Grey Matters

I have some military surplus ammo cans that I want to paint — just touching up or covering the original contents markings. So I set out looking for some olive drab spray paint. I checked both Wal-Mart and the local hardware store. Neither had it, but It did get interesting at the hardware store.

Unable to find olive drab, I asked one of the employees if he knew whether they had or could get olive drab.

Him: “Olive drab?”

Me: “Yes, it’s the color of olives and dull, flat, no gloss.”

Him: “I never heard of it. Are you sure it’s a real color?”

Me: “I’m sure.”

He fiddled with a few cans from the shelf, checking their color labels. Unable to find it, he said: “I don’t see it.”

Me: “Maybe you can check the computer and see if you can order some in for me.”

We proceeded to the customer service area where the computers are. Checking, the only “olive” paint he found was a high gloss. When he asked, I assured him that, no, it would not do.

“Who”, he asked, “would even want to paint anything the color of olives, and flat?”

Me: “Maybe you’ve heard of them: the U.S. military?”

Him: “I thought all their shit was O.D. green.”

I just looked at him and waited. Awareness did not occur.

After maybe ten seconds, I said, “Oh … Deee… green? … Anything?” I was expecting that light bulb to turn on any second. There was not a glimmer.

Giving up the wait, I said, “Check [the computer] for O.D. green. I’ll settle for that.”

Alas, the computer did not list O.D. green either.

My hat’s off to the good people of Ferguson — the ones linking arms and keeping the troublemakers from engaging the police. This is how it should be — good people taking action when they see something wrong**.

Of course, this is precisely what the troublemakers will say they are doing, but they are only making things worse.

Let the system work. Let them finish the investigation before demanding someone’s head on a pike.

Now if only we could get the good Muslims to stand up to the radical, caliphate Muslims…

**
I’ve said it before. Silence is assent. If you see something wrong but say and do nothing to stop it, you are aiding the wrongdoers.

Wow. They are really putting the heat on the owner of the Washington Redskins. Is it just me or are we more easily offended these days? “Redskins” has been around for more than 80 years.

Living in an area with copious numbers of Navajo and Hopi Indians, I know many who refer to themselves collectively as “the red man” and similar “red” names. It seems to me that not all American Indians are offended at being called “red”.

Be that as it may, people continue to pile on the beset “redskins” name. They are now attempting to affect marketing of the “Redskins” brand so as to cost the team owner lots of money.

I have a solution: keep the name but change the team mascots to sunburned, bikini-clad babes. No more “offense” to American Indians. More fetching logo.

Done.

It’s amazing how many people in Ferguson, MO know that Michael Brown was murdered despite not having seen what happened.

Note to the folks in Ferguson: smashing, looting and throwing Molotov cocktails is not a “protest”. That’s a riot.

This just in from the anti-rights group Americans For Responsible Solutions (from which I have yet to see a responsible or sensible solution):

“Warren –
The Senate made history last week when it held a hearing for the first time on the links between domestic violence and gun violence. “

[No doubt the people testifying were all very carefully screened to be sure they stayed on script.]

“Senators heard from police officers and family members of victims of domestic violence.

[But not from actual victims of domestic violence? One would suppose their take on things to be germane.]

“They learned of the real impact of how abusive relationships can turn even more dangerous when a gun is present.”

[Dangerous for the abused or for the abuser? Yeah, we know, we’re only supposed to see danger to the abused. Why are you trying to protect abusers?]

“This was an important first step to passing a bill that would protect women by preventing abusers and stalkers from having guns. “

[You want to protect them by denying them the means to protect themselves?!? Either ARS is collectively stupid, willfully ignorant or doesn’t really want to protect the abused. Preventing abusers from having guns also prevents EVERYONE ELSE in that household from having guns to defend against abuse. Sorry, Little Lady, you can’t have a gun to protect yourself from your abusive husband. It’s for your own good. ]

A serious problem with the anti-gun crowd is that they fail to acknowledge that sometimes, people need to be shot.

They rail against “gun violence” (to the exclusion of the much more common pummeling and beating abuse) which, for them, includes self defense. They are so “civilized” that they refuse to defend civility or even civilization itself. And they don’t want you to do so either.

Hold more hearings, ARS. This time invite victims of domestic violence that were unable to protect themselves because their spouse is a prohibited possessor and they were denied the ability to arm themselves. Let them ask why they are denied the best means of self-protection.