Getting My Money's Worth From NY State Government?

I work part-time as an unarmed security guard. Wanting to make more money, I took an armed security guard training course back in mid April through the first week of May. I shelled out $700 for the training, $47 for the change of status licensing fee, and about $200 on ammo for the course. I got my money's worth for the ammo - no surprise. I am not so sure I got my money's worth for the training course even though I previously had thought so. The instructor sent me my training certificate and was supposed to send NY State a roster showing that I had completed the training. He told the students to wait a week before sending the application paperwork to NY State because if our applications arrived in Albany before his roster for the class, our paperwork may go into the dreaded wait 6 months before anything gets done pile. I waited 10 days, then sent in my application. Not long after that, I received an envelope with my application package inside of it along with a letter explaining that the Division of Licensing Services had not received a roster with my name on it. That was at the very end of May. I sent an email to the instructor telling him what happened right after receiving that letter. I have not heard back from him.

Today I called the NYS Division of Licensing Services. The guy who answered the phone, Jim, told me that there was no record on file for my having taken the course. He suggested that I call the NYS Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Oh-oh, I figured this would soon become a dreaded bureaucratic game of ping-pong with me a the ball but I did as he told me. I called, got the usual set of prerecorded instructions and pressed 2. The lady who answered the phone, almost immediately, checked the status of the roster using my SSN. She said, yes they have it and told me they received it on June 13th! My guess would be that the roster was not in the mail since the second week of May, when it should have been sent to them but was only sent out in mid-June. The nice lady, Darlene I think she said was her name, said she forwarded it to the Division of Licensing Services (DLS) by email as we were speaking. She then took my phone number so she could call me to let me know when it was received by the DLS as that department's computer system is a bit slow. She figured though that they would receive it by tomorrow. She told me to wait until I hear back from her because if I send my application now and for some reason the roster does not go through from her office to the DLS then depending on who receives my paperwork it would either be returned to me once gain or possibly go onto the wait 6 months before anything gets done pile (yes she said it really does happen sometimes).

I guess that I will have to admit, I was happily surprised by the responses I have gotten from NYS employees. Having dealt with NY State in the past, I must point out that previous responses to my inquiries on other matters were nowhere near as fast or as good as were these today. Both Jim and Darlene immediately addressed the problem and when one could not solve it he put me through to another person who could solve it. It looks like I am certainly getting the full value of the $47 application fee. I have to tip my hat to them for that. Of course, the DLS has not yet confirmed receipt of the roster from the DCJS but I think it sounds as if it is well in the works and for that I am grateful.

As far as the company that gave the 47 hour course, I will have to still give the instructor a call to see what went wrong and why it took until June 13th for my roster to arrive in Albany. I guess I should also ask why he apparently never replied to the email I sent to him inquiring about this mess. Depending on the reply I receive when I check with him, I will determine whether or not I will take my annual refresher training with them or another company.

All the best,
Glenn B

Pope Blesses Harleys and Von Zipper Rides Again

Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/pope_
blesses_hundreds_of_harley_xQHNfxNCRknAYQ26sc6OHL

 

Today, the Pope blessed thousands of Harley Davidson motorcycles and their riders. It may seem amazing to some but the biker culture of HD swarmed the Vatican for the event which also was a celebration of Harley Davidson's 110th year.

 

The resemblance of this guy to von Zipper
seems miraculous considering the location.
Same source as top photo.

Has Von Zipper been brought back,
maybe as a guardian angel of a biker.

Most amazingly of all though was the fact that the event seems to have somehow, maybe by way of Divine Intervention (after all we are talking about the seat of Catholicism and the end all be all of Motorcycles that are probably even ridden in Heaven), lent itself to the resurrection of Eric Von Zipper (Actor: Harvey Lembeck). You, if you are around my age, may remember him as the evil but inept and somehow lovable leader of the motorcycle gang - the Rat Pack in several of the 1960's Beach Party films starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon. Those films were: Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Pajama Party, Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini. I think, but am not sure that he may have also had a part in the movie Ski Party where the beach goers have a change of venue to the ski slopes. 

With him riding through the crowd, I can almost imagine he was also there, right next to the Pope, giving the Pope the his take on whether or not to bless a biker and his ride by saying: "Him, I like", or "Him, I do not like".

 
The resemblance of the guy wearing the American flag helmet and Von Zipper, at least as I see it, is absolutely uncanny if it is not actually him reincarnate. Not only is there the resemblance of facial features and seemingly of height and build but you will note that just as was the preference of  Von Zipper, the guy in the current photo also is in the company of a babe who is taller than is he and who is a looker. Sometimes you just have to wonder if there truly are heaven sent angels flying or at least riding close to the ground. In this case, I would like to believe it. Von Zipper - I am my ideal but you are my idol.

All the best,
Glenn B

Happy Fathers' Day

Here is hoping that your Fathers' Day is full of happiness with a lot of love from those who are the reason you are called father.

All the best,
Glenn B

Peace Through Pork?

I imagine that the idea of coating ammo with some form of pork product(s) has been sizzling in some folks' minds for quite awhile now. For all we know, some kooks gun owners may have been swathing their ammo with the finger licking goodness of bacon grease in the hopes of using it as an anti-jihadist tincture. I would have bet that an intense search of the web would have turned up one or two of them but I am not betting anymore.

You see, someone actually has gone out and created a commercially available brand of ammunition in which the bullets have been coated with pig. The company: Jihawg Ammo tags it as: "The only ammunition in the world that provides a peaceful and natural deterrent to radical Islam. PEACE THROUGH PORK" They say that they coat their bullets with a ballistic paint containing pork thus making them haraam (forbidden or unclean) for radical Islamists and thus if you hear the radical Islamist cry of Allahu Akbar they say: "It's Time to Put Some Ham in MoHAMed". They are touting it as a defensive and deterrent type of ammunition to be used to assure that jihadists will not attain the promised 76 virgins for acts of terror in the name of Allah. Somehow, I sort of, kind of, get the notion that this ammo will not be the end all be all to stop Islamic Jihadists from committing acts of terror but, if he was still alive, General Black Jack Pershing may have disagreed with me. Hey - you never know and at least any of them shot with it would not make it to their version of heaven.

I like the idea but would I buy it? Hell no - probably not, well - not more than a box or three as a novelty anyway;) As far as I am concerned it costs way too much per box to buy it regularly especially in light of the fact that it is all (at this moment) reloads. While I would not hesitate for a moment to put pork coated bullets through my guns, I do not shoot remanufactured ammo and I sure won't pay premium prices for it no matter how novel the product but then again many of you do shoot it and this may be just the stuff for you. While I may buy a box for the novelty factor I have to consider that I just bought 250 rounds of .45 ACP (.45 Auto), 185 grain, JHP, newly manufactured by a major ammunition company for only $23.27 per box of 50 rounds, I think I will save my money for more of the less expensive ammo and for bacon.

Getting back to Jihawg Ammo, their products and pricing can be found at this link:  http://jihawg.com/ammunition. Note if you cannot get through, keep trying. Seems their site is pretty busy today, maybe last minute shoppers for Fathers' Day gifts or just shooters or collectors wanting to get some before it all sells out. Being it is so difficult to get through right now, I'll quote a few of their prices here for informational purposes:

.223 Rem 62gr FMJ-BT 20 Rounds of .223 Rem 62gr FMJ Once Fired Military Brass: $21.25

9mm 115gr TMJ Reman 50 Rounds of 9mm 115gr TMJ Remanufactured Brass: $24.75

.45 Auto 230gr TMJ Reman 50 Rounds of .45 ACP 230 gr TMJ Remanufactured Brass: $37.50

They also offer 5.56 (x45mm), .308 Winchester and .40 S&W.

Even if the Jihawg Ammo site is down or very slow, you can get a bit more information from an Ammoland piece about them here at this link:

http://www.ammoland.com/2013/06/peace-through-pork-jihawg-defensive-ammunition/#axzz2WO6OwC9Z

Now, getting back to pork for a moment or three, since it is Fathers' Day and just after 1125 in the morning, I think that in a little while, I will go see if breakfast is ready (that may be a late breakfast to you and most folks and brunch to Yuppies but it's plain old on time breakfast for me). If it is ready, I think I'll continue my ammo inventory, bullet by bullet, as I eat my breakfast of a pound or two of very greasy bacon. I am not worried about getting lead poisoning because of eating bacon while counting the bullets, seems my hands are so coated by bacon grease that nothing can penetrate that film. As for my ammo though, it seems to be mighty slippery right now - at least the rounds I have already counted since I started the inventory. I imagine they will fly right through the bore liked bacon greased lightning when fired; my arteries though, they may be another story, I don't know if any thing is flying through them quite as fast with all that bacon grease buildup.

All the best,
Glenn B

Some Photos of the NY SAFE Act Protest - June 11, 2013

The crowd was fairly big but not as large as in
January or February at previous rallies.

 

Could be a modern day Captain America.

 

Officer Joe Friendly? Very few guns were
evident at this pro RKBA rally. LIF, the group
I went with, prohibited guns on the bus.

 
 


Albany Radio Host, Melody Burns, a great speaker
for the RKBA and for the liberty to exercise it.

 

 

 

 

NYS Said it Expected Only 200 Folks to Attend This Rally
And Kept Us Off of The Grass With a Corral. They Also Failed
 To Supply Porta-Potties Which They Did Have At Prior Rallies.
FUCK NY.

 

 Steven McLaughlin, pro RKBA NY State Assemblyman,
another excellent speaker on our behalf.

 

 

 

 

Richard Mack, another great speaker
and former sheriff of Graham County, AZ

 

 

 

Former Westchester County District Attorney and judge,
 Judge Jeanine Pirro. You know her but did you know she is
a strong advocate for the RKBA!

 

She was pissed at Cuomo and the NYS Legislature.

 

I think she figured the sentiment in the
next photo was exactly the right one.

 

 

 

This sign got me to thinking.

 

I signed about 100 of these post cards. They were handed out by
a pro-RKBA group from a table set up at the rear of the assembly.

 

 

This rally was a bit more commercialized than the previous
two NY SAFE Act protests. Lots of shirts and stickers for
sale and there were 4 or 5 food trucks street-side.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think that state workers were, for the most part,
afraid to come to the windows to watch the protest.
Mind you - not afraid of us but afraid of being
fired by his majesty Der Fuhrer Cuomo.

 

 

Most of the Faithful Few, of the 8,000 strong membership, of
LIF who went on the bus trip to protest the NY SAFE Act.
This photo was taken by the trip organizer. Photo source:
http://www.longislandfirearms.com/forum/topic/73670-
albany-61113-open-discussion-pics-videos/

This is Roman, he was our bus captain and the guy
who organized the trip for Long Island Firearms
 members to protest in Albany. He did a great job!

Unless otherwise attributed in photo captions and that applies only to the group photo, all of the above photos are copyrighted by Glenn R. Bartley, June 11, 2013, all rights reserved.

All the best,
Glenn B

NY SAFE Act Protest - Albany, NY

Got up at 0345 this morning and was out the door by 0430 to make it to the Long Island Firearms' bus, to Albany, on time. I beat the bus there., so much for being on time. I think we filled all but a couple of seats on the us. Brendan could not make it and I could not get anyone to take the seat for free. Whoever would have taken the ticket did not even have to sit with me and I also offered anyone who would take it a free lunch at Subway's. No bites.

We got there just around 0915 or so. The rally began between 1130 and noon. Sadly there were less people there than either of the two previous NY SAFE Act protest, one in January and one in February. In fact, it was a lot less but still probably at least a couple of thousand of us, maybe a few thousand, and we were loud. Hopefully our voices were heard and I am pretty sure they were because there were folks in the Capital Building windows watching us. God damned Cuomo did not even supply Porta-Potties for us but a pro-RKBA diner across the street from the plaza let people use the facilities. The NYS government estimated that 200 of us would show up - fuck them! 

Lots of great speakers, even a sheriff from AZ. (No not Sheriff Joe - too bad but the other guy was great, sorry I cannot recall his name.) We also had a great bus captain, LIF Member Roman. He put most of this together and did it well.

Hopefully our rally will make some difference, I would hate to have gone three times already and it wind up being all for naught; that goes especially with how I felt today. For me it was a barely passable day. I felt and still feel on the miserable side but figured it was important enough to attend anyway. I got bitten by a tick about a week and a half ago and if it keeps up I will see the doc sometime this week. Maybe it's from the tick, maybe a light case of the flu, maybe a cold or maybe just a 24 hour or so bug. I slept some on the way up and slept fitfully most of the way back - woke up every time the guy behind me yelled some unintelligible shit like he had Tourette Syndrome or pulled hard on my seat like an epileptic grabbing hold during a seizure (he did both several times). I wanted to smack him but otherwise he seemed okay so I just went back to sleep each time. Next time, I will be sure to sit behind him.

Pictures maybe tomorrow. I need to hit the hay for the night, it has been a long day.

All the best,
Glenn B

13 Year Old Boy Fatally Stabs Mother's Assailant

If this happens more than once, you can bet that the libturds in NYS will be seeking to ban kitchen knives. Heck, they already have banned gravity knives, switchblades, double edged knives like daggers, and even wrist-rocket slingshots - so how can a ban of kitchen knives be far off after an event like this.

See:

http://online.wsj.com/article/AP987ac5c695dc43c6b465a33c40debf81.html

All the best,
Glenn B

Protest The NY SAFE Tomorrow In Albany, NY

Your last chance to protest the NY SAFE Act before the legislature's summer recess will be in Albany, NY tomorrow June 11th at the park outside the Assembly and State capital buildings. See: http://scopeny.org/

Be there to protest the SAFE Act and any form of gun control otherwise you may as well just give your guns to Cuomo.

All the best,
Glenn B

Put Em On Ice

Just rearranged the Blog Lists on my blog's right sidebar so that any blog that has not had any new content in 3 months or more is now under the new header of:
 
BLOGS ON ICE - EVIDENCE OF BLOGOSPHERICAL COOLING
 
There is one blog that I threw into that category that has been published to more recently but as for it, the blogger has a new URL for his blog Knuckledraggin my life away and the old one is not getting any new content. The new one is listed under:

GRUMPS, GEEKS, GUN FOLKS AND GENIUSES - All Nice Enough To Give Me A Courtesy Link.
 
All the best,
Glenn B

A Few Wedding Shots...

...and no they were not taken with the Glock but with a Canon.


The Soon To Be Bride and Her Mom
Just Before Leaving Home In The Limo.



The Beautiful Bride In The Limo
And On The Way To The Beach.

The Limo Party Crew Minus The Bride and Yours Truly.

Yours Truly Taking Self Portrait In The New Suit, New Tie
and Minus About A Pound of Hair I Had The Day Before.
The Suit Was Ruined At Reception - Don't Ask!

Her Answer To Me When I Asked Something
Like: Are You Ready To Exit The Limo
And Get The Show Started? I Kept Telling
Her There Was Time To Make A Train
To Get Away To Mexico or Canada.



Checking Out The Bride's
& Bridesmaids' Flowers.



The Paid Photographer -
Who Needed Him When They Had Me!

The Bride, Matron of Honor &
Bridesmaids (one bridesmaid
is missing for some reason).

The Bride and The Wedding Arbor.

The Bride & Groom.

Yowza, Not Married Yet!

Must Have Be Married By This One.
No Wedding Shots As That Is All Video.

 

Maybe The Next Couple To Marry,
The Brother of The Bride and His Girlfriend.



Father of The Groom And I Don't
Know Who - Either Friend or Family.

 

Best man, brother of the
Groom, and his girlfriend.

 


Best man's Girlfriend, The Groom
and The Mother Of The Groom.

The Groom's Beaming Mother-In-Law.
Yes that would be my wife.

All three of the bridesmaids.

Yes, It Is All Legal By Now Because
By This Point They Were married For Sure.

Time To Take A Break And Chow Down.
Well, Right After Someone Stops Taking Pictures.

The $550 cake. I Would
Have Preferred Enteman's.

Ouch, Are You Actually Cutting It!

Cheers.

It was their day on this past Saturday and you could tell that simply by looking at the bride and groom. Phil and Celina were beaming with happiness beforehand and once man and wife they were radiant with even more joy than could be imagined.

It could not have been a nicer day. As had been planned, the service took place on the beach. The sun started sneaking out a bit soon after we arrived at the restaurant for the wedding. Then it came out more and more once the service had begun and after a few more minutes it suddenly burst out in full force. There were plenty of clouds but not one to block the sun, it was as if the clouds were spreading out to let the sun shine through right on the wedding. The bride and groom were fantastic and the service, given by a justice of the peace, was truly memorable. We stayed outside for an hour or so, after the service, for the cocktail hour and then moved inside for the remainder of the celebration. All I can say is that it truly was excellent and that is coming from one hard to satisfy SOB (as in me). It could not have been better!

All the best,Glenn B