Linguistic Genocide

We need a better term for this war to the death against language and the thought processes it accommodates. Linguicide? Logicide?  Thanks to Roberta:

A writer for The Nation  says Israel's retaliation against the Quassad rockets from Gaza G.W.  Bush's "last and final war crime."

That's like PETA yapping "atrocity" when you swat a fly. 

All Bush did was refuse to stand in Israel's way and remark that the Gazoids swung first. If that's war crime I'll kiss your butts on the Capitol steps Jan. 20,  soon as Obama draws the crowd.

It's a good illustration of  jihad against reasoned use of language. Israel may be accused of folly, cruelty, undue machoism, and other sins without leaving the realm of reason, and the same applies to folks who care to substitute terms like wisdom and forebearance. You can reasonably debate any of that.

But if we let nitwits con us into accepting "war crime" to denominate Bush's  Gaza response, what sort of term do we have in reserve for, say,  Bataan, Nanking, Manilla, Dachau?

Examples abound. For instance, I hear every new offering from bands  grownups never heard of called "awesome."   If so, what adjective might be used to describe the Second Coming?

And that's why I didn't call The Nation writer a lame-brained idiotic  slug.  Gotta hold something back for writing about Pelosi and Limbaugh.  

A Luddite's Delight

Avoiding the 21st Century at every opportunity is a good idea.* Yesterday another reason why occurred to me as I restocked the indoor wood bin. 

My Leaders have not figured out a way to tax the split oak and maple. That's pleasant  to think about while  lounging around the 80-degree cabin in a tee shirt, idly glancing out the window once in a while to confirm the massive failure of global warming.

*The 20th wasn't much either, but it nearly redeemed itself with  John M. Browning, Kim Novak, and the Twinkie.

But It's Ugly

Twenty-mumble years of use have taken their toll of what little beauty that Smith 59 had in the first place, and I catch myself wondering if it's a good candidate for a bake-on.  

I used the Brownell  brand last summer to titivate  a 1911 built years ago  on an Essex frame, GI top and internals. It looks pretty good, not really like Parkerizing, but close. 

A sorta-Parkerized 59? Why not? I can't imagine the gene pool ever polluted enough to create beings who consider these things collectible. 

  

BubbaSmithing

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The SW59 came my way in the latter days of the Carter Administration. It was a police turn-in. Smart police.

The SW factory munchkins somehow missed the concept that a trigger should release the sear prior to making solid contact with the frame.  I relieved the frame and made it go click in the shop -- every time. Yowza.  A bench strip  and the hard felt wheels took care of the trigger-mech burrs and silenced the symphony of screeches and whines prior to the click. (I'm not sure this was wise. Maybe Smith and Wesson decided there should be an audible warning that this gun was going to go off any second now.) 

All was well until sometime during the recent  Christmas trip. Getting ready to put it away last evening I noticed a full magazine would not drop without a substantial assist. Nor would either clip go back in without a big hand-bruising  whack. Look real close.  See the clip scratches. See the mysterious bump on the forward edge of the well. No, it wasn't dropped nor transported in the tool box with the pipe wrenches. I suspect SW used an alloy seeded with a secret enzyme which grows burrs. 

While the files and emery cloth  were handy  I beveled  the rest of the magazine well. Very smooth now, and I feel just like P.O. Ackley.