Zeon Zoysia - the story continues

A decade ago, I started posting about growing Zoysia grass in Tennessee. You can see links to related posts in the Tennessee Lawn Grass tab above.

I first became acquainted with Zoysia when my dad planted a piece of Zenith Zoysia sod in our back yard. Over the years it spread and created a slowly growing  beautiful green carpet. Over the years I have started Zoysia in several yards. I have plugged Meyer* Zoysia in a Fescue lawn, which it took over. I have planted Zenith Zoysia seed in lawns with some success. The seeded lawns require lots of pampering, but grow very well, once established. 

Last year, I tried Meyer plugs in a Bermuda lawn, with no success. So now I am going to try and establish some Zeon Zoysia sod, and then transfer winter plugs as described in the tab.

Here's a pic taken three days after the sod was installed:

 Meanwhile, here's a pic of the first bloom on our new perennial hibiscus. It has about an 8" diameter:

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*https://bit.ly/3O1FBse

Saving Our School Children from Tennessee Politicians

 Tennessee's Governor Bill Lee wants a Red Flag law so bad he can taste it. My friend Rob Morse suggests focusing on what has actually worked to eliminate school shootings everywhere it has been tried. . . . 

'Tennessee politicians left our students defenseless, and we have to save them. A celebrity-seeking mass murderer killed students in a Nashville private school. That should be a wakeup call that the Republican controlled legislature and Governor have failed us again. 

We need angry parents to change the status quo and save our kids. As grim as this sounds, there is plenty of good news. We also know how to reduce and to prevent mass murder in our schools. Tennessee parents have been ignored for too long.' Read the rest HERE.

Just carry!

 The recent massacre at a mall in Allen, Texas appears to indicate a troubling trend among peaceably armed citizens.

Too often, they leave their gun at home or in the car.

Reports indicate that the mall was a gun free zone (GFZ). Designation of an area as a GFZ means it is a criminal empowerment zone. 

Granted, there are areas where it would be very unwise to go armed, such as Federal facilities and other posted government areas. 

But, outsourcing your safety to a police officer who usually arrives somewhat later could prove fatal.

Society is fortunate that a police officer was already nearby when the Allen perp opened fire. He did a great job eliminating the threat. . . and as John Correia of Active Self Protection notes, Gunfights are won and lost in tenths of seconds sometimes . . . If you are unarmed, you are already minutes late.

John Correia lecturing at the April, 2023 NRA
Convention at Indianapolis.

If you hardly ever carry because you are afraid of getting made, consider a small pocket pistol with a laser, as I wrote about HERE.

Much sweat and treasure has been spent on restoring your right to keep and bear arms. Don't you think it's time to exercise that right. 

The fool hath said in his heart,

 There is no God. . . . Psalm 14:1

Consider irises. They are planted in the soil. They take in nutrients from the soil. They get energy from the sun. Each variety produces blooms based on its unique complex genetic code. The variations in iris blooms suggests a designer. I believe the designer is none other than the Lord God, King of the Universe. 

Please don't be a fool. Ponder carefully the claims of His Son, Jesus the Christ. Do you know him?

The Peacemaker at 150 years

 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Colt Model 1873, also known as "The Peacemaker" and the Single Action Army (SAA). Samuel Colt was a prolific designer of firearms, and this is one of his most well known. 

Peacemaker barrel being engraved at
the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting in Indy.

I watched the engraver working on this barrel for a Peacemaker. It is marvelous to me how artistically talented some people are. He knows the pattern he wants to put on the barrel, and gently, with his hammer and chisel, cuts away at it leaving the pattern forever in the steel.

Armed citizens respond faster than police

The text of my letter to the editor of the Cleveland Daily Banner (paywall), Cleveland, TN.

Regarding gun deaths, your two guest editorials in the April 11 edition tell only one side of the story and leave much out.

The commentary by Gary Riggins uses the tired phrase an epidemic of gun violence, when in actuality there is an epidemic of criminal violence in the United States, primarily in a few zip codes in blue cities. 

Here are some facts about gun deaths:

• One recent report indicates an average of 14.3 deaths in a mass shooting when the police are the first ones to arrive with a gun. Yet when an armed citizen is already there, the carnage drops to 2.3.

• Many of the gun deaths in other reports include criminals killed by police officers and by innocent citizens in self defense. 

Riggins errs when he states that the Second Amendment allows our citizens to own guns. It in fact guarantees a pre-existing right and was ratified because the Founders feared a despotic government and wanted the citizen to be armed like an infantryman. Just as computers and email have long since replaced the quill pen and the pony express, the modern musket has replaced the British Brown Bess.

Rules for Anti-Radicals - - a book review

Leftist radicals have a long history of using dirty tricks in order to win elections and move our society more and more towards socialism. In recent years the Democratic party has moved further and further to the left, leaving little chance to have meaningful conversations across the aisle. Many in the Republican party have also been all too willing to kowtow to the Democrats and compromise away our Constitutional rights, particularly the right to keep and bear arms, as enumerated in the Second Amendment (2A). 

Politics is an arena many of us in the conservative gun rights movement have little to no experience in and no idea where to start.

Enter Paul Valone

Valone has written the textbook on the subject. His Rules for Anti-Radicals - A Practical Handbook for Defeating leftism is an invaluable source for you if you want to get involved and be effective in restoring the right to keep and bear arms. If you are already involved,you will stlll learn from his experiences. I suggest getting the paper edition, because you will want to refer to it often, make notes in the margins, and use lots of bookmarks. 

Valone tells of his involvement in the gun rights movement beginning in 1994, and carries you up to very recent times in his odyssey. He tells of successes and failures, while overall progressing toward restoring the 2A. 

Not content to tell you what he and Grass Roots North Carolina  have done, he is sharing his methods with you. He even has several boilerplate plans in the appendices. These plans could be adapted to some of the situations where you live. 

For example, here is a partial excerpt from Appendix II of the book -

Issue Plan: 

Judicial Fairness Project “Defund Police”Mailings 

Using our super PAC, the Judicial Fairness Project (JFP), “defund police”petition mailers are intended to use the issue of individual and family safety to defeat North Carolina House candidates who also support gun control legislation. 

Objectives

Defeat seven leftist Democrat candidates who are gun control supporters and who signed a national “defund police”petition: . . . . The mailings will be timed to arrive just prior to the first weekend of early voting. 

Target Demographic 

Polls find roughly two-thirds of Americans oppose defunding police, . . . the target demographic for the mailings will be unaffiliated male voters who vote only presidential elections. 

Message 

Targeting the second level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, mail pieces will stress that by signing a national petition to defund police, the candidate opposed has prioritized a radical leftist agenda over the safety of the recipient and his family. . . .

Delivery Method 

Mailers will be half page flats mailed at USPS Presort First Class rates using the mailing house bulk permit . . .

We all have choices in life. If you wish to make your involvement in the 2A more effective, you can do what many of us have done, learn by experience and mistakes, or move ahead on the curve by buying this book and applying the knowledge base that's already out there.

Full disclosure. The author supplied me with a digital copy of the book for this review.

Permitless carry comes to Florida

 John Richardson at No Lawyers - Only Guns and Money reports that Florida has become the 26th state to enact permitless carry. Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill today, to be effective July 1.

I reported about this time last year that Florida's bill was DOA. But Florida Carry and others continued the fight, and got it passed this year.

This new law still limits carry to concealed only, and not open carry.

Here are some predictions-

Blood will not run in the streets.

Bad guys will still carry, like they always did, without permits.

Good guys will still mostly exercise sound judgement in use of their defensive handguns.

Although I would have liked to have seen open carry included in the statute, it is a step in the right direction. Now Florida needs to rescind their purchase ban for young adults 18-20 years of age, a clearly unconstitutional ban.

Today the pits--

A civilized dialog

Author's note: Although originally published in 2016, this is still timely today. The arguments are always the same. There has been one dramatic change to the landscape since then; the Supreme Court Bruen decision. They agreed with the Founders. As Mark Walters of Armed American Radio says, “By design, we’re not here to debate anybody. AAR is NOT a news program. The entire premise of the show is based on my belief that there IS NO debate. That debate ended on Dec. 15th 1791.” 

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When dialogue no longer works

How many times have you heard a gun-banner say, “We need to have a conversation about _________ (fill in the blank: gun control, gun safety, universal background checks, etc.).”

Recently, I read a letter to the editor* of my local paper that included a similar statement;

“Through civilized dialogue, we can create viable solutions to make our community safer and a better place to live today and in the future.”

So, I decided to take up the challenge and initiate a civilized dialogue.

Read the complete story at AMMOLAND.

NOTE:

The referenced letter was published in the Knoxville News-Sentinel online May 31, 2016.

Vindicated in Tennessee

 Almost twelve years ago, I wrote about the discrimination against young adults when it comes to buying handguns. Today I learned that the Tennessee Attorney General has conceded (https://bit.ly/3XUvNnd) that this class of citizens can lawfully carry a handgun like older adults. 

These are not exactly the same, but closely related.

This case is Beeler v Long. (https://bit.ly/3QZVvo6):

 ...Defendant and his officers, agents, employees, and all others acting under his direction and control, are permanently enjoined from implementing or enforcing the Challenged Scheme to prevent individuals aged 18 years old to 20 years old from carrying handguns or obtaining permits to carry handguns on the basis of age alone....

https://youtu.be/eRDLaSG6csA?t=50