Mrs. Peel

Well, it would appear that even those in the NJ court system realized fairly quickly they made a BIG mistake with the bail reform! They are already making some adjustments to the law... I'll leave you all to judge whether it's enough or not: http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20170525/NEWS/170529835

http://www.guns.com/2017/06/06/california-bill-would-take-guns-from-those-in-the-hate-crime-loophole/ Here's another piece of gun control being proposed in California - apparently we have a similar law in NJ? --- A "hate crime" law that impacts on one's ability to buy a gun? I'm not familiar with it. First, let me be clear: I obviously don't want certified wack-a-doodles or violent people to have guns! What concerns me though is this: it seems we are in this new surreal space lately where some in our society are re-defining "violence". Call someone an ugly name? Yup, it's violence! Do some minor property damage? That's violence too! Whereas I think of "violence" in the standard meaning of the term, like bopping someone in the nose with your fist. This proposed CA legislation is written so broadly, even misdemeanor property damage could result in someone's 2A rights being stripped away... for LIFE. I've personally known several men in my life who had a "stupid indiscretion" (or 2 or 3...) in their youth... and now are quite responsible. That's not uncommon. Imagine some young man has a few beers one night, gets egged on by friends, and scrawls something stupid and hurtful on a religious building and gets caught. To me, that's an epically stupid crime that he should pay for, certainly... have him clean it up, maybe participate in some volunteer hours, assess his case individually, etc. - but damn, stripping away one of his basic rights as enshrined in our bill of rights for life... this is just so extreme! It's no wonder a bunch of gun control groups are backing this up. Does anyone know what our similar NJ law is like? Is it that broad also?

OK, this was nice to see... especially in these days of rising tensions between police and citizen activists. A 3-year old girl in the Kansas City area wants to be a cop, so she sets up a lemonade stand to earn money to buy her own mini-cop uniform... and by midday she has her uniform. Family posts it to Facebook... local police station puts out the word and over the course of the remaining afternoon, they have 50+ cops showing up from all over the area to the lemonade stand... including members from the mounted unit (with their horses, natch)... and even a police chopper buzzing overhead. Too funny. And great PR! http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/911-lemonade-emergency-officers-visit-wannabe-cops-stand/ar-BBCa0hk?li=AAk6ORB&ocid=spartanntp

Fortunately, I have a set of neighbors who actually want their sons to learn responsibility, work ethic, customer service, the value of a dollar, etc. So, I've had the 17 year old mowing for the last few years and once he heads off to college I'm hoping the younger son will be ready and willing to become my next lawn slave. (I enjoy weed wacking, but I hate mowing - so it's worked out well for everyone).

OK, Sir Drake is making me look wimpy. The system I use is the Ryobi ONE+ - which is their 18V lithium battery line - still plenty powerful. The 40V must be... yikes!

If you're attacking something tall, trust me, use goggles. That puppy will send shards of stems and leaves flying... like a little tornado. You'll be the Edward Scissorhands of your town!

I have a teenager mow my yard... but I do the weed wacking and edging. My very small yard has a decent amount of fencing, raised gardens, etc. that need attention. I use a Ryobi battery-powered weed wacker/edger. I've chopped through growth with woody stems 1/2 in diameter like buttah...and the charge lasts for roughly an hour! I got one for my dad for father's day a couple years ago - he always had the gas-powered stuff, but he's totally sold on it too.. He said the battery powered tools today are far superior to what they had years ago. Ryobi has a whole series of tools that can use the same charger and batteries. So, you can just keep adding to the same line-up... and when you have a big task precharge all the batteries and you're good to go. Worth checking out IMO.

What's up with you guys texting HE? He gave you his number? Are you like the "cool kids" or something? Wow. I feel pretty dorky right about now.

I know, I know! I've been so foiled with a bump in freelance work. I'm pleased of course but frustrated as it interferes with other "funner" things. I think I might just take a morning off next week to head to a commercial range in the area for some rentals. I need to start winnowing down the field! OK, here's one question I can ask now: should I allow the possibility of a Governor Murphy affect my choice of firearm? Or doesn't it matter? Is there really anything that can't be altered... magazine capacity, etc.? My guess is there will be no "grandfather clauses" if he does indeed get in and pass something similar or worse than the SAFE act... agreed? Why do I want to spend money and find myself on the wrong side of the law shortly thereafter? I promise to have info to report by next weekend! Thanks for the nudge, Zeke!

You weren't kidding! You DO have a good eye!

Current: 2000 Audi A4 - yes, she's got some years on her, but oh my, she's still a peach! Less than 140k miles and I have a great mechanic - so I intend to run her up to at least 200k. I love her so much I even named her: Princess Cruella Cream Puff. Favorite: the current car... in a tie with my first car - a hideous green VW Bug (a.k.a. The Green Hornet)with missing running boards and rotted holes in the floorboard. Literally, if I hit a puddle, my feet would get splashed - a very unique driving experience, for sure. But, oh, how I loved that car! I learned to drive stick on it, how to force it to start when it was being difficult, and therefore learned to think strategically by parking it on a hill whenever possible facing downhill... ah, good times! I actually cried when I sold it. You know what they say... a girl's "first" always has a special place in her heart, LOL. Worst: Every tin can in-between - Nissan, Honda, Hyundai, Suzuki, etc. Hmmm... I just realized, I guess I'm just a fan of German engineering! Like the A4, even the ancient Bug had that nice solid "thunk" when you closed the door. I do so hate a "tinny" car.

Happy Birthday! Enjoy.

Oh, she's adorbs! Especially in her patriotic finery.

Wow, ummm... Zeke, I'm sitting here looking at my laptop screen, and I must say, that's a very unique campaign approach. I'm not sure exactly what you're promoting here, my friend! I'm really quite speechless.

Think of this as a public service message! I read this article a couple of years ago --- and this info was surprising to me personally! Ironically, that very same summer, a friend of mine was sitting on the deck of her pool with a few mom friends - relaxing, enjoying the day while their tots splashed ONLY INCHES from them. These are responsible, smart women who were btw sober at the time - but they simply did NOT know the signs of drowning. Long story short, one of the kids (who also had some underlying respiratory issues) was drowning right in front of them and they didn't even realize it. They finally yanked her out of the water, and the only woman there who knew CPR worked on the kid until the ambulance showed up (the kid had stopped breathing). The good news is - the child recovered with no lasting damage, each one of these women now knows the signs of drowning, AND they all took CPR training! (like the very next week, they were so traumatized). I try to send this article out at the beginning of each summer... I post it to wherever I can think to post it. Read it, pls. You never know! http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/family/2013/06/rescuing_drowning_children_how_to_know_when_someone_is_in_trouble_in_the.html

I'm totally aligned with you, Tex, on this particular issue (not only because you're right, but also because... we, the fine members of the Missing Digits Club, need to stick together)! Zeke should buy at least the first round, dontcha think?

That's what I meant "Lakehurst" not Lakeland, duh! The place was in Jackson. Cassville Tavern.

Ok, THAT makes sense! I was wondering about that myself...but I was thinking maybe it was an air show in NJ? I don't know... how far is that tavern from Lakeland AFB? Anyway, when I was leaving, I saw an aerobatics team streak by (jets, not planes)... I mean, they were flying incredibly close... and I've been to a number of airshows over the years, but that was really breathtaking! Blue Angels, maybe? Definitely some kind of elite team.

I'll take a stab... I think this: One step forward in reversing an 8 year course.... actually means: It was Zeke's bid to show respect to police, reversing an 8-year term under the last administration of disrespecting the boys (and girls) in blue. That's how I took it anyway. BTW, Zeke-Speak courses are available for free online through Khan University!

Actually, I'm really enjoying the current direction of this thread, which is: What's WRONG with Zeke? Why is he trying so hard? And why isn't it working? I mean, sheesh, we could spend years on that! I'm sure Mrs. Zeke could give a dissertation - and only have scratched the surface of your underlying tangled web of psychopathy. Sorry, Cap! No can do. I only took the first class, Introduction to Zeke-Speak. I'm afraid you need the advanced course to achieve full fluency!

Cpt: Zeke was trying to pull events together to mix LEOs and civilians - happy hour type stuff. I think he got a few people together at one point - I believe Griz went. Perhaps Griz can chime in on what horrible deformity - or insecurity - might be driving Zeke's attention-seeking ways.

I'm with DT on this! Zeke is always boasting - "I'm so "handsome"... "purdy"... "powerful"... "mod-worthy""... and yet the guy's always whining about blueline meetups, doesn't even get invited to happy hour, can't seem to get himself appointed to "mod" despite relentless campaigning. He's always harassing the rest of us... listen to him, now he's ready to bug AVB to arrange something. Sheesh! Why, I'm starting to think that Zeke's boasting is just hiding some awful secret - a terrible deformity perhaps? A repellent personality? What could it be? Your guesses are welcome.

I know a lot of men have a certain disdain for the small toy dogs.. but they too can be fabulous "watchdogs" though obviously not intimidating "guard dogs". My last dog - a rescue - was a 10 pound ball of fluff. Smartest dog ever and NO ONE stepped into my yard without him alerting me. He was on duty at all times. It was nice having that advance notice. I miss him. Sadly, the one I have now - same size, same breed - is totally lax, like a hippie. Repairmen come right into the house, talk to me for a few minutes and then they walk towards the basement and are shocked to see her sitting there in the kitchen, wagging her tail at them. Worst watchdog EVER. She doesn't make a peep (unless it's a cat or dog that steps into the yard, of course, and then she raises holy hell). Sometimes it's just the luck of the draw what you get.

I don't know, Tex... I know this sounds a little harsh... but wouldn't she, in fact, just be carrying him to the finish line? Like her own personal cross to bear? A Cross Named Zeke? Let's face it. He's not as popular as he'd like us to think... and he's not as popular as she is.

Zeke! You sound so broken. You've already given up your campaign? I think you need to plan a Mrs. Zeke for Mod happy hour. What do the rest of you think?