Gun Control

I don't own a gun. I wasn't around guns all that much as a kid--I got my gun experience in Scouts or other organized events. My dad did own a gun--a 22 as I remember and I shot it a couple of times. I am sure if you handed me a gun today I wouldn't know how to turn the safety off.
I think there should be more gun control in this country.
When I say gun control, I don't mean repealing the 2nd amendment--something conservatives and NRA types like to immediately puff their chests about--I mean gun control, better governance about who has guns and how they use them. There is one exception--automatic assault weapons. The name alone should be obvious to why the general public should not have them.
We need a registration similar to DMV with cars, something a gun owner has to renew every so often and report the sale or destruction (if that is possible). I would also like to see a required training class for anyone who purchases a gun. This class would include handling, storage, and stress saftey. You would get a card or certificate you could then use to buy a gun. And, just like with a car if you don't report a change (sold, not working, etc) you get fined.
Similar measures have been put in place in Canada, and while it hasn't put a dent in the homicide rate yet, it is a step in the right direction; taking control of a situation rather then doing nothing.
Another gun crime we don't talk much about is Suicide. The Candian embassy reports more gun related suicides were committed than homicides in 1996. Perhaps we should also be looking at mental health requirement for permits as well.

My view point may not solve the problem; however, I do know I am sick of hearing "they're trying to take away our guns". If your gun affects my public safety, I will choose safety every time.

"Tear down that wall"

Those were the words Ronald Reagan used when talking about the Berlin wall all those years ago. Now it seems conservatives can't get enough of building walls and creating the appearance of separation.
I agree immigration needs to be reformed, but let's at least try to show some dignity to the fact that most of us our ancestors of immigrants as well. When we talk about Mexican immigration, why don't we talk about helping their economy? We 'dump' tons of corn and other produce down there cheaper than local farmers can grow it--no wonder they are all coming here.
If the US is supposed to be the superpower of the world, why resort to something as primitive as a wall?

Partial Birth Abortions

The supreme court upheld a ban on partial birth abortions this week. While I think this a positive move, I believe that too much time and money is spent on political wrangling and not enough on those that need help making this decision. If both sides would stop fighting and look at how to help the unwed teen, the molested daughter, and the mother of 3 who doesn't want to be a mother again real solutions would come and lives would be blessed.

While abortion would not come up in a conversation I had with my daughter, I believe that if abortions are performed they should be safe and as much information as possible should be given so a woman can make the best choice for her and the baby she is carrying.

I believe that abortion policy should change; however, I also believe that change will happen one person at a time--and we can all be part of that process by learning and understand more about adoption--one of the most selfless things you can do.

Don Imus

I know this is old news; however, my two cents dictates the following:

If we are going to pressure executives to fire employees because of what they say that pressure should be placed in all media outlets--not just cranky old men.

I have been thinking about this in more detail, but as you know this is an old story.

What was he thinking

Our thoughts are with the Virginia Tech families that lost love ones today. What a tragedy--what a loss.

What drives people to do this? Especially when they include themselves in the people they kill. If you are going to kill yourself, why not save your bullets and skip to the end?

Off we go . . .

One of the best ways to 'get involved' is to write to the editor, write to your representative, or blog--but it revolves around communicating; expressing your ideas in logical and clear manner.

I have slacked as of late with my blog; however, as the political season heats ups (only 60 days until the primaries) I am going to try to express my opinions as quickly as possible. We'll see how it goes.

She stole my what . . . . ?

Emily hid my deodorant. She didn't like the aroma of Old Spice natural scent, so she hid it. What a swiper.

Congrats Emily

Emily won our NCAA tournament challange in a blowout . . . Congratulations

Rank     Bracket      Points Correct Picks Overall %
1       hmmm sports!     119    43 of 63
2       Perfect Circles     88    41 of 63
3       Sarah's Wacky Pix     86    37 of 63
4       Tom's Team     82    38 of 63
5       EQP     74    39 of 63
6       Ashley Scott     0    0 of 63

Presidential Election

I know, you are sick of it already . . . cry me a river. Fill out the survey--there are some interesting results, and as you can tell you only get to pick Republicans.

Wow . . . It has been a long time.

Time waits for no man and it certainly has passed me by. We have been working on Miriam's video blog, which isn't quite ready yet, and doing the political junky thing. Oh, my family, the church, and my job take up the rest of my time--and eating, I do a lot of that too. However, you will notice I lost 5 pounds.

It has begun . . .

The Mitt Romney TV spots have started to hit the air waves in the primary battleground states. While I am sure things won't stay squeaky clean, I hope Mitt can stay above the belt and air positive ads. I don't want to hear about other candidates in his commercials.

On a local note I heard John Montgomery, who ran twice for the 71st Delegate seat, is running for the school board--the same seat I considered running for. It should be an interesting election cycle.

Not a new years resolution

I really hate it when people see my wedding pictures--don't get me wrong, they look very nice, Emily was (and still is) a beautiful bride, and we look really happy in them. No, the reason I hate for people to see them is because the look at me and say 'you look so different', which really means 'wow you got fat'. All with a big smile on their faces.

For my thirtieth birthday, I want to be less than 200lbs. I am unsure of exactly how I will do this--perhaps go back to Singapore?--but I have tried to become more active. I take the bus and have to walk several blocks to work, I take the steps, and I try to eat somewhat less than I used to.

I am having a Birthday party this year and you are invited. If I haven't gotten down to below 200 by the time my party begins I will shave my head. At the bottom of my blog you will see how much I have to lose. Hopefully it begins to move; and not in the opposite direction. I won't worry too much, after all--bald is the new full head of hair . . .

72 Hours

Saturday I went to listen to Jim Gilmore, a former Virginia Governor and Presidential hopeful, speak on his current exploration of presidential waters. As Governor, Jim served as chairman of the homeland security committee--something unheard of when he was appointed by President Clinton in 1999. He chaired that committee for 5 years; the 216 page report was delivered to President Bush on September 1, 2001. Needless to say, his major focal point is homeland security.

Asked what more we could do on the homeland security front, he responded by saying we should prepare for the first 72 hours. (I am paraphrasing here) The first 72 hours he said are the most critical; however, they will also be very lonely. His opinion was that every American should be prepared to sustain themselves for the first 72 hours after the emergency. Government would never be equipped to assist sooner and in the case of huge disaster local assistance would be little better off. Personal Preparedness must be part of the national conversation.

His response buoyed my testimony. The latter-day prophets have echo his comments for some time, and here a presidential hopeful was pushing the idea as a matter of public policy.

Now, I just need to find my 72 hour kit--I know I left it somewhere . . .

Singapore Video

Ok, it has taken long enough-and this is not my best effort; however, it does give a sense of what we did. Some of the pictures are repeats. I take sole responsibility for the content of this video. Since this was supposed to be a 'Singapore' video I had a hard time finding music--hence the shortness of the video. The pictures do go fast, so you may need to watch it a couple of times.

It is sad--it already seems like so long ago. I cannot thank Bryan and Laurie enough for thier generosity and love. We said we would only come once; however, I am thinking Singapore is a MUST repeat trip!

Senate 9th District

Benjamin Lambert will be challenged this year by Delegate McEachin for the 9th Senate seat. McEachin, like Benjamin, is a democrat. Senator Lambert has served since 1984 and by and large has done a good job. I remember he was responsible for helping the Mill House, an adult program for those with brain injuries, stay afloat. He has also bucked this party on a few issues when he thought is was not in the best interest of his constituents.
His latest venture away from his party may prove the end of his political career. Last year he supported George Allen, the republican candidate for Senate--only his side lost. Senator Lambert escaped being expelled from the party by 5 votes earlier this week. While his political life may be on life support, I plan to support him in the democratic primary. No republican will run against him should he win in the primary.

His rival--McEachin is interested in nothing but moving up the political ladder and suppressing those that need his help the most, but that is another blog.

Penny for your thoughts?

I pick up pennies off the ground. I started in earnest when I was in college--you know the saying "a penny saved is a penny earned". Well, I have have found lots of free pennies on the ground. When I left Utah, I had accumulated about $10 worth of pennies. For some reason I stopped once I got a real job; didn't seem appropriate for a man of my stature to be picking up a mere penny. Well, sometime last year I started again. I don't remember consciously doing so, but I can remember some of the pennies I passed up during my 'dark period'. Some have had a laugh at my expense when I suddenly stop and bend over to pick up a penny. Now, the joke is on you. While I have already deposited most of my pennies, it is possible that pennies will be worth 5 cents should the price of metals continue to rise. That means my $5 or so worth of pennies will become $25. Cha ching. I have heard that New York City has $1,000,000 dollars worth of pennies on the ground. If they raise the price of a penny, that would be $5,000,000.

And you said it wasn't worth the effort.

**UPDATE** Emily, the girls, and I went walking this morning and managed to find 2 dimes, and 8 pennies. :)

Regulated Spanking?

California wants spanking to be punishable under law. As a parent I have decided spanking is not for me; however, I do notice that when I loose my patience the hand is a bit more active. Typically a little 'reminder' will do; however, do I want the state telling me I can't do so? The law will "proposes to make spanking, hitting or slapping a child under 4 years old a misdemeanor." This is tough--yes we need to reduce abuse in our homes, but I don't want the police called if I smack by daughter on the rear. I would also think abuse situations would happen indoors making detection difficult.

I think I would have a few hundred dollars in fines. Sorry Dustin, if this law passes I don't think I could afford to live in California.

I expect lots of comments on this one. :)

Another hat in the ring

Senator Obama created his obligatory presidential exploratory committee today. While I like what Obama has to say--he has a great persona--I have yet to hear anything really different come from him. To me, his new ideas have yet to be explained to me. Yes, he does have a unique background; however, I am interested to see if he keeps his 'rock star' status through the year.

My guess is that he cannot--his record is not quite beefy enough.

In Memory

Today we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King. As I listen to "I have a dream" and "Mountaintop" speeches, I marvel his words. I wonder what Dr. King would think of the civil rights movement today. I wonder if I have done enough to promote equality and encourage independence.


"And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream." --Martin Luther King

Home Sweet Home

Well, sort of . . . It is nice to be home; however, reality came a little too fast as we found the fridge not working, the front porch light broken, the trunk of the Mitsubishi flooded, a ton of mail, and bills that needed to be paid. In addition we didn't even notice until we got home that we missed a bag at the airport. Luckily it is still in Chicago and United will bring it out--rather than us forgetting it.

Today is my first day back to work. I think I need another vacation.