kimmy

For those that missed it the first time: the fact that London exists doesn't qualify as evidence that the events in Harry Potter actually happened, or as evidence that wizards are real. -k

Isaac Newton was very interested in some fantastical things-- alchemy, Biblical prophecy, the occult... And we can not discount his scientific works despite his belief in fantastical things. The reason Newton's scientific works can not be discounted is that their merits can be proven over and over again by an endless number of experiments. No corresponding evidence can be provided for his works in alchemy, Biblical prophecy, or the occult. That's why we study Newton's laws of motion but not Newton's ideas about how lead might be transmuted into gold. And perhaps the Bible has some merit as an atlas of the ancient Middle East... but its value as a history book is suspect and its value as a science text is laughable. -k

The deal passed the Senate, but has not passed Congress. The Breitbart types are already campaigning hard for it to be rejected, and calling for Boehner's head on a pike as well. -k

Without the "embellishments", it's just a story about a flood. If the flood wasn't sent by God to destroy all life on earth except his chosen handful and the animals they could put on their magic boat, then it's just a story about a flood. Similarly, Sodom and Gomorrah. Maybe they were real places, but so what? The message Christians tell us to take from Sodom and Gomorrah is not that they were real places, the message Christians tell us to take from Sodom and Gomorrah is that the price of sin is annihilation. You can show that some of the places existed, but without the fantastical events described, it's just National Geographic. -k

But without the "embellishments", it's just a story about a flood. With the "embellishments" removed, what's big message? "Build your house on higher ground"? -k

-k

I was going to post something similar, Big Guy. Letting the tax cuts expire and incurring the mandatory spending cuts is probably the best thing that could happen in the long term. And all the polls indicate that most Americans feel the Republicans are to blame for the failure of negotiations. Taxes are going to go up, and the House Republicans are going to wear it. John Boehner tried to find a compromise, and the Grover Norquist/Tea Party/Breitbart wing of the party shanked him for it. They'll pay a price. -k

I was hoping one or more, other atheists would take the bait on this one... I didn't take that bait because it looked like, well, bait. Respond to something like that and soon enough you're wading through novella-length posts drawing inane comparisons between atheism and socialism or so-on. Life is too short to spend wrestling with straw-men. But if you wish I'll chip in a couple of observations. First off, it's not atheists who claim to have all the answers. Atheists are the ones willing to say "we don't know that." It's the ones who say "our book has all of the answers!" who claim to have definitive knowledge of what is, how it got that way, and how things need to be. Secondly, I'd posit that somebody who thinks the notable characteristic of a dictator is that they think they're smarter than everybody else is, himself, not very smart. Not all theories are created equally, Pliny. You seem to be under the impression that alternative theories are oppressed by the Establishment for political reasons. In reality, most of these alternative theories are just ignored because they're crap. As a libertarian, you should be in favor of this. You should like the idea that theories should succeed on their merits. You should be appalled by the premise that all theories ought to be considered equal regardless of their merits. Good theories provide explanations for existing evidence and can be used to predict new phenomena. For example, someone realized that if relativity were true, we should be able to observe time dilation. Since then, time dilation has been experimentally proven. Bad theories, on the other hand, don't answer useful questions or provide testable predictions. For example, Das Deutsche Physik wasn't a result of efforts to explain empirical evidence, it was a result of resistance to "Das Judische Physik". It held that the experimental evidence behind the theories of Einstein and Bohr must be erroneous and that there must be alternative explanations, but failed to produce any. The single great achievement of Deutsche Physik was to drive Germany's best scientists abroad and give America the expertise to build the atomic bomb. Or, take your gravity theory from the other thread-- the idea that gravity is an illusion resulting from everything continuously expanding. The genesis for that theory was not observed evidence, but (if I recall correctly) the opinion that Relativity seemed "wack". Did he explain any unexplained phenomena? Did he offer any testable hypothesis? No and no. His theory isn't being "oppressed" by "the Establishment". It is being ignored because there's nothing to investigate. (btw, that's also why no real scientists are doing "Creation Science" either.) Another of your strawmen. -k

The last thing I need to do is to adjust the front sight. I think I need one of these: http://www.sksstocks...-p/ncs-tak-.htm And maybe one of these: http://www.sksstocks...uk-sm39002-.htm or these: http://www.sksstocks.../lll-mbs-1-.htm Do you know of any Canadian shops that carry these accessories? I assume that Canada Customs will go ballistic if I try to order firearms accessories from abroad. I have seen the barrel-end bore sighting kit on Wholesale Sports, but not the other stuff. Also, do you have any thoughts on the question of cartridge-style bore sighting lasers vs barrel-end bore-sighting lasers? -k

Yes, the idea that these guns have a history really appeals to me. A little piece of the Cold War is locked in my cabinet. The bayonet is sure stylish, but from a practical point of view, I think that if I were ever to use this gun for actual hunting, I would remove the bayonet (which looks rather military for hunting) and the factory sling and the cleaning rod (which both jingle like Santa's sleigh.) I suspect that some enterprising individual has probably invented a bipod that fits on the SKS bayonet mount, which would probably be much handier than a bayonet. It went pretty well! I ended up wearing some oil when I opened up the flask. I had a few blonde moments while trying to get the bolt assembly back in the receiver, but I got it sorted out. Everything seems to be in order. No pitting or corrosion anywhere. The floating pin floats. Everything works. It seems mechanically very simple. I suspect the SKS reputation for reliability comes from there being not very much that could go wrong with them. I was surprised how stiff the spring in the blowback piston is. With that strong spring, combined with the strong spring behind the bolt assembly, it seems like a lot for the blowback piston to push. -k

My SKS has arrived! It's a 1952 Tula. It's in surprisingly nice condition. There are a couple of dents and chips in the finish of the stock, but they're very minor and I don't think I'm going to bother refinishing the wood. It has a beautiful reddish tone that I want to keep. I'm surprised how light it is and how nicely it shoulders. It's as if it were made for Kim-sized soldiers. Perhaps the average Soviet soldier wasn't very tall, or perhaps they favored a shorter length of pull. Regardless, it feels very natural. It came with: -1 two-compartment flask for oil and whatever goes in the other half. -2 ammo pouches -3 stripper clips -4 calling birds -a canvas sling -the cleaning tool kit that goes in the secret compartment -pouch for the oil flask All of it is very nice. I was a bit surprised that the bayonette is dull. I'm not sure if that was original, or if it was dulled during the refurbishment process. I'm actually kind of glad it's dull, because I'd have cut myself a bunch of times already if it were sharp. Next up I am going to attempt to disassemble it and clean and oil all the metal parts. Very pleased with it so far! -k

While I was in Edmonton I obtained some Jim Beam Black, on Jack's recommendation. Haven't tried it yet, but looking forward to it. -k

Or maybe what both camps "want" has been distorted by the cartoon-job that both sides have done on each other, to the point that neither side actually understands the others' position at all. -k

Science may well show that there was a mighty flood in the Black Sea region. This sort of stuff happened during the ice age as shifting glaciers created lakes where lakes never used to be. There was a significant one in the western US; read about Glacial Lake Missoula if you're interested in that sort of thing. However, if science confirms that there was some sort of flood in the Black Sea region, all it will confirm is that there was some sort of flood in the Black Sea region. The stuff about a 900 year old man building a magic boat that carried all the creatures of the earth for a year and eventually marooned on top of the tallest mountain in the world once the waters receded is and remains a gigantic load of crap that only gullible children would believe. -k

I just confirmed for myself that Worley's address is not on the map provided by Journal News. It would be very interesting to hear their explanation of why. Whatever their explanation, the omission seems to contradict their justifications for posting this list in the first place, and undermines the integrity of the entire exercise. I don't agree with this sort of thinking. It's absolutist. I think, for example, that there's a world of difference between giving a punch in the nose to a kid who's minding his own business, and giving a punch in the nose to an unrepentant bully. I feel that context and motivation matter. Whether the Journal News staff are bullies is open for debate, but they are certainly unrepentant. They insist that what they are doing is ethical and important and they plan to publish more information. The decision to omit Worley from their map already raises questions as to whether they really believe the public has a right to know the addresses of gun permit holders. The decision to omit Worley also raises questions as to whether they believe publishing this information puts people at risk. If Journal News sincerely believes that what they are doing is ethical, than they can not object to their own names being published. -k

There could have been some local flood that inspired a story. The argument was (and remains) that the flood could not have happened the way it is described in the Bible. -k

I don't think I've changed. I doubt Argus feels like he's changed. I don't think there's any epiphany, just the realization that my values don't fit with what "the right" wants anymore. As Grandad Simpson put it, -k

Not as a massive conspiracy. Just as a result of getting everything they want. "We need lower wages to compete! We need lower taxes to compete! We need to get rid of unions to compete! We need to manufacture offshore to compete! Why aren't people buying our stuff?" -k

None of us have all the information from the very beginning. My core belief in the rule of law remains; my trust in the authorities to uphold the law has changed. And my view of "law and order" issues over the past several years has evolved as a result. -k

For the past 4 or 5 years I have used this set of in-the-ear earphones made by Jays of Sweden: http://www.jays.se/products/d-jays I have used several different in-the-ear earphones, and these are my favorite. They don't have the excessive bass response that seems common among in-ear phones. I've been very happy with them and they have lasted extremely well. -k

Maybe his position evolved, or maybe he took a position that he thought was politically convenient. Whatever. What's your point? I'm not running for office, and when my views change over time it's not to win votes. And when I say evolved, I don't mean a random flip-flop, I mean that (for example) over the past 5 years or so my belief in the rule of law has been tempered by an increasing realization that our RCMP officers and other law enforcement officials are not very trustworthy. -k

But why bother? Many of us live in ridings where our MP or MLA wins election by massive margins. It's hard to convince yourself that casting a ballet once every 4 years matters, especially when the election results are a foregone conclusion. Maybe there is some other way of contributing to the political consensus. Do protests matter? Do news items matter? Does social media matter? -k

It wasn't very long ago that Argus and I were considered "the right wing" here at MLW, and now we're pinko commie leftists, according to those that now consider themselves "the right". I don't think I've changed. Some of my positions have evolved, but at the core, I still believe in the same things I always have. I think that "the right" has changed, and the things that I believe in aren't part of what the new "right" believes. A phrase Argus used a long time ago that stuck with me is "a conservative is somebody who uses 2 nails when 1 might be good enough." By that standard, I don't think today's "conservatives" are very conservative. I think real conservatism is characterized by prudence, cautious management of resources, a preference for policies and traditions that have proven their value, and an aversion to high risk ventures and rash decisions. I don't think any of these characteristics describe today's "right". The old right believes in the rule of law. The new right believes in unquestioning obeisance to authority. There's a huge difference, and I don't think the "new right" types quite grasp what it is. -k

Well this has escalated quickly... Journalists phone numbers and addresses posted. Perhaps, like the gun permit holders, these journalists also "had it coming". -k