Easter Workout - Lanipo Trail

I thought Mt Olympus put a hurtin' on me. The Lanipo Trail is a 7.5 mile (round-trip) hike up one of the ridges, called Mauna Lani Heights, above Kaimuki. Much like other reviews, this is a monster when muddy. I would not have attempted this trail if it had not been as dry as it was.

That said, it was a workout!

They don't call these knife edge ridges for nothing. Any windier and I wouldn't have quite felt safe. There are several stretches where the trail is literally no wider than your body...with sheer drop-offs on each side. You get real intimate with your own mortality in some spots.

The elevation in the distance is where the trail begins....I shudder to think of what real estate costs for that view.

Similar view, from even farther up the trail. Note Diamond Head in the background.

One of said drop offs. This goes down a couple of hundred feet, and the muddy trail is about 12" wide in this spot. Pucker factor of 10.

A Droid camera doesn't adequately capture the beauty of the views from the trail.

Two views of Ka'au Crater from the trail. Ka'au is one of three 'tuff cones' on Oahu. The famous Diamond Head, Koko Head, just east of Waikiki....and Ka'au Crater. It boasts a trail that may kick my ass even more than Lanipo. I'll try it out in a couple of weeks.

All in all, a great way to spend Easter, if I can't be at home gorging on ham and Easter Eggs.

2A Supporters come in all flavors....much to the chagrin of the gun control lobby

I strive to focus solely on issues, rather than politics, though my strident Libertarianism and disgust for both major political parties often shines through. But since the gun control lobby is largely [if not exclusively] composed of those on the political left, it can be difficult to parse the issue from the ideology when discussing gun control.

The political left has a near monopoly on segregating issues by class, race and creed. Gun control is not immune from this paradigm. Case in point - Russell Simmons' recent diatribe against civil libertarians [because the 2A is a civil and Constitutional right].

“Fear is … the best ammunition that the National Rifle Association can muster."

“Our community is not interested in a corporate sponsored gun group telling us what to do,” corporate mogul Simmons asserted, presuming to be the one authorized to speak on behalf of the collective. “Until they show a real interest in solving the violence problem in our community, they can keep their Yankee hat-wearing spokesman and their African-American ‘campaigns’ for themselves. In the words of another internet star, ‘ain't nobody got time for that.’"

He's speaking of course, primarily to Colion Noir, a fervent 2nd Amendment advocate and YouTube sensation, who was recently [and finally] thrust into the spotlight for his cogent missives on gun control. Colion, however, is black. That simply won't do for Russell Simmons and others of his ilk, who are vehemently crying about the crime and violence in their 'community', yet ironically supporting a disarmament of the citizenry.

Colion doesn't shirk from holding his own against divisive rhetoric.

“I don’t have fans, I have supporters,” Noir shot back. “This is real life, not music, not movies, real life. You kicked the hornets and thought you could walk away, but you were wrong. The NRA came to me after saying what I have been saying for two years. We’re not lil wayne fans, we take this seriously, we believe in our rights and the ability to protect ourselves. Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, we are Americans with the right to live and protect that life. The gun is the equalizer in a world of evil whether you want to believe it or not. Remember this the next time you decide to come down from your ivory tower and attack someone’s motives who you know nothing about. As pro gunners we protect our own, the same way we would protect you with our guns if someone threatened your life.”

Examiner

Also check out the Examiner's piece on the 2nd Amendment and the civil rights movement. Wonder why we don't hear more about this.......?

Women explained.....

h/y The Lonely Libertarian

How gun control Statists view law abiding citizens.....

“The enemies on this are very powerful; I’ve known that all my life.” - Diane [I don't like scary looking rifles] Feinstein

Your Representatives lie to you....Part IV

“We’re talking about millions [Millions? Really Charlie....are math skills not necessary to run for national office?] of kids dying — being shot down by assault weapons [nope, we're discussing semi-automatic rifles here. Please do try and keep up], we're talking about handguns easier in the inner cities, to get these guns in the inner cities, than to get computers. This is not just a political issue, it’s a moral issue and so when we condemn the NRA we should not ignore the fact that a lot of people that have taken moral positions have been solid on this big one.”

“I’m ashamed to admit it but its politics and its money, The NRA has taken this position, there is no reason, there is no foundation. [Unlike the unsourced lies and invented rhetoric spewed by the gun control lobby] There is no hunter [the 2A is not about hunting] that needs automatic military weapons [Once again, we're not speaking of automatic weapons....are you really this daft - and - still getting elected?] to enjoy the culture of going hunting."

“But you know it’s really basically the absence of the voices of good people. I cannot believe that politicians are afraid of the NRA.” [Gun owners of course, aren't good people, right?]

Rep. Charlie Wrangel, D-NY

It's getting more difficult by the hour, to find where a gun control politician actually says something truthful. I expect them to invent labels and definitions to suit their agenda, but for a national elected representative of the people, to blatantly lie.....seems rather un-American.

The highest elected official in the state of NY just now realizes this?

This simply illustrates the lack of fundamental logic and intellectual curiosity of those who ruthlessly pursue political agendas and shameless politicize tragedies. It also showcases the chasm of where we've come from as a nation of self reliant individualists to where we find ourselves now...a nation of coddled, dependant and entitled crybabies.

Cuomo and legislative leaders said after announcing a budget deal Wednesday night that they will continue to discuss changes in January's gun control law before a provision kicks in banning the sale of 10-bullet magazines.

The gun measure outlaws the purchase of any magazines that carry more than seven bullets, the nation's most stringent limit. That would have put a severe limit on the sale of guns with industry-standard 10-bullet magazines when the provision of the law went into effect April 15.

"There is no such thing as a seven-bullet magazine. That doesn't exist, so you really have no practical option," [no shit] Cuomo said. He told reporters that any suggestion this will be a rollback of the law is "wholly without basis."

Cuomo said the state needs to allow the sale of handguns and rifles with 10-shot magazines, but New Yorkers will still be required to keep no more than seven bullets in them, except at shooting ranges and competitions. [really??] Violating the seven-bullet limit is a misdemeanor but a violation if the magazine is in the owner's home.

Cuomo minimized the cleanup now needed in the bill as addressing "ambiguities" and "grammatical errors" and routine for complex measures. They include exempting police and their weapons and allowing Hollywood to continue to film violent movies and TV shows in New York using weapons outlawed under his measure. [Of course...care not for the citizens of your state, but make sure you take care of those with money and influence]

Link

Allowing banned guns and magazines for the filming of violent TV shows and movies, but not for law abiding citizens......makes as much sense as outlawing prostitution but not pornography.

Citizen Action

Don't be fooled by the media and the gun control acolytes, when the carp about the NRA boogeyman. Citizens across the nation are taking the defense of Constitutional rights to their local town halls, state legislatures and internet forums.

Citizen action is what we rely on to hold back the wave of dependency, entitlement and Statism. These citizens are sheepdogs.....roundly ridiculed by the ignorant sheep to be sure, but standing for what's just when the wolf comes calling....as it does every time there is a tragedy to be politicized.

Justice for a peddler of lies

Feinstein whines about her bill's defeat...by her own party.

Your Representatives lie to you...Part III

Another day, another false statement by a Statist who thinks he or she should decide what you [the American citizen] need.

Today's lie is brought to you by Diane 'trigger control' Feinstein.

“Incidentally, this does not prohibit,” Feinstein continued, smacking a table for emphasis, “It exempts 2271 weapons. Isn’t that enough for the people of the United States? Do they need a bazooka? Do they need other high powered weapons military people use to kill in close combat? 

Link


Well, DiFi.....to begin, your bill does prohibit. It prohibits every firearm listed in your bill. And since this was in response to an analogy to the 1st Amendment by Sen. Ted Cruz.....surely you must be OK with 'free speech zones'. After all, you still get to voice your dissent....isn't that enough for you?

Bazooka? We've been discussing firearms Di....a bazooka is not a firearm. Let's add to that, that a bazooka has an arming range of 15-40 meters. Decidedly not 'close combat'.

Speaking of close combat, that's exactly the type of firearm one needs for personal defense. A citizen starts firing at a threat a couple of hundred meters out, they become a murderer. Between Di and Joe Biden, I'm starting to think they're conspiring to try and get lawful firearm owners to sabotage themselves by breaking the law. At either that, or we have of the most fundamentally retarded officials in the history of our Congress.

Lastly, the firearms cited in the bill, aren't used by the military. Not our military at least. But what can one expect when they cannot only not define why cosmetic and ergonomic feature make a firearm more lethal [as they claim], but they have a proven track record of not being able to even identify those features in the first place.

Low information voters everywhere must be rejoicing that crafters of legislation are going out of their way to not challenge them with facts and reason.

Your Representatives lie to you...Part II

The gun control lobby, their myrmidons, and their enablers in the halls of Congress.....keep telling us that "nobody wants to take away your guns."

Predictably....they lie.

We shouldn't be surprised...their willful ignorance of firearms and their reliance on rhetorical inventions all but illustrates their true goal.

Your Representatives lie to you.......

.....and they do so with full knowledge and forethought......to push a political agenda.

On the issue of gun control, Liberals haven't stood against this malfeasance.....will you stand against it?

“The time has come, America, to step up and ban these weapons. The other very important part of this bill is to ban large capacity ammunition feeding devices, those that hold more than 10 rounds. We have federal regulations and state laws that prohibit hunting ducks with more than three rounds. And yet it’s legal to hunt humans with 15-round, 30-round, even 150-round magazines. Limiting magazine capacity is critical because it is when a criminal, a drug dealer, a deranged individual has to pause to change magazines and reload that the police or brave bystanders have the opportunity to take that individual down.”

Link

Legal where Senator?

But I'm always entertained by the pontificating of how long it would take to change magazines, when that advice comes from those who wouldn't have the first clue how to change a magazine. Most Americans would at least claim that they wouldn't stand for legislative proposals to be crafted by people so ignorant of the mechanics of the legislative subject. But on this issue, emotion and rhetoric rules the day.

I have a man-crush.....

Colion Noir has been a YouTube sensation for a little while now....in every sense, he's the anti-Joe Biden.

Check out his site.