Glibertarians.com 2019 Archive

Author: Not Adahn

  • IFLA: The “No Special Effort” Edition of the Horoscope for the Week of December 29

    Last horoscope of the year!  And I’m not going to look for things happening on off-days, what there is what you’re going to get.

     

    There’s only one alignment, but it’s a good one:  The Earth remains aligned with the Sun and Jupiter, which is all great news for the home life.

    Capricorn gets its month in the sun, which means I get to link to the best of Xan Griffin’s zodiac songs.  It also retains the Jovian combo of Saturn and Jupiter which gives them tremendous power, but not necessarily any particular direction inherent in it.  So use it wisely.   Mercury in Sagittarius indicates that you’re going to receive excellent advice this week. The moon joining with Venus in Aquarius is at basic level a sign of femininity, more specifically motherhood, and also nature.

    The cards agree with GRRRRL POWAH!  and the general overall domestic bliss (King/Queen of a suit drawn together, one reversed?  Do I really have to spell it out?)  However, the overall theme of the week is “shit’s gone pear-shaped, yo.”  Ten of the twelve cards were drawn reversed, and to say that swords are overrepresented is putting it mildly.  Many sets included, majors indicate this will be an important week.

    Capricorn:  4 of Swords reversed – Wise administration, circumspection, economy, avarice, precaution, testament

    Aquarius:  King of Swords reversed – Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention

    Pisces: Queen of Swords – Widowhood, female sadness and embarrassment, absence, sterility, mourning, privation, separation

    Aries:  King of Wands reversed – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious

    Taurus:  Justice reversed – Law, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity

    Gemini:  The Moon reversed – Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error

    Cancer:  9 of Swords reversed –  Imprisonment, suspicion, doubt, reasonable fear, shame

    Leo:  Page of Swords – Authority, overseeing, secret service, vigilance, spying, examination

    Virgo:  King of Cups reversed –  Dishonest, double-dealing man, roguery, exaction, injustice, vice, scandal, pillage, considerable loss

    Libra:  The Sun reversed – Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment, growth ending

    Scorpio:  9 of Cups reversed – Truth, loyalty, liberty, mistakes, imperfections

    Sagittarius: 8 of Cups reversed – Great joy, happiness, feasting

     

     

     

     

  • IFLA: The “Tidings of Comfort and Joy” Edition of the Horoscope for the Week of Dec 22

    When looking over this week’s charts, nothing was there on Sunday.  It would have been tempting to squint a bit, maybe nudge the ruler to force something into being, and there was something almost happening.  So I tracked the relative motion of Venus and Mercury and bingo!  On Christmas day, there is a SEVEN planet triple conjunction!  So if you want to do something, the odds are on your side.  But what if you just want to chill?  Maybe not so much.  Here’s what’s going on.  First:  Mars-Mercury-Venus.  Yes, Mercury is between Mars and Venus.  It happens.  Orbital mechanics are like that.  In fact did you know that The planet physically closest to Earth is usually Mercury?  Yup.  Your elementary school science teachers failed you, but you probably already knew that.

    Anyway, back to the first alignment:  Mars-Mercury-Venus.  The two poles male/female balanced around chaos.  Um-Yang, the Sacred Chao, whatever you want to call it.  Powerful, but in and of itself of questionable auspicity — are these complementary or competing forces?  Is the center the still point of destruction or the frictionless pivot?  Well, Mars is unconfigured otherwise, But Mercury…

    Conjunction:  Mercury-Luna-Earth.   In this case we have yet more ambiguity, with a leaning towards disorder.  Both Mercury and the Moon signify change, and both can bring luck but they also tend to mean “travel” which is contrary to the homebody nature of the Earth.  So we need more information.  Are any other planets involved in other constructions?  What is the Sun doing?  Fortunately (IYKWIM) there are answers.

    Jupiter-Sun-Earth.  Here we have some solid and unambiguous evidence of benevolence.  The sun and Jupiter are the two most auspicious planets, and having them aligned with the Earth means regardless of whatever is happening with the earlier conjunction with Mercury (and tracing back from there to the Venus-Mars construction)  things are going to be pretty darn good.  It is a most excellent and merry Christmas sign.

    Sagittarius:  9 of Cups reversed – Truth, loyalty, liberty, mistakes, imperfections

    Capricorn:  10 of Cups – Contentment, repose, human love and friendship

    Aquarius:  9 of Swords – failure, miscarriage, delay, deception, disappointment, despair

    Pisces:  2 of Coins reversed – Enforced gaiety, simulated enjoyment, literal sense, handwriting, composition, letters of exchange

    Aries:  Judgment – Change of position, renewal, outcome

    Taurus:  Knight of Cups – arrival, approach, advances, proposition, demeanour, invitation, incitement

    Gemini:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, lovers strife

    Cancer:  7 of Wands – valour, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

    Leo:  The Emperor – Stability, power, protection, realization, aid, reason, conviction, authority, will

    Virgo:  Knight of Swords – Skill, bravery, capacity, defense, address, enmity, wrath, war, destruction, opposition, resistance, ruin

    Libra:  Queen of Wands – A dark woman, countrywoman, friendly, chaste, loving, honorable.  Also, love of money, success in business

    Scorpio:  9 of Coins reversed – roguery, deception, voided project, bad faith.

     

     

     

  • IFLA: The “Moments of Happiness” Edition of the Horoscope for the Week of December 15

    I hope everyone made it through last week.  This week looks better.

    The Mars-Mercury-Sol alignment is still there, it’s moving off which should reduce the amount of squabbling going on around you.  Coming into alignment at the same time that one is breaking up is the sun sliding between Jupiter and the Moon, bringing (literally) “changes for the good.”  Now this is attached to a more prominent alignment of the aforementioned moon with the Earth and Venus indicating a peaceful, loving home life.

    Good or bad news depending on who you are, but the ethical demands of Sagittarius are lessening.  It’s also indicating a good time for journalists, but I’m sure that’s just a coincidence.  Capricorn keeps its power trio going, so be sure to work on difficult mental activities that you’ve been avoiding.  The only really new development in this part of the sky is the Moon in Cancer, so it’s a good time for secrets, anything to do with water, and for getting that odd lump on your butt checked out by a qualified physician.

    Remember how last week’s cards were grim?  This week’s are amazingly good.  I’ve never seen as pleasant a draw for you guys.  There’s only two reversed cards, and fully five of them are upright wands (which is exactly the euphemism you might think).  Wands are the creative/positive aspects of masculinity (as opposed to Swords which are the negative/destructive) so with the wimmen enjoying the benefits of Venus-Luna, it’s a good week for all Glibkind.

    Sagittarius:  4 of Wands – repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace

    Capricorn:  The High Priestess – secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom, science

    Aquarius:  King of Wands – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious

    Pisces:  8 of Wands – Activity in undertakings, swiftness, messenger, great haste, great hope, felicity, love

    Aries:  7 of Wands – valor, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

    Taurus:  Knight of Wands – Departure, absence, flight, emigration, change of residence, casual hookup

    Gemini:  The World – Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place

    Cancer:  Judgement – Change of position, renewal, outcome

    Leo:  King of Coins – Valor, realizing intelligence, business and normal intellectual aptitude, sometimes mathematical gifts and attainments of this kind; success in these paths

    Virgo:  The Emperor reversed – Benevolence, compassion, credit, confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity

    Libra:  8 of Swords reversed –  Disquiet, difficulty, opposition, accident, treachery

    Scorpio:  Ace of Swords – Triumph, the excessive degree in everything, conquest, great force in love as well as in hatred

     

  • A Ranking of Ryes, Round 1

    Welcome to another edition of “Not Adahn Gets Drunk at the Keyboard.”  This will be the first in a series of rye reviews, primarily because I like the spirit and my LLS has and entire wall dedicated to this once side-eyed drink.  Rye whiskey has always been probably the best value in the brown liquor market, with prices being cheap and the quality almost never dropping below “drinkable.”  Now with it becoming popular, the magic of the market has resulted in ryes selling for Scotch prices (looking at you, Whistle Pig) which is something I just have a psychological block against paying.   So I’m not going to.  Fortunately, I can fill out a number of these while spending less than $40 a bottle.  I’m limiting myself to four at a time due to palate fatigue.  As is typical for my tasting protocol, I’ve got distilled water to open up the high-proof offerings, as well as taste modifiers of bread, butter, cheese, chocolate and salted almonds.

    Tonight’s Contenders. Also, notice that although the Pixel has excellent resolution, it is absolute ass at color reproduction.

    Old Overholt Straight Rye Whiskey– Nose is sweet, spicy, a bit cardboardy.  It anesthetizes fairly quickly, so I’ll take it away from my nose for a bit before drinking.  Taste is mild, woody, gentle, dangerously drinkable.  And this was sub-$20.  God bless rye whiskey!

    Jim Beam Rye – I’m rather looking forward to this one.  I was very fond of the old yellow labelled version, as it was the first whiskey that I thought tasted good at body temperature poured out of a steel flask at a football game.  I haven’t tried this new green labelled “pre-prohibition style” whatever that’s supposed to mean.  The nose is much drier than the earlier one.  You can smell the barrels, but other than that, it fairly clean.  Oh that’s nice.  It’s sharper, very much in the Beam idiom of sweet carmel and a big hit of char extracts.  Now that I think about it, those are probably carcinogenic AF.  I need to dig out some carbotrap tubes and run this on the GC-MS at work to see exactly how bad this is for you.  I still like it.  I will admit that there may be some emotional attachment to the brand going on, as it played a notable role in my college years.  My fraternity brothers have long been excellent bullshitters, with stories being so good that they became believed and passed down as fact to the next class.  One of these stories was of “Brother Beam.”  Proof that Jim Beam was a member of our house was demonstrated by the color of the bottle labels (black, white, yellow) and the fact that if you were lying on the floor paralyzed by alcohol and saw a Jim Beam bottle lying near you, the ribbon and wax seal logo kinda sorta looked like our badge.  I typically dilute anything over 80 proof, though I don’t think this needs it.  I’ll do so anyway for consistency’s sake.  A few drops does increase the spice to sweet ratio, and oddly enough makes it a little astringent.  I don’t think I like it any better that way. A little fat on the tongue (from a really good cheddar in this case) also tones down the sweetness.

    Bulleit Rye – The Elon Musk of the spirit world, this rye thinks it’s better than everyone else having a cork rather than a screw cap.  Well lah-dee-dah Mr. Fancy-pants.  I keed.  I’ve also never had this one, though I do like their “Bourbon.”  I may have poured the two previous glasses a little too full, there are numb regions on my tongue I’ll need to taste around.  OK, I don’t know if it’s me or it, but this thing has very little smell.  It’s the whiskey, because it sure has a flavor.  And that flavor is impressive.  I”m not quite certain where to begin since it caught me completely by surprise.  Let’s have another taste and I’ll try to pay closer attention.  Ok, I’m not even sure this is rye.  There are tremendous herbal flavors, green fruits, if it wasn’t for the primal flavor you could believe this was a white wine.  But you know, still tasting like whiskey.  Yeah, I’m tempted to disqualify this from the rankings for being out of genre, but holy hell this is an impressive spirit.  How strong is this… 90 proof?  Ok, a few mLs of water it is.  Very interesting – adding water increased the nose.  I’m getting… chocolate? Yeah, chocolate, and burnt oil, concord grapes and citrus peel.  This smells really good.  The flavor unfortunately, instead of being transformed the way most whiskeys are, was merely diluted.  Still, if you wanted to spend time in a bar just smelling your drink, get this and dribble a little water into it.  Can Mormons do that?  I’m pretty sure Baptists can’t since their rules are only elaborations of the first rule which is to Have No Fun that is not The Lord.  Yeah, I should have a bottle of this in the house at all times.

    Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond – I adore old cookbooks.  I have in my possession a 1940 booklet of an advertisement purporting to be a reference manual put out by the National Distillers Products Corporation which goes into great length about how “Bottled-in-bond” is the assurance of the highest quality American whiskey.  In fact, on page 6 is notes that “Such whiskey meets all the standards for medicinal whiskey as set forth in the United Stated Pharmacopoeia.”  Relevant to this particular post, it also calls Old Overholt the “greatest of all Pennsylvania ryes.”  It further notes that “The Scotch always omit the ‘e’ used in the American spelling of ‘whiskey’.”  Obviously, such a handbook is to be taken quite seriously, so I look forward to this rye which is produced under regulations which are “the most stringent in the world.”  If you’ve paid attention to the pictures, you noticed that this one was darker in color, which makes sense as it was diluted less than the others prior to bottling (oh, for those of you without access to The Host’s Handbook, bottled-in-bond whiskey is always 100 proof).  Before I smell this one, I’ll need to wash the 80-year-old-book smell from many hands.  Having done so, the aroma of this whiskey is more on the bass side of bourbon, with blackberries mixed in with caramel and maple.  The first sip, neat:  yummy.  Compact, warming, a little sharp, a little… dare I say medicinal?  With cheese:  rounder, less distinctive. Now, taking it to ~80 proof with distilled water:  It’s like an entire circus of charred-cask clowns has gone berserk in my mouth.  Holy fuck, there’s “opening up” and then there’s “a porcupine on acid looking at a Klein bottle made of Mobius strips.”  The transformation is total and absolute.  With respect to the National Distillers Products Corporation, this Pennsylvania rye kicks the everloving shit out of Old Overholt.  It is with a heavy heart that I must concede that the U.S. Government has had a hand in producing something great here.  I would turn in my Libertarian card, but I never got one.

    Same order as above. Not much difference, but then again Rye isn’t all about being a special snowflake.

    I titled this a ranking, so I guess I have to pick a winner:

    Honorable Mention:  Bulleit Rye – This is fantastic stuff, but too atypical to continue on to to the next round.  I’m still drinking the fuck out of it.

    Best Value Whiskey:  Old Overholt – this is a legitimately good whiskey, and it’s cheaper than Jack.

    Winner of Round 1:  Rittenhouse Rye Bottled-In-Bond.  This shakes my confidence in FedGov turning everything it touches into crap.  That’s how good this is.

     

  • IFLA: The “Strange Things are Afoot” Edition of the horoscope for the Week of December 8

    The skies are being a bit mysterious today.  No alignments or conjunctions, no occluded oppositions.  Just a bunch of planets minding their own business.  Or so they’d like you to think…

    Usually when the sun is in your sign, you’ve got other good things going on, if for no other reason than two of the luckiest planets (Mercury and Venus) are never too far away from the Sun.  Unfortunately, this week Sagittarius isn’t seeing that, so its prime influences foresight, perception, precision will be dominant without extra goodies starwise.  Sagittarius’ loss is Capricorn’s gain as Venus is there this week.  Also joining her is her uncle Jupiter and her grandfather Saturn.  We have three generations in one of the oldest and most primordial signs, making this an excellent time to pass down skills and family lore, so get to either learning or teaching.  This is also a time of family disputes, given the somewhat… troubled history between Jupiter and Saturn, as well as the fact that Venus, being produced without procreation herself, is most explicitly NOT an avatar of familial love.  However, Venus is a harmonizer, which will let hhe polarities represented by Jupiter and Saturn exist in a sense of completion rather than opposition.  There is a lot of power in this celestial arrangement, so make use of it while you can.  Especially since there is going to be some chaos this week as the moon is in Aries.  Mars and Mercury in Scorpio means… something about attacks?  An attack you can see coming.

    A rather grim draw this week.  Lots of swords, lots of reverses including the only major.

    Sagittarius:  10 of Cups reversed – A false sense of security, indignation, violence

    Capricorn:  2 of Coins – gaiety, recreation, news and messages in writing, obstacles, agitation, trouble, embroilment.

    Aquarius:  King of Swords reversed – Cruelty, perversity, barbarity, perfidy, evil intention

    Pisces:  10 of Swords – pain, affliction, tears, sadness, desolation

    Aries:  Page of Wands – This card has a typical reading which I’m ignoring because of this footnote “A dangerous rival, if followed by the Page of Cups.”  Guess what was drawn next?

    Taurus:  Page of Cups reversed  – Taste, inclination, attachment, seduction, deception, artifice

    Gemini:  King of Coins – Valour, realizing intelligence, business and normal intellectual aptitude, mathematical gifts and attainments of this kind; success in these paths

    Cancer:  2 of Swords reversed – Imposture, falsehood, duplicity, disloyalty, misdirected revenge

    Leo:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds

    Virgo:  5 of Coins reversed – Disorder, chaos, ruin, discord, profligacy

    Libra:  4 of Swords – Vigilance, retreat, solitude, hermit’s repose, exile, tomb, coffin

    Scorpio:  8 of Swords – Bad news, violent chagrin, crisis, censure, power in trammels, conflict, calumny, sickness

     

     

  • IFLA: The “I’m at the Airport” Edition of the Horoscope for the Week of Dec 1

    I’m writing this way early because I’ll be out of town doing various fun, family and feasting things over Thanksgiving so all of the predictions that come true are extra-impressive.  My first prediction is that I’ll be at the airport when this gets published which is a pretty risky prediction as anyone who has attempted to fly into Albany in the winter can attest to.

    Lots of bad news in the skies this week, but much of it is annoyingly unspecific.  Saturn-Venus-Luna can mean the end of a relationship, a decrease in passion in a current relationship, Lesbian Bed Death, menopause, or a relationship getting out of a sexual rut that it’s been in.  Mars aligning with Mercury and the Earth can mean a soldier returning home, a soldier being called up from hoe to go to war, or your neighbors have a domestic disturbance that causes you problems.  Sagittarius continues its karmic benevolence from last week, though less so, and for those born under this sign, this week will be a bit less than optimal (though still very good).  Capricorn will be lucky in love purely by accident.  The moon in Aquarius brings an enhancement to water in all of its forms.

    I somehow made it out of town without my deck, and also have to write this up on a phone.  While a lesser man would use that as an excuse to not provide you with that personal advice that you’ve come to depend on, I won’t let you down.  I don’t have any suitable scapulae available, and my hosts wouldn’t appreciate the ritual evisceration that a good haruspex requires.  Plus I’d need to do it twelve times, and that would cut into my holiday budget.  There are many systems of divination based on the casting of tonnes, probably the most famous of which is the I Ching.  I’m not going to cast that one either.  Instead, I’m going to use a stripped-down version of the Celtic oracular casting sticks, or more specifically:  coins.  The prescient precision is imperfect with this, but the results should be just as reliable as any major technique.

    Sagittarius: good luck

    Capricorn:  bad luck

    Aquarius: good luck

    Pisces: good luck

    Aries: bad luck

    Taurus: bad luck

    Gemini: bad luck

    Cancer: bad luck

    Leo: good luck

    Virgo: good luck

    Libra: good luck

    Scorpio: bad luck

  • I Fucking Hate New York, Part II: The Self-Defensining

    If you can remember back to this post, I was and am in the process of getting legal with the Empire State with respect to items that go BLAM!  A bit more than a year ago, I received permission from his most gracious and beneficent judge of Saratoga County to take possession and assume actual physical control of a handgun.  A (as in singular) handgun (a 1965 Ruger Standard with a 6″ barrel).

    Ruger Mark I with a 6" barrel
    There are many like it, but this one is MINE.

    Since that time, I have amended that license a few times, paying $3 each time I had enough money lying around to add to the collection.   This license didn’t allow me to defend myself with it, that would still be very illegal.  But having had it for a year, and only having put holes in non-human objects I am now permitted to shell out another $200, spend another day in class and then re-apply to be granted such permissions as stopping for gasoline or lunch on the way to and/or from a gun range.

    Why does this class cost $200?  Well first of all it can be.  Regulatory capture and all that.  But adding to that cost is undoubtedly this (underlining, bolding and italicizing in the original):

    New York State Penal Law provisions including but not limited to the SAFE Act;
    Article 35 (justification of the use of force); reporting requirements for the theft or
    loss of a firearm or ammunition; where it is lawful to carry and possess a firearm;
    and proactive awareness of surroundings, home, and car while carrying a firearm.
    Classroom instruction on Penal Law Article 35 must be provided by an attorney licensed to practice in New York State.

    NY looooves the shit out of its Top. Men.  So much so that it’s simultaneously trying to eradicate the NRA, but also relying on the NRA to determine when freemen can travel through the King’s Land with their weapons.

    The class itself was ridonkulously basic and exactly like every other gun safety class you have ever been exposed to, with the one exception of the Article 35 review mentioned above.  That part was given by a lawyer that happened to be the club’s treasurer and gave off a whiff of gun-nuttery.  He was a enthusiastic fanboi of Massad Ayoob and encouraged us to subscribe to Combat Handgunner and because they both had columns written by Mr. Ayoob.  This lawyer’s reasoning was that if you have a subscription to these magazines, any article in them could be presented in your defense as training as part of the “reasonable person*” defense.  I have no idea how often this works, and didn’t ask him about his success rate in actual trials.

    New York’s self defense laws are pretty straightforward if you follow the logic of “you need a really good reason to kill someone,” and “you need to de-escalate.”  However, there is a fuckton of nuance and interpretation in implementation that I am sure gets abused.  New York distinguishes between “Physical Force” and “Deadly Physical force”**  Basically, you have a duty to retreat in public, but do not have a duty to put yourself at a tactical disadvantage.  You cannot use Deadly Physical Force against someone that is only using Physical Force, unless the person is in the act of committing a kidnapping, a rape, or arson.  (Yes, in NY arson is the sole exception to being able to defend property with force).  There is a “castle doctrine,” but only to the extent that “duty to retreat” does not apply within a residence that you are authorized to be in.  You still can’t shoot (or stab or club) someone who is in your house unless they are attacking you or committing one of those aforementioned crimes, supra.  You can only defend an “innocent” third party (so that White Hispanic dude with the Kel-Tec would likely have been convicted in NY).

    The lawyer also did something extremely useful, which was to pass out his business card which immediately went into the wallet because it is printed thusly:  ‘

    Need to get this thing laminated

    The rest of the course consisted of me getting yelled at by a Range Safety Officer for not having a correct shooting grip while practice drawing a rubber Sig P220 from a provided right-handed paddle holster.  I am not right-handed.

    I did not muzzle myself or anyone else during the drills. But some people become RSOs to have an excuse to yell at people I guess.

    Then we went for a live-fire qualification where I shot 500/500 on an AP1 target over distances ranging from 15 yards to 3, and with times allowed ranging from “completely adequate” to “literally forever.” The fact that this was considered a notable accomplishment makes me weep, and reminds me that the NRA was founded by a bunch of Civil War veterans from New York who were appalled by their cohort’s marksmanship (or lack thereof).  Apparently nothing has changed in the last 150 years.  I then received a suitable-for-framing certificate of completion and was told the correct way to request that my permit be switched to “unrestricted.”  There isn’t actually any indication on the forms that you want to do that.  You just ask to have a duplicate permit made and the nice ladies at the Sheriff’s Office (no sarcasm this time) are supposed to telepathically determine that you want an upgrade (though I suppose the fact that you hand them your certificate should be a big hint — still, there is no official paperwork AFAICT.)  This triggers another round  of background checks with now a higher standard for acceptance (or rather a lower bar for rejection***).  Again, this standard is completely at the whim of his most gracious judicial majesty of the County of X.  A rejection at this stage is appealable, but successful appeals have never happened ever in the history of “who the fuck do you think you are peasant?”  Unlike the initial permitting process, this upgrading is supposed to happen quickly.  We shall see.

    *turns in paperwork*

    *waits*

     

    via GIPHY

    *receives phone call from Sheriff’s Office.*  Apparently when I traded in my 22/45 for my Mark IV, the gun store paperwork got the gun I was trading in and the gun I was taking home BACKWARDS.  Fortunately the sheriff isn’t arresting me.  Yet.

    *waits*

    via GIPHY

    One week later…

    “Mr. Adahn, could you come down to the Sheriff’s office on [names two days of the week] between [names a three hour window]?  You’ll need to bring your pistol license with you.”

    While this might be a trap, they already know where I live and that I’m (vaguely and lightly) armed, and they haven’t sent a SWAT team after me (yet).  So I go at the next opportunity (which is 20 hours later).  The nice ladies at the Sheriff’s office take a new picture of me, have me wait while they warm up the card printer, then have me wait some more while they warm up the card laminator.  Then they hand me a card very similar to my earlier one, only this one has the picture of a less fat guy on it, has my pistols printed on it instead of being written in sharpie, and most importantly, in the lower let corner it says UNRESTRICTED.  I am now less likely to commit a felony than I was before.

    I celebrate by getting a coffee and bagel at a Panera drive through (French toast with cream cheese) while having a pistol in the car.

     

    *NY’s “reasonable person” definition apparently includes that a reasonable person would have the same knowledge as the defendant.  Thus if you smoke someone who has a knife that is five yards away and you have been trained on the Tuller Drill, a “reasonable person” knows that an armed attacker within seven yards presents a lethal threat.

    **Kicking someone barefooted is Physical Force.  Kicking someone with a shoe on is Deadly Physical Force.

    ***All of the information about this unrestricted permitting process makes it very clear that they will reject your ass for a single DUI.  You even have to acknowledge this before the class begins.  During the practice session for SSRG’s multi-gun event, I talked to three members who were avid clay shooters that were denied pistol permits for that very reason, which is why the club chose the “2×4” format for the matches.  You can’t assume that a NYS resident will be able to legally complete with a pistol.

  • IFLA: the Horoscope for the Week of November 24

    This week we have a legendary apparition:  Mercury aligned with Mars, the Earth, and the Moon with the Sun and Venus in opposition.  With just a little bit of rearrangement, this is one of the most terrible signs you can see.  It’s what was overhead when David sent Bathsheba’s husband off to be killed.  Those born under that dark sign grow up to be prison guards.  But fortunately for us, this configuration isn’t a sign of sadism, selfishness and the violent ending of happy lives, it’s a sign of a dark tide turning, of an attack that lifts a siege, or a second wind that allows someone to outrun their pursuers.  Of course, this is only good news to you if your life is pretty shitty; if you’re doing ok, feel free to disregard this omen.

    Things are coming up archers (great news for anyone involved in a shooting match) and while Sagittarius might have felt kind of bored with things remaining so static for so long, having Jupiter visiting you while your sun in in ascension is the kind of good fortune that only comes up rarely (but in a way that is completely predictable and calculable since the days of Pythagoras).  The moon in Libra brings tension to everyone as the change/balance fight goes on and Scorpio speaks of unpleasant news, what with Mars and Mercury.

    The cards indicate that this is going to be a pretty shitty week, money-wise.  Sorry ’bout that.

    Sagittarius:  10 of Cups reversed – Unperceived threat, indignation, violence

    Capricorn:  The Hanged Man reversed – Selfishness, the crowd, body politic

    Aquarius:  The Blank Card – It’s blank.

    Pisces:  7 of Wands – Valour, discussion, negotiations, war of trade, barter, competition, success

    Aries:  Page of Coins –  Application, study, scholarship, reflection, news, messages and the bringer thereof; also rule, management.

    Taurus:  Knight of Cups – Arrival, approach, proposition, invitation, incitement.

    Gemini:  King of Wands – Dark man, friendly, countryman, generally married, honest and conscientious.

    Cancer:  The Lovers reversed – Failure, foolish designs, marriage frustrated

    Leo:  5 of Cups – loss, but something remains,  inheritance, patrimony, transmissionbut not corresponding to expectations

    Virgo:  3 of Wands reversed – The end of troubles, suspension or cessation of adversity, toil and disappointment.

    Libra:  King of Coins reversed – Vice, weakness, ugliness, perversity, corruption, peril

    Scorpio:  8 of Cups -Mental alienation, error, loss, distraction, disorder, confusion

  • IFLA: The “Put a Ring on It” Edition of the Horoscope for the Week of Nov 17

    If you’re getting married this week, congratulations!  The alignment of Jupiter and Venus with the Earth (when they are in Sagittarius no less!) makes this an ideal time to get hitched.  If you’re thinking about eloping to take advantage of the stars, I have bad news:  it’s not going to work.  Jupiter’s influences don’t extend to spontaneous or rushed actions.  Venus on the other hand?  She’s all about the quickie which is why this week is particularly good for a short-term dalliance (Venus-Sol-Saturn).  Saturn being part of the mix indicates that the clock is ticking on any romances that begin under this alignment.  In not-at-all-romance-related news, we have got the sign that presages military disaster (Mars-MERCURY RETROGRADE-Luna).  Hopefully it doesn’t involve anyone we know.  Scorpio limps its way out of the year, BUT there will be a flash of felicity as MERCURY RETROGRADE ends on Wednesday.  Mars in Libra suggests the Sword of Damocles, so be prepared for suspense of not-fun kind.  The moon in Cancer gives a double-water signal, with impressive results for all things secret or sullen.  We talked about Sagittarius above, and the same situation as last week applies: love, joy and happiness to those who deserve it.

    The cards this week are surprisingly positive.  Enjoy it while it last

    Scorpio:  Death reversed – Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism

    Sagittarius:  The High Priestess – Secrets, mystery, silence, tenacity, wisdom, science

    Capricorn:  3 of Coins – trade, skilled labor, nobility, aristocracy, renown, glory

    Aquarius: 7 of Wands – Valor, discussion, wordy strife, negotiations, barter, competition, success

    Pisces:  The Hierophant – Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude, mercy, goodness, inspiration

    Aries: 3 of Swords – Removal, absence, delay, division, rupture, dispersion

    Taurus:  King of Wands reversed – Good but severe, austere man

    Gemini:  9 of Coins – Prudence, safety, success, accomplishment, certitude, discernment

    Cancer: Queen of Wands – A dark woman, countrywoman, friendly, chaste, loving, honorable. Also, love of money, or a certain success in business.

    Leo: King of Coins reversed – Vice, weakness, ugliness, perversity, corruption, peril

    Virgo:  9 of Cups – Concord, contentment, physical bien-être; also victory, success, advantage

    Libra:  4 of Wands – country life, refuge, repose, concord, harmony, prosperity, peace, perfected work

  • IFLA: The “Absolute Lunacy” Edition of The Horoscope for the Week of November 10

    MERCURY RETROGRADE continues sticking its winged foot into all sorts of stuff.  This week sees an almost perfect set up for an outbreak of insanity, with MERCURY RETROGRADE lining up with us, with the moon providing backup and the sun providing power.  In fact, depending on where you live, you can watch the transit of Mercury tomorrow.  I did say almost perfect, since an absolute world-wide break with reality would require adding Saturn to the lineup and putting Jupiter in opposition, and we’d need to get Aquarius and either Capricorn, Cancer or Scorpio involved.  Hmmm.  The sun and MERCURY RETROGRADE are in Scorpio during all of this…

    MERCURY RETROGRADE upsets the ordinarily optimally benevolent conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, so expect missteps, infidelity, and/or incorrect toilet seat positioning to cause major strife, so major in fact that a relationship is going to outright end (sun-Venus-Saturn).    I wouldn’t get too bent out of shape over this one, since it’s so prominent that the stars will be talking about someone important, not you.  Perhaps Meghan will “accidentally” stick the riding crop into Harry’s butt and this will precipitate her getting locked in the Tower.  I dunno, but that’s the more likely scenario.

    Scorpio continues to spread bad luck across the rest of the signs, though to be fair, it’s all MERCURY RETROGRADE’s fault.  Sagittarius is being straight-up Aesop, with success in all things guaranteed (Venus-Mars-Jupiter) as long as you a) take the right advice and b) do the right thing.  The last celestial bit of note is the moon in Aries.  Moonstruck goats.  Make of that what you will.

    This week’s cards skew heavily towards the “fighting” side of the fighting-fucking axis.  But its very much indicating that problems will be mild, potentially dealing with yoots.

    Scorpio:  The Star reversed – Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence

    Sagittarius:  3 of Swords reversed – Mental alienation, error, loss, distraction, disorder, confusion

    Capricorn:  4 of Coins reversed – Suspense, delay, opposition

    Aquarius:  Page of Cups – Fair young man, one impelled to render service and with whom you will be connected; a studious youth; news, message; application, reflection, meditation; also these things directed to business.

    Pisces:  6 of Cups – past, memories, looking back, happiness, enjoyment, things that have vanished

    Aries:  3 of Coins reversed – Mediocrity, pettiness, weakness

    Taurus: Queen of Swords – Female sadness and embarrassment, absence, sterility, mourning, privation, separation

    Gemini:  5 of Swords reversed – Degradation, destruction, revocation, infamy, dishonor, loss

    Cancer:  Page of Swords – Authority, overseeing, secret service, vigilance, spying, examination

    Leo:  2 of Cups – Love, passion, friendship, affinity, union, concord, sympathy

    Virgo:  4 of Wands reversed – prosperity, increase, felicity, beauty, embellishment

    Libra:  10 of Wands reversed – Contrarieties, difficulties, intrigues