Lazy blog entry 2

I found this on another blog and I believe it to be worth passing on.


1. COWS
2. THE CONSTITUTION
3. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

COWS - Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps, to the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.

THE CONSTITUTION - They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq. Why don’t we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it’s worked for over 200 years and we’re not using it anymore. [emphasis mine]

TEN COMMANDMENTS - The real reason we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse – You cannot post, “Thou Shalt Not Steal,” “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” and “Thou Shall Not Lie,” in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians – it creates a hostile work environment.


Take care,
DAL357

Lazy blog entry 1

Here are some thought-provoking pieces, at least for those that think about this stuff, that say it better than I could.

The first is a link to an article pertaining to what is commonly toted by those who carry a firearm for self defense. http://www.policeone.com/police-products/duty-gear/holsters/articles/1240834/

Yup, no doubt about it, the five-shot .38 Spl. snubby is, if you're going to carry a gun for self defense, THE gun to own. It's simple to operate, lightweight, and has adequate stopping power.

"But," you may ask, "why would I need to carry a gun for self defense?" You keep a fire extinguisher in the house, but you don't really expect a fire, right? Yet you keep that fire extinguisher because life is unpredictable and you just never know. Here's a story where an upstanding citizen was possibly saved from harm because he had a gun.


Senior: Man I shot robbed me
12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, July 1, 2007
By JAY PARSONS / The Dallas Morning News jparsons@dallasnews.com

An elderly man shot a 31-year-old man who he said had robbed him at gunpoint late Friday night in northeast Dallas.

Charlie Andrew Myers III of Dallas was recovering Saturday from gunshot wounds in the throat and shoulder at Baylor University Medical Center.

Amor Kerboua, 79, was driving into the parking lot of his apartment in the 6400 block of Melody Lane, near Northwest Highway and Skillman Street, when a man police identified as Mr. Myers approached him, according to a police report. Mr. Myers put a handgun in Mr. Kerboua's face and demanded money, police said.

Thinking it was a joke, Mr. Kerboua pushed the gun away, but Mr. Myers pointed it at his face again. Mr. Kerboua opened his back door and handed Mr. Myers a cup containing $242.50. Mr. Myers then pointed the gun at Mr. Kerboua's stomach and told him, "I'm going to shoot you, [expletive]," according to the police report.

Mr. Kerboua then drew a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson handgun from his front pocket and shot Mr. Myers in the throat. Mr. Myers fell to the ground but kept his handgun pointed at Mr. Kerboua, who then fired two more times into Mr. Myers' shoulder, police said.

Investigators released Mr. Kerboua, who has a concealed handgun permit, after concluding that he had shot in self-defense. Reached Saturday, Mr. Kerboua declined to comment.

Mr. Myers was expected to face charges after his release from intensive care.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-robberyshoot_01met.ART.North.Edition1.43b8c05.html


This is just one example of the good things that can come from legal concealed carry. A search on the 'Net will yield many more.

Take care,
DAL357

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Recently, I finished a book that, although published over 20 years ago, contains seeds of wisdom that still ring true today (is that an example of a mixed metaphor...can seeds ring true?). Here's a bit of info/opinion about it.

Let's face it, most Americans are intellectually lazy/inept, and more apt to recite sport statistics or the details of the latest Hollywood celebrity tryst than they are to know/care about issues that actually affect them directly. I just finished a book entitled "Amusing Ourselves to Death," by Neil Postman, that, in essence, blames the constant barrage of useless information we subject ourselves to when we watch/listen to the "news" for part of the mess we are in as a nation. This never-ending stream of info bites, so decontextualized as to mean nothing, serves to deaden intelligent discourse rather than to enhance it. Worse, t.v./radio news struts about as serious media, and too many folks treat it as such, but the mediums of television, and, to a lesser extent, radio, will never lend themselves to serious discourse because they are entertainment outlets that demand a constant flow of new images/talk. Just imagine, writes Postman, a television show that captures people thinking deeply about issues before pontificating: there would be long periods of contemplative silence, something television and radio abhors, and it would be about as exciting as watching paint dry. That is why these media can never come close to, much less replace, print as a means of exposition. Print, says Postman, is the only real way to honestly and intelligently deal with weighty issues, and the queue of trivial information that fill up most every news show is a hindrance to clear thinking.

This book was published in 1986, and some of the television show references are dated, but the main ideas are still fresh and vital. By the way, Postman, contrary to other critics of television, says mindless entertainment, such as The A Team, is what television does best and is far less harmful than the "serious" news shows. It's one of the more important books of social commentary I have read, and it's certainly worth a look. Plus, at fewer than 200 pages, it is a quick, though meaty, read. Your local library should have a copy.

Take care.
DAL357