Chicago murders top Afghanistan death toll

Chicago murders top Afghanistan death toll

Being a details kind of guy, I found the above article to list some very interesting statistics from the Chicago Police Department. I would like to know more about the people involved in the murders, both the victims and the perpetrators.

• If a gun was used, did they legally own it?
• If a concealed gun was used, did they have a CCW permit?
• Were they members of the NRA?
• Did they graduate high school?
• Did they have illegal drugs in their system?
• Did they grow up with both parents in the same house?
• What did they do for a living?
• Did they attend a religious service regularly?
• Were they on welfare or other form of government assistance?

Chicago has some the strictest gun control laws in the nation and is one of the most dangerous places. We need to treat the problems that are causing the violence, not creating more laws that the criminal will not follow.

Education, better parenting, more positive role models to influence the youth. We need to be teaching others to work hard and educate yourself for success, instead of complaining life's not fair and expecting a hand out.

Because when that hand out isn't enough and someone has no skills or work ethic to succeed on their own., the thug life can be too much of a temptation.

When The Internet Giant Ignores You, Write A Snarky Email Reply To Their Autosender

After spending the last hour trying to fix an issue I surrendered. I tried to create a new email address for work, but somehow something is wrong with my payment information. Not only I can't access it, I can't contact customer support. I'm not the most computer savvy person around. I know the problem is most likely me. But I can't get in contact with anyone to help me figure out what I did wrong. So to vent, I wrote their No Reply email address a nasty letter. Not a mature or productive thing to do, but kind of fun.


Dearest No Reply Email Address That No One Will Ever Read,

Sorry, but I can't fix the problem. Hell, I can even see what the problem is. I can't access, let alone update my payment information. None of your FAQ options help. You don't have a telephone number or an email address to which I could ask for some help.

I tried the chat option on your "help" page, but that requires a PIN that I can only get once I access the account that I can't access.

I'm sorry, but I will not be able to resolve the issue. I guess I'm just not smart enough to give you money each month for your product that I can't get to work.

Even though typing this message has been a waste of time, it was a good way for me to blow off some steam. But,if you ever wonder why I stopped using your product, I hope somehow you'll know I tried. I really did.

Sincerely,
Shane

The above isn't just my extra dry sense of humor at work. I really did that. I'm not bragging, but I'm not ashamed either. I just thought some of my friends would get a good laugh at it.

Keeping Up With The Jones' | Bowhunting.com Blog

Keeping Up With The Jones' | Bowhunting.com Blog

If you are not into bow hunting, or hunting in general, you may still find the attached link to Bowhunting.com's blog a nice read. Another example of how this fast pace world can change one's outlook, and how much happier we could be if we just slow things down a little.

Bow hunting is one of my favorite activities of the fall. I don't get a chance to do it as much as I'd like. I rarely fill my tag. The main pleasure I get out of it is simply to sit in my ladder stand and watch the nature around me. That in itself is a great way to unwind a little.

Mr. President, We Are Listening

I'm trying to get off my soap box about the gun control vs. the 2nd Amendment fight that has taken over the headlines, but I can't let this one go.

While I was eating my lunch, ABC News was on the radio. They aired a report of President Obama saying that the Anti-gun Control People "are not listening." He stated no new gun legislation that is being proposed will interfere with hunting, which "traditions goes back to colonial days." He also said that he has recently shot a gun. He played skeet at Camp David.

Mr. President, we are listening. We hear you loud and clear.

You can't hear me, Mr. president. I'm just one American who you will never meet. Even if I wrote this message out on a piece of paper and hand delivered it to the front gate of the White House; you'd never see it. If I had a chance to ask you one question to you face to face, you wouldn't answer it. But just for kicks, I'll asked my one question to you here.

What does the 2nd Amendment have to do with the traditions of hunting or you shooting skeet at your vacation home?

As for my friends who read this, and the nation as a whole, I asked the same question. I also asked who do you think is really listening when it comes to this debate?

I wish I  knew what part of "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" isn't clear. The second Amendment isn't about being able to shoot targets or for carrying on the traditions of hunting. It is about defending yourself, your loved ones, your country and your freedom. Being he has a law degree from Harvard, I would think the President would know that.



Please Note:
I don't try to hype up my blog too much. It's mostly just a fun way for me to rant and vent without clogging up my friends Facebook feeds, or upsetting my dear friends who don't agree with some of my views. But I do ask that, if you would like to, please share this. I don't care about the credit. If you want feel free to copy the above and claim it as your own.

I just want people to know my right to own a gun is not about sport. And with that right (as with all rights) comes a huge responsibly that I take very, very seriously.

Don't Fear The CCW Permit Holder

As I discussed on my blog before, there is a lot of fear of the unknown and unfamiliar. Now that some of the politicians and media outlets have made firearms public enemy number one, people with concealed carry permits have been given a bad name.

I can see how someone without much knowledge on the subject could see the  average CCW Permit Holder as a person who has watched too many action movies. I can see why they would think a CCW Permit Holder would cause more harm than they could ever stop.

Someone could see the CCW Permit Holder as a one man vigilante looking to take the law into their own hands. Patrolling the streets late at night, like some Dirty Harry looking for a punk to "make his day." Or perhaps they see them as more of a "Barney Fife" type gun toting want-to-be-cop, more likely to shoot themselves in the leg than stop a mall shooting.

The reason I can see there concerns is simple. I have them too. There really is a bunch of "Barney Fife playing Dirty Harry" types out there. They scare the crap out of me and really piss me off. They scare me because they could make a bad situation worse. They piss me off because when they make a bad situation worse, or shoot themselves in the foot, they give the politicians and media outlets, who are against the 2nd Amendment, more ammunition for their fight. And more misinformation about the CCW Permit Holder is given to the public.

The reason that it is misinformation is this: those are not the average CCW Permit Holder. In fact, the majority of the time, its not a CCW Permit Holder at all. You see in all fifty states, and everywhere else in the world for that matter, you really don't need a CCW permit to carry a concealed weapon.

All you need is a weapon to conceal and the means to conceal it, and any jackass can do that.

No permission is needed and no "Gun Free Zone" sign or weapons ban can stop it from happening.

A person who is willing to go through the training, jump through the hoops, and pay the expense of receiving and maintaining a CCW permit, is more likely above average when it comes to personal responsibility. They take the time to find the right weapon for their needs andrequirments. They purchase expensive holsters to safely, properly secure and carry the weapon. They spend hours of training in classrooms and they spend many hours and lots of money practicing at the range. Instead of looking for trouble and an excuse to draw their weapon, they look to avoid trouble and hope they will only look at paper targets through their gun sights.

Unfortunately, the average CCW Permit Holder shares the world with the average idiot who will just grab a gun, tuck it into their wast band and head out into public. And the politicians and media outlets, who have now made firearms public enemy number one, see them all as one.

The below YouTube video shows that. It also shows that some people do understand the CCW Permit Holder.

Inconceivable!

Inconceivable Article Link 

When I saw the above article, I once again lost a little more hope for the human race.

First off, while The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies of all time, the guy's wearing a poor shirt for air travel. You over pack people into an aluminum tube. Half are afraid of flying, half are claustrophobic, and everybody has hijacking on the back of their mind.... and you wear a shirt that size "prepare to die" on it.

I can't fault the dude too much. I also find it inconceivable that the shirt could make someone so uncomfortable, that they make the fuss to make him remove the shirt. It is a funny shirt. In fact I almost bought a similar shirt (same one shown in the article, I prefer black tee shirts) several times.

If you have never seen the movie The Princess Bride, let me explain...no, there's no time. Let me sum up. It is a cult classic with many, many fantastic one liners in it. It's a movie everybody should see at least once... but I'm getting off subject again.

Now, where were we? Oh yeah....

I also find it hard to believe that the shirt could make someone so uncomfortable, that they make the fuss to make him remove the shirt. That, my friends, is the kicker! So you're setting on an airplane, getting ready to start a flight. Along comes this guy and sit two sets behind you. As he passes by on the aisle, you notice his shirt. The shirt says "Hello my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die" on the front. You find this scary. You think this scary man is up to no good, so you call the flight attendant.

The flight crew tells him to either change is shirt, or they'll call the brood squad. So he does and we all live happily ever after. Really? Same guy, seating in the same seat. The only thing that's changed is he doesn't have that scary shirt on.

Perhaps that shirt is an evil magic shirt that make people who wear it do bad things. You know, like what some people feel the AR-15 does. No need to worry about me. While I have a Princess Bride shirt, it's not that scary one. It's similar, but not the same scary one. While I have a Mini-14, it's not that scary AR-15. It's very similar, but not the same scary thing.

The point is this: if he was planning on doing harm, he would do harm with or without the shirt.

Probably he means no harm. He's really very short on charm.

It's Facebook, Not The Weather Channel

It's getting towards the end of January and we're in the middle of a cold snap up here in Northern Wisconsin.  How do I know that? Apparently a dozen or so of my Facebook friends believe it's because they post a picture of their car's thermometer three times a day.

Please stop doing that. Everybody over the age of three or four knows it gets cold in the winter. Everyone who as made it past the fourth grade also know the farther away from the equator, the colder it gets.

I have a thermometer outside my house. I can also get a forecast from TV, radio and the internet. Hell, I even have two different weather apps on my iThing. Besides all that technology, I can tell it's really cold out there simply by opening my front door to let the dog out. When it's about -20°F, he'll pee on the front steps and want back in before I have the door all the way closed.

Never once has anybody said to themselves "Gee I wonder how cold it is outside? Hopefully somebody has posted a picture of a thermometer on Facebook."

Of course, the same friends will be posting thermometer picks in about six months from now too. SPOILER ALERT: it may get up around 100°F towards the in of July around my neck of the woods.

Fear Based Reasoning Replaced By Understanding Based Logic, In a Roundabout Way

Basically I live out in the woods. While there is a lot more people in this area compared to when I was growing up, the area is pretty rural. The county I live in has two traffic lights.

There are plans to put in a roundabout where two state highways intersect. This has many of the locals concerned, and with reason. I used to be one of them. While this roundabout was just in the initial planning stages, the Wisconsin DOT started building on in the county south of the one I live in. It is at a intersection on a busy highway by a recently built Menard's home improvement store.

I was convinced that this was a horrible idea. People seem to have a hard enough time with four way stops and traffic lights. I felt that putting in a roundabout would just confuse people, causing more accidents. I pictured weekend traffic of big RVs pulling boat trailers slamming into the do-it-yourselfers leaving Menards every Saturday morning. I felt that, while roundabouts may work in cities with cars and SUVs driving at lower speeds, they are not suited for highways with with semi-trucks and weekend traffic going 65 mph.

Well the roundabout has been in place at that intersection for about a year now, with no major problems at all. With that, and learning more about roundabouts, my mind has been changed and I like them.

Here are my reasons:

• They are really simple to navigate. Just merge with the traffic coming from the left
• They are low maintenance and don't require electricity. (ever see the pure confusion at a light when they are malfunctioning?)
• Roundabouts are safer than signal controlled junctions, with crashes usually occurring at a slower speed and at a slight angle instead of right-angle or rear-end collisions at junctions.
• Roundabouts allow U-turns within the normal flow of traffic, which often are not possible at other forms of junction.
• In general, roundabouts substantially reduce congestion and delays as vehicles are not required to perform a complete stop.
• Compared to intersections, Roundabout operate more efficiently and thus reduce delays and congestion as they are not at the whim of an artificially induced delay by traffic signals. Efficiency is gained by a direct response from the driver to the traffic conditions without any restrictions set by traffic signals - i.e. drivers may proceed when traffic is clear without the delay incurred by a traffic signal.
• Since they are new to this area, they seem to make drivers concentrate more at the intersection

My change of opinion on roundabouts came about with me learning more about them an actually using them. Roundabouts are not the only thing someone can change their minds about. It's easy to make up your mind on something your unfamiliar with and find frightening.

Perhaps is someone tried a vegan meal, they would actually like it. They may not quit eating meat, but they may not find vegetarians so weird.

Maybe if someone who hates guns, because they can be a tool of violence, went to a range with a responsible firearms owner; they may see why some find shooting sports fun and how firearms can be used responsibly  They may not want to go buy a shotgun or an AR-15 of their own, but they may no longer think they should be banned from existence.

Think of my roundabout story the next time a politician flip flops on an issue. Maybe they did more research and found their original view to be a knee jerk reaction based on the fear that comes with unfamiliarity. Or perhaps they got an overwhelming responses from the people they represent and decided to, well, represent.

One way I could solve the worlds problems would be to ask people to learn more about the things they are against. Because how can we expect our leaders and Representatives in Washington D.C to reach across the aisle and compromise, if we won't do that ourselves?

There is still one thing that bugs me about roundabouts. I can not go through one without saying "Look kids, there's Big Ben, there's Parliament" in my Clark Griswold voice. I think it might bug my passengers more.

The Great Equalizer and The Mellow Jihadi

The Mellow Jihadi is a very interesting blog I've started following. It is written by a member of the U.S. Navy, who's posts I find very interesting. If you like this blog, you will like The Mellow Jihadi.

Please follow this link and read this post.

Additions to be made to gun laws for law enforcement

Additions to be made to gun laws for law enforcement

Knee jerk reactions based on emotions, will almost always produce results you didn't want. Especially when lawyers and career politicians are involved.

Do you really believe only allowing firearms that can hold seven rounds will reduce crime?

Do you think all the high capacity magazines in the world are going to magically disappear?

Do you think the psychopath who is planning to shoot up a gun free zone is going to make sure they only have seven round magazines?

Instead of hastily written gun control laws to protect us from violent crime, why don't we just make violent crime illegal? Just make it illegal to assault or kill someone with anything; not just fire arms with high capacity magazines. ....oh, we did that? huh.

Early Entry for the Headline of the Year

It's early, but it will be hard to top this as the news Headline of the Year

Alice In Chains As KISS Doing Laundry

Alice In Chains has been one of my favorite bands since high school. I love their new stuff. Tonight, while I was doing some homework, I had the music playing on the iThing and Alice In Chain's "Your Decision" played. Being about done with the homework, I went to YouTube to see the video (if there was one). As YouTube goes, one video leads to another, and another lead to the one attached.

I had to watch because, well as you can see, the thumbnail is Jerry Cantrell in KISS make up.I really enjoy watching Jerry Cantrell being interviewed. It's fun to watch rock musicians like him speak. They break the stereotypes and show that  heavy metal types can be very intelligent and well spoken.

I was kind of moved about the band's thoughts and feeling about moving on after their original lead singer's, Lane Stanley, untimely death. Death has been on my mind a lot lately. Dear friends and others in my small town have been dealing with some tragedies. My family is dealing with some heavy stuff right now too.

Recently I came to a real resounding understanding about life and death. People never "get over" losing someone special. But over time, we all move on. A part of us dies along with the loved one we lose, and at the same a part of them lives on through us.

Oh by the way, the video for "Your Decision" is probably going to give me a nightmare tonight.

Memorial Service Planned For 117 Wolves Killed During Wisconsin's Wolf Season

117 Wolves were killed in Wisconsin's first modern day Wolf Season and an animal rights group plans to have a memorial service for them.  Click here to see the article.
  

I wonder what they have planned for the 243,739 Whitetail Deer that were killed by hunters in 2012?

Generation of Narcissists, Brought On By: The Tee Ball Effect

Generation of Narcissists, Brought On By: The Tee Ball Effect

The above is a link to an article I found interesting, and it discussing something I call "The Tee Ball Effect" (or is it affect?). Kids are now brought up in an environment were everything is made "fair." No winners, no losers. We don't keep score in tee ball, so the kids who lose won't have hurt feelings.We don't punish kids who misbehave, but ask them to behave.

The problem is, like my Dad told me when I was young; in the real world fair is only a place were you ride the tilt-a-whirl, eat mini doughnut, and try not to step in horse crap. Generations are now being raised sheltered from the realities of the world.

In the real world there are winners and losers. Some win honestly, some don't. Some deserve to lose, some don't. Most short cuts will leave you short of where you want to go. While hard work and perseverance is you best option, but success is never guaranteed.

Now we have kids "occupying" Wall Street because it is unfair that they didn't get jobs, with six figure incomes, right out of college to pay off their six figure debts. Debts they attained by living off campus, buying iPhones and other expensive toys, while studying for a degree that has no marketable career path.

Sure they could have studied something boring, like accounting or business, while living a modest life as the broke student they are. And then they could have worked hard and climbed the cooperate ladder. But then they would be the very thing they are so envious of. Someone who id successful in a difficult, unforgiving world. But that wouldn't be fair.

Sports Weekend in Wisconsin

The cousin scoring a goal in a tournament game. I didn't take the photo, I got it off her Facebook page.

It was a pretty great sports weekend for me. The Packers won their playoff game against the rival Vikings, I was able to watch a great high school girls hockey game (with my cousin's team winning) and it sounds like there will be a NHL season after all this year.

This time last week, things were a little rough. Not only did my beloved Packers lost their final regular season game against the Vikings, but they would meet again the next Saturday night at 7:00pm CST. The fact that the two teams were to play again wasn't the bad part. It would be awesome to see the two rivals meet up again. The problem was a scheduling conflict for me.

I have a cousin playing her final year of high school hockey. Since she was little, I've made an effort to see as many of her (and her older sister when she played) games as possible. Now that she's a Senior and it's her final year of playing locally, I make a point not to miss a home game if at all possible. Next year the cousin will be playing Division III College hockey and it will be quite a drive to see one of her games; so I don't think I'll see more than one or two.

Of course with my luck, guess who else had a game scheduled for Saturday night at 7:00pm CST. It only took a few minutes to decide that I was going to miss the Packer game. Sorry Pack, family comes first. Besides, the way I saw it, I would be able to see the Pack in the next playoff game. Plus if they lost again to the Vikings, I'd be pissed I missed the cousin's game.

Then during the week, I got the best news. The schedule I has was wrong; my cousin's game started at 5:00pm! With the games usually running about two hours, that left me with just enough time to leave the rink and go to one of my favorite local establishments to watch the game with friends! All was right with the world again once again.

Of course it couldn't go perfectly. The game before my cousin's ran late. No problem, I thought, that just meant I might miss a few minutes of the first quarter. But I decided if the game became a blowout, I'd sneak out early. The cousin would understand.

Not only it was a close game, it went into overtime. With a minute left to play, with a one goal lead, my cousin had a nice breakaway with a chance to increase the lead and seal up the victory. Instead of scoring, she had the puck taken away from her at the last second.

In her frustration, she slashed at the other team's player with her stick. The referee saw it and with my cousin in the penalty box, the other team scored a power play goal and put the game into overtime.

The cousin's team won the game about five minutes into the overtime period. I was able to meet up with my friends just in time for the second quarter. Not quite perfect timing, but good enough for me. Both teams I wanted to see win did and I got to spend quality time with friends and family. Life is good.

2nd Amendment, 2nd Chances, And Being Too Big To Be Efficient

I did something today that I thought I would never do again. I sent a check to the NRA.

Years ago I was a member of the NRA. Along with being a member of Ducks Unlimited and the National Wild Turkey Federation. The biggest gripe I had (and still have) with large non-profit organisations like these is the incredible amount of waste and inefficiency that's seems to go with large organizations.It's like they're all too big to be efficient.

I had a fall out with Duck Unlimited and eventually became disgruntled with most large non-profit and charitable causes I supported. It seemed the spent half the money I donated sending me junk mail, asking for more money! So for years, I've been donating to local charities. Giving to youth sports, the volunteer fire department, food shelf, etc.

But now with the recent surge of proposed anti-gun regulation, I had to write the check.

What pushed me over the edge was a comment I saw on Facebook. A woman wrote "I understand the 2nd Amendment. But it was written before the weapons of today. I'm sure the Founding Fathers would have worded it differently if they knew there would one day be assault rifles."

Normally I stand clear of an internet fight, but I had to chime in.

I replied: "What part of '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' isn't clear? The second amendment isn't about being able to shoot paper targets or for hunting. It is about defending yourself, loved ones, country and freedom."

I wonder if she also thinks that freedom of religion is fine, as long as it's religions of the time of our Founding Fathers? A statement like "A person can be a Baptist if the choose, but does anyone really need to be a Southern Baptist?" makes just as much sense. Should freedom of the press just apply to the printed word? "You can write what you want in a magazine or newspaper, but you better have government approval if you want to broadcast that on radio, TV or the internet."

The current anti-gun movement is understandable. Recent dramatic shootings, carried out by mentally ill people, take over the headlines and the television with good reason. They're dramatic. They're sensational and attention getting in their very nature. They scare the crap out of all of us how quickly they can happen. They pan out like a scene from an action movie.

The shootings have much more of an effect on us emotionally than the tens of thousands that die from tobacco use. Or who are killed every year by drunk drivers. Or even the fact that, while bill are being introduced to ban "assault rifles", according to the FBI more people are murdered by hammers and baseball bats than are killed by all types of rifles.

By the way, there isn't a rifle made that someone couldn't use to assault someone with. Some might not look as scary to you, but they can kill you faster and from a longer range than that evil little AR-15 platform firearm.

So, how do we protect ourselves from more crazies shooting up the schools? I think we should do what I suggested before in post "Preventing the Next Sand Hook: Two Ideas, Both Bad"


I did something today that I thought I would never do again. I sent a check to the NRA. Because we need to  make sure: 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.