The Second Bear Was Too Soft

The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States reads '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."

Let me go on record to say that I am jiggy with it.

And let me also go on record that I am ok with some laws that restrict what arms can be carried and by whom.

Is that a contradiction? Maybe so.

There are some restrictions that are already in place,undisputed. An example of this is that I can't tote a Thermonuclear bomb in my F150 to the Fry's parking lot.  I think we are all in agreement on that one. Also, I would probably have pretty universal agreement that I can't go patrolling the riverbed down by the Airport with a FIM-92 Stinger positioned on my shoulder.  Other restrictions can probably also be agreed upon. Do we want a five year old child walking down the street with a sawed off shotgun?  Do we want convicted rapists and murderers walking into the church with concealed 22 mag Glocks?  Do we think it is kosher to allow target practice on the grounds of a nursery, or a national cemetery, or in Grand Central Station?

Since I am guessing we can agree that none of this is acceptable behavior anywhere in this country, I think it is safe to say that we are all willing to negotiate what controls are acceptable. 

Let's face it, when our Founding Father's wrote the 2nd amendment, their Arms of choice were single action, muzzle loading, extremely inaccurate, heavy, with no rifling. The ammunition involved leaden Minie balls with no jackets.  It would take a good minute to load and fire, and the destruction rendered would likely be limited to one target.  I am not saying the right to bear arms needs to be restricted to the arms of 1789 when the Amendment was ratified, but it does help to have their perspective of the capabilities when they wrote the Amendment.

We should be able to agree that some restrictions are necessary, and that our Founding Father's did not fully realize the damage potential that Arms would advance to over the next 250 years.

So now, in my reasoning I think it should be possible to sit down at a table and discuss necessary restrictions and controls in a intelligent manner.  If we had been able to restrict the recent killers across America, theater shooters, school shooters, highway shooters, and all the rest to single action muzzle loading un-rifled flintlocks, then much less damage would have been done.  Is this realistic....no. I fully understand the reality of that.  But it is realistic that some degree of control can be regulated, hashed out in intelligent debate.  

Am I the right person to make these decisions. Probably not. I do not carry. And I do not oppose those who choose to carry.  I have found great enjoyment in target shooting over the years, but I am not a sportsman or hunter.  I am willing to be educated on what controls are necessary and which are not.  I myself have thought that allowing concealed weapons in schools and public places is not a good idea.  I also think restrictions on automated weapons, and restrictions on extreme magazines is a good idea. But I am willing to hear the debate with an open mind. But, after the debate is done, I am not alone to think that some changes, including gun controls, are warranted and overdue.

Therefore, let me go on record that I do feel the debate needs to happen, soon, and in a very intelligent and open minded way. I would like to feel that my daughters can be safe in movie theaters and church, and that my grand-children can be safe at school.  My United States is not a third world country, and these precious children should be able to live safe lives protected from the extreme crazies that are already planning their next tragic hits.  If we don't feel that this is possible, in these United States, than something very wrong is going on. 

Cheers, nca

Words and Pictures

My long time buddy Tom has been posting some awesome pictures he took of Upper Antelope Canyon. Spectacular place. Fantastic photos. Amazing really. I think Tom is very talented. I have several other friends who do photography and I am humbled by some of their pictures. I will probably have to get myself a nice quality digital camera here pretty soon. I probably would still not be as talented as them, regardless of the technology.

It makes me think about the old saying, 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.  In the cases of some of the pictures that inspire us all, the thousand may be an understatement.

I can think of this picture.

And this.

Yet, some words can not be replaced by a box full of pictures.

The Gettysburg Address had 272 words that could not be replaced by a vault of pictures. Those immortal words encompassed the death of  thousands of Americans, the ravaging of a countryside and the terrible yoke of slavery our country endured.

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12 was a mere 98 words, again a treasure of words irreplaceable by all the pictures in the world. Simple succinct, and powerful.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn: for they will be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek: for they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they will be shown mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they will see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called children of God. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

There are even single words that transpose all possible pictures.  The 'N' word comes immediately to my mind.  One single word that stores so much hurt, pain, innuendo, oppression, and anger. I myself would be glad to have that word eradicated from all vocabulary (sorry Mr. Twain!). 10000 pictures could not do justice to the impact of this single word on society.

We do have freedom of speech in this country. This blog is a perfect example. I love that right bestowed on my by our founding Fathers. Still, we must take responsibility for the words we choose to use.  What offends other people is real to them and does have consequences. With the freedom of speech we also need to think of the consequences of what issues from our lips.

1000 words, 1000 Pictures.  In a Web enabled world both are accumulated at a rate never before seen. Some pictures are not even worth the digital bytes they inhabit.  The website 'The People Of Walmart" is an example of this. Shameless. 99% of Web content is of this nature. And a lot of printed words are of the same value.  I have to think of the Twilight Saga as an example.  It is hard to believe that series chewed up as much attention as it did.

Every time someone posts a 'true story' on 'Facebook' my critical antennae rise like Ray Walston on My Favorite Martian. I find that I doubt every fact posted. Many of the 'facts' posted can be quickly discounted if you go to a site like snopes.com.  It amazes me that my antennae are so attuned, until I realize that I may be missing 50% of the ones that don't tickle my probes. It also amazes me that people repost these suspect facts without checking.

We do have freedom of speech in this country. This blog is a perfect example. I love that right bestowed on my by our founding Fathers. Still, we must take responsibility for the words we choose to use.  What offends other people is real to them and does have consequences. With the freedom of speech we also need to think of the consequences of what issues from our lips or posts online.

My personal preference is to not offend. And I feel it is important to express that I know my opinions are not 'facts'. My observations are not gospel. And I have a responsibility to check my facts before I profligate them.  I am responsible for my 1000 pictures and 1000 words, and so are you.

Cheers, nca

Anatomy Of A Disease

Speaking of Zombie Apocalypse....I want to go on record to state that the Zombie disease as portrayed on most of the modern Zombie movies is best classified as an eating disorder.  Perhaps the eating disorder is combined with Alzheimer's and leprosy, but the primary classification would still be an eating disorder.

As played in most of the modern TV shows and popular movies, the zombie apocalypse is preceded by some type of escape of a military grade virus into the general populace. This is some type of man-made virus.  So exactly which Government entity decided to mix leprosy, Alzheimer's, and eating disorders upon the general public is pretty much a mystery. My thinking is that it was not Government at all, it would have to be Monsanto or Foster Farms or another one of the big food processing companies.  They would be the entities most likely benefiting by a bunch of insatiably hungry and brain dead immortals. Think of the profit margin generated!  Beasts who must eat non-stop, but can not digest what they eat, and have no memory or brain function to curb their desires.

As an eating disorder, one can't stop feeling a bit sorry for the zombies.  They have no capability to withstand their addiction. They can not die without a critical blow to the cranium. There digestion track is shot. One thing never depicted in the movies is the huge zombie excrement problem that must be generated by all the half digested meat they consume.  Zombie crap every where festering. "Lift up the seat", "don't forget to flush"....all those learned behaviors are thrown out the window. Now it's a life of endless kill, eat, crap, and kill again. The endless cycle, the depravity.

Not to mention, these creatures are living in a world much like a Salton sea. Water water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Their Salton land is filled with other zombies, none of whom are digestible. Their disease prevents them from turning upon their mates for satisfying their unsalable urges. It is only fresh, uninfected meat that they must have.  Like they are on the Atkins or Paleo diet or some such thing. Poor creatures!

These programs never show what would happen to a zombie dining on zombie meat.  You would think some scientist or crackpot would have thought of this on the shows.  Dress some captured zombies up as mortals, spray them with fresh meat smell, and release them into the general zombie community like a Trojan horse.  What exactly happens when zombies dine on other zombies. Is there a zombie code that prevents this? Could it start a chain reaction, or a Zombie Zombie apocalypse.

Still, it all goes back to Foster Farms and Monsanto.  How did they intend to profit from the mess they made. It is obvious, they can make food products now without any government oversight, using any fresh meat source,  and no middlemen.  Pure profit.  But it's not like they can go back and charge the zombies for food once the live humans run out.  The zombies don't have Paypal or any other means to purchase from Monsanto after the last live human has gone. But rest assured, these companies must have thought this out and have an angle somewhere.  Some warehouse is sitting out there full of Zombie Soylent Products that are going to make someone somewhere very very rich. As they say, follow the money.

Cheers, nca

Don't Forget the Yellow Duck

I am contemplating on the two Tabasco bottles before me on my breakfast table.  The mild green Tabasco had a best by date of 2015, and a batch creation date in 2014.  Roughly, the life span suggested was about 18 months.

The traditional Tabasco bottle had a best by date of 2018.  This one also had a batch creation date of 2014. The traditional Tabasco could outlive the mild by about 2 years.

This is not something to dwell upon.

But still I do.

Why would the traditional  Tabasco be able to outlive the mild green by 2 years minimum?  I thought the meek were to inherit the earth?  Yet the hot stuff will outlive the mild by 200%.

So, what makes up the difference?  Ingredients?  The Traditional contained vinegar, red peppers, and salt.

Huh, this is what I insist on putting on my eggs? Really? Somehow I thought there was more to Tabasco.

But I digress.

The mild green had....hmm.... vinegar, jalapenos, preservatives, and salt. Preservatives, you fail me! Jalapenos? You guys have a shorter lifespan than red peppers? What's the deal?

At the current pace I use Tabasco....those bottles are going to vastly exceed the best by date by years.  I put maybe 4 drops on my omelette per use, tops. Well, ok....shed a couple of drops on my hash browns too. Still, at 5 ounces.....these bottles are going to outlive  the best by date by a decade or two. A waste of sauce really.  Somebody at Tabasco should think about that....what is the point of selling a bottle of Tabasco that has no chance of being used before it's best by date?

I was sort of counting on Tabasco as being one of the go to condiments in case of a Zombie apocalypse. Think about it, there must be thousands of refrigerators in America with a bottle of Tabasco sitting there.  And really, Tabasco does not even need to be refrigerated, just stored in a cool dry place.  This beats the heck out of Ketchup and Mayonnaise, both of which would spoil in a post apocalypse refrigerator world.  Most definitely, it a zombie apocalypse your best bets for condiments are Soy Sauce, Mustard, and Tabasco. Be sure to have those on your looting list. The Tabasco will take you farther into the apocalypse though, since you only need a few drops.  It will help those Lima beans and creamed corn you loot go down smoother.  You must know that the stuff you will loot out of neighborhood pantries will be the odd weird stuff that no one really wants to eat. The same stuff you donate to can food drives. There is a reason why no one ever donates the good stuff, that all gets eaten first.

As you prepare the looting list, make sure it is traditional Tabasco and not the mild. The longer time before 'best by' is achieved would advocate for that.

Perhaps they should start adding a new designation to the labels.  Along with best by dates, perhaps we should include the date for last possible use date in a zombie apocalypse. I mean, who is going to care about 'best' in those dire times?

The one problem I can see with the Tabasco...it comes in glass bottles.  Is that really a good idea in times of apocalypse?  Note to self, loot list, substitute El Pato for Tabasco if there is a choice.  Don't go into a apocalypse without the yellow can with a duck.

Cheers, nca