Manual Transmissions

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A train collision in Butler County kills a mother and her young daughter. The accident happened around 7:40 Saturday night when the train hit a car near SW 60th and Purity Springs Road.

Sheriff Craig Murphy says four members of the Bilson family had gone out to buy snacks to watch a football game. On the trip home, the newly purchased Ford Probe stalled on the tracks. He says the tracks cross the family's driveway.

Murphy says the 15-year-old driver got out and tried to push the car out of the way but couldn't. Murphy says the teen grabbed his seven-year-old sister out of the car as the train approached.

He went back to get his mother and three-year-old sister but it was too late. Thirty-six year-old Molissa Bilson died at the scene. The daughter, three-year-old Molly, was airlifted to a Wichita hospital where she later died.

Sheriff Murphy says the family would have likely had enough time to cross the tracks before the train hit if the car hadn't stalled. He says the conductor of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train tried to stop in time but couldn't. He estimates the train was about a mile-long.

Murphy says the scene was especially hard for crews to work because many of them know the family.

Man, I feel for this kid. He's going to relive this for the rest of his life. It is truly a shame, and I grieve for him and his family. His mother was having problems with the belt holding the three year old's car seat.

One thing this article did not mention was the fact that the Probe had a manual transmission, bought for the fifteen year old. They were on a family outing so he could become more familiar with operating the apparently unfamiliar transmission. That is what I heard on the news early this morning.

I have a real problem with this. I've felt for years that driver's education courses are useless when manual trannys come into play. It's a "let them out and learn on their own" scenario. Turn 'em loose on the motoring public - it's the finest in on the job training. What the hell, if you don't want to drive one, you don't have to and if you are lucky, you never will.

But you are not a skilled motor vehicle operator if you cannot operate a manual transmission. What if someone you love has a major medical problem and it falls upon you, the auto tranny fan, to get them to the emergency room to save their life? Ain't gonna happen.

This poor kid stalled his car on the tracks with apparently enough time to get out and try to push it off. Had he been more familiar with operating his car, stalling it more than likely wouldn't have happened. Did he have it in neutral when he tried pushing it? We don't know. Did he think to shove it in low gear and just let the starter take it off the tracks? We don't know.

Someone comfortable with a manual transmission would think of these things, and try them instead of panicking. Perhaps the car's battery completely crapped out just as it was crossing the track, and that is what killed the motor. I really don't want to be looking over this kid's shoulder here - I think considering the training he no doubt had, he did what would be expected.

That is my problem here. It's highly likely that he didn't have the background to react to the situation. And why not?

Because our driver training and licensing system is set up for the lowest common denominator. This kid could jump in a dually manual diesel and pull a camper, or a Ryder truck, or jump in a motor home with the training he received. His parents would get an insurance discount, no doubt, since he passed driver's ed successfully. And why couldn't he drive any of these other vehicles? Retirees who've never driven anything bigger than a Buick take to the roads every day in their motor homes and navigate across the country, often sticking their ride under low overhangs, or getting high centered trying to turn into a short driveway, or many other little things that merely operating a car does not prepare you for.

At least getting a motorcycle endorsement on your license requires some training.

Homecoming Greeting

An airman deployed for fourteen months returns home to be greeted by his border collies - who obviously have not forgotten him.

Seen at Ace of Spades

Breaking News

From The Real King of France - seen first at Firehand's place.

For Acidman

I used to email similarly themed comics to him - and he published 'em and attributed them to me as well.

He would have liked this one.

Two Shots This Time

I've been home the past two days with the creeping crud. Periods of shivering under blankets alternating with hot flushes, sore stomach muscles and throat from coughing and reduced to being a mouth breather because the ol' sinuses are plugged. Yeah, we've all been there and done that fer sure.

So, my regimen includes sleeping until the call of nature forces me from the sick bed, as it were. I stepped out earlier today and I could hear this sucker singing off in the distance. The cicadas (or chickadees as they are known as around these parts) were carrying on as well. Their tune is a brash and happy melody, broadcast from high places at high volume. Rattlers, well hidden in the tall grass, can just barely be heard, the buzzing wafting over the breezes through the trees and weeds.

I can hear fairly well when things are quiet, but if there is background noise..... Too many noisy tractors and trucks with straight pipes have damaged my hearing. If I can pick out a noise from over the ringing of tinnitus, I can usually use the triangulation our Creator gave our hearing. However, when the wind is up, not so much.

I know better than to hunt down the vipers in their home territory. So, when I hear their menacing warnings floating on the breeze - I figure it's time to leave them to it. It's just when they practically move in with me that I get upset.

The trip outside after the long distance serenade revealed it's presence next to the porch, coiled and quite unhappy with me. So, I took care of business, went inside and got the little lever action Henry. This time, I spent some time lining up the sights. This snake was further away than the last one. Of course, I missed the head shot. You can see I ventilated his body, coiled under his head at the time.

He (or she) had been pretty well focused on me already, but now the head was pointed right at me, elevated from the ground and dead on. If the malevolence and hatred in those eyes could have driven laser emitters, I'd have been toast for sure. The head was now a more difficult shot, too.

I lost patience and just snapped off the shot, popping it in the head, and killing it instantly. I've found my snap shooting is generally more accurate than the carefully aimed shots, particularly if I'm been practicing. The less thinking, the better.

This example is quite a bit darker than the last one, as well as bigger. Babs was under the porch steps at the time, and she didn't appreciate the shooting much. She won't be "talking" to me much for the rest of the day. Oh well, she won't be running into this sucker inadvertently, either.

Derby Boy Suspended

Full Story

Eight year old Austin Spohn of Derby, KS was suspended three days from school for bringing this Chuck E. Cheese noisemaker to class in his backpack.

According to the Derby School's policy notebook, a weapon is considered anything that has a projectile, like a firearm or an explosive, or a switchblade, knife even a throwing star. But the toy gun was found in Austin's backpack. It's a toy, a noise maker from Chuck E. Cheese that the principal at Park Hill Elementary believes is dangerous.

Read Derby's Weapon's Policy

"She said its any kind of a gun, anything that resembles a gun, anything in a gun form," says Austin's stepfather Daryl Green.

According to the district, this falls under the district's no tolerance policy. "I asked if while I understood the policy could it be applied with some judgement and some common sense," says Green.

Green says Austin is a slow learner with ADHD and missing three days of school will only put him further behind. "Austin has never been a discipline problem, their own form shows that this is the first incident."

Austin's parents believe administrators are trying to make an example out of their son instead of teaching him a lesson.

"This goes in his records and other schools are going to see this when he moves, middle school, high school and there going to have him flagged as some delinquent child," says Green.

His parents say Austin should not have bought a toy to school, but he's far from dangerous.

I'm beginning to think school administrators live for this sort of thing - "Oh, boy, we get to enforce policy! Common sense be damned!"

But, I'm one of those Bible and gun clingy types who just doesn't get nuance, so I'm probably highly prejudiced in this regard. Of course it makes sense to get yer panties in a wad over a freaking noisemaker. It looks like a gun. It's for The Children®.

Quote of the Day

"[W]hereas, to preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole
body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike,
especially when young, how to use them; nor does it follow from
this, that all promiscuously must go into actual service on
every occasion. The mind that aims at a select militia, must be
influenced by a truly anti-republican principle; and when we see
many men disposed to practice upon it, whenever they can prevail,
no wonder true republicans are for carefully guarding against it."

-- Federal Farmer (Antifederalist Letter, No.18, 25 January 1778)

Kinda settles the "The Militia Means the National Guard and Only They Are Authorized to Bear Arms According to the Second Amendment" argument, eh?

A "New" Super Heroine

link

I heard this bit this morning and just had to share - the Adventures of Shirtless Girl, America's BIGGEST Crime Deterrent. You can follow along with a comic at Bob and Tom's site - quite tasteful, doncha know.

Yep, nuttin' but fine art here.

Huh?

Egads, talk about stretching to prove a point - whatever that might be. A bit disconnected, do ya think?

Video Explanation

I've seen plenty of people around the blogosphere post this video, so I'm hardly original here. However, the content jibes with the various analyses available online.

It never ceases to amaze me how our leftist leaders develop amnesia about what they said and supported several years ago when their pet policy doesn't work out. It's like yelling "la la la I don't hear you" during a debate. It's also frustrating that the press won't at least ask some tough questions about the denials that can easily be disproven, but I guess that interferes with their agendas as well. Oh excuse me, they are impartial and have no agendas. My bad.

Do You Agree With Obama?

You DISAGREED with the Barack Obama position on 50 of the 51 test questions. This means you disagree with the Obama position 98% of the time.

I hope this will help you make an informed decision on Election Day!

I'm shocked I "agreed" with him at all. There were some multiple choice questions that seemed to allow a degree of agreement with our Democrat candidate.

I still say McCain is a far cry from what I look for in a President, but he is a damn sight closer than Obama. I have surely enjoyed his choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate just to see the left's heads explode, even if their temper tantrums have grown very tiresome.

The picture above is a link to the test, or click here.

Good To Know

You Are 70% Normal About Sex

You're so normal about sex, it's a little scary. Your sexual attitudes and experiences match up with most other people. Like everyone else, you're a little naughty and a little traditional. You enjoy sex, but you're not a total freak about it!

Are You Normal About Sex?

Heh. Here I thought my predilection for midget p0rn would trip me up/snark.

Ripped off from MoK.

I Tell Ya, I'm Shocked

You are a Social Conservative (38% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (76% permissive) You are best described as a: Republican Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also : The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Edit: The link to the test above has this blog's url in it for some reason. Click here instead.

Doin' the Rahht Thang

Ain't always easy. We all know that - if you are even aware of morals at all, you know you have to make decisions that influence the future of your life at every crossroads, major or minor. It's common enough - we've all heard about how the correct path may not be the easy one, or life is full of hard choices, the high road is the road less taken and so on.

I had all this driven home to me today, and it was an innocuous enough situation. One of my coworkers called me while I was at Wally World in Dodge City. When he found out where I was, he asked if I'd do a favor for him. He wanted me to go to the Alltel store - just down the road - and put five bucks on his pay as you go phone. I didn't know he had one. It turns out it is for phone calls he doesn't want his wife to find he's made.

They have a tumultuous relationship - she doesn't trust him, and he apparently gives her enough ammunition for her not to trust him. However, when it comes to family decisions (she has children from previous relationships), she won't listen to him, and the situations only go downhill. He is for discipline, and she wants to be the kid's friend. Plus, the ex hubbies get involved, and all they seem to be interested in is scoring points rather than the welfare of their offspring. So, later on, he gets yelled at for saying "I told you so" when he, in fact, did. I've even heard him refrain from using that loaded sentence.

I wouldn't be married to this woman, period. Were I treated like that, it would be over tuit suite, I can guarantee you. But, I would behave myself as well. All this is neither here nor there.

Usually the phone store is pretty crowded, and the lines are long. He claimed there is a kiosk that you can enter in the info. I told him he could do it online. He can't have a debit record of it. So, I said I'd do it.

But I got to thinking about it. I, by doing this one small thing, was basically condoning what he was doing behind his wife's back. Maybe she is a bitch and deserves it. Maybe he is just a cool misunderstood guy that just needed a small favor. I couldn't justify it in my mind. I've been in those situations in the past, and they can turn ugly. I'd just rather not insert myself into a troubled relationship even in the smallest degree. Were I paying their electric bill to keep them from getting shut off - that would be far different (if more expensive!!).

I called him back and said I wasn't going to do it, and why. He was not a happy camper, but I don't think he was totally PO'd about it. It didn't matter - I have standards that I will try my hardest to adhere to.

Dr Suess Books You May Have Missed as a Child

More Cartoons that Piss Me Off

A lying Sarah Palin "action" figure, eh? Yup, sure taking the high road here. In a pageant one piece bathing suit, no less. For a guy who supposedly is a staunch supporter of women's rights, Trudeau is sure showing his colors here. Garry could have just as easily shown a "non-action" figure of Obama - he says a lot but does nothing and has no experience. But, he and Jane wouldn't be on Katie Couric's Christmas card list if he did something like that.

Personally, I'd like to see some examples of the "lies" McCain has supposedly uttered, as well as his examples of "mud slinging." I guess when your communicative abilities are limited to a teleprompter to avoid embarrasment, you get a pass from these guys.


And lastly, this one doesn't really piss me off - I think it's true! I put this up for ptg, who as a Nebraskan has to suffer Hagel's idiocy.

Fog From Above

This morning, about thirty miles west of Craig CO, on US40. It was like hitting a wall - visibility went from miles to meters that could be counted on one hand.

Cats Have No Sense of Irony

Or they wouldn't puke into their own food dish.

Thatisall.

Lucky Shot

Friday night about one am, I awoke to the urgent desire to step outside and relieve some pressure, as it were. My sewer has some issues, so I hate to stress it and I like stepping outside. It may mark me as an uncivilized lout, but oh well.

It isn't all that unusual to have some wildlife encounters during these trips to commune with nature. I've written before about finding rattlers close to the front door. So, I wasn't completely surprised to hear the buzzing sound of one of the poisonous bastards when I walked out. I couldn't see the damn thing (which makes me nervous), but I had needs that had to be met.

So, I needed a flashlight and a killing tool. What to use? My shotguns weren't just real handy, but I did have my Henry Golden Boy .22 rifle loaded and ready by the front door. I prefer shotguns, because I'm a wuss and like some distance between me and the biting serpents. But, like I said, the .22 was ready to go and fully capable if I was as well.

Shining the flashlight on the porch revealed the snake on the porch with me. This was not a pleasant thought. It was trying to force it's way into a crack in the foundation over the side - mice live under said porch, and it would be a feast for any mouse eating reptile. I just had a shot at it's belly. I figured I'd give it a major gut ache, and it would roll off into the dirt where I could eventually finish it off. But wait - it pulled it's head out of the crack and it was looking to the north of me! I had a head shot!

I've been somewhat concerned with my shooting abilities for some time, since my hands are not fully functional nerve wise. I have discovered that I can still run just any firearm I own, and all it takes is practice. We've all been shooting .22s primarily because we feel it is still affordable - the heavier stuff could break us if we shoot a lot of, say .45s or .308s. So, I have been shooting the little lever action a bit lately, even if it is just once a month or so.

It was with some trepidation that I lined up my first shot - I figured I'd miss, the snake would become more active, and I'd be scattering .22 shots all over the place. I shot and bzzzzzztt---- it was over. You can see the head shot in the top picture. There wasn't even a twitch out of that sucker three seconds later.



My buddies made me pose with my hunting trophy the next day. I'd just come home from work and they were here doin' some shootin.' The rattler wasn't very big - maybe 2.5 feet long if that. They ran over another rattler about a hundred yards down the road on their way home.

I felt pretty good about that one shot.

Fire Truck

A firefighter was working on the engine outside the station, when he noticed
a little girl nearby in a little red wagon with little ladders hung off the
sides, and a garden hose tightly coiled in the middle.

The girl was wearing a firefighter's helmet. The wagon was being pulled by
her dog and her cat.

The firefighter walked over to take a closer look. 'That sure is a nice fire
truck,' the firefighter said with admiration.

'Thanks,' the girl replied.

The firefighter looked a little closer.

The fireman noticed the girl had tied the wagon to her dog's collar and to
the cat's testicles.

'Little partner,' the firefighter said, 'I don't want to tell you how to
run your rig, but if you were to tie that rope around the cat's collar, I
think you could go faster.'

The little girl replied thoughtfully, 'You're probably right, but then I
wouldn't have a siren.'