They Should Make a Law...

...against killing people.  Like, "It is henceforth illegal to kill another human being.*"  That will solve everything.

 

Police Believe Body Found is Gunman Sought in Mount Rainier National Park Ranger Shooting

See, if there was a law, Park Ranger Margaret Anderson might be alive today.  The laws that were broken in this case, were not enough :

 - The "Gunman" had a Restraining Order against him, which (should) prohibit him from possessing firearms.

- The "Gunman" was wanted by police as a suspect in the shooting of four people at a New Years Eve party (illegal, even at a New Year's Eve party).

- The "Gunman" entered the park and sped past a vehicle checkpoint.  After the road was blocked by Anderson, the "Gunman" fled his vehicle, and fired shots at Anderson, striking and killing her.

"It has been legal for people to take loaded firearms into Mount Rainier since 2010, when a federal law went into effect that made possession of firearms in national parks subject to state gun laws.

Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks. He called Sunday's fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today's political climate."

See, if there was a law, and a sign at the entrance to the park, the "Gunman" would have been forced to realize he was breaking a law by entering the park with the gun, and would have been forced to go somewhere else, and everybody would have lived happily ever after.

I know, I know, the sign wouldn't have stopped him.  But another charge of "Possessing a Firearm in the Forest" on top of my proposed "Don't Kill People" law, would really put another nail in his coffin.

Oh, and all the un-armed people out in nature at the time the "Gunman" entered the park - they would be safe in the knowledge that the "Gunman" was going to be looking at an additional stiff fine if he killed them and their children...











*Of course, we have to define 'human being', like, 'as in a person who is out of the womb for 26 consecutive years and off their parents insurance' - or something like that.

Happy New Ye....

...this is going to be another year where I have 10 to 15 (roughly) great invention ideas that I don't do anything with.  (Hello, Redbox, aka RaceBox)...anyway here was last years winner:

2012 Mayan Calendars...each one abruptly ends on a different day during the year.

Watch Out...

...for high curbs in Georgia

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Redistribution Justice...

I had seen a version of this before, and thought it was funny.  But this time I listened to the answers, played a little Devil's Advocate...the Devil lost, like he usually does.

These people (we were all probably like these people at one time) ca not make the connection, they all think that it is different when you are talking about income or money.  Listen to their 'reasoning' - "...the thing about rich people is, our society isn't playing fair..."  Every argument they make, is completely transferable from the GPA argument to the income argument. 





Maybe if you explained the difference between "income" and "wealth" to these people, maybe if you explained...really, I don't know what it would take. Real life? That is what it took for many of us.

The Atlantic had an article that included some more "reasoning" as to why it doesn't translate, calling it an Apples to Oranges comparison.  But all the arguments try to change what "income" is - as if it is not earned.  Sure, I believe some salaries are out of whack - but it is a free market, and I can try to go get that higher salary for less work (that is the name of the game).  In fact, I have changed jobs three times, each taking an initial pay cut to do something I wanted to do more.  I also fought hard for my GPA in college (taking my 2nd year off to be a complete zombie). 

To me, the comparison is spot on...

Poor Richard...

I was going to post about a quote from Benjamin Franklin:

"I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer."

I wanted to write a post about what we do to our poor in the name of "helping" them, and that Obama and the Left are clearly on the opposite side of some wise thinkers.

I wanted to find the exact quote so I Bing'ed it (I've been protesting Google for some time now), and I found that William Sullivan had already written old Ben's comparison to young Barack, at the American Thinker.  Sullivan blogs HERE, and its a good blog.

"Benjamin Franklin was an industrious and brilliant liberal of his time, a man not only responsible for creating personal wealth, but in part responsible for creating the wealthiest nation on Earth. Yet we have seen Americans disavow his longstanding wisdom to embrace an ideology wholly contrary to our founders', peddled by a modern-day liberal academic who has created no true wealth, but only sought to redistribute it -- all with clearly detrimental results."





[Poor Richard was a pseudonym used by Franklin when he first published his Almanac.  Franklin based Poor Richard on characters from early almanacs, and from another character who predicted the deaths of almanac writers.  In Poor Richards Almanac, Franklin would predict the deaths of writers of other almanacs, and then later falsely report the deaths, and as being accurately predicted.  It was a joke...they don't make them like old Ben anymore!]

P.S.  I found the Ben Franklin quote in Newt Gingrich's new book.

Blessings...

It is a tradition in the Bannon house to leave each family member's "pile" of gifts from Christmas out until, well, if Mrs. Bannon allows...until New Years Day.  Or the day after.  Then, throughout the week, one can go to their pile, and decide which toy to play with, or treat to taste.

Even with the multitude of Bannonlings, there is enough room, and the tradition has continued yet another year.

While perusing my pile, I decided to read from my copy of Mr. Gingrich's latest book (autographed - thanks Babe!) and found this quote that summarized...well, the fact that we have piles:

"Your situation in life, every one must confess, is one of the great blessing: the providence of God has given you a wonderful heritage, above many of your fellow creatures." - George Whitefield speaking to the American colonists pre-revolution

The Best Christmas Ever...

I pretty much spend 364 days of the year waiting for this one day.  And this year was the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!

I was spoiled again by my family with gifts of all kinds.  Great books, homemade gifts, gifts from my childhood, and more.  One of my favorite gifts was one I had asked for, but never thought I would receive.  I had been shopping around for a new axe for several months.  I had read dozens of reviews, probably close to fifty, and all the accompanying comments found on blogs and articles.

Nothing says "I love you" like a good axe.  So Mrs Bannon and her mother worked together to put this under my tree this year:

 2# Hudson Bay Premium Velvicut®

Council Tool has been making axes in America since the 1880s.  They recently introduced the Velvicut line of "Premium" axes to compete with high-quality northern European axes.  "These top-of-the-line, world class axes are made for the serious user, collector, outdoorsman, or tool aficionado. They are not for everyone but rather for those who seek the very best."

Yes, I seek the very best...