April 25, 2007
Kilo-Echo-5-November-Xray-Papa
That's right, my wee kiddiewinkies. According to the FCC, I am now an officially licensed amateur radio operator! And it only took 13 days to become "official". For those of you unfamiliar with the international phoenitic alphabet, that call sign is KE5NXP. For the purposes of radio communications, that's how I'll have to indentify myself. For now, I'm limited to about half of the ameteur spectrum, but that will all change in about 2 weeks or so when I take, and pass, my General class exam. Then, the world is my oyster!
// posted by wayne @ 4/25/2007 06:20:00 PM 
April 19, 2007
A picture emerges.
Now that we've all seen the killer's face, watched his videos and have a hint of insight into this guy's demented world, I can honestly say there is one thing I find a genuinely perplexing about the brady paperwork. (In reality, the entire form is an exercise in futility, but hear me out).
Most of you have probably filled out at least one brady form so you know there are about a dozen questions you must answer before the dealer can call it in and get a "proceed, delayed or denied" response from the NICS folks. One of them goes something like this: Are you now, or have you ever been adjudicated mentally unstable? Obviously, this murderer lied. The thing is, we're seeing, that there was indeed a paper trail indicating that he was mentally unstable. There's another question on the form which asks if you've ever been involuntarily committed to a mental facility. Again, I think he lied. I haven't personally confirmed it, but I'm hearing reports that the university did something along these lines to him last year after accusations of stalking two women.
The crux of the matter is this: if you have a disqualifying felony on your sheet, they are GOING to find it 99.9998% of the time when they do the NICS check. Lie all you want, Big Brother will shut you down. Then arrest you for signing a fraudulent form. If you, like the killer, have a checkered mental history, who does the reporting on that? Last time I checked, medical records are absolutely 100% private. As in your spouse can't even get a peek without your permission. So if no one can access your medical records, or your college counselor's notes, how does the guy at the gun store know you're the guy who's getting ready for something like this? That's right--he has to take your word for it! And if the fed's are actually permitted to access those records, someone has some serious explaining to do.
"They" might take away my man card, my ccw and all my shootin' irons, but I'm actually going to put this in print: if these questions are going to be of any value at all, there needs to be someway to verify the answers. Either that or take them off the form. Without any method of verifying mental history with at least the same level of reliability and accuracy as a criminal record, those questions are absolutely useless because the genuinely crazy person never believes HE is the one with issues--it's always everyone else, isn't it?
Of course this is all purely academic. In this case the killer jumped through all the legal loop hoops required by his local, state and federal LE agencies but that is not usually the case. By and large, criminals buy guns from other criminals or steal them, circumventing the system in both cases. So at the end of the day, we're back at square one: laws don't stop crimes in and of themselves, they serve only to punish those who get caught. Sometimes. After seeing a little of the footage from this guy's media package received by NBC, I feel certain enough to say that if he had been denied the legal route for obtaining the murder weapons, he would've just picked up the paper or went to a gun show. This guy was going to do what he did no matter what. I think John Markell, the owner of Roanoke Firearms, said it best when he replied to Larry King by saying "If we've got twenty thousand gun laws, I don't think one more is going to make a difference. It wouldn't have stopped him. How many laws did he break when he killed all of those people?." (1)
Most of you have probably filled out at least one brady form so you know there are about a dozen questions you must answer before the dealer can call it in and get a "proceed, delayed or denied" response from the NICS folks. One of them goes something like this: Are you now, or have you ever been adjudicated mentally unstable? Obviously, this murderer lied. The thing is, we're seeing, that there was indeed a paper trail indicating that he was mentally unstable. There's another question on the form which asks if you've ever been involuntarily committed to a mental facility. Again, I think he lied. I haven't personally confirmed it, but I'm hearing reports that the university did something along these lines to him last year after accusations of stalking two women.
The crux of the matter is this: if you have a disqualifying felony on your sheet, they are GOING to find it 99.9998% of the time when they do the NICS check. Lie all you want, Big Brother will shut you down. Then arrest you for signing a fraudulent form. If you, like the killer, have a checkered mental history, who does the reporting on that? Last time I checked, medical records are absolutely 100% private. As in your spouse can't even get a peek without your permission. So if no one can access your medical records, or your college counselor's notes, how does the guy at the gun store know you're the guy who's getting ready for something like this? That's right--he has to take your word for it! And if the fed's are actually permitted to access those records, someone has some serious explaining to do.
"They" might take away my man card, my ccw and all my shootin' irons, but I'm actually going to put this in print: if these questions are going to be of any value at all, there needs to be someway to verify the answers. Either that or take them off the form. Without any method of verifying mental history with at least the same level of reliability and accuracy as a criminal record, those questions are absolutely useless because the genuinely crazy person never believes HE is the one with issues--it's always everyone else, isn't it?
Of course this is all purely academic. In this case the killer jumped through all the legal loop hoops required by his local, state and federal LE agencies but that is not usually the case. By and large, criminals buy guns from other criminals or steal them, circumventing the system in both cases. So at the end of the day, we're back at square one: laws don't stop crimes in and of themselves, they serve only to punish those who get caught. Sometimes. After seeing a little of the footage from this guy's media package received by NBC, I feel certain enough to say that if he had been denied the legal route for obtaining the murder weapons, he would've just picked up the paper or went to a gun show. This guy was going to do what he did no matter what. I think John Markell, the owner of Roanoke Firearms, said it best when he replied to Larry King by saying "If we've got twenty thousand gun laws, I don't think one more is going to make a difference. It wouldn't have stopped him. How many laws did he break when he killed all of those people?." (1)
// posted by wayne @ 4/19/2007 03:11:00 AM
April 17, 2007
I don't even know where to start. Well, actually, I do. If you're a prayerful person, pray for the victims' families. If you're not, how about a moment of silence or meditation?
Now that's done, I still don't know what to say about the terrible and tragic events of yesterday. It is beyond my comprehension that someone could think that taking 32 lives is the answer. But if yesterday's atrocities were the answer, what could possibly be the question? I'm not 100% sure I really want to know.
Generally, people surprise me very little. When reading the headlines, I seldom see a story that makes me think "wow, didn't see that one coming". What does surprise me, however, is our apparent capacity for dehumanizing one another. I don't think a lot of us really see people as people any longer. People are seen as the guy who cut us off in traffic, or the lady who took the last box of sugar-coated choco-bombs at the grocery. Eventually, other people become the things that keep us from what we believe to be rightfully ours--whether that's correct or not. Or, on the other hand, it's quite possible I'm trying to rationalize something that could never have a rational explanation. It is not the rational man who shoots and kills 32 others before killing himself.
Probably the most disappointing post-script to this story are those out there who are already trying to figure out ways to twist this to meet their political agenda. Out of curiosity today, I checked the brady campaign website. Here's a little quote for ya:
Now that's done, I still don't know what to say about the terrible and tragic events of yesterday. It is beyond my comprehension that someone could think that taking 32 lives is the answer. But if yesterday's atrocities were the answer, what could possibly be the question? I'm not 100% sure I really want to know.
Generally, people surprise me very little. When reading the headlines, I seldom see a story that makes me think "wow, didn't see that one coming". What does surprise me, however, is our apparent capacity for dehumanizing one another. I don't think a lot of us really see people as people any longer. People are seen as the guy who cut us off in traffic, or the lady who took the last box of sugar-coated choco-bombs at the grocery. Eventually, other people become the things that keep us from what we believe to be rightfully ours--whether that's correct or not. Or, on the other hand, it's quite possible I'm trying to rationalize something that could never have a rational explanation. It is not the rational man who shoots and kills 32 others before killing himself.
Probably the most disappointing post-script to this story are those out there who are already trying to figure out ways to twist this to meet their political agenda. Out of curiosity today, I checked the brady campaign website. Here's a little quote for ya:
"Details are still forthcoming about what motivated the shooter in this case to act, and how he was able to arm himself. It is well known, however, how easy it is for an individual to get powerful weapons in our country." (italics and emphasis are mine)I'm sure local LE has not even finished cataloging the crime scene yet and already they're at it. You can read the entire thing for yourself and make up your own mind here.
// posted by wayne @ 4/17/2007 04:22:00 AM
April 13, 2007
Wha?
Just so I'm perfectly clear on this: Don Imus uses a racial slur and he gets fired. ANY ONE of the 3.2 million rappers out there do the same and they get a recording contract? Why aren't Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton all up in Snoop's grill? Where's the outrage/boycott over the 245 billion times women have been called hos and bitches in song? Or would that be "beyotches"?
Maybe if Imus had rapped his comments he'd still have a job.
Maybe if Imus had rapped his comments he'd still have a job.
Labels: Dazed and Confused
// posted by wayne @ 4/13/2007 06:01:00 AM
April 12, 2007
Greedy Buggers
Generally, if I'm on the internet, I'm listening to internet radio through iTunes. Lately, I've been hearing a lot of promo spots on 1.FM's Channel X and Rock104 about the copyright royalty board's decision to basically bow down to the RIAA and effectively double the royalty rates for internet broadcasters when compared to the terrestrial crap-lords who push the same 15 canned songs over and over again. I find this so disturbing that I took the 15 minutes to go to SaveNetRadio.Org and use their link thingy to email rep. Tom Cole, and I highly recommend you do the same. But make sure to email your rep. I don't think Tom is going to really care if you happen to live in New Jersey.
If you haven't checked out what netradio has to offer, you need to go get a copy of Winamp or iTunes and start listening to (mostly) commercial free, very genre-specific radio stations. No matter what flavor you like, I guarantee you can find a station that suits your fancy, even if Hindi trance is what floats your boat. Mmmmmm. Variety without all the crap. Now that's worth 15 minutes of your time.
And in unrelated news, tomorrow is the big day! At 00:00 UTC on 13 April (which is actually the same as 7pm central on the 12th) I take the FCC's Amateur Radio Operator's exam. To prepare for this I've been doing practice tests for the last two weeks and I just took all 12 of them back-to-back at QRZ.com. Each test is 35 questions and each took me about 6 minutes. Average score for all 12 tests was 97.85% so I'm feeling pretty good about passing. To hedge my bets, I've made a list of all the questions I missed and will be reviewing them tomorrow before the test. After I pass, all I have to do is wait for my name/license to show up in the FCC's universal licensing database and I am clear for transmission. I've even procured my first radio: a Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band, hand-held transciever (ht). Yeah, it's a 'walkie-talkie' but it transmits on 3 of the bands I'll be allowed to work, has a second wide-band receiver (that picks up everything except cellular) and it's smaller than a deck of cards. It is one of the best-rated ht's available and K5SNG hooked me up with a suh-weet deal on the radio, spare battery pack, quick charger, accessory mic, programming cable and carry case. I can hardly wait.
If you haven't checked out what netradio has to offer, you need to go get a copy of Winamp or iTunes and start listening to (mostly) commercial free, very genre-specific radio stations. No matter what flavor you like, I guarantee you can find a station that suits your fancy, even if Hindi trance is what floats your boat. Mmmmmm. Variety without all the crap. Now that's worth 15 minutes of your time.
And in unrelated news, tomorrow is the big day! At 00:00 UTC on 13 April (which is actually the same as 7pm central on the 12th) I take the FCC's Amateur Radio Operator's exam. To prepare for this I've been doing practice tests for the last two weeks and I just took all 12 of them back-to-back at QRZ.com. Each test is 35 questions and each took me about 6 minutes. Average score for all 12 tests was 97.85% so I'm feeling pretty good about passing. To hedge my bets, I've made a list of all the questions I missed and will be reviewing them tomorrow before the test. After I pass, all I have to do is wait for my name/license to show up in the FCC's universal licensing database and I am clear for transmission. I've even procured my first radio: a Kenwood TH-F6A tri-band, hand-held transciever (ht). Yeah, it's a 'walkie-talkie' but it transmits on 3 of the bands I'll be allowed to work, has a second wide-band receiver (that picks up everything except cellular) and it's smaller than a deck of cards. It is one of the best-rated ht's available and K5SNG hooked me up with a suh-weet deal on the radio, spare battery pack, quick charger, accessory mic, programming cable and carry case. I can hardly wait.
Labels: blah
// posted by wayne @ 4/12/2007 04:33:00 AM
April 10, 2007
Not really sure...
about a title on this post, but it should probably include something about an UNreal 5 million dollar house and cheesy bathroom mirror self-portraits. Either way, enjoy these sweet vacation pics. The house is on Preston Road and is the absolute shiz.
Labels: VACATION
// posted by wayne @ 4/10/2007 02:49:00 AM
April 04, 2007
And somehow, it failed to impress.
Well, we made it to the Beretta gallery. It was not at all what I expected. Imagine a disgustingly overpriced clothing boutique. With some guns. And I'm not talking about the regular guy guns you and I buy, I'm talking about those super-fine, double guns that cost what you and I pay for a car or even a house. In keeping with the overpriced theme, even the one small case of regular guy guns were every penny of the MSRP. Usually, most retailers take MSRP as a guideline and price accordingly to allow the best sales vs. profit margins for their areas. I guess I should've know when I looked across the street and saw the Jimmy Choo marquis. Seriously, even the magazines were $39.99 for regular and $60.00 for the 20-rounders that go in my CX4 carbine. Here's a perfect example: last weekend, I bought a Beretta weekender ball cap at Outdoor Outfitters in OKC. Price: $12.00 plus tax. The same navy weekender ball cap at the gallery was $20.00 plus tax--the full MSRP. Now I'm all about brand loyalty, but when the cheapest t-shirt they carry is $24.00, they can keep it. That same money would be better spent on ammunition or even a spare mag or two. The most ridiculous item? A pair of chrome-plated snap-caps for $35.00. I guess the little jewelry-style presentation box was included.
Needless to say there were no pictures made. I would've felt like a certified 'tard snappin' pics at the shopping mall because, for all the hype at Berettausa.com, that's what it was--a glorified (and insanely overpriced) shopping mall suite.
Once we made it back up Preston Rd to the IKEA (by way of Whole Foods) all seemed right again, and I did take time to make some goofy pics. Sadly, I forgot to bring the CF card adapter or even a USB cable, so they are stuck in the camera until I get home.
Needless to say there were no pictures made. I would've felt like a certified 'tard snappin' pics at the shopping mall because, for all the hype at Berettausa.com, that's what it was--a glorified (and insanely overpriced) shopping mall suite.
Once we made it back up Preston Rd to the IKEA (by way of Whole Foods) all seemed right again, and I did take time to make some goofy pics. Sadly, I forgot to bring the CF card adapter or even a USB cable, so they are stuck in the camera until I get home.
Labels: VACATION
// posted by wayne @ 4/04/2007 12:55:00 AM
April 03, 2007
I can smell the vacation from here. or is that Texas?
I think it must be both. Yes indeed, wee kiddiewinkies, it is time once again for the annual IKEA pilgrimage. I expect this will continue until they have the decency to build one in OKC or Tulsa. They really need to build it in Norman, but I'm not holding my breath.
Another fine reason for a trip south this week is to visit the Beretta Gallery in Dallas. It's about 16 miles down the street from where I sit typing, and I am looking forward to that like a kid on Christmas morn. If it's permitted, there will be lots of photographs and you'll get to see the best of them as soon as I'm able to publish. Maybe tomorrow night; but then again I may be smooth wore out from walking all day.
I had a super great weekend--spent most of it shooting the new Baby Cougar and teaching some wee nippers about the finer points of target shooting. Mainly because Funky-Fresh D was in town this weekend and he has about 34 nephews. We had at least a half-dozen shooters out there ranging in age from 8 up to 16 and they all had a blast. And yes, they were all briefed in proper handling of firearms, provided earplugs and eye protection and I personally stood at the line with each shooter to make sure they conducted themselves in a safe and responsible manner.
Well, peeps, I gots to hit the sack. Tomorrow morning is going to come way too early. I still can't believe people maintain these hours of their own free will.
Another fine reason for a trip south this week is to visit the Beretta Gallery in Dallas. It's about 16 miles down the street from where I sit typing, and I am looking forward to that like a kid on Christmas morn. If it's permitted, there will be lots of photographs and you'll get to see the best of them as soon as I'm able to publish. Maybe tomorrow night; but then again I may be smooth wore out from walking all day.
I had a super great weekend--spent most of it shooting the new Baby Cougar and teaching some wee nippers about the finer points of target shooting. Mainly because Funky-Fresh D was in town this weekend and he has about 34 nephews. We had at least a half-dozen shooters out there ranging in age from 8 up to 16 and they all had a blast. And yes, they were all briefed in proper handling of firearms, provided earplugs and eye protection and I personally stood at the line with each shooter to make sure they conducted themselves in a safe and responsible manner.
Well, peeps, I gots to hit the sack. Tomorrow morning is going to come way too early. I still can't believe people maintain these hours of their own free will.
Labels: VACATION
// posted by wayne @ 4/03/2007 12:16:00 AM
