Thanks A Lot, Lochte.

Anyone who goes to Rio (or any Olympic Games) always gets a briefing from their sponsoring group about etiquette and how their actions reflect back on their country.
I know I get them from the Large Broadcast Entity along with the 'Shit You Shouldn't Do' briefing...

So- hand a bunch of young athletes hopped up on adrenaline and 'I'm-a-gold-medal-winning-'Murican' pseudo-steroids and free flowing alcohol, then turn them loose -ostensibly to get back to their lodgings- without some kind of supervision, and your organizing committee is asking for trouble.
Nice work , TeamUSA. Spend some money on some effective professional personnel protective assets... It's a better investment that the $$$ you'll have to shell out for PR and legal fees.

Should they be able to act appropriately on their own? Yes.

Does their bullshit activities make things difficult for all Americans here (and elsewhere)?
You betcher ass.

Is this a isolated experience - Ugly Americans reinforcing stereotypes at the Olympic Games?

Absolutely not.

Sherman, set the WayBack to February 1998...
A number (as yet still unidentified and unpunished) NHL Hockey players, after getting bounced from the competition, ALLEGEDLY broke up furniture, damaged walls, set off fire extinguishers, and broke some windows in the Olympic Village.
The official word was that a few rather light and flimsy chairs were broken through normal use, because the players are big guys and they were just playing cards...
Whatever.
It blew over and no one thinks about it any more.
A little vandalism is one thing. We could call it a victimless crime, but to me criminal behavior is criminal behavior. YMMV.
When, like Lochte & Co, you make up a story involving local thugs, casting aspersions at teh local police by saying police (even fake police) were involved in order to cover up boorish behavior- it will not be swept under the carpet.
Lochte and Co, imbued with confidence, alcohol and the need to urinate decided their needs outweighed the "closed" sign at the gas station, showed their (figurative) asses, then tried to cover things up with with a hastily and poorly-conceived lie...
Nice work, guys. Make all us 'Murican look like assholes...

(Overheard on the shuttle bus last night- an OBS person saying good night to an American media person - "Hey- don't vandalize any gas stations tonight!")

Popular medal-winning athletes shouldn't be doing shit like this...

That's the job of the guys in our Golf division- they get paid to look like idjits.
Let our guys do their jobs.

You guys stick to swimming and carpool karaoke, let the professionals work.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Australia Gun Laws & Rules

To whet your appetite have a peek at this from one of the FAQs

I currently hold a firearms licence for sport/target shooting. Can I go hunting on rural property?

No, you are only authorised to shoot at an approved Sport/Target Shooting Club. If you wish to shoot on rural land you must apply to have the genuine reason of Recreational Hunting and Vermin Control or Primary Production added to your existing firearms licence.
To add this genuine reason, you should email the Firearms Registry Licensing Unit at frlicensing@police.nsw.gov.au to obtain pre-printed application forms – please refer to the information under 'What if I want to change my genuine reason or add a new genuine reason?' above.

Wow.
Pique your interest?

Submitted for your edification, some FAQs and Links regarding gun laws from the oh-so-enlightened Aussies...

From the Auburn Shooting Academy (Sydney west) website:

-Frequently Asked Questions-

How long does it take to get a pistol license?
After joining the club and completing the initial Pistol Safe Handling training, your application for a Probationary Pistol Licence (PPL) will take about 6 to 8 weeks. You will then need to complete the clubs 12 week pistol training program while under close supervision and the remainder of the first 6 months of your PPL under general supervision. A PPL is valid for 12 months after which time a Category H (Pistol Target Shooting) licence can be applied for.

Can anyone become a club member and licensed shooter?
You must be able to pass a Police criminal background check, have good English language skills and be a NSW resident.

What do I need to join the Shooting Academy Club?
You will need a government issued photo identification, two references from adults who have known you 2 years or more and be able to pass a Police criminal background check. You will also need to be a member of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (SSAA).

How much does a Pistol License Cost?
Your Probationary Pistol Licence (PPL) will cost $100 (for 12 months), and your Category H Pistol Licence will cost $100 for 2 years or $200 for 5 years. These fees are in addition to your club and shooting association membership fees.

When I have a license, can I bring an unlicensed friend shooting?
No. Unlicenced shooters may only try pistol target shooting, under the requirements of the Police P650 declaration form, by prior arrangement with the club and under the direct supervision of a Club Range Officer.

Can I shoot at the Shooting Academy at any time?
After you have completed 6 months of your PPL, and have completed your induction and safety training, you can shoot at any time provided the range is not pre-booked for training or competition.

Do I have to attend every Thursday night in the first 12 weeks?
 No, but it is in your best interest to complete your 12 week induction and safety training as soon as possible. You must complete the club's 12 week training course before your PPL is 6 months old. You can only do this on Thursday nights under the supervision of a club Range Officer.

What are the attendance or competition requirements to comply with the conditions of Pistol license?
Licenced pistol shooters must compete in at least 6 club competitions each year, and a further 4 club shoots for each different type of pistol they own.

What's involved in buying my first pistol?
After you have your Probationary Pistol Licence (PPL) for 6 months, and have completed the club’s induction and safety training course, you can apply for a Permit to Acquire (to buy your first pistol). You must have your Category H safe inspected by the local Police who will provide a letter stating that it complies with regulations. This together with the Permit to Acquire is forwarded to the Firearms Registry.

Can I buy a gun on the Internet?
No. Firearms can ONLY be legally bought and sold through licenced firearms dealers, and only to licenced shooters who have a Permit to Acquire.

Can I shoot at other Pistol clubs or ranges?
Yes. After you have your Probationary Pistol Licence (PPL) for 6 months, with the permission of the other Club, you can participate in shooting events at other approved pistol ranges. Range fees and competition entry fees for other Club venues are not included in your Shooting Academy Club membership. Additional training and accreditation may be required for participation in external shooting competitions.

Do I need to purchase my own pistol?
No. Club pistols are available free of charge to members under training and during the first 6 months of a PPL. .

Can I store a pistol at the Club?
Yes. Safe-storage compliant gun safes are available at the Club for a modest biennial fee.

Which leads us to the NSW Gun Laws...

Licence Applications

In NSW, any person seeking to possess and use a firearm must be authorised by way of a licence or permit.
All persons wishing to obtain a firearms licence in NSW must have a genuine reason for obtaining the licence and must meet a range of legislative requirements relating to that genuine reason.
Licence holders are only authorised to possess and use the category of firearm for which the licence has been issued and the firearm may only be used for the purpose established as being the genuine reason for holding the firearms licence.

• FACT Sheet - Information on Obtaining a Firearms Licence in NSW (PDF)
• Quick Guide - Applying for a Firearms Licence (PDF)

The Genuine Reasons applicable to a firearms licence are listed below. Please review the requirements for the genuine reason you wish to select to ensure that you can meet all the requirements. The Licence Category and Genuine Reason Table also shows the categories of licence applicable to each genuine reason.

Genuine Reasons

• Sport / Target Shooting
• Recreational Hunting / Vermin Control
• Primary Production
• Vertebrate Pest Animal Control
• Business or Employment
• Rural Occupation
• Animal Welfare
• Firearms Collection

Changes to an Existing Licence

• Add Genuine Reason or Category to Existing Licence
• Delete Genuine Reason or Category or Cancel Licence  

Firearms Safety Training Courses

If you are applying for a licence for the first time you will need to complete a Firearms Safety Training Course for longarms or pistols. Refer to each genuine reason FACT Sheet for information regarding applicable courses.

Business Licence

If you are making an application for a firearms licence for a business, please see the FACT Sheet below and the Business Declaration form which must be completed and returned with your application.

• FACT Sheet - Instructions for Completing a P559 Business, Club or Government Agency Firearms Licence Application
• FORM - Sample Business Licence Application P559 Form
• FORM Business Declaration

Making Your Licence Application

Once you have determined the appropriate genuine reason and category of licence, you may use the link below to request your pre-printed licence application and genuine reason forms.

• Webpage - Request Firearms Licence Application Forms
• FORM - Sample Licence Application P561 Form
• FACT Sheet - Instructions for Completing a P561 Personal Firearms Licence Application

You may also obtain pre-printed licence application forms by contacting the Firearms Registry Customer Service line on 1300 362 562.

I especially enjoyed the phrasing under the section on firearm collectors the caveat:

"A Firearm Collector licence allows for the possession of firearms only, not their use.
...
NOTE: This licence does not authorise the collection of ammunition. For information on collection of ammunition see Ammunition Collection Permit."

And finally, as an American gun owner, these FAQs are hilarious and frightening.

FAQ's

For further information, please access our 'Frequently Asked Questions', below.

• Firearm Licences
• Firearm Permits
• Firearms and Ammunition
• Acquiring a Firearm
• Suspension, Refusal & Revocation
• Unlicensed Persons Using a Firearm on a Range
• Importing Firearms and Weapons
• General - Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Act 2012
• Dealers / Armourers - Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Act 2012 
• Ammunition Permit -  Firearms Amendment (Ammunition Control) Act 2012 
• About the Register of Firearms Licences and Permits to Acquire

Lord, please spare us who want to use the Australian model for proposed gun regulation & ownership...


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

CNN Overload & Streetfood!

I'm in the Operations office in the Hotel in Meh-He-Co City and the level of people in the office varies between zero and 30.
Most of the time it's around 6 or 8.

I'm sitting in the front of the room, which is arranged 'classroom' style, so everyone behind me is looking over my shoulder, which can be a little disturbing, mostly for them when I'm shopping on Brownells.com or LAPoliceGear.com, or when I'm surfing DrudgeReport.com.
(As a rule, these are mostly New Yorkers or New Jersey residents that are here for the event.)

Anyway, I try to keep most of the stuff that would require a trigger warning for a Yankee hoplophobic, entitled-class climate alarmist to a minimum on my screen.

Meanwhile, on a 70" flatscreen in the front of the room, CNN International is playing constantly.
(Because it is one of the few channels in Ingles on the hotel's 35-channel network... The other 2 are Fox News [not gonna happen with this crowd] and SuperMax [a channel playing latenight Cinemax movies, including softcore 24/7])
The local sportschannel is ESPN Deportes, and it seems like they want to watch the 36 minute CNN repeating cycle featuring Anderson Cooper, Christine Amanpour and the staff of dozens that cover the news for Ted Turners bastard child than having to listen to soccer recaps in high-speed Español.

So Yours Truly is stuck in front of this non-stop drivel, consisting mostly of US commentators kissing Obama's ass, lionizing Granny Clinton, and trying to scandalize or at least trivialize the conservative 2016 candidates for President. Shit-tons of coverage on Paris climate talks ("The US owes all 3rd world nations reparations! ZOMG- The Marshall Shoals Islands are going under!!), Japanese whale hunts, and the one that just boggles my mind- climate change is the reason for ISIS and the Paris attacks.
When they start in on that feature, my brain completely shuts down due to the complete stupidity of the concept. These people have gone over the edge in the cause/effect analysis.
As a matter of fact, climate change is the cause of all ills in the world...

Donald Trump? - Climate change.
Colorado PP shooting? - Climate change.
Clinton e-mail scandal? - Climate change.
China investor group buys into Manchester U FC? - Climate change.
Russian Jetliner shootdown over Turkey? - Climate change.
Cleveland Browns lost to the Ravens? - Climate change.
Michael Brown/Eric Gardner/Freddy Gray? - Climate change.
Slow Internet? - Climate change.
Burned your Thanksgiving turkey? - Climate change.
World War II? - Climate change.
.22 LR Ammo shortage? - Climate change.

Just a couple days to go...
I can get through it...
Mostly by looking forward to my nightly forays into the dark neighborhood streets behind the St. Regis, in search of Mexican street meat and michelada.



Mmmm Al pastor and onions on the Plancha



Al pastor con queso on the way...



Yeah, that's not a tennis shoe... That's lengua, beef tongue...

I'll stick with the giant Cone o' Meat-

All hail Al Pastor!

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Once More, With Feeling This Time

Yet another activist moron sending her cause back to square one.
Shit like this is why the BLM movement has zero credibility.




Quelle suprise!
Keep up the good work, morons.

TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

I Just Can't Even

Obama: "These mass shootings just don't happen in other countries."
(Spoken at a podium in Paris, where 189 people were just killed.)
The man is completely clueless and unaware.

Cue up the calls for gun confiscations from all people who aren't felons, drug addicts, mentally ill, or otherwise prohibited...


But first-
What's that battle cry from the Left when an Islamic radical goes on rampage?

Oh yeah:
"This sort of thinking — blaming an entire group for the actions of a few individuals, assuming the worst about a person just because of their identity — is the very definition of bigotry."
From Vox...here.

Moron.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Thanks, Asshole

-or-
This is why we can't have nice things.

Some noob/provisional local LEO decided he'd take his AR and some M855 to our local FOP range and get some target practice in.
Problems:
1. Not a member of the FOP or the Range
2. Pistol calibers ONLY
3. He's a lying asshole

He gets the combination code to the range gate from some other local LEO and
heads to the range.



Noob Asshole: "Wow, what nice divots these AP rounds put in that 1/4" steel."




Noob Asshole: "Well, wadda ya know. They do pierce steel plate."

So, after Officer Asshole destroys $1000 worth of steel plates he leaves all his brass scattered around the site he takes off. Not being an FOP or Range member, he doesn't know that there are 4 streaming cameras at the range/firing line and 3 cameras shooting the access roads.
When the damage is discovered, it takes only 20 minutes to find and identify the culprit.
When Officer Dindunuffin* is confronted, he denies everything.
When presented with video and photo evidence, he admits guilt.
When asked who gave him the code for the gate (a major violation of FOP and Range rules) he replies with the ever-popular "I don't remember."

Hey, Moron- two important attributes of a LEO- a GOOD MEMORY and the ability to make good decisions.
You have just DQ'd yourself from the job.
Have a nice f'ing day.

(*I just love this monniker - it's a Tam-isim. So useful and accurate.)
TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Assholes Being Assholes

Seems like there are so many more "White Supremacy" incidents in the last few weeks...

Seems to me they fall into two major categories:
1. People who want to give the BLM crowd and the campus crybullies something to protest- usually someone from the same organizations hoaxing, so they stay relevant.

2. Shit - stirrers like the 4-chaners, militant Redditors, and refugees from /b/ that just love throwing monkey wrenches for the sake of wrenching, not because of racial hatred.

That small percentage of REAL white supremacy retards have always been out there and probably know better than to fan the flames...The BLM is doing a bang-up job of alienating Everyone Else on their own. The WS crowd knows that getting caught making a poo-swastika would be stepping on their own dicks in a major way...

The BLM folks that are creating their own outrages (swastikas,  white power graffiti, provocative social media messages) fall back on the ever-popular defense of "I did it just to see what would happen."...
Like this idjit:

Police at Saginaw Valley State University say a threat posted on the social media site Yik Yak read, "I'm going to shoot every black person I can on campus. Starting tomorrow morning."

Guess who:

The original post was followed later by: 
"Its [sic] a joke,"
"I'm black,"
"I was going to give it an hour to see how you all would react," and
"Right. I could be angry and just expressing myself lol."

Moron.

Tired of Your Bullshit, Asshat. (Australia Gun Control Edition)

A long-time friend and dis-honorary guest member of the ODMQD Breakfast Club, is a staunch repeal-the-second-amendment, Gunz-R-Bad, dope-smoking, granola munching, NYC/LA wannabe, and as such, we just let him babble on and pretty much ignore his crap...
He usually confines himself to basic inanities about how guns should be outlawed, then just collected up like in Australia and all will be right with the world.
Seems a lot of politicians (Obama included) would embrace the Australian model...
Unfortunately, they only hear anecdotal evidence, not hard facts-
(Like that famous '97%' of scientists that feel the science is settled about Anthropological Global Change [obvious horseshit - read HERE], and that 40% of guns are sold without background checks. [Again- Bullshit - Here.)

So Skippy (an obvious nom de idiot, since I don't want to embarrass him too badly) is going on and on about USA shootings in Virginia, Charleston, Aurora, ad infinitum and speaking in glowing terms about Australia, and I just want to smack him in the head and remind him about the Lindt cafe incident last December...

I keep hearing all about how the Australia mandatory gun buy-back confiscation program is just the model we should embrace...Mostly because Obama said so on a podcast with a bullshit moron unfunny soi-disant 'comedian'. (I'm not going to link to it- fuck 'em. You want to read it, GIMF.)

It was soooooo effective...
They got about 1/3 of the outlawed weapons, so in the US it might be about 100 million of the 300+ million guns. And if history is any indicator, US gun owners will not go quietly into that good night. (I do hope that my man Skippy, Bloomberg, Pelosi, Obama, Feinstein, and Sarah Brady are the people going door-to-door to ask people for their guns.)
Interestingly, if somehow, you get a special dispensation to have a gun in Australia, the ploice can come at any time and search your house and property without any kind of a warrant. Is that REALLY what people want?

People think gun crime is non-existent in Australia...
Think again.

Exercise a little Google-fu:
Here, I 'll even help you out. (Gotta be specific about what KIND of shooting or you'll get basketball results for Woollarra and Bundaburg...)

Brisbane
Melbourne
Sydney

How's about these apples for 2014:


Is Australia staring down the barrel of a gun crisis? (news.com.au)

* There have been 39 people shot in Sydney (in 2014), most related to an ongoing bikie war.
* Conservative estimates say there are more than a quarter-of-a-million illegal firearms in Australia.
* Gun ownership in Australia is back at pre-Port Arthur massacre levels.
* Carrying a gun is becoming more common and ingrained in outlaw culture.
* Gun amnesties barely put a dent in the number of weapons.
* Innocent people are being caught up in gun battles.
* There has been a steady increase in gun-related crimes over the past seven years.

Sydney gun crime: city suffers three shootings in three hours

Sydney home invasions and drive-by shootings whitewashed by NSW Police

Look, Oz isn't the gun-free utopia that Obama, Bloomberg and the rest of the anti-gun proponents believe it to be. Firearm-related incidents don't get the airplay on the US MSM because it doesn't fit the narrative...

Back to Skippy for a minute-
His position is the need to implement the Aussie-style Draconian measures, force a buy-back on a national level, then after the results are sofa-king ridiculously poor, then go door to door to get the rest of the 200 million firearms that possession was, until this little imaginary exercise, a God-give and constitutionally protected right. And he thinks that's doable.

But, on another note, he doesn't believe rounding up the 11 million (more like 20 million, amirite?) illegal aliens (you fuckin'-a right I said it - ILLEGAL. ALIEN.) is remotely possible. We shouldn't even try.
I really don't think he know what a really motivated gun-owning, 2A proponent is capable of, and prepared to do... Because when push comes to knock-knock-give-me-your-guns, I have a feeling Joe USCitizen will not go all round-heel like the Sheilas Down Under.

Gah- I am surrounded by morons.

- Or... Wait. Is it just me?
A fictional Deputy Marshall, Raylan Givens (more on him in a later post) had some great writers doing his dialog from the TV show Justified on Fox.
He once opined:
"...you run into an asshole in the morning, you ran into an asshole; you run into assholes all day, you're the asshole."
Lots of truth there, it seems.

I'm going to have to rethink my whole personality evaluation paradigm.
Seems like there are some inconsistencies in it...

(Shit- This post wandered quite a bit... Sorry for the digressions.)

tl:dr  Hey Skippy: Fuck off and die in a fire.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Immoral Imperative - It Must Be Blogged Immediately

We are in lovely Pennsylvania - just outside Lancaster for the US Women's Open.

This place is just teeming with Mennonites and Amish.

Throwing a bunch of our guys into this kind of environment is just asking for trouble, since some of our folks don't have filters, or at least don't use them, while talking/interacting in public...

Case in point...
Just to the east of Lancaster is a place named (to the delight of snickering schoolboys everywhere) Intercourse PA.


 Of course, this becomes a topic of conversation at lunch-

Uncouth Guy1 "Intercourse? Why the fuck would they name the place that? Ha!"
Uncouth Guy2 "I wonder if all the stores & streets are as inappropriately named?"
UG1: "Edith's House of Sex Toys and Apple Butter!"
UG2: "At the corner of Rusty Trombone and Angry Dragon?"
UG1: "Yeah- right next to Dirty Sanchez Plumbing Supply."

Gah.
This is why we can't go anywhere nice.


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

Perception - The '(fillintheblank)' Capitol of America!

Sitting in the office, minding my own business (a/k/a eavesdropping) and folks are discussing dinner last night and how one woman (a New Yorker) had to order some seafood dish on the menu-
"Because San Francisco is the seafood capitol of America."




*Ding!*

This woman needs a high-five.
In the head.
With a chair.
Sadly I am not in a position where I can administer such a much-needed corrective action.


Uh- Honey-
There's this place- Florida?
I don't know if you've heard of it...
Florida= Oysters, Stone Crab, Lobster, Snapper, Grouper, Shrimp, Wahoo, Cobia and the list goes on ad infinitum...


Yeah- San Fran = blah blah blah - Dungeness crab... Whatever.
SanFran MIGHT be the capitol of the US for one specific species of one type of seafood.
(And she's lucky no one from the Chesapeake Bay region was around to school her on blue crabs...)

Now - I will grant that SF (and especially the Tenderloin, where I am staying) is the California capitol of crazies/crackheads/wacked out meth heads/shouters & screamers...
There has been a shooting within 3 blocks of my hotel every night this week.
Even I don't go out late at night around here...


TBG - - ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE