Many of the administrators and moderators I respect have stayed on at THR despite the strife.  I corresponded with one tonight, and he's helped clear up part of the situation.

Basically, both sides think they're doing the right thing.  More to the point, both sides appear to want to do the right thing.  People over-reacted, and long-term friendships have been broken by this issue.  Some of the folks in that photograph (*) are no longer talking to each other.

Is this what we're supposed to be doing?

There's been a great deal of exposition over the last twelve hours regarding the ownership dispute over the High Road forum.  At the moment, Derek Zeanah seems to be the only one with permissions to access the database, and Oleg's admin privileges have been suspended.

At first, I refrained from casting judgment.  I didn't know all the facts, and at this point, I still don't.  However, exiled moderators, some of whom I know, have begun sharing a bit more information, and although there were mistakes on both sides, certain things are clear.

One of the few firearms forums I put up with seems to be struggling under an ownership dispute. The High Road is a level-headed well moderated forum in which I've frequently been able to find usable information from people who know what they're talking about.

Last night, the forum went down with a message from Derek, which said he would explain the situation when it came back up.  As of this morning, he and Oleg have made conflicting statements regarding the circumstances.

Myth #1:  Revolvers are not as accurate as semiautomatic pistols.

Myth #2:  Short-barreled revolvers are inaccurate and only good for close-range combat.

Reality:  You really need to practice more.

H.R. 1399, also known as the District of Columbia Personal Protection Act, has passed in the House by a comfortable 266-152 margin.  85 votes came from Democrats.  I'd like to thank Georgia Representatives Sanford D. Bishop and Jim Marshall, both Democrats for sponsoring the Act, as well as my own Representatives Phil Gingrey and Tom Price.

Star Bonifacio Echeverria was founded in the Eibar region of Spain in 1905.  During World War I, they produced clones of Mannlicher and Gabilondo pistols under contract.  In the 1920s, they focused development on the Modelo A and B series.

The Modelo A was chambered in 9×23mm Largo (*) while the B model was chambered for the more common 9×19mm for export.  While the Spanish military initially adopted the Largo loading, they would later switch to the B model, and the pistol would remain in service there until the 1990s.

The above was shot with the model BM, which is the compact version.

I'm really enthused with John McCain's choice of running mates. Of course, no politician is without their scandals, and there's one small matter from her past that needs to be addressed.

The day after her acceptance speech, two of the top ten search hits on Google were "Sarah Palin nude" and "Sarah Palin swimsuit."  While none of the former seem to exist, I have uncovered a rather revealing photo from her days as Miss Alaska.  Brace yourself.