Road Trip from HELL!

:at September back in '69


I got drafted on a Wednesday, proposed to my College Sweetheart that night.  By telephone.

Three days later, we got married.

A couple of weeks later, I reported for duty, and saw my wife on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Then it got interesting:

After Basic Training and Infantry School, and NCO School, (graduated "top 5", as an E6 Staff Sergeant), and then it was time for my first posting: I went to Anniston, Alabama (Fort McClellan, home of WAC school and National Guard Basic Training) where I was a training officer.  I was allowed off-base housing, so I rented a private home from a local NCO who was on leave and I enjoyed connubial bliss with my wife (after paying her airplane ticket)

I would get off work at 1800, go jump in the community swimming pool; the neighbors complained that I usually jumped into the pool wearing my sweaty fatigues, but I ignored them.

Then I got a 3-week leave, plus travel time, so we decided to drive from Alabama to Oregon so we could save money.  Also, we had purchased a 1969 Ford Maverick ("The last car you can buy for less than $2000!") and we drove from Alabama to Oregon in three days ... taking turns driving, nonstop.

The car didn't have a radio, but I had bought an 8-track player and hot-wired it into the ignition system (lucky I didn't burn the car up!) so we listened to the only 3 8-track tapes I could find.  To this day, I cannot listen to Creedence Clearwater music without cringing.

We drove straight through from Alabama to Oregon in three days .. non-stop.  We took turns driving.

We stopped somewhere in Texas, when we just didn't have the energy to continue.  Just ... pulled off the road, turned off the car, and went to sleep.   We were awakened by a state trooper (whatever they call them in Texas), who was concerned that we had both died.  He had a helluva time waking us up!

We explained the situation to him, and he looked at us as if we were crazy people.  At that point, he was correct.  But "we were young, and sure to have our way", so we were advised to pull further off the road and kindly suggested that we "get a room".

My wife was asleep, and I was driving, when I passed a sign which said:

GRAND CANYON ... NEXT EXIT

I thought, this may be my last chance to see the Grand Canyon.  But instead of waking her up and discussing whether we should take the scenic detour, I just ... drove on.   I've always regretted that decision.

Finally we got to California, hit the I5 Freeway north, and got to Oregon where we could see our families sometime in the late afternoon after we-didn't-know-how-many-days of driving.

A few days later I reported for duty at my home town (Pendleton, Oregon) after visiting my parents.  gave the car keys to my wife, went to the Greyhound Station, and was eventually (after a year in-country as a training NCO in Georgia) assigned to my next duty station.  It was, not surprisingly, the First Infantry Division in Dian, South Vietnam.

But while I was serving in Viet Nam, I got a letter from my wife.  She and my sister were touring .. somewhere touristy ... and while backing out of the parking lot they bumped into a tree and dented the rear of that damned cheap-ass Maverick.

The mechanics had to replace the trunk lid.  It had folded up like .. well, a Campbell's Soup can would have been embarrassed.

Two years later, after I was back home, I was entering a freeway ramp (in the Maverick) when the hood suddenly just ... popped up!  Apparently, the double-lock hadn't functioned, and a gust of wind just flung it up in my face.

We got rid of the Maverick.

I got a really good trade-in deal in a well-used 1965 Chevrolet Corvair Convertible ... with custom-build dual 2-barrel carburetors!   The fabric roof leaked (especially after our neighbors cut the fabric roof to steal BUPKIS from the glove compartment) and the dual-carburetors were never tuned because no competent mechanic would touch them.

But damn!  It LOOKED FINE, especially in the summer when it wasn't raining.

Did I mention I live in Oregon .. the center of the Great Pacific Northwet?

Man, when it comes to cars, I sure can pick 'em!

Those who can, do; those who cannot, teach

For the past eight years, I have been the instructor at my local club in a program of "Introduction to USPSA".  It was an opportunity to introduce new shooters to USPSA competition (which I have been active in since 1983), and gave me something to look forward to in every month.

I kept telling myself that I was donating my time as a way of "giving back to the sport".   In truth, since my eyesight has degraded over the years, it was a way of keeping my hand in it, since I was no longer able to see well enough to be competitive.

But last month, I slept through the beginning of my class.  I had to phone the range and tell them that I was unable to attend.

That was a personal disappointment to me, not only because I had several students who wondered where I was, but because it was one of the best parts of my month.   And I slept through it!

The club thought I was "giving back to the sport";  while I enjoyed meeting new shooters and sharing the insights of rules of safety which I had learned over 30+ years of Competition. I had an intrinsic interest in teaching new shooters how to be safe.  It was the best part of my month, and I always looked forward to it.

AS a consequence, I announced to my home club that I was retiring.  Because I was unable to even show up for a scheduled class, it was obvious that I was no longer competent and they should no longer schedule the class.  (I hope they found someone else to take over the class, but I haven't heard from them on that issue..)

It's disappointing to give up one of the few activities which allow me time on the range.   And it was embarrassing to read the emails from the scheduled attendees who asked me "WTF?"

But when it's time to retire ... you know it.  And I knew it.

The gun club was very understanding, and they even provided me an honorarium in the form of a gift card from WalMart.   I hadn't expected that, but it was touching to learn that they appreciated my small contribution to gun-safety at USPSA matches there.

I don't think anyone realized that I had donated eight years of once-a-month class instruction because it was the only way I could enjoy the sport in which I had participated for so many decades.  (In truth, while I was still able to compete, I wanted to ensure that the people  I was competing against had the best instruction on rules and safety ... but it it eventually became more important that I got to meet New Shooters, and none of them ever disappointed me by being an unsafe shooter!)

I'll miss the class, and the opportunity to meet new shooters.   But when your time is through, it's better to gracefully yield to the inevitable, than to fight against it.

It's all about safety, after all.

New Jersey: They Say That As If It Were "A Bad Thing"

Why be on a "Watch List" if you are not legitimately suspected of being  a terrorist?

N.J. already using U.S. watch lists to screen gun buyers - The CT MirrorThe CT Mirror:

The New Jersey State Police said Friday they have used the U.S. government’s terrorist watch lists to screen gun permits and purchases for two years under a law signed by Gov. Chris Christie, providing a model for how Connecticut might access the same data. “It is in effect in New Jersey,” said Capt. Stephen Jones, a spokesman for the department. “New Jersey is the first state to use that as a disqualifier for the ability to purchase firearms, and it has been that way since the time of that signing. We do use that currently. We do have access to that data.”

(Emphasis Added)

Why is that "A Bad Thing"?

Well ... for one thing, there is no oversight.  Is that  like ... if you're on a "List", you don't know and you can't find out, and you can't get your name off the "List"?

Yes, that's exactly what it is.  I don't think I'm on "A List" in any state, including the one in which I live .. but I don't know.  I do own firearms, and there was a time when I used them in competition regularly.  (That was before my eyesight got so bad that I could no longer  feel competitive.)

I still have the guns, but I don't use them.  Am I on a "Watch List"?

I don't know.  And that's the point.

 I have no way of checking, even though I have been so long retired from competition that I haven't carried a firearm across a state line for ten years.  And it worries me, that I might be on some anonymous list of potential "bad actors"   Wouldn't it seem reasonable that I could sign onto a website, irrefutably identify myself as "me", and learn whether my government is watching me?

You may think that I'm being paranoid, but some states are actively tracking firearms owners:

Just because I'm paranoid, that doesn't mean that nobody is looking over my shoulder every day.


Is this "too much" governmental oversight?

Sure, we want to know that (potential) "terrorists" are identified and tracked; that just seem reasonable.

The question is ... who defines an individual as a "terrorist" ... or a potential terrorist?

Double Jeopardy? Or just a Pol who hasn't got her name in the news enough to peddle her career?

So let me get this straight:  In where-ever this is (I presume some backwards state like Arkansas), you not only get prosecuted for violating the law, you also get prosecuted for violating the law that makes it a violation to violate the law?

Senate bill introduced to make gun trafficking a felony: Gillibrand contends there is no federal crime that specifically recognizes gun trafficking. Her bill would modify current law to make it a felony to transfer two or more guns in an instance where there is a reasonable belief that doing so would be in violation of the law. The crime would extend to those directing or assisting others in such transfers. Penalties for those convicted could run as high as 20 years with ringleaders facing 25.

To my great chagrin, reading back on the original article I discover that this was not presented in "a backward state like Arkansas", but in the totally dark-ages state of ... New York!

The measure, proposed by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, would make it a crime to sell two or more guns to someone whom the seller knows is prohibited from legally possessing them. It is a repeat of legislation proposed by Gillibrand in 2013 and 2015 that never made it out of committee.

(Just another example of a politician building a career on submitting one bill a year, to show she's really "doing something", even though the same bill has been rejected every dam time)



I offer most abject apologies to the fine folks in the great State of Arkansas.  I have done you a GRAVE INJUSTICE in comparing you unfairly with the backward folks in New York.

I have worked with Arkansans.  They were fine folks.  I never understood a word they said, but they said it with gravitas and great sincerity.  Whatever it was they said. 

Oregon Forest Service, Summer of 1967 ... we fought forest fires.  Very very tiny ones.  In between, we surveyed the hills around South Central Oregon (off Broken Top Mountain) for a road.  Great way to work your way through college .. even if you fuck up didn't get the measurements just right, nobody cared.  We all knew it would never be built, but we got paid over two dollars an hour for our work. (50 years later, there's still no road in those mountains.)

 My Friend, Mark from Arkansas, ate Spam Samwiches for lunch me for 3 months and never once complained.  I think his name  was Mark ... he pronounced it using some vowels I had never heard before, so I always just called him "Mark", and he always said "Whe's thet Staiik Samwich y' mek f' m' dinneh?"   

*That's a rough translation; either that, or he was spitting out the chaw he'd been working on all morning (mawnin) into the shirt pocket.  Either way, I made lunch, and he paid for Dinner at "Maw's Steakhouse in Bend".

That was great; when I got to Viet Nam, I though "C-Rations" were excellent cuisine, compared to lunch at Central Oregon.  (Maw's Steakhouse Saved My Life ... great food, even when we couldn't afford to spend $5 for a steak dinner!)

Growing boys ... what you learn when you're 19 may save your life when your 22.

It's raining!

It's Oregon.

I wouldn't have it an other way

Thank you, God, for allowing me to have been in the Great Pacific Northwet.

(not a typo)

Why Would Scalise Change His Mind About Gun Control?

Charles C. W. Cooke offers an interesting slant on the Gun Control question:

Why Would Scalise Change His Mind About Gun Control?:

It seems that there is widespread amazement on the Left that, having been targeted by an assassin with a rifle, and almost killed, Rep. Steve Scalise has not changed his mind on gun control. “After being shot,” read a headline at NBC, Scalise still opposes more gun control.” “Even after . . .” added ThinkProgress, indignantly.

And the chorus cried “no fair!” This, alas, was to be expected. When I write on this topic, I am often told that I would feel differently if my family had been killed by a deranged shooter, or if I had more personal experience as a victim of violence. Leaving aside that, even if this were true, it wouldn’t tell us much — I’ll let Mitchell and Webb make the point against relying on victims for instant policy expertise — it always strikes me that this is ultimately an admission of ignorance. 

This commentary deserves some feedback.

First: having been shot (assumedly because of his political convictions), Representative Scalise determined that his personal 'situation' shouldn't vary because someone shot him.   Instead, he seems to have accepted an affirmation that he has taken a stand based on his moral values, and those same values require him to stand firm.

I admire the man for his courage and for his determination.  I don't agree with his opinion, but he is one of the most honorable men in Washington. (And given my opinion on Congress Critters, that should be considered the highest compliment available!)
Second: the general opinion of The Left (as described by Cooke) disagrees with my evaluation.  Which, in turn, confirms my general opinion vis a vis "The Left" as being generally a pack of poltroons with no moral character and no priorities other than their re-election. ( In other words; not much different from the "other side" of the aisle.)

Come to think of it, their response was a  left-handed  compliment to Representative Scalise, even though they may not have intended it so.

Any man who is castigated by The Left is worthy of mention for having firmly established himself on the Moral High Ground.

He's too good for them.

Barber Blues

I went to the barber today ... I had tried to get in on Wednesday but he was so busy I got tired of waiting and left.  Besides, I had left my reading glasses at home and the American Rifleman magazine issue on his coffee table was printed in a smaller font than usual and I couldn't read it.

It was a much shorter wait today, and I enjoyed the magazine more with my glasses on.

When it was my turn, I hopped into the chair and started chatting with Takaa, my Chinese barber.   Glancing down at the dropcloth I saw a lock falling into my lap.  I blurted out:  "Where the hell did that grey hair come from!?"

Takaa looked down at the lock in my lap, shrugged, and said "It's okay, I'm only cutting grey hairs today" and went back to his clipping.

When I got out of the chair I tipped the barber an extra five bucks for getting rid of the grey hairs.

I swear, when I shaved this morning, I only saw brown hair in the mirror.   I guess I should have stuck around longer on Wednesday; I'm pretty sure I didn't have any gray locks than.

JIM ROGERS: The worst crash in our lifetime is coming - Business Insider

The worst crash in our lifetime is coming - Business Insider:

You’re going to see parties disappear. You’re going to see institutions that have been around for a long time -- Lehman Brothers had been around over 150 years. Gone. Not even a memory for most people. You’re going to see a lot more of that next around, whether it’s museums or hospitals or universities or financial firms.

I don't know a damn thing about the market. I don't know about finance, or the economy.

All I know is that I have some food in cans, some heat tablets, some camping gear.  So if this current round of "TEOTWAWKI" actually occurs, the good news is that I'm old and cranky, and I'm pessimistic, too, so anything bad that happens is just another day in The Nam for me.  I should have died by New Years Eve in 1969.   But I dodged that bullet, as I've dodged many others.

Everything since then has been the Gravy in my life.

I've learned to be pessimistic, but also dubious about nay-sayers.  I'll believe it when it comes, and I'll handle it or not.    Hell, I've seen Bill Clinton as President, and Al Gore AND Hillary as 'legitimate' Presidential Candidates.

If we dodged Gore and The Hillary-beast, there must be Somebody Up There looking out for us.

On the other hand .. HE has a bizarre sense of humor.

So do I.

"Allowing"?

 Allowing more Minnesotans to freely carry guns seems unwise | Duluth News Tribune:

 It wasn't that I thought the NRA and its members had some ill intent when I decided to discontinue my membership; it was because of the evermore unlikeable image of the NRA to many people.

Odd, that this writer decided that he should quit the NRA because of what OTHER people think.
(You may want to read the original post to GROK the context.)

PERSONAL:I have no objections to his decision to quit the NRA; I've personally quit the NRA a dozen times over the past 50 years .. .for reasons which were personal, and not related to what someone else may think.
.
I still don't much like the NRA; I get tired of getting "personal emergency letters" from La Pierre, hounding me for more money.   I'm retired; I need my money for ammunition

So, "This Guy" quit because of public pressure?  Because anti-gun groups, founded by a half-dozen zillionaires, are using their money to turn their own personal preferences into laws which infringe on MY private space?

And "This Guy" has made this decision to quit the battle because his friends and neighbors wonder if he's such a nice guy, after all?  He has allowed the opinion of others to prevail upon his personal judgement, because either he is not sure of his own judgement, or he is fearful of the opinion of his neighbors.  So who needs him?

(Thought: move to another neighborhood; your neighbors don't deserve you.  On second though, because you kowtowed to the opinion of others instead of forming your own judgement, perhaps you deserve them.)

America was built by Individualists; people who knew what this country looked like when outsiders, fearing an armed populace, imposed  severe restrictions upon their civil rights.

Now these  "NEW outsiders" who are nominally INSIDERs are actively trying to impose these same restrictions on me (not us ... ME, personally!)

In 1776 (and before, and later), the OUTSIDERS were the British, who didn't like it that "free men" thought they should have some say about what laws were reasonable, vs those laws which kept them from their freedoms.

Now these new OUTSIDERS are international fat-cats who share the same nationality as we do, but they don't share the same respect for the Constitution.

They want to force us to reject our freedoms, because they fear another revolution.   Which is odd, because their actions are driving America into a mini-revolution; one which has already started.

So far, it's a war of words; a war for men's minds.

Here are some words to ponder:

H/T: Sebastian

Deregulation of the Regulations. (Oh, I LIKE this!)

New Army policy OKs soldiers to wear hijabs, turbans and religious beards:
(January 05, 2017)

Observant Sikhs and conservative Muslim women are now able to wear religious head coverings, thanks to a directive issued Tuesday that updates the Army's grooming and appearance regulation. Sikh soldiers also are allowed to maintain their beards, according to the update. Soldiers will still have to submit their requests for brigade-level approval, but the move opens up service to people who otherwise would have had to abandon cherished religious practices to serve. Since 2009, religious accommodation requests received by the Army have largely been from soldiers wanting to wear a hijab or a Sikh turban or patka with uncut beard and hair, according to the directive.

When I was in the service, we were told we could not have beard or moustache because "it doesn't match your official ID card".   Which meant, of course, it was because some 'suit' had a stick up his butt.

When I got back from Viet Nam two years later, with three stripes and a rocker and a CIB, nobody even mentioned my handlebar moustache.   I didn't look like my Military ID Card (which I had lost in a swamp somewhere) and I still wasn't strack;  but I was "colorful".

Check the picture .   Do all these people look "Strack"?  
I think they do.

I guess this is officially an even-numbered year

Yesterday I wrote a draft outline about my angst-ridded decisions whether or not to renew my National Rifle Association (NRA) membership.   But I didn't publish it; I gave myself time to rethink my original decision.

I 'rejoined' the NRA last year, after having allowed my annual membership to lapse the year before.  I usually rejoin on even number years, and decline renewal on odd-numbered years.  There's a "love/hate" relationship between me and the NRA; I think they're insufficiently conservative and that they don't do enough to protect the Second Amendment.

uh ... yes, perhaps I am a little right of center.

Today, I read this article:

America's 1st Freedom | Tracing Judge Gorsuch’s Paper Trail On The Second Amendment: “The Second Amendment protects an individual’s right to own firearms and may not be infringed lightly.” So wrote U.S. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch in United States v. Miguel Games-Perez. That case demonstrates why Judge Gorsuch is a worthy successor to Justice Antonin Scalia.

Then I went to the NRA website and signed up for another year.   If it helps keep judges like Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court, it's worth $40 to me.

But I did demand that I get the free magazine with my membership.  I'm not a TOTAL Bleeding Heart!

Not "carry friendly"? Texas has an AP for that!

Personally, I don't know if this is necessary.  But Texas is a big state and it would be a disappointment to travel a way to get what looks like a good deal only to find the business doesn't support your 2nd Amendment  rights.

Texas Phone App Shows 'Second Amendment Unfriendly' Businesses Near You:
(October 11, 2016)

Gun advocates and licensed to carry holders can search for and add businesses to the interactive website or use the iPhone and Android apps for free. The founder of the website, Russell Jones told Breitbart Texas, “This is not a for-profit venture. We are in it to help the community because it’s important to know both who supports the Second Amendment and who allows us to protect ourselves and our families.” The Texas3006.com website has almost 11,000 registered users and 9,200 updated entries.

(H/T: thegunfeed.com)

I am fortunate that I live within walking distance of a Kroger store (Fred Meyers).   They don't post rude signs on the door, and they have a corporate philosophy that CHL folks are their friends and neighbors ... and darned good customers.   (Now they have a gas station in town, so they even get my business there,)   I purchase most of my 'consumables' there, but they don't have much of a sporting goods department.    So I just go to Bi-Mart for those items, (including ammo in calibers I don't reload) which is another business without rude signs on their door.

Why give your money to a business that doesn't trust you?

An Open Letter to "Bearing Arms", et al

Dear Bearing Arms ...

... and any other website which requires a FaceBook membership before they accept my comments:

I attempted tonight to submit a comment to an article on your website, and I was stopped because I was required to have a FACEBOOK membership before I could post my comment.

Rather than do so, I deleted my comment.  I do not have a FACEBOOK account, nor will I ever.

FACEBOOK requires a lot of private information before I can subscribe; I am reluctant to provide that information, and because of that I cannot comment nor can I contribute.  Among other things, FACEBOOK asks for my photo ID (in the form of, for example, a screenshot of my drivers license).

One of the nice things about BlogSpot is that it allows me to provide commentary with a minimum amount of infringement upon my privacy.  As it happens, I have provided to BlogSpot much of what is required to FACEBOOK ... but not a jot or a tittle more.

I have provided a face picture to BLOGSPOT, and my comments in what I consider a "private" membership are those which any normal person might consider reasonable.

But not my full name and address.
Not a photo ID.

Not my true date of birth, or my phone number; not my driver's license number, and not full access to other items of personal data which would leave me uncomfortable; or data which provides the chance that my personal data would become public knowledge ... and liable to hacking.

If Bearing Arms (or FACEBOOK) think they are entitled to more personal information than I wish to provide before they will allow me to comment, then I will not contribute.   I'm not sure what benefit these intrusive websites expect to garner from intruding on my privacy,  but I AM certain that I don't trust them with my personal information.

Oh ... I probably could have made this whole email more succinct:

Dear FACEBOOK and Bearing Arms:  Screw you.  I don't need you.

b-Bye!

Jerry The Geek

You Light UP My Light ... NOT!

When do light bulbs usually fail?   When you turn them on, and they go , right, and you know you just blew a bulb.

Happened to me last night, except ... I walked out of my computer room (AKA "The Hell Room") and noticed that the bulb which provides the ONLY illumination to the stairwell between the 2nd floor and the ground floor was no longer doing its job.   It had been on for several hours.

Curious.

So I got another new bulb from the shelf over my water heater, and it didn't work either.   I assumed that there was something wrong with the line.  

Because it's over the upper landing, it's on a 3-way switch.  I assumed that either the switch at the top of the landing (2nd floor) or the switch at the bottom of stairs (ground floor) had failed, so having tested the circuit, I took no other steps.   Oh, it's the only direct illumination to the steep stairs.

Sweet.

I didn't notify my landlord at the time, because I didn't want him to hire a contractor to come rewire the house.  (NOTE: the place was built in the 1960's for about two dollars, top, and most of the upstairs lights and plug-ins are on one circuit ... the same circuit serves many downstairs kitchen plug-ins.  It was a "Lowest Bidder" project; I've learned to have low expectations.)

Tonight, I was thinking ... what are the odds?   The original bulb was one of those ECO-FRIENDLY spiral bulbs; the replacement was  a conventional tungsten filament bulb.  Neither worked; I've done my job, it's now my landlord's problem. Right?

Maybe I haven't explored ALL of the possibilities.

So I took a bulb out of bedside lamp, which had been on all evening, and replaced the bulb in the landing-light fixture.

Ta-DAA!  It works just fine.   The wiring worked: it's just that two bulbs were burnt out; one of them new, never been used, and of the 'reliable' tungsten filament type.  Go figure.

I HAD EXPERIENCED JUST_ANOTHER_GEEK_MOMENT!

A 'long life' bulb failed after six months, and a brand new bulb didn't work at all.

But another not-so-new bulb works just fine.

BTW .. neither the spiral bulb nor the first new tungsten bulb worked in my bedside reading light.

PS: I replaced the bedside lightbulb with another new bulb from the 'new' pack; it works great.

Yes, this is a petty domestic issue.

Now I have to decide how to dispose of that curly-spiral bulb which, if you break it, you need to call for Explosive Ordnance Depot experts, or something.

I put it in the "GLASS" recycle box on the curb.  They pick up tomorrow morning.

I hope it gives all those "Do It For The Environment" Weanies a frigging heart attack.  I'm not going to EVER buy any of those spiral carbon mercury whatever light bulbs.  It's all a lie from The Dark Side!

White Privilege vs White Guilt

State university hosts 'Stop White People' training: Report - Washington Times:

Read through the convoluted language of the opening paragraphs (I provided the indents between paragraphs), and tell me you don't understand why I am so grateful that I'm no longer sucking on the public tit.

The State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton reportedly hosted a training course for residential assistants on how to “stop white people.”
The course, titled “#StopWhitePeople2K16,” was listed on the university’s residential assistant training schedule for an event to give RAs an “overview of disabilities in Higher Education,” according to the Binghamton Review, the school’s student-run conservative newspaper.(emphasis added)

Stop White People?

Geeze, Louise, the entire premise is racist.   It was conceived and implemented by 'people' who don't believe that 'white people' can be the object of racism, because of  'white privilege'.

I don't know what others may think, but I worked my way through college.  My parents could only sign  "Guaranteed Student Loan" papers on faith that I wouldn't default, because they damn sure didn't have the money to put me through college.  I caught a couple of scholarships because of my grades, but I started mowing lawns when I was 10 years old and worked weekend and vacations through high-school, and found summer jobs through college.

Screw you if *_I_* can't take a joke

This Comedian Was Fined $42,000 for Telling a Joke: Reason.com:

"Unacceptable remarks made in private do not automatically become lawful just because they're made by a comedian in the public domain," wrote Judge Scott Hughes in his decision forcing Ward to pay Gabriel. "Plus, having a such a platform imposes certain responsibilities." Ward's mistreatment is a reminder of the importance of the First Amendment—something that doesn't apply in Canada. But it's also reminiscent of the current state of free expression on American college campuses, where administrators often behave as if they are not obligated to obey the Constitution. A recent documentary, Can We Take a Joke?, explores the death of comedy and challenges to free speech rights at universities and elsewhere ...

Well ... this is Canada.

But I wonder if America (with it's vaunted First Amendment Freedoms) isn't as likely to be as critical of a Jokester with a vicious streak?

The author of this article at Reason was obviously critical of the Canadian judge who arbitrarily imposed a fine of $42,000 on the 'perpetrator' of the canard.

The joke concerned Jeremy Gabriel, a 19-year-old Canadian singer who suffers from Treacher Collins Syndrome, a debilitating disease. Ward's joke was that the constant media coverage of Gabriel overlooks the fact that "he was supposed to die… why isn't he dead yet?" Ward suggests that Gabriel "stole a wish" and is now, in fact, unkillable.

An unkind statement?  Yes.
Cruel? Perhaps.
Actionable ... I don't know;  you tell me.


FROM THIS POINT ON, this is talking about children, not about comedians:

 Characteristics of Treacher Collins Syndrome include:

• Down-slanting eyes
• Notched lower eyelids
• Underdevelopment or absence of cheekbones and the side wall and floor of the eye socket
• Lower jaw is often small and slanting
• Forward fair in the sideburn area
• Underdeveloped, malformed and/or prominent ears
• Most children with Treacher Collins have normal development and intelligence; however, it is important that there be early hearing tests. Most children with Treacher Collins Syndrome benefit from early intervention speech and language programs.

The unlettered explanation of the syndrome is that it affects very young people who look really ... odd.   The appearance is permanent; they never outgrow the distortion of their face and head.

Sounds like those afflicted have a lifetime of being 'different' to bear, and anyone who has that kind of life to look forward need a lot of support, not casual jokes.

Tom Arnold's Gun Control Essay Presents a Passionate Argument

Tom Arnold's Gun Control Essay Presents a Passionate Argument | Hollywood Reporter:

 Because I've had personal demons, I worried about those who would come back as heroes to everyone but themselves, and now might find themselves alone, without their team, sitting in their basement with their drugs and their guns.

Tom, bless you for your concerns.  But I think that you might pay attention to the fact that since you are a "name", people will listen to your words.  Most of whom are not .. excuse the word .. suicidal.

That may be what you want ... not the suicides; the discretion.  But what happens is that a lot of perfectly sane people who own firearms might be tarred by the same brush.
(Sorry: feel remorse and consider suicide as a viable alternative to live.)

I know you're a big hollywood star, and I've seen both of your movies (one of them had AHNOLD in it, I can't recall the other movie right off-hand) and you were married to that revered woman celebrity ... the one with the mouth?  Yeah, that one.  Rosanne?  (Correct me if I'm wrong, sorry.)

Anyway, you might consider the effect your words have on the millions of people who are responsible gun owners.   Their experiences may not quite parallel yours:

My nephew Spencer was a sweet boy, but he was small, and I'm sure he was picked on. He was kicked out of the Army after attempting suicide. He was diagnosed as chronically depressed and unsafe around weapons. Yet he was able to get a concealed weapon permit from the state of Iowa and buy five guns. Like me, Spencer was a substance abuser. He refused my offer for help with that as well as his mental illness, so I was very concerned. Last fall, when I saw on Facebook that he had joined a crazy, racist, neo-Nazi (I'm Jewish, as is my mom) gun group and videotaped himself showing off, drunkenly shooting his assault rifle and calling President Obama the N-word, I headed to the airport to go see him.

Tom ... can I call you Tom?  I don't want to presume on you, but you're being quoted in the press as an expert on firearms, and I honestly regret your loss of a beloved nephew due to suicide.  I know that's hard to deal with; I've had friends and family who were also victims of firearms violence.

Well, actually, I'm thinking mostly about the 18 year old kid who was killed by a booby trap in VietNam, in 1969.  Not the same as suicide, I know, but the feeling of loss is almost comparable, except my kid died thinking he was fighting for his country, and your nephew (obviously closer, personally, to you than this kid in my platoon) was morbidly depressed because ... ah .. well, I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure he was experiencing some tough-to-handle things, unlike my happy-go-lucky friend in ... you  know ... the army?

So just because I was in the army, and 'over there', doesn't mean that I don't feel your pain.  It's hard to lose a loved one, especially someone who was such a close relative as a nephew.

Anyway, even though my friend wasn't a substance abuser, he DID have firearms.  (Not that it did him much good, but that's another story.  I carried his M16 and his web gear back to base camp, after his body was picked up by the helicopter.)   I don't think we can label him an "expert on firearms", although he did carry an AR16 for the rest of his life.  Which ended at age 19.

I don't think my friend called the president an "n-word", but that was a different decade and a different president; Nixon?   Is that an "N-word"?  Whatever, my friend gave his life for his country, not for his president.

Sorry; it's been a lot of years, and sometimes I get confused about just which president sent us to the beautiful, balmy country of South Vietnam.  It was ONE of those guys, probably a fucking Republican (and you know how THEY are).

Or was it Kennedy?  Or Johnson.   Never mind, I kind of zone out from time to time.

Where was I?
Oh yeah, now I remember.

Tom, I'm sorry your nephew blew his brains out.  I've seen it, it's not a pretty sight.

So please accept my most sincere  ... um ... condolences for your personal loss.  Nobody should have to suffer as you obviously have, at the loss of your son.

Oh, no ... sorry .. NEPHEW!   (Knuckling my head, why can't I get that straight?)

Sorry for your lose Tom.  Truly.  People think that Celebrities shouldn't be like real people and feel pain at the loss of a loved one.

There is no shame in suicide.  Happens to the best of people.

Well, you already know that.

Randomly Hitten

Those of my friends who wish to contact me directly, the email address for this blog is:

Jerrydgeekblog@comcast.net

Adoption. It's a beautiful thing

Simone Biles Was Adopted by Grandparents Ron And Nellie | The Daily Caller:

Ron and Nellie Biles adopted Simone and her sister in 2001 after they spent time in foster care becasue (sic) their biological mother — Ron’s daughter — struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.

During coverage of the Summer Olympics in Rio, Al Trautwig referred to Ron and Nellie as Simone’s grandparents.  When a viewer criticized him for doing so, Trautwig defended his decision and said, “They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents.”

When she was asked about what Trautwig said, Biles had a simple response.
“I personally don’t have a comment,” “My parents are my parents and that’s it.”

I never heard of Simone Biles before today, and I haven't been following the Olympics.

But I'm personally pleased to learn that another "wanted child" has no doubts about whose child she is.

 I have two nieces who may not have been born into the family, but they most certainly ARE family.  They are my nieces, they call their parents MOM and DAD.   They call me "Uncle".
I call them loved.   My sixteen grand-nieces and grand-nephews are my family, too, including a few (of recent years) "great-grands".  And yes, I lose count, but they forgive me.

Their family is the people who raised them, who cherish them, and who stand up for them in the bad times and applaud them in the good times.   Their family will rush them to the hospital when they break an arm, and comfort them when they are ill, and are firm-but-gentle when they do wrong, and pay all the bills no matter what.   What else would a parent do? (Everything!)

I know a lot of people who were raised by their "birth parents" and didn't benefit from the support and guidance which these ladies have received ... and I'm speaking of my nieces and Simone Biles.

When people* correct someone about whose child they are, because of an accident of birth, it merely reveals that they don't really understand people.

Adopted children have a special blessing;  they know for their whole lives that they were really, truly wanted.  

How many of the rest of us can make that claim?

*(The guy was probably a Democrat).

The sins of the fathers shall be visited upon their sons

I'm a procrastinator.

My idea of  'timely' is to start a project the day before it's due.  I've told myself that I was a 'fast worker', and "I work better under pressure".  I'm not sure NOW, but back in 'the day' it was an acceptable excuse for me.

Unfortunately, the procrastination gene seems to be dominant.

I got a "Happy Fathers' Day" phone call from my son ("The Squid Kid") at 10:30 on Father's Day.

Uh .. that was PM.

It's hard for us to talk on the phone.  Both of us like talking on the phone almost as much as we like chewing razors and washing them down with rat poison.  So it's a compliment to Squid Kid that he actually phoned.

I didn't expect it; but I was delighted to hear from him, because he phones on my birthday and on Father's day .. and he missed my birthday this year.

(Not that I've phoned him lately*; he has odd work hours, I never know when he'll be home, and that's excuse enough for ME!)

* ["lately" = "in the past year"]

There are a couple more complications; his diction doesn't come across clearly on the phone, and I don't hear so good.  So our conversations are often punctuated:  "What?  What did you say?  I can't understand you!"   That doesn't make for an open, free-flowing exchange of information and ideas.

Here's the funny thing.

Give us five or ten minutes on the phone, and we discover we have so much to say to each other that we just can't find a way to stop the conversation.  A five-minute phone call usually takes an hour to complete, as it did again last night.

The Squid Kid finally said "Dad, I hate to go, but I've got to get up in the morning and go to work" (it was nearly midnight by then.

I said: " I understand. Thanks for the phone call.  I have missed you.  I love you, son."

He said "I love you too, Dad."

I've waited all year to hear that.

It was worth the wait.