Well, that magic number this week is 217.4 - not an abysmal result for a weekend of not watching what I was eating for a single moment. I also strained a muscle in my neck/shoulder on Saturday which has slowed me down a bit since, so I'm due for some extra leg days, and cardio I'm guessing. But it's going in the right direction, so small progress is ok, right? I think I'm back to where I started.

Ok, not to brag though, but although the number isn't dropping much, my clothes are fitting a bit better here, and there, and I think my butt is getting rounder. Which I want because I don't want to end life as one of those no-assed old white guys with jeans that hang off of them like a shower curtain.

I'm waiting for a phone call today, and having not received it yet is causing some severe anxiety at this point. So bear with me.

Also, I received a complaint that my Social Media pop-up was causing the site to be less user friendly, so I have turned that off. See? I listen when you speak, so please continue responding to me!

Guns, Guns, and More Guns

So, how many of you have heard the pro-gun argument, "But I LIKE shooting guns!!!"??

Anecdote time.

I like shooting guns as well. Probably not enough to actually spend money on doing it though. I had fun one summer a few years back with a loaned BB-Gun - kind of like a Daisy, Red Rider pump action short rifle jobber with a bent sight. It was "fun" to shoot. Mainly, it was fun to show off how good of a shot I was despite it being a piece of shit, and having a crooked sight that had to be compensated for. But that's about the extent of my adult "shooting" anything. Those cans of Mountain Dew that I was never going to drink didn't know what they were in for.

I used to play around with my father's old pellet gun back in the day when a 12-yr old could buy a box of pellets. I was into conservation, so I would target shoot into a plastic milk-jug filled with wet newspaper so I could retrieve, and reuse the pellets. My grandfather wanted me to sting the squirrels with it when they got in the hazelnut trees, so that gave me some moving targets.

I actually took one out once. I was heartbroken. That was the last time I used that pellet gun.

But growing up, like most boys, guns fascinated me. My father's rifles were in a flimsy wall hanging rack in the attic room. I knew if I touched them, I'd probably not sit for until I was old enough to drive. In Boy Scouts we had a few occasions where we would go to a shooting range. That was fun. We got to try out shotguns, and military guns, and hand guns. The last time we had such an event, one of my troop colleagues was standing with a local Sheriff, shooting with the Sheriff's nickel plated .38 service revolver. The Sheriff, standing with him, instructing him, was momentarily distracted by a conversation. The shooter, struggling with the hammer, pointed the gun downward to use both hands to try, and cock it. The gun discharged into his foot. I watched it happen.

"Doug shot himself." I said, pretty much as a matter of factly as that. Honestly, if anyone was going to shoot themselves, or someone else, it was going to be that kid.

That's how quickly an accident can happen, even with "expert" supervision.

And.... that was the last time we had a troop shoot.

What is my point?

My point is that, the majority of pro-gun arguments boil down to a want of people to have guns. The belief that the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights is some overriding text that stands above all other reasonable, and logical regulations regarding the types of weapons people can own, how many, and how they are handled. But in the case shown above, how quickly "the fun of shooting" can turn to tragedy, it only takes one careless gun user to inflict damage, or one careless gun owner to be an accomplice to the infliction of massive damage.

When we dig into the Bill Of Rights, we see that it is very outdated, and can even be argued that the government doesn't uphold many of the amendments. The 2nd Amendment, calling for a well regulated militia to ensure a free state was written when, as so many people point out, farmers had muskets. Soldiers had muskets. A platoon maybe would have a canon, but they're still mainly fighting muskets vs. muskets, and they weren't the most accurate of weapons.

The sixth amendment guarantees the right to a speedy trial. How long do many court cases drag out these days? The seventh amendment specifies in civil matters over $20, it should be tried by a jury. $20 folks... if you got into a spat with a neighbor, say over a tree on your property that had a branch crash down, and damage your neighbor's fence, and the neighbor said this is going to cost $25 to fix, would you demand to go to a jury trail over it, or would you just hand the guy $25, and a Blue Light, and help him fix the fence? The eight amendment; "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." Yo, so how does people going to jail for years, or even decades because they owned some dried up plant material stack up in the realm of "cruel and unusual punishments?" The internet is strewn with videos of police using excessive force, and forcing unwarranted searches of personal possessions. Homeland Security routinely violates the fourth amendment asking people for identification without just cause, or probable cause. But hey, they passed that whole "bill of rights free zone" within 100 MILES OF EVERY NATIONAL BORDER INCLUDING EVERY COASTLINE where your rights no longer technically matter, so hey Buffalonians, Our Bill of Rights, especially the 4th amendment, is now open to government interpretation!

 

The Spirit of Rights

If you examine the spirit behind each of the ten original amendments, they all pretty much relate to points made in the Declaration of Independence, and how the colonists felt Brittan was mistreating, and oppressing them. But they were written for the times, and we no longer live in those times. Yes, the right to not be searched without warrant is very important, but for all you 2nd amendment nuts, maybe you should stop supporting the wannabe tyrants that allowed government to encroach this one, specifically the Patriot act, and the Bush administration. You're so afraid the liberals are coming for your guns, but you keep electing the people who will take away every other right you have, and guess what? They know your guns are meaningless because if you honestly plan on standing up to an oppressive government, they're just going to roll a tank up on your ass, or drone bomb your family.

Let's even take this back to a less militarized era. The spirit of the 2nd amendment is really about making sure the federal government doesn't consolidate power, and states can rise up against a totalitarian regime. Which is pretty much what the confederacy felt that they were doing in the 1860's. How did that turn out? So, ask yourself this, and answer honestly: if you felt the government was truly against your best interests, and your pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, would you grab your AR-15, head down to your local police station, and start shooting? After all, that "Blue Lives Matter" thing is the government's front line of oppressors when it comes down to it, and they are becoming more militarized every day. Heck, my local police department rolled a military grade Humvee in this weekend's Memorial Day Parade. What the fuck does this town need a militarized Humvee for? Let's look at some local police blotter highlights, and try and see where this Humvee would be used, shall we?

 

• A rock, four nails, a towel hook and a wooden rod were found in the underwear of a woman arrested on Clinton Street.
• An Evans Street woman reported that she and her boyfriend had locked themselves in fuzzy handcuffs. Officers assisted them.
• Police received a call about a man with reddish hair driving naked on Haller Avenue. Officers couldn’t locate him.
• A blonde Chihuahua wearing a pink dress was reportedly loose on Emerson Drive. Police couldn’t locate it.
• A loud party “with bad singing” on North Seine Drive turned out to be one intoxicated man. Police took him inside.
• An American Campus Drive woman said an ex-roommate put onions on the couch and chicken under the cushions.
• A Harlem Road caller said two women were attempting to hitchhike and doing calisthenics in the street.
• On French Road, a woman said a neighbor was prank calling her because of a dispute over neighborhood cats. She thinks the caller is jealous because the cats like her better.
• A caller on Transit Road claimed a neighbor tried to run her over with a motorized wheelchair.

 
Yes, these are real. And yes, I'm sure there is some actual crime going on out there, not that the police have ever done more than take a report when it has impacted me, but did our tax dollars need to be spent on a Humvee for this?

Have I strayed from my point? I think I may have, but to return to it, your guns don't mean shit these days, especially if you wouldn't even consider using them against the police forces who are charged by the government with being the front-line oppressors, and if that's the case, give up your guns, and go find a productive hobby. Every day your fellow Americans are having their rights trampled by police forces using excessive, and even deadly violence. Who are you protecting?

The 2nd amendment needs some updating, as does much of our constitution with changing times. Mostly, our constitution, and governmental processes in general, need to get back to reflecting the concept of government for the people, by the people. Polls currently indicate roughly 2/3 of Americans are in favor of tougher gun control legislation, yet our government takes no action. That is no government by the people, for the people. That's a bunch of greedy politicians kowtowing to special interests, and lobbyists.

Oh, and as a final point, when I say "gun control legislation" I'm not just talking about taking guns away from the populace. The police should have to face much tighter gun control, or even disarm themselves as well. But we know that won't happen in our gun-loving, red-run America, so grab your Kevlar, and try to not be afraid of the next gun nut who is afraid of everything, and everyone around him, and has his guns to protect himself from "them damn gays," or, "them damn moose-lums."

In Conclusion

Sunlight is very bright. I don't think we really need the overhead LED lights on most days, dear office mate, when we have an entire wall of windows.