Out comes the M-14. Time to clean it up again. Unlock the safe, lock the bolt to the rear, pull out the cleaning bag, set on the floor, spread out the towel.

Nancy Pelosi, speaking to a group made up of legal and illegal aliens, said she thought it was "un-American" to enforce immigration laws inside the USA. INS and ICE raids on workplaces were a violation of ILLEGALS' right to work. This is the same week that US unemployment went to nearly 8 percent, the highest in some time. ?

Pry the trigger guard forward and lift the whole mechanism out, remove the receiver/barrel out of the stock. Push the pin over to release the recoil spring, guide, and charging rod.

I heard one of the talking heads on TV make a comment concerning the 176 million dollars in bonuses AIG paid after receiving bailout money. His point was that this sum represented such a tiny percentage of the whole bailout amount, we shouldn't be upset. I thought it would be interesting to put a face on the bonus amount that would be easier to quantify. I drink more Dr Pepper than I probably should. So I wanted to figure out how many gallons of Dr Pepper 176 million dollars would buy and how many swimming pools that would fill, or something like that. But my poor little calculator ran out of spaces. Even it couldn't get its mind around those numbers.

Squirt a little Breakfree on all the parts. Use a small flat-tip screwdriver to scrape any carbon build-up out of the breech and locking lugs, channels in the receiver, and the magazine guides. Assemble cleaning rod with bore brush. Squirt Breakfree on the brush and run the brush repeatedly through the barrel.

Speaking of numbers you can't get your head around: a Manhattan socialite settled her divorce for 43 million dollars, signed the agreement, then decided that she couldn't make it on $53,000 a week. She wants more. And she wants an upfront payment of 100 million dollars. You have to sympathize. It is hard to make ends meet in these economic hard times.

Better work that barrel some more...a lot more.

Barney Frank labeled Justice Scalia a homophobe. Scalia wrote an opinion that homosexual marriage was not a constitutional issue. He advised counsel involved that they should pursue an amendment to the constitution if they thought it should be. This is a childish and tiresome tactic employed most vocally by the left lately. If you don't go along with them, you are partisan or worse...bigoted. If you disagree with Pelosi, you are a chauvinist. If you disagree with Barney or any other homosexual, you are a homophobe. If you speak out against Obama, you are a racist.

Remove the brush and attach the patch loop. Insert a clean patch and run it through the barrel. Discard the dirty patch and replace it with a clean one. Repeat this process until the patch comes out clean.

An airborn laser system designed to intercept ballistic missiles is facing the Axe. It is a few months behind schedule and 4 billion dollars over cost. The first shoot down test is supposed to happen later this year. If successful, it would be able to acquire an enemy missile at launch, during flight, or even upon re-entry and destroy it. But the test may not take place. The administration is considering cancelling the program: it is expensive, overdue, and not really necessary. I can understand. There may be some bankers who didn't get their bonuses, so this program's money could come in handy. I wonder if North Korea's missile test will be as successful as Iran's was?

Everything gets a wipe down and a light coat of oil. The trigger mechanism, the charging rod and spring, spring guide, and piston don't need much more than a wipe down (the old "14" has been cleaned several times since it was last fired).

There are so many stories that drive me to the gun safe to seek distraction. Obama wants to reduce the amount of charitable contributions you can deduct from your income tax.

So folks will donate less. So donees will have to cut services. So the government will have to step in and fill the gaps...for which we will have to pay more taxes.

Reassemble and perform function check, making that not-quite-a-clack-not-quite-a-clank sound as the bolt slams home and locks in place. Some folks prefer the "rack-rack" of a pump-action shot gun. But I just love the mechanical music of the 14's action. Of course, I can't afford ammunition, even if I could find any. Thanks again, New Guy. Your announced attitude and past statements concerning gun ownership have created a run on guns and ammo...and about a 30-40 percent boost in prices. Oh well, I guess we should conserve our ammo towards a time of need. I'm pretty good, but I wonder if I could knock down an incoming missile with the Old Girl?