HanSolo

This is an article by a Hollywood screen writer that I think is awesome. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries What Bush and Batman Have in Common By ANDREW KLAVAN July 25, 2008; Page A15 A cry for help goes out from a city beleaguered by violence and fear: A beam of light flashed into the night sky, the dark symbol of a bat projected onto the surface of the racing clouds . . . Oh, wait a minute. That's not a bat, actually. In fact, when you trace the outline with your finger, it looks kind of like . . . a "W." Warner Bros. Pictures There seems to me no question that the Batman film "The Dark Knight," currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war. Like W, Batman is vilified and despised for confronting terrorists in the only terms they understand. Like W, Batman sometimes has to push the boundaries of civil rights to deal with an emergency, certain that he will re-establish those boundaries when the emergency is past. And like W, Batman understands that there is no moral equivalence between a free society -- in which people sometimes make the wrong choices -- and a criminal sect bent on destruction. The former must be cherished even in its moments of folly; the latter must be hounded to the gates of Hell. "The Dark Knight," then, is a conservative movie about the war on terror. And like another such film, last year's "300," "The Dark Knight" is making a fortune depicting the values and necessities that the Bush administration cannot seem to articulate for beans. Conversely, time after time, left-wing films about the war on terror -- films like "In The Valley of Elah," "Rendition" and "Redacted" -- which preach moral equivalence and advocate surrender, that disrespect the military and their mission, that seem unable to distinguish the difference between America and Islamo-fascism, have bombed more spectacularly than Operation Shock and Awe. Why is it then that left-wingers feel free to make their films direct and realistic, whereas Hollywood conservatives have to put on a mask in order to speak what they know to be the truth? Why is it, indeed, that the conservative values that power our defense -- values like morality, faith, self-sacrifice and the nobility of fighting for the right -- only appear in fantasy or comic-inspired films like "300," "Lord of the Rings," "Narnia," "Spiderman 3" and now "The Dark Knight"? The moment filmmakers take on the problem of Islamic terrorism in realistic films, suddenly those values vanish. The good guys become indistinguishable from the bad guys, and we end up denigrating the very heroes who defend us. Why should this be? The answers to these questions seem to me to be embedded in the story of "The Dark Knight" itself: Doing what's right is hard, and speaking the truth is dangerous. Many have been abhorred for it, some killed, one crucified. Leftists frequently complain that right-wing morality is simplistic. Morality is relative, they say; nuanced, complex. They're wrong, of course, even on their own terms. Left and right, all Americans know that freedom is better than slavery, that love is better than hate, kindness better than cruelty, tolerance better than bigotry. We don't always know how we know these things, and yet mysteriously we know them nonetheless. The true complexity arises when we must defend these values in a world that does not universally embrace them -- when we reach the place where we must be intolerant in order to defend tolerance, or unkind in order to defend kindness, or hateful in order to defend what we love. When heroes arise who take those difficult duties on themselves, it is tempting for the rest of us to turn our backs on them, to vilify them in order to protect our own appearance of righteousness. We prosecute and execrate the violent soldier or the cruel interrogator in order to parade ourselves as paragons of the peaceful values they preserve. As Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon says of the hated and hunted Batman, "He has to run away -- because we have to chase him." That's real moral complexity. And when our artistic community is ready to show that sometimes men must kill in order to preserve life; that sometimes they must violate their values in order to maintain those values; and that while movie stars may strut in the bright light of our adulation for pretending to be heroes, true heroes often must slink in the shadows, slump-shouldered and despised -- then and only then will we be able to pay President Bush his due and make good and true films about the war on terror. Perhaps that's when Hollywood conservatives will be able to take off their masks and speak plainly in the light of day. Mr. Klavan has won two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. His new novel, "Empire of Lies" (An Otto Penzler Book, Harcourt), is about an ordinary man confronting the war on terror.

I have had an oly for a little over a year and love it. Mine is the normal 223 varmit with a 20" bullbarrel. It is amazingly accurate and I have never had a single issue with it. I would recoomend them.

I love my eotech. It so pretty as well as deadly sitting on my tactical AR. You will not regret it. Make sure to get the 512 which uses regular batteries instead of the cheaper one that uses goofy batteries. you will not regret it. Now with that said, you are not going to win any distance precision awards with it. If you are wanting to shoot the eye out of the king on a playing card from 100 yards away, a scope is better. Or you can do what I did and have a varmit style ar with a scope for shooting those eyes out and then have a tactical carbine with an eoctech for everything else.

Are you a Democrat, a Republican or a Texan? > > Here is a little test that will help you decide. > > You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small > children. > > Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist with a huge knife comes around the corner , > locks eyes with you, > > screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at you. > > You are carrying a Kimber 1911 cal. 45 ACP, and you are an expert shot. > > You have mere seconds before he reaches you and your family. > > What do you do? > > ........................................................... > > Democrat's Answer : > > Well, that's not enough information to answer the question! > > Does the man look poor or oppressed? > > Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack? > > Could we run away? > > What does my wife think? > > What about the kids? > > Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his > hand? > > What does the law say about this situation? > > Does the .45 have appropriate safety built into it? > > Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this > send to society and to my children? > > Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me? > > Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound > me? > > If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he > was stabbing me? > > Should I call 9-1-1? > > Why is this street so deserted? > > We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, > healthier street that would discourage such behavior. > > This is all so confusing! I need to debate this with some friends for few > days and try to come to a consensus. > > ............................................................................ > ................................. > > Republican's Answer: > > BANG! ********************************* Texan's Answer: > > BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! > > BANG! Click..... (Sounds of reloading) > > BANG! BANG! BA NG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! > > BANG! Click > > Daughter: 'Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or > Hollow Points?' > > Son: 'Can I shoot the next one!' > > Wife: 'You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!'

I am still waiting for the arguments on the Obama supporters. I would like to understand how a gun carrying constitution believing American can support Obama. Not to bash them by any means, I just would like to understand.

I still think it is like trading a Ferrari for a Pinto

I am not a wheel gun person myself, but my wife is. She carried a S&W .38 police bulldog for a year and then started complaining about it being too heavy, so she just recently go a new air weight S&W .38 and she loves it.

The dry fire issue was corrected with the XDM I love my XDs, but in an all out fire fight, I would rather have my Sig P226 9mm or my 1911 with my XDM as a backup. My IWB carry is an XD 40 SC, but during the fall and winter when i am wearing a jacket I carry one of my hammers listed above.

I really love my XDM. I have only had a chance to put about 300 rounds through it, so it is still in the break in stage, but I am shooting almost as accurate with it as I am my Sig P226 9mm. It is a great gun and I would strongly recommend it. If yuo are ever in the Spring Hill area, you are more than welcome to try it out sometime.

Well, they most definitely landed me as a customer because of it. Whenever I am looking for something, they are now at the top of my list to call.

Pawn shops in general are horrible on their prices. The only decent ones I have ever been to are in Clarksville and that is because they get so much inventory from the military personnel. As far as guns, I noticed even there they priced them high, but then would come down on it once they were in stock for a while.

I just recently visited Guns & Leather, which is where I purchased my nice new XDM. They are a really great bunch and I will most definitely do business with them again. They were very courteous, professional, and ni great to visit with. They are a little further out, but I think I made it there in 25 minutes from downtown. Also, on my XDM, I called every shop in town and they sold me the gun for almost $100 cheaper than anyone else who had it in stock (everyone else was asking well over MSRP because of the demand) and $30 cheaper than any of my regular shops that could order it for me. So needless to say, I was very, very happy. I have transferred 4 handguns through Rabbi that I bought off of gunbroker and have never had a problem. He charged me 25 for the first gun and 20 everyone after that (when i had multiple coming in of course). He is closer to downtown Nashville if location is an issue for you.

This is an article a friend sent me the ther day. It is long but worth the read... Salute the Danish Flag - It's a Symbol of Western Freedom By Susan MacAllen In 1978-9 I was living and studying in Denmark . But in 1978 - even in Copenhagen , one didn't see Muslim immigrants. The Danish population embraced visitors, celebrated the exotic, went out of its way to protect each of its citizens. It was proud of its new brand of socialist liberalism one in development since the conservatives had lost power in 1929 - a system where no worker had to struggle to survive, where one ultimately could count upon the state as in, perhaps, no other western nation at the time. The rest of Europe saw the Scandinavians as free-thinking, progressive and infinitely generous in their welfare policies. Denmark boasted low crime rates, devotion to the environment, a superior educational system and a history of humanitarianism. Denmark was also most generous in its immigration policies - it offered the best welcome in Europe to the new immigrant: generous welfare payments from first arrival plus additional perks in transportation, housing and education. It was determined to set a world example for inclusiveness and multiculturalism. How could it have predicted that one day in 2005 a series of political cartoons in a newspaper would spark violence that would leave dozens dead in the streets -all because its commitment to multiculturalism would come back to bite? By the 1990's the growing urban Muslim population was obvious - and its unwillingness to integrate into Danish society was obvious. Years of immigrants had settled into Muslim-exclusive enclaves. As the Muslim leadership became more vocal about what they considered the decadence of Denmark 's liberal way of life, the Danes - once so welcoming - began to feel slighted. Many Danes had begun to see Islam as incompatible with their long-standing values: belief in personal liberty and free speech, in equality for women, in tolerance for other ethnic groups, and a deep pride in Danish heritage and history. The New York Post in 2002 ran an article by Daniel Pipes and Lars Hedegaard, in which they forecasted accurately that the growing immigrant problem in Denmark would explode In the article they reported: 'Muslim immigrants constitute 5 percent of the population but consume upwards of 40 percent of the welfare spending.' 'Muslims are only 4 percent of Denmark's 5.4 million people but make up a majority of the country's convicted rapists, an especially combustible issue given that practically all the female victims are non-Muslim. Similar, if lesser, disproportions are found in other crimes. ''Over time, as Muslim immigrants increase in numbers, they wish less to mix with the indigenous population. A recent survey finds that only 5 percent of young Muslim immigrants would readily marry a Dane.' 'Forced marriages - promising a newborn daughter in Denmark to a male cousin in the home country, then compelling her to marry him, sometimes on pain of death - are one problem' 'Muslim leaders openly declare their goal of introducing Islamic law once Denmark 's Muslim population grows large enough - a not-that-remote prospect. If present trends persist, one sociologist estimates, every third inhabitant of Denmark in 40 years will be Muslim.' It is easy to understand why a growing number of Danes would feel that Muslim immigrants show little respect for Danish values and laws. An example is the phenomenon common to other European countries and the US : some Muslims in Denmark who opted to leave the Muslim faith have been murdered in the name of Islam, while others hide in fear for their lives. Jews are also threat ened and harassed openly by Muslim leaders in Denmark , a country where once Christian citizens worked to smuggle out nearly all of their 7,000 Jews by night to Sweden - before the Nazis could invade. I think of my Danish friend Elsa - who as a teenager had dreaded crossing the street to the bakery every morning under the eyes of occup ying Nazi soldiers - and I wonder what she would say today. In 2001, Denmark elected the most conservative government in some 70 years - one that had some decidedly non-generous ideas about liberal unfettered Immigration. Today Denmark has the strictest immigration policies in Europe . ( Its effort to protect itself has been met with accusations of 'racism' by liberal media across Europe - even as other governments struggle to right the social problems wrought by years of too-lax immigration.) If you wish to become Danish, you must attend three years of language classes. You must pass a test on Denmark 's history, culture, and a Danish language test. You must live in Denmark for 7 years before applying for citizenship. You must demonstrate an intent to work, and have a job waiting. If you wish to bring a spouse into Denmark , you must both be over 24 years of age, and you won't find it so easy any more to move your friends and family to Denmark with you. You will not be allowed to build a mosque in Copenhagen . Although your children have a choice of some 30 Arabic culture and language schools in Denmark , they will be strongly encouraged to assimilate to Danish society in ways that past immigrants weren't. In 2006, the Danish minister for employment, Claus Hjort Frederiksen, spoke publicly of the burden of Muslim immigrants on the Danish welfare system, and it was horrifying: the government's welfare committee had calculated that if immigration from Third World countries were blocked, 75 percent of the cuts needed to sustain the huge welfare system in coming decades would be unnecessary. In other words, the welfare system as it existed was being exploited by immigrants to the point of eventually bankrupting the government. 'We are simply forced to adopt a new policy on immigration. The calculations of the welfare committee are terrifying and show how unsuccessful the integration of immigrants has been up to now,' he said. A large thorn in the side of Denmark 's imams is the Minister of Immigration and Integration, Rikke Hvilshoj. She makes no bones about the new policy toward immigration, 'The number of foreigners coming to the country makes a difference,' Hvilsh�j says, 'There is an inverse correlation between how many come here and how well we can receive the foreigners that come.' And on Muslim immigrants needing to demonstrate a willingness to blend in, 'In my view, Denmark should be a country with room for different cultures and religions. Some values, however, are more important than others. We refuse to question democracy, equal rights, and f reedom of speech.' Hvilshoj has paid a price for her show of backbone. Perhaps to test her resolve, the leading radical imam in Denmark , Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, demanded that the government pay blood money to the family of a Muslim who was murdered in a suburb of Copenhagen , stating that the family's thirst for revenge could be thwarted for money. When Hvilshoj dismissed his demand, he argued that in Muslim culture the payment of retribution money was common, to which Hvilshoj replied that what is done in a Muslim country is not necessarily what is done in Denmark. The Muslim reply came soon after: her house was torched while she, her husband and children slept. All managed to escape unharmed, but she and her family were moved to a secret location and she and other ministers were assigned bodyguards for the first time - in a c ountry where such murderous violence was once so scarce.< o:p> Her government has slid to the right, and her borders have tightened. Many believe that what happens in the next decade will determine whether Denmark survives as a bastion of good living, humane thinking and social responsibility, or whether it becomes a nation at civil war with supporters of Sharia law. And meanwhile, Americans clamor for stricter immigration policies, and demand an end to state welfare programs that allow many immigrants to live on the public dole. As we in America look at the enclaves of Muslims and Illegal Hispanics amongst us, and see those who enter our shores too easily, dare live on our taxes, yet refuse to embrace our culture, respect our traditions, participate in our legal system, obey our laws, speak our language, appreciate our history. We would do well to look to Denmark , and say a prayer for her future and for our own.

Eddie, I have been on and off the forums for the past few months so I just saw this last night. I was in complete and total shock. You and your lovely wife were the first TGO members I met which was at the meet and shoot in Murfreesboro. She was one of those people whom you instantly could see had a heart of gold. She was a genuine lady that made everyone she spoke to feel special. You were a very lucky man to have had the time with her that you had. I cannot fathom the pain of losing a spouse and the only comfort that there is in a tragedy like this is that she is with our Lord in a much better place than we are. My wife and I will be praying everyday for you and your family. May the peace of Christ be with you and never forget that there are a lot of people who love you and are here if you need anything. God Bless, Steve

This is usually one of the highlights of my month, but I am actually going to be in Michigan this weekend visiting my wife's family. I guess I will have to wait another month to show off my new XDM.

Do you have any .NET experience? If so, which language?

I bought my first which was a P226 9mm about a month ago and feel the same way. I love the gun and it is amazingly accurate. You can order the Sig wood grips straight from sig on their web page. www.sigarms.com

That means you are about halfway back to reality from fantasy island. I have shot glocks and none of the ones I shot went Kaboom (but i have seen a Glock go kaboom), but i love my XDs and my new XDM is really amazing. It would take a lot for me to ever pick any other plastic over my XDM.

My wife has had her's for almost a year. She did not carry for the first few months until she was followed by 4 punks across the Kroger's parking lot. Luckily they disbanned when a cop pulled into the parking lot. She has carried everyday since then.

I have an XD 40 SubCompact and Tactical and have never had a feed problem. A friend of mine accidently put a couple rounds of 9mm into the tactical and it shot that as well. The only time i have seen a problem like that with one is when someone put 10 rounds in the short clip which only holds 9.

I just took my new baby to the range. I am in LOVE:koolaid: I have never shot a 9mm Sig ang the first 5 rounds shot from 13 yards were in a 2 inch group about 2 inches below the bulls eye. I about had a heart attack. I continued to shoot a hundred rounds through it and ended with one question in mind. Why the HELL did I not buy one of these years ago? This is an amazing gun and i do not believe I have ever been happier with a purchase. Thanks burboy

I have become a fan of DPMS, but I know nothing about SBR's. I actually have an extra stripped lower that I bought from Rabbi and was going to build a 16", but the next time i was at his shop, ended up buying an entire rifle (DPMS).

Hi Doug, it was great to meet you today and acquire my first Sig Look forward to seeing you again on Saturday.

Hi another Spring Hill resident. Be sure to check out the Middle Tn Eat and Shoot for this Saturday, we are doing it at Owl Hollow.

I ended up buying the sig p226 (all german model) that someone was selling here locally. It has a really nice feel to it and I can not wait to get it out to the range. Thanks again for the good info.