Larger Trucks On Our Highways

This picture is what Australians call a "Road Train." This is a small one.

Tonight I sent the following e-mail to Senator Bill Nelson, Senator Mel Martinez, and Representative Corrine Brown. This time, I used http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
to formulate and send my beliefs to my various representatives in Congress.

Here is what I sent:

Thank you for using Gun Owners of America Mail System

Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Nelson
Senator Martinez
Representative Brown

Message text follows:

My Name
My Address
My State and Zip Code

May 14, 2008

[recipient address was inserted here]


[recipient name was inserted here],

Dear Senator or Representative as addressed

In my car tonight I was listening to a proposal for larger trucks to move on our highways.

I do not think this is either energy conscious or safe.

I believe the most economical way to move large shipments across this nation is by railroad. The railroads should move the freight from one distribution point to another where the freight is then placed on a truck for local delivery or a ship for overseas delivery.

Other nations run rail systems with efficiency and effectiveness and we can also.

Railroads do not damage the interstate highway systems like large trucks do. Once the road is damaged, Congress fails to provide the increased maintenance costs caused by large trucks.

I believe that Congress, shippers, unions, railroads, airlines and truckers should work together to coordinate a useful system to move goods around this country.

Sincerely,

Signed
Home Phone Number

Soap Box Ravings feels sending these e-mails to the folks who could do something, if they were not so busy pandering to voters, is a lot more effective than putting your name on a e-mail and hoping whoever is the number 1000 person on the list will then forward the petition to some congressman or woman somewhere. The secret here is the pandering politician really is not concerned unless you donate money or secondarily can vote them out.

Scary Chinese Naval Advances

From The Patriots Post, May 9, 2008

At a time when the United States Navy is de-emphasizing large-scale, open-sea “blue water” operations in favor of littoral “brown water” operations, the Chinese Navy seems to be doing exactly the opposite. Satellite photographs obtained by the respected defense periodical Jane’s Defense Weekly depict the construction of a massive nuclear submarine base on Hainan, the island that became a household name when an American EP-3 spy plane was forced to land there in April 2001. The photographs show enormous tunnels leading into the underground submarine base, which analysts believe can shield as many as 20 submarines from prying reconnaissance satellites. Because Hainan is situated near deep water, the new base will make it easier for Chinese submarines to “break out” into Pacific shipping lanes without detection. China will also be able to oppose U.S. Naval operations more forcefully in the Taiwan straight.

In addition to attack submarines that can disrupt the sea lines of communication, Hainan’s caverns will likely house the new Type 094 ballistic missile submarine, each of which carries a dozen 5,000-mile-range JL-2 nuclear missiles. Each missile is believed to hold three or four independently targetable warheads. The piers at Hainan are capable of servicing at least two carrier battle groups, and China is expected to build at least six aircraft carriers within the next decade. Lyle Goldstein, the director of China Maritime Studies at the U.S. Naval War College, summed it up best: “What was gray before is now becoming clear. China can now effectively fight a nuclear war.”

Soap Box Ravings says China is finding interesting ways of spending all the money we send them to say nothing of the technology that have got from us. Hainen is not the only problem, look at all the things China owns, operates or is trying to purchase around the world.

China is trying to work her long term petroleum supplies with Iran as well as other countries. China is known to provide money to Democrat politicians running for office in this country. China is known to maintain sources of information in this country.

Soap Box Ravings believes China, well not our enemy at this time, is NOT our friend.

Another Thought To Ponder

When a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn’t believe in nothing. He believes in anything.

Soap Box Ravings thinks this is a fantastic thought which is often credited to G. K. Chesterton.

From The Mouth Of A Messiah

“We don’t deal with the serious issues that are in front of us, we try to figure out what’s going to poll well and what can we do to get through the next election.” —Barack Obama on "Meet The Press" May 04, 2008.

I Keep Trying To Tell You

Shooting Back Works
By Jeff Knox, From The Firearms Coalition

(March 11, 2008) The media and gun control advocates insist that the easy availability of firearms is a problem; that increased firepower equals increased death toll; that the key to stopping armed violence is restricting gun sales and prohibiting lawful firearm possession in certain public places. They’re wrong. They have always been wrong and their misguided tampering comes with a very high price – people’s lives.

In the past year there have been a number of very high profile cases of a lone lunatic walking into a public place and indiscriminately shooting people. Such incidents are aberrations, unpredictable, unstoppable, and relatively unusual. The best indicator that someone might attempt such an atrocity is not how available guns are or how efficiently background checks are conducted, but the level of news coverage generated by the last such tragedy because so many of these cowards are motivated by a desire for their own 15 minutes of fame. Since the media refuses to stop rewarding these murderers, the best that can be hoped for is to mitigate the damage when they strike. In the final analysis, the difference between a crazed bad guy killing several people and a crazed bad guy killing dozens of people is almost always the length of time it takes for good guys with guns to arrive on the scene. Three attacks in the past year offer graphic proof of this fact.

A lunatic armed with two pistols, a .22 and a 9mm, walks into a college class building and begins randomly shooting people as he goes from classroom to classroom. Months later and thousands of miles away, a lunatic armed with a semi-auto AK and a 9mm pistol begins randomly shooting people as he walks into a crowded church building. A few months later and halfway around the world, a lunatic armed with a full-auto AK-47 machine gun and plenty of extra ammunition walks into a college library and begins randomly shooting people.

Three similar scenarios with three strikingly, and unexpectedly different outcomes. None of the attacks could have been reasonably predicted or prevented. All three attacks were planned out well in advance. All three attackers were on suicide missions with the objective of killing as many people as possible before being killed themselves. All three murderers sought a twisted form of fame and glory and were willing to die to achieve it. All three also knew that the more people they killed, the more famous they would be. All three demonstrated basic proficiency with their weapons, but none of the three was known to have had any formal firearms training.

Most would expect that the biggest differences in the shootings would be related to the weapons used and the time it took for police to respond. In fact, police response in all of the attacks was relatively quick, but when the difference between life and death is mere seconds, even just one minute for police to arrive is too long to be of use. Weapon choice also appears to have made little difference since the attacker with the most firepower did not kill the most people. The murderer carrying the full-auto AK killed 8 and wounded another 10 or 11, while the attacker using the semi-auto AK and 9mm pistol managed to kill two and wound several more. The murderer using the 9mm and .22 pistols however killed 30 and wounded 29. (Both of the last two attackers killed two people at other locations prior to the major assaults being discussed here.)

In the most recent incident, a man armed with a full-auto AK attacked students in the crowded library of a religious school in Jerusalem. An adult student at the school, Yitzhak Dadon, who was carrying a pistol, returned fire, striking the attacker, stopping the attack, and ultimately killing the murderer with the assistance of an off-duty military officer who lived nearby.

Late last year, when a disturbed young man launched an assault on a Colorado church, he began shooting people in the parking lot as he approached the main entrance. A member of the church’s security committee, Jeanne Assam, heard the shooting and rushed toward the sound, drawing her own concealed handgun. Upon encountering the murderer, Ms. Assam ordered him to stop then shot him several times, ending the attack.

Unfortunately, at Virginia Tech last April, there was no Jeanne Assam or Yitzhak Dadon – Virginia Tech forbids students and faculty from possessing firearms on campus – leaving the murderer to casually wander from room to room executing people at will until he got tired of it and took his own life.

The weapon chosen can have a major impact on how many people a mass murderer is likely to kill; as proven by the fact that the worst mass murderers in U.S. history chose jet airplanes, fertilizer, gasoline, and dynamite, in that order. Against such attacks a personal firearm is probably not much help, but if the murderer’s weapon of choice is a firearm, one capable person with a gun can make a substantial difference in the final outcome.

Boldness and Italics were added to this article by Soap Box Ravings.

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalition’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108.

©Copyright 2008 Neal Knox Associates

Still Good Words From Ronald Reagan

“Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor’s fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can’t socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.” —Ronald Reagan

Another Retiree Heads Into The Sunset

MH-53 Pave Low helicopter tail number 68-10357 flew its final mission and last flight supporting special operations forces March 28 in Iraq after 38 years of service.

The helicopter was the lead command and control helicopter for a mission to rescue approximately 50 American prisoners of war from the Son Tay prison camp in North Vietnam in 1970, which became a significant event for Air Force special operations.

From Iraq, the MH-53 known as 357 will be transported to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, where it will sit on display in the Cold War Gallery.

Soap Box Ravings finds it very interesting that this aircraft was in service for such a length of time. Now, hundreds of people can look at it and enjoy it at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

I Love This Quote

"There is nothing in life so pathetic as a former president." —John Quincy Adams


Soap Box Ravings is constantly reminded of this by Presidents James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. and William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton as they orbit the world disgracing both themselves and their country as they each continue in their efforts to build their legacy.

Suddenly, Now Senator Obama Gets It

On Tuesday, Senator Barack Obama said he is saddened, angered and even outraged by the antics of his former pastor at the National Press Club yesterday. "I find these comments appalling," he said. "It contradicts everything that I'm about and who I am."

It was a far different tone from the finely tuned speech on race that he had given in Philadelphia in March, shortly after some of Jeremiah Wright's most inflammatory comments had first come to light.

Obama's speech reflects the new political reality that he has confronted in what have been the rockiest weeks yet for his presidential campaign.

Soap Box Ravings says that by his own admission, Obama joined Pastor Wright's church to get an "in" to the community. And during this time, he never heard any of the inflammatory language used by Pastor Wright. While at the same time Obama had Pastor Wright uninvited from his candidacy announcement last year.

Soap Box Ravings believes that Senator Obama is a political chameleon who is like many politicians trying to make himself into something he is not. We do not need any more politicians like that. We need politicians with character enough to say what they mean and mean what they say. The world does not run on a survey.

Washington, DC Shootings

In Washington, DC moments after city leaders addressed a violent city crime spike a 16 year old male was shot in the stomach at the Fort Chaplin Park apartments in Northeast Washington, DC. That was the ninth shooting in D.C. since late Friday in a wave of crime that has left four people dead and seven injured.

Mayor Adrian Fenty called the crime spree "beyond intolerable" and he said, "We are frustrated, but we're redoubling our efforts to make sure we not only catch people who do this, and prevent further shootings, but bring tranquility to these neighborhoods.

The mayor said the police strategy is to flood the affected neighborhoods, particularly in the 5th District with 1,200 police officers, three times the normal number of officers on patrol in the city.

The rash of shootings has police struggling to keep up. A task force of community leaders has met to discuss ways to curb the violence. David Bowers founder of a group called No More Murders D.C., said "It's going to take more than hard working police and social service, it will take all facets of our community."

Police Lt. Judith Anderson said the police are doing the best they can, but they need the public's help, they need information from partners in the community to help solve these shootings.

Washington, D.C. police have offered rewards up to $25,000 for information that leads to arrest and conviction in any homicide case.


Soap Box Ravings points out that Mayor Fenty, when a federal appeals court ruled the District's longtime ban on keeping handguns in homes is unconstitutional, said city officials will "do everything in our power to work to get the decision overturned, and we will vigorously enforce our handgun laws during that time." Mayor Fenty believes that if law abiding citizens are allowed firearms in their homes that shootings in the District will increase.

Soap Box Ravings also points out that when 1,200 police out of a 3800 sworn officer force are used to flood affected neighborhoods service somewhere must fall off. If these officers are in the neighborhood on 8 hour shifts that will use 3600 officers in a 40 hour, 3 shift work week and that does not include weekends. This plan leaves no one doing any other Department tasks.

If officers are on duty for 12 hour shifts for five days (60 hour week) it still doesn't include weekends, and there is only 1400 officers left to handle all other department tasks and cover weekends. Who pays the overtime?

The liberal line that the masses are to illiterate or stupid to live without the government taking care of them from cradle to grave is taking a lot of strain here.

Then we get to the part where the police need people to help them. Someone must report nefarious activities to the police before they can react,

Soap Box ravings can't help but think this sounds like we could be talking about Baghdad, Iraq. They have imported and local trouble makers setting ambushes and IEDs all over the city. They have also offered large rewards for the "Bad Guys" just like the District.

Politicians need to educate themselves on the purpose of the Second Amendment. It is NOT for deer hunting.

Although it may be some of those anti-gun politicians DO actually understand the purpose of the Second Amendment and that is really scary.

Will We Ever Learn

"We trained very hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation."

Caius Petronius (AD 66)

Quote

The world is a dangerous place to live in not because of the people who do evil, but because of the people who sit by and let it happen.

Albert Einstein

Thought To Ponder, C'mon Say It Ain't So

"There is [a] class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs -- partly because they want sympathy, and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs. ... There is a certain class of race-problem solvers who don't want the patient to get well, because as long as the disease holds out they have not only an easy means of making a living, but also an easy medium through which to make themselves prominent before the public." -- Booker T. Washington in his 1911 book, My Larger Education
Found on PatriotPost.com

Soap Box Ravings can only imagine the size of the group who makes a business of keeping the troubles, wrongs and hardships of the Negro race (Colored, Black, and/or Minority) before the public today. While it still includes many folks of color, it also now includes many who do not qualify by virtue of race or color and/or minority status but who have found a lucrative way to manipulate situations for their benefit.

Wow, It Looks Like The Anti-War Liberals Have A Point, According To Al-Zawahari

From Al-Zawahri, the chief deputy to Osama bin Laden: "No Innocents Have Died."

Ayman al-Zawahri, rejecting criticism of attacks by the terror network's followers that have killed thousands, maintains Al-Qaida does not kill innocent people. "We haven't killed the innocents, not in Baghdad, nor in Morocco, nor in Algeria, nor anywhere else," al-Zawahri said.

His answer was in response to the question: "Excuse me, Mr. Zawahri, but who is it who is killing with Your Excellency's blessing the innocents in Baghdad, Morocco and Algeria?"

Al-Qaida has also claimed responsibility for the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York and Washington in 2001, while its affiliates in Iraq, Afghanistan and Algeria regularly set off bombs in crowded urban areas that have taken thousands of lives.

Al-Zawahari accused al-Qaida's opponents of being the ones who kill innocent people. He said "the enemy intentionally takes up positions in the midst of the Muslims for them to be human shields for him."

Soap Box Ravings says this must be true since this information is on the Internet at: http://www.military.com/news/article/zawahri-no-innocents-have-died.html?wh=news.

Basically Al-Zawahari says Al-Qaida is the victim and whomever they kill it either was "an unintentional error or out of necessity." Soap Box Ravings says "Whatever Al-Qaida does someone else is responsible, it is everyone else's fault, not theirs. A typically liberal feeling."

Here, Here, Lets Follow Traditions

As Soap Box Ravings recalls, the political process for selecting a presidential candidate consists of folks campaigning, citizens voting on who they like and then there traditionally was a national convention in which the state delegates determined who would represent their political party.

Now I hear calls for Hillary to give up her fight and let Obama win.

I totally disagree and I hope Hillary Clinton continues to hang in there until the Democrat National Convention delegates determine who shall represent the Democrat Party. It may well be Obama, but at least it follows tradition.

The Democratic Party has brought this situation on themselves when Hillary was essentially initially preordained. First they allowed the states they wanted to change the time they voted for candidates earlier in the year. These changes were to set up to ensure Hillary would be their candidate. At the same time, the Democrat Party tried to control the States of Florida and Michigan by refusing to accept the voting results from these states because the states changed their voting dates without the permission of the Democrat National Party. I do not believe any state should be told what to do by a national political party.

Now they want the Convention delegates to vote by 1 July to declare Obama the winner, months before the Democrat National Convention.

Hang in there Hillary!

Senator Obama Says Today, IF His Pastor Had Not Retired, He Would Have Left His Church

In an interview scheduled to air on TV today (03/29/08) Senator Obama said," Had the reverend not retired and had he not acknowledged that what he had said had deeply offended people and were inappropriate and mischaracterized what I believe is the greatness of this country, for all its flaws, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying there at the church."


Soap Box Ravings believes that Senator Obama's ability to instantly realize his error and modify his behavior makes him the perfect Presidential candidate to answer the phone at 0300.

On 03/25/08 Senator Obama made his famous race speak and now only three days later (not then but three days later) he says had his Pastor NOT retired and had his Pastor NOT acknowledged he offended people, than he, Senator Obama WOULD have left his church. I think this country really deserves Senator Obama.

Talk about double speak and hind sight. At least Senator Clinton (yuk) has the guts to admit she did and still would vote to enter Iraq knowing the information she had at the time.

100 To 1, The Freakin Gun Did Not Discharge In The Holster

Soap Box Ravings understands that a US Airways pilot who "accidentally" discharged his handgun in the cockpit at 8,000 feet as the flight approached Charlotte, NC has been suspended from flight duty.

As an retired military firearms instructor and retired police firearms instructor my first thought is the pistol in question was not stored in the holster at the time of firing. I think the pilot in question, since no emergency was declared prior to the discharge, was playing with the weapon.

I can see it now: Yo pretty flight attendant, does my large pistola impress you?

KAPOW, now everybody is impressed.

And this from the #1 or #2 man flying the plane. If the suspended pilot is in fact the #2 pilot, then the #1 pilot should also be suspended for allowing a member of his/her crew to unholster a weapon in the cockpit.

If these folks are playing in the cockpit, who is actually in charge of the aluminum missile hurtling through the air at 8,000 feet. As I recall, more than one incident has happened during the time the flight crew was not paying attention.

Lest ye think I am to hard on the crew, I learned my attention skills in the US Navy Submarine Force. Submarines also require constant and immediate attention, otherwise they have been known to turn into mud seeking missiles; from which there are no survivors.

Also, most modern weapons, such as the H&K pistol in question only fire when the trigger is pulled. By definition, if you pull the trigger, it is not an accidental discharge. It would either be stupidity or lack of knowledge related to the pistol in question.

I keep reading there was no danger to the passengers, speaking of the weapon only that is probably true. However when the flight crew is distracted at 8000 feet and approaching a landing there is a problem which may eventually be hazardous to passengers.

The bullet hole in the top picture appears to be about in the middle of the picture. The bullet hole in the bottom picture is the white mark in the middle where the red and blue colors come together.

Soap Box Ravings does understand, he worked as an officer and firearms instructor for a Chief of Police who was always drawing his pistol to show somebody his firearm. By the Grace of God, he luckily never fired it but he sure set a very poor example to the rest of the Department.

Pilot Suspended After Gun Fires on Flight: Soap Box Ravings loves this CNN headline, it makes it sound like the gun fired itself. I would have wrote "Pilot Fires Gun On Plane, Suspended" but CNN is normally way more liberal than I am.

My Kind Of Daughter

Little Melissa comes home from first grade and tells her father that they learned about the history of Valentine's Day.

"Since Valentine's Day is for a Christian saint and we're Jewish," she asks, "Will God get mad at me for giving someone a valentine?"

Her father thinks a bit, and says, "No, I don't think God would get mad. Who do you want to give a Valentine to?"

"Osama Bin Laden," Melissa says.

"Why Osama Bin Laden," her father asks in shock.

"Well," she says, "I thought that if a little American Jewish girl could have enough love to give Osama a Valentine, he might start to think that maybe we're not all bad, and maybe start loving people a little bit. And if other kids saw what I did and sent Valentines to Osama, he'd love everyone a lot. And then he'd start going all over the place to tell everyone how much he loved them and how he didn't
hate any one anymore.

"Her father's heart swells and he looks at his daughter with new found pride and he says "Melissa, that's the most wonderful thing I've ever heard."

"I know," Melissa says, "and once he is out in the open, the Marines could blow the son-of-a-bitch away."

Admiral Fired For Lying About An 18 Year Old Affair

A photo of Vice Admiral Stufflebeem.

The Navy fired a Vice Admiral John Stufflebeem after a Pentagon investigation concluded he'd lied during questioning about whether he had an inappropriate relationship while working at the White House in 1990.

The Pentagon Inspector General's investigation was based on an anonymous letter accusing Vice Admiral Stufflebeem of an inappropriate relationship while serving as a military aide to President George H.W. Bush in 1990.

A Navy spokesman, stated that the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) has lost confidence in Admiral Stufflebeem’s judgment and his continuing ability to lead in the office of the CNO.

Besides his total amazement at an investigation over an 18 year old affair, Soap Box Ravings wonders if new standards are being set for those in Washington, D.C. or is it still only the United States military who are upholding standards.

A photo of Hillary Clinton under sniper fire.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during a speech last Monday on Iraq, said of her Bosnia trip: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

A photo of Senator Obama and Pastor Wright, the Senator's long term Pastor.

Presidential candidate Barack Obama claimed to have never heard any of his Pastor's rants in church, even though he has been a member of that church for over 20years. Senator Obama knew his Pastor and he knew his Pastor's teaching; which is why the night before he announced his candidacy he called his Pastor and uninvited the Pastor from giving an invocation. Senator Obama knew then of Pastor Wright’s teachings, which his own handlers, among others, believed were overly Afrocentric to the point of excluding whites.

According to the Pastor Wright, Mr. Obama told him, “You can get kind of rough in the sermons, so what we’ve decided is that it’s best for you not to be out there in public.”


Neither candidate was under oath but if you lie when you are selling yourself what does that mean. Once a person has lied to me, I know they are a liar. How about President Clinton and his statement about relations with that woman, Monica Lewinsky, another lie and another liar.

As a retired Master Chief Petty Officer, USN, Soap Box Ravings believes as does the CNO, if they lie, their judgment and continuing ability to lead are questionable and they need to be fired. Think about this for a moment, a candidate for President is basically doing a series of employment interviews. Employment interviews are normally terminated immediately if the future employee determines you are lying.

If that sounds harsh, in the military it is mandatory that you believe in and trust those you work with. Your life and many others are in their hands.

Oh golly, I guess you could say that about the President of the United States of America.

It's The Old Camels Nose Under The Tent, Again

IN December 2007, less than two (2) months after the California Legislature banned the use of center fire rifle and pistol ammunition containing lead when hunting big game or coyotes in the habitat of the California Condor, the California Fish and Game Commission expanded the ban by regulation.

Soap Box Ravings says "Once a legislative body passes any law, the controlling organization whether it be IRS, BATF or the California Fish and Game Commission then uses their authority to expand on the power legislators have granted them. Power granted to a government agency is power taken from the public."

Unlike the State law, the REGULATORY ban will now include 22 rim fire ammunition, muzzle loader projectiles, and shotgun shells that contain one (1) percent or more lead.

Additionally, the increased regulatory ban also prohibits the mere possession ammunition containing lead while not just hunting big game or coyotes but also ground squirrels and other non-game species as well; an addition added by the regulators not the legislators.

The Department of Fish and Game says enforcement is effective and could include seizure (by the government) of projectiles (private property) in the field for testing.

The complete article is available for reading, pg 72, American Rifleman magazine, April 2008 edition under the ILA report.