Supreme Court Justices Say Gun Rights Apply Locally

The Supreme Court opens the way for every man, woman and child to pack.

Well little Pilgrim, I'm feelin' Safer already. 

Shucks, if every Dude and Dudess packs, we will all be safer.  Like having all them nukes aimed at each other. 

Besides, think of the "Reality" shows we can produce when a stumble down drunk fires his cannon into a crowded bar and everybody starts blasting away. 

It won't happen you say?  What do you base that idea on, all the Peace and Love programs shoved down our throats via the TV?  Or maybe all the video games that promote caring for the down trodden? 

Besides, what good is packing a rod if you can't use it?  Remember , it's not the gun that kills.  It's the bullets. 

 

Curious Carl

 

no more tavern in town

 

When I was a boy most small towns had two or three taverns to every church or grocery store.  The store owners ran credit and lived in a fallen down house in town.  The preacher took whatever he could and lived in the fallen down parsonage next to the broken down church. 

But the tavern owners only took cash and always seemed to have a full house.  And speaking of houses, they lived on the top of the hill in the fancy brick home. 

So it was some bit of a shock to move to quiet little Quilcene, a logging village on the shore of Hood Canal, and find only one tavern in town. 

The Whistling Oyster.  A tavern with a great regional reputation.  Best fish and chips in the county and hamburgers as big as dinner plates and almost as tall as those served over at Fat Smitty's. 

You can imagine my surprise then, when one day we tooled into town and saw the big, "For Sale" sign above the tavern door.  All lights were off and no cars in the parking lot.  It seems that even unemployed loggers can't afford beer and burgers anymore.  Several months ago we lost our only gas station for 20 miles in any direction.  No gas, no beer.  What's the world coming to? 

 

Curious Carl

 

Poor God

Poor God.  I am so glad He has the job and not me.  Just think of having to listen to Sarah Palin every night at bed time. 

Curious Carl

doing wonderfully well...

Worse even than getting the answer in the middle of the night is lying awake still trying to figure out the forgotten word or name.  "Hmm...let's see, it doesn't start with any letter in the alphabet". 

I took an oath that I'd never become one of those people who couldn't finish a conversation because they kept forgetting words.  "We went to...ah...what was that place we went to?  Well, anyway we ran into...that fellow...the one you used to work with...or was he your neighbor...the fat guy with the bad comb over." 

I also was never going to grunt when I stood up.  Ha! 

They used to say of me, "My, you do so wonderfully well...for a blind man." 

Nowadays they say, "My, you do wonderfully well...for an old guy." 

Such is life. 

 

Curious Carl

 PS. I'd rather still be doing wonderfully well for a blind guy. 

 

is Braille dying?

 Not to be picky(pick, pick, pick), but if Braille is not dying, then why would we need to talk about revitalizing it? 

But revitalizing it is exactly what we need to do.  How do we do this?  School districts are crying the budget woes.  Special Education teachers are not receiving training in Braille.  Parents are frightened of Braille.  And the percentage of Braille users is shrinking.  How do we turn the corner?  I have known a number of blind Braille users who are so concerned about passing the skill along that they spend Saturdays and evenings volunteering their time to young students.  Can more of us spare the time?  How many of us show up at school board meetings to express our concerns?  Do we write our legislators?  Do we organize Braille clubs?  Do we go to our local neighborhood library and offer to teach Braille to anyone interested?  Blind or sighted?  Do we go to our local schools and offer to do speaking engagements to demonstrate the many uses of Braille? 

In short, Braille will surely die if we are not willing to find ways and spend time to promote it. 

 

Curious Carl

are we waging a Holy War?

There is a long standing fear among White European Judeo/Christian People that Islam is attempting to take over the world and must be stopped at all cost. 

We talk about our need to protect our supply of oil and of our quest to force democracy and peace down the throats of other nations, but underneath it all is the fact that we are waging a Holy War. 

I understood it when it was George Bush waving his Bible and urging us toward Armageddon, but to see the banner taken up by a Black man?  That's odd. 

 

Curious Carl

Brain Washed? Or just conditioned?

Brain wash.  None of us like to think that we've been brain washed. 

So let's call it a life time of mental conditioning.  I am 75 years old.  From my earliest memories I have been overwhelmed with propaganda telling me how great my country is, how fortunate I am to be free, how awful life would be under Communism or Socialism, how kind and caring the rich are toward me, how welfare recipients are a dredge on society and should be forced to work for their meager stipend, how Capitalism is the best system ever invented, how God looks over us and keeps us on the right road.  

I have been taught not to question my country, to pledge allegiance   to the Flag and sing God Bless America.  I have learned that if I work hard I can become president.  I can become a millionaire, the goal of every right thinking boy.  I can believe in a God who will guide my life, but I can use "business ethics" in my daily life. 

Shall I go on? 

We have been so brain washed that even many of us who understand that we live in a corrupt, decadent system, find ourselves supporting it.  I voted for Barak Obama, knowing that he is just another pretty face of Capitalism. 

We keep getting all bent out of shape because our people and our causes are totally disregarded or trashed by the Corporate Media.  We need to get over it.  Accept that this is our cross to bear.  We are not going to turn around generations of brain washing by the Empire Builders.  That's like spitting into a hurricane.  What we must do is to patiently build our facts and point out to anyone who will listen just what is going on. 

Our day will come, and we need to be prepared to step up to the line.  But the current corrupt bosses are not going to go gently into the night.  Hard times are ahead.  Nonetheless, the Monster will stub his toe and crash and burn.  I think it's written in the Bible. 

 

Curious Carl