27 December 2012

"Common sense gun control"

So, we've been hearing so much talk about "common sense gun control", and that we need to have a "discussion about gun violence". And the antis are pushing hard. And I have had a LOT of people question why my side isn't willing to come to the table.

Here you go, folks. Basically every scheme the antis try foisting off on us, laid out as a step in a full ban.

26 December 2012

Also...

... in tonight's random discussion: Spoon was claiming to have far more cleavage than I, while wearing a crew neck sweater. I commented "if it can't be seen, it isn't there", leading to a discussion of Schrodinger's Bra...

More (oddball) thoughts on school shootings

So... sitting around the kitchen table, and having semi serious discussion about current events. The recent twit in NY is mentioned, and I suggest "maybe we should outlaw nutjobs", to which my friend Skip replies "nah... that would just create a black market for nutjobs"

Go ahead, run with it

14 December 2012

On ghouls

Sometime before 10am this morning, a sub-human walked into a school and committed an atrocity.

Within hours, the bodies likely still warm, pundits are calling for gun bans.

Yes, I disagree with that premise. But that's not the point of this post.

I've also heard pundits calling for allowing teachers and admin to carry, so that any future shooter faces resistance. I kinda agree, but that's also not the point of this post.

The real point, is the ghouls need to fucking stop now. The bodies aren't even cold, the parents of the victims are still completely shell-shocked. In many cases, they probably haven't even started to wrap their heads around what happened.

And yet, folks on both sides are already trotting out their position, trying to use this tragedy to further their political agenda.

You wallow in the blood of the innocent, you're lower than the monster that shed that blood.

06 December 2012

Thoughts on monsters...

Caught this post over by LawDog. And it got me thinking...

There have been many times I've had similar discussions to the one he describes, dealing with people who wish to profess that they could never hurt anyone. That call themselves "pacifist", and claim moral superiority to me, since I am armed and willing to defend myself and those around me.

Oddly enough, they usually end up calling me when there's a "problem" in their life. Funny, that.

I met my monster early in life. It took many years for me to learn how to keep him leashed. Took even longer for me to learn the other part of the control equation...

A couple times in my life, I have sensed that I was about to blow: that the monster was about to slip his leash, and run amok. Realizing that Hell was about to break loose, I leave: no explanations, no dramatic words or gestures. Exit, immediately.

The last time was at an outdoor event with BACA. Tempers had been running high all day, and mine had finally gotten frayed to breaking. I recognized what was about to happen, and left. One of our SSMs ("prospects" to you MC folks) asked me about it a couple days later, and self-rightously denounced me for my "inability to control my temper".

I looked at her for a few seconds, and calmly asked if she always kept herself under control. When she replied yes, I asked about her arrest for disorderly conduct, and some of the other conflicts she'd been involved in. "That's different!", she exclaimed. And I agreed: *I* recognized when my temper was about to slip, and would remove myself from the situation. Whereas she didn't have that self awareness.

Folks, everybody has a bad day. And controlling the monster doesn't just mean keeping it locked down. Being human, it will sometimes slip it's leash. Knowing that it can happen, and being big enough to walk away from the provocation, makes one an adult.

Also know when it's appropriate to release the beast: he's there for a reason. Spend the time to get to know him, learn his ways, and learn to not only restrain him... but control him.

04 December 2012

Overheard on the tee wee...

As usual, while sitting at my desk, I have H2 on as background noise.

Right this minute, they're going through the different myths. And one of the commentators made the awesome statement "In Greek myth, when a young girl is picking flowers in a meadow, something BAD is about to happen"...

Maybe it's lack of sleep. Maybe it's all the BS going on in life. But that kicked my gigglebox