Friday, April 13, 2012

The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is yours to draw.

Maybe in just a tad too long.

My folks got married on April 13, which was a Friday that year, too. They've been Mr. & Mrs. MacDonald for 67 years.
Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

An increasing number of news & sports shows and a growing number of similar web sites have crawls, the headlines that scroll across either the top or bottom of the page. I realized this morning while checking the local news on a TV station web site that the crawl has become white noise for my eyes. I don't even notice anymore, never mind read it. I wonder if they've tracked the effectiveness of crawls now that they've been around for awhile.

It's a bad day when you're rocket crashes and you still get in trouble with the rest of the world.
I don't pretend to understand the complexities of international relations but it does seem sad that to punish the small cadre of idiots at the top the U.S. ends food aid that helped the starving masses at the bottom.

Our younger son Josh and his wife Aubri are involved in Crossfit. He'll be competing in the regionals in Denver next month and the team that he's on from their gym should get invited to nationals this summer. They went last year and he says they have a better team this time around. If you don't know about Crossfit, it's an increasingly popular fitness system that emphasizes whole body movement instead of pure weight lifting. They do the latter, but combine it with things like push-ups, rope climbing, tire flipping and lots of other activities that involve the whole body, not just one muscle group. It's designed for fitness, not physique. Which is not to say Josh doesn't have one. Somebody at their gym posted this picture of him on Facebook this morning.
That's 180 kg, or 396 pounds.
Yeah, he takes after his ol' man, doesn't he.

In related news. the NRA is holding their annual convention. Romney and Gingrich are both speaking to the group which has to be feeling pressure from the Trayvon Martin killing in FL. But that state with its "stand your ground" law has nuthin' in AZ. This is the wild west.

No permit is required to buy or carry a gun here, and carrying a concealed weapon is perfectly legal. Want to walk around the neighborhood with an assault weapon slung over your shoulder? No problem! Business establishments that don't want guns on their premises have to post a notice to that effect. There's a sign on the door of our Sun City rec center prohibiting firearms on the premises. The doctor's office, too.

But hey, I'm fine with it. Think what it does for decorum on the freeways. You're a lot less likely to cut that guy off when you realize he may have a Smith & Wesson .44 laying on the seat next to him. And it must give thieves pause to think that half the patrons in that convenience store are also packing heat and would love to take out a bad guy. Another notch on the holster.

The cops here have to love it, too, knowing that the citizenry is armed and ready to protect themselves. It makes their job so much easier to know the car they're walking up to on a traffic stop is driven by someone so committed to law and order that they've equipped themselves to aid in maintaining it.

The First Amendment's guarantee of free speech doesn't allow me to yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater or libel my neighbor. Why do some think the Second Amendment's right to bear arms is absolute, and any attempt to limit its application is an evil plot that will lead to a totalitarian state?

4 comments:

MacDaddy said...

sadly I missed the 5th rep of the set of 5 at that weight. I'm sure Dad would have stood that last rep up cleanly

BJ Goulette said...

I guess I felt the need to chime in on the gun thing because that is my day to day. In my job of being a game warden there are certain times of year that every single person I contact is carrying a gun. I do need to be on my toes but I a can say from the 10+ years on this job that my most serious threats have been accidents.
A sad incident in NH occurred and showed what a person familiar with a common rifle can do if they set their mind to it (Police Chief killed days before retirement). For a little perspective let us think if any significant number of those familiar and capable with a firearm used it for evil like this guy we would see much higher body counts. Most gun violence we see is some half-wit that got a gun and started spraying bullets but due to their lack of skill aren't as proficient (good thing).
Thank goodness that the majority of gun toting citizens are law abiding because if they wanted to they could cause a lot of damage. No doubt some of them are fanatics but this seems to be one of those things that in any given country they seem to go all one way or the other. Countries have no guns for common Joe or guns for every common Joe and frankly I'm willing to take my chances (even when they are aimed at me, because I'll win).

Craig MacDonald said...

I can't argue with you, BJ, but here in AZ I'm afraid too many of the gun toters aren't law abiding. People who in other states would flunk a background check don't go through that process here, just go to a Walmart and get a gun. Then there's the mean husbands and road warriors. Maybe there's no statistical basis but I am VERY careful on the freeways here because I have to assume the same guy inclined to road rage is the guy who has a gun in his car.

BJ Goulette said...

I know what you are talking about. The fringe crazies are the most unpredictable sorts. I guess my point was that your trained and experienced gun handlers are not the real threat. I don't blame you for being concerned about the possible "road rage" person out there, too many unknown variables out there. There is the federal law of "felons" not being allowed to possess firearms. This includes in most states the domestic and assault type of crimes, if that is any condolence.