Well, the surgery was a screaming success....especially the part when coming out of anesthesia I kept telling the nurses, "I don't like this. I don't like this one bit," in a deep, ominous tone. What I didn't like was the nerve block in my arm and the dead arm thing was freaking me out. A scant week later, Dr. Tigger pronounced me in great shape, and Scott the Cast Man assured me I would play the violin again...although anyone who ever heard me play the violin back in elementary school knows this is not a desirable thing. I can run scales on the piano and I'm working up to chords, but the hand-spread on The Moonlight Sonata may be a bit off in the future.
First things first: hats off, kudos, hugs from the tundra, and other assorted accolades go to the reader who took up the challenge to write the blog that I should've written last week. Luke posted a three part comment delineating how gun control should go down in a sentient nation. I happen to know Luke - he is the son of a friend - but he is no kid. He has his bona fides in law and he grew up in a frontier state so he knows guns. Let's just say if he decides to run for president, I will be at the head of the line for a lawn sign and a volunteer shift. If you've not read the comments...go back a week; it's worth the read.
State law is sufficient? This guy must be very young not to have ever heard of Jim Crow and civil wrongs. Some states they thought they could bypass the Federal government and ignore desegregation orders. Excuse me for being naïve, but seems to me the courts and Congress get to trump states on guns. Now, if he decides to disregard the marching orders from Washington, perhaps we could request he post signs at all entries into Pine County:
LOCKED AND LOADED ~ ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.
And while we're on the subject of gun control, Minnesota is once again leading the nutball parade. We got ourselves a rogue sheriff up in Pine County. Sheriff Robin Cole has announced that if he thinks the new gun regulations and laws are too restrictive, he will not enforce them. In a letter, New King Cole opined that state trumps federal when it comes to curbing gun rights:
The Federal Government has a constitutional role in the governance of our republic but the United States of America is a democratic republic of individual sovereign states. Each state has the absolute right to establish laws, within the confines of the constitution which is the supreme law of this republic, to regulate behavior.
As Sheriff, I swore an oath to follow the Constitution of the United States and to enforce the laws of the State of Minnesota. I believe current state law is sufficient to protect the public safety while providing individuals the right to keep and bear arms.
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| ©2009-Steven G. Artley - Artley Toons Online |
Now, on to new business.
GLBT civil rights came outta the last closet today, right there on the steps of the Capitol.
It’s about time.
More
than enough is being written about President Obama's second inaugural address
which I missed live but listened to in replay. I thought it was a terrific speech. I particularly
like how he used "We, the People," not just "we". It was inclusive. And I mean ALL inclusive.
I would draw everyone's attention to one section of the President's speech:
I would draw everyone's attention to one section of the President's speech:
We, the people, declare
today that the most evident of truth that all of us are created equal -- is the
star that guides us still; just as it guided our forebears through Seneca Falls
and Selma and Stonewall; just as it guided all those men and women, sung and
unsung, who left footprints along this great mall, to hear a preacher say that
we cannot walk alone; to hear a King proclaim that our individual freedom is
inextricably bound to the freedom of every soul on Earth.
Most
people will recognize Seneca Falls as the birthplace of the suffragette movement and by extension, feminism in the United States, and Selma as the place where the March to
Montgomery started, a seminal event in the Civil Rights movement, but you might
not recognize the name Stonewall as the birthplace of the Gay Rights movement.
The Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village was raided by the cops on June 28th,
1969 and riots ensued. The gay community came together for the first time and organizations were formed to combat sexual orientation discrimination. A year later,
on June 28th, 1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in New
York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. By mentioning Stonewall by name, he has raised the consciousness of America.
GLBT civil rights came outta the last closet today, right there on the steps of the Capitol.
It’s about time.
Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week
Unhappy with the behavior of your congressional representatives?
Do let them know you're planning on firing them at the next election.
And then tell two friends....and they'll tell two friends....and they'll tell two friends....
and you'll all work together to get someone who actually wants the job.
WP: I also was very touched that BHO took the time (and thoughtfulness) to mention Stonewall in his inaugural address. I remember how it took R. Reagan seven years to publicly mention AIDS during a time when tens of thousands of Americans died from the disease.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated that the event took place on MLK Day. And I really appreciated that BHO was able to effectively convey a vision of who we are as a nation. No he didn't place fiscal issues foremost in his talk But I didn't feel that this was the situation to discuss policy it was an opportunity to present a vision for who were can be as a Nation.
I did however miss Ms. Franklin and her hat.
"...to get someone who actually wants the job." Better to get someone who not only wants the job but can DO the job.
ReplyDeleteYou're right....wanting it isn't really enough. I was thinking "want" as in, "I really want this job because I know I can do something to make a real difference for the whole country." Yeah, that's the Pollyanna in me. What can I say?
DeleteLOCKED AND LOADED ~ ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, WP! THAT would be quite the sign to be posted upon entering Pine County, MN. Those who live in the area, or pass by regularly, would be initially shocked- and even appalled. As time went by, they would mostly not even notice the sign. But when a criminal drives by and sees that sign.....(and being the cowards they truly are), most will make a beeline for the border, with their tails between their legs. (Just a thought :))
-doug-
Save the children! ban all weapons! (except the ones used tgo dismember an unborn baby).
ReplyDeletesicko liberals