Saturday, May 28, 2022

Argument . . .

 (from [and in response to]  https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-banning-guns/#.YooZ5y-B3T8) 
". . . 1. GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE…It’s a cliché, but it’s true: Guns don’t kill people, people kill people. [Guns do kill people. Baseball bats hit home runs. Automobiles cause deaths and injuries. Tractors plow fields. Try accomplishing the latter without the former in each instance.] Getting rid of a particular tool will not stop people committing acts of violence. [Correct. But the number of these acts can be greatly reduced. We do not live in a perfect world and absolutes are few (if any).] Instead, we need to address the root causes that drive people to perpetrate violence, including looking seriously at whether the mental health system is performing as it should. [Not 'instead' but 'in addition to' smart gun laws.]
2. GUNS = PROTECTION. . .Guns are a necessary tool in a violent world. They provide protection from muggings, home invasions, terrorist incidents, and mass shootings. [In some rare cases. In most, they increase the violence. Remember the 'wild west'?] Furthermore, an armed citizenry is (as a last resort) a guarantee against tyranny. Should it ever come to insurrection, then the people would have the means to rise in armed revolt against the authorities and overthrow them. [The danger of this logic is clearly illustrated by the events of January 6, 2021**] Even if it never comes to that, the threat of armed rebellion will help preserve government from tyranny. [The government has built-in items to prevent tyranny. We need to put legislators into the government who know what those are, respect them and promote them.]
3. BANNING GUNS WON’T PREVENT VIOLENCE. . .We do not ban tools just because they are dangerous. Tens of thousands of Europeans die in car accidents ever year, yet we don’t ban cars. Terrorists have used cars and trucks to commit atrocities, yet (again) we don’t ban cars and trucks. Indeed, terrorists in Europe have resorted to using knives and cars precisely because guns are so well-regulated across the European Union. So, banning guns does not stop violence. . . " [We must weigh danger versus usefulness with any tool. Shooting anything can objectively be called unnecessary since other means of sport, hunting etc. are available. Further, (again, there are no absolutes) we cannot PREVENT violence. We can greatly reduce it, but only if we choose. Saving the life of ONE child alone would make it worthwhile.]

**(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack) On January 6, 2021, a mob of 2,000–2,500 supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.[a][28][29] They sought to overturn his defeat in the 2020 presidential election[30] by disrupting the joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes that would formalize President-elect Joe Biden's victory.[3][31] The Capitol Complex was locked down and lawmakers and staff were evacuated as rioters assaulted law enforcement officers, vandalized property, and occupied the building for several hours.[32] Five people died either shortly before, during, or following the event: one was shot by Capitol Police, another died of a drug overdose, and three died of natural causes.[19][33] Many people were injured, including 138 police officers. Four officers who responded to the attack died by suicide within seven months.[34]


It Better End Soon

- Chicago



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Friday, May 27, 2022

Kind-of-Cover . . .

 


A blast from the past. The Dark Side's (a Graboski spin-off) You Should Envy Me is covered here by OHO Live Millstone Cellars 2017.  OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve, & Ray Jozwiak

 


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Thursday, May 26, 2022

Think . . .

. . . about it

(from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/more-guns-do-not-stop-more-crimes-evidence-shows/)
". . . “If I'm a bad guy, and I know this place has guns, it's not a place I'm obviously going to want to go and do something bad.” . . . Is there truth to this claim? An ideal experiment would be an interventional study in which scientists would track what happened for several years after guns were given to gun-free communities and everything else was kept the same. But alas, there are no gun-free U.S. communities, and the ethics of doing such a study are dubious. So instead scientists compare what happens to gun-toting people, in gun-dense regions, with what happens to people and places with few firearms. They also study whether crime victims are more or less likely to own guns than others, and they track what transpires when laws make it easier for people to carry guns or use them for self-defense. . . Most of this research—and there have been several dozen peer-reviewed studies—punctures the idea that guns stop violence. In a 2015 study using data from the FBI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard University reported that firearm assaults were 6.8 times more common in the states with the most guns versus those with the least. Also in 2015 a combined analysis of 15 different studies found that people who had access to firearms at home were nearly twice as likely to be murdered as people who did not. . ."


El Paso
- Marty Robbins




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Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Ace . . .

When I see that look upon your face
I know that I’ve been dealt an ace of hearts.
Something starts.
Pulse is pounding like a conga drum.
The blood goes rushing to and from my head,
Turns my face to red.

So ante-up and hit me once then hit me twice.
The stakes are high. 
You know I’ve got to keep as cool as ice.
This game we’re in together
Could end as quickly as it starts.
But I’ll just take my chances.
I’ll just take my chances
Cause I know that I have you
And you’re my . . . 
Ace of hearts.
I know that I have you and you’re my 
Ace of hearts.

Deal me in I’m staying for the course
And if I lose don’t feel remorse for me.
You will always be
In my every breath and in my soul.
When chips are down you take control and then
Bring me back again.


Ace of Hearts
- Ray Jozwiak




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Monday, May 23, 2022

The Eyes . . .

. . . no, the EARS of the beholder . . . 

Cover versions of the song 'Let It Be Me'. 

(from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be_Me_(The_Everly_Brothers_song)
". . . Cover versions . . . 
1965 – The Shadows recorded the song for their fourth album, The Sound of The Shadows.
1965 – Sonny & Cher recorded the song for their debut album, Look at Us.[vague]
1965 – Skeeter Davis and Bobby Bare included a recording of the song on their duets album Tunes for Two[3]
1966 – Australian pop star Johnny Young, with his backing band Kompany, released this song on an EP. It was a top 10 hit record[vague] in Australia.
1966 – Nancy Sinatra included it on her album How Does That Grab You?
1966 - Manfred Mann on EP Just Like a Woman[4]
1967 – The Sweet Inspirations released their version as a single. The song reached Billboard's R&B chart[vague] and also became a minor Hot 100 hit.[5]
1968 – Françoise Hardy recorded a version for her album En anglais
1969 – Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry had a Top Forty Hot 100 hit[vague] duet with their version of the song. It also charted on Billboard's country chart.[vague]
1969 - Petula Clark included it on her UK album Portrait of Petula.
1969 – The 5th Dimension covered it on their hit album The Age of Aquarius (album). The song featured lead vocals from Billy Davis Jr.
1969 - Tom Jones included it on his cover album This is Tom Jones.
1970 – Elvis Presley performed a live version on his album On Stage. It later appeared on his compilation album with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2016. The album was titled after the Presley hit, The Wonder of You.
1970 – Bob Dylan covered the song on his double album Self Portrait.
1970 - Roberta Flack made a version for her second album Chapter Two.
1972 - Nina Simone released a version on the 1974 album It Is Finished.
1976 - New Trolls released a version on the 1976 album Concerto Grosso n.2.
1980 - Kenny Rogers and Dottie West released a version on the 1980 album Sweet Harmony.[citation needed]
1982 - Willie Nelson recorded the song for his album Always On My Mind and released it as a single.
1994 – Julio Iglesias recorded a version with Art Garfunkel for his album Crazy.
2009 - Rod Stewart recorded a version with Jennifer Hudson for his album Soulbook.
2012 – George Harrison's old demo cover of the song was included in the compilation album, Early Takes: Volume 1.
2014 – Bryan Adams included his version on the Japanese edition of his album Tracks of My Years.


Let It Be Me
- The Pointer Sisters



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Sunday, May 22, 2022

Notoriety . . .


So another learning experience. The blog that previously filled this space was removed for 'violating' Blogger's spam policy. After re-reading the policy, I can tell you I get it. I can also tell you my words were  not intended to express hate nor promote violence of any type. They were meant to express my feeling of inundation by our pop culture (which we ourselves have built) of information wantonly and perpetually published as a result of the notoriety of the parties in question. 

To clarify the impetus of my original thoughts, I must preface- I have the greatest sympathy for anyone that has or is suffering domestic abuse in any form or fashion and believe that they deserve recourse through the legal system. I do NOT espouse violence of any kind and would not promote such a thing in any way.

The parties in question in my recent blog post will remain unnamed. I will only say that while I wish full and complete justice for any innocent person(s) violated in such a way as the parties which inspired my original thought, there are countless and many other issues and wrongs going unresolved that you and I will NOT read about merely because THOSE parties do not possess fame, money or power. And while I don't necessarily think a 'heaven' or 'lord' exists that will help us resolve problems that we refuse solve, I love the sentiment expressed in the song to which I've attached the link below. 


Heaven Help Us All
- Stevie Wonder



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