Welcome back to another installment of the Watercooler, RedState’s daily Open Thread! Today, we’ve got…

NC Primary: Trouble Ahead?

North Carolina’s last redistricting’s in hot water, and may mean rescheduling the primary now that courts have struck down the maps for NC-1 and NC-12. Both are “majority-minority” districts created to comply with Voting Rights Act while maximizing partisan advantage, and… Well, in this commentator’s opinion principle trumps party, it’s time to slay the gerrymander (especially the “race-based” species of it) once and for all so we can get to real Redistricting Reform like geographically-compact districts. (Maybe it’ll help with WA’s practice of carving “red areas” up and strategically packing them around “blue bastions” to ensure that there are as many Dem districts as possible, too…)

Why “Universal Background Checks” = Unmitigated Bull Crap

From the “Better Late Than Never” File: An enlightening talk given by noted deadly-force expert Mas Ayoob at SHOT Show on the problems with “universal background checks,” forwarded courtesy of old friend Sam Kersh over at shooting forum Gun Hub. Thanks, Top!

Speaking of… remember Virginia’s douchebag gun-grabbing Attorney General Mark Herring trying to kill CCW Reciprocity? Well, the VA Legislature is covering their bets against further such treachery with legislation to make Virginia the next “Universal Recognition” state. It’s not Constitutional Carry, but it’s at least taking a big step in the right direction… they’ll join nineteen other states once this passes.

Assorted Animal Antics

Leon’s story about an “Assault With A Deadly Gator” isn’t the only bit of critter capers this week. Check out these quick hits:

• Seems sea lion pups like fine dining too.
• Monkey business in Cleveland–anyone seen a man in a yellow hat?
• And then there’s the wild sparrow that’s taken up residence with a pair of Japanese senior-citizens.

Oh well, at least this section hasn’t gone to the dogs…

What’s Cooking This Week

Another trip down the grocery-store checkout lane, this time for Crock-Pot Paleo Slow Cooking. I’m not on a full-on “paleo diet” (I like my cheese too much for that), but I’m always on the lookout for options to expand my slow-cooker repertoire… Dump in ingredients, start up the crock, let it sit all day and dinner’s waiting when you come home from work–how hard can it be? Most recipes in this little $5 magazine are only 2-3 steps and a dozen ingredients or less including the salt and pepper, and recipes have a nice range including roasts, stews and soups.

Closing On A Lighter Note

A pilot friend forwarded me a link to a little tale of what happens when you strap a Sports Illustrated writer into the backseat of an F-14 Tomcat. Check it out here.

This Week In History

• Sunday, Feb. 7: New Madrid (MO) earthquake, 1812;  Monopoly invented, 1935; first untethered spacewalk, 1984
• Monday, Feb. 8: College of William & Mary chartered, 1693; Boy Scouts of America incorporated, 1910; first eight stars placed on Hollywood Walk of Fame, 1960
• Tuesday, Feb. 9: McCarthy accuses State Dept. of Communist infestation, 1950; Soviets deploy first ICBMs, 1959; Lithuania votes for independence, 1991
• Wednesday, Feb. 10: Treaty of Paris  ends French & Indian War, 1763; YWCA founded, 1870; Deep Blue supercomputer bests chessmaster Garry Kasparov, 1996
• Thursday, Feb. 11: First gerrymandering, 1812; Ike refuses clemency for Rosenbergs, 1953; first POWs released by North Vietnam, 1973
• Friday, Feb. 12: Cornerstone of Lincoln Memorial laid, 1914; loss of airship USS Macon, 1935; Solzhenitsyn exiled, 1974
• Saturday, Feb. 13: Bruno Hauptmann found guilty in Lindbergh Baby case, 1935; firebombing of Dresden, 1945; last original Peanuts comic strip published, 2000

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Lon Chaney Jr., 1906; composer Jerry Goldsmith, 1929; journalist and author Glenn Beck, 1964

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia.

Quote of the Day

Today’s QOTD, while definitely nothing new, was selected for its relevance as the response several folks around RS, myself included, have to the ideas of the ladies in our lives being Draft Bait, a quote which needs no citation.

There are times when a man has to ask himself, “Do I feel lucky?” Well, do ya, punk?

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. Something on your mind? Sound Off here!