A Side Order of "WTF?"...
Okay, so I got the Missus off safe and sound, the snow is coming down with a possible accumulation of 3 inches (that's including whatever we get overnight tonight), and I just KNOW that it will be a busy day for our local police...without question.
And it's not even 0800 hours!
It's one of those days where you wish to hell you could just roll over, yank those nice, WARM covers over your head and tell the rest of the world to "bug off" for a good, long while. Unfortunately, that's not on tap for today.
See, we've had this ongoing problem in our nation, and for a bit too long, the country in general HAS been hitting that snooze button.
We've been rolling over and allowing time to pass, while we stayed snug in our bunks.
Time has come to get outta the sack and get rolling.
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Now, before we DO get rolling, I want to mention that Major Dick Winters (Band of Brothers book and miniseries), WW2 commander of E company, 506th PIR, 101st airborne, has passed away in central PA at the age of 92.
Here are some links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Winters http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2011/01/dick_winters_of_band_of_brothe.html http://www.majordickwinters.com/courageous.html
His obit appeared in today's paper, but I heard about it from "WYATT" at his blog (Support your local gunfighter) on 9 January.
Dick Winters passed away the day BEFORE our Uncle Leo passed, so I can imagine the line at the Pearly gates was a bit longer than usual.
Into God's hands, Major.
Rest in peace.
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Now, as I stated, we have to get outta bed and get our groove on proper.
And the recent events in AZ have told us as much.
Glenn Beck yesterday mentioned the three "types" of people we have to deal with when it comes to those with "issues".
They are:
1- Crazy people
2- (militant) Radicals
3- Terrorists
I found his conclusions very appropriate, considering our times.
We all do, in fact have to deal with such people at one time or another, and many out there wearing the shield have to deal with them DAILY!
(try doing THAT for 20+ years)
One thing that wasn't covered, is that many times, we can SPOT such people.
The terrorists have their own political/religious agenda, and woe to any that feel otherwise.
Wonder what would happen if everyone turned to THEIR side (overnight)?
...Who would these terrorists bitch and moan about THEN, hmm?
The radicals are another group that are pretty easy to pick out of a crowd.
They're the ones whose ONLY purpose in life is to upset any and every "apple cart" on all the streets of the country.
They usually want CHANGE, and not the good kind.
Think STALIN...or POL POT, 'K?
They want to be "taken care of" by some overbearing government...they want socialism, or communism, or fascism.
They want "peace and love" and "no more war", and are willing to burn any city to the ground to get their point across. (so much for PEACE, right?)
The third group are the crazy people...the nutjobs, the loons, wackos, sociopaths...the "fun" people (and not the GOOD kinda fun).
These are the ones primarily for which we have something known as the POLICE to deal with them.
And above all, THESE crazy people are the "wild cards" in the deck.
They are the MOST unpredictable of the group.
And they will be the ones who will shoot up schools, malls, politicians, and the like.
Many times, you won't see 'em coming...and that's the REALLY scary part.
They are the Mark Chapmans, the John Hinckleys, the Charles Whitmans, the Ted Kacynskis, the Timothy McVeighs, and the Jared Loughners of our society.
How do we protect ourselves from such people?
Well, if there were an easy answer to THAT one, we'd have done something a long time ago, but sadly, there's isn't one.
At least nothing we can address in today's over-legalized system of misdirected "justice".
There is no way to predict what can set such people off, either.
They can lay low for years, and then hear a song on the radio, or see something on TV, and "presto", these loons are motivated into action, resulting in nothing less than death and devastation for innocent people.
But, what is even more appalling than having such whackjobs in our society and on our streets, is when people pull the old "knee-jerk" reaction and spew out untruths about "why" these crazies did whatever they did.
I have to chastise the Sheriff of Pima County, AZ for making such (pre)determinations.
He opened the (media) floodgates for liberals to attack the conservatives and their values, and that simply is both UNFAIR and UNTRUE.
The AZ shooter was nothing close to what anyone would consider a "conservative", either in values or in practice.
So that dog just ain't gonna hunt for me.
Assessing ANY sort of blame to people like Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly and the like is nothing short of reprehensible.
And it simply is not true!
Like I said, we simply DO NOT KNOW what made this nutcase fall off the turnip wagon and go on this shooting spree.
And, as is the case quite often, the shooters THEMSELVES don't REALLY know...they "guess", because their ability to rationalize any reasoning in THEIR brain has been short-circuited and otherwise tossed out with the bath water.
On a much smaller scale, when an officer pulls over someone for running a light and they're asked WHY they did it, a typical answer is: "I just wasn't thinking, officer". Sound familiar?
Well, it's exactly THAT kind of thought-processing that gets you a ticket..or worse.
Now, imagine doing the same type of thinking EVERY waking moment over the past few years (or longer).
Many of us simply cannot conceive or comprehend being that disheveled in our own minds and thinking, but to the severely (and dangerously) mentally-disturbed among us, it's pretty much SOP.
These people are the ones we might never see coming until it's too late.
They don't act on opportunity as many criminals tend to do...they just ACT when they "feel" the time is right, and only THEY know when that is.
And unfortunately, NO gun dealer can make that determination when some loon decides to act normal, walks into the store, and purchases a firearm.
Unless there was some predetermined condition that goes on SOME record somewhere, there is NO "red flag" to send up and warn society about such people.
But, in some cases, there ARE those red flags...and they are oft times given little notice.
That becomes the problem.
Yet, there is a darker side to such "record-keeping"...
Our society can itself become a lot more "paranoid" to the point where we see shadows at every turn, and make snap-judgments on people where there is no reason, only our "hunch"...without any viable proof to back it up.
We can start turning in anyone and everyone because they don't match up to "our standards" of what is NORMAL.
And who, exactly makes THAT decision?
What is considered "normal" then?
Because a person keeps to themselves and bothers no one (could be autistic or just introverted and like the solace), do we think them a "societal risk" for mass murder? When a person decries the state of affairs in our nation, do we then consider them a "potential risk" for armed mayhem?
That takes us ALL down a path we dare not tread, for it becomes the catalyst for a loss of liberty and to our freedoms AS Americans.
When we turn in every other person because they don't meet OUR standard of normalcy, we start down the path to self-destruction as a nation, as it was founded and grown by our ancestors. And we should not embrace a "universal standard" either, for that leads to an authoritarian aspect to a government.
What we need to remember, is that when it comes to PEOPLE...one size does NOT "fit all".
We are all unique, and therefore one-of-a-kind.
This nation needs to take better precautions when it comes to allowing those with severe anti-social problems to walk among us.
And we need the drive-by media sources to stop pointing fingers in directions that only make themselves look stupid and ill-informed.
We need to be vigilant, but NOT become a nation of tattle-tales, crying wolf in the process.
We need to see the truth, embrace the truth, and speak the truth, regardless of the outcome, for by doing that, we can educate...we can enlighten...and we can better serve one another as this nation's people.
All of us have a "little bit of larceny" in us...and we all have that "mindless primitive" lurking in some deep, dark corner of our minds,capable of things we dare not think about but we have a distinct advantage over those less fortunate... We can keep it in check.
We can say "Yes, I am capable of doing bad things, but today, I will not do ANY of those".
THAT is what is known as being an "evolved" being...an enlightened individual...a CIVILIZED person.
And it's that civility that every one of us needs to hang onto.
Our FAITH can often see us through such times...our belief in our God, ourselves, and each other can provide the light which will dispel the darkness.
To keep from becoming bad people...to become better people than we were the previous day, we must work at it...every day.
The work can be hard...and challenging, but the benefits are only limited by what you believe.
In the meantime...
Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay safe out there, America.