Reasons. . .

. . . to own a gun. . .

. . . from a proud gun owner's blog. . . [with my reactions]

Because It's Cool
This is a fairly weak reason in comparison to others. . . Someone goes shooting with a friend, loves it (and/or thinks the gun is just groovy). . .

[GROOVY???]


Family Legacy (Because my Parents Owned Guns)
A family legacy of gun ownership is often a factor in determining whether one will become a gun owner. . . If you have had a bad experience with a gun in the past, that may be a valid reason for you not to own a gun - but probably not. It's more likely that you have an irrational attitude towards guns, and unreasoned bias is never good.

[What IS a valid reason for me to NOT own a gun, in your opinion?]


Just For Hunting
Hunting is a fine reason to own a gun . . . 


[OK]


Target Shooting Only
. . . Shooting accurately is challenging, and many of us feel a sense of achievement from being able to put our shots exactly where we want them to go. . .




[also for sport]


For Social Reasons
Some gun owners may own guns simply so they can take part in social shooting activities, such as sporting clays, cowboy action shooting, and the like. . .

[Is this how Dick Cheney shot his own friend?]


For Self Defense
This one is by far the most powerful, and universal, reason for anyone to own a gun. . . To deny a human the right to defend him- or herself from any threat is the most grievous crime against humanity that I can think of. . .


[read:  Paranoia.   I can think of worse crimes against humanity without much effort.]

 
Because the Founding Fathers Wanted me to
This is another excellent reason to own a gun. . . It's the fear of retaliation that keeps the corruptive (sic) nature of political power from sweeping our land . . .


[Considering the current crop of politicians, this theory has already been proven untrue.]


As an Investment
Guns rarely decline in value. . . 

[Buy real estate]


Historical Reasons
Some gun owners like guns merely for their historical value. . .

[OK. They're not automatic or semi-automatic though.]


Interest in The Mechanics of Firearms
Most firearms are mechanical marvels. . . 

[So are refrigerators.]


My Own Reasons
. . . we Americans are still free to do as we choose, to some extent. Don't let politicians, TV news anchors, me, or anyone else do your thinking for you.

[I won't.  Thanks.]

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Friends? . . .

 (Excerpt from The Israel Lobby,” by John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government http://us.macmillan.com/BookCustomPage_New.aspx?isbn=9780374531508)
 ". . . John Edwards, the Democratic party’s 2004 vice presidential candidate, told his Israeli listeners that “your future is our future” and said that the bond between the United States and Israel “will never be broken.” Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney spoke of being “in a country I love with people I love” and, aware of Israel’s deep concern about a possible nuclear Iran, proclaimed that “it is time for the world to speak three truths: (1) Iran must be stopped; (2) Iran can be stopped; (3) Iran will be stopped!” Senator John McCain (R-AZ) declared that “when it comes to the defense of Israel, we simply cannot compromise,” while former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) told the audience that “Israel is facing the greatest danger for [sic] its survival since the 1967 victory.” Shortly thereafter, in early February, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) spoke in New York before the local chapter of the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), where she said that in this “moment of great difficulty for Israel and great peril for Israel . . . what is vital is that we stand by our friend and our ally and we stand by our own values. Israel is a beacon of what’s right in a neighborhood overshadowed by the wrongs of radicalism, extremism, despotism and terrorism.” One of her rivals for the Democratic nomination, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), spoke a month later before an AIPAC audience in Chicago. Obama, who has expressed some sympathy for the Palestinians’ plight in the past and made a brief reference to Palestinian “suffering” at a campaign appearance in March 2007, was unequivocal in his praise for Israel and made it manifestly clear that he would do nothing to change the U.S.-Israeli relationship. . . "

(from http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/12821-elites-will-make-gazans-of-us-all)
". . . Because it has the power to do so, Israel—as does the United States—flouts international law to keep a subject population in misery. The continued presence of Israeli occupation forces defies nearly a hundred U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for them to withdraw. The Israeli blockade of Gaza, established in June 2007, is a brutal form of collective punishment that violates Article 33 of the Fourth 1949 Geneva Convention, which set up rules for the "Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War." The blockade has turned Gaza into a sliver of hell, an Israeli-administered ghetto where thousands have died, including the 1,400 civilians killed in the Israeli incursion of 2008. With 95 percent of factories shut down, Palestinian industry has virtually ceased functioning. The remaining 5 percent operate at 25 to 50 percent capacity. Even the fishing industry is moribund. Israel refuses to let fishermen travel more than three miles from the coastline, and within the fishing zone boats frequently come under Israeli fire. The Israeli border patrols have seized 35 percent of the agricultural land in Gaza for a buffer zone. The collapsing infrastructure and Israeli seizure of aquifers mean that in many refugee camps, such as Khan Yunis, there is no running water. UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) estimates that 80 percent of all Gazans now rely on food aid. And the claim of Israeli self-defense belies the fact that it is Israel that maintains an illegal occupation and violates international law by carrying out collective punishment of Palestinians. It is Israel that chose to escalate the violence when during an incursion into Gaza earlier this month its forces fatally shot a 13-year-old boy. As the world breaks down, this becomes the new paradigm—modern warlords awash in terrifying technologies and weapons murdering whole peoples. . . "

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This is news???. . .

. . . or what? . . . 

 Below are actual headlines from recent news:

'Beyonce named most beautiful woman'
It's truly a marvel of modern times that we have such wonderful publications as 'People' magazine to name the 'most beautiful' woman and the rag that brought that news itself to us afterward.

'Zimmerman needs protection, lawyer says'
The man who allegedly shot an unarmed seventeen year-old in 'self defense' in a state that has a law allowing murder when committed in self defense (and in the absence of witnesses) actually now needs PROTECTION?

'Doctor claims he’s found the G spot'
A supposedly respectable doctor claims to have found the famed "G" spot on the cadaver of a woman well into her  eighties of whom he knows little to nothing of her genealogy, health or sex life. (Why is this news?)

'Trump to Scotland:  Ax 'monstrous' wind farm plans'
Why is Trump EVER in the news?

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Rocky with no Bull. . .

. . . -winkle;  or any other kind of Bull for that matter. . .

(from http://www.examiner.com/human-rights-in-national/obama-signs-ndaa-anderson-s-new-justice-party-challenges)

 ". . . First thing on January 1, around 6:45 a.m. AT, Rocky Anderson, head of High Road for Human Rights, under his Twitter name, "PresidentRocky," Tweeted, "What's now clear from #NDAA is that authoritarianism is bipartisan, a position a free society must regard intolerable. Answer? Justice Party".

Anderson's High Roads for Human Rights works to abolish the death penalty, torture, other prison abuse, racism and a host of other United States human rights violations that he calls "outrageous." An hour earlier on Sunday, urging Americans to continue uniting, Anderson, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, Tweeted, "Media has been virtually without coverage of the formation of Justice Party & our campaign". . .

. . . Anderson's call for unity through the Justice Party to overturn the present regime that violates human rights is in motion, same as globally, highlighted by the special Russia Today report Saturday, showing uprisings for rights amid induced fear and terror forced by present regimes.

ACLU stated after the president signed the bill into law that nobody, in the United States or elsewhere, should have to live in fear of the government renditioning them, as the act codifies: "We are extremely disappointed that President Obama signed this bill even though his administration is already claiming overly-broad detention authority in court. Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back those claims dimmed today.  Thankfully we have three branches of government, and the final word on the scope of detention authority belongs to the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the scope of detention authority. But Congress and the president also have a role to play in cleaning up the mess they have created because no American citizen or anyone else should live in fear of this or any future president misusing the NDAA’s detention authority. According to Anderson, statutes passed by Congress are happening because of the corrupting influences and the military-industrial-complex has a stranglehold on American.

Almost one year ago, Dupré reported on Anderson's human rights defending including his opposition to the nation having been lied into war: "Anderson has proven his ability as a change agent through his intelligence, wisdom and compassion. He attracted praise and scorn in August 2005 when, after accepting an invitation from the Veterans of Foreign Wars to participate in a visit by President Bush, he sent an e-mail to local advocacy leaders calling for "the biggest demonstration [Utah] has ever seen" to protest Bush's appearance at Veterans of Foreign Wars' National Convention at the Salt Palace.

"Speaking to a gathering at a rally at Pioneer Park in downtown Salt Lake City, Anderson justified his protest against Bush, asserting that the "nation was lied into a war." According to Anderson, since then and even more so since the NDAA FY2012 scandal, people from each political party and an array of major organizations are supporting a third party, the Justice Party and him. "We have the democratization now like never before," says Anderson, referring to social networks and the Occupy movement. "There's never been the economic disparity we have today. People are feeling it. "People are watching Facebook and Twitter to learn what's happening," he told Thom Hartmann. "This party is about changing the system, getting the corrupting money out of it so we can change policy."

Anderson asserted, "We cannot let the fear of spoiling the race of the lesser of two evils to bring about the major transformation our country and we need.". . ."

 

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Top Stories

Makes one feel powerless. . .

. . . doesn't it? 

(from http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/317046#ixzz1iKPl65rD )

". . . CNN reports Barack Obama "reluctantly signed a defense authorization bill, saying he was concerned about some in Congress who want to restrict options used by counterterrorism officials." Even before the bill was signed by Obama, there were mixed feelings on NDAA. The bill only has a 2 percent approval rating on a poll conducted by OpenCongress.com. Only 8 people support the bill out of 395 voters. Another poll, of 397 people, conducted by PopVox gives the bill a 9 percent approval rating. One of the more controversial aspects of the bill involves the ability for the president to detain United States' citizens. According to The International Business Times, "The bill affirms and codifies the U.S. President's authority to indefinitely detain in military custody anyone, including U.S. citizens, suspected of terrorism or supporting terrorists." In a statement released after the signing of the bill, Obama says, "I want to clarify that my Administration will not authorize the indefinite military detention without trial of American citizens. Indeed, I believe that doing so would break with our most important traditions and values as a Nation." Even though Obama signed the bill he does not agree with everything that's included in the bill. "I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists," Obama said. CBS news reports, "If Mr. Obama violates any of the provisions in the bill, Congress could challenge the White House in court, which would have the final say in any dispute." The $662 billion bill also includes tough sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program and allocates money for the military. NDAA was sponsored by Howard McKeon Republican Representative from California. The bill was introduced on April 13th.

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Do we understand. . .

. . . the fact that we're NOT TRYING to understand? We dignify inanity when we should speak up and say, like Peter Finch's character in the movie NETWORK, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Ann Davidow summed it up nicely on Buzzflash this week. . . .

Will We Ever Get Some Relief From the Witless Muddle that Still Afflicts Our Public Dialogue?
FINDING A VOICE by Ann Davidow

'Let's be clear' has become a popular phrase that usually portends a muddled message. Listen as hard as you might, clarity is not what you'll be hearing most of the time. In fact the phrase is just what politicians use when they are at a loss for words or at least a loss for anything that makes sense. Euphemisms abound in discussions that run the gamut from tax policies to how our various armed conflicts are proceeding.

Everything is on the table we're told when it comes to making a dent in our massive national debt, but of course nothing could be further from the truth. Depending on one's perspective solutions are to be found in what are called "entitlements", teachers' salaries, union contracts and measures to protect the environment, the favorite whipping boys of the right wing while defense and tax cuts remain inviolate. Even when taxes are part of the discussion they are expressed in terms like "tax code expenditures" that soften the effect of procedures that in fact hide special-interest set-asides.

What could be more fiscally irresponsible, for example, than House Republican's intention to support the Defense of Marriage act by insisting legal fees be undertaken despite the Justice Dept's refusal to funds a defense of the legislation? These are supposed to be the "adults", caretakers of our economy, not the purveyors of partisan views that appeal to right-wing supporters. The public is being flummoxed once again by political entities that fail to come clean about what their real goals are, using a phony 'values' context to hide the true nature of narrow views and often a religious sub-text.

Deniers on the right pursue bizarre notions that tend to reduce the viability of their cause - - there was no holocaust, the earth is only six-thousand years old, the president is a secret Muslim who is not a natural born citizen. To carry on such divisive prattle suggests a dearth of ideas in the GOP. Why would wanna-be leaders spend so much time on matters that marginalize their party?

Interspersed with the nonsense, however, conservatives throw in matters of real concern such as rising fuel prices, joblessness and the cost of never-ending war so that voters face absurd battles among the witless. How often is the public informed about the manipulations of speculators on Wall Street who drive fluctuating oil prices at the pump? Does it occur to anyone that there is no good reason for sudden changes in price? After all oil that started out in a pump didn't suddenly become more valuable during the day. I once sat a pump, having paid beforehand for my purchase, watching a young man place cardboard placards on the pumps raising the price of gas by several cents. There had been no intervening delivery so obviously the increase was an arbitrary assessment by the gas-station owner not a reflection of market forces. We've all fallen down the rabbit hole and are having great difficulty making sense of our environment.

In addition to current predicaments at home and abroad we are confronted by people from our past who just will not go away. Donald Rumsfeld's book takes an exculpatory look at the mess he and others in the Bush administration created. At the conservative Hudson Institute Rumsfeld, Scooter Libby and retired General Pace 'examined' the course that took us to Iraq each justifying for the audience a path that led us into a quagmire from which we are still unable to escape. Douglas Feith, former Undersecretary of Defense for policy in the Bush administration, and once referred to by General Tommy Franks as the "dumbest fucking guy on the planet" moderated. It was said early on "that everything that has gone wrong in Iraq - especially those matters that Congress is either investigating or is poised to probe is linked to his office." Nevertheless these Bush stalwarts were pleased to defend their dubious exploits and, infuriatingly, even found moments of hilarity as they elaborated on their observations. Apparently the public's memory is of short duration; many will be content to look back on the Rumsfeld years with reverence, content to celebrate the mindless claptrap that so misled us in the past.

Today, Donald Trump, new-found leader of the mindless, must have nothing much to do other than to keep track of what others are saying about him. He has attacked actor Robert DeNiro for his criticisms saying he wasn't "the brightest bulb on the planet." For his part Trump isn't just a dull bulb he's an electrical grid gone dark.

Will we ever get some relief from the witless muddle that still afflicts our public dialogue?



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