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In one of the discussions, it was mentioned that Federal troops were seen in Albuquerque. Email from the White House has the following:

So, naturally, I went looking around the net.

Wikipedia overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Legend

Kansas City news conference
https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article244416727.html

Buzzfeed article on Chicago and Albuquerque
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/salvadorhernandez/trump-sending-federal-officers-to-chicago-albuquerque

Mayor of Albuquerque interview on NPR
https://www.npr.org/2020/07/22/894449060/albuquerque-mayor-on-trumps-plan-to-send-federal-agents-into-the-city

It seems like, ohhhh, I don't know, maybe Sanctuary Cities are on a list?

https://newspunch.com/full-list-sanctuary-cities-states-usa/

It's "fashionable" to defy the federal government these days. And, camo fatigues are also "fashionable". Enjoy, America!

The smart people in those sanctuary cities will follow my stepson's example, and evacuate.

For starters, I have never really cared a lot about cell phones. They aren't "real computers" in my opinion, and they will never replace my desktop.

But, for reasons I'm not going into here, I suddenly need more reliable service, here at the house. That is, I need the cell phone to work, but I can't be going out into the rain, trying to find that magic spot in the yard where I get a full bar, or maybe two bars for reception.

I have, in the past, used those little cards that go inside of the cell phone, promising to boost your reception. I've had mixed results with that, none of them exceptionally good. The best of them might boost your reception by a bar. When you have no service at all, that little card will usually give you crappy service.

Looking at somewhat more serious equipment, Wilson makes a nice looking cell phone antenna for trucks and cars, that apparently gives you a nice signal boost. It sells for about $80 to $100. Problem is, the phone must be left in the antenna cradle, which probably means using the speaker phone. That sucks - you can't carry the phone around, and speaker phone always sounds like crap.

Car or truck, about $200
https://www.wilsonsignalbooster.com/weboost-drive-sleek-cradle-signal-booster-470135.html

Home use, starting about $500 to $1000
https://www.wilsonsignalbooster.com/
https://www.wilsonsignalbooster.com/weboost-470144-home-multiroom-signal-booster.html
https://www.wilsonsignalbooster.com/wilson-pro-70-plus-for-voice-3g-4g-lte.html

More serious equipment? Starting prices seem to be about $500 for a repeater. Set up your antenna, preferably in an elevated position, and point it at a cell tower. Run the coax inside the house, where it plugs into a booster device, which has another antenna to transmit the signal inside the house. Like magic, you should get 3 to 5 bars, and be able to wander throughout your home while maintaining that good, solid signal.

But, I have almost zero idea who makes good equipment, as opposed to consumer grade feel-good trash.

What is the competition for Wilson / weBoost? Some of you Soylentils have a lot of knowledge and experience in electronics. Point me at some good quality, reputable suppliers, please!!

Or, is this the best, and/or the best price, I'm going to find?

I did run across one booster system, that has to be set to one carrier or another. That is, it will not boost all cell phone signals at the same time - you have to choose one. It supposedly has a much stronger signal than any of the others I've looked at.

https://www.waveform.com/products/cel-fi-go-x

Again, that's a $1000. This particular page suggests that I can't change it from one carrier to another, instead, they want me to specify which carrier I want to use.

This one is near $1000, boosts all carriers, and they claim to have performance comparable to the cel-fi-go-x
https://www.waveform.com/products/hi-boost-home-15k-lcd-f20g-5s-lcd

So, are there better options out there? Cheaper options that are as good or better?

So, I'm driving along, and none of the stations are coming in well. I'm scanning the FM spectrum, looking for SOMETHING that isn't retarded. Finally, something came in clear - some asshole spouting his opinion about something. That something was COVID19. I listen a few seconds. Hmmmm - interesting.

The per capita COVID fatality rate is lower in all of those states that kept their economies going, than in any of those states that simply shut down for COVID.

Hmmm - wonder if that's true? And, who is that asshole? Listen awhile longer - hell, it's Limbaugh.

So, I'm still wondering if it's true. So, right now, after beginning my journal entry, I'll try to find numbers . . .

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1109011/coronavirus-covid19-death-rates-us-by-state/

Hmmmm - something's not right. There are supposed to be eight states that did not shut down. There are 15 states with lower fatality rates than Arkansas, which did not shut down. Soooooo - the statement that every state that did NOT shut down has a lower death rate than any state that did shut down cannot be true.

Which states did NOT shut down again?

April 3 - not quite what we're looking for here. https://www.travelbinger.com/13-u-s-states-have-not-ordered-a-lockdown-yet-take-a-look/

April 17, but it seems to reference much the same as Limbaugh was pontificating over.
https://www.lendio.com/blog/coronavirus/states-lockdown/

However, 8 states (Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Utah, and Wyoming) still do not have any lockdowns or stay-at-home orders.

Compare that list of 8 to the table found in the first link - and Rush is full of shit. Oh well. There's a reason I never liked listening to him . . . Only on those rather rare occassions when the AM/FM couldn't find anything except Rush Limbaugh, did I ever listen to the old fool.

The chart does seem to indicate that all of those 8 states have had low mortality rates, compared with New England and Great Lakes states. Then, there's Louisiana, ranking right below the District of Columbia.

Well, all I can say is, "Fuck you, Rush!" The fool had me hoping that something all scientifical-like was going to prove all the fuss to be wasted.

I suppose everyone knows that every politician, and every executive officer in the world feels the need to "do something" about Covid19.

We've been doing that social distancing thing since early in the game. Everyone has. Face masks, not so much.

Suddenly, our executive branch has decided that face masks are mandatory to even enter the plant. I went to the doctor's office immediately to get an excuse not to wear the mask. Doctor and I had an interesting discussion, in which she reiterated what I already know: masks are bad for healthy people.

Meanwhile, I talked to my co-workers, and told them all that if they didn't want to wear the masks, they needed to get a medical exemption. Everyone says, "I'm getting mine tomorrow morning!" Then it became, "I'm waiting to see what they do about you before I give them mine!" Bunch of no-balls assholes, this is why collective bargaining never works in the south.

So, I take my medical note to HR. Stupid broad lets me work without a mask - for one night. But she's talking on the phone to some bitch somewhere far away, and the second night, I'm barred from entering the plant. Talk, talk, talk, all around the country with people who all think that they're important.

Finally, it's decided that I need to wear a mask to get through the turnstile, and walk through the plant, to my shop. More, I'm being offered a half dozen different options for masks, as opposed to that silly gauze hanging off my ears. I'll test them all out, and see how they work.

BUT - most importantly, I don't have to wear the damned mask for eight, or ten, or twelve hours. Only when I'm face-to-face with someone. Otherwise, the stupid mask can be stuffed into my belt, or pocket, or whatever.

And, I got a near-admission that the masks are pretty meaningless. They do not stop the transmission of the common cold, flu, or Covid19. It's just a feel-good stopgap that shows everyone cares. And, it helps to mitigate any potential liability the company may face for keeping the plant in operation.

Funny thing about the masks I've already seen. There are no brand name tags, or instructions, or anything on them. The best thing I've seen yet, is just a tube, you pull over your head, and down around your neck. Single layer of some artificial fabric, stretchy, and very easy to breathe through. No hot air blowing back in your eyes, or whatever. Did EVERYONE in the boardrooms forget that it's summer now? It's far too damned hot to be breathing into some stupid bag of gauzey cotton or paper.

I got my point across pretty effectively though. If those assholes in the offices want me to wear a mask that interferes with breathing, they need to bring their fat asses into the factory, follow me around, and breathe through the same damned masks they want me to breathe through.

The message would have been far more effective, if all of my co-workers had followed through on their promises to bring doctor's excuses in on Monday, like I did. Assholes all need to grow a pair. They can talk a good story, but they have no real fight in them.

I promise that whatever mask I decide to carry around with me, it will almost never be over my face.

Tonight, we see what we see. Maybe they'll just get pissed off, and lay me off. I can lay around the house and collect unemployment for awhile!!

BTW - as an aside - I mentioned 8, or 10, or 12 hours above. Which explains why I've not been so active here on Soylent. Too many days and too many hours for me to spend much time on the internets. Nice paydays though!

I'll try to post back, and let you all know which mask works best for me.

And, yes, claustrophobia is a legitimate excuse not to wear some stupid rag over your face. There are others, but claustrophobia is about the easiest to "prove" to anyone's satisfaction.

Intelsat, launcher of 1st commercial communications satellite, files for bankruptcy… it’s a friend we didn’t know we had

By Andrew Dickens, a London-based freelance writer

Born in the Cold War, powered by rivalry and unhindered by free-market restrictions, Intelsat linked the planet with its satellites – but hardly anyone knew about it. Now, it struggles to stay afloat.
Anyone who remembers television in the late 20th century will remember the thrill of watching international broadcasts. The grainy pictures of faraway and foreign places, with their strange road signs, adverts and people. The sound delayed and crackled like a long-distance phone call.

Now we live in an age where a crystal-clear conversation with multiple people on multiple continents using a device lighter than a deck of cards is as commonplace as sliced bread, it’s easy to forget how powerful that early magic felt.

It’s even easier to forget the organization that launched the world’s first commercial communications satellite (Intelsat 1) in 1965, bringing many of us those miraculous early broadcasts that changed history and propelled us to the connected world, because we probably never knew its name. Now its prospects are less certain.

Intelsat filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday. The move is a part of restructuring process to help the company cut millions of dollars in debt and free resources for fresh projects.

This vast entity was born from the Cold War, having been instigated by John F Kennedy in 1961 as part of the space and technology races with the USSR. It was a satellite network that aimed to be a more expensive but also more reliable rival to the Soviet Molniya (Lightning) satellites.

It wasn’t a purely American venture, either. This was a different US to the current one. It was capitalist, no doubt, but a less voracious strain that didn’t view public spending as ‘socialism’ –especially when it came to besting the Russians, who had their own network with other Eastern Bloc countries.

So, the US government pumped money into satellites that weren’t available to the highest bidders, but rather to its strategic allies. Intelsat was an intergovernmental consortium, beginning with seven partners in 1964. Founding members included the UK, Canada and Spain. Within ten years it had had over 80 signatories.

Although he didn’t live to see the formal creation of Intelsat, what Kennedy started thrived for decades, bringing live pictures of major news and sport events from around the world to the world. It made the planet smaller, and made us all more a little more cosmopolitan.

In filing for bankruptcy, the company cited the Covid-19 pandemic, but that’s not what did the damage. Intelsat was hit by a ‘triple threat.’ First, the ruthless neoliberal economics that came to the fore in the 1980s and abhorred the unprofitable.

This was followed by the end of the Cold War (or that version, at least). Not that the US didn’t still have enemies, but the Big One had gone, which made it hard to justify the public money that went into it. So, in 2001, it was privatized, with shares being distributed among partners according to their use of the service. Four years later, it was sold to four private equity firms.

https://www.rt.com/news/488856-intelsat-satellite-bankruptcy-friend/

Intelsat will mean little if anything to the younger generations. For some of us, it's an opportunity for some nostalgia.

27 minute video on the the first launch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKH-GijnAGk

A pop song on the subject - best listened to sitting inside a 1955 DeSoto - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryrEPzsx1gQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2vXbVERdrk

The IRS hasn't finished sending stimulus payments for up to $1,200 per person to millions of Americans, and already some are wondering if those checks will do enough and if there will be a second coronavirus relief bill. The "economic impact payments" being issued by the IRS by checks in the mail and via direct deposit to banks were introduced as a one-time payment designed to help curb the financial blow caused by the outbreak of COVID-19.

With more than 33 million people filing first-time unemployment claims since mid-March, the unemployment rate reaching 14.7% and the country barreling toward a recession that economists predict globally could be the worst since the Great Depression, talk of a second 2020 stimulus check to keep people afloat is already starting in Washington.

Today, while there is not broad enough support in Congress to pass a second stimulus package for individuals -- which some are calling the "CARES 2 Act" -- a handful of ideas from members of Congress are being discussed and gaining traction. Here's what we know about a second round of stimulus payments in 2020 for individuals.

https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/will-there-be-a-second-round-for-coronavirus-stimulus-checks-heres-what-were-hearing/

IMO, money should be reserved for those most in need. Corporations are out. I should be out. I haven't missed a payday since this whole thing started, FFS. People in need should be targeted. Yeah, it was nice getting some "free money", but I didn't "need" it.

Small businesses, and people out of work should come first. Everyone else can stand in line, and make their cases, one by one. And, again, the large corporations don't even need to get in line. Any company with overseas subsidiaries, offshore banking, and questionable tax filing practices is definitely out. Such companies are not "American", they are international and global. (I'm looking at you, Apple, Microsoft, Google, WalMart, and a boatload more.)

Thoughts?

Join us.

Runaway,

You've been hearing a lot about the importance of campaign fundraising recently, and I wanted to take a second to explain more about a big piece of that: Our opponents' massive fundraising lead.

Donald Trump and the RNC have more than $240 million in the bank for the general election. That's a historically unparalleled number -- in huge part because of when they started. At every turn, Trump has used his office as an opportunity to campaign instead of lead, and he's already begun to spend his war chest on attack ads against Joe Biden. We’ve always known that Democrats don’t need to match Trump’s fundraising numbers dollar for dollar, but we can’t afford to fall further behind and let our candidates face Republican attacks without our full support.

We’ve built an incredibly strong Democratic Party infrastructure in the last three years, and we’re in a good position to capitalize on these efforts as we get closer to November. That said, our financial disadvantage puts us in a tough position. A lack of resources means we’re less able to plan ahead and act strategically, and that could have major consequences for our presidential nominee and Democrats down the ballot. That's why I'm asking you to do something important today:

Will you make a $7 donation to the DNC today to close the gap on Trump's fundraising lead and help Joe Biden and Democrats in competitive races fight back? Every bit helps.

DONATE: $7
DONATE: $10
DONATE: $25
DONATE: $50
DONATE: $100
Donate another amount

Since Tom Perez took over as chair in early 2017, the DNC has made unprecedented investments in organizing, data and technology infrastructure, and voter protection efforts. We know that the presidential election is likely to be an incredibly close race, and with so many House and Senate seats up for grabs, we can’t risk not fully funding these critical programs.

That’s where you come in, Runaway. Grassroots supporters like you are the lifeblood of the Democratic Party, and victories up and down the ballot this November require your early support.

With just 184 days until the most consequential election of our lifetimes, we need Democrats like you to commit to our shared goals now, while there’s still time to make a difference. Can I count on your $7 today?

Thanks and stay safe,

Patrick

Patrick Stevenson
Chief Mobilization Officer
Democratic National Committee

P.S. Trump’s fundraising advantage is arguably the single biggest reason he could be reelected. The good news: You can fight back, Runaway. Make a $7 donation and help close the gap today.

If you no longer wish to receive emails from the DNC, submit this form to unsubscribe. If you’d only like to receive our most important messages, sign up to receive less email.

If you’re ready to elect Democrats in all 50 states, make a contribution today.

Contributions or gifts to the Democratic National Committee are not tax deductible. Paid for by the Democratic National Committee, www.Democrats.org, and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

Runaway

2:56 AM (2 minutes ago)

to feedback
I've heard a lot about campaign fund raising, yes. I haven't heard a lot about any candidates that I can support. Is Creepy Joe lucid today?

_________________________________________________________

I've been sending similar replies for more than a month now, to two or more emails each day. You would think they might figure things out.

Gun-carrying protesters have been a common sight at some demonstrations calling for coronavirus-related restrictions to be lifted. But an armed militia’s involvement in an angry protest in the Michigan statehouse Thursday marked an escalation that drew condemnation and shone a spotlight on the practice of bringing weapons to protest.

The “American Patriot Rally” started on the statehouse steps, where members of the Michigan Liberty Militia stood guard with weapons and tactical gear, their faces partially covered. They later moved inside the Capitol along with several hundred protesters, who demanded to be let onto the House floor, which is prohibited. Some protesters with guns — which are allowed in the statehouse — went to the Senate gallery, where a senator said some armed men shouted at her, and some senators wore bulletproof vests.

For some observers, the images of armed men in tactical gear at a state Capitol were an unsettling symbol of rising tensions in a nation grappling with crisis. Others saw evidence of racial bias in the way the protesters were treated by police.

For some politicians, there was fresh evidence of the risk of aligning with a movement with clear ties to far-right groups.

Prominent Michigan Republicans on Friday criticized the showing, with the GOP leader of the state Senate referring to some protesters as “a bunch of jackasses” who “used intimidation and the threat of physical harm to stir up fear and feed rancor.”

President Donald Trump, who has been criticized in the past for condoning extremist views, called the protesters “very good people” and urged Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to “make a deal.”

Michiganhas been the epicenter of the political showdownover how to contain the spread of the deadly virus without decimating the economy. About a quarter of the state’s workforce has filed for unemployment and nearly 4,000 people have died.

for the rest of the story click spoiler or click the link

It's an AP story, several sites are carrying it, I chose to use https://www.bigcountryhomepage.com/news/us-politics/michigan-militia-puts-armed-protest-in-the-spotlight/

Well, Covid sure changes a lot of stuff.

Saturday morning, I shut down the plant, like I do every week. Around 2:30 or 3:00 I started getting a hellacious headache. At 3:00 AM on a Saturday morning, you can't just call someone up, tell them "I don't feel well, I'm going home." I finished my job, then went home.

Over the weekend, I felt better, then worse, then better, then worse. Monday, felt alright most of the day. Got my sleep Monday afternoon, got up early evening, and damn if I didn't have to go worship at the porcelain throne.

Called in to work for a sick day. Now what? Drive all the way to Texarkana to the emergency room? The hell with that, that's where I'll catch the covid! So I lay around the house all night, feeling guilty for not going to work, and continuing to feel better, then worse.

Go to the clinic when it opens.

First thing, one of the ladies greets me at the entrance, and takes my temperature. That's never happened before! Strange, but yes, I understand.

Next thing, there's a little "X" marked with tape on the floor, in front of the receptionist's window. Oh-kay, I can go along with that, I remain at a long arm's distance from the receptionist, so we're not breathing on each other.

Here, I note that there are few people in the waiting room. Hope they're not all dead of corona virus! There are almost always half a dozen or more patients, often times with kids in tow. Today, it's just me, and one old lady.

Information, and initial screening done, I'm asked to sit in a specific section of the waiting room, far away from that old lady.

Ten minutes, and I'm called into a treatment room. The treatment room has changed - the computer is gone, most equipment is gone, there's just the examination bench, patient's chair, and nurse's stool. Lisa comes in, introduces herself, pulls a trolley in behind her with pressure cuff, thermometer, etc. Still no computer, instead, she writes vitals on the paper that pulls down over the examination table. Note, at no point has Lisa touched me. She manages to do it all without actually touching me with her hands, which are covered with latex gloves anyway.

Lisa leaves, and in comes a nurse, completely dressed out in a medical hazard suit. "My name is Beth, and I'm going to take swabs, to test you for the flu, and for strep throat." Sorry, I laughed. Told her, "I know it's not funny, but it's kinda nice to see someone else dressed out for a change!" I had to explain about electrical hazard suits, which are much bulkier, and almost assuredly more uncomfortable than the med suit. Not to mention much hotter, because I don't wear that thing in air conditioned spaces.

So, Beth sticks a swab down my throat until I gag. Another swab up each nostril until I'm about to scream. She leaves, and about 1/4 hour comes back to inform me that yes, I have both the flu, and strep throat. Beth asks me to drop my trousers, and pokes me with two needles. She is undeterred by my reminder that I'm allergic to needles. Some women are just mean, I guess.

Beth leaves, and Doc Martin comes in. Doc isn't dressed out, but like Lisa, she never touches me. She gives me two prescriptions, and I ask about the headache. She adds a script for cough syrup with codeine in it. From experience, codeine sounds like the right thing - moderately effective, which is better than most over-the-counter pain pills. Doc asks me to look up at the ceiling, close my eyes, and she sprays me down with some disinfectant, and we each leave the examination room.

Return to the receptionist, who tells me that I owe $25 copay. I inform her that I think I owe $30 already, she checks, and informs me that I only owe $15 from a previous visit, so the total is $40 and some change.

Out the door I go, and to the pharmacy. I could have walked up to the counter while still inside, but there's a note on the counter that the drive-thru is preferred, so that patients don't share breathing space with the druggists.

"This will take ten to fifteen minutes, Mr. Runaway, can you come back in a little while?"

Go sit in the sun for awhile, come back in fifteen, and sure enough, it's ready.

Oh, I'm off work for a week, quarantined to the house, AND, the company is paying me just like I'm at work. I have an email conversation in which HR repeatedly assures me that I will be paid, and they do NOT want me to return to work before I'm cured.

Hope none of you gets a contagious illness, but if you do, maybe you know what to expect now. Nothing shocking, it's all common sense, really. But things are different now!

Oh, I forgot one thing. Beth assured me that if she needed to do a swab for covid, it would be much worse than her swab for the flu. I've heard that they dig around with that swab really deep, trying to get a bit of your brain on the swab. Uggh.

Stay safe everyone, and try to avoid the doctor's office!!

Virus-Panicked Liberal Gun Buyers Are Getting Angry When They Discover Their Own Gun Control Laws

Posted at 1:15 pm on April 10, 2020 by Kira Davis

I was chatting with a friend of mine recently and the topic of gun sales came up. My friend’s father owns a gun range near me and she said he’s seen a huge amount of liberals coming in to purchase weapons in recent weeks.

How does he know they’re liberals?

“They’re shocked to discover they can’t just walk out of the store with a gun.”

We’ve all heard about gun sales skyrocketing recently, but I hadn’t considered some of the tangential effects of the phenomenon until I spoke to my friend. Not only are many liberals suddenly learning to love their Second Amendment rights, many of them are finding out that the gun control narrative in this country — as repeated loudly and often by Hollywood and the mainstream media — is a complete lie.

So, I contacted my friend’s father to ask about what he is seeing personally at his own range these days. Gregg Bouslog runs On-Target Indoor Shooting Range in Laguna Niguel, CA. It’s where I taught my son to shoot and where I’ll teach my daughter once the chaos lifts. He says that while others are stuck at home while the economy grinds to a halt, he’s been working nonstop at the range as the applications for background checks and permits are stacking up daily. Bouslog claims he hasn’t done business like this since the days of Obama.

        As the owner of an indoor shooting range and gun store here in California these past 14 years we have never experienced such a huge demand for firearms and ammunition – even higher than the famous Obama rush of 2012/2013.

While it’s nice to see some businesses flourishing in these scary times, Bouslog says that safety has been a huge issue at the range, as many first-time buyers seem to have gotten all of their notions about guns and gun safety from television.

        We tried to look at just who the new firearm purchasers were and we believe that more than 60% of these individuals were first time buyers. I can’t describe the amount of fear in my staff as we had the buyers show proof of safe handling as part of the purchase process as required by law. You have never seen so many barrels pointed at sales staff and other customers. It was truly frightening. We had to keep stopping the process to give quick safety lessons. We are adding many more basic classes in the coming weeks and encouraged these buyers to please attend. We hope they do.

This isn’t hard to believe. As a gun-owner who formerly abhorred the Second Amendment, I can personally testify to the fact that most people who believe they are anti-gun are actually just anti-stupid. They just don’t realize they’re projecting their own stupidity onto law-abiding gun owners. They imagine that we gun owners are just a bunch of yahoos out here combing our mullets, waving our guns around to look sexy while we look for anything or anyone to shoot at any time. They have no respect for the power of a weapon and treat them accordingly, which is what Bouslog is witnessing firsthand at his range. We gun owners, of course, take safety, care and precautions quite seriously. These are ingrained in the culture of gun ownership.

While the safety of the employees at the range is a very serious matter, the most amusing and annoying part for the staff has been watching these first-time buyers discover just how stringent gun laws in California really are, including one of our newest laws requiring background checks before buying ammunition. Bouslog says it’s a bridge too far for the people who have been told their whole lives that it’s easier to get a gun than an abortion.

        More than a dozen of these buyers (men and women) actually thought that since they filled out and signed everything, they could just walk out and go home with the firearm. Several actually said they saw how easy it was to buy a gun on TV and why did they have to fill out all these forms.

        The majority of these first timers lost their minds when we went through the Ammo Law requirements. Most used language not normally heard, even in a gun range. We pointed out that since no one working here voted for these laws, then maybe they might know someone who did. And, maybe they should go back and talk to those people and tell them to re-think their position on firearms – we were trying to be nice.

        Most were VERY vocal about why it takes 10 days minimum (sometimes longer if the DOJ is backed up) to take their property home with them. They ask why do I need to wait 10 days if I need the protection today or tomorrow? We pointed out again that no one working here voted in support of that law.

        They really went crazy when we told them that for each firearm they had to do the same amount of paperwork and they could only purchase ONE handgun every 30 days. Again, we didn’t [vote] for that law.

        We had people cuss at us and stomp out when we explained that secondary identification had to be part of the paperwork, as they felt insulted that what they had wasn’t good enough. We have a number of Yelp reviews calling us names and other things about how bad we are because of this whole new buyer rush

Again, I truly hope for the safety of those range employees in the face of so many uninformed and incurious first-time buyers. That being said, I find this whole situation fascinating. So many things in our economy and way of life are shifting monumentally these days. Could the gun control battle be one of them?

I discovered the idiocy of my anti-gun beliefs once I decided to learn about them firsthand. The Hollywood mystique immediately fell away and I was imbued with a new respect for weaponry and the people who dedicate their lives to weapons safety and serving and protecting the Second Amendment. You can’t know how bonkers our gun control laws are until you go try to buy one yourself.

There are a lot of people like me out there right now — first-timers and Second Amendment haters who feel like a hypocrite for wanting a gun for protection. Like I did, now they are navigating our convoluted gun laws for themselves and discovering that it is just not possible to walk into a store, buy a gun and leave with it in your pocket.

As these revelations begin to spread among our liberal brethren in the state of California, will we see a shift in gun laws and support for anti-Second Amendment legislators? Only time will tell, but it will surely be an interesting question to ponder in the coming months and years.

*Special thanks to Gregg Bouslog of On-Target Indoor Shooting Range in Laguna Niguel, CA for sharing his experience with us.