Tammy Duke was killed in a hit & run boating accident Sunday Evening on Mayo Lake when the boat she was on was struck by another. Homeowners on the lake came to the aid after hearing the accident and cries for help. A person in a boat without any lights was observed fleeing the scene of the deadly accident. The NCWRC is the lead agency in investigating this accident.
Korean War Memorial in Washington DC. Dad never got to visit it by I did photgraph it and talk to him about it.
Memorial Day is always a special day to me. As a boy growing up I remember my parents taking us to the town parade and then on to the cemetery for the formal ceremonies. As I got older I marched a number of times in the parade and took a more active role. Those were special days.
I also recall school assemblies where we had Veterans from a number of the wars talk to us about patriotism and love for our great country. I wish I could recall more specifically what was said and some of the names of those great men. I do know we had a number of them that fought in the Spanish American war .(I guess that tells my age) At the time America was at war in Vietnam but I don’t recall any of those Veterans in our assemblies but that was as we know an unpopular war.
In 2001 on Memorial Day our family gathered to lay my Dad to rest after he had passed away the previous Thanksgiving. Living in Maine burials have to wait till the thaw to happen so it seemed fitting that the man that taught me about God & Country was laid to rest then. Dad had served in Korea and he rarely talked about it but we knew it was important to him. There is no doubt the experience shaped his life and much of that experience we’ll never know.
Today we have a number of families that grieve the loss of a loved one from the current war against radical Islam. We also have a number of folks that are returning wounded and need our support. Thank You to all that have served and to those who are currently serving know you are in our daily prayers. God Bless
MAY 25
2010
Posted by moose
Uncle Ted responding to PA News in regards to debate over crossbows there.
I urge you to contact your State Lawmakers to defeat the crossbow bills, the bills to eliminate the second week of muzzleloader season, and the bills to disallow bow hunting on Sundays. All of these were passed by the NCWRC and now special interest groups like the NCBA have sought to thwart the public hearing and the Wildlife Commission process.
ESPN Logo
ESPN will end the outdoor television programing at the end of the year. This is huge news and will have an impact across the outdoor community. For more details on this breaking story check out the Bass Fan I’ll have more to say about this latter today.
MAY 25
2010
Posted by moose
Ten Point is the brand I'm leaning towards once we get the crossbow included in the archery season.
Anyone that has followed the crossbow debate over the years in North Carolina has certainly been aware of the NCBA (NC Bow hunters Association) total opposition for the crossbow being allowed as a legal hunting weapon except for in the case you are handicap. That is an across the board opposition including firearm season. Here is an excerpt from NCBA website on the policy on crossbows;
The NCBA’s basic position on crossbows has not changed. NCBA opposes blanket, “Across the board” legalization of crossbows for hunting in North Carolina AT ANY TIME, except as allowed by state law for legally handicapped persons who possess the “handicapped hunting permit” from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. The phrase, “AT ANY TIME”, means just that! NCBA is opposed to legalization of crossbows for hunting purposes during all hunting seasons, except as provided by law for legitimatly handicapped persons.
Not only do the oppose it but if you’re a member of the NCBA you cannot in anyway openly oppose this stance.
“Members may not endorse such a weapon under any circumstances.” Endorsing crossbows, or any such a weapon, means that NCBA members who openly profess the legalization of crossbows “at any time” , during any hunting seasons, are in violation of this Bylaw. And, as the Bylaw continues to state, “If a member is caught using or endorsing such a weapon in violation of this article, he/she will be subject to immediate dismissal from NCBA membership.”
Endorsing a crossbow for hunting purposes in North Carolina may be done in a variety of ways. The most common ways are to publish a statement in favor of legalizing crossbows via any media source, such as publishing a statement in a magazine, newspaper, letter, email, internet forum or chat-room; or by talking to a group of people, or individuals, in public or casual conversation. A member may have a personal opinion that differs from NCBA’s position, and they have an absolute right to that. But, if he/she openly or publicly endorses the crossbow, or similar weapon, under any circumstances, the member is in violation of this Bylaw, and appropriate action will be taken by the Executive Council to enforce this Bylaw.
To me that is pretty clear they oppose crossbows and they don’t want them allowed as legal hunting weapons here in NC. They have every right as an organization to take that stance and that is why I and a number of other folks have left their organization.
I guess their most recent legislative update is a bit curious;
We believe our bills are fair to all involved and offer a good balance and compromise that everyone can live with. Not everyone is going to be totally satisfied with everything that comes of this process. But, we must try and do our best to convince our legislators to support our bills. We are hopeful that our Wildlife Commission and Commissioners will see and understand that we are not asking for anything that is unreasonable. In fact, we are not asking for anything except to keep our deer seasons in place as they now exist. The only exception is to allow the use of crossbows during firearms seasons.
Sounds like an endorsement of the crossbow.
The legalization of the crossbow is coming one only needs to look at the trends across the country. Every year more and more states recognize the crossbow as archery equipment. At a time where many traditional places to hunt are being urbanized the importance of controlling burgeoning wildlife populations such as deer in these areas is an issue. Archery equipment including the crossbow is a legitimate close range weapon to hunt these animals while avoiding the safety issues with the use of firearms.
If the NCBA is successful at getting this law through the use of the crossbow in archery only zones on Game Lands as well as the urban deer season will be off limits. The crossbow has the effective range comparable to a bow not a gun. The crossbow shoots a bolt that flies and looks more like an arrow and not a bullet. There is no legitimate reason as to why the crossbow is not a legitimate archery weapon to hunt with in NC.
The NCBA has to realize they are fighting a losing battle when in the public meetings their position was overwhelmingly rejected by the sportsmen of the state. I guess that may be why they are violating their own organizations rule on endorsing the crossbow by having a bill introduced to allow it during the firearm season.
I urge you to contact your state lawmakers and ask them to reject this special interest bill and leave the power of managing the wildlife with the NCWRC.
At a time when lawmakers should probably be focused on more pressing issues bills have been introduced to block the expansion of muzzleloader season by a week as well as to block the inclusion of crossbows during the archery season. It would appear that the North Carolina Bow Hunters Association have found lawmakers willing to disregard the public hearing system and the establishment of rules by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission.
The bow hunters association was a small minority of opinion on these topics during the public hearings. Overwhelming response from the majority was to approve these changes. Sportsman that want to see these rules enacted need to contact their state representatives right away to defeat the bills that will thwart these changes.
BILLS
H1858
An Arkansas Wildlife Officer is being credited with bringing a killing spree to an end when he rammed his truck into murder suspects van in a WalMart parking lot preventing their exit from the vehicle. Earlier in the day these men kill two police officers in a shootout after a traffic stop on I 40 in West Memphis Arkansas. The county Sheriff and a deputy found the men and the van at the WalMart and the suspects opened fire on the law officers wounding both of them the Sheriff is in critical condition. Before the suspects could exit the van an Arkansas Wildlife Officer was able to disable their van by ramming his wildlife truck into their van. The suspects were killed in the ensuing shoot out with wild life officers, state police, deputies, and West Memphis Police. Some unconfirmed reports have tied the van to a White Supremacist Church in Ohio.
Wildlife Officers as well as all other law enforcement officers do a thankless job for us day in and day out. They never know who they’ll encounter or what they’ll encounter each day they put that badge on and go to work. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these men who gave their lives today as well as those who have been wounded, to stand between us and evil.
Photo from NRA
During the NRA Convention in Charlotte this past weekend Chuck Norris held a book signing for his manner fans. With over 70,000 people attending the event the lines for the celebrity book signings were long. The Charlotte Observer had the story of one fan in particular, Ryan. that wanted to see Chuck because of how much an impact Chuck had on him. Ryan has down syndrome…. well here is an excerpt from the story.
But four years ago, Ryan came to a turning point. He started to understand that, because of Down syndrome, he might not get to do everything other people do. He became depressed. He got mad at his parents and God and himself. His family didn’t know how to help.
One day, watching TV, Ryan came across a show. It was called “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
The hero is Chuck Norris. He is a mild-mannered lawman who shuts down motorcycle gangs and runs carjackers out of town, and if the bad guys want to fight, they get a roundhouse kick to the face. He says anybody can be a hero. You just have to act like one.
Ryan watched episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger” over and over. And one morning, he woke up and told everybody he was now Ranger Ryan.
I hope you go read the whole story and I think you’ll agree there are still some good guys left in the world.
Photo From Charlotte Observer
Charlotte Observer
You can’t expect that what potentially could be the largest pro gun convention ever to not draw out the opposition. The word had spread among us folks covering the NRA Convention that a counter protest was scheduled for Saturday. Well if you blinked you’d of missed it the line at the Starbucks at 2pm outnumbered the protesters outside the Charlotte Convention Center by about 3 to 1. Not much of a protest according to those who even saw it.
Misguided and misinformed they certainly have the right to protest. I can assure you that there is no support for those criminals that use firearms to kill and injury the innocent. A society of sheep is just waiting to get slain but an armed citizen is a great deterrent to a criminal’s evil deed. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a right bestowed upon all of us by our creator the same as their right to speak out against us even if they are very very very wrong.
Borrowing a term from turkey hunting I feel like I’m running and gunning here at the convention. Saturday was nonstop from beginning to end and today promises to the same. I did not get back to the hotel room till after 11 from the Freedom program with Glenn Beck, Ollie North and Charlie Daniels. There is just no time to tell you what all happened yesterday but I promise I will once I get a chance.
Today starts early with the prayer breakfast at 7am and of course Ted Nugent goes on at 1230. If you are wanting to hear Uncle Ted you better be there early because I got a feeling it will fill up fast.
I got to run and gun but I promise to bring you all the news I can in the coming days as to what all has gone on here in Charlotte.
