Some Drank All. All Drank Some. (Attn: DC-area Hit & Runners)

Here's the skinny on the event that H&R stalwart Thoreau has put together for this Saturday in Bethesda. All typos his.

Reason takes no responsibility for the merriment that may or may not be had, any fallout from any such merriment (or lack thereof), etc., etc. etc. (cue Yul Brynner).

When: Saturday, November 12, 6:30 pm until ?

Where: Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, 7900 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda, MD 20814
www.rockbottombethesda.com

Who: H&R posters, lurkers, flamers, and occasional readers, as well as their spouses, significant others, partners in relationships that may or may not be sanctioned by the state, friends, roommates, random strangers, etc. (Which is libertarian speak for "Anybody reading this and whoever they want to bring.)

This event was designed (hopefully intelligently) by thoreau and Mr. Nice Guy. Jennifer, Phil, crimethink, saw-whet, mk, and many others promise to be there.

What: Eat, drink, be merry, and argue over obscure points.

Why: Why not?

Various libertarian-oriented activities may or may not be going on during the day on Saturday. Consult thoreau and Mr. Nice Guy for details. If you own a gun, we can help you find a use for it. (At a shooting range, of course.) If you don't, but you contact us soon, we can take a couple of beginners with us. (Be prepared to spend $30 for range fees and beginner orientation.) No shooting after 4:20 pm.

Comments

[smacky]

No shooting after 4:20 pm.

I'm assuming this is a self-imposed rule by Mr. Nice Guy? 🙂

[mjs]

I've always disliked the reason "why not" used in response to the question "why" or used as a statement of purpose.

Actually sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad I live on the other side of the county.

Anybody ever going to plan one of these in the northwest? I'd volunteer, but I doubt there are many posters in my area (not Seattle and not Portland, nor near either). If one was relatively nearby, I'd try to make the trip.

[Jeff P.]

I will be doing my Yul Brenner impression, arms akimbo, walking around sideways...

[Jennifer]

Guess what, Phil? We're being used as advertising!

[Hakluyt]

This event was designed (hopefully intelligently) by thoreau and Mr. Nice Guy.

Ahh, faith-based party planning. 🙂

[Jennifer]

I used to go to the Smithsonian all the time when I was a kid, and now I haven't been since I was an undergrad. So I'm also looking forward to seeing that again. Maybe this time I'll get to catch a glimpse of that pendulum thing knocking down one of the markers.

[Phil]

Woohoo! I've been commodified!

I would join in on the handgun festivities, but my wife and I are planning to go out to Shenandoah Nat'l Park (using national parks like a bad libertarian) during the day, weather allowing. Get some hiking in, do some nature photography, etc.

[joe]

So, who's up for a trip to the FDR Memorial?

I said, so, who's up for a trip to the FDR Memorial?

Must be something wrong with my browser...

[Hakluyt]

The Smithosian exhibits rarely change, especially at the American History museaum. I get onto to my friends there about it, but they have no control over their sucky exhibits.

[Phil]

You laugh, joe, but last month, we went for a great hike starting from Roosevelt Island, up the GW Pkwy and across the 14th St. Bridge, then up along Hains Point to the FDR Memorial and finally back across the Memorial Bridge and to our starting point. There were a lot of people at the FDR Memorial. Particularly Greatest Generation types and minorities, as one might expect.

[Jennifer]

Phil--

Salve your conscience and have an extra-good time by going to one of the privately-owned caverns within range of Shenandoah. Luray Caverns, Skyline Caverns, Endless Caverns--technically the last one's dishonest, but it's still pretty cool.

[joe]

Seriously, whatever your thoughts about the subject matter, the FDR Memorial is an amazing achievement.

The Korean War Memorial, otoh...eh, not so much.

[Jennifer]

Hope Diamond. Cool rocks. Dino skeletons.

[smacky]

The Smithosian exhibits rarely change, especially at the American History museaum. I get onto to my friends there about it, but they have no control over their sucky exhibits.

Hak,

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks the Smithsonian sucks. I've seen better Natural History exhibits in Cleveland. Their exhibit notes are terrible. Although I did like the giant squid exhibit.

[treefroggy]

So, where are we going shooting and how MANY guns can we bring ? Long guns ? shot guns ? hand guns ? Full auto ??? Exploding targets ???

[Phil]

Anybody who disparages the National Air & Space Museum in my presence shall be subjected to fisticuffs. It's got a full-sized ICBM, a moon rock, and The Spirit of St. Louis! It's MAGIC, people!!

OTOH, in terms of presentation, the Cleveland Museum of Art pwns the National Gallery of Art. On the third hand, the American History Museum's exhibit of Beatles photography last year, and the "Paint By Numbers" exhibit the year before, were terrific.

[smacky]

For fans of modern art, check out the Hirshorn Museum on the National Mall in DC. Some good stuff there.

[Jeff P.]

I, for one, would like to see Spaceship One. Not only is it a Libertarian keepsake, but I plan to steal it to facilitate my latest Bond-villainish scheme.

[thoreau]

First, thanks, Nick for posting this.

Second, anybody interested in guns, send me an email. The address on this post is real if you take out the part about spam.

[thoreau]

It's an indoor range. You have to buy your ammo there. (Supposedly it's a county regulation, but I doubt that the owner complained too loudly when told that members would have to pay him money for ammo.) I've only shot handguns there, but people shoot rifles and shotguns as well. No exploding targets AFAIK.

[Ruthless]

Jennifer,
Jeff P. said he'd be walking sidewise, arms akimbo a la Yul Brenner. Mayhaps you could impersonate the carpet humper?

Debbie Reynolds would be good too.

[Jason Ligon]

thoreau:

Standard indoor practice is any handgun caliber, shotguns if you don't blow up their target hangers shooting like a jackass, and rifles up to .22 Long Rifle. It is rare to have an indoor range allow rifles in serious calibers because their bullet traps get blown to shit.

If you are going, and I can't - about which I'm bummed, make sure you check the transportation rules for the states you will be driving in. Those things are crazy different from state to state. Some require a separate locked container with ammo in one compartment of the vehicle and the thing itself in another.

[thoreau]

I think joe should host a gathering. If he wants to keep it simple, all he has to do is announce that on a certain Saturday evening he'll be at his favorite bar in Boston, and everybody is invited to join him.

[Grummun]

Jason,

There's a range in New Albany, Ohio that'll let you shoot just about whatever you can fit through the door (maybe not .50 BMG, but 460 Weatherby for certain). The hitch is it's only a 25 yard range. Hardly seems worth it.

The get together sounds loverly; if only it were on my side of the Appalachians.

[Rick Barton]

Wait a minute. If some drank all, there wouldn't be enough for all to drink some.

joe at 07:55 PM,

LOL!

Party on liberty loving brethren and sisteren! You too, joe.

[db]

I'm telling you, if any of you make it up to Pittsburgh for whatever reason, the machinegun shooting's on me.

[kwais]

Damn,
I am not going to make that one. I'd be hard pressed to fly all the way across the country soley to hang out. But it would be cool.

BTW, if you are in Norfolk there is an indoor range that you can shoot rifles at.

Side note, I was supposed to be in one of those hotels that blew up in Jordan today, but because of a beaurocratic screw up, I get to spend at least two more weeks home.

[Brian]

Awesome! I'm actually going to be in DC this weekend...now I just have to figure how to get away from the meeting I'm supposed to be at...

[Jennifer]

Yikes, Kwais. That's a spooky thought. But I'm very glad your schedule was ruined by bureaucracy, and I sincerely hope bureaucracy continues to ruin your schedules in the future.

[Hakluyt]

smacky,

Well, it is a great place to do research (especially with the National Archives, the LOC, etc. so close), but they are quite, quite terrible at creating a viable visitor experience (except for some parts of the "hands on" history exhibit - a friend of mine designed the cotton gin exhibit there).

For art I perfer the Louvre or the Prado.

treefroggy,

If I were going, I'd like to bring my flintlock.

[Hakluyt]

The Korean War Memorial is beautiful, especially at night.

[Douglas Fletcher]

Norfolk Avenue, there in there Wilds of Bethesda. If you listen close you might hear the ghost of Psychedeli past howling in the night as Weasel intones the call letters W-H-F-S, Buh-thesda, Maryland.

I'll buy a virtual beer for anyone who knows what the hell I'm talking about.

[Strat]

Argh...Of course this has to be the same time as the Fairfax County Libertarian Convention. Now I know what Democrats mean about too many choices being a problem for us. Hrm.

[SM]

Question for Jason Ligon or any knowledgeable person, which at this site should be a lot of people,

The range I go to (OK,OK, i've only been there a handful of times int the last several years) has a sign which forbids "No holster drawing, no trick shooting, no rapid firing". Is that SOP at all ranges ?
I've been wanting to holster draw since when !

[Strat]

It depends on the range, the range master on duty and the event that you're at.

The holster draw prohibition is probably due to the fact that not everyone knows how to clear, draw, fire, and reholster without inadvertently shooting either themselves or others.

The rapid firing thing may simply be a matter of attempting to have people be considerate of others. I've not spent a lot of time at places with that rule, but I imagine it could be distracting if everyone was shooting rapid fire all of the time.

If you want to learn about how to draw, there are probably instructors near your range, or you might check out some of the sport groups like the IDPA.

[Apostate Jew]

"Seriously, whatever your thoughts about the subject matter, the FDR Memorial is an amazing achievement."

An amazing achievement in bathos. See the sculpture of the great man; read the great man's words; see the sculpture of the great man's dog.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:FDR_memorial.jpg

If only Daniel Chester French had added one of those funny tophats or an axe to his sculpture, the Lincoln Memorial could be a similarly great achievement.

[David Rollins]

The best thing to do at the FDR memorial is to get in the soup line and put your hands in your pockets, hunched over waiting for your gubmint handout. Makes a great photo.

"Freedom from Hunger" was clearly in the Declaration of Independence, right?

[Mr. Nice Guy]

It's going to be sunny and in the mid-60s this weekend in DC.

And depending on how Saturday night goes, we can go wash our socks at the FDR memorial with the rest of the bums.

[D.A. Ridgely]

Of course, WHFS was the underground / alternative FM station in the D.C. area in my misspent youth. (Not to say, of course, that my post-youth has been spent any better.) There one could hear non Top 40 cuts from Cream, the Doors, etc. while cruising the still seedy, pre gay yuppified Dupont Circle area for various controlled substances -- or so I'm told.

[alkali]

If you own a gun, we can help you find a use for it. (At a shooting range, of course.)

Without the parenthetical, I'd say there's a screenplay in there.

[s.m. koppelman]

And depending on how Saturday night goes, we can go wash our socks at the FDR memorial with the rest of the bums.

...then maybe camp out under the stars in cardboard boxes in honor of Herbert Hoover, nu?

Heh.

[Jason Ligon]

SM:

Good luck on an indoor range. I don't generally shoot at them because they don't let you do presentations from the holster, and their idea of unsafely fast shooting would make my grandmother bored. Make no mistake, indoor ranges will help you shoot straight if you already have the weapon out and only care about one shot at a time. Unfortunately, that type of range is all most people have access to.

Try to find a gun club where they hold IDPA or IPSC shoots. Even if you don't want to play, the ranges are configured for you to be able to do more.

[thoreau]

Jason-

I hear what you're saying, but right now I'm still working on the basics. And the indoor range is a 5 minute drive from my apartment. That is hard to beat. Eventually I'll check out the NRA range in VA, which is supposed to be a nicer range, and some outdoor ranges in the area.

[thoreau]

Oh, I should add that it looks like we've got enough guests for the range.

[joe]

Apostate Jew,

It's a presidential memorial. Of course it has giant statuary dedicated to the great man, and quotes. Like the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial and the statue of TR on Roosevelt Island.

But the design of the thing, the outdoor rooms and the way the water features were incorporated - very cool.

[crimethink]

Question is, joe, will you be as open-minded toward the inevitable Reagan Memorial?

[Shrinky Dink]

I still have the picture my ex-girlfriend sent me from DC, where she's sitting in wheelchair-bound FDR's lap. The caption reads, "So that's why they call it Big Government!!"

It was that day that I became a libertarian.

[mk]

C'mon Strat - hang out with your friends. The FCLP isn't going anywhere.

[crimethink]

Heh, when I was in high school I wrote a story about a guy who returned to Earth after traveling at nearly the speed of light for a few weeks (from his POV). Of course, due to the effects of relativity, many years passed on Earth while he was away.

He landed at the George [HW] Bush Spaceport, and as he was leaving he noticed a statue of Bush puking into a bowl of sushi. He asked a bystander why that particular moment had been chosen to immortalize the 41st president, and the man explained that the culture had become deeply distrustful of authority and celebrity, and all statues nowadays depict famous people in their most embarrassing moments, to show that they were only human.

When the space traveler commented that while that might be a good idea in general, this statue was simply disgusting. The bystander chuckled and told him he should visit the Pee Wee Herman Memorial Theater.

[mediageek]

The range I go to (OK,OK, i've only been there a handful of times int the last several years) has a sign which forbids "No holster drawing, no trick shooting, no rapid firing". Is that SOP at all ranges ?

A lot of public ranges do this. If you can spare the expense, join a private club.

[joe]

crimethink, there will never be a Reagan Memorial.

The Reagan memorializers have been a furious frenzy of activity for the past few years, because they are quite aware that his legacy is shrinking.

Sort of like Kennedy.

[kwais]

Hey,
Things have happened, I might make it there. That would be cool.

[crimethink]

joe,

I don't have a dog in this race, since the story I reference above pretty much sums up my attitude towards statues and memorials, but keep on livin' in that fantasy world...

[smacky]

Side note, I was supposed to be in one of those hotels that blew up in Jordan today, but because of a beaurocratic screw up, I get to spend at least two more weeks home.

One of the few times I'm actually glad at the outcome of a bureaucratic screwup.

[Crushinator]

joe,

I disagree. The Republicans worship Reagan and will ramrod a memorial through congress while they still hold the reins. This will occur in the next ten months.

kwais - I know exactly how you feel dodging the AlQueda bullet. I was supposed to be on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kuching, but I was forced to reschedule to the next day. The original flight crashed upon landing at Kuching. It was a messy crash as the plane plowed into squatter housing at the end of the runway and killed about 175 on the ground.

Reasonoids - enjoy your time together in DC. Years from now we will look back upon these moments with great fondness (as we break rocks in the Patriot concentration camps).

[crimethink]

joe,

Also remember that the FDR memorial was built during the days of welfare reform. Crumbling legacies are no obstacle to presidential memorials.

I must admit I liked the setup of the FDR memorial; it annoyed me that such a beautiful thing was devoted to such a schmuck.

[crimethink]

Crap, I didn't notice that I was mentioned in the original post! Well, I haven't exactly promised to be there -- I'll try my best, since I have to work Friday and be back by Sunday morning.

And considering the happenings in the abortion thread up there, I might want to brush up on my street fighting skeelz and wear body armor...

[Jennifer]

Damn right, Crimethink. I can be very intimidating in person. Rrrrrrrr.

[crimethink]

Jennifer,

Just stay away from your hypothesizing, and no one will get hurt. 😉

[Jennifer]

Don't tell me I need to stay away from hypothesizing, Crimethink. I can handle my hypothesizing just fine. Better than you.

Screw you. I don't need you. I don't need anybody. (sob)

[crimethink]

That's OK, Jennifer. (hands handkerchief) Don't worry, that green stuff on there is part of the design.

[Jennifer]

thud

[thoreau]

OK, I'm going to call the bar and tell them there will be a group of about 15 people. I'll ask for a table, and say that the group will fluctuate in size, probably order a lot of drinks, and be there for a while.

[Douglas Fletcher]

One virtual beer for Mr. Ridgely, please.

[poco]

Hee hee, now I know Thoreau's real name. And from what photos I've seen, it suits him.

[joe]

Crushinator, "The Republicans worship Reagan and will ramrod a memorial through congress while they still hold the reins. This will occur in the next ten months." I don't buy it. Giving in to their unpopular, ideological hobbyhorses is already coming back to haunt them. I doubt they would so endanger their electoral chances by doing more of the same in such a high-profile manner. There was very widespread support for each of the existing monuments - a Reagan Memorial would not be greeted in the same way.

crimethink, "Also remember that the FDR memorial was built during the days of welfare reform. Crumbling legacies are no obstacle to presidential memorials." This would be a good argument if we were discussing a Lyndon Johnson Memorial, but the biggest part of FDR's legacy - Social Security, victory in WW2, succor for the poor during the Great Depression - are, like it or not, still standing, and still very popular.

[joe]

On second thought, Crushinator, the odd statue here and there of the Gipper would pass with littel effort or attention.

My comments concern only a National Mall memorial on the order of FDR's, Lincoln's, or the WW2 Memorial.

BTW, those of you in the area, what do you think of the WW2 Memorial now that it's built? Does it look as Albert-Speerish as in the drawing's I've seen?

[mk]

Joe,
I think the drawings made it look much more substantial than it really is.

I remember making a stink about it at the time. It's not so bad. I feel silly about it now.

[crimethink]

Giving in to their unpopular, ideological hobbyhorses is already coming back to haunt them.

Hahahahaha!

I wish the Republicans would give in to Reagan's small government hobbyhorse!

As for FDR's legacy, well, I think you and I can agree that it's not undisputably positive...

[biggus dickus]

i will also be at the event, but you will not recognize me. i will go incognito as a testimony to the nameless, faceless milieu that characterizes modern urban life.

[VikingMoose]

joe:

good call: FDR is a great memorial. just the out-of-context quotes are a little much. how the water gets broken up as the country plunges into "wah" (which even fallah hated). and on the river. beautiful.

and the WWII is even worse in person. It was the most fucking insulting qua fascist-looking monument i've seen in the us... shudder.

[Stevo Darkly]

Everyone have fun! Have a drink for me.

Alack (as I already notified thoreau) I can't be there. Traveling that far requires me to fly, which requires advance planning, and I've got a gigantamundo project for work that will keep me occupied through Friday afternoon. Possibly through the weekend. Although probably not, but I didn't know that until today.

Kwais -- Glad to hear that you're OK, dude, despite (or thanks to?) the Fickle Finger of Fate.

joe -- Gee, I can't decide which would be more appropriate: (1) Building a colossal statue of Reagan that bestrides the gap between Big and Little Diomede Islands, soaring 20 miles into the air, or, (2) painting Reagan's visage on the face of the Moon so that it may forever shine over the Earth, and renaming our Earth's natural satellite "Gipper."

I think I prefer the latter. "Gee, the Gipper looks beautiful tonight." "He proposed by the light of a full Gipper." God, that would be romantic.