Gun Ban

Well, as I knew he would, Eric Holder announced that President Obama's administration will, after all, be going after guns. His reasoning makes sense too. We need to ban "assault weapons" in the US, because it will benefit Mexico (http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6960824&page=1). How exactly it will benefit Mexico, we don't know, but Mr. Holder says it will have a positive effect there. I played around a while and found some other, equally good reasons for banning guns so here you go (the ones in red are my favorites):

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, & Chicago cops need guns.

2. Washington DC’s low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis’ high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.

3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are “just statistics.”

4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.

5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.

6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.

7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.

8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.

9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should “put up no defense - give them what they want, or run” (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don’t Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).

10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.

11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seatbelts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.

12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.

13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a “state” militia.

14. These phrases: “right of the people peaceably to assemble,” “right of the people to be secure in their homes,” “enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people,” and “The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people” all refer to individuals, but “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” refers to the state.

15. “The Constitution is strong and will never change.” But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.

16. Rifles and handguns aren’t necessary to national defense! Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.

17. Private citizens shouldn’t have handguns, because they aren’t “military weapons”, but private citizens shouldn’t have “assault rifles”, because they are military weapons.

18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.

19. The NRA’s attempt to run a “don’t touch” campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby’s attempt to run a “don’t touch” campaign is responsible social activity.

20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.

21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.

22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is “an accident waiting to happen” and gun makers’ advertisements aimed at women are “preying on their fears.”

23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.

24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.

25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.

26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a “weapon of mass destruction” or an “assault weapon.”

27. Most people can’t be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.

28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.

29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.

30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.

31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.

32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do “civilians” who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.

33. We should ban “Saturday Night Specials” and other inexpensive guns because it’s not fair that poor people have access to guns too.

34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.

35. Private citizens don’t need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.

36. Citizens don’t need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.

37. “Assault weapons” have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police need assault weapons. You do not.

38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that’s bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that’s good.

39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.

40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to “keep guns out of the wrong hands.” Guess what? You have the wrong hands.

Somthing a little off the wall

Well, duck season ended on a boring note. Heidi and I went out on the last day, had a great time watching the birds fly, and sitting in the mist, but never did get a shot. We got out very late - it happens when you have to get the kids off to school and a babysitter (thanks Mohna) before you can go - and we missed out on the spot I wanted to sit at. No big deal, except the guy sitting there was getting shot after shot, and finally limited out, I think.

Anyway, I'm stuck at work now for a couple weeks, and don't have any adventures to write about. However, I do have a couple things. Last time I was up here the free Sirius subscription ran out for our work truck. I'm not usually much of a music listener but, since there aren't any radio stations at all to listen to, I put a couple of my old CD's in the truck to pass the time. I had a "hankerin'" to listen to Creed, so I grabbed the three CD's I have and I've been listening to them for a week straight now. A couple of the songs have always been favorites of mine, so I'll put them up here for anyone that wants to see them.





And one that I've only just fallen in love with. If you know me well, you know that I have a very hard time trusting people, that I'm a very cynical and sarcastic individual, and that I have a hard time caring about things that don't involve me. I see that in the individual described in this song. I see the point of this song as a person struggling to open his heart and love his fellow humans. Anyway, this is Weathered:

5 times skunked

Well, I haven't had a productive hunt since my birthday, but that doesn't stop me from having fun! I've hunted 3 days since Christmas, once with Heidi's dad which was a really cold morning, and have had a few shots at birds, but it just hasn't come together very well. Anyway, here is a couple pictures of my latest adventure.

That's an icy Snake river under a beautiful sun rise. Unfortunately, nice days are not great for duck hunting.

While the hunting hasn't been great, everything else has been. I worked an extra week in Wyoming at the beginning of December and got enough overtime to get Heidi a new stove, microwave and carpet for the bedroom. Plus, I had enough to get and AR15. However, I decided that I only wanted the AR as a rebellion, and I don't really need or want one. So, I got a bolt action .243 instead and had enough left over for some serious ice fishing gear!

I'M A MEATATARIAN!!!!

My favorite line: "It's a personal choice, you have to commit to it..." Anyway, I saw this on tv the other night and had to post it.

Yep, I'm 30

Well it finally happened. I turned the big 3-0 last saturday. It was the best birthday ever! I got to go duck hunting with a bunch of friends (including my "little" brother, Jake) in the morning which turned out to be 3 1/2 hours of almost constant birds coming in. There were six of us in the blinds and it was only poor shooting that caused us to leave so many ducks flying. We had a beautiful decoy spread laid out, but none of us expected the flock sizes we saw trying to come into us and I think several bigger groups passed us up for not having enough of a "landing zone."

After hunting, Jake and I went to a local trap club where my ward's Elder's quorum had reserved the morning to shoot some clay pigeons. We had an excellent turn out and some of those that had never even fired a shotgun before were able to break some clay and have an absolute blast.

Next, Tommy and I watched a movie (meaning I napped while Tommy enjoyed a "cowboy movie" - he and I share a love for John Wayne flicks). Before we started the movie, though, Heidi had a surprise for me. The kids got me new duck hunting waders for my b-day. Aren't they cute? I can't wait for my next hunt to try them out.

Then we dropped the kids off with my little sister for a little while before they headed to Grammy and Papa's to spend the night. When I got back home, Heidi was already preparing dinner. We had a TON of fun making dinner together - bacon and potato chowder and snow crab legs - and a very nice candlelit meal. Without the kids, we got to bed early and slept in on Sunday morning. PERFECTION!!!

Just as I thought my b-day was over, I got the real shocker. After church on Sunday Heidi blindfolded me with a pink jacket (I can only imagine what people were thinking) and said she had one more birthday surprise. She drove around the entire town, I think, and then came to a stop and told me to take off the blindfold. We were at our own house, but there were cars everywhere and some joker had written on my front window. I might be a little slow, but I caught on when I read the window, "you're a member of the nerdy 30 club." Then I started to recognize cars and realized this was a party. Sure enough, Heidi had stolen my friends' phone numbers from my phone and had put together a big ole part-ay!!!

All said and done, it was the best birthday. I have the best family in the world - close and far! Thank you all and I love you.

Josh