‘Now the time has come; there is no place to run’
As we all know, the Mayan long-count calendar comes to an end today, at the winter solstice of the 13th b’ak’tun. And there are three basic interpretations of what happens next:
A.) Nothing.
B.) A new era begins, dramatically different from that which came before.
C.) It all ends. Everything. Kaput. Finito. Put a period on that sucker.
"I swear, these fools will believe almost ANYTHING!"
Option A, while most likely, is also the least amount of fun. Totally boring.
Option B, on the other hand, offers far more opportunities for exploration. Might we really be at the dawning of a new age? There are some who say we might very well be.
Consider, for example, the fact that the last time the Mayan long-count calender flipped over was some 5,129 years ago. And what was happening around that time frame?
A lot, as it turns out. Roughly 5,000 years ago, the Stone Age ends. Early agriculture begins in North Africa. Troy is founded. Betty White is born. Stonehenge is built. Cities emerge. The Bronze Age begins, and with it recorded human history. It was indeed a time of total transformation of human consciousness.
Are we now perched at the edge of another such transformation? The evidence. some say, is compelling. Consider, for example, this portion of the Dresden Codex, a Mayan book and the oldest known book written in the Americas. It is reported to deal with the end of time. Note the prominent figure carrying a bucket spilling water — a water carrier. As in Aquarius, the water carrier.
As in Age of Aquarius, dawning of? I report, you decide.
For those of a more pessimistic frame of mind, we offer Option C. The problem with Option C is that many, many prophecies of the end of time have been issued by charlatans over the centuries, and so far none has come true.
And how do we know they’ve never come true? Because you’re still sitting there reading this, you dummy.
But you see, that’s the easy answer to the easy question. The deceptively easy question. Here’s a tougher question: What if we’re NOT really here? What if the world as we knew it really HAS ended, and we are now someplace else but just don’t realize it?
Sure, everything may look the same. It may even feel the same. It’s Friday. Friday Night Travelin’ Music is on Bookman’s blog, just as it always is. It’s all exactly the same.
But … isn’t it all just a little TOO exactly the same? What if this world is SUPPOSED to look the same and feel the same as THAT world?
In the words of that great seer, Rod Serling:
“We know that a dream can be real, but who ever thought that reality could be a dream? We exist, of course, but how, in what way? As we believe, as flesh-and blood human beings? Or are we simply parts of someone’s feverish, complicated nightmare? Think about it, and then ask yourself, do you live here, in this country, in this world, or do you live instead… in the Twilight Zone.”
I suspect that is a question that John Boehner has no doubt asked himself often.
Now the time has come (Time)
There’s no place to run (Time)
I might get burned up by the sun (Time)
But I had my fun (Time)
I’ve been loved and put aside (Time)
I’ve been crushed by the tumbling tide (Time)
And my soul has been psychedelicized (Time)
EXCELLENT COWBELL!
– Jay Bookman
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887 comments Add your comment
RF
December 23rd, 2012
12:56 am
“Bottom line is that there really isn’t much if anything you can do about a madman determined to get a hold of a gun and do some crazy shyte.
All of this handwringing and all this “we have to do something”, “something has to be done” is just a waste of time. And that is the cold, hard truth”
And throwing up our hands and doing nothing isn’t helping either. It’s a complex issue to say the least, and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect that we can, and should, do a better job of at least monitoring high powered weapons. Maybe that includes more stringent requirements for getting them in the first place, registering them, and proving that you can actually safely handle them, as well as keep them out of the wrong hands, even if those hands turn out to be a member of the family.
We’ll never keep the nutjobs from getting their hands on them if they’re determined to do so, any more than we can prevent some rational person from becoming insane and “going postal.” There’s no single solution, but putting more guns and bigger and badder guns in the hands of the general populace isn’t going to help either.
“Do you want murderers like the one at the Connecticutt school or your common everyday street thug “better trained” with his weapon??”
Well, from what I gather so far, his momma did a good job of seeing to his training. What she needed was some sense about how to store the things so he couldn’t get to them, if not outright removal of him or the guns for her own safety. It’s sad she didn’t understand the threat he was to her and others, and that’s one example of how our nonchalance about guns is dangerous in this country. And since the vast majority of gun owners are, from everything that you read, law-abiding citizens, requiring some reasonable training to insure some level of safety with them isn’t going to enable any more nuts than we have out there already who can get to them with little or no challenge. The kid in Connecticut could have been kept from having so much firepower at his behest if his mom had done a better job of securing her guns, especially since she knew her son had issues. I don’t even begin to think anyone or any legislation could have stopped him, but maybe the death toll wouldn’t be so high if he hadn’t been able to get to the more powerful weapons in his home.
I simply refuse to accept that there’s nothing we can do. If nothing else, just talking about it will help encourage some owners to rethink their security of those weapons and may help keep somebody from getting to them who shouldn’t. That alone would help. I’m not advocating legislation as much as I’m simply asking for what we’re doing here- talking about it and getting people to think about what they have and the absolutely necessary reminders we all need of the responsibility that comes with the right to have them. At the very least, we have to do that. That is something, and far better than just saying “oh well…” and waiting for the next massacre.
We can’t just decide to make a type of gun illegal and think that’s any kind of fix- I do understand that. That won’t do any good, but I think it’s entirely reasonable to expect the legal, rational owners of them to be held to a high standard for their use and safety. And the vast majority of gun owners are good people. I know that, and those I know personally have said they’ve taken a good look at how they store the guns they don’t carry for personal safety to make sure they aren’t accessible to someone who breaks in or a family member or friend who goes crazy. I guess all we can do is just hope and pray a lot of people are doing that.
oldguy
December 23rd, 2012
1:22 am
I hear you RF, But
I am retired and live by myself in a small condo. Are you going to buy me the $1,500.00 – $3,000.00 gun safe to store my firearms in? Are you going to find me a place to put it? I take care of my firearms but I cannot guarantee that they will not be stolen any more than you can guarantee your car will not be stolen or you home won’t be broken into. If someone breaks in while I am here they will run a severe risk of being shot, otherwise what can I do. I will not turn in my firearms to the government!
marko
December 23rd, 2012
7:25 am
If the republicans have proved anything, over the last few years, it’s that a small group can be politically effective if they stick together. facts can’t stop them, reality doesn’t phase them, Reagan said it, they believe it and that settles it. That brings me to something I just read. The N.Y. Post just called Wayne LA Pierre a NRA gun nut. The N. Y. post? Aren’t they supposed to be Rupert Murdoch’s lap dogs? Evidently the Mayans were trying to predict the sad demise of a once great party. trouble has come to Bullsh*t Mountain.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
7:26 am
Reference our many Billion dollar effort at Airport security, how many terrorists has it caught?
How many terrorists have tried to do anything on flights that ORIGINATED in the US? Our airport security only applies to domestic airports. We don’t have screeners in other countries processing inbound flights. We rely on the competency of the countries where those flights originated. Since 2001, we haven’t had any successful attacks or attempts on domestic flights.
You want action? look at what works! The Israelis have lived with terror threats to their schools for 60+ years, organized terror. Do what they do if you want something that might actually work.
Are you advocating for compulsory military service here in the US? If we do what the Israelis do, then we’re going to have 2 year compulsory military service for EVERY citizen as that’s what they do there. Every Israeli citizen has to do 2 years with the IDF. How much do you think that would cost to run hundreds of millions of citizens through 2 years of compulsory military service? Are you ready to foot that bill?
One-size-fits-all solutions don’t work when the situations are not the same. We can’t use Israeli techniques in the US because our societies are not structured the same. If you cherish your freedom to move about, you don’t want the Israeli method. If you don’t want police pointing automatic weapons at your head during routine stops, you don’t want the Israeli method.
I don’t know why people refuse to simply acknowledge that violence is as part of America as apple pies and bald eagles. It’s part of who we are, and there is no way of escaping it. You can deny it until the cows come home, but we are a violent society. There is pretty much nothing we can do to stop these incidents. Our best efforts should be directed towards teaching each other how to avoid becoming victims of these incidents.
TaxPayer
December 23rd, 2012
7:46 am
Cons are consistently childish as well as wrong. Regardless of the issue, they must be dragged away from the children’s table, kicking and screaming, and forced to grow up. Cons will accept responsibility for the privilege of their right to bear arms and they will predictably kick and scream about others keeping them from putting their eye out. Cons. Our perpetual spoiled brats.
marko
December 23rd, 2012
7:50 am
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence website states, in a single year guns killed 17 in Finland, 35 in Australia, 39 in Britain, 60 in Spain, 194 in Germany, 200 in Canada and 9,484 in the United States.
We’re Number One! Yet another triumph for the Second Amendment, and still no gun monument in Washington. How long will we tolerate this travesty?
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
8:12 am
Georgia – “the man can’t write”
Neither can you.
Please don’t entertain any thoughts of replacing him.
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
8:23 am
I saw a story on TV this morning about a group of kindergarteners visiting a nursing home.
The kids were all black.
And then it hit me.
EUREKA!!!!
I thougt back to the days of forced busing for the purpose of achieving racial integration. And, I remembered that, in those days, cities and towns had not the slightist problem in keeping a goodly police presence at schools.
So, our lawmakers need to get a large, fresh dose of racial political correctness and restore busing all over the country.
When busloads of black and white children start to come to the schools, mixed in(so to speak) with a large number of cars driven by angry parents, once again communities will have no trouble whatsoever providing a generous police presence all day, evey day.
And, if and when some crazed shooter shows up, he will be confronted with and already right on the edge police force who, at the first sight of a gun, will mow him down in a hail of lead.
Problem solved.
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
8:25 am
Marko – 7:50
The NRA is working on it.
RF
December 23rd, 2012
8:29 am
“Are you going to find me a place to put it?”
oldguy: therein lies a big part of the problem. Since we have no standards for gun storage and safety to speak of, too many people are like you and have no real security for them. Which tends to make me wonder why you would have them if you can’t properly secure them. Saying you have no place to put it and no money to buy the gun safe only emphasizes the need to question having them in the first place. I’ll give you the right to own them, but until we, as a gun loving society, also embrace the safety aspects of owning them, then we’re likely to see the violence get worse instead of better. You can’t 100% secure them except for a heavy safe, and that’s out of range for many owners. But if they want the higher powered guns, they need to be able to prove they can secure them when not in use.
RF
December 23rd, 2012
8:38 am
“Our best efforts should be directed towards teaching each other how to avoid becoming victims of these incidents”
I agree. And as much as educating ourselves on that is important, I also think it would help if gun owners took a good look at how and where they keep their guns. I think the vast majority are safety conscious, but at times like these it helps to have these conversations about the topics at hand, if nothing other than to make us think about what we do with guns and how our enthusiasm to have them affects those around us. Stockpiling weapons in our homes without regard for securing them isn’t an answer. I’d have a lot more respect for the NRA if they’d emphasize training in handling and securing them as much and as publicly as they hawk just owning them.
TaxPayer
December 23rd, 2012
8:42 am
Why is oldguy trying to pawn off responsibility on others for his decision to purchase and store guns in a place that he deems unsafe. Does he insist that others purchase his car insurance, etc.
Your president's 47% is at it, again....
December 23rd, 2012
8:56 am
http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2012/12/21/couple-accused-of-slapping-elderly-best-buy-employee/
marko
December 23rd, 2012
9:06 am
By Carol J. Williams
December 19, 2012, 2:00 a.m.
“Twelve days after the worst mass murder in Australian history, when 35 people were shot to death at Tasmania state’s Port Arthur tourist mecca in 1996, the government issued sweeping reforms of the country’s gun laws. There hasn’t been a mass shooting since, and suicides, deaths by firearms and robberies at gunpoint have plummeted.”
I was particularly impressed by the twelve days thing. Our congressmen can’t wipe their butts that fast. The article was published in World Now, and to be fair, states that other countries have tried stricter gun laws with less impressive results. Still if you’re looking for a culture that mirrors our own, you’d have to look pretty hard to find a better match than the Aussie’s. Anyway for those that suggest tougher gun laws are useless, reality begs to differ.
Your community organinzer's leadership skills!!!
December 23rd, 2012
9:14 am
http://washingtonexaminer.com/wsj-obama-threatened-boehner-that-hell-use-inauguration-sotu-speches-to-blame-gop/article/2516688
President Obama has threatened House Speaker John Boehner that if no deal is struck on the “fiscal cliff,” he will use his Inaugural address and State of the Union speech next month to blame Republicans, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In the Journal’s behind the scenes account of how fiscal cliff talks between Obama and Boehner hit a wall, what comes across is that the president is emboldened by his reelection and eager to extract more concessions from Boehner than he was willing to accept during last summer’s debt limit talks.
This excerpt from the piece is revealing:
Mr. Obama repeatedly lost patience with the speaker as negotiations faltered. In an Oval Office meeting last week, he told Mr. Boehner that if the sides didn’t reach agreement, he would use his inaugural address and his State of the Union speech to tell the country the Republicans were at fault.
At one point, according to notes taken by a participant, Mr. Boehner told the president, “I put $800 billion [in tax revenue] on the table. What do I get for that?”
“You get nothing,” the president said. “I get that for free.”
Thomas Heyward Jr
December 23rd, 2012
9:15 am
The anti-war left had no where to go after War-Criminal Obama became president.
.
So…………………they jump on the gun grabber wagon.
.
It would be laughable …………..except for all of the brown children that Obama is murdering.
.
Instead its ………effing pathetic.
.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
9:22 am
How many wars have you fought in Thomas?
marko
December 23rd, 2012
9:23 am
Enter your comments here
Recon 0311 2533
December 23rd, 2012
9:35 am
Brosephus,
Americans aren’t uniquely violent, we’re a free society not a violent society. Violence exists everywhere in the world and because we’re a free and open society violence can be more easily perpetrated. It’s the price we pay for being free and if we start peeling away freedoms we’re then headed in a direction most Americans wouldn’t want to see. Now being a free and open society doesn’t mean that we can’t take measures to protect our people without taking away freedoms from law abiding citizens. In light of this horrible tragedy that occurred just over a week ago at Sandy Hook we have to do more to first of all protect our children. It’s my hope we do more than just piling on restrictive legislation that restricts freedoms, while not solving problems. I believe that we need to close the gun show loop hole and do something to place limitations on private owner transfers of firearms along with getting full government cooperation in building a national database that includes those with emotional disorders and a history of domestic violence or public violence. Banning firearms and various accessories, however, won’t solve the problem, it will only make it worse.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
9:35 am
RF @ 8:38
If I don’t have it on my person, my guns stay locked up.
Thomas Heyward Jr
December 23rd, 2012
9:35 am
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
9:22 am
How many wars have you fought in Thomas?
———————————————————————————
.
Desert Storm and the current one…………….the war of peace, liberty, and Basic Decency against a violent dark progressive statism.
.
And my side’s numbers grow……………..worldwide.
hamiltonAZ
December 23rd, 2012
9:46 am
Fiscal Cliff dwellers:
Jump the cliff. The House has already “jumped the shark,” so it’s time to take the dive. It’s only for a day and the markets will come back. Why, you say. Because on January 3, Congress will not be required to vote for a tax increase to accomplish what would be Bush tax laws for the middle and no Bush tax laws for those over 250K. “I don’t understand” you say. Simple. After December 31, the Bush tax cuts will have expired and the vote would be to cut taxes for those making 250K or less.
What should NOT happen, though, is to stick to the last Obama offer. It was dreadful and we should be thankful the lunatics in the House couldn’t see what a deal they were getting from a weak President. Okay, maybe he’s not weak, but he negotiates poorly.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:01 am
the war of peace, liberty, and Basic Decency against a violent dark progressive statism.
.
And my side’s numbers grow……………..worldwide.
Really? The last election shows that you FOXBOTS are declining……….
Shouldn’t you be in church?
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:04 am
hamiltonAZ: After December 31, the Bush tax cuts will have expired and the vote would be to cut taxes for those making 250K or less.
Boom baby. I think you nailed it. The truth is so simple I can’t believe I missed it. Good catch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmjHT5GpAYQ
What part of AZ are you in? Tuscon by chance?
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
10:04 am
Reference our many Billion dollar effort at Airport security, how many terrorists has it caught?
Wrong question. The correct question is “How many have they STOPPED? How many, since the implementation of these procedures have they deterred? How many, since implementation have succeeded?
Before 9/11 we were sitting ducks but we were too stupid to realize it — the terrorists however, who were all world travelers and saw tougher security at small airports in Nairobi, realized it though. They picked us apart and used our stupidity against us. Now we’ve tightened up that gap and made it harder — is it 100%? Probably not but the only thing that is 100% is death (and taxes).
Sometimes, instead of looking for the negative in all things you should try to look for the positive.
RF
December 23rd, 2012
10:05 am
“If I don’t have it on my person, my guns stay locked up.”
And I’m sure many are just as responsible. We can only hope so, since there doesn’t seem to be an agreed upon standard for that.
One of my worries came true this morning. A neighbor one street over lost his house this morning to a fire. Evidently he had some ammo stored in the house and it of course went off. My buddy down the street closer to him said he and his wife went out to see what the sirens were about and could hear the bullets zinging through the tree tops above them. They hastily went back in the house. I could hear the shotgun shells going off up here at my end of the street. Luckily nobody was hurt and the damage was contained to the house on fire, but it concerns me nonetheless that some of the more avid owners could feasibly have thousands of rounds of potentially dangerous and uncontrollable ammo susceptible to fire in their homes.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
10:05 am
Mosque Arsonist: Fox News Made Me Do It!
An Indiana man who pleaded guilty yesterday to setting an Ohio mosque on fire told a judge he was motivated by media accounts – specifically those on Fox News – suggesting Muslims were threatening Americans and were in control of parts of the federal government.
Details made public at the plea hearing also revealed that the arsonist, Randolph Linn, was carrying a pistol when he entered the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo on September 30, only minutes after several worshippers had left, and that he had more guns in his car.
Linn, a 52-year-old truck driver from St. Joe, Ind., expressed no remorse when he admitted trying to burn down the third largest mosque in the United States. Under the terms of a plea agreement, prosecutors and Linn’s defense attorney will recommend a prison term of 20 years when he is sentenced early next year.
I believe that we were discussing sheep last night….
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
10:09 am
It was dreadful and we should be thankful the lunatics in the House couldn’t see what a deal they were getting from a weak President. Okay, maybe he’s not weak, but he negotiates poorly.
Its like he doesn’t understand the words “upper hand” or “full house”. He should’ve let Pelosi do the negotiations. The HOUSE is where these things take place anyway — he should’ve let her do her job.
And I agree with the synopsis of his not being weak. Plenty of [dead] terrorists can account to that statement!
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:11 am
“Tell me those, since you seem to think you know so much more about it. How exactly will “tyrrany” be impose in your vast knowledge of this country?”
My point apparently went over your head. It was simply this: any student of history will know that we cannot predict what may develop in time. Did anyone see Hitler coming? Pol Pot? Suicidal Islamic terrorism? Timothy McVeigh? In my view the only fool is the person who says “that” (whatever it may be) will never happen here or to me. Just because we cannot foresee something happening DOESN’T mean it won’t happen.
“Didn’t point any fingers, dude. It’s no secret that there a good number of folks out there who see that as an issue, and I can name some in my own family. Sorry if I hit a nerve, but that view is out there, none to carefully couched in rhetoric to make more PC to the masses.”
Yeah, keep on spewing that hateful mantra. Here is something of a secret (in terms of not being publicized by the media): many blacks in this country are as prejudiced, bigoted and racist as any white conservative is alleged to be. But apparently you and liberal talking heads seem to be under the delusion that it is unilateral.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:14 am
“Mosque Arsonist: Fox News Made Me Do It!”
SPLC Spam
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
10:19 am
Recon @ 9:35 — good solid first steps you got there!
I only have one problem with your statement (come on, you’re not surprised by that are you?) — and that is “our freedoms” as you succinctly stated.
Yes we as americans do have certain freedoms, however, as it has been proven time and time again, these freedoms are not absolutes and DO come with restrictions.
We have the “freedom of speech” — but if our “Free speech” is derogatory or inflammatory (bka Baring False Witness) then the perpetrator looses that right. If our speech is incendiary and causes harm to our citizens, (like yelling FIRE! in a crowded shopping mall; threats against a person, place or thing; etc); then the perpetrator looses his “free speech”.
I’ve seen post after post after post on this blog that assumes the 2nd Ammendment is an absolute. It’s not. Like the First it has its limitations.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
10:19 am
Recon
I wouldn’t say that we are uniquely violent, but violence is a part of American lexicon. Not all violence is deadly violence though.
This country was founded on violence, first with throwing tea into Boston Harbor and then the Revolutionary War. We committed violent acts against the First Americans, Mexicans, and others when expanding westward. You have the Civil War which nearly divided the country as well. Even protesting, Most of our significant advances came by way of some type of upheaval.
I don’t think we can escape violence in our society. I see it as simply adapting survival tactics to an ever changing world. We’re not going to be able to ban violence out of our society. We’re not going to be able to ban guns. We’re not going to be able to detect when a person is going to go off the deep end. That’s just how I see it. I think your ideas on the gun show loophole and private owner transfers make sense, but I don’t know how effective that will be overall. When you have instances where legally purchased guns are used, there isn’t much you can do other than make a hasty retreat.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:20 am
“Americans aren’t uniquely violent…Violence exists everywhere in the world and because we’re a free and open society violence can be more easily perpetrated. It’s the price we pay for being free…”
As even a cursory study of history will reveal.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:25 am
“I don’t think we can escape violence in our society. I see it as simply adapting survival tactics to an ever changing world. We’re not going to be able to ban violence out of our society. We’re not going to be able to ban guns. We’re not going to be able to detect when a person is going to go off the deep end. That’s just how I see it.”
Agreed. Neither are you going to stop adultery, lying, stealing, slander and the like until sufficient INDIVIDUALS repent (meaning to change their thinking and attitude about such behavior) and start doing good things like giving to the poor, visiting the sick, lending help, practicing hospitality and so on.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
10:26 am
Well, if it is spam — it seems like a whole lot of OTHER outlets have been punked too.
Unlike the Drudge Spam that gets paraded around here day in and day out masquerading as “facts”.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
10:28 am
ROFLMAO!
Did anyone see Hitler coming?
Godwin’s Law proven yet again.
Matti
December 23rd, 2012
10:28 am
Hey Y’all!
Just popping in to say Happy Holidays, and “FA LALALALAAAAAAA, LA LA, LA LAAAAAAA!” Hope y’all are having an awesome Christmas season doing whatever it is you’re compelled to do to recognize it. Gotta jam now. Time to make more pies! Forget Santa’s list. The most desired list to be on is the one that gets you one of my pies. Maybe if you’re really really good next year, and you believe really really hard, it can happen to you too! “Giver of immortal glaaaaadness, fill us with the liiiiiight of daaaaayyyyyyy! Woo!”
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
10:30 am
Happy Holidays to you too Matti!!
PS: Since we can’t have any pies this year, how about a recipe?
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:33 am
“Unlike the Drudge Spam that gets paraded around here day in and day out masquerading as “facts”.”
Drudge, like the site linked to above, is not an originator of stories. It merely editorializes with headlines and links to articles and stories posted elsewhere – many of them published by the “mainstream media”. So, if anything, it is not Drudge that is to be questioned but the stories themselves and who is producing them. The SPLC is hardly an unbiased organization. So I was merely parodying someone who mindlessly comments “Drudge spam” on ANY story linked through that site.
paulo977
December 23rd, 2012
10:34 am
Brosephus….”I don’t know why people refuse to simply acknowledge that violence is as part of America as apple pies and bald eagles. It’s part of who we are, and there is no way of escaping it. You can deny it until the cows come home, but we are a violent society. There is pretty much nothing we can do to stop these incidents. ”
___________________________________________________
I guess we have to develop some kind of higher humane vision as a nation and that my friend is going to take almost forever
Peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHU-AJTn0I8
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:34 am
Wow. If Debbie’s not on the pie list I don’t stand a chance in hell………..
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:36 am
So I was merely parodying someone who mindlessly comments “Drudge spam” on ANY story linked through that site.
Once again illustrating he hasn’t an original thought in his head.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:36 am
ROFLMAO!
“Godwin’s Law proven yet again.”
Except that no comparison was made, genius.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:37 am
“Once again illustrating he hasn’t an original thought in his head.”
I thought you liked Kamchak…
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
10:38 am
Brosephus – 10:19
“This country was founded on violence”
So was almost every other country in our human history.
“I don’t think we can escape violence in our society”
Unfortunately, that is all too true.
“We’re not going to be able to ban guns.
Again, all too true.
We’re not going to be able to detect when a person is going to go off the deep end.”
True again. And, if that person is going to shoot up a school, we have no way of knowing which school he has in mind.
So, in light of all this, I say we must have police officers at every school in the nation. I know Republicans will try to block this any way they can. But, enough public pressure, as in losing elections, will force them to stop protecting just the rich.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:39 am
I do like Kam. Unlike you though, I don’t emulate him and copy his posts…………
Oh and Merry Christmas……….. or happy whatever, whichever fits.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:41 am
“I do like Kam. Unlike you though, I don’t emulate him and copy his posts..”
I know, right? It’s too “passive-aggressive”
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:42 am
I know Republicans will try to block this any way they can. But, enough public pressure, as in losing elections, will force them to stop protecting just the rich.
Ummmmm dude? Newton IS a “rich’ town. As was Columbine……….
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
10:42 am
Thomas Hewyard Jr. I fought in Desert Storm.
Of course you did.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:43 am
Sam’s and Walmart had the i5 for $127 and I may have dicked around too long to get the deal. They also have i4s’s at $47.
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
10:44 am
Fred – 10:42
I said “at every school in the nation”.
Do you know what “every” means?
hamiltonAZ
December 23rd, 2012
10:45 am
Chandler.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
10:46 am
Fred
You still ain’t done with your shopping?
Dude, get your ass in gear and get goin’.
hamiltonAZ
December 23rd, 2012
10:47 am
Great quote from Thomas Friedman in an article titled “Bring in the Clowns”: Suggesting that the purification of districts through gerrymandering has left the Republican party in a quandary, Friedman concludes,
“It can’t win with a base that is at war with math, physics, human biology, economics and common-sense gun laws all at the same time.”
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:51 am
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
10:44 am
Fred – 10:42
I said “at every school in the nation”.
Do you know what “every” means?
+++++++++++++++
Yeha I know what EVERY means. Do you know what: I know Republicans will try to block this any way they can. But, enough public pressure, as in losing elections, will force them to stop protecting just the rich. means? you wrote the crap not me.
Quit talking out of both sides of your ass. It’s not my fault you can’t coherently address the issue and toss in stupid crap like that above.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
10:51 am
“Ummmmm dude? Newton IS a “rich’ town. As was Columbine…”
Why do you say that? I read that the Lanzas were living in a squalid 3,100 square foot hovel and that their only income was a measly quarter million dollars a year from alimony.
RF
December 23rd, 2012
10:52 am
“many blacks in this country are as prejudiced, bigoted and racist as any white conservative is alleged to be. But apparently you and liberal talking heads seem to be under the delusion that it is unilateral”
Never said that either. But saying “he did it too!!!” doesn’t work on the playground, kiddo.
“It was simply this: any student of history will know that we cannot predict what may develop in time.”
Absolutely, and the examples you mention were opportunists who inserted themselves in desperate times in countries where the safeguards we have in our political system didn’t exist. I never said it absolutely couldn’t happen, but I think we have far more to bring to bear against it than a bunch of yokels toting around tons of ammo without any real training. A well-trained militia is much more than somebody who can shoot a Budweiser can off a fence post at 50 yards, and we’re allowing way too many careless individuals to amass a stock of firearms and ammo just in case of “tyranny”. Hell, too many of them couldn’t define the word if you gave them a dictionary. That’s a weak excuse to use to justify the kind of firepower the Lanza kid had in his possession. Ironically, the “tyranny” seems to be coming more from the homes of people who are trying to be prepared to fight against it and end up enabling it.
Own the guns because you like them, because you collect them, whatever. But don’t wave a copy of the Constitution and a flag and think that should get you unmitigated freedom to have anything you want without any responsibility for safety. I think anyone with a reasonable knowledge of history can see that the writers of the second amendment didn’t intend it to be used and manipulated to justify fear and doomsday scenarios so we could have even more guns without any requirements for safety. The right to bear arms cannot continue to be used as justification for bigger and more dangerous weapons in the hands of those untrained to safely use them. I think it’s reasonable to guess what the founding fathers would think about arming citizen soldiers with such firepower without any required training. That is as dangerous as what they may fight, if not more so.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
December 23rd, 2012
10:53 am
Your community organinzer’s leadership skills!!!
December 23rd, 2012
9:14 am
Blaming the GOP is certainly BO’s only real threat…and he is already doing it same as he does for anything that goes wrong. He had a great opportunity to show leadership and stay in town riding roughshot over the congressional clowns…so if nothing happened, he at least sacrifices something (I’m sure XMas at the WH is not a real strain)…
What folks forget is that the whole issue was based on an agreement by both parties..both of whom, particularly the democrats, are simply worried about non interruption of their “not our fault” campaign. All this will do is inflame the Lib base which is sufficiently enflamed…
Leadership remains and will continue to be a void in DC from the top down.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:54 am
Kam, when the girls get home from church we are heading up to the Forums on Peachtree industrial. One store (I won’t say which lol) is getting in 10 i5’s tomorrow at 8. I plan on being there.
Other than that all I have is the wife to buy for and I’m not getting her anything anyway
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
10:56 am
Fred
RF
December 23rd, 2012
10:57 am
“I’ve seen post after post after post on this blog that assumes the 2nd Ammendment is an absolute. It’s not. Like the First it has its limitations.”
shhhhh, you’ll have LaPierre out there reading another one of his NRA manifestos to us. Geez the man looked like he either had to pee really bad or it just plain physically hurt to utter the nonsense he threw out to the airwaves. I’m sure ne could bless us with another diatribe to “prove” it is an absolute.
barking frog
December 23rd, 2012
10:58 am
What exactly is all this training needed to own a gun?
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
December 23rd, 2012
10:59 am
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
10:54 am
How is it you are privy to the release of Apple supply data? My kid had to wait a couple weeks to get one from Verizon..
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
11:01 am
Stevie: I have my ways of finding out information……….
like in this case, the dude I called today to ask if he had any said, “No sir, but I am getting a shipment of 10 tomorrow at 8AM via UPS.”
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
11:04 am
Coroner’s officials say Lee Dorman, bass guitarist for the 1960s psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly, died of natural causes in Southern California and there won’t be an autopsy.
Where would we be without In a Gadda da vida and probably one of the most recognised bass lines in rock history?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIVe-rZBcm4
Doggone/GA
December 23rd, 2012
11:06 am
“Absolutely, and the examples you mention were opportunists who inserted themselves in desperate times in countries where the safeguards we have in our political system didn’t exist”
Bottom line: tyranny can’t exist if the country’s armed forces are against the tyrant. If that tyrant can’t win the armed forces over to his side, he won’t prevail.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
11:10 am
“Own the guns because you like them, because you collect them, whatever. But don’t wave a copy of the Constitution and a flag and think that should get you unmitigated freedom to have anything you want without any responsibility for safety.”
I own neither a gun or a flag. The last gun I owned was a .22 target pistol in college. I have friends who own them and have fired many of their weapons on a firing or target range. I am also a veteran, so I have experience with M-16s, M-60s, M-18s (Claymore mines), grenades, LAWS rockets and so on. I simply want to preserve the right to own a gun should I feel the need for one someday. I would probably only want a handgun for self defense – maybe a Walther PPK (easily concealed) or Glock.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
11:12 am
“Bottom line: tyranny can’t exist if the country’s armed forces are against the tyrant. If that tyrant can’t win the armed forces over to his side, he won’t prevail.”
You should follow the thread; the context is the government itself being the tyrant.
Stevie Ray..Clowns to the left and Jokers to the right..here I am...
December 23rd, 2012
11:12 am
RF
The NRA will always be the NRA and folks like me who are simply of the mindset that 90% of the reasons to have a gun are BS. However, in talking to several intelligent NRA members over the past week of so, there exist cogent arguments that need be recognized. It’s a puzzle, video games and movies don’t seem to me to have any weight, access to guns ain’t going away, and not much can truly be done about identifying mentally ill much less actually treating them with any success…
nelson
December 23rd, 2012
11:14 am
The end is near
so i will have some cheer
It is very clear
There is nothing to fear
Santa is here
JamVet
December 23rd, 2012
11:15 am
It can’t win with a base that is at war with math, physics, human biology, economics and common-sense gun laws all at the same time.
Funny and sad at the same time, hamilton!
What the hell has gone so terribly wrong with these dishonorable Republicans?!
Seriously!
They used to show some basic respect for the laws of science and the rule of law in this country. They used to see Uncle Sam as a champion of freedom and not as their enemy. deserving of drowning in a bathtub. They used to try and actually protect this planet and the people therein. They used to view the poor, the children, the elderly and the sick as more than economic enemies of the state.
Now?
They have become a cataclysmic post Reagan/Gingrich/Bush train wreck of unabashed greed and cowardice who use every chance they have to say how awful this country is.
Take a good, close look at many of them here, especially those who claim themselves to be the most pious. Their diseased version of Republicanism has taught them to become the antithesis of the tenets taught in their “Good Book”.
td wants to execute women who have abortions and Christian Conservative would love to be the man who pulls the lever. JKL2, Scout, Del and William could all sit it the crowd and cheer.
They have managed to do the unthinkable – in this day and age of reason and enlightenment they have remained as dark and irrational as the pre-Bush Crusaders. And they’ve stayed as segregationist, intolerant and bigoted as their political sires of decades, even centuries ago.
Though they loathe the man, Darwin was not wrong. And in a political sense they are going to see firsthand what he taught us.
Get the popcorn ready, the next few years and their actions, will determine whether they continue to swirl down the American toilet or not…
Doggone/GA
December 23rd, 2012
11:15 am
‘You should follow the thread; the context is the government itself being the tyrant.”
And the government can’t become a true tyranny without the support of the armed forces. in this country, yes, the President is the Commander in Chief…but he is not the supreme commander of the armed forces and they can, and will, disobey an illegal command.
David Granger
December 23rd, 2012
11:18 am
Everyone should have been rather skeptical over the Mayans’ ability to predict the future when we consider that they failed to foresee the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors…
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
11:22 am
Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
11:23 am
I will say this: the thing that makes a weapon like the AR-15 (or any low caliber semi-automatic assault rifle) scary and sets it apart from most other LEGAL weapons (like a pump shotgun or a semi-automatic handgun) is the kinetic energy (determined by a weapon’s bullet caliber and muzzle velocity) of its rounds. It simply is more lethal and damaging to the human body.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
11:25 am
Neither are you going to stop adultery, lying, stealing, slander and the like until sufficient INDIVIDUALS repent (meaning to change their thinking and attitude about such behavior) and start doing good things like giving to the poor, visiting the sick, lending help, practicing hospitality and so on.
I don’t think you’re going to stop that even if enough people repent. If you have good, you have to have evil. One can not exist without the other. You just have to live your life to the fullest and be aware of the things going on around to to keep from becoming an innocent bystander victim.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
11:27 am
Paulo @ 10:34
I’d like to think we could do that, but my optimism won’t stretch that much.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
11:32 am
“If you have good, you have to have evil. One can not exist without the other.”
Then why does the Bible state that God wants all people to be saved? Why would the creator of the universe want something that is impossible? I think it is therefore possible to have good without evil (certainly in heaven), but it is highly unlikely on this earth. That does not mean, however, that the majority of people cannot be good – don;t you think?
josef
December 23rd, 2012
11:32 am
DAVID
@ 11:18
They did not fail to “foresee” the arrival of the Spanish. The arrival of the whites was “predicted/prophesied” in the Chilam Balam and connected with Quetzalcoatl.
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
11:36 am
OK josef, well they sure as hell failed to predict what generations of inbreeding would do to them lol.
JamVet
December 23rd, 2012
11:40 am
Don’t know if you noticed, but
Your name is on a lot of quotes in this book
And us crazy humans wrote it
You should take a look
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Cn_ESuu0xIw
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
11:43 am
Then why does the Bible state that God wants all people to be saved? Why would the creator of the universe want something that is impossible?
Just because evil exists does not mean that one has to freely engage in evil themselves. Lucifer, himself, was an angel. I don’t think evil would exist in heaven, but here, I don’ t see how you can have one without the other. How else would you know the difference if one did not exist? I think all people have it in them to be good. All it takes, though, is a momentary lapse in judgement to get involved in things that are not so good. We see that on a daily basis with drug use and such. Some people can overcome those obstacles with ease while others struggle their entire lives. Just because they’re struggling with something doesn’t make them evil, nor does it make them a bad person.
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
11:47 am
Fred – 10:51
I will explain this as simply as possible so that even you will understand.
Political parties like their politicians to get elected and re-elected.
Politicians like to get elected and re-elected.
So, if Republican politicians lose two elections in a row, the Party will get mad and actually start to make changes so they won’t lose three in a row. (I know this is hard for you but try to follow)
So, if most Americans want armed guards in every school and Republican politicians say “we just can’t afford that” while giving the rich evey tax break possible and gouging the middle class, they will keep losing elections.
Then, and only then, will Republicans change their ways and give all Americans what they want.
Read this over and over until you understand it, sporty.
josef
December 23rd, 2012
11:50 am
FRED
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
11:54 am
‘The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”‘ – Psalm 14:1
“I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” – Ecclesiastes 1:12
And for the above mentioned “fool” who is too cowardly to follow the sheer logic of his or her beliefs, a bit of Shakespeare:
“For who would bear the Whips and Scorns of time,
The Oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s Contumely,
The pangs of despised Love, the Law’s delay,
The insolence of Office, and the Spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his Quietus make
With a bare Bodkin? Who would Fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered Country, from whose bourn
No Traveller returns, Puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Than fly to others that we know not of.”
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
12:00 pm
“I think all people have it in them to be good. All it takes, though, is a momentary lapse in judgement to get involved in things that are not so good.”
Agreed. But I guess my point was simply this: the ONLY POSSIBLE way to dramatically alter the number of evil acts we are now witnessing is for a great number of people to repent (which is a serious, life-changing decision) and then strive to PROVE or illustrate their repentance by their deeds (as Paul says). In other words, we can as a nation become increasingly evil or change and become increasingly better. But it depends on each individual making the change – not government, not programs, not money, not talk. Would you agree?
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
12:01 pm
Hey Jerome (if you’re around)
1-1 against Swansea?
Really?
My Blue Lions up 3-0 against Villa at the half!
Woo-hoo!
Fred ™
December 23rd, 2012
12:01 pm
ndigo
December 23rd, 2012
11:47 am
Fred – 10:51
I will explain this as simply as possible so that even you will understand.
Political parties like their politicians to get elected and re-elected.
Politicians like to get elected and re-elected.
So, if Republican politicians lose two elections in a row, the Party will get mad and actually start to make changes so they won’t lose three in a row. (I know this is hard for you but try to follow)
So, if most Americans want armed guards in every school and Republican politicians say “we just can’t afford that” while giving the rich evey tax break possible and gouging the middle class, they will keep losing elections.
Then, and only then, will Republicans change their ways and give all Americans what they want.
Read this over and over until you understand it, sporty.
++++++++++++++++
Stupidity and illogical thinking are just that no matter how many times one reads them “sporty.”
You are delusional. I can’t change that and you will STILL be delusional no matter how many times I read your drivel. Since you seem to have taken a delusional fascination with me, I believe it’s time to place you on the ignore list with the other delusional people that post here. Life is too short to waste on the delusional group so I’ll stick to reading the ones who are lucid.
Seek help.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
12:03 pm
But it depends on each individual making the change – not government, not programs, not money, not talk. Would you agree?
Yep. It’s all on the individual, hence my optimistic pessimism that we won’t see much change. After all, people are creatures of habit.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
12:10 pm
“Yep. It’s all on the individual, hence my optimistic pessimism that we won’t see much change. After all, people are creatures of habit.”
A wise and good man once taught me about the power of decisions. That is all it takes – people coming to their senses, saying to themselves “why am I acting this way?” and deciding to change. That is the kind of thing displayed in shows like “Dr. Phil” and “The Biggest Loser”, except that ones needs to focus on more than simply losing weight or overcoming a dysfunction. They have to see that the love of self above all else is the real problem.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
12:14 pm
Fred: Wow. If Debbie’s not on the pie list I don’t stand a chance in hell………..
Hiya Fred!! Listening to the Sunday Morning Talk Shows – Gun Ownership/Second Ammendment! Hot stuff! And great talking points!
PS: Matti told me that I was getting fat, that’s why she won’t put me on the pie list (sad face); however I just think she’s jealous!
Towncrier: Drudge, like the site linked to above, is not an originator of stories. It merely editorializes with headlines and links to articles and stories posted elsewhere – many of them published by the “mainstream media”. So, if anything, it is not Drudge that is to be questioned but the stories themselves and who is producing them.
Crier, are you a litigator? I haven’t seen such deflection and twisted loopty-loops since I was in school and one of my teachers was one of the best litigators in Georgia. Hey, wait a minute!! Did you ever teach classes at Mercer University in Macon?
Kam: Fred – You still ain’t done with your shopping? Dude, get your ass in gear and get goin’.
Kam, Fred is like the millions of other people who wait until they have no other resource BUT to go……………….He’s saving the roads of America from excess wear and tear!!!
That’s our story, and we’re sticking to it!!
PS: Fred, Just give gift certificates, that’s what I finally decided to do…..
Fred: But, enough public pressure, as in losing elections, will force them to stop protecting just the rich.
I don’t think so. Look at the states like Michigan, (who ALWAYS vote dem in major elections, but has a republican governor and a republican majority in their statehouse); who are now trying to change the rules. The republicans say ONE THING to get elected, then once elected they go ahead and usurp the people and put in place their own agendas.
And giving the fact that “We the People” are lazy and don’t like to get out and vote, don’t like to screen/check out who we’re voting for, and don’t like to hold our elected officials accountable, (we just lie to b#tch and moan but not actually DO anything), then I don’t see a bright light at the end of this tunnel.
The GOP knows these things, so they feel free to act with impunity to push their agendas after campaigning while wearing an “All 4 One” hat; (See GOP Congress who campaigned on Jobs, jobs, JOBS!).
RF @ 10:52 — Bravo!! You, sir, get the boa for the holidays! Enjoy!
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
12:16 pm
Crap! Here’s the link for the boa! Sorry about that….
http://www.newsgroper.com/files/legacy/boa2.jpg
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
12:18 pm
Fred is like the millions of other people who wait until they have no other resource BUT to go……………….He’s saving the roads of America from excess wear and tear!!!
DDR
Fred is probably like me and most men that HATE TO SHOP!
I wanna know in advance what to get and where to get it. I don’t like wandering around from store to store looking at all the stuff.
And yeah, I had to get everything done by today, ’cause I got plans today and tomorrow.
Brosephus™
December 23rd, 2012
12:24 pm
Fred is probably like me and most men that HATE TO SHOP!
YESSSSS!!!!!!!! Except for when shopping for beer.
Kamchak ~ Thug from the Steppes
December 23rd, 2012
12:25 pm
I wonder if the SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS! have finished all their xmas shopping.
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
12:26 pm
“Crier, are you a litigator? I haven’t seen such deflection and twisted loopty-loops since I was in school and one of my teachers was one of the best litigators in Georgia. Hey, wait a minute!! Did you ever teach classes at Mercer University in Macon?”
I have taught at a university but it wasn’t Mercer. And I am not sure why you think I might be a litigator (you probably don’t, but are merely using the idea as a dig). Much of what you responded to is factual. From the Wiki:
“The Drudge Report is a news aggregation website. Run by Matt Drudge with the help of Joseph Curl and Charles Hurt, the site consists mainly of links to stories from the United States and international mainstream media about politics, entertainment, and current events as well as links to many columnists.”
Its conservative bent arises from 1) its choice of stories to link to and 2) its headlines (which are often inflammatory). There are liberal counterparts to Drudge, like the DailyKos and Huffington Post.
Did you have a point besides trying to get in a dig?
Towncrier
December 23rd, 2012
12:27 pm
Okay…be good guys and gals. Here’s wishing everyone a memorable and joyous holiday!
indigo
December 23rd, 2012
12:28 pm
Fred – 12:01
It’s ok Fred.
I understand you’re not exactly the brightest bulb in the box.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
12:30 pm
Crier: many blacks in this country are as prejudiced, bigoted and racist as any white conservative is alleged to be.
How many of these blacks are in a position of power to change people’s lives? How many blacks are in Congress, the Senate in their respective states AND at the federal level? Do you think that maybe they are greatly outnumbered in all respective areas?
How many blacks make laws that curtail or disintegrate whites rights to vote? How many blacks make laws that belittle or disenfranchise millions of ethnic minorities regarding immigration?
And to top it off, how many blacks in a position of power went on national television and denigrated the Indian nation by saying that someone doesn’t “look indian enough”?
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 23rd, 2012
12:36 pm
Actually Crier I was giving you a compliment; sorry you don’t see it that way.
If you want a dig, check out my 12:30 post…..