It's been said that a man that brings a knife to a gun fight is a fool, but when thats all you have, ya gotta work with what you have, and Thomas Autry proves that desperation can be the edge that wins the day, even against 4 to 1 odds.

Result? One goblin dead, one in critical condition, and two others sitting in the greybar motel awaiting charges.

They just picked the wrong Marine as a victim of their predation, and received a just result from their efforts. One thing that bothers me....seems that the survivors will be charged with aggravated assault and robbery...I believe that they should also face murder charges. In every jurisdiction I'm familiar with, when a death occurs as the direct result of the commision of a felony, those committing the crime are held responsible for that death.

The fact that they were armed with firearms, and in at least one instance, discharged their weapon, it becomes even more urgent that they face this larger charge. From my understanding of the facts so far, none of the miscreants were even legally allowed to possess a weapon in the first place, being underage.

They should just be thankful that Cpl. Autry had chosen not to carry a firearm himself, or they would not be having the luxury of a trial.

Cpl. Autry says he is not a hero, but I beg to differ.

"The heroes are those guys out there fighting for us every day and not getting respect," he said, referring to military personnel fighting in Iraq and elsewhere.

That [killing the attacker] wasn't admirable, it was fight or flight and I tried the flight."

No, Cpl., You did the prudent thing as a basicly unarmed citizen until you had no other choice. Attempting flight against 4 to 1 odds is not cowardice, and when you no longer had the option, you stepped up in the true tradition of the Corps and overcame the enemy.

The enemy isn't just on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, unfortunately, they also roam our own streets, and all too many citizens fear to make any effort at their own defense against these predatory animals, putting their trust in the fallacious belief that only the Police can protect them.

You stood up to the threat, and in my book, that makes you a hero.

One other point....I'm somewhat reluctant to bring up, but it's the truth as I feel it would have been.....

I'm glad that everyone involved was black, I am sure that had Cpl. Autry been white, he would have had a some press coverage painting him as an evil racist murdering a poor black girl, making what was undoubtedly a very traumatic incident for him even worse.

If that perception on my part makes me a racist, so be it. But all I can go by is past events, and it seems that every time it's a white/black situation, the white side of the equation seems to have to overcome at least a hint of presumption of guilt. I hate feeling that way, but the news as reported these days keeps reinforcing that ugly feeling.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 06:02 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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While reading the comments on Misha's Memorial Day post, I came across this poem posted by MrsM of the CIA blog. It embodies the soldiers creed of Duty, Honor, and Country.

A protest raged on a courthouse lawn,
Round a makeshift stage they charged on,
Fifteen hundred or more they say,
Had come to burn a Flag that day.
A boy held up the folded Flag,
Cursed it, and called it a dirty rag.
An OLD MAN pushed through the angry crowd,
With a rusty shotgun shouldered proud.

His uniform jacket was old and tight,
He had polished each button, shiny and bright.
He crossed that stage with a soldierÂ’s grace,
Until he and the boy stood face to face.

“FREEDOM OF SPEECH”, the OLD MAN said,
“Is worth dying for, good men are dead,
So you can stand on this courthouse lawn,
And talk us down from dusk to dawn,
But before any Flag gets burned today,
This OLD MAN IS GOING TO HAVE HIS SAY!!

My father died on a foreign shore,
In a war they said would end all war.
But Tommy and I wasnÂ’t even full grown,
Before we fought in a war of our own.
And Tommy died on Iwo JimaÂ’s beach,
In the shadow of a hill he couldnÂ’t quite reach
Where five good men raised this Flag so high,
That the WHOLE WORLD COULD SEE IT FLY.

I got this bum leg that I still drag,
Fighting for this same old Flag.
Now thereÂ’s but one shot in this old gun,
So now itÂ’s time to decide which one,
Which one of you will follow our lead,
To stand and die for what you believe?
For as sure as there is a rising sun,
YouÂ’ll burn before this Flag burns, son.

Now this riot never came to pass.
The crowd got quiet and that can of gas,
Got set aside as they walked away
To talk about what they had heard this day.
And the boy who had called it a “dirty rag”,
Handed the OLD SOLDIER the folded Flag.

So the battle of the Flag this day was won
By a tired OLD SOLDIER with a rusty gun,
Who for one last time, had to show to some,
THIS FLAG MAY FADE, YET THESE COLORS DONÂ’T RUN

“It’s the Soldier”
By: Charles M. Province

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Memorial Day....one of the "overlooked" holidays. It seems these days that only those that have tasted the fire and steel of war really KNOW what this day truly means. For many these days, it seems to be just a day off; the kick-off of the Summer season, when the first picnic BBQ is fired up in the backyard with the radio blaring out the Indianapolis 500 in the background.

I regret that loss of meaning. This is supposed to be a day of reflection, a day of honoring those that died in the defense of everything we hold dear; a day to realize that freedom isn't free and that we are blessed that so many brave patriots in the past were willing to pay that ultimate price so that we may feel secure in our land.

Never forget that it was not only those men, but their families that share in that sacrifice.

Never forget that it is not only the soldier, but the Police Officer that stands between us and those that would do us harm.

Those men didn't want to pay that price, but they were willing to risk having to do so for their families, their comrads in arms, and their nation.

Marine CPL. Joshua Miles says if better than I ever could:

To all those that served, Past, Present, and Future, and pay that price with their Blood, Sweat, and Tears, I humbly thank you. May your sacrifices never be forgotten.

To those that sit here safe at home and decry that "war is never the answer"
and/or claim to "support the troops, but not the war"....may your chains lay lightly upon you, but do not claim that you are my brother; seek not to lay those chains on me.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 07:17 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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Dennis Prager has a well written argument that Liberalism is killing itself intellectually by replacing thought with feelings. Definitely a must read.

Next time you read an op-ed piece from the Liberal side, look for the list of buzz words that Mr. Prager postulates and see if he isn't correct in his premise.

Here are the lists:

Applied to anything Liberals are against:

Racist
Sexist
Homophobic
Islamophobic
Imperialist
Bigoted
Intolerant

Applied to anything they are for:

Peace
Fairness
Tolerance
The poor
The disenfranchised
The environment

Break down the arguments in any op-ed piece and you will come to find that thought has been replaced with these buzz words; the first list being used to dismiss the others sides argument with no furthur need of rebuttal with reasoned argument, and the second list being used to buttress their contentions as being "good for:_______" without taking account of any possible negative consequences stemming from the proposed action.

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Thomas Sowell weighs in on the Illegal immigration Mexican Invader issue with his always eridite comments.

One comment that I found most interesting was:

"The real question is what we do with whatever illegal aliens we do find. Right now, there are various communities around the country where local officials have a policy of forbidding the police from reporting illegal immigrants to federal authorities."

"Why are people who are so gung ho for punishing employers so utterly silent about needing to punish government officials who openly and deliberately violate federal laws?"

Mr. Sowell is correct when he asserts that businesses can not be expected to determine whether or not employment eligibility documents are forged or not; and when the local government officials,in effect, ignore the law when they DO find such illegalities, just how much approbation can we direct towards the businesses?

EVERY elected official makes a solemn oath to uphold the laws of their jurisdiction and of the nation, when they blatently ignore this responsibility, they have become criminals themselves.

This issue is one of the greatest tests our nation has ever faced; and in my (never humble) opinion, at present we are failing miserably. The blame falls in the end on US; this is supposed to be a government OF and BY the people, we get the government WE allow, and WE have allowed this issue to progress to the point where it almost seems insurmountable. We'd better wake up and take action soon, or we will find ourselves lost in a morass that we may never emerge from.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:14 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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How far we have fallen in the quality of our leaders.

All this debate over how to treat those that have broken our laws and set themselves up in our country...all we need to do is heed these wise words from one of our greatest statemen:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American ... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag ... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:18 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Kim explains his simple philosophy of life in this post, and I find, yet again, another thing that makes us brothers-in-kind.

Never forget a kindness; never forgive an insult.
Kim du Toit

It's the same philosophy GuyK espouses: "Don't start no shit and there want be no shit but don't run from no shit either".

For that matter, it's the unofficial Marine Corps motto; "No better friend; NO worse enemy".

I like to think that I live by a combination of those three maxims. I may not always be as true to them as I would hope, but that is my ideal goal.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 01:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I found these questions on GuyK's site, and since I'm still having trouble in the creative writing department, I thought, what the heck; it's SOMETHING postable.

###################################################

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?

Only while I was in training at the Police Academy

2. Do you close your eyes on a roller coaster?

No way!, half the fun is thrill of fear of seeing whats coming

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?

1979

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?

Depends on how I feel at the moment...I've been sleeping alone for some months now, and I have to admit that having the room in the bed is nice....but having a warm body next to you can be great too....

5. Do you believe in ghosts?

I've never seen a ghost, but I'm willing to admit the possibility of their existance

6. Do you consider yourself creative?

Yes, although not in ways that are generally acceptable in polite company.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?

WITHOUT RESERVATION

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?

Angie, but I wouldn't kick either of them out of bed.

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics?

I think I know more about the mechanics of how it's SUPPOSED to be done than the average American, but then again, I've never been privy to the back rooms of the political class. I think most of us would be pretty disillusioned if we ever got that opportunity.

10. Do you know how to play poker?

Kind of. I've never been much of a card player. I know the rules, but I'm not proficient at the game.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?

MANY times. my personal record is 84 hrs straight. I really have trouble sleeping sometimes.

12. What's your favorite commercial?

The Toyota? commercial where every vehicle that a car transport passes just rusts away. I HATE commercials, but at least that one appeals to me on some level. Not that effective a commercial when I can't really be sure which company it's advertising though.

13. Who was your first love?

Lori Ellen Stanley was my first true love. She broke my heart.

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light?

Not usually, but there have been exceptions.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?

Doesn't everyone?

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?

I don't give a rats ass about baseball.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?

Yes but I did it badly and am not all that motivated to do it again. I like to stay OUT of the ER.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?

Almost never. I do remember if they were good or bad though.

19. What's the one thing on your mind?

Making it just one more day, preferrably without causing anyone else pain.

20. Do you always wear your seat belt?

Yes, it's ingrained in me to put it on. I've worked too many accident scenes NOT to. And the way I drive, it's a comfort to be held in firmly, or so I've been told by my passengers. I am a professional driver, I know my limits, and usually drive close to them.

21. What talent do you wish you had?

I wish I could play an instrument and sing.

22. Do you like Sushi?

It's one of my favorite foods, especially Octopus.

23. What do you wear to bed?

Usually just my skivvies.

24. Do you truly hate anyone?

On a personal level, only one person, it was an instant feeling the moment we met, and I believe the feeling is mutual. On the macro level, I despise the Socialist Nanny-State Moonbats that are destroying our country.

25. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?

Sophia Loren in her heyday.

26. Do you know anyone in jail?

Yes; and some of people I put there too.

27. What food do you find disgusting?

Yogurt

28. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?

Yeah, but I make fun of them to their faces too!

29. Have you ever been punched in the face?

Yes and it makes me see red instantly. You would not like me when I'm that angry!

30. Do you believe in angels and demons?

I believe in the possibility of their existance.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 12:48 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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With all the garbage floating around about the NSA data mining program in the MSM, I thought you might be interested in the opinion of someone truly knowledgable in this type of activity.

As Kim noted, this is just a method to gather raw data for refining down to usefull intel, and no one's privacy was invaded. As usual, the MSM is using the lack of knowledge on the part of the general public to try to start a panic to further their own agenda...which for the last six years seems to consist of trying to embarrass the Bush administration on it's every move.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:03 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Don't really have anything to say that hasn't already been said more effectively by others already.

"Patches" Kennedy proves yet again that, sometimes, WHO you are can excuse you from consequences.

Jimmuh Carter needs to STFU. Seems there isn't a terrorist or dictator he doesn't like. That we keep letting him embarrass our nation on the international scene time and again points to just how far we have lost our national pride.

Earl Woods died the other day. He was an American hero; serving in our armed services for the greatest part of his life. My sypathies to his family.

Does anyone have a road cruiser motorcycle they just want to get rid of? I just feel the need to get some wind in my hair. Too bad, so sad when our desires far overreach our budget!

Dismantle the NEA and the Dept. of Education, and get our educational system back to educating.

Illegal emigres constitute an invasion force. We ignore the problem at our peril.
Sheriff Arpeio has the right idea, now if we can just get the Congress to follow his lead!

Belated Happy Birthday wishes to GuyK.

see ya'll tomorrow, maybe I'll have something better by then....any suggestions on how to cope with writers block?

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 10:02 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I thought a lot of us denizons of the the Empire got pickled at the Blog Fest, but THIS GUY truly was!

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 04:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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FINALLY! Two elected officials are actually applying the law to invaders.

I admired Sheriff Arpaio before, but this most recent development serves to heighten that admiration. He saw a problem, devised a solution, and was willing to make use of the citizenry when it was obvious that his enforcement resources were too limited to accomplish the goal without them.

This is a true demonstration of the right of every American of self/community protection in action.

As Neal Boortz said: "Nothing like a good old fashioned posse. Government of the people, by the people, for the people."

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 03:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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"It takes four aspects for a free and democratic society to maintain itself."

"It requires a highly educated population that can write, read, think and vote intelligently."

"It takes a similar moral code whereby everyone adheres to the common good."

"It requires a similar code of ethics whereby citizens adhere to honesty, doing what is right and maintaining those ethics throughout the social fabric."

"Finally, it takes a similar language that allows citizens to discuss, debate and resolve problems."

"We compromise all four with an invasion exceeding four million new people into the USA annually. 20 million illegals to date and climbing. We allow the disintegration of our nation without a whimper."

Go read the entire letter at GuyK's.

One problem, the NEA has promulgated and accelerated the erosion of the "four aspects" for longer than the problem of the ILLEGAL immagrants exacerbated it. We need to revamp the entire educational structure, regardless of what we do about the invasion by illegals.
And we need to do it soon, or this nation will not last another generation.

I would contend that the poor educational system is one factor in why we are even arguing over what to do about the Invaders; had there been an effective education of this last generation, there wouldn't be any question about our course of action.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 11:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Here are some random thoughts from Thomas Sowell. He's always worth the read, no matter what topic he is expounding upon.

I honestly believe that Thomas Sowell, William Buckley Jr., John Gailbraith, and Ayn Rand should be required reading before anyone even attempts to consider themselves as starting to be educated.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 09:39 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, I just got back in the door after a 2125 mile round trip to the Austin Blog Meet. Erin and I both had a GREAT time (even though I still couldn't talk Erin into doing a little range time, she opted to check out some of the retail facilities).

Special thanks to Beth for bringing the wheell chair; it sure came in handy! And extra special thanks to Lord Spatula for increasing my armory by a much needed easy carry piece.

Erin and I had a special adventure on the way home...we drove all those miles, and had an accident only 44 miles from home.

We had just crossed the Indiana state line and were doing splendidly, when for an undetermined reason,(NO I did NOT fall asleep at the wheel, and I have a witness to that!) the car decided it wanted to violate the rules of highway travel and attempted to move laterally instead of a forward motion, taking us over a 15 foot embankment....it then decided that lateral WASN'T a smart move and attempted to move foward over the head sized chunks of limestone in the drainage culvert at the bottom of the embankment. I did manage to keep enough control to keep it from flipping, and neither of us was hurt, except for some hard bumps and bruises. I managed to drive the car out of the culver and up the embankment back onto the highway, but the right front wheel was cracked and the tire was losing air. no way of telling what damage may be hiding on the undercarriage. Erin is covered by AAA, so we just had ourselves towed to the dealership; we should find out the total extant of damage sometime this evening or tomorrow. I really dreaded that call to my Ex to tell her that her car almost got totaled, but wasn't that bad, really....She took it all in stride; her only concern was that neither of us was hurt. I stood there and cried in the dealers lot...I had expected to have to try to run as she atttempted total evisceration on me for damaging her beauty, but instead, I got a hug and a "don't worry about it; thats what insurance is for".

I'm going to take a hot shower and then sleep for about 20 hrs or so, talk to ya'll when I return to the land of the concious.

Posted by: Delftsman3 at 08:05 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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