Last Blog Post?

This could be our last time together dear reader. Our days are numbered and while no one can be sure when the end will be....  Well now, just a minute, a group called E-Bible Fellowship says October 7, 2015 is very likely THE day. They hedge their claim just a bit by stating it is highly unlikely it isn't. So, got any big plans for later in the month? Might be time to move them up. Why wait till Halloween, go around today knocking on doors and asking for candy. Don't bother with a costume just grab a bible. Claim to be a prophet proclaiming the end of days. Thanksgiving dinner? Might be a little lat to thaw and cook that turkey and gather the family. I'm sure Swanson has a dandy TV dinner that would serve as a substitute. Christmas. Go crazy! Get everyone whatever they want. Use that credit card until the plastic melts. Get new credit cards and use them. Buy a new car or two. Mercedes, Lexus, BMW- what the hell if you are going to you doom why not go in style. High car payments, huge credit bills? Really, who gives a shit. Did you not understand? The world is ending. God is pouring out his judgment for our transgressions. Gay marriage, abortion, Disneyland, you know all the horrible things we have done. 

Just an FYI the same group made the same prediction for May 11, 2011. They revised their prediction indicating that was the date God picked the righteous to be saved. He would take the next 1,600 days to review His list to see if anyone was missed. Today is the final (?) day. 

See you tomorrow. 

What Now?

Once again I'm going to address guns and gun control. I think a reasonable comparison can be made between automobiles and guns. Some pro gun folks argue that car accidents cause far more deaths than guns yet no one is talking about banning cars. I will grant them that point. I do think they miss the point that in attempting to deal with the death rate from automobile accidents we have required seat belts, padded dash boards, collapsible stealing columns, airbags and drivers licenses. Why can't we require the same public health approach to guns and gun violence? Today you can buy a gun from another individual without a background check. There is also the gun show loophole that allows for sales without a background check. You cannot legally operate a car without getting a license and proving to an examiner that you can operate the vehicle safely. It would seem reasonable and prudent to require education, training and licensing to own and/or possess a firearm. Insurance is also required for vehicles, why not for guns? It would seem appropriate to require at least liability insurance. I'm sure if you get insurance companies involved there would be training required before a policy would be issued. So, to me, it is that simple. Background checks, licensed users, insurance. Would it have prevented Sandy Hook or the recent carnage in Oregon? Maybe not, but consider these two facts. In 2013 more preschoolers were shot to death (82) than police officers killed in the line of duty (27). The other fact is that on an average day in America 92 people die from guns. Since 1970 more Americans have died from guns than have been killed in all United States wars dating back to the American Revolution. There have been fewer than 1.4 million war deaths since 1775 with more than half occurring during the Civil War. Since 1970 more than 1.45 million gun deaths have occurred in the United States. That number includes murders, suicides and accidental gun deaths. We must do something. Doesn't the picture below say something about our questionable priorities? 

10%

I'm going to spend some time again writing about guns. The shooting at Umpqua Community College has once again hurt me to my bones. We shouldn't have to worry, as parents or grandparents, when we send our children or grandchildren to school at places like Sandy Hook or Umpqua that we will never see them alive again. 

Why can't we control our gun violence? 

The pictures posted above are part of what is wrong with the conversation about guns. I honestly believe that 10% of the population is so pro gun that no regulation will ever be acceptable. They believe that the government will become a tyranny if the population is disarmed. The other 10% is so anti gun that the only acceptable answer is a severe restriction on the private ownership of firearms. What we are left with is an ineffective 80% of the population who cannot get the conversation moved enough to stem the almost daily carnage in the United States. 

I think the following sums up my frustration.

"If we are going to talk about this legislation, let's talk about it honestly and not say that it does something that it does not do. All this legislation does is keep guns from criminals and the demented and those too young. With all the violence and murder and killing we've had in the United States, I think you will agree that we must keep firearms from people who have no business with guns or rifles."

Robert Kennedy, May 27, 1968 in Roseburg, Oregon near the shooting site of Umpqua Community College. 

What was the reaction from some in the crowd? The usual. You want our guns registered so you can take them. Gun registration was part of what happened to Nazi Germany. 

It has been over 47 years since Robert Kennedy spoke those words. What has changed in the gun debate? Absolutely nothing. 

By the way, less than two weeks later Robert Kennedy was dead. Shot by a man with a handgun. 

Think Outside the Box

Problems that happen repeatedly and seem to have no solutions require new thinking. One of the best definitions of insanity I've seen is this one. Doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result is insane. Let's be realistic old people, how many of us have sat at a computer and hit the same button hoping something different would happen? We weren't sure what to do and we were worried that pushing the wrong button would destroy our document, file, computer, network or perhaps even the Internet. If we continued to push the same button at least nothing bad could happen. Maybe we didn't hold it down long enough? Maybe it needed to rapid clicks? Maybe using the other hand or a different finger? Hey, nobody said it had to make sense. So, while you may think my answer below to a repeated problem makes no sense, keep in mind we don't have time for rationale thought. 

We had another mass school shooting today. This time it was Oregon. The problem is literally coast to coast. Newtown, Connecticut to Roseburg, Oregon. Gun control folks want to ban guns. Gun advocates want more guns in more places. President Obama is addressing the nation for the 15th time during his administration following a mass shooting. So, more guns or less guns have been proposed as solutions. So have additional background checks. More mental health treatment and screening. None of those things have been enacted. Somebody sees each of these solutions as unworkable or unreasonable. I was watching television today and a former FBI agent stated that we don't know anything about the shooter but most likely it is a white male. Almost without exception the shooters are white males. We went to a movie last month and after we were seated a lone white male came in and sat behind us. Did I racially profile? Yes I did. Did I keep an eye on him during the movie? Hell yes. Does that bother me? Yes. It shouldn't be necessary. We should be able to go to any public place and not have to worry about mass shootings. The time for rationale thought and reasonable solutions has passed. I have the answer. Originally I thought the best way to solve the problem would be to ban white guys. If white males are doing he shooting, when we get rid of them the problem will go away. Being a white guy it seemed to go against my self interest. My revised solution? White guys can't wear any clothes. No place to hide the gun. Naked white guys everywhere. If you go outside with clothes on you are subject to arrest. Cold weather? Sorry, still no clothes for you. The answer to gun violence- naked white guys. 

Super Moon?

Sunday saw a "super moon" and a lunar eclipse. Carol and I went down to the beach in hopes of seeing the moon rise over the Atlantic Ocean. It was close to high tide and the surf was pretty heavy. The sky was cloudy. We were hopeful that the moon would make an appearance. This was the scene when we arrived. 

It appeared the ship heading out from the Port of Savannah might be our big excitement. The truth is that after dark, if you turn away from the ocean, you will always have this beautiful view. 

We sat at the beach for about 90 minutes enjoying the breeze and the sounds of the surf coming ashore. The wine we brought along also helped. We decided to leave and as we packed up our chairs the moon peeked between the clouds for a couple of minutes. 

Low light pictures with an iPhone aren't all that impressive. 

The super moon has had some other effects here the last couple of days. When you come out to Tybee Island your only road option is U.S. Highway 80. It has been closed for about an hour twice a day for the last two days at high tide. This is what the road was like.

Finally, a picture of the sunrise here on the island. 

Do Unto Others

I spent an hour this morning watching Pope Francis address our elected representatives in a joint session of Congress. Everyone listening heard what they wanted to hear and has already discarded those things that ran counter to their view of the world. Call me skeptical and callous if you must. It will change nothing in Washington. I wish it would. It will not. The two parties are polarized. The Pope's urging to cooperate and compromise were heard and will be ignored. Well, not entirely, both sides will tell the other they she cooperate and compromise. While they hold their position and give up nothing. There are a couple of things he said that I want to address. 

The death penalty. Many so called pro life folks confuse me. They are anti abortion and pro death penalty. Apparently they want to see what kind of person you become before they kill you. I oppose the death penalty. The first one could be viewed as conditional by some, the second shows it is not. Reason one is that there have been too many people who were sentenced to death who have been determined later did not commit the offense. You could reasonably ask me if there was no chance of error would I be in favor? The second reason is economic. The cost to put someone to death is much higher than a lifetime of incarceration. The attorney fees and continual appeals over a minimum of 10 years cost way more than life in prison. Keep in mind that I worked in the Illinois prison system for over 20 years. During that time I met some truly unpleasant individuals. One eventually ended up on death row. The Pope felt that everyone may be capable of rehabilitation. I know some of the men I interacted with were not ready at that time. Could they be ready later? A part of me wants to believe somewhere in them is a speck of hope worthy of redemption. 

The second thing the Pope said is, at least for me, related to the first. It was his invocation of the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. He followed up with the admonition that the yardstick you use to measure others will be the yardstick time will use to measure you. It was something I tried to be mindful of when I worked at the prison. If I was sitting in the other chair what would I want? Was it within the rules? Was it a reasonable request? I always tried to keep in mind that my job was not to punish them. It was to keep them safe, keep the other staff and public safe, and to provide them with an opportunity to see there was another way to live. Choices that could be made that did not lead them back to prison. Choices they had to make. I could not choose for them. I do keep in mind something I heard on Dr. Who last week. The good Doctor said: "Sometimes all the choices you have are bad, but you still have to choose." 

So I guess what I walked away with today from the Pope was simple. If I let the golden rule be my guide I may be disappointed in my fellow man but not in myself. I can get away from those who do not treat me in accordance with that rule, but if I live contrary to it I cannot get away from myself. I guess it leads me back to last weeks post about the 10 commandments. Remember, don't be an asshole. 

Back on Tybee Island

We have abandoned Northlandia for the ocean breezes on Tybee. The pictures below are scenes from the island gathered from various sources. None were taken by me. I hope they encourage you to visit.