Happy Birthday To...

Hatamaran!!!

"Oh, did I say it was my birthday tomorrow? Oh well, in case you didn't know, it is! I'll be old as dog shit. Well, not really, I'll be 39, which was old as dog shit when I was in my early 20's, but now I realize life has just begun! Please feel free to PayPal money to me at anytime. Hee hee.

I just wanted everyone to remember that she's once again two years old than me.

Teresa is my across-the-hall co-worker, Intranet guru, and long-time friend. Wish her well!

One Year

Today is my one-year bloggiversary. Last January I started Inn of the Last Home - named after a fictitious Inn from the Dragonlance series of books - and asked South Knox Bubba to join the Rocky Top Brigade, and he graciously agreed. It's been an interesting year, and for those who may have started reading later in the year I wanted to submit to you what I consider are some of my favorite posts. To everyone who has ever visited, and especially those who are regulars, I humbly thank you. Enjoy.

Note: I've used permalinks, but this being Blogger the links may be, ahem, bloggered. If the link doesn't take you to the right post, then simply do a search for the title.

January:

Why I Hate Snow Days (or...Why My Kids Look At Me Funny) - I love summer and hate winter. Here's why

February:

February Sky - Tribute to the Columbia astronauts and on touching the face of God
Second Star to the Right, and Straight on till Hell - What the heck is up with Michael Jackson? If we knew then...
Jackson's Reply - A rebuttal, of sorts
Religious Persecution in East Tennessee...Who'd-a Thunk It? - My first take on the India Tracy/Union County case
Childish and Divisive Behaviour Disguised as Righteous Indignation - On "Freedom Fries" silliness

March:

Confessions of a Salty Mind - My quest to give up chips for Lent. It worked!
The Small Quiet Voice - Gentle fisking of local columnist Don Williams regarding terrorism

April:

Betrayal, Part 1 - On how I felt (and still feel) betrayed by the leftist wing of the Democratic party
Betrayal, Part 2
Volunteer Tailgate Party, Vol 1 - The first Volunteer Tailgate Party!

May:

Some Random Thoughts on my Trip to Las Vegas
We Have Met the Bigots, and They Are Ours - Reply to a whiny Metropulse article on how Democrats are bigoted toward Republicans, and why each side has plenty of their own

June:

A Round Dog Day - First of my posts highlighting my commuting conversations with my four-year-old daughter "GiggleGirl". Part of this article got picked up by the Knoxville News Sentinel.

July:

Bookends, Part 1 - These two posts illustrate two instances of racism I witnessed going to and coming back from Hilton Head, SC
Bookends, Part 2
Suffer the Children - Thank you, Qusay Hussein old pal for throwing your 14-year-old son into the line of fire...
Oh My, What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into? - Ye Gods, we got a dog...

August:

Fair - The origins of a mysterious recipe
The Magical Patriot Tour! - Sing along with John Lennon Ashcroft!
Bloggerview - I'm interviewed (kind of) by Queen Medb

September:

Stripping for Anti-Globalization - This one got me a lot of Google hits, let me tell you
More Drive-time Conversations - Is it fall yet, Daddy?

October:

Conversations - Read this, or my daughter will kick your butt
Blatant Discrimination? - Knoxville politics and racial diversity - polar opposites. Also a question about an archaic colloquialism
Panic - "I do..I do...I do believe in fairies! I do..I do...I do believe in fairies!" Well, at least I try...
Bad Ad! Bad Ad! - Actually, this got me even more Google links.
Put Me In, Coach - An homage to the Boys of Summer

November:

Conversations - Knock it off! Or I'll sick the Mynocks on you...
So then, why do it? - My initial take on the "God Amendment"
Nursery Rhymes - Castles, Clouds, boat parades, fun and frivolity and merriment for all

December:

A Question - A simple question that got huge (for me) response about personal responsibility
Should Have Known... - The location of the Gates of Hell -- and no, it's not in Gainesville. (This is a Photoshopped parody I'm kind of proud of)
Grim Grinning Ghost.. - Another Photoshopped parody, about the real identity of the London ghost
Vilification and Clarification - Move along, nothing to see here. Oy vey. Actually, if you read only one post read this one - the little post that started the big Carrying Concealed Weapon controversy. I actually was termed "mentally deficient" for this
Conversations - Daddy's the Grinch!
Ghosts of Christmas Past - Remembrances of Christmas while growing up
You'll Shoot Your Eye Out - A finer moment of cinematic history in "A Christmas Story"
What I've Learned - My birthday post - things I've learned in 37 years

Thank you for an interesting year - hopefully here's to many more.

Presidential

I passed the presidential motorcade on my way to work this morning on Pelissippi Parkway. I couldn't see the President, of course, but I figure he must have been in one of the two long black stretch limos with the little flags on the front. Knox County and Blount County police were all along the route.

It was a little thrilling, actually - like him or not, Bush is the President of the United States and it's our civic duty to be respectful to the office. I hope everyone today remembers that.

(Quick check around the blogosphere...)

Probably not.

Volunteer Tailgate Party - Vol. XIX

Manish of Damn Foreigner is hosting the latest Volunteer Tailgate Party, a bi-weekly compilation of the best and brightest blatherings of the Rocky Top Brigade.

This edition of the VTP is the Best-of-2003 Edition, featuring the favorite or most meaningful posts from the members of the Rocky Top Brigade over the past 12 months. Enjoy!

The Top 10 Complaints of Time Travellers

10) It seems Citibank still has you in its system, and you owe about $30 million in late fees.

9) Step on one little butterfly in the distant past and everyone acts all mad at you once you return to... er, your post-apocalyptic world... um, ruled by sentient kudzu...oops....

8) Cell phone reception in the ninth century? Really friggin' lousy.

7) Hey! It was MY turn to execute Hitler!!

6) You used to be able to just hang out with your friends, but now all they want from you are tomorrow's winning lotto numbers.

5) You'd think someone with a time machine would realize how quickly a DeLorean would get dated.

4) It's surprising how violently intolerant historic cultures were of strangely dressed people who appear out of thin air.

3) It's so difficult to keep track of which Bush recession you're in the middle of.

2) By going forward a couple of weeks, then coming back and sending in all of next week's TopFive submissions, and still failing to get a #1, I've pretty well determined Greg hates me.


and the Number 1 Complaint of Time Travellers...


1) "I traveled back in time to kill my grandfather and all I got wa-- "


[ Copyright 2004 by Chris White ]
[ http://www.topfive.com ]


I love Time Travel.

From Where I'm Sitting...

Michael Totten relates Tim Blair's column in the Australian Daily Telegraph and speculates where his own true political leanings are:

" I’m not really a part of the sane left anymore. I’m either an independent, a moderate, a centrist, or an objectively pro-Bush yeehaw flag-waving nationalistic warmonger, depending on where you sit."

A commenter makes a generalization:

"The so-called insane left know that they can't defend their stance on either Iraq or the war on terror. It doesn't matter to them. Their hatred for the US and the international capitalist system takes precedence over all else.

Since both Saddam Hussein and al-qaeda are enemies of the US, they are friends of the insane left. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. How else can you explain the insane left?"

I think this is a popular view of the anti-war leftists mentality, but in common practice I don't think it's the majority. I would assume the majority of American anti-war leftists hate Saddam and Al-Quaeda but love America just fine. It just seems to me - especially from reading various farther-left blogs - that a big reason for opposing the war was that it was "trendy". The actual politics of it aren't important, but being noticed (and linked to) is.

I'd even be willing to bet the majority of protesters don't understand why they oppose(d) action in Iraq - it's just what all their cool friends were doing.

That's why it defies such description, especially coming from liberals who are supposed to take up for the little guy, the downtrodded (i.e. the Iraqi people).

Still another reason Liberals opposed the war is one big word: Payback. Payback for enduring 8+ years of Clinton-bashing and Payback for stealing the 2000 election. A lot of anger has been seething since 1992, and that's where a lot of the "oiiiiiil" mentality comes from.

Unfortunately, I agree with them in principle: I thought what the Republicans did to discredit Clinton while in office was much more heinous and disrespectful than anything he did himself, and I've never been quite convinced everything was done to verify the results of the election in Florida - however, many who feel the same way can't let go of the hatred, and the hurt, and the pride to see what their vendetta is doing to themselves and the integrity of the philosophy they're supposed to be representing.

It's up to people like Michael, to stay true to your principles when those who claim to represent you ignore them. I hope to do the same.

UPDATE (01/05/03): Michael continues this theme by offering a general description of the difference between liberals and leftists. These broad definitions obviously contain room for sub-groups, and cross-groups but I think it's very accurate from what I've encountered. I'd love to see a counterpart slightly-right-of-center blogger offer a similar look at different types of conservatives....

And I don't want to turn this site into an "InstaMichael", but I find myself agreeing with his viewpoint quite a bit - and saying it much better than I could - and I want to make sure I bring it to everyone's attention.

A Message From the Lord

Pat Robertson: God told him it's Bush in a 'blowout'

'Pat Robertson said Friday that God told him President Bush will be re-elected in a landslide.

"I think George Bush is going to win in a walk," the religious broadcaster said on his "700 Club" program on the Virginia Beach-based Christian Broadcasting Network, which he founded.

"I really believe I'm hearing from the Lord it's going to be like a blowout election in 2004. It's shaping up that way," Robertson said. '

Way to go out on a limb, there, Pat. I'll bet God personally informs you the sun will rise the next morning, too.

First Post of the New Year

Begins with my 4-year-old's new lyrics to "Up on the Housetop":

GiggleGirl: Up on the Housetop, reinder pause, out jumps good old Santa Claus,
He's got a bag that's full of toys, all for little one's Christmas joys.

Oh, ho, ho...who wouldn't throw,
Oh, ho, ho, who wouldn't thr-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w...up on the housetop click! click! click!
Down through the chimney with good Saint Nick!

I guess it's inevitable after all those cookies all over the world...

What I've Learned

What have I learned in exactly 37 years of life? I've learned...

• The final chord of the Beatles' "A Day in the Life" is a thing of beauty.
  
  
• Star Trek and Star Wars are fun, but they're not that fun.
  
  
• Remember your friends and cherish their memories. Keep in touch with them if possible, but remember there's more to old friends than reminiscences.
  
  
• Pride is the cause of 99% of the world's problems. People who are too proud - including me - to admit to themselves that they might be wrong. Too proud to make a change in their lives because it might diminish themselves in their own eyes. Too proud to say, "I'm sorry - my fault". Too proud to consider both sides of an argument. Too proud to be open-minded about facts. Too proud to lose face. Too proud to be thought less of. Too proud to risk embarrassment. Too proud to give in to the truth. Too proud to risk rejection. Too proud to look beyond the surface.
  
  
• The power to make someone laugh - truly laugh - is a great power indeed. To cause someone to laugh gives you a greater power than to make them cry.
  
  
• Corollary: Comedy is 90% timing, 10% material, and 10% irony.
  
  
• On the web, content is king.
  
  
• If the only way to kill the vampire Strahd guarding the gates of Ravenloft is to roll a critical hit with a natural 20 - you'll definitely roll a 4.
  
  
• Nobody is 100% right, and nobody is 100% wrong.
  
  
• There is no crime so heinous as one that harms a child. But harm can be invisible: neglect, ridicule, indifference and overindulgence can be as damaging as other forms of abuse
  
  
• If you know what you need, and you see what you want better see that you keep what you have....
  

Volunteer Tailgate Party - Vol. XVIII

CJ of Up For Anything is hosting the latest Volunteer Tailgate Party, a bi-weekly compilation of the best and brightest blatherings of the Rocky Top Brigade.

This week he's featured the cast and crew of the RTB and their holiday resolutions as we ring in 2004. Enjoy!

You'll Shoot Your Eye Out

Hang on tight - I'm about to backpedal over everything I've been saying about carrying concealed weapons, and guns in general and stuff. Hold on.....wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Ok, maybe not a complete backpedal - but SayUncle brings up A Christmas Story (SU: Ok...whatever) and reminded me of something I had thought about on Christmas Day watching it at my wife's family's house in West Tennessee....

There's a scene near the end of the movie - Little Ralphie's gotten everything he wanted for Christmas, all except for the one thing he wanted most: the Red Rider BB Rifle. Throughout the whole picture, his parents have denied his request for the BB gun - citing its inherant dangers. In the warm early evening 1940's Christmas Day afterglow, his little brother Randy snoozes beneath the tree, clutching a model zeppelin. Ralphe sits on the couch between his mom and dad, a little dazed, a little happy, and little sad, but not wanting to disappoint his mom and dad who sit on either side of him.

One of them ask him if he got everything he wanted for Christmas, and Ralphie says, yes...pretty much. Almost. His mom is comforting, knowing no-one gets everything they want for Christmas.

His dad, however, has a gleam in his eye. "What's that over there?" he wonders, peering at a chair in the far corner of the room. Ralphie glances up, curious. "What's over there behind that chair? Go ahead, Ralphie - go and see."

A small light begins to build in Ralphie's eyes as he clambers cautiously off the sofa and makes his way over the chair. Mom and Dad stand up to watch, Mom with a quizzical look at Dad - who has a wonderfully melancholy look on his face.

Ralphie finds hidden behind the chair - a long, thin package. Only one thing it could be - he knows it, but can't quite believe it. Eager hands rip at the wrapping paper and we begin to see the markings of a Red Rider BB gun.

Mom says, "How...where did that...?" to which Dad replies with a shrug, "It was Santa - Santa must've brought it." Then softly, to his wife he says, "My father gave me one of the those when I was a kid...."

That scene of a father's love for his son, and the desire to see his children's wishes come true is my favorite scene in any Christmas movie - and one of my favorite movie scenes of all time.

I try very hard to keep the magic of Christmas alive for my kids - we set out cookies, milk, reindeer food outside - we open the fireplace, and make sure the flue is open. The belief in Santa lasts for such a short time as desires turn from BB Guns and Star Wars Death Star playsets to records, CD's, Money Market accounts.... as much of the magic as we can hold on to, the more precious their childhood memories will be.

And from a father passing on a tradition to his son on Christmas to my father passing on traditions to me and on to my kids, it's a Wonderful thing.

More on O'Charley's

Last week I wondered why the lawsuit against O'Charley's concerning the Hepatitis A scare was going forward.

Then I read this today, and almost lost my lunch:

Hepatitis blame won't kills suits, lawyers say (Knoxville News Sentinel, 12/28/03)

'The likely Mexican origin of the onions blamed in hepatitis outbreaks probably won't bring dismissal of lawsuits against the U.S. restaurants that served them, lawyers say.

It's really not a defense that someone else sold you the adulterated food," said Sid Gilreath, a Knoxville attorney. "It doesn't relieve you of legal responsibility."

...

Tennessee law allows a jury to assign percentages of blame to various parties so each has to pay its share.

...

Nashville attorney Paul Davidson said he believes that because Tennessee law lets juries apportion blame, it's possible O'Charley's will be assigned a smaller part of the fault.'

How any law can exist that would allow any party - individual or company - to assume culpability in a lawsuit when it can be proven they are not responsible...

'"This is not a situation where the restaurant failed to adhere to cleanliness requirements," Davidson told The Tennessean.'

...is beyond belief. Any judge or attorney who allows such a lawsuit to go forward should resign in shame, and this loophole in the law should be changed immediately.

Now, that being said the lawyer being quoted is not officially part of the case. He's simply a Knoxville lawyer being asked his opinion on the case. However, if what he says turns out to be the case, and O'Charley's is forced to defend itself against something it had no control over, it's a travesty.

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Some random memories of Christmas from my childhood:

• I always had terrible trouble falling asleep Christmas Eve. Some years I remember I would stay up almost all night - not like I was trying to catch Santa or anything, I was so excited I could just never go to sleep. I remember one year I was allowed to open one present Christmas Eve, and it was the album soundtrack to The Muppet Movie - Rainbow Connection and all. I remember putting the album on Repeat and listening to it Over and Over All Night Long.
  
  
• Another year, earlier, I remember getting a Sesame Street "Bert" puppet and taking him to bed with me.
  
  
• Yet another year, I dreamed I had woken up, gone into the living room with my parents and I had gotten a couple presents - clothes, mostly, no big deal. I woke up for real with a feeling of terror - that I had had a lousy Christmas morning.
  
  
• There's a Christmas picture that I'll dig up and post - I'm sitting in the floor with my brother wearing Green Bay Packers pajamas. Huh? We live in Tennessee - why in the world had I wanted Packers PJ's?
  
  
• Other bits of recollections: My parents audiotaping Christmas morning for several years; always getting an apple as the last thing in my stocking; getting the Shaun Cassidy "Da Doo Ron Ron" album (ok, the laughing and mocking will now commence..................................feel better? Moving on...); the puppet theatre; the TRC Total Control Racing set that ultimately proved my parents were Santa; wandering outside to the front yard late in the evening and singing Christmas Carols softly to myself (and someone else, of course); the weather guys doing "Santa-tracking reports"; one year we visited my grandmother in Atlanta for Christmas, and my parents had to explain that Santa just brought the presents to her apartment. It wasn't for several years that I looked back and said, "Ohhhhh". How they hid the presents in the trunk or something I'll never know

I have many more, I suppose, but that's a random sampling.

We went to our church's Christmas Eve service tonight, our quartet sang a few songs and my spirits were lifted considerably. For several weeks I've been in a paranoid funk, first with the flu epidimic, now worse with the terror warnings. Remembering these happy Christmases and being reminded of the simple message of peace at Christmas has helped a good deal. I can't wait to see the faces of my kids in the morning.

I pray that our nation and its people remain safe, and that His will be done.

Merry Christmas

God Bless Us, Everyone.

Conversations

Conversation with my daughter, Gigglegirl (age 4) on the way home this afternoon, Christmas Eve.

GiggleGirl is in a pre-Christmas anxious mood...actually, she's angry because she wants to go out of town to see her relatives right now and by golly, we'd better move it. However, when she's in a mood and riding in her carseat in my car, she has a tendency to kick the back of my driver's seat. Hard.

---------------------

GiggleGirl: I want to go to Jackson now!!!

Me: No, we're going to church tonight and tomorrow after we open presents we'll leave...

GG: Grrrr....(begins kicking my chair)

After a few seconds of muttered 4-year-old cursing - razzin' Little Pony frazzin' Barney mrrpphin' Ariel...

Me: All right - I'm going to have to call Santa Claus and tell him not to bring you any presents! (make vague motions to pick up my cellphone)

GG: (whining) Noooooooo! Daddy! (stops kicking. Briefly. After a few moments she starts cursing and kicking again - rackin' Wiggles frackin' Lilo and Stitch...)

Me: Hey!! Ok, I'm calling Santa right now... (actually pick up cellphone, move it toward my ear)

GG: (whining harder) Nooooooooooooooooooooo!! DADDY!!! (stops kicking again. Even more briefly. Starts cursing and summoning minor Disney demons - brackin' Chernabog mackin' Firebird - and kicks again with more force...

Me: Ok!! That's it! I'm calling Santa. (open cellphone, make pretend dialing noises, hold phone up to ear)

GG: (crying in disbelief and terror) Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! Nononononono!!!!

Me: Hello, North Pole? Yes, can I speak to Santa please? Oh, ok, yes I'll hold... (back to GG) I'm on hold, sweety.

GG: (beside herself) Daddddddddddddddy!!!!!!

Me: Yes...what? Oh, ok - can you have him call Barry _______ at xxx-xxxx (I said my real cellphone number - verisimiilitude, you know). Thank you - goodbye. (close phone, feel guilty for causing daughter to cry - well, I felt guilty for about two seconds)

GG: (sniffling) Daddy, you didn't really call Santa did you???

Me: Yes, I did, but he's busy and I had to leave a message and he's going to call me back. I'll make you a deal. If you can promise me you'll stop kicking the back of my chair I won't tell Santa that you've been bad when he calls back....

GG: (thinking, still sniffling, says nothing)

Me: Well? Do you promise?

GG: (through her tears) D-D-D-Daddy....I-I-I can't promise that!!!

snicker ;)

Well, she never promised anything but she didn't kick my anymore the rest of the way home. I guess that's something.

Although I wonder what I would have done in someone had called my phone right about that time. And if I had "Here Comes Santa Claus" or "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" as one on my ringtones I might have made it ring anyway....

Yeah, yeah, I'm getting coal in my stocking this year.

Labels: Conversations

Holiday Cheer

James Lileks comes out of his brief vacation to deliver some desparately needed holiday cheer, and proving once again that even with one hand tied behind his back and half the letters pulled off his keyboard, he's the best writer in the blogosphere.

If you've never read him before, start now and don't stop. If you're an old fan, enjoy.

Changes, Changes...

Filthy Hippy Speak has moved. Adjusteth thy blogrolls accordingly.

Who's Responsible?

Hepatitis A was cause of death, lawyer says

'An attorney for a Roane County man's family said Monday that Michael Smith died of complications from hepatitis A he allegedly contracted when he ate at an O'Charley's restaurant.

...

"The results (of a family-requested autopsy) were interpreted by one of Smith's treating specialists, and it was established that there was a likely link between hepatitis A and his death," said James K. Scott, attorney for Smiths' family. "In all likelihood if he hadn't eaten at O'Charley's, he wouldn't be dead."

...

Smith's family sued O'Charley's in Knox County Circuit Court for $17.5 million, alleging the restaurant failed to serve food that is safe and to take precautions against contamination.

...

With the help of the Knox County Health Department, East Tennessee Division of the Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control, the Department of Health was able to identify green onions as the disease source.

...

"The FDA is quite convinced that the green onion contamination happened on the farm level in Mexico...We always encourage consumers to wash their produce."

So I don't understand - the contamination is almost certain to have occured in Mexico before the onions were ever shipped to the U.S. But since the suit against O'Charley's seems to be going forward, are they alleging that the onions simply weren't washed before preparation, and O'Charley's is at fault for the man's death? Or did they not do anything out of the ordinary, and the Hepatitis A virus survived standard preparation techniques?

If it's the latter, surely the lawsuit against O'Charley's (and, by extension, their employees) would have no merit.

I haven't heard this point addressed in any of the coverage - maybe I missed it.

Lagging behind

I'm thoroughly offended by this:

The Bear Flag League Store

All I can say is the Rocky Top Brigade better get off their collective butts and compete, lest we lose our rightful place as the most influential blogger alliance in the 'sphere.

Heck, they're even sponsoring a prize in the 2004 Dead Pool...

So, hey, any industrious T-Shirt makers out there? Available are my RTB flag (at top right) or SouthKnox Bubba's version on his site.

Personally, I just want to see Glenn wearing an RTB hat, just so we know he remembers that he's a member.

Hey, Teresa - care to put a logo on one of your felt hats? Think of the licensing revenue!!

SayUncle could offer a stylish RTB sweater for your dog...or we could sell baby bibs with the RTB logo courtesy of BusyMom.

Hmmm....

Um, ok..

Faramir If I were a character in The Lord of the Rings, I would be Faramir, Man of Gondor, the humble younger brother of Boromir. In the movie, I am played by David Wenham. Who would you be? Zovakware Lord of the Rings Test with Perseus Web Survey Software

(Found via Big Stupid Tommy)

Grim Grinning Ghost..

Apparently there's been a photograph taken of a ghost at London's Hampton Court palace. A security camera seems to have picked up an image of an apparition dressed in strange clothing closing an emergency door.

Here's the image from the security camera:




But our crack staff of gully dwarf photographers has been up all night drinking developing solution and somehow in their drunken stupor came up with some startling close-ups of the ghost. Here's one slightly pulled in:



And a close-up, unprocessed view of the ghost him (it)-self:



Using some patented zooming and sharpening techniques developed by Avon, they were able to clear up the image a bit:



And a bit more:



Until finally, the true identity of the malevolent spirit is revealed!!



And you thought he was going to London just to escape publicity....

Preventable

The report is out that says the 9/11 attacks were preventable.

Other people are already giving their opinions about this report - here's my question:

Should the airport screeners have stopped the hijackers from getting through the airport gates? Was there a demonstrable breakdown in existing airport security measures that should have detected the box-cutters, etc. that would have kept them from even getting on the planes?

End of an Era

This is a Very Bad Thing:

Carnival Ends Era -- Of Paradise

"It is indeed the end of an era, albeit a rather short-lived one: Carnival Cruise Line is announcing it will reposition Carnival Paradise, the industry's only remaining all-non-smoking cruise ship, to Long Beach, where the ship will sail three- and four-night Baja Mexico itineraries. Somewhat buried in the announcement is an aside that will be a disappointment to non-smoking cruisers: "The Paradise, which has operated as a smoke-free vessel since its induction in 1998, will no longer retain that designation."

My wife and I sailed on the Paradise last year for our 10th anniversary. 10 wonderful smoke-free days, now will be no longer possible for anyone wanting to keep their lungs reasonably clear in an enclosed space. That's too bad.


The Carnival Paradise

Vilification and Clarification

I need to clear something up.

A few days ago, I posted a comment on Mike William's blog, "Master of None" regarding my feelings towards Concealed Carry Permits (CCP). Michael, who has an excellent site that I visit frequently, posted an open letter regarding the State of California denying his application for a CCP. Here is part of my comment:

"If I were to take a live, armed weapon and carry it on my person, in public, it would eat away at my sanity just as if it were emitting lethal radiation. To know that I carried an instrument of sure and certain death on my person, available and ready to be pulled out and used at a moment's notice to possibly kill...a child. A homeless person. An innocent.

Obviously that is not your intent. You want to protect yourself - maybe that is how you feel in California. But being brought up in Eastern Tennessee I've never once felt the need to protect myself from imminent bodily harm in public. And if I were aware of a location that might be unduly hazardous - a dark alley, a badly lighted parking area - I would avoid it. I've never been mugged, nor can I readily pull up a name of any person I've ever met that's been mugged or even bodily threatened in my whole life.

What scares me most is the arbitrary nature of self-defense. What line must be crossed to signal to you that there is imminent danger or threat? Is it a criminal pulling a gun on you? In which case, unless you're a gunslinger, you're not going to outdraw him. Is it someone pulling a knife? Threatening words? Bad language or rude gestures? Where is that one point where you decide, "Yes, my life or the life of my loved ones is in danger and I must now take it upon myself to take the life of another person." What if the guy is reaching into his jacket, and you are sure, absolutely certain that it is a weapon. You pull your gun and shoot--and see he's reaching for his wallet. Or worse, you miss and hit a child running in the street. Where is that line?

The radiation would rot my brain and I would never be able to live with myself.

Maybe it's different in California. Maybe it's different in Tennessee. Maybe I don't love my family enough...maybe I love them too much. But I know myself, and know that if I surrendered to the paranoia - and I mean that in the most basic sense - there would be no turning back.

I'll stay in the light, thanks."

Then, some subsequent commentors took issue with my statements:

"You can argue the benefit of carrying a firearm, and question someone's justification if you like, but speaking of a concealed firearm as if it emits radiation says more about you than it does about anything else. I know that I'm engaging in the popular pastime of "psychoanalyzing from a distance" and I apologize for that, but really, getting so intense about the mere proximity of a gun is a little silly. It's only a tool, and if you aren't comfortable with it that's OK, but some of us are trained, comfortable, and interested in keeping one handy." (Tom K)

I have had a CCW permit for over 5 years (I live in Knoxville, TN.) At no point have I felt "irradiated" with an urge to go gangbusters on the homeless nor have I ever had the occasion to defend myself (I hope I NEVER have to). Barry, do you hear voices in your head telling you to kill people when you carry a pocket knife?...or swing a baseball bat with your kid? (Justin)

Barry: if you actually believe that crap about a radioactive gun eating away your sanity, it's time to check yourself in and get the help you desperately need. Your sanity has already been eaten. (Xrlq)

Are you so morally arrogant that you think that you've got the ethics market cornered? The fact that you don't believe in self-defense does NOT give you the right to impose that belief on others. That is as indefensible as me imposing my religion on you. (Kevin Murphy)

I support your right to choose not to carry if you don't want to. However, that doesn't give you or anyone else the right to prevent me from defending myself in the most effective possible way. I could post, oh, about a thousand pages of information to support the fact that liberal concealed carry results in a net benefit to society. I leave it as an exercise for you to expend the minimal level of effort to find this information online. (Nevada)

I had no idea I was so warped. Obviously I must've posted in Klingon because nobody seemed to understand what I meant. I finally replied:

"First of all, the "radiation" comment was a metaphor I was attempting to use to illustrate the effect possessing a gun on my person would have on my mental well-being. I didn't intend it to be taken anywhere near literally - I thought that would be obvious, but perhaps not.

Second, nowhere in my comment did I try to "impose" my belief on anyone. Nor did I attempt to be morally or ethically superior to anyone, I simply expressed a continued amazement that people find life in public dangerous enough to feel that carrying a concealed weapon is both necessary and beneficial. Several people mention they know dozens of other people who have CCW's - including a secretary who once shot someone in the chest(?) - I myself know of noone who does personally (except those I've met blogging).

Yes, random violent episodes do happen, such as the event cited by Steve, but unless I'm just missing the news they are few and far between. Perhaps I just happen to live in a sane part of the country.

And to the others, no, I don't hear voices in my head telling me to kill my children with baseball bats, nor do I feel compunctions to veer my car off the road into a crowd of people. I understand the lethal potential of a car, but it has other primary uses like, oh, say, transportation. A gun does not."

Michael did understand this, apparently:

"Hey guys, I think Barry was speaking metaphorically about his own perspective on carrying. He can have his own opinion, and I'm sure he's not alone in his feelings about guns. (Michael Williams)

But it didn't seem to matter...

"I think it's obvious that if Barry thinks handguns emit radiation he is a nutcase. Really Barry just because you are too much of a coward to defend yourself doesn't mean I can't defend myself with leathal force if neccasary [sic]. (Jim)"

Barry, a good tinfoil hat will protect you from that radiation. Go to my site for directions on making your own ! (Dennis Kucinich)

Thanks for sharing.

And that was the end of it. So I thought. I started receiving website references from some other sites: SayUncle early on, which is cool because I respect him. But then came Smallest Minority. And Hell in a Handbasket. And Richard Poe. And a couple of others, basically saying the same thing: "What an idiot for thinking a gun will rot his brain like radiation - you need psychiatric help", and "How dare you try to keep me from carrying a concealed weapon!" (In fairness, some sites like Wince and Nod seemed to understand, if not agree with, what I was saying and restrained from commenting on my mental state.)

So now I'm being trashed on several sites at once, which is always a great feeling. I understand that to state an opinion is to risk being criticized and I'm trying not to appear thin-skinned, but I'm surprised at the vehemence and nastiness of some of the comments - maybe I'm naive, but I expect fairness and good taste in public discourse. Silly me. Plus the fact they linked and commented on the original statement and not the clarification made it necessary for me to try to defend myself on the various blogs. I won't try to excerpt, but suffice to say it got to be repetitious.

So, then for the record, I'd like to just put in a nutshell what I wanted to say, then maybe that really will be the end of it. Maybe.

I would feel uncomfortable carrying a loaded weapon. Very uncomfortable that I would possibly have the means to end a person's life within arm's reach. That doesn't mean I'm going to do it, or would ever be tempted. Just that fact makes me uncomfortable.

I also would feel uncomfortable knowing that anyone on the street, in the theatre, at a restaurant, at the supermarket could be carrying a loaded gun on their person. And here's why - despite training, despite temperament, despite the best of intentions: I don't trust you. That's simply it, I don't trust you. I don't trust a person who is not a licensed law enforcement officer of some kind - someone who, by virtue of their job, I would assume they have proper gun training - to carry a weapon. You may be a great person, love your kids, go to church, would never pull a gun in anger at another person - you may be supremely confident of that fact in your own mind, but I'm not. To me, you would be just as likely to be the one sticking up the fast-food clerk as the one defending him, or - in your possibly untrained and excited state - could be the one who with the best of intentions attempts to intervene but misses and hits someone else. Or you could be the one who gets pissed off at me in traffic and, instead of the flipping me the finger you pop off a few rounds at my back window.

I'm not concerned whether there are documented cases of this happening - I am afraid that they will, when more and more people are allowed to carry concealed weapons.

I understand completely that you have the best of intentions, the best training, the best gun money can buy, and the best reasons in the world to want to defend yourself. But I'm sorry, I don't have insight into your character from my vantage point and I can't assume you can be trusted with a gun any more than I can assume you're not going to attack me anyway without a gun.

Some people have used the automobile analogy as a comparison: A car is as lethal a device as a gun - do you have ethical problems driving a car? To that I would say, no, because I have a reasonable trust in my mind that: a) an acceptable percentage of the people driving have a legal driver's license, have been driving for a number of years, and know how to operate a car. I trust myself in that regard as well. Therefore, I think the relative risk of getting in or causing an accident and vital necessity of using a car is acceptable compared to the hardship and chaos that would result in banning automobiles. With firearms, however, even with the several self-defense case story articles I've read recently, I'm not convinced that the negligible gain from carrying a gun would outweigh the high potential risk of an accidental or intentional shooting.

I'm not pushing for any legislation change, I'm not pushing for repealing the 2nd amendment or anything like that. I'm just saying that I don't think it's a good idea because inevitably - inevitably - there will be a tragedy, or tragedies. And I don't want to be anywhere near it.

Thank you. I hope I've made myself clear - please reference this post if necessary.


UPDATE, 12/19/03: Just an observation - hoplophobe sounds like someone with an unnatural fear of old Westerns sidekicks...

UPDATE 2, 12/19/03: Tgirsch at Lean Left has more.

Return of the King

I went to see this epic conclusion to the Lord of the Rings trilogy yesterday (so did Rich). Here are some random thoughts, in no particular order, about the movie (scroll down to avoid spoilers)

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1) Excellent, excellent, excellent film. I re-immersed myself in Middle-earth this week, re-watching "Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers" on DVD to get back in the mood. "Fellowship" was 2:36 long, "Towers" was about 2:50, and "King" was about 3:15. If you go, prepare to stay awhile....

2) Some Ring-o-philes may disagree with me, and it's been years since I read the trilogy, but I think the story was more about Merry, Pippin and especially Sam Gamgee than it was about Frodo. True, Frodo was the ring-bearer, and the one who had the courage to eventually resist the ring and finish his task but that was his character more or less through the whole trilogy. If you see the changes in the other hobbits from Bilbo's party in "Fellowship" through the end of "King" you'll see three startling transformations from children to men.

3) I wonder if the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien had any problems with "The Lord of the Rings", by Frodo Baggins at the end of the movie? It made sense, but it was just odd seeing a real body of literature attributed to someone else - fiction or not.

4) Ok, just end the movie...ok? Oh wait another scene...

5) The Riders of Rohan must've watched "The Empire Strikes Back" before going into battle against those giant elephant-things. I kept waiting for one of them to shout, "Set harpoons and tow cables - go for the legs!!"

6) Except for some good battle sequences, I thought Legolas and especially Gimli were wasted in this flim. The minor characters like Faramir, his father Denethor the Steward of Rohan, Eowyn, and others really had larger and more personal roles to play. Gimli was rather one note, especially which is kind of a shame. Again, you can't really go heavily against the source material and I don't remember enough about him in the novel to know if more could've been given for him to do.

7) Um, Saruman? Saruman? *knock knock knock* I could've sworn Saruman was in this trilogy.... Actually all his stuff got cut from the movie so we don't see Christopher Lee at all. The Scouring of the Shire (from the end of the novel) was not included at all where we read the last of Saruman and Wormtongue.

8) After Aragorn rejects Eowyn, I wanted Legolas to run up and say, "Hey....yoo hoo! Me - other big hero guy over here - unattached and everything!! Hey!!"

9) Gandalf, what's the point of sleeping with your eyes open if you're not on guard? And Merry sure took his own sweet time trying to save Pippin from the palantir - why didn't he raise a fuss right away for Gandalf?

10) The scene on the bridge in the Cracks of Doom played out almost exactly like it did in my head (except for the part with Gollum dancing in "mid-air" fighting the invisible Frodo. That actually looked a bit silly right at the major climax of the movie...

11) Amazing how all the random destruction that happens to the soldiers (rocks falling on them, flaming debris raining down, elephant's tusks swinging - none of those events ever happen anywhere near the main characters. One big rocks falls and crushes 100 soldiers in its path and Aragorn barely notices it. I did like the Orc Commander's narrow escape from the flying boulder - one little sidestip, and he spits on it :)

That's all for now - maybe more random thoughts later.

Should Have Known...

(with thanks to SKB for the template...)

And the Winner Is...

The 2003 Weblog Awards are closed. View the results:



Congratulations, Rocky Top Brigadier Busy Mom for winning the Flappy Birds Category!

Close Call

Zeyad of Healing Iraq talks about the immediate aftermath of Saddam's capture:

". I stumbled to my grandmother's house where everyone was huddled in front of the tv watching Al-Jazeera. The news were still uncomfirmed, so we waited impatiently for Bremer's press conference. When he announced "We got him" everyone in the room cheered out loud. The following video of Saddam in his long hair and beard was a shock to us all. My grandmother burst in tears.

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In the evening, I went out to fond armed teenagers filling our street carrying Saddam's pictures.....Some of the mob were dressed in Fedayeen clothes with grenades and explosives in their hands. I got foolish and tried to take photographs. They dragged me in their midst and I thought this was it."

Read the whole thing for some first-hand reports of life in Baghdad.

Meanwhile...

Newsrack is back after a two-month hiatus. Welcome back - we missed ya!