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Tag Archives: As I see It

Scouting?


Let’s talk about the Boy scouts , et al. Any group or organization that is public can determine their membership qualifications. If these qualifications, after listing their qualifications for years can discriminate against potential members who through an act of birth then this organization is bound for the downfall of the self-righteous. Gaiety has no basis in the “assumption” of a life style by choice. It is a condition (for lack of a better description) that exists from conception and comes to fruition at various times of life due to peerages and work pressures. In modern times (2000’s) the pressures have been all but eliminated as most rational people accept and understand that the world is composed of multiple ethnicities, life styles, races and personal preferences. the BSA organization in spite of having “gay” scout masters and possibly members has recently removed the denial of “gays” in scouting. Being gay has nothing to do with a love of the outdoors and other scouting activities. This is about as ridiculous as the controversy and conversations about gays and women in the military. A life has value in what ever career one choses as long as that career contributes to society as a whole in taxes paid , products and ideas produced. These deeds have nothing to do with personal choices. These are the acts of primarily everyday people doing what they want and what is required by a normal society. Paraphrasing a line from a comedy show “THERE is nothing wrong with that”.

What Is The Answer?


Today I spent several hours listening and watching the Congressional hearing on the proposed “assault” weapons ban or what ever it will be called. The pro and cons are difficult to assess as the two overlap so much. No current firearms owner wants any more restrictions placed upon them yet the need for some sort of control over the availability or access to high capacity firearms or really the  magazines or clips is the  big issue. I did not see this addressed, I saw and heard the same information that has been out there for years. This information cannot, will not and has not resulted in the desired end. There have been some progress but not what current laws were purported to address. I t seems to me that we have a situation where any illegal weapons, no matter what the origin is will be available to people who use illegal means to get them. This process has nothing to do with the people who follow the laws, local and federal to own and procure firearms.  The issue appears be a way of halting the legal or illegal purchase and use of firearms with high capacity magazine or clips*. Laws do not work because the lawless do not follow them. Armed security in schools is  like having children in jail except for having no bars on the windows and doors. Many public buildings have metal detectors at the doors so there is no issue there but all of this still does not address the availability of illegal firearms and what to do about it. Until this issue is resolved this conversation will have no end and we will all be assailed by rhetoric on the subject until Utopia arrives somewhere in the far distant future, perhaps.

 

*Clip is synonymous with magazine

The Ediot


A book that could be set in today or tomorrow, not an action book but certainly futuristic in its scope. It reminds me of a combination of “Blade runner” in 1968 and “1984 “in 1956. This proves that writing becomes an art form when properly presented.

Learning Curve


The human learning curve has been studied (or not). The learning curve is possibly illustrated by the events surrounding a national election and reinforced by the lesser elections that occur in the states and cities. The learning curve is knowledge gleaned from events and disasters that around the world. This learning curve is: ” Early uses of the metaphor (learning curve) on the pattern’s positive aspect, namely the potential for quick progress in learning (as measured by, e.g., memory accuracy or the number of trials required to obtain a desired result)  at the introductory or elementary stage. Over time, however, the metaphor has become more commonly used to focus on the pattern’s negative aspect, namely the difficulty of learning once one gets beyond the basics of a subject”. This phenomenon has been broadly illustrated by the last election. The social economic conditions of the past 10 to 15 years have made the last 4 years a perfect study of the learning curve. With all of the “progress” made in Race and foreign relations, we have made little. This has shown up in the attitudes of the candidates for President and the long serving Congress. As a country we have fought tyrants and injustice around the world yet we have returned to a pre civil war mentality about race. This points out the efficacy of the “learning Curve”. As a country we have made more progress in 200 plus years than the old world countries yet we have made little in relation to Race. In this country where there is supposed to be equal opportunities for all, some still refuse to recognize that the success of one (1) is the success of all and should be supported. This is the learning curve in reverse.

Idoits with a forum


Ann Coulter and Charles Krauthammer both appear to so called conservatives who by the virtue of being read are essentially “idiots with a forum”. These two folks are blessed by the virtue of living in America, in any other country they would or could be arrested, tortured or worse. It is quite easy to throw out unfounded and seemingly truthful statement but to offer opinions based on real ideas and as much honesty as possible is different. There is nothing wrong with espousing a party line or a real belief but personal opinions based on nonsense is not laudable. It is unfortunate that these people have a following as their followers appear to be more believers of nonfacts rather than the real truth no matter if that truth flies in the face of their core beliefs (which are sometimes misplaced).

What we Need to Do.


As I look at President Obama’s second inauguration, it occurs to me that there we all have taken sides and in truth there are no sides. What we really have are individual opinions Based on information we read, hear and perceive. Not enough of us broaden our scope of knowledge to see that our real issues are not going to be resolved by our elected officials. These elected folks have an agenda that does not necessarily include what we want or need. Taking the recent and fiery issue of firearms, the President has never stated he would take away any firearms from anyone; the desire is to keep the firearms out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people (including the mentally ill). I believe we all can agree that no matter what weapons are available there are reasons to exclude the availability of certain people to possess and acquire firearms of any kind. The controversy over stronger laws against acquisition the so called “assault weapons” means only  future purchasers of these types of weapons will need to undergo closer and more intense scrutiny  prior to purchase. There is nothing said about taking the weapons from existing owners. The one issue should be the purchase of additional high capacity magazines and that I believe should be the only cause for concern among owners of the high volume weapons that use them. If the various Gun rights organization would assist in informing their memberships of what is really in play perhaps we would have better laws that could prevent repeats of the recent events which took so many lives. What we have is as stated in a classic movie: “a failure to communicate”.  The beauty of America is the ability to dissent and voice opinions but an informed opinion is better than a crowd mentality of misinformation.

The Many Faces of The Firearms Issue


The firearms issue has many faces, all of which appear to be reasonable to their advocates. Many feel that the government should have no hand in creating firearms regulation, many feel the government should have more involvement and then there are the folks who believe that only the states (and sometimes municipalities) should hold sway over firearms laws. These all appear to be good arguments as far as they go. The real trick is to create a safety net so to speak that would address all of the issues and create a conversation piece that would suit every need. This is possible but implausible given the great amount of vitriol over this subject. There are (unbelievably) several ideas that could work collectively to address all  (or most)of the needs of the majority. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done. These items range from  more comprehensive background checks, limits on who can own or purchase high capacity weapons and related  magazines. These are just the main topics on this subject, there are several others less prominent but just as important. The overall effect has been a lot of confusion on the issue  which promote the idea that firearms will be confiscated, restricted to law enforcement  or be banned outright. These ideas have been floated before but reached no conclusion beyond new unenforceable regulations and costly additional handling of paperwork. There are many people who do not own or want to own firearms, there are those who use them for sport and there are the hunters. These are the people who are for  regulations and licensing if the regulations are reasonable and enforceable. No one is  for the wild west scenario where everyone carrys a firearm even though this option is available under license from various states. The real test of a proper conclusion on this issue is an examination of the FACTS and reviewing all of the regulations from every state and create a universal policy with some room for the individual states to have exceptions according to the needs  of their residents. This whole issue has manufacturers, buyers and sellers on edge and needs to be resolved. . The real danger in all of this is the extreme rhetoric that flows from the uninformed and those who believe their way is the only way. Lastly, involve the manufacturers but do not regulate them out of the business or the country and strongly consider the ideas of Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado.

No Complaints


Usually people will complain mightily about bad service but will rarely extol the virtues of the good experiences. I was reminded of this by Chuck at Schlosser Transmission service.  As I waited we talked about some of the businesses in town that failed the public and those  who exemplify the best in service that people want. I have found that the people who provide good service and good will to customers are sometimes secrets because satisfied customers just accept the good fortune and  never pass it on. There are a few outfits in town who do not serve the public as well as they should or could. I will name the industry and only the initials of the company.  Plumbing: MW,auto repair Mi (not Meineke),Home Repair supplies L.  I have had the good luck to have had services by Schlosser Transmission, Meineke Auto Repair, Elite Auto body (west side) and Menards  to name a few. This poor service may not apply in other locations but here in Springfield it matters.

Really – NRA?


The NRA’s   recent media blurb that included the statement about the Presidents security that covers him and his family is at once ludicrous and possibly racist. The President’s family is automatically covered by secret service the same as previous occupants.   The President has not said anything about changing the 2nd amendment or adding any new laws aside from improving current laws over the transactions which are  done between individuals, not Licensed dealers. There is nothing wrong with protecting 2nd amendment rights but  do it  the right way! To go on the attack as the NRA has done all through the previous Presidential campaigns  and the most recent is at once a bit off base and again possibly Racist. The president has put forth proposals for Congress to consider and cannot make or amend any laws, that is all up to the congress (which the NRA does or appears to own). The knee jerk actions of the NRA is indicative of an outdated  mindset. Being an owner of firearms myself, I fully understand the reasoning behind the Presidents proposals and know that something positive has to be done to curtail the use of high volume weapons by people who are not mentally capable of rational thought. There has been no mention of taking any guns from anyone, all that has been said is that there needs to be stronger laws or enforcement of existing ones to hopefully prevent these weapons from getting into the wrong hands. Each state has its own firearms laws on the books and nothing has been proposed that would take those laws out of play, the main thrust is simply to prevent the ownership and availability of these high capacity weapons to unstable people.

Only In America


Only in America can people protest against anything and anyone. These same protests get media attention and act as coercion to provoke action from elected officials. Is it any wonder that the few laws enacted  on the fast track are not as good as they should be? The belief in public demonstration is fine in its purest from however when initiated in a knee jerk fashion ,it becomes counterproductive. No one disputes the need for new laws and changes in existing ones but these new laws and changes need to done in a reasonable manner and with correct results. It is of no value to enact a law that has to be revisited later rather than using the time spent on new business. We citizens demand more from our elected officials but we continually place obstacles in the way of that process. Those obstacles are  the knee jerk reactions which are important yet tend to derail the process of law making.  Only in America can we shoot ourselves in the foot and blame the government. Ouch!