so talk about a much easier kind of tape to use for the drywall. Where were they a month ago! All we have left is carpet, ceiling, and a few finishing touches. I'm hoping Korey can move in by Friday.

I'm definitely ready for the deer stand tomorrow morning. I get to keep Ellie tomorrow too! I think I'm hunting in a good spot despite the public land issue. It reminds me of a place a killed lots of deer before we moved off the 1,000 acre lease. The terrain and vegetation is very similar. I'm already going to have to plus-up the clothes for the cool morning. The only thing that would make it better is a rifle. We'll see what happens.

Why I Hunt (even when it's cold)

This weekend I was going to run a 5k but decided to sleep-in instead. It was wonderful to spend some time with Vanessa and Ellie. Sleep-ins don't actually contain sleep anymore but it was fun being lazy for a change.

The rest of the weekend I hunted with Dan Barnes from church. It felt great to get back in the woods. The chance to calm down, sit in silence, and enjoy God's creation is amazing. People always ask, "How do you sit in a tree for 4-5 hours without moving just waiting on a deer?" 4-5 hours seems very short when you reflect on the people you love, personal relationships, people you miss, people you hope you never see again, things that need to be done, things you should have done, mistakes you have made, things to improve, and so on. I guess you get the point. If a deer shows up, great.

Other advantages are out there. Introducing kids to the sport allows them to become familiar with archery, marksmanship, navigation, knife handling, anatomy, basic survival skills, knot-tying, maintaining equipment, responsibility, time-management, and more. I'd have to say it has made me a much more competent Soldier.

Memories are the element of hunting I cherish the most. You can't lose them very easily, nobody can take them away from you, and you can use them any time you want. Every time I go to the woods I think about how it used to be hunting with the upper two generations of my family. It will never be that way again, but it was. I'm sure Pa would get a huge kick out of me hunting on public land with a bow, or anywhere with a bow for that matter. 

Lives lost and warriors created

7 years ago the United States came together as terrorism again became a domestic issue. Mothers, Fathers, Sons, and Daughters we killed in miserable ways. Terrorism was a real threat before the attacks as exemplified through the bombing of the USS Cole near Yemen and the first bombing of the World Trade Centers. Both military action incidents were called off by the Clinton administration because they feared collateral damage.

In the following article, foxnews.com outlines terrorist attacks since 11 SEP 2001 that have been foiled due to countermeasures created by the Bush administration. Good work to the agencies responsible but keep in mind these are phase 1 failures. Phase 1 being, "Kill terrorist and extremists on their own soil."
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,335500,00.html

Great progress has been made in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Soldiers, Marines, and those that support them tell the real story. The attacks on SEP 11 2001 back lashed on the parties responsible. More warriors were created on that day than any other in American history. I'm happy to serve with all of them. I'm proud of my country, those who served before me, and those that support freedom. I am most proud that islamic extremists that hate America don't sleep well because they know Americans are coming to the darkest regions of the world to kill them and win.

More reloading

This evening Steven and I fired up the reloads for his 300 SAUM. It is a Remington 673 and it's pretty awesome. We loaded Nosler Partitions and Nosler ballistic tips. The ballistic tips shot better. Here are the loads we tried:

Remington Brass
Federal Large Rifle Primers
63gr. IMR4350
150 gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips

Remington Brass
Win Large Rifle Primers
63gr. IMR4350
150 gr. Nosler Partition

A guy had a new FN 5.7 at the range. It's like a little ar-15 in your hands with a 20 round mag capacity!

I finally got my Dillion 550 running smoothly with .223 ammo! When I do the "per round" cost analysis I'll post it on here. The Dillon 550B rocks when you get it set perfectly but until then it haunts the back of your mind.

The loads published here are intended only for the rifle in which they were used. These loads should not be duplicated without consulting a legitimate reloading manual. Your results may vary because of the condition of your equipment.

War

The liberal news media has gone nuts with the allegations that a coalition air strike killed civilians in Pakistan. With EVERY air strike there are eyes on the ground conducting target acquisition using various techniques and using the most technologically advanced equipment that the world has to offer. Aircraft do not fly around and pick out targets like North Hollywood would have you believe. Ground troops reported that they were receiving direct enemy fire from the building that was demolished in the air strike and that is enough for me. More significantly, this is good enough for the rules of engagement.

Unfortunately when bad people bring violence to their country with their actions, in this case allowing terrorist training camps to operate freely for 20 years, civilians will die. Eventually civilians will get sick of violence and realize the terrorist they harbor are bringing the violence with them. It's our job to provide that violence and allow no safe-haven for people that bring harm to humanity regardless of borders and foreign policy.

Measured response is just that and will lead to an everlasting tit-for-tat that does nothing except equip the terrorist of tomorrow with the ideology necessary to hate the western world. Measured response is a game that cannot be won. It's time to put risk aversion behind us clean up Iraq and Afghanistan via anywhere. Yes that includes Egypt, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, and domestically, in our own back yard. Given the gross negligent, risk aversion tactics (or non-tactics) of the Clinton Administration several of our adversaries are still alive to continue attacks on Americans abroad and at home.