Unless you have a decent gun store heavy on the reloading stuff, you probably depend of online merchants for your brass cleaning supplies. Cleaning media and polish is not that expensive, but when you add shipping and handling plus wait time, it gets to be somewhat silly. A friend gave me a great tip for cleaning media: Lizard Bedding.  It comes in different sizes but the biggest one is 10lbs costing $12.99 at PetSmart. Compare that to Frankford Arsenal Brass Cleaning Media Treated Walnut Hull 7 lb Bag at $13.79 or the 15 lbs bag for $22.99. As for polishing, you can use Frankford Arsenal Brass Case Polish 8 oz Liquid for $7.79 or splurge all of $3.00 for the same amount of good old Brasso bought at WalMart.

A spoonful of Brasso per tumbler load will suffice. do pour on the media and let it mix for 4-5 minutes before adding brass.

The three on the right were treated with the bedding+brasso combo and the ones on the left with bedding only. Sorry about the flash wash, but I think the difference is still visible.

PETA takes shot at ‘American Idol’ singer Kristy Lee Cook’s new hunting series, ‘Goin’ Country‘ says the L.A Times. I don’t think they would dare, specially when the intended “target” can shoot back… and well.

Doesn’t PETA have to go do an Auschwitz on the dogs they rescue? Go bother somebody else.

Via NRA-ILA we find about armed citizens in Ashtabula County, Ohio captured an armed criminal. That on itself is newsworthy and congrats to the citizens of Ashtabula for keeping themselves safe. The County was deprived of their normal LEO numbers of five vehicles to two when the County Commissioners cut down on the budget. funding and this two cars are supposed to cover a total area of 1,368 square miles. Of course we heard from the Sheriff and the standard “leave this for the professionals” speech but reality is a very different bag of cats and there is no way that 102,728 people, 39,397 households, and 27,774 families can depend on two cars to keep them safe.

In the comment section of the original link above, the praise and support for the “posse” makes the majority of the entries. Of course we have the whining bunch afraid of armed citizens defensing themselves. How come they are not afraid of the damned criminals intent on doing their nasties on them is still something I can’t quite comprehend. Here are some of the comments:

Mac
Mentor, OH
This is just hilljack justice at its worst. People like Kusar and his band of thugs are the reason we moved out of Ashtabula county. Let the professionals do their job.

This individual stop doing any kind of thinking after reading the word “posse.” He was told by another contributor that there are not enough professionals to do the job but it still shows the kind of numb-mind that populates our country.

llamamamma
Oslo, Norway
This is rather scary. Has it become common, to wander armed in large groups or is this a regional thing?

Scary only if you are a criminal.

Wait a second
North Olmsted, OH
Thankfully, this story had a “good” ending. But what if it hadn’t? Encouraging people to tote guns and engage in vigilante justice is just asking for somebody to get killed.

Nobody engaged in vigilante nothing but that is lost on this individual. The armed criminal (again, armed) was apprehended. Did I say ARMED? How do you engage armed criminals? With 911 and a can of wishful thinking?

It is good to see that we are recovering some backbone and testicular fortitude in this country. Good for the people of Ashtabula County.

George McMurrain was out of booze and needed to go get some more. He made one call and he did get a ride… to jail.

Dispatcher: This is 911.
Suspect: I need a, I need a — a ride.
Dispatcher: You need a ride?
Suspect: Yes, to the liquor store.
Dispatcher: Um.
Suspect: Sheriff said she’d give me a ride.
Dispatcher: OK, you’re going to have to call somebody else, sir. You called 911. We can’t come give you a ride.
Suspect: Even the sheriff said she’d give me a ride.
Dispatcher: The sheriff said they’d give you a ride to the liquor store?
Suspect: That’s correct.
Dispatcher: Wrong.

George was arrested for misusing 911. No news if he will be facing charges for ethyl-stupidity.

A man gets killed in New Jersey during National Night Out Against Crime. In Miami, Mayor Regalado begs money from the federal government (read our damned pockets) while invoking the evil ghost of AK 47s (I never saw that coming) but not having the balls of hosting the event in the neighborhood of Liberty City where crime is just off the charts and killings are the majority. In Chicago Reich Fuhrer Daley angrily promises more police while asking for more of your money for more cops while trying to bypass the McDonald SCOTUS decision and making things impossible for citizens to defend themselves.

I know that many of the folks that attend events like this, do it out of a true concern for the violence they live in. But it chaffs me silly that they do not see they are just being used for political posturing in major cities where crime is a scourge.  The politicians will quickly blame the usual suspects (guns, republicans, global warming, Sarah Palin, George Bush, etc) but none have the balls to talk straight. They will not bring out that a total failure to really integrate the Black Community has been a part of the issue. Or the drug problem that insanely affects those neighborhoods or the Gangsta Culture that makes standing up for what is right a sin punishable with death alongside helping police and taking a stand for what is right. Nobody has the courage to stand and tell the long standing community leaders and religious hacks that became the “voice” of the community and blame them for selling them (payable with blood) the bullshit that being a victim is cool and honorable and expected from a Minority. Hell, much better that way so we can get some federal money to spend in more useless do-nothing vigils and programs that perpetuate modern slavery and political indenture. The same political predators that want you poorer and more miserable I can make you, the easier for me to get your vote if I promise you the Moon and a Welfare Check. And don’t worry, it ain’t your fault, it is somebody else’s so you can sleep better at night.

Making you independent and self-sufficient is not a good thing. A politician may lose a job and we cannot afford any more unemployment. Then again you never see a politician collecting Government Cheese to feed his family.

Backyard visitor a hint of things to come? I better open my gun safe. 🙂