Monday, October 31, 2011

My kind of Sheriff

After arresting a suspect for attempted rape, the Sheriff of Spartanburg, SC suggests the public get carry permits... and use them.

Link to story.

My favorite quote in the whole thing?

"I think I better stop before I get sanctioned."

Fun show, neat moment

One of my favorite shows is The Walking Dead on AMC.

Last week - Season 2, Episode 2 - brought about a moment of joy in the house, as Mrs. Usagi also enjoys the show.

The heroes were traveling, and had stopped. Of course, zombies are everywhere, and before long, a group of zombies is spotted heading toward the heroes.

The main protagonist shoulders his bolt-action rifle, and uses his sling in a "hasty sling" (second picture, this link) configuration. Of course, this sling usage is taught as part of Appleseed training, as well as being a classic use of the sling to help steady a rifle for a more accurate shot.


Of course, there is an entire horde of zombies, forcing the heroes to hide instead of fight. At which point, Mrs. Usagi says: "why aren't they using AR15's? Just two people could have taken out the whole horde."

Then we shared a pondering moment as the obvious fact of the liberal media's intense desire to not portray "evil black rifles" as being anything good came to roost.

Post Edit:
Mrs. Usagi would like to point out that there are "Evil Pink Rifles" as well.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my son today. He is 7.

The funny thing is right now it is 30 degrees. Today's high is supposed to be 57. When my son was born, it was 93 degrees that day. We had to use the AC in the car on the ride home that Sunday morning.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Well, I didn't like Pepsi anyways

Seems Pepsi is working hand-in-hand with a company that uses stem cells from aborted babies.

Didn't like Pepsi anyways, so this boycott is totally on!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Predestination or Free Will?

Last week, I was asked to be substitute teacher in my Sunday School class. This is not unusual - happens about 4-6 times per year... sometimes more. Originally, our Sunday School class had another "go-to" person who would teach in our instructor's ("Right Minded") absence. However, that person and his wife left our class about 4-5 years ago, and at the time, as Right Minded put it, there was nobody else left that could do it.

Funny thing - I never asked to be sub. Never really wanted to be the sub. But, not wanting to put a friend in a tough spot, I accepted. To be 100% truthful, it is one of the few things in life I truly do not look forward to doing, but do so out of a strong sense of duty.

At the heart of my personal preference to not teach is the simple fact that I know I am strongly opinionated, and my concern that this will some day put a friend in a tough spot. I thought that had actually come this past week.

A new member to the class was present last week. It so happens that this person is Calvinist, though I was unaware of that fact at the time - it would become painfully clear at the end of that class. Of note in Calvinism, is the philosophy of "the 5 points."

Of note for last Sunday in particular, was the opinion (pro and con) on predestination. (PS - that Wikipedia article actually has a really good segment on the Christian take on the subject, and lays out a lot of good pros and cons). Specifically put, the Calvinist concept of predestination is essentially that those who are and are to be saved by Christ have somehow been selected specially by God ahead of time.

I do not believe in predestination in the least, for a number of reasons. Most notably, the only way that an argument can be made for predestination is to systematically ignore and reassign the meaning of the written words contained in the scripture. Additionally, the scripture is chock-full of reference after reference after reference of Salvation being the gift of God, and being offered to all mankind, and available for us to choose of our own free will.

Simply put - God is not sitting up in Heaven, "playing with his dolls" as it were.
Of course, the Bible actually starts out with mankind's first account of free will in Genesis chapter 2. God gives man a choice, and the consequences of a poor decision:
“From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

For a more in-depth set of reasons on why I will never accept the ill-conceived concept of predestination, see this article. Also, another basic reason is that the Bible teaches the concept of "Free Will" and that no words have to be twisted to believe it - even Calvinists cannot deny the concept (only twist it).

The Basics:

At the heart of the disagreement last Sunday, were the Biblical verses from Romans 8:28-30. With my fellow student spouting the typical arguments about "the elect" and he himself 'electing' (pun intended) to misinterpret the words of the verse to read that God foreknew (argued by him to mean that God caused, instead of simply knowing ahead of time), and therefore predestined the "elect."

That very argument, while popular in certain small segments of (most) Presbyterian and (a very few) Baptist circles, is filled with holes:

1. "The elect" or "the chosen," are phrases used by Paul a lot in his epistles. It is used as another way of referring to Christians - as Paul used the terminology to replace the Jews. In fact, every scripture that references the elect and predestination is in fact talking about the Jews!

2. The Greek original word "proginosko" has a simple meaning of having known about something beforehand. There is no implication by any Greek scholars (only Calvinists) that the term means any sort of causal relationship.

3. Even the word "predestined" is not used in a context such as the Calvinists argue. Their argument comes solely from isolating the word and applying a stretched meaning of a translated word (proorizo). Instead of looking at the entire passage, which clearly talks about God causing things to work together for His perfect Will - forming a plan for Salvation of sinners (and, as part of that plan, to be conformed to the image of Christ), and eventually giving those sinners the Glory of God.
Note: This same concept is also mentioned clearly in Ephesians 1:1-10. Of the six times the word "proorizo" is written in the Greek translations of the Bible, these two passages contain half (three of the six) of the instances.

Additionally, it is worthy of note that in the literature, one of the authors talked about the concept of predestination, and stated that it (predestination) was a concept only truly understood in the "annals of God's inner circle" - whatever that is supposed to mean. It is my experience that the Bible was written that all mankind can understand it.  The only people I've ever heard proclaim that certain topics in the Bible were beyond certain people were folks who were really arrogant themselves - often stemming from a classically trained background which espouses such garbage.

The Problem:

Sadly, the disagreement happened toward the end of class. We were already a few minutes past normal dismissal time, so there was not time to give an adequate rebuttal. And to do so in future Sunday School classes would be inappropriate. I would gladly debate the topic with this individual or any other. Absent that, I'll put the crux of my beliefs here.

The difference:

My fellow student claimed that my interpretation was "not what the verse says," when I pointed out that the passage does not talk about predestination in the sense that God caused all these things to happen - but rather that God set into motion His perfect plan, and set it up such that Christians (referred to by Paul as "the elect") would have an avenue (Christ Jesus) to become like Him. Therefore, let's examine the passage and see what really is:
Romans 8:28-30 -
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan. God knew them before he made the world, and he chose them to be like his Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters. God planned for them to be like his Son; and those he planned to be like his Son, he also called; and those he called, he also made right with him; and those he made right, he also glorified.


"Foreknew:"

"For those whom He foreknew" - found in several translations. My fellow student tried to claim that the Greek word here for "foreknew" ("proegno" - root word: proginosko) not only means that God knew of these things ahead of time, but also that He predestined them to come to pass. Funny thing is, that's not the case.

 "Proginosko" is used 5 times in the New Testament (Acts 26:5, II Peter 3:17, Romans 11:2, I Peter 1:20 AND Romans 8:29). The other four times, it is used in reference to man's or God's knowing that or what something was or would be - similar to the modern English phrase "you know." In those instances, it is clear that man is not omniscient. The clear implication is "to be familiar with (before now)." However, for this one time, the word takes on a different meaning? As the author of  the link on the Greek word study put it: that is a very schizophrenic definition.

The very obvious verbal intent, put in modern English, would be along the lines of: "those God knew would become Christians..." There is no cause implied.

"Predestined:"

The Greek word proorizo/proorisen is used here - which has the clear meaning of God causing things to come to be. So the question is simple - what did God cause to come to be?
The only way this (or any) passage can be translated is when looked at in its entirety. God predetermining whom would be saved is a stretch and is disingenuous at best. Why? Because to assume that, one has to isolate a phrase out of the verse. The whole verse is: "God knew them before he made the world, and he chose them to be like his Son so that Jesus would be the firstborn of many brothers and sisters."

The clear and obvious meaning is that God predestined the Christians to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is the Plan of Salvation. God would make Christians to be made like Christ, and this so that Christ would be the Head of the Church.

Another way to say it is this: God did not predestine who would become a Christian. God predestined Christians to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. 

The Elect:

Another sticking point is the use of the term "the Elect" in reference to Christians. 
Paul, a trained Pharisee, knew that the Jews were referred to in Scripture as God's Elect. He (Paul) was displacing that concept (and rightly so) with the concept that Christians were now God's Elect. Use of this term in different translations of this verse and passage should be viewed in this sense. It is a failure to focus on the term "the Elect" as being descriptive of God predetermining them; rather, it is a term, familiar to Jews of the day, to refer to God's people.

Using the term "the Elect" in this passage would actually be an out-of-date translation - as the Greek word for "those" (people He knew of) is the pronoun "ous" - very literally, "those."

Romans 8:30

Again, we have to look at the focus of the entire passage, and not stop at a single word.
Verse 30 clearly draws on Verse 29 and refers to Christians as "those whom He predestined."
There is no indication of what God predestined, there is only a reference to define whom was called, justified, and glorified.

Summary on Verbage
So can we sum up who or what was predestined? Can we use scripture to prove it? Why, yes, we can! Unless Paul was schizophrenic, or otherwise in the habit of saying one thing one time and contradicting himself later, then we can summarize from II Timothy 1:9 -
"For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus."

So what did God predestine?

Great question! This link has an excellent sumamry:

What God has predestined:
1. God predestined that His children (Christians) will be conformed to the image of Jesus.
2. God predestined that the Gospel of Christ would be a mystery until He chose to reveal it.
3. God predestined that believers in Christ Jesus would be adopted as God's very own children.
4. God predestined that believers in Christ Jesus should be to the praise of God's glory.

What God has not predestined:
- Your day-to-day life and decisions.


The biggest fundamental problem:

The single biggest problem with the concept of predestination is that if some were chosen, then others were predestined to be eternally damned. It would mean that those who would never receive salvation never had a chance to be saved. There are two main problems with this line of thinking:
a) God doesn't work that way. He is a patient and just God.
b) What about the countless scriptures that state salvation is for everybody!


Another fundamental problem:
Let's use simple logic on this one...
If God predestines who will be saved,
Then God (by default) predestines who will not be saved.
This very concept is in direct conflict with scores of scriptures... most notably, those that tell us that God is merciful, God is just, and that God wants all mankind to be saved.


Other problems:
Calvinism, by being erroneous, is a false doctrine.
Christians are not Chosen to Salvation.
John Calvin himself was a fraud.
The concept of limited atonement (only some would be chosen to be saved) is actually self-defeating.
None of the "Five Points" is actually scriptural as written by Calvin.
Calvin himself was not likely a Christian even, but a heretic!
My fellow student was a self-evident Hyper-Calvinist. That is actually worse!
Despite Calvinists' claims to the contrary, Foreknowledge, Election, and Predestination are different things, not one and the same.
More on God's predestination of a blessing for Christians.
Calvinism is no different than Romanism or Arminianism.
The point of Calvinism is to make Salvation mysterious and incomprehensible.
If predestination were true, then the other side of the coin would also be true - God would predestine people to sin. This is completely against the nature of God.
If Calvinism is true, the Jesus only died for the Elect. Some scriptures to refute that notion.
All five points of Calvinism are false.
Why it is dangerous to teach that Christ died only for a few.
Cliff's notes on why the 5-points are all wrong.

This guy agrees with me.
So does Jerry Falwell.
This is a nice 3-part video debunking the junk faith that Calvinism is.

And here is the best conversation I've ever seen for simple debunking of the tenets of Calvinism.
It's under 5 minutes in length, and full of good points!


The main, root problem:
The root of the problem with Calvinistic thinking - specifically with the notion that God predetermines who goes to Heaven (and by default, whom goes to Hell) - is pride. Those who cling to the notion that God predetermined them and others for Heaven gives them a warped sense of a "holier than thou" mindset. In most cases, this is the one thing in life they can cling to wherein they can "legitimately" feel better than another person. And that is the real root problem: the pride of wanting to be better than another for one reason or another.


General Summary:

In closing, my final issue with predestination is the inherent attitude that must be had in order to believe it. I have never met a person that believed in predestination that wasn't proud of it. They have all felt they were better than someone else for considering themselves "God's Elect." Much like the Jews, especially the Pharisees of Jesus' day, had become. This concept is clearly in stark contrast to Ephesians 2:8-10. I urge you read the whole passage (Ephesians 2:1-10).


Conclusion:
Therefore, I conclude, in the absence of scripture to the contrary, God predestined Christians to be conformed to Christ's image. God did not predetermine the individuals who would be saved.

Anything else would be uncivilized and disingenuous at best.




.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Shooting Safety - The unpublished rules

Many people are familiar with the four rules of gun safety. However, in addition to these rules, I have some additional suggestions for folks going to the range. These are based on years of personal observation.

- Ladies - don't wear your low-cut shirts to the range. Hot brass in the cleavage is uncomfortable, and can lead to horrible accidents.
- Avoid catching brass from another shooter as it is flying from the gun. That stuff gets hot!
- Avoid sandals and other open footwear - hot brass can hurt (seeing a pattern here?).

Thursday, October 20, 2011

And it might just have turned out well

Recently, I purchased a Marlin 60. It was out of spec from the factory.

I sent it in for warranty repairs.

Well, this week it came back, and seems to be in perfect working order. Now, off to the range this weekend to sight in the tech-sights and make sure it operates!

The Mrs. thought it was funny - reading the gunsmith's notes, and seeing that everything that I said was wrong with the rifle was, in fact, wrong.

Funny. True. And not admitted by those who need to.

My wife overhears:

"ADD stands for Absence of Discipline Disorder"


Now that is funny. And sadly... it is 1,000,000% true.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Too funny not to share

First, a cheerleader falls into a pool.

Second, a cameraman falls while filming a baseball player circle the bases after a homerun.

I don't know what it is about people falling down, but as long as nobody gets hurt, these spills can be pretty funny. My daughter falls all of the time - and it's funny, too.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Let's straighten up some things

Recently, I had a conversation with a conservative friend who happens to be a devout Ron Paul supporter. He has lashed out at Herman Cain of all people lately.

This friend, and a very select few others, have accused Herman Cain of being against the constitution, lies, and other outright fallacies. Their arguments are the same ones used by the liberal left against Mr. Cain. So let's set the record straight - no partial clips, no fragments of what was said - but the whole story.

2nd Amendment
Some accuse Cain of being dodgy on the Second Amendment. They will use this clip as their "proof." 
The question was "do you support state's rights to regulate firearms?"
Mr. Cain responds that this is a loaded question - because it is. If Cain states "yes," then the conservative radicals can label him as anti-2A. If Cain had answered "no," then the same people would scream about Cain not caring about states' rights.
Here is Cain on the issue.
And again.
No editorial cuts, no trick questions, no gimmicks.

On the Federal Reserve
Some accuse Cain of calling Ron Paul supporters "ignorant" when it comes to his (Cain's) comments on the Federal Reserve. They will point to this clip of Cain talking about the Federal Reserve when he (Cain) was subbing for Neal Boortz. However, if they would listen to the WHOLE clip (not just the part they WANT to hear), then they would hear this:
"I think a lot of people are calling for this audit of the Federal Reserve because they don't know enough about it."
First things first. Fact is, that statement is entirely true.

Second thing to consider - who would audit the Federal Reserve? Answer: the Federal Government. Do you really think the government is going to conduct a fair audit? And even if they did, who would do something about the findings? Oh,  that's right - Congress.

Third thing - do you really think that Congress, or the Senate, would vote to end the Federal Reserve? That very thing that gives the US Government the power it has?
Answer: NO. The Congress would never vote down the Federal Reserve. Neither would the Senate. And the President cannot shut it down via executive order.

Summary - this is an "issue" manufactured by the liberal left and the Ron Paul supporters, in hopes of degrading Herman Cain's public, conservative image.

Taxes
There are those that claim that Herman Cain's "999" plan is by its very existence, against the grain of a pledge he (Cain) signed, promising not to raise taxes nor impose new taxes.

Of all the bogus claims out there, this one steals the show for most far-reaching. The 999 plan is a plan to completely overhaul the current tax system, taking out ALL current taxes, and replace them with the "999." That would be:
- 9% personal income tax.
- 9% corporate income tax.
- 9% national sales tax.

Fact is that the 999 plan is a step from our current, broken tax system, in the direction of a fair tax. 

The one little fact:
All the Ron Paul supporters like to hate on career politicians, and corrupt government, and they ignore both sides of one little fact:
- Ron Paul is a 10-term Congressman. Check out the earmarks he's asked for.
- Herman Cain has never held elected office.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Presidential Politics - October 2011

As a follow up to my recommendations given previously, I'd like to elaborate just a bit on why I am in favor of certain presidential candidates, and not in favor of others.

I've detailed my three primary issues: 2nd Amendment, Abortion, Taxes.
Several candidates fit the bill on those topics.

So why did I go with Herman Cain, instead of going with the slightly more conservative Ron Paul (who is endorsed by my friend, Joe Kirkpatrick)?

Easy - it comes down to two main qualities: issues, and leadership.
Several candidates agree with my points on issues, but of them, only Herman Cain has real leadership ability and experience.

Last election, we got saddled with a president who held certain "issues" that America seemed to want (wow - what a lie that was!), but no leadership ability. Last thing we want to do is elect the 180 degree opposite. The position of President of the United States is one of leadership - so we would be wise to elect a proven leader to the post.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

I would never have thought:

Actor and former mixed martial artist, Joe Son, is a suspect in the death of his prison inmate.

Joe Son, who appeared in an Austin Powers movie, is well-known in the martial arts world from his "adventures" inside the UFC octagon. In his inaugural match, he was struck repeatedly in the groin by Keith Hackney. Moments later, he submitted (can ya blame him?). Son went on to lose all four mixed martial arts matches he competed in.

Son then turned to a life of crime. In prison for felony vandalism, he submitted DNA evidence, which linked him to the rape, torture, and attempted murder of a girl from an incident dating back to 1990 (prior to his UFC "career").

So it would seem, in a moment of "Karma" all those blows to the groin in UFC IV would serve as partial punishment for the sexual assault he had yet to be convicted of at the time.

Joe Son is the founder and sole practitioner of a martial art known as "Joesondo."  My bet is that he is the "Supreme Grand Dragon Master" of that art.   :/

Final act of stupidity is Joe Son, who managed Kimo Leopoldo in UFC III, professing Jesus as his Lord. I certainly hope so...

My son can't wait to see this

Preview alert for a movie I will likely review next year.

The Avengers is based on several Marvel comics superheroes.

Thor, Ironman, and others join forces. What more do you need?

Monday, October 10, 2011

The Anti's are everywhere

A few days ago, I purchased a Marlin 60 which turned out to be somewhat defective. Marlin, being the upstanding company they are, send me a shipping label to return the rifle to one of their repair facilities.

Today, I took the boxed rifle to the local UPS hub to ship. This is the same location I shipped the Sig Mosquito from earlier this summer for warranty repairs.

The poor little guy behind the counter looked at me like he saw a ghost when I stated I was there to ship this box and needed to declare it as a firearm.

He first stated UPS did not ship firearms.

I calmly reminded him that UPS most certainly does, as this was a warranty repair, and I have shipped firearms from that very hub before.

He then said it was not legal to ship a firearm through UPS to a person.

I calmly pointed out that I was shipping it back to the manufacturer for repairs... not to an individual.

He looked at me crooked, then started examining the package and label. After a moment, he looked like he had found something. He advised me they could not ship the firearm since it did not have a part on the label stating "requires adult signature."

I advised him that if he scanned the label, he would see that the manufacturer sent this label, will sign for it, and everything will be just fine. He refused to do that.

I asked to speak to his supervisor... whom he told in advance about the needing a "requires adult signature" BS.

The supervisor repeated the BS to me.

I called Marlin, to see if they could send an amended UPS label that would satisfy the brain-dead clerk in front of me. The guy at Marlin advised that UPS would indeed take it, and gave me some interstate commerce verbage to use with them.

This worked a bit, until the idiot clerk decided to call his hazmat (hazardous materials) department, and his supervisor, and spew the same BS about needing "requires adult signature" on the label. Never once did doodle-britches or his supervisor scan the label to see if it was indeed a "requires adult signature" type of label.

They had me call Marlin again... which I did. I was more than a bit frustrated at this point, and at several times in my conversation with the Marlin representative, I used my conversation to take a dig at the jerk-wad behind the counter:

Some of my pointed statements:
"Yes, ma'am," (to the Marlin rep, but said in a way that the UPS "clerk" could easily hear, "he said they need that on the label. If you ask me, the guy is anti-gun, and trying to push his agenda on the rest of us." I said.

"No, ma'am, it is clear this guy doesn't know how to do his job, you are right, I should speak with his supervisor."

"Sir, please stop speaking for just one moment so you can learn something for the first time in fifteen years," (said to the clerk as he wouldn't shut up for a moment for me to explain things to him - like the fact that Marlin, part of the Remington Firearms group, has a national agreement with UPS and does this every day).

"Sir, and who is your supervisor?" (To the "supervisor" on the phone). Surprisingly, he stumbled and couldn't remember the supervisor's name. I reminded him how to remember it: "He is the guy who approves your time sheet, and whom you ask for time off."

Final conversation:
Doodle-britches gets a call, looks resigned, then says "OK," to the caller. He then makes his way back to the counter, and says to me "we will take it this time, but in the future, you will need a 'requires adult signature' part on the label."

My response: "Thank you. I see your supervisor learned he was wrong, corrected you, and you, in your last-ditch effort to maintain the power-trip you've been on for 35 minutes, had to say it that way so you could have the last word. But I understand. You haven't been at this location and in this position long, and you were transferred here because you couldn't hack it elsewhere in UPS, and you are about to get fired more than likely. See, if you would adopt a customer-friendly attitude, UPS would value you as an employee more, and you wouldn't be worrying about where the money to feed your family is coming from nest month."

I made sure he scanned it in, got my part of the label, and the shipping receipt, and left after that.

I do not think UPS as a whole is anti-gun, just this one idiot.

Where have we seen this before???

In Wisconsin, legislation has been passed that will allow for concealed carry via a permit system (very similar to TN laws), starting November 1.

The WI state Attorney General backs this legislation (not much he could do about it now, anyways...).

And liberals are getting really worried that the new gun toting law-abiding citizens will suddenly turn into ruthless killers.



... time marches on...

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Not at all surprising

Herman Cain's "9-9-9" plan is coming under fire from both the "right" and the "left."

Well, what else is new? If somebody actually fixed things, then people would realize we don't need politicians, and they would all lose their jobs!

A Day at the Range with My Son

My son is in the middle of a two-week fall break. Today, I took him shooting, along with my brother.


Would you look at this

My favorite rifle is without a doubt an AR15. It is handy, accurate, and can serve many functions as far as rifles go.

Many people purchase an AR15 (or almost any gun) from a store. Prices are usually $1000 and up.

However, for a smart person, the better choice is to build the AR15 you like. Here's a link to Del Ton - a quality manufacturer - that is selling rifle kits for $465. All one would need is a stripped lower receiver (the actual firearm, per ATF rules), and the ability to build one.

And here's a link to Palmetto State Armory - another high quality manufacturer - and they sell rifle and carbine kits starting at only $499. Again, one would simply need a stripped lower to build a complete firearm. 

I know of a place locally that sells stripped lower receivers for $95 (that price includes background check and taxes). This means you could own an AR15 for under $600 right now. Not bad!

What's more - from the link, you can get a carbine, a rifle, and have several other options to choose when building your rifle. Pretty neat!

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Funny how these things actually turn out

When Tennessee joined over 40 other states in allowing HCP holders to carry in restaurants, the liberals and the media cried out that blood would flow in the streets, and that there would be wild-west stye shootouts and such.

A few even tried to say that Tennessee's tourism industry would be harmed by allowing HCP holders to carry in restaurants. The media always pointed to bars - which is funny, because according to state law, TN does not allow for bars - but rather for restaurants that also have a license to sell alcohol by the drink. Of course, we knew this would not be the case, there was proof from other states already.

Well, it seems that the TN tourism industry has not been hurt by the carry law.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

I told you so!

Seems there is a blog out there by my sister-in-law which details some of the hilarious antics of my mother.

I blogged about some of these antics a while back.

Well, my SIL has done the same.

Same story - two different points of view. Still - my mom eating a whole dollop of wasabi was fracking hilarious!

"Millie" in the blog refers to my mom - the exact same woman who gave birth to me several decades ago.


Post - Edit:
Evidently, being "discovered" and the possibility of family seeing this was too much, and so my SIL has deleted all the entries except the "Wasabi" incident.   :/

Post - Edit 2:
And now all of it has been deleted. I have a rule of thumb that I do not put anything online about someone I wouldn't want them to find. Guess not everybody adheres to that mindset.

Heller 2

Link to an article on the ruling in "Heller II."

Fascinating stuff.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Same story, different state

When Tennessee started allowing guns in restaurants that serve alcohol (including, by default, bars - as Tennessee doesn't distinguish), liberals and anti-gunners said that the streets would flow with blood.

It never happened.

Friday, a similar law took effect in Ohio. Naturally, there were similar sentiments from the anti-gun crowd. Of course, there were stories about it, too.

And as could be predicted, nothing changed.

Props to Fox for pointing out in this article that:
1. 42 other states also have similar laws.
2. CCW holders must refrain from drinking while carrying.
Most liberal outlets refrain from pointing those things out.