I read a quote from author Craig Johnson the other day that had me thinking about who I am and how I got to be this person. Surely you know who Craig Johnson is? He’s the writer who created the character Longmire. If you haven’t read any of the novels or seen at least a half dozen of the TV episodes then you haven’t lived a full life. You might not like this, but … You might not like this, but the US Civil War helped create who you are. It doesn’t matter if you are in South Africa , the events of 1861 to ’65 in U.S. affect how you live today. You might not like this, but the 20 million people who died between 1935 and 1945 affected the person you are. You might not like this, but both the stupidity of mankind and the amazing leaps in intellect have changed those who are alive and growing in the present.             There was a time when the common man, what today we call the working man, did as he was told by his...

Here are 4 versions of the US armed forces M16 They are very much assault rifles Above the rear hand grip is a lever for adjusting the rate of fire Including fully automatic or continuous fire Standard caliber has been 5.56 MM (.223 caliber) Although recently larger calibers have been made available. This is a Colt AR-15 with a standard clip, and laser sights It fires only as a semi-automatic or a single discharge for each trigger pull This IS NOT an assault rifle.  This one is in .223 caliber but other calibers are available in similar looking weapons from a variety of manufacturers  This weapon IS NOT legal in Canada due to the number of rounds the clip will hold. There will be more comparison pictures at the end of this article. Apparently firearms are doing a number of things they never did when I was still using them. I have often lamented the circumstances that make it difficult and usually impossible to do any type of shooting any more b...

Responsible? Responsible for … Responsible to … This is the Soda Creek lockup in the 1880s If it was decided you were responsible for some malfeasance you had the opportunity to stay here until you could be transported to Oakalla Prison. No "country club" incarceration available. This is a group of Chinese immigrants arriving at the William Head Quarantine Center in 1917. Following 30 days here (minimum) they had the opportunity to enter Canada ... with the very little they had or could bring with them and no hand-outs. However, they still wanted to come. The camp below is the marvelous accommodations supplied. You were supplied with whatever food the center could acquire from local farms or warehouses. Too bad about your religious eating requirements.     Much of my last post was about responsibility. That is, about those who did not accept responsibility for their actions which contributed to what happened. On the other hand some accepted responsibil...

I have posted in several places and on several occasions that I find it disgusting that those who commit crimes against people and society are turned into celebrities by the “traditional” media and the victims are seldom mentioned. I think it should be handled the other way around. The victims should always be mentioned and those who have committed the initial crime which created the problem should be mentioned as seldom as possible. Yet six weeks after we received information about actual events we are still getting the wrong information from the “traditional” media. Perhaps the “traditional” media are continuing their biased, unfair coverage of the Stanley trial because they realize that they, as much as anyone else are responsible for what happened. If the five people in the SUV from Red Pheasant First Nation had any idea that they where responsible for their own actions and subject to the consequences of those actions, perhaps they would not have acted as they did. Howev...

I've done a few interviews but only three that have been recorded and concern my writing. Here is one done a few years ago for Cold Coffee Cafe. The picture was done by the same person who did the cover for "The Makine Of Jake McTavish", Tracy Wandling. Check out her design and her art work at https://www.tracywandling.com/ or hunt her up on Facebook. Spotlight Interview With Author D. M. McGowan Author D. M. McGowan writes historical fiction about the settling and opening of Canada ’s West. “The Great Liquor War” – 1998 – Daison Publishing / “Partners” – 2008 – Strategic Book Publishing / “Homesteader: Finding Sharon ” – 2009 – Strategic Book Publishing. Dave was born in Collingwood, Ont. and has lived in Owen Sound , Caledon , Heathcote, (in BC) Ft. St. John , Vancouver , (back to Ont.) Jarvis, Oshawa , Windsor , (Alb.) Calgary , Ft. Saskatchewan , (BC) Kelowna and Dawson Creek . He has been a cowboy, forest firefighter, heavy equipment operator, farmhan...