Digression. . .

. . . from human progress. . .

It would appear that this once well-intentioned and possibly practical organization has strayed far from its original intent and has become a proponent of arms manufacturering much to the detriment of the society it was founded to serve.  

Army and Navy Journal editor William Conant Church and General George Wood Wingate chartered the NRA in New York state in 1871. Its first president was Civil War General Ambrose Burnside, who had worked as a Rhode Island gunsmith, and Wingate was the original secretary of the organization.

Union Army records for the Civil War indicate that its troops fired about 1,000 rifle shots for each Confederate soldier hit, causing General Burnside to lament his recruits: "Out of ten soldiers who are perfect in drill and the manual of arms, only one knows the purpose of the sights on his gun or can hit the broad side of a barn." The generals attributed this to the use of volley tactics, devised for earlier, less accurate smoothbore muskets.  After observing European marksmanship training, General Wingate was convinced that U.S. forces were in need of better training.

Recognizing a need for better training, Wingate traveled to Europe and observed European armies' marksmanship training programs. With plans provided by Wingate, the New York Legislature funded the construction of a modern range at Creedmore, Long Island, for long-range shooting competitions. Wingate then wrote a marksmanship manual.


The publicity generated by a long-range shooting match to determine an Anglo-American championship in 1874 helped to establish breech-loading firearms (manufactured by match sponsors Remington Arms and Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company) as suitable for military marksmanship training, and promoted the NRA to national prominence.

The organization has since metamorphosed into a highly financed and politically powerful group of extremists who value profits of gun sales (under the guise of protecting the U.S. Constitution) over that of human life and stop at nothing to ensure our spineless representatives are well compensated to be on board.

Witness below. . .


(from NBCNews.com)
". . . "Expanding background checks, at gun shows or elsewhere, will not reduce violent crime or keep our kids safe in their schools," top NRA lobbyist Chris Cox wrote in a letter sent to senators Wednesday night. "Given the importance of these issues, votes on all anti-gun amendments or proposals will be considered in NRA's future candidate evaluations. "The NRA rates lawmakers based on how they vote on the group's priorities. The letter grades are highly influential and carry particular weight in rural states with a strong gun culture. . . ."

I promptly wrote to my representatives in Congress and pleaded (paraphrasing), '. . . I wonder how your NRA evaluations look.  I hope they look very BAD. . . '

(thanks to source Wikipedia.com)

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More. . .

. . . more, more. . .

I realize the importance of stimulating the economy and economic growth.  I also know that when it comes to increasing profits (or should I say the 'accumulation of wealth'?) the human race is most certainly on board.  Dylan Ratigan (in his book GREEDY BASTARDS) says that there is good, long-term greed - the type where someone provides a valuable product or service of high quality and reasonable price, and profits from it at a reasonable rate over a long term - and then there is bad, short-term greed (the one practiced by the 'bastards') where someone provides something of little to no value (or even swindles through questionable means) and reaps gigantic profits very quickly. I fear that pursuit of the latter type is much more prevalent these days than the former . . .

(from http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/nervous-retailers-hope-post-christmas-rush-1C7659314)
". . . The biggest holiday of the season is over, but retailers are hoping that you aren’t done with your holiday shopping quite yet.

“The next few days are critical for retailers. They’ve got some catching up to do,” said Marshal Cohen, retail industry analyst with NPD Group.

On Wednesday, big chains including Macy's were already pushing their post-Christmas bargains, while major discounters including Wal-Mart were encouraging shoppers to redeem their gift cards right away. But the fallout from a big Christmas storm could hurt their efforts if shoppers decide they prefer a cozy rest of the week at home instead. . ."

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Do You Know. . .

. . . me?

Why do I feel that it's all about me
That no matter what happens
I must get my fee
The most wonderful people
One could possibly meet
If I have any say
Remain under my feet

I put on a good show
Always get in my say
Make it lengthy as possible
Then just go on my way

I feign great concern
Pretend caring affection
Make the people on top
Fail to make the connection
That would help them to see
That I always come first
In all things, situations

And no matter what happens
Good or bad comes to be
The one standing constant
Like an old redwood tree
Is I'll always be there
Off'ring generous attentions
But the fact still remains
That it's all about me

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Personal . . .

. . . babbling. . .

I know I’m basically not much different from anybody else;  not terribly special;  not too good but not too bad either.  But even as I look around and feel as though I look like and act like everybody around me, I still feel like I'm different.  Something’s wrong.  Something is unusual and I just can’t seem to put a finger on it.

I've felt this way for most of my life.  During adolescence I thought I didn't belong;  that I was something of an outcast.  I had friends.  But I didn't belong to, or at least I felt like I didn't belong to the 'group' at least the 'group' to which I wanted to belong.

I learned at the end of high school that being an outsider wasn't necessarily a bad thing.  I slowly began to realize that I didn't need to belong to anything.  I certainly did not need to belong to anything to which I didn't want to belong or to anything where the members did not want me to belong.

And now it's not so much a matter of belonging to anything, it's more a matter of my perceptions, observations, analyses and choices.  Now I like being different.

CAN'T QUITE
(from PUT A FINGER ON IT )
©2006 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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Bad . . .

 . . . dream . . .

. . . The fortified stone shelter was thought to be strong enough to withstand the trauma that would result from the earth's departing its axis.  It was however, difficult to enter and not large enough to accommodate everyone.  He sat on one of the bus-stop benches, brought into the First National Bank Building to seat the throngs, between his youngest son and his best friend, staring blankly at the obviously futile efforts toward protecting building's inhabitants including the blocking of all windows and doors with concrete.  Catching a last glimpse of the the cloudy grey sky as the concrete wall was sliding into place, his son asked compassionately if he thought Mom had safely reached the shelter and was there a plan to re-unite when the disaster passed.  He tried, however unconvincingly, to comfort his youngest in the affirmative but harbored greater uncertainty than even he wanted to admit. . .

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Once upon a time . . .

 . . . there was. . .

. . an open-ended  law in a particular state called the "Stand Your Ground" law.  This law allowed people to defend themselves with deadly force as long as they "reasonably believed" it was necessary to protect themselves.

In this state there was a very bad man who found the opportunity to invoke this law, claiming he was acting in self-defense, and was forced to kill an unarmed teenager. The unarmed teenager happened to make a phone call to a friend only minutes before his death, which made it clear the teenager did not pose a violent threat to the very bad man, calling public attention to a law that clears a suspect from prosecution if the state does not find evidence to dispute their claim of self-defense.

In short, this was a very bad law.

The law extended what has been called the Castle Doctrine, which asserts that a person has the right to defend his or her home with deadly force if they are in "fear of great bodily injury." Unlike similar laws across the country, this particular state's provision does not require residents to retreat before using lethal force -- whether it be with a gun, knife or baseball bat -- against a home intruder, a concept that is based upon the English common-law idea that an individual's home is their "castle."

With this very bad law a person no longer needs to prove that they feared for their safety, only that the individual they shot, even if unarmed, had forcefully and unlawfully intruded. Unlike the initial Castle Doctrine, the newer law extends the principle to vehicles and public places and also does away with an earlier requirement that said a person attacked in a public place must retreat if it is a viable option.

Many people involved did NOT live happily ever after.

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Sometimes I feel. . .

. . . like a motherless child. Good song. But that's not really what I meant.
Sometimes I do feel like a square peg without a round hole in sight.

But that can be a good thing as well as a bad one.

As far as the bad, my best friend and children know and understand me well. That's GOOD, of course. The bad part of it is that I have to be careful when I'm with EVERYONE ELSE!! That's not so bad though. Because if you think about it, life is all about coping with specific situations all the time and no one should expect to be able to relax and completely be oneself all the time. It's education. It's character building. One should be able to receive as well as give. (If you can dish it out, you should be able to take it.) And it's not that I don't WANT to be with others. I do. I know some great people and I thoroughly enjoy being with them and sharing those things that we do have in common. Still though, square peg Man.

My music is sometimes difficult to force into the round holes, especially those round marketing holes. But you know what, that's not going to stop me. Matter of fact, it fuels me. Look at the innovators through the years. Bird, Monk, Diz, Coltrane, Dolphy, Taylor. Not saying I am worthy to be mentioned in such company, but they are inspiration. Even composers of the classics throughout the years were not always appreciated in their own time. Certainly artists and writers find the same circumstances as musicians. Possibly even statesmen. Harry Truman was certainly not as popular in his lifetime as he became with the wisdom of hindsight.

So if you're a fellow square peg, or an ant with an eye on a rubber tree plant, the little train that could, or (insert random cliche regarding standing up to odds that are stacked against you), take heart. Don't compromise a principal that is worth standing up for. Whoa Man, this has gotten a little too heavy. Please, take it Ladies. . .




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Top Stories

Don't take your guns. . .

. . . to space

You were always a crack-shot. You were always the ace. Someone called you a crackpot. Said it right to your face. It was not the effrontery that made you react; the assault or the violation of rights. In this wonderful country, you and I live today. And we value the freedom that allows us to say, though the founders had principles (this can't be denied), nothing's frozen in time but history. Who can really sing 'bout what the future brings? Take the next shuttle, go off to your condo on Mars. Don't take your guns to space. They've done sufficient damage to this place. Don't take your guns to space.

It's a volatile topic I'm addressing today. But I fear to ignore it leaves for us hell to pay. All the hunters and gatherers kick up such a stink. Where this path's gonna lead they dare not think. We continue to venture into places unknown. All this knowledge and progress takes us so far from home. Many say that you must accept the good with the bad. Seems to me that experience would show some things from the past just don't deserve to last. Take that next step and leave all useless baggage behind. Don't take your guns to space. They've done sufficient damage to this place. Don't take your guns to space.

Our sophistication in the arts and sciences can't be denied. Still we choose our tribal ways when there's fear and uncertainty and we can't hide. It's true and tried.

But you still fail to grasp it, like some new cosmic star. Using force laced with habit, you're resisting so hard. You say you got the word from some king high on his throne. But mysteriously each word he speaks in that kingly tone, mighty but all alone, uncannily somehow sounds just like all of your own. Don't take your guns to space. They've done sufficient damage to this place. Don't take your guns to space.

SPACE
©2007 Raymond M. Jozwiak
SHORT SPACE
©2011 Raymond M. Jozwiak



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Always You. . .

You've always been ahead of me
One fact that I
In my infinite wisdom
Could not always see
But in the end you always convinced me
Things aren't always
What they appear
The things I've always looked for

Once long ago before we met
I thought I could
Singlehandedly make the
Spinning world go away
Just like some king
from back in those bygone days
But I was wrong
I don't belong
Inside this category

Seemed to be
At the time to me
To my advantage
Missing why
Not knowing
When to try
To start believing
In my
Very own
Self
Determination

Sometimes at night
When I'm alone
The solitude
And the quiet can bring out
All the worst in my head
But now it seems that isn't to big or bad
I've learned a thing

Or maybe two
And just ahead
There's
Always
You


Remember, tonight compositions by Baltimore Composers Forum members Garth Baxter, Rose Bridges, Jin-Hwa Choi, Ian Hockett, Ljiljana Jovanovic, WIlliam Milner, Vivian A. Rudow, Ariyo Shahry (and me-Ray Jozwiak) will be performed by Andrea Ceccomori a with pianist Elitza Harbova this Saturday at An Die Musik.

See the following links if you'd like to hear more about the concert/and a solo performance of the piece.
http://www.baltimorecomposersforum.com/concerts.html
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/#section2A
http://www.ourstage.com/tracks/TMYIXDMKNAGQ-always-you

(Hear my music at http://www.rayjozwiak.com)