Month: June 2024

And speaking of Body Positive

A medical examiner confirmed the cause of death Tuesday for Christian singer Mandisa Hundley, who was found dead in her Franklin home on April 18 at the age of 47.

Dr. Feng Li told The Tennessean an autopsy showed the Grammy-winning “Overcomer” singer died from complications of class III obesity. Her manner of death was listed as natural, Li said.

Cause of death of American Idol alum Mandisa revealed (tennessean.com)

And allow me to be a bit frank: She went out the easy way. Class III obesity is what used to be called morbid obesity which led to diabetes and heart issues. But what is worse is that you are one lower body injury away from being condemned to lay in bed and having to live with soiled underwear until somebody shows up to wipe you clean…at a cost.

Losing weight is a cast iron bitch, I know, I been there. But I have also seen what it does in others and the stripping of basic humanity it does to those that cannot move on their own anymore.

 

I’ve been there.

If that fat ass can do it, so can you.

Almost 2 and a half years and 200 pounds later.

 

Old News made new

A couple of YouTube videos went past my feed today. They were talking about the case of Morin v. Lyver, 4:18-cv-40121, (D. Mass. Mar 03, 2023).

After Bruen, some cases were GVR by the Supreme Court, these include Duncan and Bianchi. We saw the Ninth Circuit kick the case back down to the district level. It is now back at the Ninth Circuit, waiting for oral arguments.

We saw Bianchi get oral arguments shortly after it was GVRed. Then, just weeks before the merit’s panel was due to issue their opinion, the Fourth circuit decided to take the case en banc on their own.

Just nasty games in the inferior courts.

Morin v. Lyver is another one. In this case, the game was very different and the results much quicker. Without giving the 2A community a win.

Mr. Morin had jumped through all the hoops in MA to get his LTC back in the 90s. He held that license until 2018, when he went to renew, where he was denied.

It seems that Mr. Morin did a stupid. He traveled with his firearm without knowing all the restrictions. He was in DC, visiting one of the museums, when he noticed that there was a “no guns” sign. Being a law-abiding citizen, he went to the nearest security guard, informed the guard that he was carrying, and asked where the storage was for firearms.

The guard was very helpful in getting Mr. Morin’s firearm to safe storage. He called the police, who arrived and arrested Mr. Morin.

DC does not recognize MA LTCs, and a CCW doesn’t allow you to carry in many places.

Mr. Morin got off with a slap on the wrist of a misdemeanor charge.

When he applied for his renewal, the local authority, in charge of hearing the subject’s pleadings for their rights back, denied the renewals because Mr. Morin had “misdemeanor weapons charges.”

The district court heard the challenge, using intermediate scrutiny, decided the state had ample reason to disarm its subjects whenever it wanted.

The case was appealed to the First Circuit, which agreed with the district court. The state has a reason, that was good enough for them.

The Supreme Court held the case over until Bruen issued, then they GVRed this case.

In March 2023, the parties agreed on a settlement.

Mr. Marin would get his LTC back.

Under the specific facts of this case and applicable law, including but not limited to New York State Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen, 142 S. Ct. 2111 (2022), the limitations contained in G.L. c. 140, § 131A to the extent it incorporates G.L. c. 140, § 131(d)(ii)(D), cannot properly be applied to Plaintiff, and Defendants should accordingly issue Plaintiff a permit to purchase pursuant to G.L. c. 140, § 131A

But that is all that happened. It looks like Massachusetts was afraid of what might happen in court. If the district court had followed Bruen faithfully, this would have been another nail in the coffin of gun permitting.

Panic in the shop!

This weekend I thought I had finished all the machining on my toolholders. Yesterday, I had to remake the height adjustment disks. I had made them 1.12 in diameter, this interferes with the screws that hold the tool in place.

The size of the Aloris adjuster disk is 0.980. I remade the disks at 1.0. There is enough clearance now.

I’m waiting for the rest of my chemicals to arrive, then I’ll hot blue the toolholders, at which point they will be done.

There is still another 12 inches of steel for toolholders. When I was putting the three new ones into production, I realized that I did need to make some 5/8 toolholders.

I joyfully started the process. This was tramming the head of the mill. It was off 0.0005 over 8 inches. I didn’t adjust. I then had to dial in the vise. It was out less than 0.0005 over 6 inches.

First step, cut the bar to length, 6 and 6.25. With the new apron, my scale was where I needed it. Quick and easy.

The saw is cutting well, I’m using my spray bottle of water-soluble oil to keep everything nice and cool. The blade stops.

The pulley belt seems not to be working. Groaning, adjusting, realizing that some idiot had mounted the motor wrong.

I get everything “fixed” and put back, the belt rides up and off the pulley, yanking the motor around on its tensioning post.

I fight this thing for an hour in the heat. Give up.

Later, I went back for try number two. This time, as I’m watching the thing not work, I see brass shavings showing up on the face of the motor housing.

Everything is rattle loose. I’ve killed the damn motor. Frustrated, back into the house.

A replacement motor is going to run me $250. I do not have $250 for the shop. We talk about it at the dinner table.

The decision is to hold off until after graduation of the kids (high school), and I was going to beg you guys for a motor.

After dinner and a show with my lady, it is out to the shop to read the motor plate.

As I take the motor out of the saw, the step pulley is loose and comes off the motor shaft.

The set screw that locks the step pulley to the shaft has backed out. The damn thing was just spinning. There are things that still need to be fixed, but the panic is over.

“We have good clean elections, no cheating evah!”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Nearly a dozen Tennesseans were arrested after allegedly voting illegally, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

In late January, TBI agents began investigating reports of 15 felons unlawfully voting in Sumner County elections between 2020 and 2022, according to a TBI media release. Felons aren’t allowed to legally vote in Tennessee.

Agents determined four of the felons died before the start of the investigation.

Agents investigated the remaining 11 people, determining all had been convicted of at least one felony and registered to vote in Sumner County after their convictions. The felons completed documents that included language indicating they had not been convicted of a felony.

11 felons indicted for voting illegally in Tennessee (wsmv.com)

You probably have something or other similar happening in your state.  But they are still will not be given the necessary importance.

Random my ass.

NORTH OLMSTED, Ohio (WJW) – A woman suspected of stabbing and killing a 3-year-old boy outside a local grocery store is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday afternoon.

The child and his mother were attacked and stabbed outside a Giant Eagle in North Olmsted, Ohio

Officials say around 3 p.m. Monday, June 3, a mother and her son had just finished grocery shopping and appeared to be headed back to their vehicle when a woman wearing all black charged at them with a kitchen knife, stabbing both of them.

Multiple shoppers called 911. Responding officers came to give first aid and quickly arrested Bionca Ellis, 32, of Cleveland, who was found walking toward Dover Center Road, reportedly still holding the weapon.

Police said the attack appeared to be random and that they did not believe the victims had interacted prior to the incident.

Toddler stabbed to death outside of Ohio grocery store | WKRN News 2

 

And I will say no more.