Can we retire the phrase "keeping our powder dry"?

[madinmaryland]

I think it doesn't apply now. Full speed ahead!

[xultar]

1. What does it mean? I've never heard it.

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. The roots of the expression go back to the days of Black Powder weapons.

To "Keep your powder Dry" meant you took care to be prepared to defend yourself from or attack the enemy when necessary. Gunpowder is useless when wet so keeping it dry was paramount in battle or even for the hunt. In the old days, the most common container for keeping powder in was a Powder Horn like this;


Collector horns like the above can fetch hundreds of dollars, even thousands for a truly unique example.

[meldroc]

9. Well, our powder was dry,

and thus we were able to give the GOP a full broadside on Election Day.

[xultar]

10. Thanks for the info. Makes sense now.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

2. Yes and no.

Yes, we don't need the phrase. No, not full speed ahead. Remember, we want a sustaining majority, unlike the one ours enemies enjoyed. 3/4 speed is more like it. :-)

[jumpoffdaplanet]

3. We should give it to the republicans as a present

Wrap it up in bow and everything.

[Poll_Blind]

4. No. They have to do something now. WE put them into office. WE...

...fired OUR shots. Now they presumably will fire theirs. "The Dry Powder Gang" doesn't and hasn't ever referred to the citizens. It has referred to representatives who acquiesced to Bush's attacks on the Constitution and The Bill of rights.

  Playing politics can be almost as bad on the Democratic side as on the Republican one. Just because we now have more troops on the field does not mean that we've won a thing. Let's see those legislators work to legislate back some of these disgusting, restrictive changes that Bush and his GOP buddies have enacted.

  Those will be some salvos I've been waiting to hear the reports of.

Ready...

Steady...

DO SOMETHING...

  I understand there'll be a bit of ramping up and organizing. So, hopefully over the next month we'll start to see how things are congealing...or not.

PB

[never_get_over_it]

5. I'm really not prepared to retire this

I'm going to keep my powder dry until a REALLY IMPORTANT phrase comes along that we need to retire - I learned this from all those fabulous Democratic role models of the past six years....

[readmoreoften]

6. I agree. But for me, it comes down to no more rubber stamps.

If they are conservative about moving "forward" I'll accept it. If these motherfuckers apporve of ANY-- and I mean ONE PIECE of bullshit (ie. bad nominee, bullshit terror law, etc.) I'm going to freak out and run out into the street in protest.

I can live with our guns being used for a slow offense, but if they don't even shoot when shot at, I will freak TF out.

[mom cat]

7. Depends on what they do with the ammo we gave them. The DLC

is alive and well and will want to softpedal any legislation that poses a real threat to their prime contributors.

[stepnw1f]

11. Then We'll Get More of The Same

leaving us right where we ended in 1994. Not anymore... we need real change in Washington DC. That revolving door to corporations has got to be removed and replaced with a thick wall.