A Dollar Seventy-nine

Prelude:

Yesterday, as I was starting an IV on a patient in preparation for sedation, I noticed a tattoo on his arm. It was a Japanese koi. The sweep of the fins and the old but delicate line work told me this tattoo was not the crude marking of a stateside tattoo artist. The old man I was inserting the IV catheter into was a stoic sort, grizzled and grey haired with bulging eyes. He did not flinch as I slid the 18 gauge needle under his skin and into his radial vein.

Later, as the old man awoke in Recovery, I walked over and said "Reveille Sailor, all hands on deck. Time to heave out and tryst up." He smiled through the evaporating post surgical mental fog and pain .

"How did you know I was a sailor?" he muttered in slurred speech.

"Well, with that haircut, I knew you were no Marine," I replied. "I recognized your tattoo. Okinawa or Honshu?"

"I was on the Bon Homme Richard , CV-31, did a couple of world cruises and Korea. I got the koi in Yokosuka."

"I was on the Midway, home ported out of Yoko," I told him. "The honch was still hopping when I was there, but the exchange rate made it kind of expensive."

After he was more awake, we talked about his surgery a bit, I let him know what his recovery would entail. Before he rolled out and I went to the cafeteria, I told him "Thank you for your service."

"No, son," he replied. "Thank you for yours."

Update to today, and an open letter to Home Depot.

Dear Sirs,

Today, I went in your store to purchase two air conditioner filters. I do not normally shop at Home Depot because several years back your store refused a return on an item that had been purchased the same day, and did not function. Never the less, since Lowes and a local home owned hardware store were out of the size filter I needed, I decided to let bygones be bygones, and give your store another chance. After all, what could go wrong with an air conditioner filter?

As I entered your store, I took note of a sign at the entrance heralding a ten percent discount for active military, reserves, retirees and veterans. "That's nice," I remarked to my wife, as I went to the heating and cooling aisle, "I'll have to ask for that."

I found my filter, and I picked up a spare as well and approached the register. As the young cashier rang me up, I asked for the 10% discount for veterans. She asked to see my driver's license. This was rather confusing, since I was paying cash. Then she said she needed to see ID to confirm my status as a veteran.

I informed your employee that I do not normally walk around with my DD214, but I would still like the discount, because I was indeed a veteran. Now most people would take one look at me with the military style haircut that I still wear, and the posture forged into my spine and know that military service was in my background. A veteran isn't hard to spot, and the monetary figure in question with this transaction was one dollar and seventy-nine cents. $1.79. After a couple of misguided remarks from your cashier and a conversation with the manager, I was awarded my dollar seventy-nine.

I served six years active duty. I served ten years inactive. I fought in one war, and a couple of campaigns. I have 123 days of actual combat, and numerous days that qualified for combat pay and hazardous duty pay in my military record. I am a member of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. I served with distinction and honor. I am a veteran. One dollar and seventy-nine cents.

The slight I suffered from your cashier is minor. My purchase was small, and my military service relatively insignificant in comparison to others. In our city, we have numerous veterans. Some served in World War II. One was held prisoner by the Japanese, suffering brutal torture and starvation. Others served in Korea. Two were held captive in Hanoi, and still bear the scars from torture they endured while trying to survive. Many who live in our city fought in Vietnam. Younger men and women have fought in the Middle East. They have come home missing limbs and broken. They struggle to regain the life they left the United States with.

Suppose a Marine who lost a leg in Iraq, proudly walked into your store on a titanium prosthesis to purchase lumber for a project and asked for the discount you are offering. Lets suppose the purchase was two hundred dollars. Would the twenty dollars offered make up for his sacrifice? No.

Suppose a gentleman who served in Burma as a volunteer under General Claire Chenault, as a Flying Tiger, who was shot down over the South China sea, and who swam among sharks for three days awaiting rescue was to come into your store to buy a two dollar tube of caulk. Would the twenty cents you allowed him make up for his sacrifice? No way in Hell.

What about the husband who is struggling on a fixed income who hopes that the five dollars he will save on his fifty dollar purchase in your store will help him and his wife make ends meet? Is the fact that he still walks on crutches after having his legs broken in multiple places by his Japanese captors enough to prove he is a veteran? Does he need to contact the Department of Defense for a copy of his service record to present to your cashier?

These men walk among us. They are shopping at your store. They are our fathers, our grandfathers, our sisters, brothers, and our sons and daughters. They are real, and they do not carry an ID card to prove they are a veteran. They might be a tattooed biker, an accountant, a doctor, a waitress, or an unemployed vagrant with dreadlocks and a drug habit. If they served they are all veterans. Your cashier should not question the service of any of them. Not one. A discount is a poor excuse for a thank you. More over, a discount becomes less when the person receiving it must prove they deserve it. When that person must meet your standard to receive your corporate "thank you," then the gratitude is meaningless. Neither I, nor my brethren have anything to prove to Home Depot. You can keep your discount until you learn that it is no thank you without genuine appreciation.

At this point, it appears that your offering is no more than an apathetic and cynical advertising gimmick devised to take advantage of the service that others have given our country. You, and the employees you place in your stead before the public may not know what a veteran is, and you may not care. That is fine by me, and by thousands of other veterans. Using our military service and our sacrifices for your financial gain, however, is unacceptable.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. Independence Day. Your store will be open for business. It is my sincere hope that you will educate your employees in what constitutes a veteran and what constitutes appreciation. It is apparent Home Depot does not understand the meaning of either.

Sincerely,
Xavier

Please feel free to circulate........

Target Craziness

How does a perfectly sane 79 year old lady go against her will from the local Target to the emergency room for a mental evaluation? Try returning two shirts that did not fit and expecting the money you paid in return rather than a gift card.

Crazy? Yes, in the eyes of "Mr. Nasty," the manager of the Super Target in Plymouth Minnesota, that constitutes the need for a mental evaluation. "If they thought I was a cranky old biddy, they should just have given me my money and let me go," said Christine Brown. "I paid in good faith, and I wanted my money back. That's all. It's the principle."

Not only did Mrs. Brown have her receipt, she also had the bank's record of the electronic transfer of funds to Target from her checking account. She was not unruly. She simply informed Mr. nasty she would stay at the store all day if necessary to get her cash refund. He told her she was trespassing. "I'm not trespassing. I'm a customer," she said. "Give me my money and I'll go."

The manager threatened to call the police. Mrs. Brown called them instead. The officers of the law did a cursory interview, and had the elderly lady strapped to a stretcher for ambulance transport to the local ER. The medical staff there did their evaluation, saw no reason to keep her, and released her the same day.

For her trouble, Mrs. Brown wants an apology. She wants her thirty bucks plus reimbursement for the unnecessary ambulance transport and medical evaluation. She also wants Target to address this issue and educate their employees.

I want to know how the Hell a manager at Target believes he is credentialed to determine a customer is a danger to themselves, a danger to others, or gravely ill. As Target's manager and agent, he is acting for them. Target is apparently standing behind their man, as they have signed a no trespassing order against Mrs. Brown, banning her from the store.

Link

Tabasco Chili

I was out shopping for some chili and dogs today, when I spotted Hormel chili with Tabasco. I like chili. I like Tabasco. I decided to give it a try.

Bad idea. This stuff sucks. It tastes like vinegar and ketchup with some ground up turkey for flavor. If you thought about trying it, think again. Buy something else.

"Almost" Ivory for an N Frame

On February 2, 2006 I placed an order to Boone Trading for a set of N frame magna grips with S&W medallions. I had long read that if a man wanted the best in simulated ivory, these were the folks to call. Not only did the price whip everyone else, the quality was reputed to be unsurpassed by anything short of ivory itself. Boone Trading specializes in bonded ivory grips. These grips that can be carved or scrimshawed and will acquire an patina, like ivory, with age.

On February 10, I received a package in the mail. I quickly opened it to find a set of magna grips. They were very nice, much nicer than any other simulated ivory I have held. They actually felt like ivory. Unfortunately, they were K frame grips without medallions. I was not a happy recipient. I placed a call to Boone, with the faint hope they would tell me to simply keep the wrong order and send me out the right ones as well. No such luck. I joked about grip stretchers with the gentleman on the phone, but in the end, I agreed to mail the wrong grips back, while he credited me the shipping costs and sent out the right set that same day. Unfortunately, I had to venture out into a downpour to hold up my end of the bargain.

On February 13, the proper grips arrived. I was very excited as I prepared to install them on my Model 27. I had found a Pachmayr grip adapter to give the entire assembly that retro cool flavor. My first hint of trouble was no grip screw. Not to worry, I'll just use the old grip screw. Wrong. It was the wrong diameter. I dug through my box of spare grips to locate a screw that would fit. I had none. I decided to try the grips on the revolver anyway, and maybe take a few photos before I ordered a screw from Brownell's.



The fit between the locator pin in the bottom of the grip frame and the upper arch of the N frame was extremely precise. That measurement could not have been better. Unfortunately the grips were approximately 1/32 of an inch to small all the way around. The upper arch of the grips did not extend to the back of the revolver. Thus, it was impossible to fit the grips correctly. It was a disappointing reality. I am not a professional grip fitter, but I am able to fit single action army grips with no gaps and a smooth transition between the grip and grip frame. I know a good fit when I see it, and the Boone grips fit snugly, but were to small.

I did not want to contact Boone Trading again. I was about to toss the grips into my spares box for later trading when I wondered....... Would the pin and arch fit on a K frame? I removed the left grip from a Model 10-5, and pressed on the simulated ivory grip. Surprise! The N frame grips fit just as snugly on a K frame. The tops of the magnas fit properly on the K frame. The grips were approximately 1/16 to large about the perimeter of the grip frame, except the very bottom. I can work with this. I will put these away for a precise installation on a worthy K frame in the future.

The Model 27 received it's old oiled walnut stocks again.

Lone Star Steakhouse

Over the weekend, my wife and took a couple of friends out to eat. We chose the Lone Star Steakhouse, because we had always been pleased with the service there.
This time, we were disappointed, to say the least. The two ladies wanted to order bourbon marinated salmon. Our waitress informed us there was only enough salmon available for one meal. My friend ordered fettucini alfredo, but was told he would have to accept a sweet potato to go with it instead of a salad. I kept it simple. A cajun steak with a baked potato. After a trip to the kitchen, our waitress came back to inform us a salmon had arrived and there was now enough available for both ladies. Thus I forgot what my wife had ordered as a replacement.
Our waitress brought us bread with no silverware or plates to eat it on. She never refilled our drinks. My wife's salmon arrived at our table 17 minutes after everyone else's food. When it did arrive, it was not prepared properly. Our waitress had screw you attitude throughout the entire evening.
When it came time to pay the check, I left the table to pay at the bar. I was told that our server would handle it. I informed the manager that I no longer wanted to tolerate our server, and I desired to pay her instead. I explained what had happened. The manager took two meals off our check, and asked me to come back in the future for a complimemntary meal for my wife and I, so her staff could show us what they were capable of.
That friends, is how a real manager handles a bad situation with a customer, unlike what took place at Bennigans a month and a half ago. Oh, the District Manager of Bennigans did contact me, all apologetic, and promised to send coupons for free meals and such. Those never arrived. We shall see if the manager at Lone Star makes good. She said all she had to do was write down my name in a ledger. We shall give them another chance.

CITGO Clerk Refuses Assistance to Robbery Victim

Blognomicon tells us of a Gary, Indiana woman robbed at knifepoint at a CITGO station--and the clerk refused to dial 911!!

GARY, Ind. -- A woman who was robbed at knifepoint while pumping gas into her church's van couldn't believe it when the gas station attendant refused to call police for help. "I ran, of course, to the nearest place," Gary resident Rosetta Heffner said, recounting Sunday's robbery.Her request to call 911 was met with silence from the other side of the Citgo station's counter.
She tried again.
The clerk's response?
"Use your cell phone."
Heffner couldn't believe it.
"I thought it would be a safe haven, anything could have happened, and he told me to use my cell phone," Heffner told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville.

The gas station's manager said he was sorry about the robbery, but clerks at the station do not make emergency calls from the front counter, fearing retaliation for criminals."We have to be careful," he said. "If we call, then there are problems. They can hear. So we use the back phone. We are always helpful to the customer, but we have to protect ourselves."

Members of the Moving Spirit Church, which Heffner attends, regularly use the gas station to refill the church's vehicles. At least they used to. Member Latrell Peterson said the church will take its business elsewhere. "We have eight vans and three buses rolling every day, but we don't go there now," Peterson said.

If you have a blog, please consider telling your visitors about this, along with CITGO's contact information.
My email:
An Open Letter: Is This CITGO Corporate Policy?
Your website claims “We’re Your Neighbor.”
Your “Community Involvement” page tells us “At CITGO, we take ‘community’ seriously. Lending a hand to those in need is important to us.”
Yet, according to the Associated Press, when a paying customer asked your Gary, Indiana station clerk to dial “911” after getting robbed at knifepoint, on your property, your clerk refused. Your manager confirmed this is standard practice when asked.
Is it?
What is CITGO going to do about this?
And why, with all the competition out there, should the public do business with a company that shows such callous and cowardly disregard for the welfare of its customers?
Your reply, or lack of one, will be publicized. How much depends on the swiftness and acceptability of your reaction.

UPDATE 11/28/5

I recieved an email:
Thank you for your e-mail.
We are currently investigating this incident. Please understand that CITGO does not own or operate any retail outlets. However, we can (and will) take appropriate measures -- up to and including de-branding the station -- if such action is warranted.
CITGO is committed to operating as a good neighbor where we do business. Please be assured that we do not ignore nor take matters like this lightly.
Thank you for your interest in CITGO Petroleum Corp.

Sincerely,
Bruce McCall
Customer Service Representative
Midwest and Northeast Regions
x4886 or 1-800-423-8434, dial tone x6514
918-524-2114 - Fax
bmccall@citgo.com

UPDATE

According to AlanDP in my comments, this is a canned response. Go figure.

An Open Letter to Bennigan's Restaurant

I took my 10 year old daughter to your restaurant to celebrate the grades on her report card last night. She had been looking forward to going to Bennigans with her Daddy all week.
In the middle of our appetizer gangster rap music began playing over your loudspeaker system. I do not recall all the lyrics, but I do recall the words "pimping and fucking hoes".
It took me over five minutes to get your bartender and manger to turn this abusive excuse for music off. Your manager then unapologetically went on to explain that she usually plays Christian Contemporary music as though I were a christian fundementalist. Your bartender acted as though the event was humorous.
I was prepared to leave, but because she did change the music, we stayed and finished our meal. I tried to explain to my daughter how sometimes these things happen but her evening was ruined. I do not doubt that she will be discussing pimps and hoes at Bennigans at her parochial school today.
I did not raise my daughter to succumb to this kind of trash, and I mistakenly believed Bennigans was the type of family oriented establishment that would not condone it, especially at 5:00 PM when children may be dining.
Be advised that I fully intend to inform other parents of your restaurant's ambience. A copy of this short letter will also be placed on the editor's desk of the local newspaper for publication.
Some things are unforgivable. Abuse of families and children through vulgar music selection in restaurants is one of them.

UPDATE
canned email response:
Thank you for contacting Bennigan's. We have received your e-mail and we do appreciate your feedback. We are reviewing your information and a representative from our organization will contact you by phone or mail within 14 business days. Your feedback is very valuable to the constant improvement of our brand and we appreciate you taking the time to share it with us. We look forward to seeing you in a Bennigan's restaurant soon!
UPDATE
I recieved a telephone call from the District Manager of Bennigans. He was apologetic, but he maintained the same excuses for this incident. He did offer to send coupons for free meals, and I agreed to accept them. We shall see.
UPDATE
One month, two weeks later, no coupons have arrived. It looks like Bennigans hires liars or incompetents for District Managers.

Telephones and the Price of Gas

I had to replace my telephone again today. I drove to the hardware store in a vain quest for a phone with a detachable receiver on a curly cord. The kind that was ubiquitous 30 years ago. Simple, durable, with a dial. The kind of telephone that lasted forever, that worked through storms, provided secure conversations, required no batteries or chargers, and is still in use in the White House. My search failed. All that was available were complicated cordless wonder phones with integrated answering machines and God knows what else. Well guess what? If I'm not home, I'm not listening to your messages when I finally get home. If it's important, you will find me, or you will wait in line.
The American public has bought into the idea that they must stay constantly in touch, and be ever aware of anything happening within their spheres of human influence. Horse hockey! The world will get along just fine without most of us, and we could all use a break from the ever present invasions into our privacy. There are those of us who simply want a static free means of communicating with others. There are people in America who make more calls than they receive. Yet they are forced to buy an electronic monstrosity that does not meet their needs. Sadly, many of these folks have acquiesced, and purchased complex gizmos they do not know how to use, and don't have the time to learn. When I am in my office, and I have to make a telephone call, I have to get one of the ladies to dial the damned phone for me. There is something wrong with that! Yet we, as a society have accepted it, and are willing to pay more money for more whizbang covering up less functionality, all encased in a product that will be broken or worn out in a year.
With the passage of the Congressional Bill protecting gunmakers, there are some who believe the prices of guns will now fall due to less risk of litigation to the manufacturer. It will never happen. We have shown the gun makers we will pay their price.
There are some who believe the price of gasoline will eventually drop below $2.50/gallon. It will never happen. We have shown we will pay the price.
There are some who believe a durable telephone will be made once again. It will never happen. We have shown we will replace them every year if need be.
We have done this to ourselves. Thankfully though, while Googling the internet for a telephone picture, I came upon multiple websites selling restored antique telephones. I ordered one just like the phone I had in 1970. $225. Take that Ma Bell!

No Guns No Money

In many states, when a "shall issue" carry law is first passed, there's a certain amount of give-and-take and pushing and shoving, metaphorically, about "posting"—businesses deciding whether to post their state's version of "Law Abiding Permit Holders Keep Out" signs. This nearly always calms down after a few months, with the usual outcome of very few businesses staying posted. So, when you stumble on a business like that, hand them one of our special "No Guns, No Money" cards, which explains the situation to them in polite but firm terms. If you really want to make your point, write your name or email address in the box on the back, and include a recent receipt for a major purchase from a competitor.
Thanks to:no guns no money.com

Truth in an Egg

I was preparing my breakfast this morning, and as I cracked the eggs into the skillet, I thought "Hey, this is nice, small eggs!" I like a breakfast of hashbrowns, bacon or sausage and a couple of eggs over easy, two of them, looking up at you like wistful early morning eyes. The problem, of course, is that I'm an aging man trying to stave off a heart attack. I try to limit my cholesterol and fat, but I still like a man's breakfast instead of a bowl of grain. I'm not a damned rabbit.
Anyway, I was marveling at the two small eggs sizzling in my skillet, and appreciating the lesser effects on my cardiovascular system they would provide, while still providing an asthetically pleasing plate to consume. Then, I looked at the egg carton they came from. It said Large Eggs.
I'm not surprised. In our society, big is better, and jumbo is better still. Years ago, small eggs were called small eggs, and were purchased to use in recipes calling for eggs. It's easier to arrive at a set amount of egg without waste when you have smaller eggs to begin with. Later, as advertising took hold, small eggs were seen as lesser eggs, not more versatile eggs. Small eggs became medium, medium became large, then large became jumbo. The eventual evolution of this process over time produced a system of large, extra large, and jumbo eggs, with medium eggs hard to find, and small eggs extinct as a stegasaurus.
We see this insanity running rampant through American society, from vehicles on our roadways, to breasts on our wives. The fact of the matter is, bigger is NOT always better, more is not always preferable. Americans have been sold a false bill of goods. There is a forgotten value in less. I think it's time for our society to take a hard look at this Texas attitude and make a few adjustments to our thinking. Sometimes smaller is better, and less is more.

Turd Suckers & Internet Commandos

A while back I recall Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch fame calling people on the internet who disliked his latest collaboration on a gun with Smith and Wesson a derogatory name. I believe the term he used was turd suckers. More recently, I have read the words of a reknowned gunsmith, whose work I admire greatly. He called those who disagreed with him incompetent, and alluded to the possibility of fecal matter in place of grey matter. Then I read the musings of yet another famed gunsmith and was dismayed at how he demanded qualities in his customers that he himself was at a loss to display in his words. He called all who disagreed with him internet commandos.

I have but one one word here. Hubris.

The turd sucker name is not even intelligent enough to address. I would hate to be remembered for that comment above all else though. Calling your critics names does nothing to invalidate the criticism. Once you partake in name calling, your argument ceases to matter, regardless of it's validity, because it is obscured by childish behavior. Sometimes it is best to just buck up and take criticism like a man. Acting like a child diminishes oneself.

Now, on to the Internet Commandos. This term is often used to signify a person who is a know-it-all on gun forums, but a Walter Mitty type in real life. It's use is derogatory. Know what? So was the term Yankee Doodle.

To me, an internet commando is a gun person who is online and speaking the truth. Glock cannot hide frame rail failures from an internet commando. Kimber cannot hide poorly designed firing pin safeties from an internet commando. Smith & Wesson cannot hide failing locks from an internet commando. Ruger cannot hide dangerous loaded chamber indicators from the internet commando. The truth about a firearm one is about to purchase can be obtained from hundreds of online opinions. Consumers are no longer mislead by lone gun writers who cover up the flaws in their advertiser's guns. As a matter of fact, the gun rags have become pretty much irrelevant for anyone who is online, and that makes a lot of writers, editors, and publishers mad as hell. They want to silence the voice of truth online. They want a lost time when S&W made fine blued revolvers and the guy interested in one compared magazine reviews instead of doing a search on a forum. Know what guys? That time is gone. The internet has given voice to the Average Joe who carries the gun industry on his back, and the world will never be the same. The Emperor has no clothes.

Gunsmiths that do shoddy work fear the internet commando. Gunstores that cheat widows and ignore customers cannot hide from the internet commando. Gunwriters who lie to protect an advertiser cannot hide from the internet commando. Gun makers who produce guns that do not perform cannot hide from the internet commando. If I am an internet commando, I wear the title proudly. Let's face it gentlemen, there are opposing viewpoints here. For some it's a matter of buying a product that will work as advertised. For others it's a matter of making a living. For years, those who were buying a gun were in the dark, and those who were making a living selling guns or information about guns liked it that way. The gun buyer's world has now been illuminated, and that pisses some people off greatly.

UPDATE 11-9-05

Clint Smith's Thunder Ranch S&W Model 21, pictured above, is now on close out from CDNN for $599.