Blue Ridge Mountains

Happy New Year!

Merry XMas

Guns aren't cool, fools!

The NRA loon, gun nut buffoon blamed the violent video games (which I'm sure none of his 4 million members played), Hollywood movies, absence of armed policemen in schools, pure evil, Glee, the media, mental illness and even Hurricane Sandy.

A few years back this same yahoo called federal agents "jackbooted government thugs."  Apparently now he wants these same "thugs" to guard every school in America. I thought the whole point of owning guns was to protect yourself from the evil big bad government.

I agree with him about keeping a national database of mentally ill people, just as long as Wayne LaPierre is the first one on that list, followed by the names of all those who own semiautomatic assault weapons.

Lack of Common Sense = NRA

"My 6 year-old child's right to not get shot in the face trumps your right to have an assault rifle."

"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," NRA's Executive VP Wayne LaPierre said. So according to his own words, Adam Lanza became a good guy the moment he shot himself. And all of a sudden now the "government" workers AKA the cops just became the "good" guys overnight?

Violence Against School Children

http://www.enigmaterial.com/dateline/vn_1974/AR19740415.html

The above link is an article about a mortar shell bombing at my elementary school in Viet Nam. The date was March 9, 1974. I was 8 years old and in the third grade at the time. Thirty two students were killed, 50 others were wounded and 1 teacher died. Strangely I did not know any of the victims and I can barely remember the event. There were lots of media coverages in the weeks to follow, now that I did recall.

The Newtown, Connecticut school shooting yesterday brought back memories from almost 40 years ago for me. The shock, disbelief, outrage, sadness, anger, and confusion are still there. Read the last sentence of the article. Nothing has changed much in five decades.

I have some observations and thoughts about all this. First, guns and ammunition are too easily and cheaply available in America. Second, young people nowadays have a hard time dealing with anger management issues. Third, self-control, and personal responsibility are concepts most kids and parents do not teach or learn. The combination of these things in addition to the glamorization/ glorification of the violence by weapons in the entertainment industry (music, video games, movies and TV) were the reason for a tragedy like Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Atlanta Track Club Grand Finale

Got this shirt for running all 14 Grand Prix series races
of the Atlanta Track Club 2012 season.  
It starts all over again on New Year's Day (1/1/13)