"I used to read, but it's easier to make up stuff." - Wally in Dilbert

Oops

They just released a study that tracked married couples in the weeks and months after the birth of their first child. You're not going to believe what they found.
It turns out that marital bliss declines - yes folks, it actually drops - in the period immediately following the birth of their first child.
I was shocked! I find it hard to believe that sleepless nights, poopy diapers, monstrous expenses and incessant screaming (not to mention the baby's noise) don't bring unmitigated pleasure to the new mom and dad.
But wait, there's more!
It seems that couples with more money feel less stress than poor couples during this adjustment period. Do you suppose that has anything to do with diaper service, nannies and the like?
How much do you suppose they spent on this study?

I had coffee this morning with my friend Jim who pastors the church here that I grew up in and my folks still attend. Jim and I are a year or two apart but he also grew up in this church so we've known each other for ... a very long time. It was good to visit with him and talk shop.

Four in days in Seattle without rain. A record? But it gave us an opportunity to get more work done outside. I was gone much of the morning so the tasks were small. I put Stabil in the roto-tiller and the chipper/shredder so they'll start in the fall. Painted another flower pot. Put dirt in the squash boxes. Hung some drapes. Cut up some boxes in the garage. I also went to my brothers to look at the first draft of the "authoring" for the CD's. Trick process. I'll explain later when we're further along.

I see a lot more classic VW's up here than I do in Phoenix. Don't know why. Seems like it should be the other way around.

Color me pinko, but here goes:
It is illegal for a private citizen to own hand grenades. Seems appropriate. It's also illegal to own fully automatic guns. And shotguns with barrels cut shorter than a minimum length (I don't know what that length is 'cause it was never anything I had to worry about). I think shoulder-fired rocket launchers are also on the "prohibited" list.
So why is it so terrible to suggeset that we should add other weapons of mass destruction to that list of illegal firearms? I can't come up with a single good reason for a private citizen to own an assault rifle, a gun designed to inflict maximum damage across a broad range as quickly as possible. It's name tells the story. You cannot make a case that an assault rifle is a wise choice for personal protection, for hunting or for sport, unless blowing everything within 40' of you to smitherines inside of 10 seconds is considered sport.

If we made assault rifles illegal it is true that only criminals would have assault rifles. Uhm...that's what happens when you make something illegal. Everybody else either doesn't buy one or turns theirs in. Only criminals have crack cocaine in their dresser drawers.
It is not true that if they outlaw assault rifles it will be the beginning of a slippery slope that will inevitably lead to the banning of that Ruger hidden underneath Uncle Harry's nightstand. The banning of cocaine (which used to be legal and one of the ingredients in Coke) didn't lead to bans on Asprin.
I don't think the govt. should take guns away from people. But they should legislate the common sense that some people lack, and that includes making it illegal to own anything that begins with the word assault. If you think you need to own something that starts with the word assault then I think we need to do some of your thinking for you.

Long as we're at it, can we please make body armor illegal for all but cops and the like? The only citizens who need body armor are up to no good. Common sense tells us that near invincibility is not a good thing in a world where sin too often runs unfettered.

I am not moved by those who predict that tomorrow they will come for me. A cogent and convincing case can be made for making assualt weapons and body armor illegal. Those who would scare us away from such a ban do so not on the basis of any value in the items themselves, but on the basis of what they are sure will happen as a consequence of that ban. But parallel cases show that those predictions lack any support from historical precedent in America. None. On the contrary, the civil liberties we enjoy now are only increasing, sometimes to our detriment. (e.g. a woman has the liberty to kill the unborn child within her.)

I move we say "no" to those who shout that the sky will fall and do what makes good common sense for an orderly and safe society.

OK, I've said my peace. Now shoot me down.