Rig Count Update

Back in December of 07, I put up a post called "Energy Incongruity" where I talked about the number and distribution of drilling rigs in the U.S. Here is a quick update for anybody who is interested.

There are, currently 1957 drilling rigs working in the U.S., 1864 land based and 67 in the western Gulf of Mexico. Here they are, by state, in descending order for the major producing states. Texas-926, Oklahoma-207, Louisiana-187, Colorado-110, New Mexico-84, Wyoming-76, North Dakota-70, Arkansas-57, California-44, Alaska-7. (these numbers represent land based rigs only)

Keeping in mind that oil and gas are not evenly distributed, it is still somewhat striking that the largest state, Alaska(over twice as big as Texas), has only 7 rigs drilling. There is a LOT of oil and gas in Alaska but only 7 rigs. Hmmmm. Dare I say that the record oil prices have more to do with the liberal congress and the environazis than with a big oil/speculator conspiracy?

How about California, an historically productive area and the third largest state(over twice as big as Oklahoma), but only 44 rigs drilling. Could it be that the tender sensibilities of the beautiful people are offended by the sight of derricks and roughnecks? Could it be that they prefer that the oil that makes the fuel to power their jets and limos be extracted from flyover states where the hicks don't know any better?

I won't even go into how ALL of the offshore rigs are crammed into the western half of the Gulf of Mexico, leaving the eastern half and both coasts unexplored. Maybe we should install some type of identification machine at the pumps so that liberal democrat nutjobs have to pay $10 per gallon for their gas and sensible Conservatives pay $2 per gallon. I say let the people who are doing the crying do the paying.

Nasty Pelosi: Super Hero

" I'm trying to save the planet; I'm trying to save the planet."- Nancy Pelosi (D-ranged old whore) This woman seems to think that she is the star in her very own science fiction movie.

The arrogance required to believe that humans, i.e. ants in the afterbirth, are capable of destroying the planet is beyond that which even I possess. But even that arrogance pales by comparison to what is needed for a Botox filled old bimbo to think that she is the savior of Earth.
She is obviously planning on succeeding, otherwise she wouldn't bother pimping her new book, "Know Your Power", it's all about getting more women into leadership positions. I must admit, I don't fully understand the logic behind choosing leaders based solely on their plumbing, but it's probably okay since it appears we have decided to to pick one based solely on his pigmentation.

The Hollowpoint Cult

Along with the proliferation of CHL's has come the proliferation of gun writers extolling the exclusive use of hollowpoint ammo for defensive purposes. The pages of the big gun magazines are chock full of "experts" screeching with a zeal reminiscent of a global warming alarmist, that the debate is over and hollow point pistol ammo is the ONLY way to go. These members of the hollowpoint cult preach about the dangers of overpenetration and drone on about the superior "fight stopping capabilities" of their favored bullet design. This mindset has taken hold so solidly that hardly anyone is willing to publically disagree. This is where I come in.

Any reasonably intelligent firearm enthusiast, who has been actively involved for say 5 years or more, knows by now that a gunwriter's job is to pimp the latest hot thing. Anyone who has ever bought and read a half dozen or so gun magazines knows that you will never see a new product test that ends with the subject being called junk, even if it is. Sometimes they push their advertisers ideas, as well. This doesn't mean that gun magazines or gun writers are bad, it just means that their job is to sell products, not dispense truth. As long as the reader knows this, he can enjoy the photographs and check out the specs.

In our overly litigious society, every manufacturer worries about liability, they would be foolish not to. The limiting of ammunition manufacturer's liability(and selling a more expensive product) is what's driving the hollowpoint craze. If those behind this movement would just admit that, there wouldn't be a problem. But they don't, instead they try to "sell" us with phony science, guilt, and repetition. In an effort to turn a negative into a positive(for them), the ammo makers enlist the firearms publications to help convince us that what is best for them is best for us. Such is not the case.

Contrary to what a lot of agenda driven experts and some just plain morons will tell you, when it comes to smallarms projectiles, velocity does not kill, bullet expansion does not kill, energy does not kill.( Note: I am too lazy to play the semantic stop vs kill word substitution game. Feel free to do whatever you like in the privacy of you own mind.) Penetration and placement are what kill. Period. Since hollowpoint bullets are designed to LIMIT penetration, they are, in essence, designed to fail. The idea that ammo manufacturers can design a bullet that won't shoot all the way though a shirtless, 120lbs crackhead, but will reliably penetrate the heavy coat, leather vest, wool shirt, 4 inches of pectoral muscle, ribcage and finally vital organs of roid raging 300lb body builder is ludicrous. Concealed carry is all about protecting yourself and your family from whatever threat presents itself, hope for the best all you want, but the prudent man prepares for the worst.

Over penetration is a genuine problem, but in a gunfight it is a purely secondary concern. I would venture to say that more people have been killed by bad guys that failed to go down after being shot, than by over penetrating 45acp ball ammo. If I ever have to shoot someone, I expect every bullet to make two .45 caliber holes in him, I want lots of air going in and lots of blood coming out. And until the gunwriters come up with some real science that tells me I'm wrong, I probably won't change my mind. For what it's worth, my advice to concealed carriers is as follows. From your gun, demand reliability and accuracy. From your cartridge, demand large diameter and penetration. And from yourself, demand good judgement and precise shot placement. Everything else is just commercial chin music.

Jesse Jackson has blood on his hands, literally

In a recent conversation I said that I was reserving my belief that Jesse Jackson smeared himself with the blood of the slain Dr. Martin Luther King until I heard it from a reliable source. I now believe. Middle of fourth paragraph.

Nutroot's nation

Noticed there was a big blogger's convention in Austin last week. As a matter of fact it was a liberal blogger's convention. This was a bigger gathering of nuts than the annual Okmulgee Oklahoma pecan festival. There were two prominent goober's who addressed the salty ones and were greeted by cries of adulation from the rabid following. Let me just say this, if you look up in any way to Pelosi and Gore then you should slowly fold up your laptop, set it down, and back away. I mean NOW! Go back to playing candy land and mystery date and forget you actually thought you were having thoughts. One good thing about the Nutrooters and their leaders, they sure make us (kingie poo, The great Arch dookie, and humble me) look pretty... pretty good.

These Days Everybody Is Great

The current trend towards shameless self promotion seems to be gaining strength, and it is rapidly dwindling the number of people worth listening to, either in person, on television or even in the blogosphere. Recently, an actress who's name I don't recall, was complemented by her interviewer on her gun handling skills in her latest movie. Her response was, "Oh I'm great with guns!" Really? There are many of us out in the real world who have spent more years than this young lady has been alive, buying, selling, shooting, studying, disassembling and sometimes even reassembling, firearms of all types, who still wouldn't proclaim ourselves "great with guns." All of us old school(properly mannered?) types, may have to rethink our position because apparently, these days, saying a thing makes it so.

Not too long ago I complemented the highschool football teammate of one of my sons, by commenting that he had played a good game last Friday night. His response." Yeah I'm really fast and that's the reason we won." I am not often left speechless by highschool kids but all I could manage was a blank look, a couple of styptic blinks, and an internal "alrighty then". Back in the day, when a teammate's dad, or anybody else , told us that we played a good game, we invariably and to a man responded, "thanks". Note to self: Times have changed.

Don't get me wrong, there have always been a few braggarts, but in the old days they were discounted, laughed at, and avoided. These days it seems there is no escaping them. I must have been sick the day that society decided self praise carries the same weight as that which comes from an unbiased source. If I have done nothing else of note, as a parent, I have at least attempted to keep my children from getting "too big for their britches". Considering the way in which our society is changing, I hope I haven't done them a disservice. This particular trend, in my estimation, is crude, boring, and a civilizational step backwards. It can't run it's course soon enough to suit me.

Be that as it may, I think that this post proves, once and for all that I can now add the title "GREATEST BLOGGER IN THE WORLD!", to my already SUPER IMPRESSIVE list of AWESOME accomplishments.

What the Heller!

In case you were wondering, no, there is no end to the insanity. Dick Heller, the man who took it to the D.C. gun ban, has had his handgun application rejected by the D.C. police because his semi-auto is, get this, a bottom loading weapon and therefore considered a machine gun. Wow, all these years of referring to my self-loading handguns as pistols when it would have been so much cooler to call them machine guns. (Uttering obscene language)

Spin This One Reverend Jackson

Read this article, then come back. Tick tock tick tock.

All done? Isn't it great how a 41 year old man can get the crap kicked out of him by a bunch of G-Dogs for defending his 12 year old daughter?" But Archduke," you ask "How on earth do you know that they were Negroes?" I know because one of them is named Devondre. And if one is a G-dog then they all are, because like curs everywhere, G-dogs only attack in packs.

If this man had been a CHL holder he and his family would be okay and the Twin Cities would have fewer thugs to worry about. Oh wait, I take that back, you can't take your pistol into an amusement park, even with a CHL. That's probably a really good rule because after all we wouldn't want anybody to get hurt.

Rants like this one make me seem like a raving racist but I don't care. A true racist would want to know if the victim was white. I don't because, again, I don't care. He was a Dad protecting his daughter and that is all I need to know. The name Devondre and the style of attack hints rather strongly at a certain African influence. If I'm wrong I'll print a retraction and apology, but I'll bet cash money that I don't have to.

Planet Earth's Number One Threat

GIANT FREAKING CENTIPEDES! That's right, forget about terrorists, disease, meteorites, or even global warming. The real problem, that the government doesn't want you to know about, is GIANT FREAKING CENTIPEDES! The beast in the top photograph could be the twin brother of the one I destroyed single handedly some 15 years ago. Since the story of this "Battle Royale" is the stuff of legend, you've no doubt heard some version of it. Loathe as I am to speak of my own mankind saving heroics, I will tell the short version one more time. You are welcome.

In the summer of 1992, while repairing a windmill on a ranch in southwest Texas, I sensed danger and turned to find a fiend from hell towering over me. Since the brute was upon me, there was no time to draw and fire my HK P9S 45(though I doubt mere bullets would have had much effect) I was forced to engage the monster with nothing but a shovel. I will spare you the gory details but after what seemed like hours of bloody combat, I managed to cleave the demon in twain. Much to my surprise, I then found myself under attack from both peices! In the end all the twain cleaving and whatnot proved to be fatal and the mutated spawn of satan finally went tits up for good. I buried each piece in a separate, deep hole in order foil any hellish reattachment plans.

I have been misquoted, by those wishing to discredit me, as saying that the beast "breathed fire and shot deadly poison from it's eyes". Hogwash! It shot deadly poison from it's ANTENNAE and DEATH RAYS from it's eyes. And breathing fire? Really? That's just ridiculous.

The smaller photograph, taken by a CIA sattelite, is of one of these things killing a full grown Nile crocodile. Oh sure it's been photoshopped to look like a much smaller version, killing a Western Whiptail Lizard but they're not fooling anybody. For God's sake, call your Congressman and demand that the government do something about GIANT FREAKING CENTIPEDES!

Signpost

If the self-absorbed American leftist has been explained any better, I'm not aware of it.

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Take a minute to read this and you will have a firm grasp on the major political systems of the world.

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Even if you don't like beer you may want to thank it for your existence.

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"Right now I'm having amnesia and deja vu at the same time. I think I've forgotten this before." Steven Wright

Hippies With Attitude

Ever wonder what hippies do when they're not praying to the earth goddess, taking drugs, or just sitting around comparing their girlfriends' armpit hair? Apparently they like to attack U.S. Forest Service employees.

Pain and suffering one bad idea at a time

It's rude of these kids to be so hungry. Don't they know how much the leftists care for them?

Something's wrong with this picture

Top 3 causes of death for California death row inmates:

1. Natural Causes

2. Suicide

3. Execution

A proud American

Independence is as Independence Does

Old Marines never die; they just shoot punks who interrupt their lunch.

Mugabe: Another Carter Success Story

As a British colony, Rhodesia was "the breadbasket of Africa" as Independent Zimbabwe it is now just another open sewer on the Dark Continent. In the decades preceding 1979 Rhodesia was something that "Mother Africa" rarely sees, a net exporter of food. It was a beautiful country with a strong economy, friendly people and excellent hunting. But alas, it had one fatal flaw, the white people who had created it insisted on running it as well.

Enter the bleeding hearted Carter administation and the bloody handed soviet union, these two groups(along with some British leftist) conspired to "save" Rhodesia from the very people who had carved it out of the wilderness. And save it they did, in a way that only a great statesman like "Goober" Carter can. The Carter/communist cospirators quickly removed the tough, right wing prime minister Ian Smith and replaced him with Marxist terrorist Robert Mugabe. And the rest, as they say, is history.

After 28 years of Mugabe rule the country not only doesn't export food, it can't even feed itself and is totally dependent on the kindness of white countries whose farmers understand that whole "agriculture" thing. In free Zimbawe, the life expectancy for males is 37yrs and for females 34. In free Zimbawe 18% of the adults have AIDS and 25% of the children are orphans, but the good news is that the inflation rate hovers around 21,000%. No, that's not a typo.

President Carter and President Mugabe are tight. As soon as Mugabe took power he was immediately invited to the White House to celebrate this great victory for his people. And to show how total his support was, Carter made sure that the American embassy was the first to be built in the new country of Zimbabwe. Makes you proud doesn't it?

The situation is so bad now, that even the kool-aid drinking liberals in America are starting to notice. And as soon as they figure out a way to blame it on Conservative Americans you can count on hearing much more about it.