Customs and ATF Officials Seize BB Guns

Image via Wikipedia

I do not envy the job that our Customs and Border Patrol agents have to perform day in and day out in their quest to keep our country safe.  They have to be diligent in their pursuit of discovering the new ways that smugglers attempt to bring in drugs and weapons into the country.  Then there is the pursuit of those who try to enter the country illegally.  It is a tough job to be sure.

One would think that with the multitude of items coming through customs, that occasionally legal items could be stopped at the border.  You would also think that once it was determined that said product was allowed to be brought into the country that any product that was delayed or confiscated would be returned to the rightful owners of that property.

Bob Owens of Pajamamedia.com has an interesting three part series about a company, Airsoft Outlet Northwest, has been having difficulty getting their goods through customs.  Airsoft Outlet sells air rifles designed to shoot plastic BBs.  These rifles are designed for those who are looking for a less messy alternative to paint ball.  Several of the rifles are very realistic looking, but are not made with the same quality metals used to manufacture a real weapon. 

Airsoft Outlet Northwest had a recent shipment of 30 of these rifles seized by custom officials.  The owners of the company thought that it would be a temporary delay since they believed that a close examination of the guns would reveal that the guns were not real weapons.  Plus they had received similar shipments in the past.  Customs officers turned the guns over the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  Here is where the story starts to border on absurd.  The ATF officials determined that seized guns were, in fact, designed to shoot plastic BBs.  However, they also determined that they could be retrofit to become actual machine guns. 

In his article, Owens quotes numerous experts who claim the items could not be converted to actual weapons.  He also sites other products seized from Airsoft Outlet that can easily be purchased at sites like Amazon.com.  In other parts of the country, similar items can be purchased from other Airsoft dealers.  Owens even sites a customs regulation stating that these types of goods are perfectly legal. 

Pajamas media has tried to contact both the ATF and the CBP regarding the matter and to clarify how their decision in the Northwest will impact the rest of the country and future shipments.  They have not responded to those requests.  Unfortunately, right now, the guns are set to be destroyed by the ATF.  The actions of the ATF and CBP could best be described as being overzealous, and at worse incompetence. Sadly, a small business owner is set to be out of several thousand dollars through no fault of their own because of these events.

Related articles by Zemanta

• ATF Seizes 30 Dangerous BB Guns (outsidethebeltway.com)
• ATF Seizes 30 Toy Guns (neatorama.com)

Our Government in Action

I was checking a few sites checking looking for anything that I might want to blog about this evening.  I stumbled upon a few things on Neal Boortz's website in Nealz Nuze.  Boortz had a link to a post at Axis of Right on more wasteful census spending.  Axis of Right received a letter from the Census Bureau announcing that in the next week they would receive a census form, and they should fill it out and return it. 
  
OK.  Is there anybody out there that doesn't know that the census is coming out?  The government spent $2.5 million to advertise it on the Super Bowl.  I keep hearing radio commercials during my drive to and from work each day.  It has been all over the news.  Talk radio has been talking about all the temporary census workers that will be hired that will cause a decline in the unemployment numbers. 

Is there really a need to send everyone a letter announcing they would receive another piece of mail in a week?  Sal from Axis of Right proceeded to give an estimate of how much it must have cost to send the letter.  Conservatively, the price came in at over $42 million dollars.  Granted, that isn't a whole lot of dough when billions are tossed around like carrying around money, but it is indicative of the waste involved in our federal bureaucracy.  

Music Monday-Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like We Do"

Frampton Comes Alive! (25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)Frampton Comes Alive!

Image via Wikipedia

Sometimes it's fun to look back at the musical icons of your youth and see how they look 30 years later.  When I was in high school, one of the biggest selling albums of all time was Peter Frampton's "Frampton Comes Alive" album.  The cover pictured a very long haired Frampton.  Years later, Frampton, picture in this post is a balding, bespectacled middle aged man that looks more like an accountant than a rock star. 

One of the things that I loved about "Frampton Comes Alive" was his heavy use of the talk box. It was not something that I had heard a lot of back in those days.  The use of the talk box is featured in one of his biggest hit "Do You Feel Like We Do," which Frampton performs below on the old Midnight Special.  Thank God for YouTube.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Yes & Peter Frampton Tour (jambase.com)
• 18 reviews of Peter Frampton (rateitall.com)

The Shake Weight

This afternoon, my son wanted to go to Hooter's for lunch.  I can always go for some wings, so we headed on out.  If you have never been to Hooter's, like a lot of sports bars they have multiple televisions on showing sports.  On one of the screens, I saw the following infomercial playing.

Now, my son loves watching infomercials, so I have seen a lot of exercise infomercials, the P90X, the Bowflex, the Total Gym, and others. The Shake Weight was one that I had not seen before. I could not hear the actual commercial, but suffice to say that the thoughts I had while watching it were more in line with the parody below.

Pillsbury Orange Sweet Roll Giveaway

Most days, breakfast for me consists of taking a travel mug of coffee and a couple granola bars in the car when I make my morning commute.  It is a rare opportunity for me to have a nice, leisurely hot breakfast.  It is exceedingly rare for us to do it together as a family.  Pillsbury products make it easy for you to have a good breakfast with the family.

The Pillsbury Company and MyBlogSpark recently sent me a special VIP gift pack to try Pillsbury's Orange Sweet Rolls.  The gift pack included a coupon for a free package of Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls and a photo album for keeping all those sweet family memories in one place.  This morning, I was able to take advantage of that free coupon and cook up a batch of Pillsbury Orange Sweet Rolls.

It brought back a lot of childhood memories for me.  Most days, breakfast for us growing up was a quick bowl of cereal.  On special occasions, or some Sunday mornings, we would get a special hot breakfast.  Sometimes it consisted of pancakes and often times, it consisted of hot Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls. For some reason, I always thought they must be hard to make, but Pillsbury makes it simple.  It only takes about 15 minutes to serve some hot gooey sweet rolls.

There is no reason not to be able to start making special memories with your family, even as hectic as things get these days.  In fact, Pillsbury and MyBlogSpark are giving me the opportunity to let one of my readers get started by providing a VIP gift pack for me to giveaway.  Just post about your favorite breakfast memories, along with an email address that I can contact the winner to get their shipping information.  I will select the winner randomly on Sunday, March 14th.

Harry Reid and Jobs

I know what Harry Reid was trying to say, but my goodness, what an idiot.  The job report came out today, and was a bit better than expected.  Unfortunately, the country still lost jobs; 36000 of them.  But in Harry Reid's world that is a "big day in America," and is "really good."  Reid's comments reminded me of an event that occurred several years ago in one of my positions.

Several years ago, I worked in the division office of a grocery store chain here in the DC area.  We had all heard rumors about impending layoffs, and centralizing several positions to the corporate office. The big day came when the company held a meeting.  In the meeting, one of the company VP's announced that most of the people in the room would be losing their jobs.  Then, as everyone sat there in a bit of shock, the VP went on to talk about how much stronger the company was going to be in the long run.

The last thing anybody in that meeting room wanted to hear after being told they were losing their jobs was how much better off the company was going to be without them.  They wanted to know how they were going to pay their bills.  If you were one of the 36000 who lost your job, the last thing you want to hear is what great news it is that only 36000 people lost their jobs.  My reaction to Harry Reid's comments are pretty much the same as my reaction to our VP during that meeting.  "What an ass!"

Related articles by Zemanta

• Just Call Me Good News Harry! (edistojoe.com)
• Hapless Harry Reid: 36,000 Americans Lost Their Jobs This Month. And You're Welcome. (minx.cc)

Ardyss Body Shaping Products

I don't know of anybody who wouldn't want to look or feel better.  Whenever I have managed to work out and control my weight, I feel that I project a different image.  If you feel good, you appear more vibrant and confident. In these hectic days, it is often difficult to achieve the desired results on your own.  Sometimes, you just need a little help.

A friend of mine has become an independent distributor for a company called Ardyss.  She became involved in with the company because she was interested in their reshaping garments.  She has worn the garments to work, and it does make a difference.  It does provide a slimmer appearance and helps you with your posture.  When you stand straighter, you look a lot better than when you are slumped over.

Ardyss makes body shaping products for both men and women.  They make a number of different types of products, so they do have something for everybody.  In addition to all the body shaping products, they also sell a number of nutritional supplements and cosmetic items.  So not only can you look good with Ardyss products, but you can look good as well. 

More Dirty Obamacare Deals?

Image via Wikipedia

So, I am driving home from work this evening listening to talk radio.  I caught the last half hour of the Sean Hannity show, and the first half hour of the Mark Levin show.  Levin started his program off by announcing that Barack Obama would be meeting tonight with ten Democrat members of Congress who had previously voted against the health care bill.  Levin was announcing that he would have the names and numbers of those ten members of Congress posted on his website. 

He encouraged listeners to participate in a "Levin Surge" and to call those members to encourage them to vote against health care.  During his announcement of the "Levin Surge," he interrupted his opening statements by discussing an article on the WeeklyStandard.com website announcing that the White House had nominated Scott Matheson of Utah to be a judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Court.

So, who is Scott Matheson and what does he have to do with Obama meeting with ten Democrat members of Congress to try to persuade them to change their vote on Obamacare?  It just so happens that one of those ten members of Congress is Jim Matheson (D-UT.)  Matheson previously voted against the bill in committee and against the bill when it came to a vote before the entire House.  Now, Matheson is reportedly undecided.
 
It would appear that Scott Matheson is well qualified to be a judge.  It could just be a coincidence, however, given the nature of all of the special deals that have been made to procure votes to get passage of the bill thus far, the timing of his nomination is curious.  In politics, I don't believe in coincidences.  The majority of people oppose this bill because of all the shady deals, but the powers that be just don't care what we think.

Oh, and speaking of the health care bill.  Obama announced today that he was going to incorporate a couple ideas that the Republicans had put forth in the health care summit last week.  I don't know if he actually thinks that will help it any or not.  I mean, if you serve somebody a bowl of shit, and then sprinkle some sugar on it, you are still pretty much left with a bowl of shit.

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Chicago Way: Obama Names Brother of Undecided Democrat to Appeals Court (minx.cc)
• Obama’s Final Push for Health Care (blogs.wsj.com)

Collins Bailey for Congress

It is never too early to start thinking about November. I live in the 5th Congressional District of the state of Maryland which has sent Steny Hoyer to the House of Representatives for the past 30 years.  Needless to say, I am not a big fan of House Leader Hoyer.

On Saturday, as I was heading to work my part time job, I saw a sign at a gas station for Collins Bailey for Congress.  I decided to check out Mr. Bailey's website, and I have decided to throw my support completely behind him.  According to his site, the items listed below are the things that Collins Bailey believes in.  I am in complete agreement with him on all of these points.

... these truths are self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

... the strength of our nation lies with the individual and that each person's dignity, freedom, ability, opportunity and responsibility must be honored and protected.

... in equal rights, justice, and opportunity for all.

... free enterprise and individual initiative have brought this nation opportunity, economic growth, and prosperity.

... government must practice fiscal responsibility and individuals should keep more of the money they earn.

... in individual responsibility.

... in economic and personal liberty.

... that the federal deficit is caused by government spending too much, not by Americans being taxed too little.

... the proper, Constitutional, role of government is to provide those functions that cannot be performed by individuals or private organizations and that government is best which governs the least, because its people discipline themselves.

... that the role of the federal government is to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.

... the most effective, responsible, and responsive government is government closest to the people.

... in the idea of individualism and reject collectivism.

... Americans must retain the principles that have made us strong and protect our national sovereignty.

... that spending in Congress is out of control. Americans are having to work too many hours just to support the wasteful habits of our federal government. That Congress is not representing traditional American values and Constitutional principles that reflect who we really are as a people. And that those who created the current mess in Washington are not the best candidates to translate these ideals into positive and successful principles of government.

Music Monday-George Strait "Living for the Night"

Every time I hear this song, I have the following thoughts. First, I absolutely love the song. I really tend to gravitate to these mellow, broken heart songs. I especially love the line "Whiskey kills the man you've turned me into." Second, I am amazed by the consistency and quality of the music put out by George Strait. After nearly 30 years, and 57 #1 songs, like a fine wine, George Strait just gets better with age.

George Strait   More CMT Music   More CMT Music Videos

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.





PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Related articles by Zemanta

• George Strait - Troubadour (roughstock.com)
• George Strait Still Endlessly Amused by Puns Involving His Last Name (countrycalifornia.com)