Don't cross the streams... something very bad will happen...

"And speaking of guns.....I have no problem with private gun ownership as long as it's regulated. Guns have great killing potential. That being the case, I feel if you want a gun, you should first show that you are capable of hitting what you aim at, 2nd show that you know the basic rules of gun safety and 3rd pass recurring BG checks for criminal and mental health red flags that might appear. If you want to own guns, carry insurance against "accidents". Pretty simple." commentor from Facebook.

Ah, the shrill voice of sanity. Since I have met all his artificial requirements, and he hasn't - I get to carry a gun and he doesn't. In his reality. In mine, he may carry a firearm, a machine gun, a submachine gun, an anti-tank weapon, an explosive device, explosives, fuses and detonators, own a tank or a fighter aircraft with weapons, a submarine with torpedoes  - he may have anything he wants, because we refused the government to LORD it over us folks with good intentions.  

If you replaced gun with any of the other rights and then tried to regulate it like he did, no one would be happy.

Regulation and restrictions law enforcement oversight and periodic inspections have yet to stop traffic deaths - but they do keep trying. For some reason, unknown to people, what fails with transportation is going to be perfected with gun control? 

I had drifted somewhere in the universe where unions aren't an arm of the Democratic Party, the organized crime control of workers, and more stuff to slow the economy down.... and left a comment or two - and was immediately attacked like whatever I say had little merit. Now I understand why my brother gets attacked by my Facebook friends - he sound exactly like the ENEMY, as I do when I commented on his comment on that post... 

I am sure the fellow that designs his gun control hasn't implemented it for criminals already regulated from firearms that seem to find them everywhere. He also gives Hollywood and News anchors a pass on breaking laws about firearms all the time. But then I am also sure the person spouting nonsense was not a gun owner. I also am not a Democrat, Union member, and know more about the world than those I seem to have just crossed streams with....

A New Year's Resolution - quit playing with ugly, stupid and definitely harmful folks - they will hurt the world, with all their good intentions to cage me up where I can be fed, and photographed and made fun of.

The problem with being perfect...

 Someone that I stalk online (no, I don't really - but I do read her stuff) mentioned not being perfect and having constant troubles with the adjustment to that.... or so I think she said. So I responded that I thought she was perfect, but I have been wrong before.

  But that has bumped into my personal disgust with the fact that in a nation of over 310 million citizens, with a pool of eligible candidates of perhaps a hundred million men and women of character with a love of people, and possibilities that could be elected to be the next President that - the two major political parties and the media, and those bankrolling this farce are going to tell us the choices is between these twenty-two best qualified because of their quantified evaluations and the dark secret cabal wins again!

  When King Harold Godwinson fought William the Bastard of Normandy for the throne of England - at least they had God on their side. Now the way we pick Presidents I am almost positive that God is very far from the fray, no one even prays about the votes now... the Devil is into all the details.  Abraham Lincoln could never have called for 75,000 volunteers to conquer the Confederacy, but to free the slaves he could, which by the way was not why he fought the Civil War. He could free the slaves by Amending the Constitution, which he did with only a few slave states voting. Men march to war for reasons that may have nothing to do with why the nation has entered into the conflict.

  I in my quest for more knowledge about Boston in 1775, bought the kindle version of Boston 1775, by Francis Russell. I don't recommend it since the History is presented as if it should never have happened and why can't we all get along. Not written by a Whig nor a Tory, most certainly by a fence sitter. And I, when I read the author's name and other books, wondered if there were a relation to the owner of the Russell house in Arlington, Mass. Disturbing just when I thought that History was being researched and written well by both sides of a conflict (I love reading the British side of the issue recommending Sergeant Lamb's America and Proceed, Sergeant Lamb - fiction but good to think upon). But then I might expect too much.

  I have an idea, in my mind, of what a man is - mostly based upon my father, grandfathers and other men around me as I grew up like teachers and coaches, sergeants and officers, and characters from stories, histories, and historical fictions and science fictions....  Jack stands tall in fairy tales, Greek, Norse and some Roman mythology and fables, then the Germanic sagas... yep, but none of that stands for the current popular cultural view of a modern great man.... duh.One of the things about the myths of long ago was how imperfect they were - the heroes and the gods, how they handled things and often couldn't win even if they knew the outcome and what their enemies were going to do to them. And I did notice that sexuality was much more a Mediterranean myth subject than the Northern Europeans. Just my observation, I am sure it worked the same. Again, since I don't aspire to Robin Hood, King Arthur, Wyatt Earp or the Man with no name I would have to be content with my father and his, and they weren't perfect. Which makes my aspirations and ideals much easier to reach than trying to be David of Michelangelo's mastery... or even of the David of the Bible.

  Unreal expectations cause much of the unsettled issues in life, I want peace but some fool wants to make me do it their way. I want to be better, but they fear my becoming too powerful when I get my place in History, that wasn't defined by them.

  Americans are armed, they are always armed, and they are paying attention to what is happening around them without being nosy and interfering. Now that is MY expectation - but y'all aren't perfect, and I will allow you to not be armed, or always armed and still be an American, just realize I might live up to my expectations and be so. And the firearm, or weapon, isn't going to be used in any manner that I won't approve.


 

Time to review the year, 2014 is about History... hmm, just when one thinks nothing happened...

  I am so self centered, that I actually think whatever I did has lasting effect on the wobbly course the World makes through time and space, and humble enough to know - it ain't necessarily so. I have limited span of attention - me to other things (procrastination pile will grow as soon as I get around to it), and other things to me (was that a pothole or a speed bump we just sped across?). So quickly forgotten.

 Cousin Everett Dungey World War II veteran, glider command in England, and not enough known about his service. Not enough interest in following generations, or he didn't think it was a great story, or he just didn't want to talk about it - his family and future were to be secured. Wish I knew, but then my conversations with my own father about his war, were full of missing the action - we talked about the present, a little about my future, my present and his and what to do about women... the wonderful ones we married and then... I so do wish my son, father and I could have sat around a day or so before my son got married to talk. It would have been great. It couldn't have happened, it wasn't on the ladies' schedule of events for the wedding and my father had already gone to glory..

  So in general, I am still not working, am retired, paying off the home's mortgage, still trying to prepare my wife for my departure. Still marveling over how quickly children grow, and wondering why each generation has to think they have invented a better way ... only an illusion of not knowing it has been done before better.

  I did get the pacemaker, twice placed properly, and it seems to work very well. I haven't started running again, but I do exercise at length so probably could.

  I have all the Appleseed clothing I will ever need for instruction and seventh stepping. I have fine firearms in the three calibers I decided was enough for my needs and desires. My Appleseed year was pretty good, and 2015 should be even better.  Links are always there on the left of the page, yes, I do go back and re-look at them, and there must be special computer trolling programs lifting photos and comments regularly, no one needs that many looks at photographs, do they?

  I have had a very solid year in my wife's church, the Men's Bible Study group, and the Sunday School and Pastor Oliver's sermons have opened my mind to more than I knew, and that is always a great thing. Will miss Pastor Oliver as he moves on.

  In the end this thought process was started by a sudden realization that I have made an impression along the way.  ''Wish I was making a difference like you are with Marksmanship."  There are some future conversations about that to come, I hope. But for sure the comment is a wonderful observation surprise. Thank y'all for being around, making my world better than I could without you.

Christmas Day... what did I get for Christmas...

 Biblical wonders  Isaiah 9:6, sent by a cousin on Facebook;
     For a child will be born for us,
     a son will be given to us,
     and the government will be upon His shoulders.
    He will be named
    Wonderful Counselor, Might God,
    Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

A Throwback Thursday photo of the 82nd Christmas Card from 1944

  to which I added my Christmas Card from 1990, Desert Shield.

Which meant I went into the mail home piles, I stopped at 1990, looking through lots of  'FREE' mail from Saudi Arabia and Iraq,  Which got me to some of my son's letters to me, and his artwork, and stuff from long ago and far away.... I refused to go back and look at the Vietnam era stuff, didn't like the last time I was there, looking for something my son wanted to know about. Seems I didn't like that fellow writing those letters much.

Came back out and scanned the Christmas Card from '90, missed the Skype.com call from my son, figure the computer isn't working because the North Koreans are upset at me, and President Obama went golfing in Hawaii for the holy days - they must really be angry at being so ignored. Kind of like the American people...

enough political nonsense for today.  I have my Warhammer 40.000 symbol for my IMPERIAL Space Marine FORCE.  Angels of Anarchy (Unnumbered chapter)

I am almost back to painting small warrior figures from fantasies of youth...
almost.

My wife is passing up on going out with one of her lonely friends to make sure I have dinner - turkey and ham, and all the trimmings. A wonderful woman, a lady and my love....

My response to my cousin's Biblical reference above, was that the government forgot Whose shoulders it was to 'be upon'.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

Holiday Season... blahs...

  I took the day yesterday and hibernated, just dropped out and lost myself. Hmmm, and no one noticed. It is the time to celebrate and get back into the darker part of the cave, Spring is weeks and months away, and although the bulbs are popping up in the garden, they won't get large nor bloom without warm and much more sunshine. It did seem to rain and drip all night long, but I was sleeping through it.

  People talking about going to see the Interview, for patriotic reasons. I pass, I want to see three others, two about WWII when patriotism was real, on all sides of that conflict. I am thinking about the New Year, already, since we are changing the calendars and time for tax preparation and paying off debts. You know, what the Federal Government doesn't do, ever. Well, actually back in the day, when the Treasury had obligations they did pay off the debt. But now we have dollars made of air, no one worries, there was never enough gold or silver, but we have lots of air, much of it hot air.

  I noticed the Swiss Banks are going to charge negative interest about .25 of one percent on accounts to stimulate a drying up of deposits. Too many folks stashing money in the banks, the Swiss ones, because they think they will be safe there. With the banks in America borrowing money from the Federal Reserve and not needing deposits and assets on hand, they don't pay interest on deposits or very little, and the government taxes that little gain along with everything else. So negative interest is here until the depositor and his deposits become important again. Ever? I am sure that you have been stashing your excess in the market and causing the rise in the HISTORIC levels of value... I would tell you that the dollar doesn't buy what it once did, but then much of what we buy wasn't there long ago, and far away. Nice that oil prices have come down a bit.

   About time to head out to the YMCA, for many virtual miles of sweat... hundreds of years ago there was enough real work to be done - now, not so much. Winter...

What is your chant, today?

 Seems very easy for the big movers and shakers to forget that they incited the riot, or the assassination, or the revolution... it couldn't be that someone thought what they heard was troubling but true - that police are racist, that kill a cop was a great thing and that some things in the different cases of unarmed fools getting killed by highly skilled representatives of the government goodness must be obeyed. I do know it was really lucky that Maryland has good gun control and no stupid fools could try to shoot an ex-girl friend and then drive to New York faster than an electric transmission to kill two cops - which he didn't know, had no beef with, and hadn't even been introduced to... just the uniforms in the police marked automobile.. A fine target defined by rage and anger, exploited by mainstream media (presenting a over reaction by police causing death to the almost innocent and causing marching and mayhem in the street to sell commercial time on cable) and even the city Mayor had cast doubts on the professionalism and good will of his policemen...

  Mike Rowe says one must submit to arrest and police control --- but that got lots of folks killed in NAZI Germany, Communist Russia and Cambodia.... perhaps in Cuba, too, our relations haven't been established long enough to know, yet. I do know that many police forces are starting to feel like targets, from Constitutionalists (poor Eastern Washington), or drug gangs, or wild crazy fools, or their own lost politicians looking for more votes. I have only one thing to say to them, like all uniformed services that protect and defend our country and its best and brightest hope -- yours is a thankless task, you will always be needed, always be expendable, and always be lauded by those too feeble and too frightened and too foolish to stand with you for decency, respect and good sense.

  I commented on another forum, that I trust ninety percent of the police force, but only ten percent of the elected officials - that I don't trust any of the government employees to do their best work for me, but am so happy when I discover one working wonders (think Post Office during the holidays) My chant will never be that I have to kill cops, start off by changing the chant to law enforcement, then change the laws to reflect our total population - think about it. Big money buys political powers - and it does not matter what my brother says, the NRA is not owned by the firearms industry, the Republican Party or Blue Dog Democrats... I think Wayne owns it, he would help by becoming a retired adviser about five years ago... but like politicians that should move out, he has become his most important product. Does he shoot? Has he taught anyone else to shoot well and safely, lately?

  I can't tell you, I think he shoots because someone comes by and has a gun, he has a range and there is free ammunition. So I do hope he shoots, but my being a brave American, a law biding if it is Constitutional
(no matter what the Supreme Court say) then I am around for the better of the whole world, honest I would kill fools in most any country to protect innocence. But then I am a bit different than main stream culture... sigh.

How to know you missed the culture shift...

  My mother was the BIG Christmas Spirit in our home, she loved buying gifts all year long, was putting money in Christmas accounts for all of us so we would have money for gifts. And in the end, she would buy necessaries (underwear and socks) and wrap them in Fancy paper to add the the pile of stuff under the tree. There have been a few great gifts that I have worked hard to give, but not as many as my mother. The holidays were special, homey, and never commercial. Seems many Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were spent days on the road going to Minnesota, to see the grandparents and have a white Christmas.

  One thing I never wanted was to waste my time going to a movie on Christmas Day or even just shortly after... I could wait. But this year there is Imitation Game, Unbroken, American Sniper, and Into the Woods. Unbroken is the one I will for sure see, and probably own, will likely own the others also. They make some great movies, often about subjects that shouldn't sell. I never would have seen Chariots of Fire, but just happened by it on video long after the theater circuit. I don't read reviews - nor had I read the book.  What got me thinking was the movie The Interview, about a comedy about assassinating the Glorious Leader of  the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Now, having seen the trailers - it was not a movie I was ever going to see, having chased North Korean soldiers and raiders in the Republic, having waited for release of the Pueblo crew, having an idea that leadership has to be earned... well, I don't think North Korea is funny.

  They do seem to have all the advantages as they struck at Sony, the Japanese company that bought into American film industry. I don't care about the controversy. I am saddened by what passes for humor in the film and entertainment industry. I am of a different era and miss Carol Burnett, Red Skeleton and Bill Cosby. It seems like I am avoiding much of the current younger humor, but I wasn't into some of the harder humor of my era, either. There were days when I laughed because the alternative was to cry, and men don't cry, difficult to shoot straight with tears fogging the view. Edgier comedy, to make the audience squirm - not my kind of comedy, I liked the type that made me think, George Carlin and his wonder at words and how they relate to us. Baseball and Football.

No, I won't go see movies on Christmas Day.