Month: February 2024

Passing Thought

Military

I saw this pic, and my first thought was:  why does the U.S. military use this silly “slope arms” position?

For those who’ve never had to march with a rifle, here’s my gripe:  that trigger guard is going to keep digging into your collarbone, and after a while that is going to be owie.

Far easier, in my experience, to hold the rifle side-on, with the trigger guard on the “outside” (away from) the neck.

The grip on the rifle is more secure (the left wrist is horizontal rather than vertical, as above), similar to the way one would do curls with weights in the gym:  the biceps work better that way, ask any lifter.

More importantly, the “sideways” slope arms accommodates a longer magazine because it lies on its side along the upper body instead of once again digging into the body.

I welcome comments from those who know more about U.S. military drill than I do.

Bowing To The Inevitable

Drive Time, Eco-Crap

I had a quick chuckle at this one:

Instead of essentially requiring automakers to rapidly ramp up sales of electric vehicles over the next few years, the administration would give car manufacturers more time, with a sharp increase in sales not required until after 2030, these people said. They asked to remain anonymous because the regulation has not been finalized. The administration plans to publish the final rule by early spring.

The change comes as President Biden faces intense crosswinds as he runs for re-election while trying to confront climate change. He is aiming to cut carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, which make up the largest single source of greenhouse gases emitted by the United States.

At the same time, Mr. Biden needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from the unionized auto workers who backed him in 2020 but now worry that an abrupt transition to electric vehicles would cost jobs.

Yeah, not to mention the impossibility of getting a huge number of Americans to give up their beloved and reliable cars, trucks and SUVs for impractical and unreliable Duracell runarounds.

The decision was taken mainly because consumer demand for EVs has been lower than expected, and various major car manufacturers announced disappointing results in their recent annual reports.

“Lower than expected”, and shrinking as people who aren’t interested in virtue-signaling decide that, well, fuckem.

There are, of course, a variety of reasons for the drastic underperformance of EVs, but perhaps the greatest issue is that they are still working out as more expensive than traditional gas-powered cars. There is also an increasing body of evidence that they are not so environmentally friendly as their proponents would like us to think.

Not to mention that there are only a tiny number of charging points across the vast expanse of the U.S.A., and not much chance of their number growing at a rate which would make everyone’s life easier.

But we all know that,  Here’s the part which made me really chuckle:

It is not all doom and gloom for the EV industry, though, as Elon Musk’s Tesla continues to go from strength to strength. Yet Musk’s recent embrace of the anti-Biden agenda has unfortunately made him persona non grata within the White House. Given the petty and vindictive nature of the Democratic establishment, don’t be surprised if Tesla’s famously generous government subsidies soon vanish into thin air.

Yeah, just wait till prospective buyers of EVs discover that the true price of a sub-compact Tesla is really north of $100,000.  The “thin air” will also contain buyer demand.

Boycott NYFC?

Resistance

Oooh, I like this idea:

Some Trump-supporting truckers are refusing to transport loads to and from New York City after the former president was fined $355 million and had his ability to run businesses in the state suspended in Friday’s civil fraud verdict.

And what should qualify for Quote Of The Day:

“I’ll tell you what, you fuck around and find out! We’re tired of you motherfucking leftists fucking with Trump,” the trucker said. “Leave Trump alone with the bullshit… you know you ain’t got shit on Trump, so cut the bullshit.”

Works for me and, I suspect, for more than a few million voters.

In the meantime, if I may coin a phrase:  Let New York Sink.

The Rich People’s Ten

Drive Time

Here’s an article for those who want to pass for wealthy:

What does the car you drive say about how well you’re doing? There are particular brands that suggest the person behind the wheel is a high earner, according to a new report. It has revealed the 10 vehicles makes that are owned by those who earn in excess of £75,000 a year.

Well, two things jump to mind immediately.  Firstly:  in these Bidenflation times, 75k (UK, Euro or US) isn’t “wealthy” anymore.  (175k, and now you’re getting close.)  Secondly:  the truly wealthy don’t care about how they look — in fact, they often try to disguise their wealth because they don’t want to be targets.  (And ignore the article’s tinges of wealth envy;  they’re Brits, and wealth envy seems to be genetic Over There.)

But just for the hell of it, let’s go with the DM’s definition.  Here are their top ten:

1. BMW – 16%

2. Audi – 15%

3. Ford – 14%

4. Mercedes – 12%

=5. Toyota – 8%

=5. Volvo – 8%

=7. Nissan – 7%

=7, Vauxhall – 7%

=7. Volkswagen – 7%

10. Land Rover – 6%

Unlike my normal outpourings on this website, wherein I just read SOTI and then offer an opinion thereon, I decided to do some actual research for this one.

You see, I live in an upscale area, loosely defined as North Dallas Metro (north Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Allen — and, in a stretch, McKinney, Parker and Fairview).  There are areas of all the above that are not high-income enclaves — e.g. where I live — but within these areas there are also enclaves where the cops will pull you over just for driving around in a car that isn’t one of the models I list below.  (Pickups with trailers full of lawn equipment, for obvious reasons, get a pass.)  Areas such as Park Cities (Highland- and University Park) and Turtle Creek in north Dallas;  Willow Bend, Normandy Estates, Kings Ridge and Wolf Creek in Plano;  and Adriatica in McKinney:  all are examples of said enclaves of wealth.  Total population of the areas (estimate):  about 1.25 million.

So yesterday I took a long drive around some of these places (except where I was stopped by gates, Q.E.D.) and took a highly unscientific but I think nevertheless representative survey of what kind of car these knobs are driving.  I included the doctors’ parking garage at Plano Medical City, street parking on Plano West and the valet parking area at Willow Bend Mall, just for the hell of it.

What struck me is that you can’t just group the cars by brand;  you have to include the model for the study to make any sense at all.  (Example:  Audis are like Fords in Plano — but the Audi A8 and S8 aren’t;  ditto, Mercedes are like Chevy — but Maybach aren’t;  and Maseratis and Porsches are commonplace, until you get to the Quattroporte and upper-end 911s, which are not so common.)

Here’s what you need to drive in this North Dallas Metro area if you want people to think you actually live there instead of just driving through:

  • Mercedes G-wagen (G550 or the AMG, $150k):  I counted half a dozen of them, all driven by women, i.e. they’re the family’s second car, ditto
  • Audi Q7/8 SUV ($80k):  lost count, easily more than twenty though, but every single one was driven by Mommy, as were
  • Range Rover ($130k):  about a dozen of the big ones (forgotten which model), three of which were parked outside the Beretta Gallery in Highland Park, and two outside the Orvis store on Preston Rd
  • Bentley ($250k+):  two Continentals and two Bentaygas;  one Continental was parked outside my Sooper-Seekrit address when I picked up my mail
  • Maybach ($175k+):  I counted two sedans and two SUVs — all parked outside the North Point Mall
  • Mercedes S500 or SL 500 ($125k+):  lost count, more than ten parked just in Legacy West — they are the Audi A4 of Plano
  • BMW 7-series ($120k+):  maybe a dozen
  • Porsche 911 Turbo ($200k+):  five — one was parked in the student parking lot at Plano West High School
  • Rolls Royce:  only one, parked in the driveway of a house in Willow Bend
  • Tesla:  almost as popular as Ford F-150 trucks, out here (ugh)
  • Ferrari:  only one 488 in the doctors’ lot at Baylor Hospital;  I suspect that Ferraris are mostly weekend cars, not everyday drivers.
  • And on the above note:  I suspect that a Saturday morning drive would reveal a lot more high-end car models than as indicated, because there are a sprinkling of “exotics” (Lambo, Maserati GT, Aston Martin and so on) which I’ve seen on a regular basis during my travels herein.

Some other brands were represented, but Lexus and the smaller Mercedes sedans and SUVs are a dime a dozen, and as for the smaller BMWs… think VW in any German city as a definition of popularity.  There are a ton of the bigger, high-end SUVs:  Toyota, GMC Denali, Escalade etc.  Cadillacs (outside of the Escalade) seem to be almost non-existent, at least while I was driving around.  I saw one Caddy CT (4? 5?) in Plano West.

Hardly any Jaguars, of any stripe.

I remember driving Mr. Free Market around a few of these Rich Phartte areas, and his comment was that the houses’ architecture was pretty Nouveau Riche;  but as I told him, there’s almost no Old Money in the North Dallas Metro (as Brits would define it);  wealth outside the Awl Bidness is generally self-made or else first-generation-inherited, e.g. Troy Aikman (north Dallas) and G.W. Bush (Bluff View/Preston Hollow).

Anyway, there you have it:  what to drive in the North Dallas Metro area if you want to announce that you’re wealthy.

And About Time, Too

Good Stuff, The Gun Thing

Well now, lookee here:

Colt has reintroduced its legendary Python .357 Magnum revolver in a blued finish.  The reintroduced blued Python comes with either a 4.25″ or 6″ barrel length and holds six rounds of ammunition.

That’s indeed good news.

Sadly, from what I can see in the pic it’s not Colt’s Royal Blue finish, which for me made the original Python the best-looking revolver ever made:

Compare the Python (Royal Blue) with the Officer’s Match below (Standard Blue) and I think you’ll see what I mean.  The difference is what made the Python so beautiful.

Still, I’m not going to complain too much, and at least the new Python is going to sell at the Colt premium price (~$1,400) compared to the old Python’s nosebleed one.

And yes, the new gun’s action isn’t the same either — but I’m told by a gunsmith buddy that while the new action isn’t as smooth, it’s also less complicated and therefore less likely to break (like my old Python’s did).

Time for the obligatory lottery ticket check… damn.

Hunkering Down – The Response

SHTF

As I suspected, the response to last weekend’s Hunkering Down post was thoughtful, and in some cases dismissive.

Pretty much everyone dismissed the original thesis’s choice of Hinsdale County CO as unworkable, as did I.  And most regarded that choice as “confirmation bias”, i.e. getting the facts to support a preconceived conclusion, or close to thereof.

The most supportable argument came from Reader Mike S., who wrote in part:

Lived in Fairfax Co., VA, a contiguous suburban county of DC. Slowly turning into Southern Maryland.
After visiting 5 states (including Texas) and filling in spreadsheets (Wife does NOTHING w/o a spreadsheet) we settled in East Tennessee.
Her health issues preclude further movement but Southern Appalachia is well watered, (mostly) self-sufficient in food, HEAVILY armed (It’s not “Are you carrying?” but “What are you carrying?”), and compared to the DC metro area crime free*.

*Almost anywhere is going to be crime free compared to our Nation’s Capital/Capitol.

And from Comments:

“Most people will never get out of the planning phase of this, treating it as a thought exercise. The few that might, will likely undersell the effort necessary to make it happen. It’s an expensive proposition to set up a redoubt or bunker. A true survivable landing spot will not come ready-made–it needs to be lived in, the land farmed, the ponds and streams kept clean, neighbors known, that sort of thing. Fewer than 3% of the population can sustain two livable homes simultaneously, so most believe their primary choices are to flee (to what, they have no idea) or hunker down and wait for FedCo and the Military to rescue them.” — Topcat

“And while big game and hunting may play a role, here in WY if the S truly hits the F, you won’t be using any vehicles (short of a mountain bike) to get around since gasoline will at best be rationed, and at worst simply unavailable. After a couple of years whatever you have stored (regardless of treatment) will be essentially useless. If you can’t hike to your hunting area and then pack out your kill, it don’t mean nothin’.” –– Blackwing1

The general consensus seems to be that the time to “bug out” is either in the past, right now or very soon.  During or after the ‘Pocalypse isn’t going to work.  Almost everyone seems to be resigned to staying put (as am I).

In similar vein, given that the average age of my Readers is ummmm advanced, the most pressing, and pretty much insurmountable problem is that of Rx resupply, with some saying that after about 90 days they’re gonna die anyway.  I’m willing to bet that nobody has a year’s worth of critical prescription meds in the cache.  I have about two months’ worth, and I’m probably in the distinct minority even there.  (New Wife, despite my urging, has less than half that, to my great despair.  Her response to my warnings can be summed up quite simply as:  “I have no interest in living in such a world anyway.”)

Let’s face it:  nobody is going to survive for very long if our current civilization turns into the New Dark Age.  Sure, some may survive a little longer than others because they’re well-supplied or else already close to being hunter-gatherers (living in the boonies, hunting / growing their food needs etc.).  Or else they’ve prepared to be predators to get what they need, although even that is going to be transitory as things like food, medicines and other essentials slowly disappear altogether from any kind of supply chain.

But as SOTI pointed out not long ago:  human beings survived being hunter-gatherers for centuries, but the average life expectancy was about 25-35.

The optimists among you suggested that perhaps some kind of order would be restored after a few months or so — but given how our society recently responded to a simple lockdown (let alone a complete breakdown), I’m not that confident.

Me?  I’m not going anywhere except maybe to Doc Russia’s little Festung  a couple-three miles from here.  I’m reasonably well-armed (coff coff ) and have several large Wal-Mart / Sam’s Club-type outlets within walking distance, so I’ll probably just do some shopping (of the AK-47 variety)… until those giant stores are emptied of everything I need.  After that… que sera, sera.

I’ll go down fighting, if I can;  but go down I most certainly will, eventually.  We all will.

Range time?  I think so.  If I’m going to go down, I’m damn sure going to have some fun, and take a few assholes with me.