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

Quick Hits of Weird

• Snakes On A Plane, AGAIN?! Customs finds five live king cobras in mail at New York – JFK.
• The latest weapon in the war on speeding? Laughably simple, a full-size flat cutout of a police cruiser.
• Downside of the “tiny house” trend? When someone steals your house, it’s the entire house.
• How’d you like to live in a Governor’s Mansion, without the trouble of election? North Dakota’s is for sale–but requires a quarter-million-dollar move by September to make way for a new executive residence.

This Week In History

• Sunday, 7/9: Braddock Expedition defeated at Ft. Duquesne (now downtown Pittsburgh), 1755; 14th Amendment ratified, 1868; Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech, 1893
• Monday, 7/10: Louis XVI orders France into Revolutionary War, 1778; Jackson vetoes Second Bank of the U.S., 1832; Telstar, first communications satellite launched, 1962
• Tuesday, 7/11: Burr kills Hamilton, 1804; Confederate attack on DC repelled at Ft. Stevens, 1864; To Kill A Mockingbird published, 1960
• Wednesday, 7/12: Americcan forces occupy Windsor, ON, 1812; Medal of Honor authorized, 1862; most pre-1960 military service records destroyed in suspicious fire at National Personnel Records Center, 1973
• Thursday, 7/13: Northwest Ordinance enacted, 1787; New York draft riots, 1863; Nixon tapes’ existence revealed to Watergate committee, 1973
• Friday, 7/14: Sedition Act passed, 1798; Battle of Taejon, 1950; 386BSD first “open-source” operating system release, 1992
• Saturday, 7/15: Pike Expedition heads West, 1806; Georgia last Confederate state to rejoin Union, 1870; first American jetliner, Boeing’s “Dash Eighty,” makes maiden flight, 1954

Today’s Birthdays: Writer Henry David Thoreau, 1817; businessman George Eastman, 1854; director-songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II, 1895; politician J. D. Hayworth, 1958

Holidays Around the World: Kiribati and Sao Tome & Principe both celebrate Independence Day today; Northern Ireland and Scotland observe Orangemen’s Day.

This Week In History is compiled with assistance from History.com and Wikipedia. Something interesting not listed here? Please share in the Comments section–this is an Audience Participation Encouraged featurette.

Gratuitous Gun Giveaways

• *American Handgunner magazine, for a Coonan Arms .357 Magnum 1911-type pistol, S&W Performance Center M&P.45 Shield pistol or Taurus Air-Lite .38 revolver package: http://americanhandgunner.com/giveaway/
• *Guns Magazine, for a BlackSword Scythe AR15, Honor Guard HG9SC 9mm pistol or Mossberg 930 shotgun package: http://gunsmagazine.com/giveaway/
• Davidson’s Gallery of Guns, for a Remington R51 or RP9 9mm pistol (ends Saturday!): https://ggg.galleryofguns.com/
• Aero Precision, for a custom AR15: http://gvwy.io/qtn4uzh
• GrabAGun, for a Walther PPQ M2 9mm pistol: http://grabagun.com/giveaway

*Note: FMG Publishing giveaways require you to provide an FFL dealer’s info at entry. Aero Precision giveaways give me one entry each per person who uses my referral link.

Quote of the Day

“Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.”–Annie Oakley

As always, the Watercooler is an Open Thread. That’s it for today, hope you found something tastier than Sour Grapes and Orange Koolaid around the snack table, and the floor’s all yours for whatever news, gossip and general thoughts may catch your attention.

#NoQuarter #TheParty’sOver