The ugly stuff thrown around out there... or the things I would rather never learn about...

  My brother made a comment about something being metric - so I had no idea what he meant so I went looking. And was immediately offended. 

  Not that was what my brother intended, but he had nothing to offer that was good, so he slung it out. He does not think it was offensive. But then he is a modern kind of guy and can be swayed into all kinds of stuff - some of it really wonderful - others not so much.

  I, on the other hand, am just a old man, with the big belly, balding pate (no, I don't use that term much), with in a rut that could just get big enough to be buried in... almost up to my axles.

  The Governor of South Carolina took the Confederate Battle Flag down, and I do think she did it so well. But then I have always thought it best to be used in movies, or placed with honor over the graves of Confederate soldiers and veterans. Remember, it only matters to me, you should have your own opinion. I have long been upset by people that want to change the message to their advantage, normally for political gain. The one that come immediately is homosexual marriage. By my definition marriage is a union between a man and a woman - most often for establishing a new family. I have been told I am wrong about that, kind of like believing that Democrats care about the people, or Republicans have more to offer than Democrats cause they are all rich. Most things that everyone knows are needing fact checking.


  When you don't fact check, there are perceptions to overcome, and you will probably miss what is happening because you don't have to understand to be entertained. I could be seeing a lot of ugly in my world because it suits the humans wandering around lost. Kind of like Moses coming down from the mountain with God shining from him and seeing the people locked in lust under a golden calf, made by his brother. It could really make one angry.

  Not me, I hope for salvation, built upon the idea that God loves us.  For sure a government, made up of self centered fools doesn't love us. But then a government is only an organization to harness people to pull the wagon or the plow and get the job done.  Isn't it?

  I do hope you all have a wonderful life, and that you have family, friends and good strangers to love better than they deserve. Lots of laughter and lots of love. Be very good out there, and make all your shots count.

 

First day of Summer, and my wife takes me out for steak and ice cream...

   Perhaps we shouldn't read the comments on Facebook, especially when a person from the fool camp is posting what is good sense to themselves, and many other silly things they thought you meant or said.

   I expect all gun control, or common sense gun laws to be as poorly written and enforced as the drug laws, drunk driving laws and rape laws. So I don't hold much hope in the government solution to any of those things, why give them more that they can't handle?

  When my brother says they aren't coming to take my guns, he forgot about Waco, Texas and Ruby Ridge.  The most recent Waco, Texas incident with the motorcycle clubs makes me wonder if he should be wary of riding around large groups of bikers.

  All the great laws about driving, often held up as an example of what the government could do to make shooting firearms safer, has a much higher death toll than firearms, daily.  So, how is it that the increasing regulation of firearms would make anyone's shot within one minute of angle?

   But I have enjoyed a French film today, and the steak was perfect and so was the company, do hope your day was wonder full.

When you get lemons... make the best of it, limey...

  So I didn't have sweat pants, so I turned around and went to the range.



And I shot my M1 and admired other fine shooters and weapons. No one was killed, wounded, nor felt fear during the entire time I was there.  Should have invited the clueless to watch, and maybe shoot a round on target.


Just forty rounds for me, finding my zero, synthetic 1907 sling marked from CMP.

I do like to look and talk to the other shooters, not enough to bother them, but it is part of the learning experience. 


The Blues are playing loudly in my home, pardon me, I am going to take some down time reflecting on how Mad Max Fury Road worked, and why there were so many males in that one tyranny. It doesn't work that way, really, and most of those shots couldn't have happened - ah, fantasy violence. Do you think a sip of whiskey would help?

your America is just so evil, bad, frightening and soon to die from suicidal tendencies...

  We watch the news and we all feel the pain of death and destruction, and if the news wasn't enough we watch comedians tell racist jokes, or bad jokes in poor taste, or we just say 'everyone says it' as if that were okay. Everyone being a quorum. Or our entertainment if it isn't soft core sexual romance, or hard core almost pornography, or action movies which mean killing forty-two bad guys in ninety film minutes while telling the tale of a dying spy trying to re-establish a love life with his wife and daughter, a family love with the daughter.  America is a terrible place.  Except it isn't.

  Yes, there are some terrible evil people in America. There are some terrible businesses, there are some scientists that publish their best work, which doesn't stand up to peer review. There are some really drunks in America, some strung out dope addicts, there are people you never want to meet, places you never would want to work, and certainly you wouldn't move into 'that' kind of neighborhood. There are pastors that stray, flocks that get fleeced and everyone knows about 'that' church and the type of worshippers whispered about there.

  So sad, that isn't my America. In my America they aren't afraid of guns, bad guys and poor folks. In my America, they do the best they can everyday - no matter what is on the news, who just died, and who was born. In my America they don't fit a category, not a single category, because they change as fast as the wind in Oklahoma or as slow as the ice in Alaska. In my America they find their truth and live it, every day, they believe others are always going to be doing better and bigger things than they will, because they aren't proud just persistent.  In my America, most aren't as intelligent as I am, but almost everyone is more loving and connected to others, I have a lot of work to do on my shortfalls.

  In my America, a smile and a real laugh shared, is more important than that often cited number from Wall Street - pick your favorite.

  In my America, there are troubles and there are things to fear, but there is so much more that is honorable, good, kind, brave, cheerful, thrifty, clean and worshipful - in my America there is more to be thankful for than there is to flee from, or complain about.  Now, I hope you are living in my America, or coming to visit, because I want good things to happen to us all.  Be with the LORD.

Luke 8:14 distractions... now where are those...

  I was going to write about distractions Saturday, they had been piling up and were becoming bothersome - since I really do live on little victories, in my life and in the way I train my troops. No one comes in the military as a superhero, they may have characteristics but the military will take the others and grind them all to fit the mold.

  But I did get distracted and wrote about something else. So when I went to worship the Bible verse the pastoral candidate built his sermon around was about the sower and the seeds. And verse 14 jumped out at me. Mainly because the publisher had stopped the citation at verse 14 in the bulletin, although the Pastor got to fifteen like we all should.

    Luke 8:14 As for the seed that fell among the thorns, these are the ones who, when they have heard, go on their way and are choked with worries, riches, and pleasures of life, and produce no mature fruit.  

   I am not producing mature fruit, and I am pretty mature, but always distracted. I have discipline, I weigh myself every morning, and as I walk back from the kitchen (where the scale is) I think of something else so by the time I am at the computer cave, I have not the last numbers of the weight, the first one hasn't gotten to one nor three so the two is solid in my mind.

  One return and two spaces later, I made my breakfast, said good bye to the wife off on her hiking, brought the sprinkler in from the hose, photographed the roses, eaten breakfast to the music of EDM, and am scheduling my dry fire position practice, listening to the morning news and preparation for going off to the YMCA, to return to mowing the lawn later and other distractions as needed.

  I have something to write up for Fred of the RWVA and my own thought processes. I have to mull over plans for July adventures, there are numerous really good things I should be doing, and I will as soon as these little distractions are back on the shelf out of sight and out of mind... but I could call Hal and ask when we are doing 'lunch'. If I only had a cellphone or such...

What is truth? what is true? How do I know?

  Questions, wonder, test and verify... I am not a child amazed by the family magician's parlor tricks, or was I educated to become accepting of the leader's message and his primary circles 'good' intentions. Does the larger community of men, mean that we don't have to try as hard to find our way, there will be a sale on GPS locators at Cabela's, and everyone knows that the satellites won't ever go down in our life time. Although, they really do go down, it just doesn't get reported and there are duplicates coming along, better ones.

  Questions asked by old men at the YMCA, about the military and the Military cable offerings, and I wonder just a bit if the cooking shows or Martha Stewart don't have the same problem? They tell us information, the things they are highlighting, using, the techniques and we the audience is supposed to believe in them. Smoke and mirrors, magic?

  If the dollar is so sound, how do those crisis points happen where the government must step in? And when they make the movie about it, the ten books about it, the talk shows and speaking circuits -- will we really know what happened to Enron? Why hasn't that happened to EXXON or BP?

   Okay, those are big things too far above our pay grade. So why if I had a good public education with lots to learn and full of stuff I use in my life, why can't the schools provide that now? Or is the truth that they do and can, but the lens on the culture is tiny and people want to make money from my fears (I have only grandchildren to be concerned over and they have real parents that will make them wonders - no matter the public schools).  There is that to consider, like Mike Rowe suggests, the push for college for everyone isn't working nor necessary, life long education is, and schools for crafts and other stuff will be of more benefit.

   Once, poetry and music were used to remember things, now you have a smartphone and are constantly in touch with plans and people -- or are you? The input from others might only be a software program on a machine, or banks and banks of machines, telling you how much you are really loved... what is true, how do you find the truth, or is the constant noise too much.

There are more errors and bad stuff on my new system than ever...

  No, it isn't broken, just troubled and restless and doesn't love me. Kind of like the government.

   It is Father's Day month and I thought while looking for pictures of my father that it is really about family. One of the best things I have ever been is a father - with all my imperfections and stupid and general flaws in behavior - I am a father and that works for me. Since it was one of the big ones on my list of things I wanted to be that makes me successful.

  But for me, just to sire a child wasn't enough, there had to be a marriage and a family, cause I was part of one growing up, and I like some traditions. If there is a common link between my father, me and my son - we marry well and we marry great women from a very different culture, it does make for interesting times.