Sights of Central PA

Welcome to Central Pennsylvania. I noticed this this morning on the way to a babysitting job. And yes, the vehicle was stopped at the time.

Stealth Jihad

Coincidentally, yesterday I was reading Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America Without Guns or Bombs. Last night, "The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing . . . to consider a proposal to expand the campus of the Islamic Saudi Academy, a Saudi-owned college preparatory school" (FNC). Community members have been vehemently opposing the expansion, if not because "former students of the school . . . have been convicted in a plot to assassinate former President Bush, and more recently, arrested for trying to board an airplane with a seven-inch kitchen knife" (FNC), then because, according to the chairman of the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force, "the Islamic Saudi Academy . . . teaches and practices Shariah law . . . [which] is anti-constitutional and [the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force] feel[s] that it is the ultimate improper land use . . . in the state where the Constitution was created'" (FNC).
Also, the convicted students were no mere delinquents. "Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, the school's valedictorian in 1999, was convicted in November 2005 of joining Al Qaeda and plotting to assassinate President Bush" (FNC).
I do not profess to be an expert of Islam or Islamic law (or even vaguely close), but after having studied it last semester, I do agree that sharia law is unconstitutional. Islamic men have rights. Women do not. Non-Muslims do not. And, although Islam recognizes both Jews and Christians as "People of the Book" and thereby protected under dhimmi status, Muslims are also encouraged to kill non-Muslims -- conversion is not considered as a possibility.
While I would like to consider myself a tolerant and accepting person, I also believe that our Founding Fathers would roll in their graves had they known that the nation they envisioned would one day cater to sharia law. My prayers are with VAST, the ten other groups speaking out against the expansion, and the 46 who spoke at the hearing.

Also, while driving home from coffee with the gentlemen this morning, I was driving up a hill about a quarter mile from my home when a man began to pull out of his driveway (the incline was gentle enough that he could see me). Both of his tires were on the road before he finally decided to back into his driveway (I still hadn't crested the hill, and therefore couldn't tell if there was any oncoming traffic). As I passed him, he flipped me the spirit finger.
The moral of the story is that the vast majority of bad/obnoxious drivers that I have encountered over my three years of driving have been men. There was absolutely no reason for him to be so rude to me when I clearly had the right of way. And he wasn't a teenager, either. Also, when I was in a car accident last summer (and by "in," I mean that it wasn't my fault), it was because a nineteen-year-old boy decided it would be smart to cross into my lane to get to a gas station. The lesson learned there would be that even if a car is slowing down to make a turn, it's not smart to cross in front of it. Especially if it's a Jeep.

More On Blogathon

My former roommate has decided to participate in Blogathon 2009, as well! She is supporting the Washington, D.C. based nonprofit Civil War Preservation Trust, which preserves and restores battlefields and other important locations of the Civil War. Her blog is History Speaks, and we are very excited to be blogging for our nation's history!
Also, Poe of Nevermore is the other blogger supporting IAVA. I have never met her, but she must be fantastically awesome if she's supporting IAVA.

"Explain that to me, because I was in the military." -D.J. (Army veteran) to J.C. (Air Force veteran)

"The way I understood it, the ground pounders went to the Army and the smart guys joined the Air Force." -J.C.

Military Smoking Ban

Defense Sec'y Robert Gates is being prompted to ban tobacco sale and use in the military stateside and overseas, due to "rising tobacco use and higher costs" (FNC). However, a study shows that "troops worn out by repeated deployments often rely on cigarettes as a 'stress reliever' [and] . . . that tobacco use in the military rose after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began" (FNC).
Although I personally do not condone tobacco use, I find it a low blow to add more stress on our deployed military by implementing a smoking ban. Then again, smoking kills.

Agreeing With The ACLU

Forty-six-year-old Vito Congine Jr. of Crivitz, WI flew an American flag upside down in front of the restaurant he hopes to open. On July 4th, police officers confiscated the flag before a parade and returned it the following day. The ACLU "is considering legal action . . . for violating [Congine Jr.'s] First Amendment rights" (FNC).
Flying the flag upside-down typically represents distress. And, because it is the American flag, I have always understood it to mean that one believes that the nation is in distress . . . not "bankruptcy because the village board refused to grant [Congine Jr.] a liquor license after he spent nearly $200,000 to buy and remodel a downtown building for an Italian supper club" (FNC). Also, I find it unprofessional and completely out of place -- though not illegal -- for Mr. Congine, Jr. to disrespect the flag in a public venue; in my opinion, it would have been different had he decided to fly it on his own private property. However, I can't imagine that it would be good for potential business, especially since the county sheriff's reason for having the flag temporarily removed was because "people were upset and . . . 'It is illegal to cause a disruption'" (FNC). A disruption? People were upset. People tend to upset easily.

Blogathon 2009

I would like to ask for your help regarding something important -- Blogathon 2009. Blogathon 2009 is a world-wide fundraising event in which participants blog every thirty minutes for twenty-four hours or for as long as possible. In return for the surge of blog posts and lack of sleep, bloggers accept donations toward charities of their choosing. Donations can be collected as a flat sum or per hour directly through the website of the selected charity, ensuring that neither the blogger nor Blogathon profits from donations.

This will be my first year participating. Blogathon 2009 begins at 10:00 AM ET Saturday, July 25th and ends at 10:00 AM ET Sunday, July 26th. I have decided to raise money for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), a non-profit organization dedicated to our troops and veterans who are fighting or have fought in Iraq or Afghanistan.

IAVA was founded in 2004 by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and strives to promote awareness regarding returning veterans and issues that they face. I do not pretend to understand what our troops face each day both on the battlefield and after their homecomings, but I do realize that our nation is not offering them the support that they need and deserve -- support that IAVA can provide.

I realize that money is tight with the economy as it is, but I feel that a small donation is precious little to ask in return for the freedoms that our military personnel fight for and defend, for the sacrifices that they make on a daily basis. However, if you really don't have the extra cash (which is completely understandable), I would also appreciate support in the form of comments and views on July 25th! If you would like to sponsor me and donate to IAVA, please click HERE!

[EDIT 7/10/09]
Blogathon 2009 will begin at 9:00 AM EST, not 10:00 AM EST.

We Will Never Forget

Sadly, it's true -- they don't care about you. Even on Fox News, the main story and several links beneath it are related to Michael Jackson, as is the breaking news headline. The story of First Lieutenant Brian Bradshaw, killed in action on the same day (thought not in Kheyl, as both the Military Times and FNC report), is overshadowed and relegated to a side story.
Where are our priorities? Since when have the men and women dying for our country been so far less important than the death of a man ridiculed for his appearance and shunned for allegations in life, only to be mourned passionately in death?

SERV & July 4th

Teacher guides vets back to campus
Major props to John Schupp and the Supportive Education for the Returning Veteran (SERV) Program.

Taliban militants were nowhere in sight as the columns of U.S. Marines walked a third straight day across southern Afghanistan. But the desert heat proved an enemy in its own right, with several troops falling victim Saturday to temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The Marines carry 50-100 pounds on their backs. But because they are marching through farmland on foot, they can't carry nearly as much water as their thirst demands.

Few even realized the date was July 4, but once word of the holiday spread through the company, several said they knew relatives would be holding lakeside celebrations — a world away from the strenuous task Bravo Company of the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment was taking on.

Happy Independence Day

Today is Independence Day. While many across the country will celebrate the holiday with family, eating the usual picnic fare and ending the day watching a fireworks display, thousands of men and women will not have that luxury. Instead, they will spend the Fourth of July as they have spent every other day -- away from their families and loved ones or fighting for the freedoms which we so gladly and ignorantly enjoy. They will miss the Fourth of July festivities just as they have missed birthdays, funerals, anniversaries and time that cannot ever be retaken. Are we deserving of that, of their sacrifices? We, Americans who spend our weekends driving to the malls in our SUVs (albeit perhaps not as often in the current economy), attending colleges and sitting in classes in which it is perfectly acceptable, if not normal, to degrade the current war and our troops. We, who rarely watch the news or read a newspaper (they're becoming obsolete, anyway), preferring instead to be content with our reality television and gossip magazines. We who have never seen war, who have never lived under the rule of a dictator, do not know what it truly means to be free. To be grateful. Our troops fight wars abroad so that they stay abroad, but too few understand that. It is a sobering thought. And so I hope that, on this Independence Day, July 4, 2009, you take the time to reflect on what Independence Day really means -- to you, to this country. And I hope you find yourself proud to be living in this nation.

Honor the Fallen - JUN - Navy

Forty-three-year-old Command Master Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey J. Garber of Hemingford, NE died June 20 of non-hostile causes. Garber was assigned to the Dwight D. Eisenhower in the North Arabian Sea.

Ike air wing CMC found dead in stateroom
Staff and wire reports
The command master chief for Carrier Air Wing 7, now deployed aboard the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower, was found dead Saturday in his stateroom, apparently of natural causes, the Navy announced.
Command Master Chief (AW/SW) Jeffrey Garber, 43, was unresponsive when sailors discovered him at 8:15 a.m. local time Saturday; medical teams responded quickly but he was declared dead eight minutes later, the Navy said.
“Master Chief Garber was one of the finest individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing,” said Capt. Calvin Craig, commanding officer of CVW 7. “He was the epitome of what a command master chief should be — at every turn selflessly taking care of the men and women of the air wing and the entire Ike strike group team. To say that he will be sorely missed is an understatement. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers go out to the Garber family.”
Garber, of Hemingford, Neb., enlisted in the Navy in 1983 and his assignments included time aboard the cruiser Worden; the carrier Nimitz; the dock landing ship Portland; and service as the command master chief of Strike Fighter Squadron 34, the “Blue Blasters.”
A Navy announcement included fond remembrances from several of Garber’s shipmates, including Rear Adm. Kurt W. Tidd, the Eisenhower strike group’s commander; and the carrier’s top enlisted man, Command Master Chief Bryan Exum.
“The impact master chief Garber has had on the Navy is immeasurable,” Exum said. “Our last conversation was about the importance of CPO history and heritage, and it ended with a firm handshake and smile. I will never forget our last handshake. He was the embodiment of a great CMC. He will be missed by the men and women of team Ike.”

Honor the Fallen - JUN - Army

Twenty-eight-year-old SSG Jeffrey A. Hall of Huntsville, AL died June 1 in Nerkh, AF, of wounds sustained when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Hall was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY. Also killed were PFC Matthew D. Ogden and PFC Matthew W. Wilson.

Nineteen-year-old PFC Matthew W. Wilson of Miller, MO died June 1 in Nerkh, AF of wounds sustained when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Wilson was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY. Also killed were PFC Matthew D. Ogden and SSG Jeffrey A. Hall.

Thirty-three-year-old PFC Matthew D. Ogden of Corpus Christi, TX died June 1 in Nerkh, AF of wounds sustained when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Ogden was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY. Also killed were PFC Matthew W. Wilson and SSG Jeffrey A. Hall.

Twenty-six-year-old SGT Jasper K Obakrairur of Hilo, HI died June 1 in Nerkh, AF of wounds suffered when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Obakrairur was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY.

Twenty-one-year-old SPC Roberto A. Hernandez of Far Rockaway, NY died June 2 in Paktya, AF of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol was attacked with an IED and small-arms fire. Hernandez was assigned to the 549th MP Co, 385th MP Bn, 16th MP Bde (Abn) of Fort Stewart, GA.

Thirty-one-year-old SGT Justin J. Duffy of Cozad, NE died June 2 in Baghdad when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Duffy was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division of Fort Bragg, NC.

Twenty-year-old SPC Jarrett P. Griemel of La Porte, TX died June 3 at FOB Salerno AF of injuries suffered from a non-combat-related incident. Griemel was assigned to the 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division of Fort Richardson, AK.

Fifty-year-old Maj. Rocco M. Barnes of Los Angeles, CA died June 4 in Bagram, AF of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. Barnes was a member of the Tactical Command Post, 40th Infantry Division, California Army National Guard, assigned as an individual augmentee to the 3rd Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force.

Twenty-three-year-old Sgt. Christopher M. Kurth of Alamogordo, NM died June 4 in Kirkuk, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade. Kurth was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Fort Hood, TX.

Twenty-three-year-old SPC Charles "Dusty" Parrish of Jasper, AL died June 4 in Balad, Iraq of wounds suffered earlier that day in Jalula, Iraq when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade. Parish was assigned to the 5th Engineer Battalion, 555th Engineer Brigade of Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

Twenty-one-year-old Sgt. Jeffrey W. Jordan of Rome, GA died June 4 near Kapisa, AF of wounds suffered from an IED and small-arms fire. Jordan was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Calhoun, GA. Also killed were SFC John C. Beale and Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette.

Thirty-nine-year-old SFC John C. Beale of Riverdale, GA died June 4 near Kapisa, AF of wounds suffered from an IED and small-arms fire. Beale was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Calhoun, GA. Also killed were Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette and SPC Jeffrey W. Jordan.

Thirty-seven-year-old Maj. Kevin M. Jenrette of Lula, GA died June 4 near Kapisa, AF, of wounds suffered from an IED and small-arms fire. Jenrette was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 108th Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition Squadron, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Georgia Army National Guard, Calhoun, GA. Also killed were SFC John C. Beale and SPC Jeffrey W. Jordan.

Twenty-five-year-old SPC Eduardo S. Silva of Greenland, CA died June 9 at Bagram Airfield, AF of a non-combat-related incident. Silva was assigned to the 563rd Aviation Support Battalion, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of Fort Campbell, KY.

Twenty-three-year-old SSG Edmond L. Lo of Salem, NH died June 13 in Samarra City, Iraq, when an IED that his explosive ordinance disposal team was acting to neutralize detonated. Lo was assigned to the 797th Ordinance Company, 79th Ordinance Battalion of Fort Hood, TX.

Twenty-two-year-old SPC Jonathan C. O'Neill of Zephyr Hills, FL died June 15 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX, of wounds sustained June 2 in Paktya, AF when an IED detonated near his vehicle. O'Neill was assigned to the 549th MP Company, 385th MP Battalion, 16th MP Brigade (Airborne) at Fort Stewart, GA.

Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Joshua W. Soto of San Angelo, TX died June 16 in Iraq of wounds sustained when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Soto was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division of Fort Bliss, TX.

Thirty-two-year-old Capt. Kafele H. Sims of Los Angeles, CA died June 16 in Mosul, Iraq of a non-combat-related incident. Sims was assigned to the 18th Engineer Brigade of Schwetzingen, Germany.

Fifty-two-year-old SFC Kevin A. Dupont of Templeton, MA died June 17 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX of wounds suffered March 8 in Kandau, AF when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Dupont was assigned to the 79th Troop Command, Rehoboth, MA.

Forty-three-year-old Sgt. Paul G. Smith of Peoria, IL died June 19 in Kandahar, AF when his vehicle was hit by an IED. Also killed was SSG Joshua A. Melton. Smith was assigned to the 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, Ill. Army National Guard of Aurora, Ill.

Twenty-six-year-old SSG Joshua A. Melton of Carlyle, IL died June 19 in Kandahar, AF of wounds sustained when his vehicle was hit by an IED. Melton was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment, Ill. National Guard of Marion, IL. Also killed was Sgt. Paul G. Smith.

Twenty-five-year-old SPC Chancellor A. Keesling of Indianapolis died June 19 in Baghdad, Iraq of a non-combat-related incident. Keesling was assigned to the 961st Engineer Company of Sharonville, OH.

Thirty-eight-year-old 1st Sgt. John D. Blair of Calhoun, GA died June 20 in Mado Zayi, AF, of wounds sustained when an RPG struck his vehicle. Blair was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, Army National Guard of Lawrenceville, GA.

Twenty-six-year-old Sgt. Ricky D. Jones of Plantersville, AL died June 21 in Bagram, AF of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by indirect fire. Jones was assigned to the 1st Maneuver Enhancement Brigade of Fort Polk, LA. Also killed was SPC Rodrigo A. Munguia Rivas.

Twenty-seven-year-old SPC Rodrigo A. Munguia Rivas of Germantown MD died June 21 in Bagram, AF, of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked by indirect fire. Munguia Rivas was assigned to the 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY. Also killed was Sgt. Ricky D. Jones.

Twenty-three-year-old SPC Casey L. Hills of Salem, IL died June 24 in Iraq of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. Hills was assigned to the 100th Battalion, 442nd Infantry Regiment of Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Twenty-two-year-old SPC Joshua L. Hazlewood of Manvel, TX died June 25 in Arifjan, Kuwait, of injuries sustained from a non-combat-related incident. Hazlewood was assigned to the 614th Automated Cargo Documentation Detachment.

Twenty-four-year-old 1st. Lt. Brian N. Bradshaw of Steilacoom, WA died June 25 in Kheyl, AF, of wounds sustained when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Bradshaw was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division of Fort Richardson, AK.

Twenty-year-old PFC Peter K. Cross of Saginaw, TX died June 26 at Combat Outpost Carwile, AF, of injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. Cross was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) of Fort Drum, NY.

[PHOTO UNAVAILABLE]

Twenty-eight-year-old Sgt. Timothy A. David of Gladwin, MI died June 28 in Sadr City, Iraq, of wounds sustained earlier in Baghdad when an IED detonated near his vehicle. David was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Fort Hood, TX.

Nineteen-year-old Pvt. Steven T. Drees of Peshtigo, WI died June 28 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained June 24 in Konar Province, AF, when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire and an RPG launcher. Drees was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division of Fort Carson, CO.

Honor the Fallen

In light of the mountains of news coverage pertaining to celebrity deaths, as opposed to Iran, North Korea, or the recent offensive the USMC has begun, I decided to offer coverage of the war fallen. All of the information provided is available to the public, almost word-for-word, on militarycity.com courtesy of Military Times.

Deja Vu

North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles Thursday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said, a move that aggravates the already high tensions following Pyongyang's recent nuclear test and U.N. sanctions imposed as punishment.

The missiles were fired from the eastern coastal city of Wonsan on Thursday afternoon, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity citing department policy. He did not say what types of missiles were launched, but Yonhap news agency said they were ground-to-ship missiles. . . .

"We had expected that they will fire short-range missiles at any time," South Korea's Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan told The Associated Press at a reception held at the US ambassador's residence to mark the US Independence Day, which falls this weekend. "It's not a good sign because they are demonstrating their military power."

The Obama administration seized headlines June 18 when the Defense Department stated that the United States would deploy ground- and sea-based missile-defense assets to protect Hawaii. This was a response to North Korea's threat to launch a long-range missile on July 4 toward the islands. However, new information suggests that the administration is bluffing and our defenses are inadequate to get the job done.

Missile-defense expert Taylor Dinerman told us that the sea-based SM-3 missiles now deployed to "protect" Hawaii are not equipped with adequate software and communications to intercept a missile traveling from North Korea to Hawaii, which would reach a terminal velocity of Mach 23 to 25. The SM-3s are effective only against targets traveling at up to half that speed. It would take about $50 million to upgrade the software to enable a Mach 25 intercept. The Army's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile, which also has been activated after successful tests at Barking Sands on Kauai, "doesn't come close" to being effective against this type of threat, Mr. Dinerman said. . . .

The Obama administration's hostility to missile defense is inexplicable. The missile threat is growing, and defensive technology is increasingly effective, yet the Obama team has dug in stubbornly behind a losing strategy that emboldens our enemies and places us in greater danger. No wonder Hawaiians are nervous.

I highly suggest reading the above article in its entirety. It's both frightening and angering.

Blame it on the Protestors

The murder of 26-year-old protester Neda Soltan was staged, Iran's chief of police said Wednesday — a statement that rights groups and Iran watchers are calling a propagandistic lie.

Soltan became the icon of protesters in Iran following her bloody shooting June 20, which shocked the conscience of world leaders and millions more who watched videos posted online that showed her slowly bleeding to death.

Soltan's family and those with her at the time of her death said that members of the paramilitary Basij militia drove by on a motorcycle and shot her in an alley near a major protest in Tehran.

But, according to Iran's Press TV, police chief Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam declared Wednesday that the shooting was a "prearranged scenario" — a "premeditated act of murder" that could not have been committed by Iranian police.

The Great Groundhog Hunt

The following blog contains potentially disturbing content regarding the hunting and killing of small animals.

After another educational enlightenment at the local coffee shop, Dad and I went groundhog hunting for four and a half hours. Despite the fact that I sometimes try desperately to conceal my small town Central Pennsylvania roots, they always come bursting forth again when I mention things like whistle pigs.
Before anyone complains about killing innocent little animals and girls with guns and all that jazz (but, I suspect if you are the sort of person who would do that, you wouldn't be reading this), I would like to inform you that groundhogs are destructive rodents. They not only eat farmers' soybean crops, but they also dig their holes in fields. Cave-ins can cause tractors to tip and farmers to die. Also, it seems that no matter how many groundhogs my dad and Tim kill, they always multiply the following year.
I shot three groundhogs today, though I fired four shots. I wanted to verify that the third groundhog was dead before I approached it, for fear of it still being alive and running into the brush or its hole with a sucking gun wound (after I shot it, it landed on all fours, and typically that doesn't happen). So, I was upset that I had to take two shots for the same groundhog, but overall my shooting today mostly avenged my horrible shooting on Sunday at the rifle range.
My ranges were 97yds, 87yds and ~50yds with a .222.
At any rate, I love going hunting with my dad. We always have heart-to-heart conversations when we're driving or walking, and it improves my shooting skills, and he always makes me feel good about my shots, even if I'm only shooting at a hundred yards.