Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Might be moving!
I'm trying hosting my blog on my own machine, see if I have the right stuff. I'm not getting rid of this one though, I will eventually mirror them in case firewalls allow one and not the other. Like a BUG of sorts. :D
So for now, all new posts will be made at:
Thank you and be safe.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Widom is simple in speak, but complex in execution
I've been trying to research as much as I can about the politics of guns. Which has led me to research of the Constitution and our Bill of Rights. From articles telling gun shop owners what to do when the BATFE comes knocking, to ignorant politicians thinking they know what's right for us, and then deciding for us, without asking us.
So needless to say it's been an unequivocal wake up call for me. So now I begin to doubt, and question those who claim they represent me. More importantly, it's also called my own line of thinking into question. Not so far as changing my way of thinking, I think I've got that down, but was I right or wrong?
So back to the research I went. At the time I was looking up the status on Russ Howard's exile. Then I stumbled upon Rabbi Mermelstein's column. After reading a few of his articles, I have to say that I no longer doubt myself. I continue to doubt those who claim to represent me (politicians, NRA, etc.). I don't shun them, but take their statements at face value until I can research it and come to my own conclusions about their activities.
Rabbi Mermelstein was responding to a letter and what he said helped me to understand my place in this whole mess.
[QUESTION: Dear Rabbi Mermelstein:
I just wanted to dash off a word of thanks to you for once again providing your wisdom and expertise on the internet. I, for one, sorely missed your insight during your absence, and am overjoyed that you have returned.
It's refreshing to find a fellow Jew who, like myself, thinks that firearms are a necessary part of Judaism rather than evil object that should be shunned. For a culture whose rallying cry is "never again" it has always amazed me how few are willing to follow through with force if necessary.
Thank you again, and I look forward to many hours spent reading your words.
Lee Manevitch
Bradenton, FL
15 August 2004
ANSWER: Dear Mr. Manevitch,
Thank you for the kind words. I missed writing short pieces for this column more than most readers realize. The lapse in time had exceeded two years, but I want to look forward rather than back.
The "Never Again" rallying cry of Jewish sheep placing their trust in the federal government or the local constabulary always impressed me as a wishful prayer and nothing approaching steadfast resolve. While the Never Again bluff artists are puffing out their chests they abhor the means to make the promise more than an ethereal exhalation of hot air. The bark of these Jewish survivalist wannabes is far more menacing than their bite. What will they do when push comes to shove? Will they run to the United Nations? And what will the United Nations do? It will issue a resolution condemning the slaughter. The U.N. Security Council will condemn the massacre of Jews just as it condemned the killing of more than 160 Tutsi Congolese refugees in western Burundi and urge the authorities in Burundi and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo to work together to quickly bring those responsible to justice as I read in today's news. A lot of good these pious condemnations do for the murdered. I'd be amused to listen to a spokesman for the private firearms ownership hating American Jewish Congress or the Union of American Hebrew Congregations explain how their position is one whit different from that of a professional welfare leech who is perfectly capable of working yet demands that government house, clothe and feed him.
We live in a violent world. It has always been violent. Those who rise to the occasion survive and the rest die an ignominious death. Nobody has ever come to rescue Jews from genocide, including this country. During Hitler's Final Solution this government closed its eyes to the smoke wafting from the crematorium chimneys and plugged its ears to the screams, citing specious political concerns. Nothing different is happening today in Sudan's western region of Darfur.
"Never Again" is worthless without the tools to make good on the avowal. My credo is "Work to eat and be armed to survive." Anything less is loud yapping from a dog contented to be toothless.
Thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
R. Mermelstein]
_________________________________________
So where does that place you, the reader of my blog? Are you prepared to use the tools to make good on your promise to "never again" be a victim? Is our government helping that cause or circumventing it? I understand there's much more to the legal wranglings of defending one's self. But there is an inherent wisdom that is needed here. We must attain a state that has the simplest of wisdom and executes it in the simplest way possible. Our founding fathers have the wisdom, they set forth a simple execution of that wisdom with the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Now, more than ever, people are allowing their fear to infringe on that wisdom. They think that by enacting regulations they will have control over their fears. But they are wrong. Violence is a way of life. It will never go away. Every single person will experience violence at one point or another. Whether it is through their actions or the actions of another. A person using violence with malicious intent is, I think, the problem. People are afraid of that. So they try to regulate all aspects of the problem in hopes that the problem goes away. This is utopian thinking. Yes, in a dream world, if you could instantly dissolve all the firearms in the world, they would cease to be part of the equation. But that will never happen. Humans, from the beginning of time, have adapted to their environment and carried on. Take the guns, we'll use knives. Take knives and we'll use bats. The survival instinct will never be regulated out of existence.
Reality.
There are now laws and government agencies whose sole purpose is to regulate firearms. And we, the people, let this happen. They have spawned out of control and are in danger of spreading if unchecked.
But are we now safer because of these regulations and agencies?
No. Those people who use violence with malicious intent don't listen to laws or agencies. They prowl the earth using their own rules. Survive. They will acquire weapons whether we regulate them or not. It's not the mom and pop gun store that's selling them to the criminal element. So why hassle them? They get what they need from wherever they can get them. As to WHERE they're getting them from, well, catch them and ask them.
The people who are hindered by the regulations and agencies are citizens like you and me. I work hard, I pay my taxes, as do most of you. I obey the laws as best as I can and help out my fellow man whenever possible. Some members of our government live with utopian ideals, they say I cannot have a firearm on my person unless I register it, do a background check and receive training. Many states don't even give their citizens that luxury. Remember a few things. Police are not your bodyguards. They will not help you survive. Politicians will not protect you, they have personal security for themselves to keep them safe. Your neighbors will try to help you, but will probably be sued by the criminal's relatives in a civil trial, so don't look for their immediate support.
In the end, you have to look out for you. And your ability to do so is hindered by ignorant political factions claiming to be working for the greater good.
The wisdom our founding fathers showed was simple. Yet due to the selfish nature of greed, that wisdom is being molested into something not at all like the original thoughts of the day.
Time may change, and as a species we may evolve, but the wisdom stays the same. Whether or not we allow our leaders to corrupt the original messages of defined freedoms is up to us.
So needless to say it's been an unequivocal wake up call for me. So now I begin to doubt, and question those who claim they represent me. More importantly, it's also called my own line of thinking into question. Not so far as changing my way of thinking, I think I've got that down, but was I right or wrong?
So back to the research I went. At the time I was looking up the status on Russ Howard's exile. Then I stumbled upon Rabbi Mermelstein's column. After reading a few of his articles, I have to say that I no longer doubt myself. I continue to doubt those who claim to represent me (politicians, NRA, etc.). I don't shun them, but take their statements at face value until I can research it and come to my own conclusions about their activities.
Rabbi Mermelstein was responding to a letter and what he said helped me to understand my place in this whole mess.
[QUESTION: Dear Rabbi Mermelstein:
I just wanted to dash off a word of thanks to you for once again providing your wisdom and expertise on the internet. I, for one, sorely missed your insight during your absence, and am overjoyed that you have returned.
It's refreshing to find a fellow Jew who, like myself, thinks that firearms are a necessary part of Judaism rather than evil object that should be shunned. For a culture whose rallying cry is "never again" it has always amazed me how few are willing to follow through with force if necessary.
Thank you again, and I look forward to many hours spent reading your words.
Lee Manevitch
Bradenton, FL
15 August 2004
ANSWER: Dear Mr. Manevitch,
Thank you for the kind words. I missed writing short pieces for this column more than most readers realize. The lapse in time had exceeded two years, but I want to look forward rather than back.
The "Never Again" rallying cry of Jewish sheep placing their trust in the federal government or the local constabulary always impressed me as a wishful prayer and nothing approaching steadfast resolve. While the Never Again bluff artists are puffing out their chests they abhor the means to make the promise more than an ethereal exhalation of hot air. The bark of these Jewish survivalist wannabes is far more menacing than their bite. What will they do when push comes to shove? Will they run to the United Nations? And what will the United Nations do? It will issue a resolution condemning the slaughter. The U.N. Security Council will condemn the massacre of Jews just as it condemned the killing of more than 160 Tutsi Congolese refugees in western Burundi and urge the authorities in Burundi and neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo to work together to quickly bring those responsible to justice as I read in today's news. A lot of good these pious condemnations do for the murdered. I'd be amused to listen to a spokesman for the private firearms ownership hating American Jewish Congress or the Union of American Hebrew Congregations explain how their position is one whit different from that of a professional welfare leech who is perfectly capable of working yet demands that government house, clothe and feed him.
We live in a violent world. It has always been violent. Those who rise to the occasion survive and the rest die an ignominious death. Nobody has ever come to rescue Jews from genocide, including this country. During Hitler's Final Solution this government closed its eyes to the smoke wafting from the crematorium chimneys and plugged its ears to the screams, citing specious political concerns. Nothing different is happening today in Sudan's western region of Darfur.
"Never Again" is worthless without the tools to make good on the avowal. My credo is "Work to eat and be armed to survive." Anything less is loud yapping from a dog contented to be toothless.
Thank you for writing.
Sincerely,
R. Mermelstein]
_________________________________________
So where does that place you, the reader of my blog? Are you prepared to use the tools to make good on your promise to "never again" be a victim? Is our government helping that cause or circumventing it? I understand there's much more to the legal wranglings of defending one's self. But there is an inherent wisdom that is needed here. We must attain a state that has the simplest of wisdom and executes it in the simplest way possible. Our founding fathers have the wisdom, they set forth a simple execution of that wisdom with the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Now, more than ever, people are allowing their fear to infringe on that wisdom. They think that by enacting regulations they will have control over their fears. But they are wrong. Violence is a way of life. It will never go away. Every single person will experience violence at one point or another. Whether it is through their actions or the actions of another. A person using violence with malicious intent is, I think, the problem. People are afraid of that. So they try to regulate all aspects of the problem in hopes that the problem goes away. This is utopian thinking. Yes, in a dream world, if you could instantly dissolve all the firearms in the world, they would cease to be part of the equation. But that will never happen. Humans, from the beginning of time, have adapted to their environment and carried on. Take the guns, we'll use knives. Take knives and we'll use bats. The survival instinct will never be regulated out of existence.
Reality.
There are now laws and government agencies whose sole purpose is to regulate firearms. And we, the people, let this happen. They have spawned out of control and are in danger of spreading if unchecked.
But are we now safer because of these regulations and agencies?
No. Those people who use violence with malicious intent don't listen to laws or agencies. They prowl the earth using their own rules. Survive. They will acquire weapons whether we regulate them or not. It's not the mom and pop gun store that's selling them to the criminal element. So why hassle them? They get what they need from wherever they can get them. As to WHERE they're getting them from, well, catch them and ask them.
The people who are hindered by the regulations and agencies are citizens like you and me. I work hard, I pay my taxes, as do most of you. I obey the laws as best as I can and help out my fellow man whenever possible. Some members of our government live with utopian ideals, they say I cannot have a firearm on my person unless I register it, do a background check and receive training. Many states don't even give their citizens that luxury. Remember a few things. Police are not your bodyguards. They will not help you survive. Politicians will not protect you, they have personal security for themselves to keep them safe. Your neighbors will try to help you, but will probably be sued by the criminal's relatives in a civil trial, so don't look for their immediate support.
In the end, you have to look out for you. And your ability to do so is hindered by ignorant political factions claiming to be working for the greater good.
The wisdom our founding fathers showed was simple. Yet due to the selfish nature of greed, that wisdom is being molested into something not at all like the original thoughts of the day.
Time may change, and as a species we may evolve, but the wisdom stays the same. Whether or not we allow our leaders to corrupt the original messages of defined freedoms is up to us.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I wrote this for the membership application at GOA, but it wouldn't fit.
I got done typing it all, went to submit and I had to reduce word length. :| No worries, that's why I have this thing!
So GOA guys, here is my tale as to why I decided to join your group.
___________________________
I had been rather apathetic to politics in recent years. I always felt it was just a bunch of people who didn't care about the populace doing whatever they wanted. Last year I applied for and received my CCW in Texas and had only carried when I knew I was going to a shady part of town.
Two months ago my sister, her hubby, my 2 year old niece and my cousin were targeted for a carjacking. This was in an upscale part of town, 2 miles from my parent's home. Fortunately the suspect didn't succeed, but the damage was done. I then ordered my IWB holster and now carry everywhere.
My application for GOA comes while I've been researching the politics behind the 2nd amendment, trying to understand what is being said, who is influencing whom, and what I can do to help. During this time I've researched both sides of the debate and felt that a great injustice was being dealt to the citizens of our country. I have even begun a blog so I can vent all of my questions and concerns to the open (i.e. get them off my chest).
Sad part of my story is that I was once weary of the NRA and other pro-gun people. I attended the NRA show in Houston a few years ago with my friend and was.....well.....soured by people fighting for rights of guns. And most of the people who were there for the NRA were quite vocal in strumming up support. But at the time, I felt any kind of activism was over the top and not necessary.
Simple fact was, I was wrong because I didn't know all of the facts.
A philosopher once said, "I know not the truth, but I know many truths." And that sums up my attitude now. I know MORE of the facts to paint my own picture, and more importantly, know my role and what I must do.
Sorry for rambling, but.....you asked. :)
So GOA guys, here is my tale as to why I decided to join your group.
___________________________
I had been rather apathetic to politics in recent years. I always felt it was just a bunch of people who didn't care about the populace doing whatever they wanted. Last year I applied for and received my CCW in Texas and had only carried when I knew I was going to a shady part of town.
Two months ago my sister, her hubby, my 2 year old niece and my cousin were targeted for a carjacking. This was in an upscale part of town, 2 miles from my parent's home. Fortunately the suspect didn't succeed, but the damage was done. I then ordered my IWB holster and now carry everywhere.
My application for GOA comes while I've been researching the politics behind the 2nd amendment, trying to understand what is being said, who is influencing whom, and what I can do to help. During this time I've researched both sides of the debate and felt that a great injustice was being dealt to the citizens of our country. I have even begun a blog so I can vent all of my questions and concerns to the open (i.e. get them off my chest).
Sad part of my story is that I was once weary of the NRA and other pro-gun people. I attended the NRA show in Houston a few years ago with my friend and was.....well.....soured by people fighting for rights of guns. And most of the people who were there for the NRA were quite vocal in strumming up support. But at the time, I felt any kind of activism was over the top and not necessary.
Simple fact was, I was wrong because I didn't know all of the facts.
A philosopher once said, "I know not the truth, but I know many truths." And that sums up my attitude now. I know MORE of the facts to paint my own picture, and more importantly, know my role and what I must do.
Sorry for rambling, but.....you asked. :)
The Google ads on the page
Well, they haven't appeared yet, but they will, under the links section. I signed up for it, just to try it out. I haven't caved in to the "man" or "sold out" but if I can make eleventy billion dollars while doing it, then consider me sold!
Another good article on educating people on 2nd Amendment
http://www.theatlasphere.com/columns/080814-burg-selling-the-reason.php
On a wing and a prayer.
Taken from Killboy.com. Daryll and Lori take pictures of various happenings and rides on Hwy 129 in TN. The portion they cover is called Tail of the Dragon, and I hope to make it up there one day on my scoot. Looks like a lot of fun.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
From the wiki page on gun politics
Jeff Snyder is perhaps the best known spokesman for the view that gun possession is a civil right, and that therefore arguments about whether gun restrictions reduce or increase violent crime are beside the point: "I am am not here engaged in...recommending...policy prescriptions on the basis of the promised or probable results [on crime]...Thus these essays are not fundamentally about guns at all. They are, foremost, about...the kind of people we intend to be...and the ethical and political consequences of decisions [to control firearms]."[87] He terms the main principle behind gun control "the instrumental theory of salvation:" that, lacking the ability to change the violent intent in criminals, we often shift focus to the instrument in an attempt to "limit our ability to hurt ourselves, and one another." [88] His work discusses the consequences that flow from conditioning the liberties of all citizens upon the behavior of criminals.
Kind of like banning cars since you are twice as likely to be killed in a car crash than by a firearm. And you are FIFTY-FIVE times more likely to be ACCIDENTALLY killed in a car than by an accidental discharge of a firearm. Ban cars. It will save more lives.
source = http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html
Kind of like banning cars since you are twice as likely to be killed in a car crash than by a firearm. And you are FIFTY-FIVE times more likely to be ACCIDENTALLY killed in a car than by an accidental discharge of a firearm. Ban cars. It will save more lives.
source = http://www.the-eggman.com/writings/death_stats.html
Weight savings and election concerns.
So as of last month I've been working to change my lifestyle. I have been overweight for the better part of my life, and have tried several times (obviously many unsuccessfully) to change it. So when I had minor back surgery a month ago, the drugs they gave me shunted my appetite for a week or so. I just wasn't hungry, nor was I craving anything. So I ate my healthy snacks and when on about my life.
I went in for my 2-week follow-up appointment, and lo and behold I had lost 10 pounds. Crikey. And I FELT better. And after looking at myself again in the mirror, started to look better. That was the catalyst for the change. I have since lost another 7 pounds in 2 weeks. 17 pounds total. And that's by changing my eating habits only. I can't work out because my back isn't truly back to 100% yet. But he says in two weeks I should be able to do anything I want to. I told him I'd see him in a different set of pants by then.
Enough of the good stuff.
I have election woes. At the beginning of the campaign season, I felt really good about the 2 candidates, Obama and McCain. McCain was a maverick and Obama showed great promise.
A bit about my political leanings though, if I may. I'm an independent. I have both liberal and conservative tendencies. I believe that pro-choice is a good thing (who am I, a man, to tell a woman what to do with her body?). I also feel that we should be working to be less dependent on foreign oil. I also agree with McCain in that there is a TON of wasteful spending going on within our government. I think he mentioned that someone approved $6 million so we could track and research the DNA of black bears. WAT? Bears are the same, they forage for food, scare campers and defecate all over the woods. THAT'S WHAT BEARS DO! That money could go to education, or cancer research, or something that helps HUMANS!
Which brings me to the topic of today.
Gun rights and the 2nd Amendment. Don't roll your eyes, hear me out.
I am a conceal license holder. I carry a gun with me 99% of the time, concealed, of course. There are millions of people out there just like me. Responsible, level-headed adults who took the classes, filled out all the paperwork and practice conceal carry responsibly.
Why do I carry? Because I want the ability to protect myself, my family, my friends, and my fellow innocent Americans from people who wish to do harm to me, or my loved ones. All it took for it to sink home with me was when my sister, her hubby, my 2 year old niece and my cousin were targeted for a carjacking a month ago. It was at an upscale italian restaurant in an upscale part of town, 2 miles from my folks' home. My parents were IN the restaurant at the time, waiting the rest to arrive.
So a guy walks up and puts a revolver in my sister's face and demands the car...along with some colorful language. My niece has leukemia, so my sister's first priority was to get her to safety. She told her hubby the guy had a gun and to walk away.
My parents could only watch in horror.
My cousin fought with the man after begging to get into the passenger side of the car to retrieve my niece's medicine. The man ran away and was never caught. (They would have tailed him, but he ran down the street to a car with three other people in it.)
And yes, if you've been reading right, my cousin fought with the gunman and prevailed, sort of. We think the man got fed up with his lack of progress and left. He was also 5'6" and looked to weigh 130 pounds while also appearing high. That's why my cousin chose to fight back. Plus she had a sneaking suspicion that the bright orange plastic on the hammer of the gun meant it was a toy.
"But SHE didn't need a gun."
Correct. This time. If he had been a little more determined and sober, or armed with a real gun, she would have been hurt or killed.
But where was I? I was working that night. Had I been there with my gun, would things have ended differently? I can't say, I wasn't there so I can't comment on the feel of the night, or exactly what his body language was. But if I was there, and he stuck a gun in my sisters face, I would intervene to defend her. Don't read too much into that. I didn't say I would shoot him. No conceal carry person, in their right mind, has the gun because they want to shoot someone, they have it in case if they HAVE to. If I could have talked the guy down, or got him to drop his weapon by brandishing mine, then no one gets shot, and he goes to jail. But if I tell him to drop it, and he points it at me, then game over. I won't know until it happens to me, which I hope it never does. We still don't know if the gun was fake, but the psychological damage has already been done.
Anyhoo, back to politics.
Obama. He is a smooth talker who gets people charged up about politics. And I'm grateful for that. For far too long, people have been apathetic about politics. Don't blame the government because YOU elected them to office. YOU have the power to change it. And Obama says a lot of the right things. Energy policies probably need to change, and less spending on this-that-and the other. But has Obama come out and laid out his beliefs for all to see? Are we getting the right info from him? It seems that when most questions are posed to him he sort of dances around them hoping he won't have to show his cards.
Regarding the 2nd Amendment. He has turned Chicago into a gun-free city. Well, sorry, the citizens who wanted the ability to protect themselves no longer have them. The criminals still have as many as they want. And statistics show that violent crimes involving guns have gone up in recent years. That's probably because no one can defend themselves. Remember, criminals don't answer to gun laws and regulations, they will get the weapons they need, when they need it. He also has a SLEW of anti-gun legislation he's imposed, tried to impose, or wants to impose. I provided a link to some anti-gun facts about him. It's pretty scary. But, I has kweshun. He tours around the country and abroad with armed security by his side. And then tells us, the citizens, that we can't have the same luxury. WAT? Police are the police, they are not our private bodyguards. There are times (i.e. MOST of the time) when WE must defend OURSELVES. Nice to know he can afford his own defense. And McCain has some anti-gun offenses too, but his are far fewer than Obama.
"But the NRA is just as extreme politically as the anti-gunners!"
True, there is a lot that I disagree with the NRA about. But all-in-all, the NRA does speak for my beliefs with regards to the 2nd A. And while McCain has been a little flip-floppy (according to the media, whom I was employed by) at times, I think as a whole, he would make a better president than Barack Obama. No, he's not perfect. But is there such thing as a perfect politician? But I feel he has my interests at heart. Should a gun be placed in my face, or the face of my beautiful niece, I will have the option to defend us with deadly force if needed. He has the experience, he has the drive, and most importantly of all, he has my vote.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Hi all!
My name is Scott, and normally I scoff at bloggers. I used to scoff at a lot of things. But lately I see their purpose, and would like to throw my hat into the ring.
On here you will see several issues, from motorcycling to conceal carry handgun ramblings. I might even share some "chuckle-worthy" stuff too.
I welcome comments from readers as it's part of continuing education as well as a way to meet like-minded people. But please keep it civil. This is a family site. Any inappropriate posts will be deleted, period.
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