Thursday, July 27, 2006

I May Be a Retrosexual

...which, through the miracle of morning television, does not have anything to do with Mrs. Robinson. Suddenly, I've learned, both American women and Madison Avenue have tired of "metrosexual" wussy-men who pluck their eyebrows and fret about correct sock height.

Thankfully, it is still okay to moisturize and drink imported beer!

What can I say...I was planning to moisturize the Box Car, my nondescript 2004 Honda Element, this weekend, but imported beer with the exception of Guinness taste like piss, so I'll stick to local microbrews — I'm currently in a summer pilsner phase (and, yes, if I could get real Czech pilsner over here I would drink that).

Well, while I'm getting back in touch with my macho self, take a few minutes to read John Lott's piece at NRO Online:
According to Justice Department numbers, since Bill Clinton was elected president in 1992, the number of federally licensed firearms dealers in the United States has plummeted by 80 percent. Kmart no longer sells guns, Wal-Mart just recently stopped selling guns at a third of its stores, and tens of thousands of other gun shops have gone out of business. With all the talk of the recent legislative success by gun owners, they have been winning some battles but possibly losing the war. Gun-control advocates may be the ones winning where it really counts.
John puts his finger on what I think is a troubling point (and the reason I've hammered the importance of a national firearms agenda) — it is possible to win battle after battle and still lose the war.

If it becomes harder and harder to buy guns and ammunitions; if there are fewer and fewer places to shoot; if there are no positive media portrayals of guns, shooting and shooters, we will lose the war. Or our children will. I think our enemies totally understand this, which is why both Brady and nitwits like the VPC are pretty much silent these days. They know they can't win the battles, so they focus on the long-term war.

I have a meeting tonight on the on-going Forest Service initiative to close the national forests to recreational shooting. Essentially, the meeting is to map out our next political response. I'm hopeful, but not optimistic, if that makes sense. I'll let you know how it goes...

Alphecca's weekly check on media bias is up as well, and, sadly, it's his last regular "Check" posting...it seems his real life is impinging on his Internet life. It's easy to forget that all this blogging is, essentially, donated time. THANKS, JEFF, for a job well done!

And, of course, with the new Miami Vice movie opening this weekend, you might want to check out MSNBC's comparison of Crockett and Tubbs then and now. And speaking of retrosexuals, according to the print versionof Entertainment Weekly, when real bullet shooting erupted on the Miami Vice set in the Dominican Republic Jamie Foxx reportedly raced back to Los Angeles crying like a little baby girl that he was scared scared scared and wouldn't do any more filming in the DR or in the no-man's-land of Paraguay, where Mann was planning to do the shoot-out to end all shoot-outs. While Mann's gun guys were trying to get the military hardware into one of the most corrupt and dangerous places on the planet:
"Jamie Foxx was freaking out in Santa Domingo. According to multiple sources and published reports, the actor was so spooked that a guy with a real gun could get so close to the set that he immediately left the Dominican Republic and annoounced he wouldn't do any filming there or in Paraguay."
EW #888; July 28, 2006; Page 29
Sheeeeeeet! I'll bet my man Snoop Dogg wouldn't have puss'ed like that!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is Pilsner Urquell or Spatens Pilz too hard to find where you are? You need to come up to the great North West, where beer of all kinds is plentyful. Although not a micro brew anymore, I have to say that the Redhook Sunrye is my current new summer beer.

Michael Bane said...

My problem with Pilsner Urquel and Spatens Pitz is that I spent some time in the Czech Republic and had FRESH Pilsner Urquel and some of the local pils. Boy, that'll spoil you for pils!

I'll try the Redhook...I'm a fan of rye beers in general (one of the local micros does one). I HATE it that the new Redhook apparently changed the recipe on their IPA, "Ballard Bitter."

Taht used to be one fine sumer beer!!!

mb

Anonymous said...

From what I understand, when an FFL goes out of business, they surrender their gun sales paperwork to the feds. So, with so many FFLs gone, the feds have a default gun registry, correct?

Anonymous said...

Overload in Colorado said...
From what I understand, when an FFL goes out of business, they surrender their gun sales paperwork to the feds. So, with so many FFLs gone, the feds have a default gun registry, correct?


Ding ding ding ding ding!!!

Anonymous said...

Michael,

If you ever make it upto Seattle, I'll take you around to some of the local places to get great beer. I will agree with you about the Urquell, lots of times being skunked... stupid green glass.

Anonymous said...

Hmm Lott is a bit wrong. Kmart still sells guns, in fact a Kmart local to me in friking New Jersey sells guns, a state in which Walmart never even tried to sell them. Granted, they only sell a couple of rifles and shotguns, but it is still better then none.

Anonymous said...

"Forest Service initiative to close the national forests to recreational shooting"???

Any further info on it? I sure hope this is not going to happen.

Anonymous said...

overload asked "From what I understand, when an FFL goes out of business, they surrender their gun sales paperwork to the feds. So, with so many FFLs gone, the feds have a default gun registry, correct?"

Not quite, the law requires that the FFL holder keep his records for some number of years, 20 IIRC. The forms and log books are not "surrendered" but must be maintained by the former FFL holder.

Ease up on the tin foil hat building, metal prices are skyrocketing...

Anonymous said...

Correction:
Well Mr. Middle Man, looks like your tinfoil had needs a couple more layers.

According to BATFU 's own FAQ overload is spot on. Part C6 says that if the business is being discontinued, the "business records" (that's 4473's and bound books) must be sent to BATFU within 30 days, and "Failure to surrender required records is a felony and could result in the licensee being fined up to $250,000"

Beer:
I'm fond of Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, it tastes a lot like some European pilsners I've had, with a mild wheat beer flavor. I suggest you try it draft from a recently opened keg, as their bottled version is nowhere near as good.

Anonymous said...

We "lost" the culture war about ten years ago. As current shooters reach advanced geezerhood and die off guns will be severely restricted or banned.

Of course, from where I sit today, it looks like the next Speaker of the House will be Nancy Pelosi. And I am beginning to think that my home state senator Mitch McConnel will be Minority Leader instead of Majority Leader. And when a Michael Moore, Greenpeace, socialist (AKA Democrat) get's the top job in 2008 things will really go downhill. And demograhics being what they are the Republican Party is well on its way to a minority status. Our guns are doomed.