Free In Idaho!

I noticed that the Seattle Times and the Tacoma Tribune marked the sixtieth birthday of the AK-47 today.

MOSCOW — Sixty years after the AK-47 went into production, Mikhail Kalashnikov says he does not stay awake at night worrying about the bloodshed wrought by the world’s most popular assault rifle.

“I sleep well. It’s the politicians who are to blame for failing to come to an agreement and resorting to violence,” Kalashnikov said today at a ceremony marking the birth of the rifle, whose initials stand for “Avtomat Kalashnikov.”

I’m interested that they would print an article like this, knowing that Washington State, and Seattle in particular, tends to be a “little” left of center and not known to be particularly fond of guns of any type… especially the eeevil AK-47.

Since production began, more than 100 million AK-47s have been made — either at the home factory in the central Russian city of Izhevsk, under license in dozens of other countries, or illegally. Sergei Chemezov, director of the Russian arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport, said nearly a million a year are produced without license.

Wow, you know that’s causing a nightmare or two up there.

The AK-47 has been a mainstay in wars, coups, terrorist attacks, robberies and other mayhem. Its popularity comes from being rugged and easy to maintain, though its accuracy is not high.

Its accuracy is fine, its stopping power is plenty adequate, and it is simple to clean (it doesn’t need babying).  What more could you want?  By the way, the Trib article has some great pics of “Uncle Misha” holding his invention.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      This weekend, Saturday and Sunday the 7th and 8th, the Expo Idaho grounds in Boise/Garden City will be the site of the biggest car show we have all summer, the Northwest Motorfest.  Saturday morning, the gates open at 9am and if you can take the heat it will be nonstop cars all day long.  This is an outdoor show on the grass so take plenty of water and sunscreen.

One of the fun events that takes place during the show is the “Holeshot Nationals”.  This is very short track (out of the hole) drag racing at its finest, featuring matches between everything you can think of.  Model Ts, motorcycles, dads vs sons, husbands vs wives, Chevies vs Mopars… one after the other, line ‘em up and let ‘em go, good stuff!  Check out the schedule for start times on this.

Saturday night, all the cars move out of the fairgrounds and down to town for the Capitol Cruise.  As I’ve said before, Boise is not afraid to shut down the town for a car show, and this is the biggest.  The whole downtown is given over to the cruisers, and in some places the spectators are four or five deep.  What an excellent way to spend a hot summer night.  The cruise begins at 7pm and goes until 10.

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