It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious

[Rhetorical question alert.] What are the odds?  Analog kid reports:

 Sorry to leave you hanging today, but it is a week before Boomershoot and I am singing “The Broken Tooth Blues” and am off to the dentist.

I left work early yesterday afternoon because of a tooth I chipped the night before. I had the option of seeing my dentist at 3:30 or waiting until Tuesday.  All is fine now.  My dentist smoothed the chipped area (very small and on the back side of the tooth) and didn’t even charge me.  My tongue, which seemed to seek out the only sharp object in my mouth, is healing and things are back to normal.

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14 thoughts on “It’s a good thing I’m not superstitious

  1. Joe,

    Now that you are feeling better, perhaps we can talk about about an idea I have for Boomershoot.

    Regardless of what your or I may think is the cause of all those innocent people being killed and maimained each year by firearms, I think we can agree that it is very sad that all of those people have had their lives ended or made miserable.

    It seems to me that it would be an appropriate gesture if, at the outset of Boomershoot or at some highpoint in the festivities, there were a minute of silence in memory of all those people. I am sure tha the failies of most of those people would be grateful.

    What do you think?

    Best wishes,

    Henry

  2. I think we need a moment of silence for “Henry’s” lost mind.

    OK, now that that is over, thanks for the write up. I split the SOB right up the middle and into the gums. I came this }{ close to a root canal.

    For now, I have a temp crown on it and we’ll see how it goes.

  3. Ouch! I hope it holds together without pain until after Boomershoot and you can get it fixed permanently.

  4. You guys reacted just about as I thought you would. I was hoping to get a sense as to whether you are able to identify with the poor souls who suffer as a result of your “gun culture”. It is increasingly clear that you do not see it as your problem.

    Well, when you are at Boomershoot, in that momement just before you pull the triger, when you are at your quietest, let images of the final moments of a few of those innoncent dead poepole, pass throught your mind’s eye. Give theem, at least, that momement of silence.



    Besr wishesa,

    Henry

  5. Hey Henry,

    I’m a sensitive, new-agey sort of guy. I indeed feel for the poor innocents who have met a violent end:

    the battered wives who were prevented from possessing the one tool that could protect them when the police wouldn’t;

    the inner-city shopkeepers, helpless to protect themselves from felonious attack by repeat offenders, looking to feed their crack habit;

    the terrified teachers who were prevented from stopping a ritalin-addled child from killing his classmates and colleages with an illegally-obtained weapon;

    the millions in socialist regimes who’ve been rounded up and marched off to end up laying in a mass grave, with no means to resist;

    The “gun culture” grieves for these people as much as, or more than, the bleeding heart liberals like you. We just don’t see the solution as simplistic as you do. Banning guns doesn’t stop evil – it just hinders good people from stopping it. But it’s increasingly clear that you do not see this as your problem – just ban the guns and hope the police will protect you.

    The only moments of silence I plan to observe at Boomershoot are the interludes between my connection with a few pounds of high explosives. Perhaps I’ll let a vision of 9-11 pass through my mind’s eye, just before I press the trigger.

  6. Mike,

    Why is it that some of you cannot simply engage in a discussion without calling people names? I suspect it is because, when you leave off all of that nonsense, all we are left with are a lot of dead and injured people.

    Try your hand at straight discussion. Perhaps you will learn something and maybe even persuade someone.

    Ranting and name calling is mob [of the angry street crowd type] talk. I hope you would agree that the last think that ought be in the hands of people in a mob would be loaded weapons. Do you?

    Anyway, you will be ahead of the game even if you use your minute of silence in memory of the people you listed. Some compassion is better than none.

    As regards the attitudes of those in favor of gun control, you might want to follow a guy for whom you probably have a great deal of respect. Your type of guy:

    From Reuters: April 17, 2005

    http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17606671.htm

    Subdued DeLay says gun control supporters not bad

    By Jeff Franks

    HOUSTON, April 16 (Reuters) – Gun control supporters are not bad people, they just do not understand what guns mean to those who grew up with them, Texas Republican Rep. Tom DeLay said on Saturday in an unusually conciliatory speech to the National Rifle Association.

    The U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader decried the “overheated” political discourse in the United States, but did not directly address the controversy enveloping him about ethics and political fund-raising.

    When 3,000 NRA supporters gave him a standing ovation, he said, “I hope the national media saw that.”

    Touched, he said, “I’ve been in elective office for 26 years and this is the highlight of my career.”

    DeLay, who represents a Houston-area district, is known for his highly partisan style, but gave an almost subdued address to the NRA faithful, who had heard a steady diet of Democrat- and liberal-bashing speeches at their annual convention.

    He said it was too bad political opponents question each other’s motives instead of arguing about issues and said those who support gun control often come from a culture in which hunting and handling of guns are not customary.

    “Unfortunately, too many of our fellow countrymen don’t share our cultural touchstones. When they think of guns they have no point of reference that gives them any insight to understand why we feel so strongly abut the right to bear arms,” DeLay said.

    “We certainly don’t have to agree with those who seek to deny us our 2nd Amendment rights, but we do have to remember that while our opponents’ policy initiatives may be bad, that doesn’t mean our opponents are bad people.”

    ‘GOD BLESS THE NRA’

    DeLay went on to assure the NRA he would work to pass legislation to continue to guarantee the right to have guns.

    ***

    Best wishes and be not afraid.

    Henry

  7. I don’t think folks like you are necessarily bad, either, Henry. Merely deluded. Most gun control supporters simply believe that controlling objects is easier or more effective than controlling criminals. The premise seems practicable in theory, but has been proven wrong in far too many instances – Great Britain, Canada, Australia. These are democratic nations, not unlike ours, where people have no particular current reason to fear their governments.

    In other cases, gun control proponents truly are the enemy – banana republic dictators aren’t concerned with crime rates. They’re concerned with staying in power – which is easier to do with an unarmed populace.

    I’ve persuaded quite a few people, as an instructor I’ve taught several people, new to guns, basic skills to defend life – I generally don’t call folks names either. I’m not sure what name-calling has to do with dead and injured people – I really don’t care how you choose to make that connection, either. I typically don’t fall into the trap of debating groundless emotion-based topics. I must admit you sucked me in – you’re quite adept and I have to give you credit for admirable tactics.

    Have a great weekend. Too bad you’ll miss the shoot.

  8. Oh, and Henry —

    Do you drive a car? If so, before you turn the ignition key, do you say a little prayer for the tens of thousands of people killed each year on our nation’s highways? Do you take a moment of silence for the alcohol-related deaths before each glass of wine you consume? Before you turn on your computer to post another message, do you reflect upon the salmon fry or prairie animals displaced to create the electricity you’re consuming?

    In short, why do you believe gun owners should take responsibility for the actions of the criminal? Since when does affirming and defending my right to possess and use firearms burden me with the guilt of those who commit crimes with firearms? It is an old ploy, but an effective one, to single out a group and blame them for a perceived societal ill. Historically Jews and blacks have suffered the most under this bigotry. But gun owners have become the latest in this evolution of bigotry.

  9. Mike,

    Let’s see. You admittedly lapse into inappropriate name-calling, and it my fault for having lured you into that personal error by my unspecified “admirable tactics”. Ok. I apologize. Let’s move on and agree to analyze facts and ideas and not indulge in adolescent or hee-haw name calling.

    The point you make about driving a car, etc., is a common error of confusing concepts.

    1. Cars are registered and regulated, with consequent enforceable accountability, right through to required insurance to back up that accountability.

    2. I am not sure what your point is, but I assume you, like I, regularly contemplate the number of auto accident and alcohol related deaths, as well as the downside of optional or negligent changes in the ecology. I ask you to do the same with regard to the consequences of unregulated gun proliferation.

    3. In my view, comparisons of slavery and bigotry against Blacks and of the Holocaust, on the one hand, to alleged suffering of gun owners who fear being required to be accountable for gun misuse, amounts to blasphemy. The spiritual heirs of the slave owners, torturers and Nazi’s may well be among us, but the most unlikely place to find them is amongst those who react with shock at the number of gun deaths and injuries. That is all I am going to say on that subject since the analogy is not worth dignifying with any more.

    Best wishes and be not afraid,

    Henry

  10. 1. Firearms are regulated far more than cars: anyone with the cash can buy any car they want, with no restrictions on size, horsepower, or other factors. You don’t need to pass a background check to buy a car. Dealers aren’t required to keep records for 10 years. Licensing of individuals allows them to drive any car they want, in any state they want. And dozens of accidents are caused by uninsured drivers every year – but I see no one calling for the banning of cars as a result of the unlawful actions of a few.

    2. I don’t spend my time contemplating the deaths of various user groups. I prefer to celebrate life. What a depressing world you must live in.

    3. However, perhaps not you, but many liberals are quick to compare our president to Hitler at the first hint of disagreement with his policies. Might want to talk to your blasphemous colleagues.

    Good day, sir.

  11. Mike,

    As Regan once said, there you go again. Why do you keep going back to the banning of firearms? The primary focus of my postion is the permanent registration of firearms and their current owner — same as cars.

    Your items 2 and 3 obviously fall short of the mark.

    Good night and be not afraid,

    Henry

  12. 1. Now that you’ve actually stated your position – answer this simple question: How will registration of firearms by legal owners prevent gun-related violence in any meaningful way? A reference to at least one first world country or even a state where this has happened would be useful.

    Next – name a country where a fully-established gun registration scheme has NOT resulted in eventual confiscation.

    2. Your definition of “the mark” is yours. Mine is mine. I figured you would value diversity.

    3. It’s Reagan.

  13. Henry: Since you’re so big on registration, please provide the following information so that the crowd here can be sure that you’re practising due diligence and appropriate safety measures when you exercise your First Amendment right to Free Speech:

    Your full name

    Your phone numbers (home, work, and cell)

    Your full permanent address

    Your place of work (please include your

    immediate supervisor’s name and work phone number)

    Your Social Security number

    Your Driver’s License number

    Any and all passwords to ALL computer, bank,

    or other protected accounts you might have– especially financial accounts, so we can access your financial history

    Your mother’s maiden name

    Full details of ALL arrests you might have had (please include case numbers)

    Full medical record informataion (specifically including mental health records and ALL substance-abuse allegations)

    Recommendations from three (oh hell, let’s make that five) character references- please include their full contact information, as we WILL be contacting them for confirmation

    I’m sure that, with the knowledge that Free Speech can have horrible consequences if misused, you’ll have no problem whatsoever answering these questions in full and promptly; I’m also positive that- with the understanding that uncontrolled Free Speech poses a great cost to society at large and The Children in specific- that you won’t object to having your “right” to Free Speech limited or voided if you DON’T answer these questions to our satisfaction, or if you provide false OR OUT-OF-DATE information; or pretty much if someone feels like it.

    Sounds fair? Get to it! Prove what a good citizen you are, Henry… we’re watching.

    Note: If you’re NOT an American Citizen, Henry… don’t bother answering any questons. Just assume you DON’T have any rights, because you don’t.

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