Oderint dum metuant
"Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks your life seeks my life, but with me you shall be safe.” 1 Samuel 22:23
“This gun is liberty; hold for certain that the day when you no more have it, you will be returned to slavery.” – Toussaint L’Ouverture
Never met Rumbler in person but when I signed up for this forum I was having trouble gaining access. I reached out to him via PM and he granted me access with this caveat, if I turned out to be a bot he would shoot me in the face! We would've gotten along just fine.
RIP brother.
"It does not take a majority to prevail, but a tireless minority keen to setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Father of Our Revolution, Samuel Adams.
I may be found dead in a ditch, but by God, they will find me and my rights in a PILE of brass.
"Sure you can trust our government. Just ask an Indian."
"Extremism in the defense of Liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of Justice is no virtue." - Barry Goldwater
I can’t say that I knew Mike very well, though we did meet several times. We traded numerous messages on the forums over the years, and I scored a scope from him in that “pay it forward” thing that was going on for a while. Out at Talon, my son and I borrowed his chronograph to measure how fast potato sabots come out of a spud gun based on the different propellants used (my son’s science project), which Mike seemed to get a real kick out of (AquaNet rules, BTW). No doubt Mike was a generous guy with his knowledge, his stuff, and in his acceptance of people – however they may show up. Though he didn’t suffer fools indefinitely, he absolutely gave folks a chance to straighten up before he’d administer an Internet dope slap as a character correction measure.
After his illness was announced I shared a few success stories with him related to the aspects of his illness that I was aware of, as a means of encouragement, and frankly I was encouraged by his cheerful response and that he seemed to truly appreciate that people were praying for him. I liked Mike, am saddened by his death, and will definitely miss his presence.
I will miss Mike and the big red range bag.
Yo Tony, Do me a kindness. - Winnebago Man
The beatings will continue until morale improves!
"We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours." - George S. Patton
Look at the date on the original post.
Luck is the phenomena created when Preparation meets Opportunity .
I fondly remember the time I made the mistake of challenging Mike to a pin top shoot off at 200 yards. I learned a lot that day. One lesson was that Mike was an excellent shot and another was that he was a real gentleman! I was actually looking forward to trying that again with him someday. It is quite a saddening loss to come to the realization that none of us will ever have the privilege of shooting with him again!
Yo Tony, Do me a kindness. - Winnebago Man
The beatings will continue until morale improves!
"We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cocksuckers by the bushel-fucking-basket. War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours." - George S. Patton
Like substratum, I didn't know him well, I knew of him with all the tgf posts and bans and such before I met him, when I would see him at the public range, he was always focused on a goal, so I took notice of that, as that shows a level of commitment.
When I got started reloading, and reading his posts here, id send him a pm about some questions I had. He was always happy to share his knowledge with me, and the reasons "why", and I'm grateful for that. I'm still learning.
The biggest thing he stressed to me was being consistent.
So my thanks, and how I'll remember him is where I talked to him the most,
In the reload section.
After reading all your entries, I wish, I had met him in person. Nothing like meeting people that are so good and real. I hope his family is dealing with this as best they can. RIP.