Guns - Political Cartoons

Bits and Pieces

I had an appointment for 90 minutes in the dentist's chair yesterday, and ended up in there for 150 minutes instead.  I was not happy. The dentist office scares me witless anyway...  I had two cavities to be filled - the two upper rear molars.  During the procedure, which took 8 Lidocaine injections, a wedge that was placed between the two teeth shattered.  The dentist had to dig the pieces out, after trying to flush them out with air and water.  One piece ended up jammed against my jaw bone, and had to be surgically removed.  I have to go back again on 10 March for more work and X-Rays...
   I am very disappointed that Betsy DeVos was voted in as the Secretary of Education yesterday.  The vote in the Senate was tied at 50, so the Vice President got to cast his vote as the Senate President.  Of course, he voted for the nominee.  I still can't believe that the person in charge of education has never attended a public school, nor gone to a university or college, and that her children haven't either.  And the craziest thing was her support of teachers having guns in classrooms so they could protect the students from grizzly bear attacks...
   I just read several entertaining and revealing articles about how practicing psychologists view the newly-elected President.  The term malignant narcissist keeps floating around in my mind - along with the nine points of displaying such a mental illness.
   One of my clients passed away Monday.  He was a 19-year-old cat with thyroid problems.  Two years ago, he developed a small swelling, the size of a pea, on the point of his left hock.  It was, essentially a small hernia and a major vein dropped into it.  Over the past two years, the pea became the size of a large grapefruit, with a huge explosion of capillary growth.  This last four weeks, he began to have trouble with his balance, because the grape-fruit sized tumor wobbled back and forth as he walked.  Because of his age, and the huge amount of blood flow, an operation could not be done.  Monday morning, the tumor/hernia ruptured.  He suddenly began to cry.  Susan, his owner wrapped that leg up in towels and took him to the vet.  He was bleeding out, so he was put to sleep.  I'm gonna miss that guy sleeping on my head when I'm at his house...  There are still two dogs and another cat for me to care for, but Pounce was special.
   Then, on Monday night, Tessa, one of my (client) dogs, had a seizure.  Tessa is an 11-year-old mutt. and other than having stinky feet, and one bad reaction to a rabies shot, has no problems.  He owner called me in a panic - but, by that time, the seizure was over, and Tessa was, pretty much, back to normal.  We discussed the fact that most dogs with epilepsy usually have their first seizures when they are between 3 months and 5 years old.  But, Tessa was inside (and unrestrained) for a double-roll-over car accident.  She was stiff and sore for the next few days, but otherwise checked out OK at the veterinarian's office.  Tessa, was, however, thrown from the rear,open area of the rear of the vehicle into the backseat - against the ceiling and over the seat backs.  We wonder, now, if she had a nasty head bump that might have caused this seizure...

Crazy Behavior

Logically, I know that "crazy behavior" has been around since the beginning of mankind.  While I was growing up, much of the madness was never heard of because we were then still relying on local newspapers and local news stations to report events.  The national evening news was tightly edited and gone over with a fine-toothed comb before being broadcast.  Telephones were the fastest way of communicating - there was no Twitter, no Instagram, no internet or world wide web, no Facebook. I've looked at several collections of small town local newspapers, and seen a lot of news items that would have made headlines today.  But that was years ago, when we were all still relatively insulated from the world as a whole, and before today's almost instantaneous news and gossip dispersal via new and trending technological  devices.
    I was appalled to hear of the shooting, yesterday, in the Fort Lauderdale Airport.  I was even more surprised to find that the young man accused of this crime had checked his gun and ammunition through baggage, and had loaded his weapon in the men's restroom, before going out to kill and injure multiple people.  But what really stopped me short, and made my jaw drop in wonder, was that the accused was being prosecuted in New Jersey for domestic violence - that he had partially strangled his girlfriend after striking her in the head.  Anyone who has been charged with domestic violence should not be permitted to carry a gun...
   The other day, I received a friend request on Facebook.  I looked at the name, and couldn't recognize the man.  I then looked at his Facebook page - the only information listed was that he was from Pittsburgh, PA and that he now lives in Boston, MA.  There were no photos of the man, himself.  There were multiple images of the Steelers football team, and a couple of photos that were, I guess, his dogs.  I declined to be the man's friend.  For two reasons: no photo and no information regarding himself; and the fact that he is a Steelers fan.  I know I have a bunch of friends out their who are fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It's because I know you that I ignore your team affiliation.  I simply can't stand the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers - and all of the rapes that he has gotten away with, due to his star football status.  There are several other "sports stars" that I denigrate for the same reason.  -  But the poor man who asked to be my friend has no inkling as to why I turned down his request...  Oh, well.
   I'll soon be heading out to buy cat food, kitty snacks, and kitty litter.  Then off to  pick up Donn's mail, followed by a stop at the library.  I've read all my books, am halfway through the last one, and need new reading material.  I think I'll pick up some ancient British history while I'm at it - my latest delvings into the family tree keep taking me back to the twelfth century, soon after the Norman invasion, and I keep seeing names I know from previous history readings.  I have to say, family trees are always fascinating.

Shootings....

As I declared in my Second Amendment series, I do support the right for individual Americans to own and bear arms.  But I do not support the right of people to go out and kill our law enforcement officers.  I am NOT saying that law enforcement officers had the right to shoot the people they stopped in Louisiana and Minnesota - far from it - but when Americans (or any other populace) take the law into their own hands and kill for no reason, I consider that anarchy.
    No one person has the right to decide who lives and who dies in America.  The people, or person, who shot the law enforcement officers at a protest in Dallas committed a heinous crime.  That same heinous crime was committed in Louisiana and Minnesota, by law officers.  But I ask you, if your son or daughter was in law enforcement, in your home state, should he (or she) become a target of hatred because of the death of another person in another state?  That is just stupid and ridiculous.
   I grew up in Florida during the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.  I grew up with segregation and, then, integration.  I was, occasionally, threatened, by females of my own age, but with another color of skin.  That initially frightened me - until I realized they were threatening me because they, too, were frightened.  I became best friends with one of those girls in school.  - No big deal.
    But what I see in the United States today is very frightening to me.  A few people who own a gun/weapon, are making a lot of noise by killing other people who don't deserve to die, and that, in turn, makes it difficult for those people who own a gun/weapon (who keep it safely and fire it legally) to say they are a gun owner without an immediate backlash.   ....  I know that there are people who rob banking institutions in America.  I know that some type of bank robbery occurs daily in America. Bank robberies hurt everyone involved with banking.  However, there are very few people shot to death during a bank robbery on a daily basis.   ....   This is not true when it comes to gun violence in the United States.
    If I lived in another country, I believe I'd be afraid to visit the USA on a vacation, to see the sights. One can read every day about someone being killed or wounded by an American in our country.  And the vast majority of those killed and/or wounded are innocent bystanders.  The numbers can be found, easily; and they are overwhelming.  They scare me, and I'm a life-long citizen.
   Death is a terribly final thing.  We, as American citizens, must put an end to our country's increasing gun violence.  Soon, there will be only one person left standing, and they will have in their hand, a smoking gun.....

America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part VII (Last)

I'm at the end of my "preaching" or "informing" or "grand-standing" about our Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.  It was passed into law on 15 December 1791.  It states:  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
   I support the ownership and use of firearms.  As I stated before, I do not own one, myself.  Many of my relatives and friends own and use their guns - and I'm happy to support their right and legal freedom to do so.  All of my friends who own firearms have a locked and safe storage area for their guns and ammunition.  They practice shooting at ranges and in competitions.  They hunt wildlife for their tables - they don't go out and shoot a deer or elk for trophy antlers - they preserve and eat the bounty of the beast's body.  I have eaten deer, elk, rabbit, alligator, and turtle meat, along with other livestock bred for the table.  A lot of residents of Alaska are subsistence hunters, and the only meat they eat is the wildlife they kill and process themselves.
   In the last 72 hours, three headlines caught my attention - all three dealing with gun violence.  In Fort Worth, Texas, at an unauthorized party at a nonprofit "Safe Place" dance studio, there was a gang related shooting, according to police investigators.  Two people died and at least five more were injured.   Also in Texas, in the city of Katy, a mother shot and killed her two daughters, aged 22 and 17, in the street outside their home.  When police arrived, the woman refused to put her gun down.  An officer had to shoot her.  That made three dead in a family.  And, finally, in East Orange, New Jersey, a 6-year-old boy found his mother's loaded pistol.  He was playing with it and shot his 4-year-old brother in the head.  The 6-year-old is now a killer.
   I believe that gun laws need to be reformed and re-stated.  When the Constitution was written, and the Second Amendment passed, the 6-pound cannon and the flintlock black powder rifle were most efficient weapons of the time.
   I believe that normal citizens of the United States should be allowed to purchase a pistol or revolver, a rifle or a shotgun.  But I also believe that semi-automatic and automatic firing systems for these weapons should not be allowed - except for the use by SWAT teams and our military personnel.
I don't believe that a box magazine that will hold more than ten cartridges should be sold to the average, every-day United States citizen.  I think that a person who purchases a gun in the United States should have to pass a background check and a psychological test.  Every gun owner should have to pass a knowledge and safety test.  I also believe that it should be the law in every state that arms should be kept in locked safe boxes, except when traveling to or from the shooting range, or on the way to a hunt.
   You don't need an AK-47 to hunt for a deer.  You don't need a 30 to 50 cartridge magazine to put dinner on the table.  If you need either for the purpose I stated, then you shouldn't be allowed to shoot or own a weapon.
   I can see that in certain shooting competitions, one might want a large magazine to pursue some "fancy shooting" of targets.  I believe that the law should make sure that only accredited gun competitions would be allowed to have large box magazines - for competition only.  - Of course, I would want to allow our Armed Forces and Law Enforcement officers to use their discretion for their specific needs.
   Are these things too much to ask for in a so-called civilized society?  I think not.

America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part VI

As an American, I was raised to believe in, and still do believe that as an American, I have "the right to bear arms."  I have fired a pistol, and I've fired a rifle, and I've fired a shotgun.  I've killed eight large rattlesnakes on farm property in Florida, using all three types of weapons.  I am definitely not against the Second Amendment - but looking at facts and statistics make me wonder if all Americans, other than felons, should be able to purchase a gun.

   Here are 15 incontrovertible gun facts that were first published on 23 December 2015.
"There were the six children, their mother and her boyfriend in Houston, Texas.  The nine worshippers in a church in Charleston, South Carolina. the 53-year-old father who tried to stop three men from ransacking a metalworker's minivan in Brooklyn.  The 28-year-old mother of two in Indianapolis whose new husband shot her in the face 13 times.  The two young reporters shot to death during a live news broadcast in Moneta, Virginia. And the thousands just like them whose deaths did not make the front page.
  While many victims' names may quickly disappear from the public eye, their stories live on in the statistics that help us to understand the scale of gun violence in the United States. Below is a compilation of numbers that added up to a significant year in gun debate in 2015.
1.  As of December 23, a total of 12,942 people had been killed in the United States in 2015 in a gun homicide, unintentional shooting or murder/suicide.    On an average day in 2015, 36 Americans were killed by guns, a number that excludes most suicides.  According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit website that scours more than 1,500 sources to track gun deaths and injuries in the US, there have been more than 50,000 incidents of gun violence in 2015.  The numbers include everything from homicides and multiple-victim gang assaults to incidents of self-defense and accidental shootings.  The organization's records show that more than 12,000 people have been killed with guns this year, but what the numbers do not record - due to government reporting practices - is a massive hole in the data: the nearly 20,000 Americans who end their lives with a gun each year.  Nor does its already high injury tally capture the full extent of the victims who continue life with debilitating wounds and crushing medical bills.  When the federal statistics for 2015 are released two years from now, the government's models will show tens of thousands more gun-related  injuries.
2.   Terrorism dominates headlines and budget lines while a more lethal scourge persists at home.  From 2005 to 2015, 71 Americans were killed on US soil in terrorist attacks.  301,797 people were killed via gun violence in the same period.  In his remarks following the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College on October 1, President Obama said he knew his outrage over the country's unrelenting gun violence would be interpreted by critics as "politicizing" the issue.  Fine, he said, and asked news organizations to check the facts: "Tally up the number of Americans who've been killed through terrorist attacks over the last decade and the number of Americans who've been killed by gun violence, and post those side-by-side."  Several did, and Obama's point was made: Amid the government's massive, justifiable effort to squelch terror threats, comparatively little has been done to address a problem that has claimed exponentially more US lives.  According to an October poll, 40 percent of Americans say they know someone who was fatally shot, or committed suicide, with a gun.
3.   Mass shootings - as measured by four or more people shot, regardless of total fatalities - have taken place in nearly 100 metropolitan areas over the last 12 months.  Austin, Texas is the only city with a population of 400,000 or more that has not experienced a mass shooting since 2013.  The Mass Shooting Tracker counts domestic homicides in its tally, as well as sprays of gunfire that wound several people at once - but often are not counted among the San Bernardinos or Umpquas because the victims survived.  Two such incidents occurred on Father's Day this year, when 10 people were shot at a block party in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 12 people were shot at a child's birthday party in Detroit, Michigan.
4.   The vast majority of the nation's gun violence does not look like Umpqua or Charleston or San Bernardino.  Mass shootings account for less than 2 % of annual gun deaths.  Though mass shootings demand nonstop coverage, it's the shootings taking place in parking lots, bars, schools, bedrooms, and street corners across America that are responsible for most gun injuries and deaths.
5.   Black men are disproportionately affected by gun violence.  Of the 30 Americans murdered with guns on the average day in America, roughly 50 % of the victims are black men, who make up only 6 % of the population.  A November ProPublica article noted that half of American gun death victims are men of color in "poor, segregated neighborhoods that have little political clout."  Timothy Heaphy, a former US attorney in Virginia, says this is precisely why they don't capture the public's attention.  "I don't think we care about African-American lives as much as we care about white lives," he said.
6.   At a rate of more than twice a day, someone under 18 has been shot and killed.  At least 756 American children have been killed by gunfire this year.  A remarkable 75 % of children killed with guns this year have been under the age of 12.  Since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago, an American child under 12 has died by intentional and accidental gunfire every other day.  And these children are far more likely to die from guns held by family members and acquaintances than by strangers, according to FBI data.  -  On August 18, 9-year-old Jamyla Bolden was killed by a bullet fired into her Ferguson, Missouri home as she did her homework on her bed.  "Usually when we hear gunshots, she's the first one who yells, 'Mom, they're shooting!'" her mother told KMOV, a local news station.  "I noticed Jamyla wasn't saying anything.  That's the main thing I remember; her not moving."
7.   Unsecured guns have turned dozens of toddlers into killers - and many more into victims.  In 2015, on average, a toddler in America shoots someone about once a week.  19 toddlers have killed themselves, while 25 more injured themselves.  13 toddlers injured other people and 2 toddlers killed other people.  Children younger than 3 have gotten hold of guns and shot someone at least 59 times in 2015, which is a disturbing trend. Gun violence prevention advocates say that gun storage requirements and the adoption of smart guns that only fire for their owners could reduce these deaths, but the gun lobby vehemently opposes such mandates.  In November, 20 Democrats in the US Senate asked the Government Accountability Office to issue a report on the safe storage of guns in American homes.
8.   Guns are now ending as many American lives as cars.  Americans die in car accidents at a rate of 10.3 deaths per 100,000 people.  The key reason for the numerical convergence is the climb in gun suicide rates.  The comparative mortality rates come from CDC figures released in December.  They reflect a larger story:  While motor vehicles have been getting progressively safer, guns have killed people at a consistent clip over the past 15 years.  Unpacking the numbers further reveals that firearm fatalities are holding steady, while suicides by firearm have climbed along with the number of guns in circulation.  Some people theorize that medical advances are saving shooting victims who formerly would have died of their injuries.
9.   A gun in a troubled home continues to raise the risk of death.  Domestic violence assaults with firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than those without them.  This enduring statistic from a decade-old California Attorney General report emphasizes just how dangerous it is to introduce firearms into a turbulent relationship.  In no state is that more pronounced than in South Carolina, which ranks first in the rate of women killed by men - a rate that is more than twice the national average.  After several frustrated starts, South Carolina finally passed legislation this year limiting firearms access for domestic abusers - along with Alabama, Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. But 17 states still do not have their own equivalent of a federal law banning criminal domestic misdemeanants from possessing guns, according to the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.    -   In one of those states, Georgia, Vanessa Soyer was gunned down in front of her 13-year-old son in their Lawrenceville apartment on November 16.  A mother of four, the Harlem-bred Soyer, 47, was the author of a book about domestic violence.  Her husband of 15 years, from whom she was in the process of separating, was arrested for her murder.  "Nobody would've ever thought that the words from the pages of her book would become her reality," her GoFundMe page reads.
10.    Gun sales continued at a blistering pace in 2015.  The FBI processed a record-setting 185,345 background checks on Black Friday.  The same day that Robert Lewis Dear opened fire at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people and wounding nine, the FBI reported 5 % more NICS checks than Black Friday the previous year, setting an all-time single-day record.  If each of those checks resulted in a gun sale, it would mean that Americans bought enough new firearms on that day to arm every active duty US Marine.
11.   Eight percent of gun owners own a stockpile of 10 or more weapons.  In the United States, there are more people who own 10 or more guns than the entire population of Denmark.  In an online survey of 3,000 people, Harvard's Injury Control Research Center found that 22 percent of Americans professed to own guns - and that 25 % of those gun owners have five or more guns.  The Center's director, Dr David Hemenway, said that guns in fewer hands might actually lower rates of gun suicide and accidental shootings.  But the fact that these gun owners feel they must compile an arsenal raises another set of questions.  "Who are these people and why do they have so, so many guns?"  Hemenway asked.  "And are they really responsible?"
12.   Tens of thousands more stolen guns entered the illegal market - many a result of theft.  Less than 10 % of stolen firearms are recovered, as measured by their retail value.  -   The advisories echoed from sheriffs in Jacksonville, Florida; St Louis, Missouri; and Lafayette, Louisiana:  Lock up your guns.  More than 400 firearms were stolen from cars in Duval County, Florida this year - and 60 % of them were from unlocked cars.  In St Louis, reports of gun theft were up 70 % in August, and cars and trucks were targeted far more than homes.  A gun stolen out of a car in Lafayette was used to wound a police officer last year, and in Pinellas County, Florida, a gun stolen from an unlocked car was used to kill another officer.  Stolen guns, which are increasingly showing up at crime scenes were called "the engine of violence in Chicago" by police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in August.  The increase in such thefts has sparked a debate about personal responsibility and gun ownership.  The town of Orange, Connecticut went so far as to charge a resident with misdemeanor reckless endangerment after her reported his loaded .38-caliber revolver stolen from his admittedly unlocked truck.  Pro-gun advocates argue that stadiums and schools should be removed from gun-free zone designations, so people can carry their guns with them, instead of leaving them in  their cars.  The bottom line, says Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, is "be a responsible gun owner, take care of your weapon, lock it up."
13.   American cities continue to seize illegal guns at an astounding rate.  Chicago police have been taking one illegal gun off the street every 74 minutes this year.  Officers in Little Rock, Arkansas took 118 guns of their streets as of November.  And in Baltimore, Maryland, police estimate they've seized nearly 3,500 illegal guns in the last 12 months.
14.   Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy murdered in Chicago in the last 15 months.  The gunshot wounds to his temples had to be sealed with wax.  He wore a white tuxedo, red bow tie, white gloves, and red size 5 gator-skin shoes; his 25-year-old mother wore a white dress and a red hat to match.  Tyshawn Lee was the second 9-year-old boy to be targeted and killed by gangs in the last 15 months in Chicago.  He was lured from a swing set in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood and murdered in an alley because his father allegedly belonged to a gang that may have been involved in the murder of the brother of one of the suspects.
15.   The 114th Congress is still hesitant to engage with the gun issue.  On 16 December 2015, Congress held its 25th moment of silence honoring gun violence victims since the Newtown, Connecticut school shooting.  At a hearing on the third anniversary of the Sandy Hook shooting, California Representative Mike Thompson, chairman of the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, noted that Congress has held more than two dozen moments of silence since the massacre - but has not approved any gun safety bills.  In March of 2015, Thompson, a Democrat, and Representative Peter King of New York, a Republican, introduced a bipartisan bill that would implement background checks on private gun sales.  Since then, it's been bouncing from one House subcommittee to another.   -   This was also the year that saw a backlash against politicians who offer "thoughts and prayers" after mass shootings, but no legislative action.  Left-leaning reporters noticed that the same lawmakers who only offered empty platitudes were highly rated by the NRA.  On the evening of the San Bernardino shooting, Igor Volsky, a contributing editor at ThinkProgress, began Twitter-shaming them.  One by one, he replied to three dozen Republican legislators' "thoughts and prayers" tweets with the amount of funds that were given them by the NRA - a total of $12.5 million. "

   On Wednesday, 22 June 2016, Representative John Lewis launched a peaceful sit-in on the floor of the House of Representatives that eventually drew 170 lawmakers.  The sit-in lit up social media and infuriated House republicans, who claimed that the Democrats had launched "chaos."   Unfortunately, after more than 26 hours, no legislative action was taken; other than the Republicans closing down the House for the Fourth of July week.  House Democrats were looking for votes to expand background checks and to ban gun sales to those people on the no-fly watch list.

   - Please, just think about the numbers and the people mentioned above...  -

America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part V

Our Second Amendment states that we, the people of the United States have a right to bear arms.  I do not disagree with that at all.
   However, I'd like to share some statistics that were current  yesterday, 23 June 2016, in the United States.  Since 2016 is a leap year, 23 June 2016 was the 175th day of 2016.
In the 174 days that had passed  in 2016, here are a few startling numbers in the USA:
There had been a total of          24,978   shooting incidents reported.
The number of deaths were        6,406   from these reported incidents.
The number of injuries were     13,206   from these reported incidents.
The number of children were         273   killed or injured - aged newborn to 11 years.
The number of children were      1,388   killed or injured - aged 12 to 17 years.
The number of mass shootings       150   with 4 or more people killed and/or injured.
Law officer losses were                  155   killed.
Perpetrators killed in the act           386  by a law officer.
Guns used in home invasions      1,051
Defensive use of gun                      770   were reported.
Accidental shootings/firings        1,091   were reported.

   Do these numbers frighten you?  They do me.
From 1 October 2005 through 1 October 2015, the number of Americans killed in what were labeled as "terrorist attacks" in America were 24.  The number of Americans killed by guns in America during the same time period was 280,024.
    In 2015, an average of 30 people were shot and killed per day, plus another 200 were injured by gunfire.  This year, the average is (so far) 37 deaths per day, and 76 injuries from arms.

Consider this, please:  I do not own a gun.  If I applied for gun ownership, I believe I would be turned down, because I have been treated for depression for the past 20+ years.  I don't want to kill other people when I start feeling badly, I want to hurt myself.  I'm pretty confidant that I'd be turned down due to the background check....
   Am I scared of becoming fodder for a terrorist's weapon? Yes.  With today's instant news, and being an American citizen, I think anyone who isn't afraid is not all there upstairs.  But, let's look at some more statistics - again, all of the numbers I'm spouting are readily easy to check on Google, or any other search engine on the internet.  Not all statistics are readily available for our current place in time, but here are a few things to cogitate on:
  1.   In 2010 there were just 25 US noncombatant fatalities from terrorism worldwide.  More American citizens died overseas from traffic accidents or intestinal illness than from terrorism.
  2.   In 2011, it was noted that 17 American civilians had died that year worldwide from terrorism attacks.  At least 29 Americans died from lightning strikes in the same time period.
  3.   Of 160 countries surveyed, more Americans died from vehicular crashes on the roads than from homicide, with the exception of the Philippines.
  ***Using the Center for Disease Control numbers, the following statistics are consistently and substantially understating the risks of other causes of death as compared to terrorism, because I am comparing the death rates from various causes within the United States only against deaths from terrorism worldwide.
  You are 35,079 times more likely to die from heart disease than from a terrorist attack.
  You are 33,842 times more likely to die from cancer than from a terrorist attack.
  You are 5,882 to 23,528 times more likely to die from obesity and related issues than from a terrorist attack.
  You are 5,882 times more likely to die from a medical error than from a terrorist attack.
  You are 4,706 times more likely to drink yourself to death than die from a terrorism attack.
  You are 1,904 times more likely to die in a car accident than in a terrorist attack.  ***

Just a little more to follow, and I'll be quiet about the Second Amendment for a while....

America's Second Amendment to the Constitution - Part II

On 15 December 1791, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America were passed by Congress.  The first ten amendments are known in the United States as "The Bill of Rights."  The exact language of the second amendment is:  "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,shall not be infringed."  This Amendment II has not had the wording, or intent, changed since it was voted into national law, by the U S Congress, since 15 December 1791.  That was 224 years and 6 months ago.   At that point in time, the population of the United States was about 4 million.  There were 13 states, the population density was 4.5 people per square mile, and 90 % of the heads of households considered their occupation to be a farmer.  Today, the current population of the USA is about 320 million in 50 states, with a population density of 91 people per square mile.  We have grown, as a nation, quite a bit...
   Back in 1791, the most up-to-date weapon, that a person could easily carry, was the Kentucky rifle - also known as the long rifle, and as the Pennsylvania rifle, since it was developed and subsequently produced in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania.  This rifle was used by Americans in the French and Indian War, the American Indian Wars, the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.  This was a black powder flintlock single shot rifle.  It generally weighed 7 to 10 pounds, and the length was between 54 and 74 inches; the barrel itself could be 32 to over 48 inches in length.  The caliber of the rifle also varied, from .25 to .62; the average caliber was between .42 and .48.   An expert marksman or hunter could shoot 2 rounds per minute; some folks could fire three times in a minute, but their aim was quite poor due to their quickness of firing.  Depending upon the quality and amount of powder used, the muzzle velocity of the long rifle could be between 1,200 and 1,600 feet per second.  The rifle was effective at about 100 yards.  A professional could be accurate at 200 yards.
   Today, we have the Glock pistol and the AK-47 as weapons of choice in recent shootings. The Glock has mutliple variants available.  This pistol was originally developed in Austria, and can be fired as a single shot, a semi-automatic or full automatic.  The Glock uses 9 mm Parabellum ammunition.  It can be carried without the magazine, or with the magazine in place.  The detachable box magazine can hold from 10 to 33 rounds.  The weight of the largest Glock is 31.74 ounces - less than 2 pounds - without a loaded magazine.  The muzzle velocity is 1,230 feet per second; and, with an unlimited amount of ammunition, the firing rate can be 1,200 shots per minute on full automatic.  The effective firing range of the Glock pistol is 165 feet, or 55 yards.
   Then there's the AK-47, everyone's favorite assault rifle.  The stock version of the Avtomat Kalashnikova was patented in 1947 (hence the AK-47). It is known for it's wood-stock finish on the butt, grip and barrel, which makes it easy to recognize.  The AK-47 is designed off of a long-stroke piston model, which has a larger piston to help add force to the extraction, chambering, and locking of the next round.  This weapon is known for being able to fire in harsh environments, even if they are not well-kept  or cared for.  The AK-47 weighs in at 6.8 pounds without a magazine attached.  The cartridge for an AK-47 is 7.62 mm by 39 mm; and the rifle has a detachable box magazine that carries 30 rounds.  The muzzle velocity of an AK-47 is 2,330 feet per second; with an unlimited ammunition feed, it can fire 775 rounds per minute.  The maximum effective distance to aim and fire is at 984 feet, or 300 meters.

Colorado Springs & San Bernardino

I have always been extremely happy that I am a native-born American - a born and bred citizen of the United States of America.  America is my country, right or wrong.  As a voting citizen, I must follow our laws and rules of conduct.  I have always been proud to state that I am an American.  After the shootings last week in Colorado Springs, and the shootings today in San Bernardino, California, I am not sure if I want to claim to be "proud" any more.
   Today is the 334th day of 2015.  The San Bernardino shooting was the second mass shooting of the day in the United States.  It was the 355th mass shooting incident of this year - and the day is not yet over.  What has become of our great nation?  Why are these stupid shootings happening?  When did  "the normal thing to do" become loading up one's assault-style rifles, adding hand guns, and then bombs to deal with something or someone who upsets you?
    This reeks of sheer terrorism by the individual, to me.  Our movies, television shows, and computer games seem to make the majority of the public believe that it is fine to go out and kill anyone who makes you angry....
   I am very sorry, and disgusted, that our country has fallen to this level of depravity.

Thoughts On Violence

I dislike violence.  But I enjoy watching professional (and collegiate) American football and hockey games, and I used to get a kick out of watching professional wrestling.  These are violent sports, where injury is always possible.  Of course, I also enjoy horse back riding, both English and Western, and I have broken multiple bones and stopped counting concussions when the number got above 20...
  But I abhor the violence that seems more prevalent these days - gun and knife violence.  There have been more shootings at educational and shopping venues this past week.  Adults and children have been stabbed in their vehicles, in parks, and on the street.  I cannot sit back and keep my mouth shut...  What is happening to our society?  Why does it seem, apparently, that more and more people are using guns and knives to express and satisfy their anger and hurt?
  I'm the first to admit that I really love to read - and I read lots of mysteries, thrillers, fantasies and histories.  The mysteries and thrillers usually involve one or more deaths (and so, too, do the fantasies and histories) - but for me, these killings and deaths are at a "remove" - they are something I'm reading for entertainment, and unless the book is a history, are entirely fictional.  Someone makes up horrible crimes in their mind, and then sets a protagonist to solve the crime and deal with the evil-doer.  I enjoy them - and I'm always happy when the "bad guy" gets caught and turned over to the authorities, or, even killed by the protagonist...  But I'm very aware that this is fiction.  It is not real.  -  Reading history, on the other hand, can be sickening - reading of man's inhumanity to man over the years...  How "better" methods of torture were thought out, and more horrific ways to die were/are planned, is, to me, like stirring an old body, just to see what types of insects and creatures might appear.   On the one hand, you get to know how certain minds work; on the other hand, I always feel  - soiled - after reading how someone decides to "improve" suffering and death.
  Last night, while doing some research, I had the NBC network on...  I could glance from my PC monitor over to the television screen, and focus on what was happening there.  Last night, I enjoyed dipping in and out of an hour-long show about Shaun White, in his bid to make it to the Sochi Winter Olympics in two very different types of snowboard competition.  That program was followed by a re-run of an earlier The Blacklist, a thriller-type show about the man most-wanted by the US Government...  James Spader plays Raymond "Red" Reddington, and is excellent as a very nasty international player who helps the FBI capture people wanted on the Top Secret Blacklist.  I have always enjoyed Spader's acting prowess - and last night left me pondering...  In a scene in last night's episode, Red is trying to get a "tough guy" to give him some information.  The two are sitting at a table, and Red has secured the other man to a chair.  Red is smoking a cigar, and, as he continues to ask questions, which the other man won't answer, Red pours a flammable liquid all over the man's head, neck and chest.  Red threatens him with the glowing cigar tip, and the man finally gives Red the information he desires.  Red then shoves the lit cigar into the man's mouth - and stands there to watch the expected fireworks.  The cigar has burned down to a stub, and the man is frantically rolling his eyes and trying to keep the cigar from igniting the liquid in his moustache and beard.  Then, Red gives a light laugh, says, "Oh, the suspense is killing me," pulls a pistol from his pocket, and shoots the man with the cigar.  - I actually laughed when I saw this scene.
   During the night and this morning, I have pondered over my reaction.  My mind keeps telling me that another bad guy bit the dust.  It also says that "this is fiction!" And it also is revolted that Red can so cold-heartedly shoot the victim, who can't defend himself.  Characters die horribly throughout this series - shot, poisoned, burned to death, put into acid baths alive, beaten to death.  I watch it all, and am not appalled or sickened by the violence.   -  Is it because I am an older person, and know that such evil does exist in the world?  Or have I become immune to seeing and reading such things to such an extent that it no longer bothers me?  Is it because I know that this is fiction?
    But if I can accept these scenes of extreme violence and death as every day occurrences, why, then, am I so horrified by the fact that young people are going out and committing these crimes in real life?  Do we blames the news?  Do we blame the media?  Do we blame movies and television?  Or has our society just reached a point where we need a more restrictive "Big Brother" looking over our shoulders?  Why do the young people of today not seem to realize that the deaths of others is not an answer to their own pain?  Why do they feel that it is fine to take a gun and explosive devices and kill and hurt people they don't even know? I am just plain old puzzled  - and wish I knew the answers.
  (Please do not take this as the rant of someone who is anti-gun, or anti-knife.  Guns and knives are safe in the hands of trained individuals - it's the other folks who frighten me.)

George Zimmerman

More about George Zimmerman....   The man was found not guilty four months ago.  He's been warned once and ticketed once for speeding,  He's been taken into custody twice since then due to reports of domestic disturbance, but only arrested and charged this Monday.  He claims that he is indigent, has no home address, and owes $2.5 million in debt.  He was allowed to bond out of jail for $9,000 - after reportedly pointing a shotgun at his girl friend's face, threatening her, and breaking a glass table inside her home.  In September, police were called to Zimmerman's wife's home - both were taken into custody, but both told such conflicting stories that police released them both because there was not evidence supporting either story.
  Monday, 911 dispatchers received two calls, almost simultaneously - one from George Z, inside his girlfriend's mobile home, and one from the girlfriend who had been locked out by her boyfriend, Zimmerman.  They both told strange stories to the police.  George Z said his girlfriend and he were discussing things, and suddenly "just went crazy."  The girlfriend said that after she asked him to move out, he became violent, broke the glass table, and threatened her, pointing a shotgun in her face.  She said, according to news reports, that he had two handguns, an AK-15, and the shotgun in his possession.  She said as he was leaving - moving out - at her request, he started throwing his belongings around, and one piece of his luggage crashed through and broke a glass dining room table.  After she started yelling at him for breaking the table, he got out the shotgun, and threatened to kill her.
  Zimmerman's story is that the girlfriend told him she was pregnant, and that, due to his notoriety, she wanted him to move out, but that he would share parenting responsibilities. He said that as he was gathering his belongings, she started throwing things at him and became verbally abusive.  He, therefore, pushed her out the door of the mobile home, locked the door and barricaded himself inside.  Then he called 911.
  The girlfriend said that she was not pregnant, and just wanted him out - she was afraid of him and the four guns he carried with him everywhere.
  One of the conditions of Zimmerman's release on bond was that he turn in all his guns to the police.  -  Hallelujah!  The authorities have finally taken this man's guns away.  Even though I live two-thirds of a continent away from Florida, I feel safer.  ...  Now I am waiting to see what happens when he appears in court once more...

Another Shooting...

Another deadly shooting in Denver this morning - three dead, two confirmed as children. That is sad and sick. All I know at the moment is that this happened in a residence in a section of Denver. Bless all of them.

Today Is...

Today is many things... It is Sunday, the seventh day of the week in the United States, and the first day of the week in most other countries. Today, during the televising of 60 minutes of American football, advertisers will pay $4 million to have a 30-second long commercial played. In other words, today is Super Bowl Sunday. And, 54 years ago today, it was "The Day the Music Died" with the loss of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper in a plane crash in Iowa (and I am still thankful that Waylon Jennings was not on that plane as originally planned).
  It is once again a beautiful day outside - my kits have been playing inside and out for the past two hours. They've finally decided it's nap time again, so I can close the patio door. I did have a surprise last night; I was lazy, and dropped my jeans on the bathroom floor instead of placing them in the clothes hamper. I wandered back in a few minutes later, and just about freaked out when my jeans ran away from me... Lovey always used to get inside a pants leg and do this, so I laughed and said something, using Lovey's name. She burbled at me from the second shelf in the linen closet, so I had to giggle and talk to Nedi, who had finally poked a paw out of the leg...
  Let's see... bits and pieces of news: The past two nights have produced two more fires by the arsonist in Accomack County, Virginia. Friday night, an empty airplane hangar outside of Onley was burned, and last night, an abandoned barn near Parksley went up in flames. That's 45 arson fires since 12 November. .... Three hundred and sixty nine thoroughbreds have been entered into the early Triple Crown pool. All have paid their $600 early entrant fee. Only twenty, or fewer, will actually qualify to run, and will have kept paying entry fees by the first Saturday in May. Only one horse from a years crop is eligible to be a Triple Crown winner, out of the thousands born each year. .... Chris Kyle, a retired Navy SEAL and renowned sniper, was shot and killed at a rifle range in Texas yesterday afternoon. When I first read the news, all I could think of was, how, in the Old West, any man who was known to be good with a gun always had to be on the look-out for someone wanting to be known as the killer of so-and-so (fill in Jesse James, John Wesley Hardin, Billy the Kid, whoever). I wonder what this killer's motive was. .... And, I've been avoiding writing about the surreal hostage situation in Alabama. Why - what reason can be given - for kidnapping a 5-year-old boy with Asperger's Syndrome and hyperactivity, and holding him hostage in an underground bunker? The man who did this killed the school bus driver, in order to abduct his hostage. The child is, apparently, of no relation to the abductor. The abductor, according to his neighbors, doesn't like children. What is it that drives a man to such an extreme? What about the little boy? He must be frightened; and I don't believe that he can grasp why this is happening to him. I know that I just can't comprehend it....
   Addendum:  While Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow in Pennsylvania yesterday, Flatiron Freddy (here in Boulder) did see his shadow - which means six more weeks of Winter in Colorado.

This 'n' That

It's a nice sunny day out - the squirrels and the birds seem to be happy. My kits have been having a ball, running in and out, chasing each other, but Jim, the maintenance man, just walked by, picking up trash, and both kits skedaddled back inside. Since I'm not walking the Rs again until Monday, I think that I may go and, finally, see The Hobbit this morning. I've taken all regular meds, plus my stuff for the bronchitis/pertussis, and I'll take a dose of migraine meds and anti-vertigo prior to heading over to the theater. Currently, the movie is only showing twice a day, so I'll go to the 11:10 showing...

  I understand the new head coach for the Chicago Bears is the guy who prepared both Jay Cutler (current Bears quarterback, and known as a "coach killer") and Tim Tebow for the NFL combines, and that the coach really liked Tebow... Some sports figures are thinking that Tebow may be heading to Chicago. If that's so, I'll root for the Bears; but I'll never root for Cutler again. He totally alienated me when he was a Bronco.

  We've had several more people killed in gun fights in Denver recently, and I'm beginning to feel as if I live in the old wild west... A woman was shot in the back and killed by a spurned ex-coworker; a woman was shot in the head while crossing a street; and yesterday a Denver policeman was shot, and three other folks were in the hospital due to a strange rampage. Then, too, the Adams County Sheriff's department has shot and killed two pet dogs, without provocation,in the past couple of months; one of those incidents was caught on video, the other happened when a friendly dog ran out to greet the officers, and was shot 3 times from a distance of 15 feet. Add the killing of the elk here in Boulder, and I'm starting to wonder if maybe I shouldn't move away. (By the way, the Boulder District Attorney said he'll have an announcement about killing of the elk tomorrow.)

  When I saw the advertisement for a lighthouse for sale yesterday, I was quite keen to look at it. It's three miles off the shore of Matthews County, Virginia, in the Chesapeake Bay;the Wolf Trap Light. It hasn't been lived in since 1971, and is listed as a "fixer-upper" - it has five floors, including the light, three bedrooms and two baths. The price is $288,000, which includes a waterfront lot on the Bay, for the parking of your land vehicle and the pier for your much needed boat. If I had the money, I'd dearly love to purchase that place and make it my own!

Bits and Pieces

Just a bunch of odds and ends today. It's in the mid-30s here and the sun is shining. The kits have been running in and out for the past 90 minutes, but since Lovey is back in bed and Nedi is in the cat tree, I shut the door. I have placed nuts and shredded wheat out for the squirrels and birds, and have already been treated to a squirrel underside, as it ran sideways across the window screen... My brother-in-law called yesterday evening and said we'll be going to the 7 p.m. show of the Rocky Mountain Revels, and that Kathy will call and let me know when and where I need to arrive.
  Rumors in the thoroughbred racing world had Gary Stevens returning to the irons after seven years of retirement. It's not true. (Rats!) Gary has been getting back in shape exercising horses at a friends' training farm in Washington state, and is back down to 122 pounds. Turning 50 on March 6, he said he'll be behind the microphone and not on the back of a horse this coming year. .... Retired trainer Mel Stute, now 85, is still hospitalized after a fall in his home earlier this month. His son, trainer Gary Stute, says they hope Mel will be released from the assisted living facility soon after Christmas. Mel can't tell them what day of the week it is, but he can tell them where there's live racing, and who the top trainers are. (Why should a horseman/trainer know what day it is, unless he has a horse running?) .... Danedream, who won the 2011 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, is now retired. The 4-year-old German-bred filly who missed this year's Arc because of a swamp fever outbreak at her Cologne training base, is scheduled to ship to England in January to be bred to Frankel, who is entering stud at Banstead Manor. Once in foal, Danedream is scheduled to be shipped to Japan.
  I am still in shock over the stance the NRA (National Rifle Association) has taken regarding the deaths of the innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary School a week ago. I agree that our society seems to delight in violence, and that when more blasting gun-battles and tremendous explosions are included, today's movies seem to make more money. I have had training in the use of fire arms, both the pistol and the rifle. I do not own a gun. I do not want to own a gun. I believe in the Second Amendment right, that people in our nation have the right to bear arms - for hunting, for sport and marksmanship, and for self-defense. I do not believe that the answer to the mass shooting at an elementary school is to have a trained, armed sharpshooting security guard in every single school in this country. A single armed person cannot protect the perimeter of an entire school. It's ludicrous. I support the banning of semi-automatic and automatic weapons, the limiting of ammunition sales, and reducing clip size. There have always been discontented people, people with mental illness, people with a grudge, and there always will be (unfortunately). We need to regulate the machines that make it easy to kill others; not set up more armed humans within the educational system. Last Friday, and all the other days we have had violence perpetrated upon innocent children and innocent adults, should be erased from history. Remember the dead, not the killer. This is a very sad time in history.