Posts
"Eating waffles from a bowl with a spoon isn't as easy at it looks."
(This from my son James a while back, and seemed worth sharing.)
(This from my son James a while back, and seemed worth sharing.)
I'm trying to get away from writing so much about politics and the presidential election, but it's the story that just won't go away. This time, it's the news reports of a sharp increase in gun sales following Obama's election that are keeping me political.
Don't get me wrong. I'm a gun owner and a believer in the second amendment: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." I'm also a believer, at least theoretically, of tempering things with judgment and common sense. So when the people who advocate that someone wanting to buy a gun shouldn't have his background checked respond to Obama's election by stockpiling firearms, I'm left wondering exactly how many guns does a person need to defend himself adequately. In our rush to quote the part about "the right of the People," we pass right by that pesky "well regulated" thing. The irony, of course, is that these same folks raised hell back in April when then-candidate Obama referred to people who "get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Unrelated Item: I Thought This Was Bloggable
It finally happened. I received an e-mail from someone saying that if I needed to reach him he would be "blackberryable." English is an evolving language, but I always thought of evolution as a gradual process. This is more like evolution by sledgehammer.
Unrelated Item: Pack Small, Play Big
The title is an expression used by children's entertainers, almost certainly created by some middle-aged magician who carried heavy bags and cases up and down stairs to a birthday party one too many times. It seems to apply as well to a fellow in Birmingham, England who creates detailed sculptures roughly the size of a grain of sand and mounts them in the eye of a sewing needle. A friend sent me the attached link and I found it mind-boggling, something that needed to be shared. The execution of the sculpting is amazing, but equally important for me was that this man, having had the idea, believed so strongly it could be done in the first place. I hope you'll watch it. I did, and was glad afterward.
http://www.maniacworld.com/art-in-the-eye-of-a-needle.htm
10 comments:
Gun sales have gone up here in Michigan a lot, although I am not sure if it is because of more break ins happening in the better neighborhoods or the Obama thing. I love the quote from your son, that is cute!!! Of course I would not have thought of eating waffles with a spoon....
"Blackberryable" I thought a berry was an edible. Maybe he wants you to throw blackberries at him.
The English language, alas, is evolving faster than ever. We have to learn to be keep upable.
DB - Vagabond Journeys
I have a different take on the whole topic of guns. One of my brothers was always fascinated by guns and I remember him showing me one of his guns once, a particular pistol that he was especially enamored of. What I remember most about it was that deep black-blue color. It seemed like evil personified. I think I actually shuddered. So as you might guess, I am not a big fan of anyone owning guns. I begrudgingly accept that some people may have legitimate reasons for having them, but the fewer the better in my opinion.
My husband inherited a shotgun from his grandfather and we had this very intense discussion about what to do with it and where/how to store it. Eventually we came to an agreement that the gun would be stored in one place and the ammunition in another. The ammunition is in a locked metal box and only I know where the key to the box is. That's the only way I could sleep with the thing in the house.
I think the Second Amendment is a lot like the Electoral College. It made a lot of sense for the time it was written. That was a time when you got the meat for dinner by going into the woods and shooting it. It was also a time when government soldiers could come to your house and seize you or your property if you didn't have a gun to stop them. Now the government can interfere with your life in any number of ways without ever having to come face to face with you. They can montior your bank transactions, listen in on your phone calls, put you on a no-fly list, you name it -- and all of this can all happen without you knowing anything about it until it's too late. (Thank you Mr. Bush.) The real danger is no longer physical, it's electronic. So owning a gun for protection seems besides the point.
I think the real reason many people own guns is that they're afraid and a nice, heavy gun in their hands calms them down somehow. Kind of like how chocolate ice cream mellows me out when I'm upset about something that has nothing at all to do with chocolate ice cream. I think for many a gun might be just a grown-up's version of a two-year old's blanky, albeit a very deadly version.
Here's what I propose: Our new President must use some of the bailout bucks to buy every American a nice soft blanky and encourage us all to suck our thumbs for at least 10 minutes everyday. Then maybe we can all take a deep breath, stop obsessing about the things we fear and get on with fixing the problems our country faces. Or not.
Regarding your "blackberryable" acquaintance, I am reminded of Dante and his concept of the descending levels of Hell. Clearly, this poor person is in one of the lowest. We should pray for him.
Loved the link and passed it on to another friend who used to be a microbiologist. The sudden surge in gun protection and hate groups is not surprising. My only hope is that the interest, insanity wans soon. (Hugs)Indigo
i dont think guns are a commodity you need a whole lot of, nor should it be as easy to buy a gun as it is to buy a pack of cigarettes. the one time i got to shoot a gun i liked it, and knowing that i had that kind of power kind of frightened me.
tag.... you're it!!
Six things you may not know about me ….
The Rules …
* Link to the person who tagged you * tressa @ storms whisper
* List 6 random things about yourself
* Tag 6 new people
* Let each tagged person know by posting a comment on their blog
* Link to the 6 people you’ve tagged
* Let the person who tagged you know that you posted.
I think I'm kind of glad that eating waffles from a bowl with a spoon isn't as easy as it looks. If it were easy, then everyone would do it, and that would just be WRONG.
Oooh Ben, I shouldn't have read this. Over here in Englsnd we don't ave the 'right to bear arms'. Even our police are not routinely armed. I'm glad about that but I can see the day will come eventually.
love, Angie, xx
Owning one gun is only enuf if you'd rather not have a gun. If you LIKE your gun, of course you'll get as many as you can. It's like anything you enjoy, candy, toys, drugs, sex, you just want more. Addictive, has nothing to do with killing people, tho unfortunately that's what happens when guns are easier to acquire, hence there's more floating around. They instill power, something we puny humans always secretly crave, some not so secretly. Guns are phallic (sorry guys) and women have p-envy (sorry ladies). The right to bear arms, as Angie refers to, is something we needed when the country was young, about to go to war, had almost no allies, and anyone could envade us. Doesn't seem to be the present case but still the present law, so again I say, it's not about killing it's about a "phallacy" concerning males. Btw I will never utter the non-word "blaberryable" this nonsense has gone far enuf! http://cathy-daretothink.blogspot.com/
I like the part about eating waffles in a bowl with a spoon best! :-)
I just want to comment regarding the "blackberryable". I guess the world is not just evolving in terms of technologies but in the linguistic parts as well.
Post a Comment