Ranch Radio Song of the Day

Our gospel tune today is Lay Your Hands On Me by the old syrup sopper, Red Sovine.

https://youtu.be/XiSmXJ-HAPw

Missing hikers found dead, locked in an embrace, at Joshua Tree National Park

California couple Rachel Nguyen and Joseph Orbeso went missing three months ago in Joshua Tree National Park. Searchers found them shot dead this week, locked in an embrace, officials say. "Based on evidence located at the scene, detectives believe Orbeso shot Nguyen, then shot himself," the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement. A gun found near the bodies was registered to Orbeso, officials said. The owner of a bed-and-breakfast near the park reported the couple missing July 28 after they failed to check out of their room, according to authorities. He told deputies that his guests possibly went hiking at Joshua Tree National Park. Nguyen, 20, and Orbeso, 22, of Orange County were found dead this week in a rugged canyon with boulders in a remote area of the park. Police identified them Thursday...more

25 wild horse foals die at federal facility. What killed them?

Veterinarians investigating the death of 25 wild horse foals held at a federal facility near Susanville believe they suffered from colitis, an inflammation of the colon. The foals, all born in captivity at Bureau of Land Management corrals in Litchfield, were from mares gathered in September 2016 from the Devil’s Garden Wild Horse Territory on the Modoc National Forest, said Jeff Fontana, a BLM spokesman. Early this month, BLM wranglers noticed signs of a flu-like illness in some horses, all of which were housed in a single pen. They consulted with a veterinarian and treated the symptoms, but the condition of the foals gradually worsened, said Fontana, who reported the deaths Tuesday. None of the other 300 mustangs in the main pastures of the corrals have shown any signs of illness, he said...more

Why Are Federal Bureaucrats Buying Guns and Ammo? $158 Million Spent By Non-Military Agencies

Adam Andrzejewski 

...This week, our organization at OpenTheBooks.com updated our data to include gun and ammo purchases over fiscal year 2015 and a partial FY2016. Spending on guns and ammo at 58 non-military federal agencies – including 40 regulatory, administrative agencies – amounted to $158 million.

The continued growth of the federal arsenal begs the question: Just whom are the feds planning to battle?

More examples of agencies amassing firepower over the last two years: 

• Loading the Gun Locker – Federal agencies spent $44 million on guns, including an “urgent” order for 20 M-16 Rifles with extra magazines at the Department of Energy ($49,559); shotguns and Glock pistols at the General Services Administration ($16,568); and a bulk order of pistols, sights, and accessories by the Bureau of Reclamation whose main job is to build dams, power plants, and canals ($697,182).  

• Buying Bullets in Bulk – The government spent $114 million on ammunition, including bulk purchases by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ($66,927); the Smithsonian ($42,687); and the Railroad Retirement Board ($6,941). The Social Security Administration spent $61,129 on bullets including 50,000 rounds of ammunition plus 12-gauge buckshot and slug ammo.
  
  The EPA special agents purchased ammunition for their .357 and 9mm revolvers and buckshot for their shotguns. While Bernie Sanders claimed that the biggest adversary to the United States was climate change, the EPA stood ready to fight in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
   
• Hollow-Point Bullets – Despite being outlawed by the Geneva Convention, federal agencies spent $426,268 on hollow-point bullets, including orders from the Forest Service, National Park Service, Office of Inspector General, Bureau of Fiscal Service, as well as Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
   
• Department of the Interior – The agency’s mission is to "manage America's vast natural and cultural resources." However, over the last two years, the agency spent $4.4 million on guns and ammunition. Although the National Park Service is responsible for nearly half of this spending – mostly to arm its park police – six other bureaus and offices under the Department of Interior spent millions of dollars to amass firepower. 
  The U.S. Geological Survey provides “real-time data and information on current conditions and earth observations.” Yet, the agency loaded up on Winchester Black Shadow shotguns and bulk ammunition. Even the Office of the Inspector General armed up – purchasing G27 Glocks, shotgun slugs, and frangible ammo.
  
  Just who is U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service trying to sneak up on? The agency was created to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats – but they spent $410,263 on .308 rifles, Glock pistols, and semi-automatic rifles. Then, they modified their Glocks with silencers.

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Oklahoma Cattlemen Want Out-of-State “Meddling” to Stop

Early, mail-in voting continues in Oklahoma’s secondary Beef Checkoff referendum, but efforts to stop the process may be in motion. That’s the opinion of some members of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association (OCA), which issued a statement calling for “out-of-state activists” to stop “meddling in our state’s referendum.” The statement, signed by 19 OCA members, including the current, future and three former association presidents, says out-of-state groups may “have either filed or are considering filing a lawsuit to stop the current refundable Oklahoma Beef Checkoff referendum.” The statement notes that all regulations and state statutes were followed when conducting the petition and current checkoff vote. Oklahoma is attempting to establish a producer-funded state-level promotion, marketing, research and education program for beef and beef products. To do so, producers are asked to vote on a state-wide assessment of $1 per head when an animal changes ownership, all of which is refundable on request. That $1 assessment would be in addition to the $1 national beef checkoff program already in place. According to the statement from OCA, “earlier this month, one of the out-of-state groups sent out a memo casting a wide net searching for a state beef producer to file the suit. This follows the current misinformation campaign that Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM), Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and R-Calf are leading in our state to discourage and deny beef producers the right to vote.”...more

Ranch Radio Song of the Day

TGIFF! Its Fiddle Friday and here is Johnny Gimble telling us about the Barefoot Fiddler. The tune is on his 2002 CD Just For Fun.

https://youtu.be/YjjNrEgRihc