"Respect My Authoritah !"

I've been a cop.
It's a lousy job.
While I wore a badge I mostly flew a helicopter above the guys down there doin' the dirty work.
And I was glad I wasn't down there with 'em.
Cops are now, for all intents, front-line soldiers.
And I'm amazed that anyone wants to do the job these days, considering the compensation they get.
If we continue to treat them as we are, I fear NO ONE will want to do the job.
And then... where will we be?

We live in interesting times.

Grasshopping ?

Since we "Covidians" were trapped in Arizona an additonal three weeks, we came home to find grass in our yard high enough to hide small prey AND predators. Thank goodness we have a machine to handle that problem. Similar to the photo above, it mows a 60-inch swath at 7mph.
Damn the small prey... full speed ahead!

Waking the machine from nearly five months of slumber was surprisingly easy. After bringing the battery up to full charge I attacked my foe. Clippings FLEW for 20 minutes, then it ran out of gas.
WTH? I had checked fuel and oil levels before engaging the starter key.
Fuel cap off... yep, almost full. I mount back up and crank a while, exercising both throttle and choke levers. No dice.
Scratch head. Yeah I know... that never does much good.
Go get an adult beverage to allow for the "Eureka" moment to come upon me.

Back to the subject at hand I mount up and try again...
It starts instantly! I knock down grass that goats and cattle would be delighted with for another 10 minutes until once again... it "runs out of gas".

I'm no genius in this situation, but I know infernal combustion engines need O2, fuel, compression, and the ability to eliminate their waste. And I know how REAL mechanics would attack this problem-
They'd start replacing the cheap stuff and work though the more expensive as necessary.

I take off the fuel filter. It has an opaque outer cover, so it's not easy to tell if it's moving fuel.
"AutoZone" fixes me up with a new one for $8.99. The new one has a clear shell.
Mount up again... it starts instantly.
I mow for 15 minutes or so and it "runs out of gas".
Of course I'm dismayed. I wanted this to be easy. That never seems to be how it works for me.

Right at Close of Business time I call the Pro and I'm pleased when he answers. I give him the symptoms and tell him what I've done so far.
"I've cleaned the air filter; checked all the fuel lines for obstructions. I changed the fuel filter. I loosened the gas cap in case that vent is clogged."
"Sounds like your fuel pump" says he. "They go bad on those Kohler engines after a few years."
Crap. I'm tired and fuzzed.
I don't think I can do that, so that probably means he'll need to come and get this thing. That means $$$$$$.

He says, "We're COVERED UP right now and it will take several days for us to get to your machine."
Yeah, it's Spring. That stands to reason.
"You can do this. The fuel pump is on the side of the engine. There are three lines coming into it..."
And at this point I realize I'm gonna have to do without my mower for a week... maybe more.
I stop listening to his instructions. The forlorn looking mower sits idly in our side yard all evening.

Freshened by a good night's sleep I awaken and have a cuppa. The light bulb goes off-
"YouTube"!
Into the search block I put the magic words "18 horsepower Kohler fuel pump replace".
And VOILA! There it is. Like the man said, it has three lines coming into it. Two bolts hold it in place on the side of the engine.

I grab tools and attack the slumbering monster. The possibly faulty pump is in my hand in 10 minutes. My mentor sells me a new one for $28. My machine is once again whole in another ten minutes.

THERE! I mount up and twist the key.
The engine spins. And spins. And spins, but doesn't fire.
My hopeful heart sinks. I start my diagnosing process all over again.
I pull the line coming out of the pump to the carburetor and crank the engine. Fuel SHOULD spurt out.
Nothing.
Is this new pump faulty? Possible, but not bloody likely.

In desperation I decide to try something that seemingly makes no sense at all-
I take off the gas cap and give the fuel tank a "blow job", pressuring fuel through the system.
I hear fuel squirt into the fuel filter.

Back in the command seat.
Turn the key.
INSTANT start. Runs like a top!

And, thanks to "YouTube", I feel like I've gotten away with murder.

Hitting the Barn Door

Some years ago one of my active Law Enforcement buddies showed me the backup firearm he'd just purchased. That's it shown above... a 9mm "Keltech". It just slightly larger than the palm of my hand, and impressed me as a good concealed carry piece.  So I bought one.
Took it out to the range and fired two magazines through it. The little S.O.B. is uncomfortable to fire, and at the end of the second magazine I was literally missing the entire target with some of my rounds. (I was tired that afternoon and probably shouldn't have even been on the range.)
That was two years ago. I haven't fired it since.

I've been thinking about it this week. It's time to get back on the horse.
I'm going to grab it and figure out what I'm doing wrong.
I'll let ya know.

When The Gullible Awaken-

More and more, it looks as if a tremendous FRAUD has been perpetrated on the American People. And I've been amazed at how many of my "intelligent" friends and loved ones have fallen for it.
But there IS a silver lining here, in spite of the fact it may take DECADES to recover from the damage done due to our naivete.
And it is this:
The real truth is beginning to surface.
This fiasco was forced upon us to kill the best economy the country had experienced... certainly since the end of WWII, and maybe EVER.
Evil-doers succeeded in that mission.
But they didn't consider that there is now plenty of time for scales to fall from eyes.
And when that happens, even the presently ignorant will be angry.
And there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth in political halls.
In November... REMEMBER.

Hong Kong Flu

In 1968-69 our nation lost 164,000 population adjusted lives to Hong Kong Flu.
We didn't panic.
We didn't destroy our economy.
Obviously, we weren't as smart then as we are now.

Duty. Honor. Country.

Whittle's generalization, analyzing this Lt. General Flynn fiasco:

"When you're dealing with military personnel, with very, very few exceptions; and I can't think of any right off the top of my head, their personal sense of honor, integrity, and above all, patriotism,
their love of country, is not just their primary characteristic.
That is what their SOULS are constructed of."

If you don't know Bill Whittle, go to "YouTube" and GET TO KNOW Bill Whittle.
I think he had no personal military experience.
But he sure seems to have his finger on MY pulse.

I Touch Myself

"Don't touch your face. Wash your hands frequently. Stay six feet away from others."
Yeah. Sure.

Are you paying closer attention to how often you break these "rules" now?
I am.
And I'm watching on TV the people insisting we follow these rules closely.

They don't follow their own commands.
So... wash your hands. A LOT.

Submission Urination

We've owned two male Dachshunds.
Both, when greeting you for the first time, would roll onto their backs and when you reached to pet them, urinate on you.

Seems lots of people are rolling onto their backs and submitting to unconstitutional government edicts these days.
I guess we should just be pleased they're not urinating on us.