A Sweet Little Thing -- The World's Smallest Double Barrel Shotgun!

"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." --- Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

I just got it a few days ago. I saw one at a gun show recently and was impressed with the fact that it would qualify for home protection and would be quite effective at close range.

The "sweet little thing" qualifies for the world's smallest double barrel shotgun. Its barrels are 3 3/4 inches long. It is chambered for a 45 long Colt cartridge and has rifling in the barrels. BUT it also will shoot 410 gage shotgun shells from 2 1/2 to 3 inches long! I will not tell the name of the manufacturer nor the location where these "sweet little things" are made. I did learn on the Internet that from time to time the BATF harasses the maker -- seems they don't like these weapons, but there isn't anything they can do to keep them from being made -- they are legal according to the book!

What you see in the picture with the "sweet little thing" are 410 gage shotgun cartridges measuring 2 3/4 inches long. They contain about 5 hunks of lead. I was told by the dealer who sold it to me that he had fired it at a steel drum and the drum was literally torn apart!

Why did I get one, since I already have some guns around? It's a matter of added security in an area where the drug problem has escalated and where break-ins are increasing even in rural locations. The break-ins do not just happen when people are away from their homes, but they have been happening while people are at home -- not so long ago an elderly couple was robbed and beaten badly by some young punks! And this happened not too many miles from where we live.

I also have a sheriff's permit to carry a handgun of any size concealed and loaded if I so desire. I rarely carry one, but I can when I want to. And they range in size from a little itty-bitty thing that lays nicely in the palm of my hand to a .357 magnum with an 8 3/8 inch barrel! There are some properties where I cannot carry it -- government property such as a Post Office and schools, of course. The latter are supposed to be "gun free" zones, but as we know, they are not always "gun free" as we learned just recently in another campus rampage resulting in the tragedy of multiple deaths.

There are those who are dedicated to confiscation of all firearms from private citizens and when a shooting rampage takes place, then it's like throwing gasoline on a fire -- a scramble to pass some kind of legislation to take away the guns and also sue the gun makers when someone kills someone with a gun. Our governor in Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, was at the forefront in wanting to do this when he was mayor of Philadelphia. Fortunately, he wasn't successful in his quest in this venture.

But they don't give up -- some reps in our Pennsylvania General Assembly wanted to put a tax on each gun owned by an individual and some other stuff to put the pressure on the law abiding citizen who happened to be a gun owner. These reps had roots in Philadelphia also -- is there something in the water in that place or in the air that reduces the IQ to the level of idiot or less?

More on the gun issue in later posts -- look for one which deals with the fact that hypocrisy is very much alive and very well in the United States and this issue of the desire to sue gun manufacturers for crimes of murder when guns are used!

And a PS -- that Luger you see here? A few years ago I got one -- built in Germany in 1918 and then apparently redone in 1920 -- both dates stamped on the barrel. It is a 9 mm and is a beauty to shoot -- much better balanced than other pistols which have a slide action such as a Colt 45 pistol or a Browning or others -- the Lugar toggle action is very different.

This whole posting is mainly for the benefit of those who are on an anti-gun crusade as well as for those who own guns -- to you who have a couple or so around your house, don't apologize for having them and don't let the anti-gun crusaders intimidate you anywhere or at any time!

A bumper sticker years ago mentioned the name of one prominent politician who would like to see the guns taken away from us private citizens -- it read like this:

"Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun!"

And now a PPS! This is being written at 8:23 PM on Sunday March 2, 2008 -- we just learned from a family member that last night a young man living about 7 miles from us had his apartment broken into and was beaten by at least 2 persons in a robbery attempt -- fortunately, the young man survived this attack -- sometimes people don't! If he would have had that "sweet little thing" mentioned above, it would have had a much different outcome!

Let Us Make Us a Captain!

And all the congregation lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness! And wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt? And they said one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt. --- Numbers 14:1-4 (KJV)

It was their greatest crisis since their liberation from bitter slavery which had extended over a few centuries in the land of ancient Egypt.

The Israelites were now in a state of panic upon hearing a negative majority report from ten of twelve men who had checked out the land which God had promised them -- a promise dating back to their ancestor, Abraham. The report which caused knees to knock and hearts to skip a beat was that the inhabitants of that land were like giants with walled and well defended cities, etc.

So a decision was made -- elect a "captain" to lead them back to Egypt! They never made it -- God's judgment in this case resulted in their wandering about in the wilderness for 40 years. Their daily "activity" primarily involved attending funerals until the whole adult generation died off with the exception of Joshua and Caleb -- the only two of the original twelve men who had given a positive report after the spy mission had been completed.

We in the United States are in the process of electing a "captain" to lead us over a period of four years.

There is no evidence that any of those persons who are seeking to be that "captain" takes even the basic commandments as given by our Creator seriously! It's much more about what "I" will do if "I" become your "captain" -- "I will (insert anything here -- the sky's the limit!) and we will reach our 'promised land!'"

UNLESS the next "captain" is resolved to personally set a God-fearing example and boldly exhort all of us citizens to set about seeking the will of Almighty God as the top priority, individually and collectively, then we can only expect to experience increased chaos and eventual collapse -- a wilderness disaster of our own making!

While the majority of U.S. citizens are indifferent to, if not adamantly opposed, to the standards established by God for a sane, sensible, peaceful, prospering and surviving culture, it is becoming more obvious as time passes that we are not exempt from those standards and laws. The eternal law of "sowing and reaping" still applies to individuals and nations!

So, to you who are seeking to be selected as our "captain" beginning on January 20, 2009, what do you say that we as a republic should do to insure future peace, tranquility and blessings from above? Our "captains" during the past decades have not been successful in helping to get us back on track and into an acceptable and favorable relationship with the Creator of this mighty universe!

If anything, the financial, ethical, moral and spiritual grave we have dug for ourselves is deeper than ever before in our history! Is there a truly God-fearing "captain" out there somewhere who will lead us out of this wretched "grave" in which we presently find ourselves rotting?

The way present "campaigning" (if it really qualifies for the term) is going, we are in about the same dilemma as were those Israelites many centuries ago who wanted a "captain" to lead them back to a life of bitter bondage!

"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward. Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have even sent to you all My servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them. Yet they did not obey Me or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers. Therefore you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not obey you. You shall also call to them, but they will not answer you. So you shall say to them, 'This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the LORD their God nor receive correction. Truth has perished and has been cut off from their mouth.'" --- Jeremiah 7:23-28

A Prophecy About January 20, 2009!

They make a rapid fire machine gun seem like an ancient musket used in the Revolution by comparison -- whom, you ask? Why those "news" people on TV and their mouths moving at a rate that far exceeds that 30 or 50 caliber automatic weapon!

Get them started on the present political mess taking place and they can go non-stop long after the cows have come home! If you really want some comedy in this, then hit the mute button and leave it on for a few minutes -- pleasant relief that beats anything you buy over the counter at your local drug store!

In the midst of all this is the attempt to speculate a bit as to who the occupant of the White House will be at the close of the day on January 20, 2009.

If you want to get ahead of the speculators a bit, then go to A Prophecy -- First Night in White House for New President - January 20, 2009! A link at the bottom of that area will bring you back to this place.

Then you can laugh at those talking-heads on the TV news channels -- you have been tipped off on something they know nothing about!

There Was a Time When....!

"I brought you into a bountiful country, to eat its fruit and its goodness. But when you entered, you defiled My land and made My heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, 'Where is the LORD?' And those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also transgressed against Me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and walked after things that do not profit." --- Jeremiah 2:7,8

There was a time in this republic when a majority of persons had exposure to the holy Scriptures and the Lord's Prayer. All students as they attended public schools for an average of 12 years engaged in the spiritual exercise of beginning the day with some portion of Bible reading followed by a prayer which began, "Our Father, Who art in heaven..."

Major discipline problems during those years consisted of such things as chewing gum in class, running in the hallways, whispering in class, shooting rubber bands and/or spit balls, etc. You know, the kinds of things which so disrupt school operations that the school has to cease operations for 3 or 4 days until the "crisis" is resolved!

Then came what has to be a first and foremost imbecile quality decision by the United States Supreme Court in which the reading of Scripture and prayer were ruled to be illegal! A few years later the nation's highest court sank to an even lower level than that of an imbecile by ruling that it is a "constitutional right" to mutilate and murder unborn children in the womb!

So then, what great benefits has the republic reaped as a consequence of the actions of 9 black robed people who chose to completely abandon all common sense and wisdom by declaring the public educational system totally off limits to the mighty Creator of this universe? And further, that in thousands of cases each week His work of forming human beings in the womb must be terminated?

Here is how it is:

• We are raising a large segment of our population to be heathen -- even unchurched students used to be exposed to a few minutes of Bible revelation and prayer to God but that has been no longer the case for decades! These in turn passed on their heathen unbelieving ways to their children and these children did likewise -- heathenism is very easy to pass on to the young!
  
  
• Along with the initial 2 rulings on the part of the Supreme Court which have pushed us down the road to sure and certain disaster, in the name of "freedom of speech and expression" our young began to be exposed to increased vulgarity, sexual immorality and graphic violence through many avenues. High profile individuals idolized by the young brazenly displayed their immoral lifestyles. Entertainment sunk to new lows with gutter level language, increased violence and sexually explicit images which leave absolutely nothing to the imagination -- after all, if you see two naked people in bed together, what is there to imagine?
  
  
• And the young have been encouraged in various ways to indulge in use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs. "Parties" will feature the foregoing plus engaging in a variety of sexual activities. One mother was extremely upset when informed by school officials that her junior high daughter "competed" with another girl on the school bus as to which could give oral sex to the most boys before arriving at school! A relative of mine is a junior high principal and told me of a recent incident in his school -- some 8th graders were caught smoking pot in one of their classes! This, of course, all carries over into the college and university level in greater intensity.
  

• Problems in the public school system have escalated somewhat since the days of dealing with chewing gum, spitballs, etc. Now it's a matter of assaults -- students against other students and students against teachers -- stabbings and shootings -- the necessity of having police on the premises to try to keep order in a number of school systems!
  
  
• And don't forget -- things are by no means a rosy paradise at the college and university level -- you know, those campuses are supposed to be "gun free" zones, but we have had some very tragic incidents on a few in recent times -- ah, times of progress and advancement -- it is great, but we haven't arrived have we?
  

Yes indeed -- since we told God He is no longer welcome in public schools and that we have the right to terminate His work of forming human beings any time we want to, we've really made progress, have we not? Or is it more proper to say that we have regressed to lower levels of depravity than any society claiming to be civilized would ever want to admit?

What's the point? Simply this -- no one can say that we have made great advances ethically, morally and spiritually since those 2 Supreme Court decisions in particular -- the dates of those decisions hold more than equal weight with the one F.D.R. said would live in infamy -- December 7, 1941!

Yes, some of us do remember back to a time when.... a time much superior in ways that count most as compared to how it is now!

"Therefore I will yet bring charges against you," says the LORD, "And against your children's children I will bring charges.... Has a nation changed its gods, which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit. Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid; be very desolate," says the LORD. "For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns; broken cisterns that can hold no water." --- Jeremiah 2:9,11-13

Why Hammer McCain? They're All Being Held Hostage!

"...Mr. McCain helped found a nonprofit group to promote his personal battle for tighter campaign finance rules. But he later resigned as its chairman after news reports disclosed that the group was tapping the same kinds of unlimited corporate contributions he opposed, including those from companies seeking his favor. He has criticized the cozy ties between lawmakers and lobbyists, but is relying on corporate lobbyists to donate their time running his presidential race and recently hired a lobbyist to run his Senate office..." --- as published at the New York Times web site on Feb. 21, 2008

At times the media are as happy and contented as fat sows playing in the mud on a hot summer day! One of those times is now -- this juicy bit about John McCain and an alleged relationship with a rather attractive lobbyist.

In an election year the media people will do about anything and pay just about any price to dig up some kind of "dirt" on an aspiring candidate for political office -- and especially if that office is the presidency of the United States! Didn't you know? A "scoop" of that kind sells more papers, gets higher ratings for the network, and brings in more advertising revenue -- this means more money in the pockets of the people involved who have done the "scoop" thing!

But back to the McCain "scandal" and his alleged connection to a lobbyist -- why single him out -- the whole bunch is being held hostage and has been for a long, long time. Ever since someone in the past got an idea to pay money to people to put great pressure on political office holders to pass legislation that will favor certain groups or corporations.

Part of the strategy here is that by contributing generously to one's election in ways that are "above board" or "under the table" then the office holder is now under obligation to grant certain "favors" and "special consideration" to supporters. Again, as always -- greed being the unscrupulous commodity in our culture that it is, money is the dominant player in the game!

It means that the average citizen is no longer of primary concern -- it is now the groups -- the "special interest" crowd whether an organized group of old gray headed men and women, a powerful union group, a school teachers group with high handed political clout that is national in scope, an oil company, a mining outfit, or a bunch of little kids that wants to put a bed of daisies in the middle of a town somewhere!

What makes this thing even more vicious is the fact that a number of retired politicians and/or members of their families get into this lobbying game -- it's a big money thing and the pay off cannot be measured in terms of the benefits for the highly favored ones for whom the political "hostage" has gone to bat!

ALL lobbying at federal and state levels in particular should be outlawed -- totally -- no exceptions and contributions to the election of a candidate for political office should be limited to at least $50 per person per candidate! Corporate and special group contributions would be illegal -- violations would result in mandatory prison terms for persons involved!

The only acceptable lobbying (and legal) would be individual -- that you and I as private citizens could personally one-on-one appeal to our senators or representatives about issues over which we are concerned and that would be it!

Will it ever change? Not really. Things will continue as they are when it comes to the corrupting influence of lobbying -- private citizens will be thrown a few tid-bit morsels from time to time -- but the "special interest groups" and their paid professional lobbyists will get the lions' share of benefits out of the government "trough" as they continue to hold elected officials "hostage."

Come to think of it -- perhaps the above reference to the wallowing hogs in the slime is also an accurate picture of that lobbyist crowd and their "hostages!"

But hang on folks -- there's good news concerning the future -- it's not always going to be like that -- for a real picker-upper today, just go to Good News! A Day Coming in Which All Politicians Will Be Removed from Office! A link at the bottom of that area will bring you back to this place.

Of course, you realize, do you not, that this also means the absolute end of lobbying and all lobbyists will also be out of a job? Let's hope and pray that the day will come very soon!

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. --- Zephaniah 3:1-4

"....one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, except....!"

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." --- Pledge of Allegiance to the Republic of the United States of America

There are those who want to alter the Pledge of Allegiance which we citizens recite from time to time in public settings.

In recent years the controversy has focused on one tiny part of the pledge that contains the words, "under God." In the poverty stricken minds of some, the reference to God is highly offensive. Such reference breaks down the imagined "wall" which is supposed to exist between church and state.

Perhaps such a change should be made with God's name being removed and a few words added, but not because of the shallow "separation of church and state" issue, but for a much greater and extremely critical matter.

This change would then have the final statement of the Pledge of Allegiance saying, "...one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all citizens except for millions yet unborn whom we choose to execute!"

"Outrageous!" "Preposterous!" "Insane!" "How dare you even suggest such a thing!" "You are a candidate for a padded cell!"

Now, now -- let's be reasonable about this and think it through!

Would not such a change more accurately reflect what we as a republic have actually become? Certainly the evidence is overwhelming that we are no longer under the favor and blessing of Almighty God -- our idolatrous, immoral and defiant practices as a nation of 300 million clearly attest to that!

Further, the phrase would boldly advertise to the other nations of this chaotic world that we no longer are civilized but have regressed to a state of savage barbarism!

Yes, there was a time when it was considered a criminal act to destroy the life of an unborn American citizen, but that time ended over 35 years ago -- and we have explicitly established a record that makes the Nazi Holocaust appear as a child's Sunday School picnic by way of comparison! At this point in time the U.S. version of Holocaust outnumbers the Nazi version by more than three to one!

Want to write to your congressman or congresswoman and suggest that the Pledge of Allegiance be changed citing a rock solid reason why such a change should be made?

For an update, review the numbers at A Quick Look at the United States' Massacre Tally!

"And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?' "then you shall say to them, 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,' says the LORD; 'they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one walks according to the imagination of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me.'" --- Jeremiah 16:10-12

We're Doing Our Part to Stimulate the Economy and We Haven't Even Received Our Check from Bush Yet!

....Congress, Bush, the Federal Reserve and Wall Street are hoping the money will burn such a hole in people's pockets that they won't be able to resist spending it. And the spending is supposed to give an energizing jolt to a national economy that is in danger of toppling into a recession if it hasn't already.

Bush called the measure "a booster shot for our economy."....... --- Tidbit from Associated Press report on Valentine's Day, 2008

We're doing our part to stimulate the ailing economy of our republic and we haven't received that big check which Bush and Congress said we're going to get!

Here's how this past week went for me and the best wife I ever had -- don't laugh, because she has put up with me nearly 55 years and 57 years when you include the dating time! But, alas, again I digress -- here is the record starting on Monday, February 11:

• Monday - I put $25.00 worth of gas in the tank -- about 75 drops or so!
  
  
• Wednesday - Car inspection at a cost of $40.23 -- we're in an area where emission inspection has to be done, so that elevates the tariff a bit!
  
  
• Thursday - We had appointments at our dentist -- Jean had to have some extra work plus xrays -- $205.00 exit fee! Then Jean had an ear doctor's appointment at 5:30 pm and that was a $20.00 copay. A few days back 2 prescriptions for the ear problem cost $45.00. What a way to spend Valentine's Day -- you can't get much more romantic than that, can you?
  
  
• Saturday - A couple more prescriptions which cost $120.00 -- yes, it only hurts when I laugh! Now, remember, we got some groceries in addition to all this stuff -- unfortunately the store wasn't running any specials on cheap dog food!
  

Now, if my addition is right -- just the numbers mentioned come to about $410.23 -- won't Bush, Congress and Company be proud of us -- that money was really burning a hole in our pocket and we just had to get rid of it -- and you see in detail just how we did it -- really, folks it's not as hard to do as some people make out. Just have nimble fingers, a pen, and a checkbook handy!

Do you ever get the feeling that something is a bit amiss in the "land of the free and the home of the brave?" The government doesn't hesitate to pour billions of dollars into "wars," billions into so-called "space" programs, and without serious objection has permitted the outsourcing of a host of high paying jobs to foreign countries, but cuts back funding for helping those who are in need -- senior citizens and low income families.

But there is good news -- somewhere on the web site, Circuit Rider's Range, or in an area of this blog is a link to a piece titled, "Good News! A Day Coming in Which All Politicians Will Be Removed from Office!" If you go there by way of this link, use return feature on your browser to come back here. So, keep hanging on -- that wonderful day will come! At that time the Creator of this mighty universe will be completely in control! Take a walk through Philippians 2:5-13 in the New Testament for a "day brightener!"

"Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain. Her prophets plastered them with untempered mortar, seeing false visions, and divining lies for them, saying, 'Thus says the Lord GOD,' when the LORD had not spoken. The people of the land have used oppressions, committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger." --- Ezekiel 22:27-29