Use Your Head for More Than Just a Hat Rack

A Facebook friend of mine posted a meme from some rocket scientist about gun violence. I will quote it exactly as it was written.

"Remember 3000 people died on 911 and not 1 shot was fired. It's NOT a gun issue it's a HATE issue #truth!!!"

In the recent history of stupid shit I have read this has to be somewhere near the top. Is this person that completely empty headed? Think for a minute. Guys with box cutters or other edged weapons hijacked four airplanes and managed to crash three of them into buildings. So, first part is correct. No guns. Hell I will give him fact two. About 3000 people were killed. Okay, throw in hate. Certainly their acts were not driven by love. Seems like I have given them credit for all their claims. What they seem to have failed to consider was what happened in response to the attack on 9-11-2001.

We stopped all flights into, out of and within the United States while we figured out what happened. How did the weapons get on the planes? How were the terrorists trained. We upgraded security in airports, add armed sky marshals to flights, changed the makeup of identification cards used so they are more difficult to fake, passed the Patriot Act to make surveillance easier. We even went to war with a couple of countries who were not directly involved.

So if we applied the same effort when a gun massacre occurs like Las Vegas or Parkland, Florida things would look something like this. Increased and more stringent background checks to buy guns. There would be restrictions on gun magazine capacity. Perhaps restriction on the types of weapons that are available to the general population. Registration of guns and limits on the amount and type of ammunition you could buy. We don't do that and that is my problem with this meme. Sure no guns were used but the reaction to prevent another occurrence was swift and effective.

 Imagine if you will that we had taken the same approach we take with gun violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and the families of those who were on the flights and in the buildings who were injured and killed. We have laws on the books that need to be enforced but there is no need for additional legislation that limits the rights of the law abiding flying public. The many should not be punished for the actions of a few mentally deranged individuals. Please enjoy your flight and if something unfortunate happens know that you will be in our prayers and it must have been part of God's grand plan.

Would those gun loving ammosexuals accept that as a solution to air traffic safety? I think not. They do expect us to think they have a valid point when they say no guns were used on 9-11. As you can see their argument is just fucking ignorant bullshit.

I'm Back

I took some time off to contemplate, think, ponder and examine. The question in my head was a simple one. Do I want to continue to write this blog? I was looking at the state of the society we are in and it was making me increasingly angry. Did I want to sit down day after day and shoot my anger out of my fingertips into cyber space? Did I have anything to say that wasn't angry? It is exhausting to stay mad. It seemed as time went on that it just fell into a feeling of hopelessness. Sure, I could get on here and rant and rave about politics, religion, education, stupid drivers, global warming, the military budget, the price of a good steak, and a hundred other topics. What difference would it make? I thought most likely no difference. So, what would be the point? Maybe I should just quit. Then some jackass with a gun decided to shoot up a school in Florida. I watched high school students organizing and saying enough is enough. Stop offering thoughts and prayers and do something. So, if all I have some days is anger to spew about whatever it is that has pissed me off, well that is what you are going to get. Maybe some days it will be a happy story about something nice I noticed around town or a piece of art or literature I enjoyed. Not today. Maybe not for a few days. Maybe never. I am going to continue this blog. If you don't like what I write you have two options. First, take some time to get your thoughts together and write a comment. I don't review them before publication. You get an uncensored shot at a response. Call me stupid, call me names, DILLIGAF. Second option is stop reading my blog. Find some other thing to read or just sit around a scratch whatever itches. I don't get paid for this and you reading or leaving doesn't matter to me.

The school shooting in Florida has reignited the gun debate. I'm sure in a week or two this will all die down and nothing will happen. I am hoping those optimistic high school kids in Florida prove me wrong. The usual arguments are being made. Arm teachers with guns. Really? Just how fucking stupid are you? I wouldn't have to bring a gun to school, I could just take one away from a teacher. Who thinks that at some point a teacher will snap and open fire on their class because they are sick of the back talk and bullshit? This guy! Of course the blame will be mental health problems. Well, only if the teacher is white. Black person- thug. Someone we can identify as middle eastern- terrorist. Hispanic- gang banger, rapist, or drug dealer. Apparently Hispanics are multi-talented. I'm pretty sure if a teacher was to shoot back at an armed gunman in a school there would still be about the same number of deaths, they would just be from two different guns. Lack of training and ongoing practice would result in bullets hitting about anything except what they intended. Those of you who think the issue has nothing to do with the use of an AR-15 need to read the article from a couple of writers who reviewed the autopsy reports from the Las Vegas shooting. Learn a little something about cavitation or hydrostatic shock caused by bullets. Be prepared to be horrified.Those of you with children or grandchildren going to school, the mall, a movie theater or any other public place need to get off your asses and make the government do something. I can hear the gun nuts now. If you outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns. If you want to go with that logic why have any laws at all? If murderers are going to kill people have a law making it illegal won't stop them. If people are going to drive drunk anyway why should that be illegal. It didn't stop them. It is a stupid argument. Sure, semi automatic rifles like the AR-15 are fun to shoot. Do you need one to kill that deer? No. Home protection? There are other effective alternatives. Fight the government? Really? Are you that fucking ignorant? If they want to take you out they got stuff way more effective that you can't fight against. Helicopters, drones, tanks, fighter jets. Get fucking real.

I'm done for now. See you soon or not.