politics

For those of you who read my Scotsman’s journal, you know that yesterday, a law allowing those with a GFL/CCW can now carry in restaurants and on MARTA went into effect (his post with linkage and background info on the law. While I know there are some on this list who are deadset against guns, and more than likely it means friendships will be set aside as a result (though, for the few who I know don’t like them in their house, I retain that respect for your personal/sacred space), I’ll be getting my sidearm here shortly.

Why? Well, as much as I am a completely badass ass kicker, my training – as well as several of my training partners – has also allowed me the reality, that even with that, I can still get my ass handed to me by anyone determined to harm my life, or take something from me. The current social patterns have shown, that giving a criminal what they want, does not always mean they will stop there…especially if they have a weapon of any sort pulled on you.

I mention some of my training partners, because one is a big woman, and not just in weight – also in height and general size. She’s not, what could be called a sissy girl, but having seen her thrown around, I know that it wouldn’t matter my size. Strength, regardless, will ALWAYS be my weakness, and even moreso when I am injured. I’m sorry, but modern feminism aside, there is always going to be a physiological difference between men and women. And when it comes to a physical test of strength, particularly with a size disparity, a woman will lose. Sure, add our brain smarts in, and our dirty little tricks that we’re perfectly capable of throwing out there, and we’ve got a fighting chance. But I would much rather have an additional tool my toolbox, then have to hope to the high heavens that I won’t have something dislocated, broken, be knocked out or killed during the course of preventing a crime against me, or the attempt at taking my life.

In my opinion, when someone pulls a weapon on me, they are telling me that my life is worth less than what they want from me. At that point, they place their own worth as less than I place my own worth. And if that means I have to kill them to survive, so be it. Does this mean I advocate everyone carry? No. If you’re not willing to use the weapon you carry, you increase the chance that it will be used against you. But I can tell you right now, if I see anything happening to you, I will do my best to make sure that you are alive when all is said and done.

the story that convinced me

While I, in no way, condone the events that happened, I’m quite happy with this ruling in the favour of MySpace.  It’s one thing that has been troubling me, in regards to parenting and even down to the learning of personal responsibility by children.  We cannot continue to “let them be kids” by allowing them to shirk the lessons needed to be a functioning and socially responsible adult.

As I said, I in no way condone the fact that the girl in the case was assaulted.  However, the guy who committed the act has been found guilty and faces up to 20 years in prison for assaulting her.  The parents, chose to seek recourse against MySpace through a lawsuit, claiming they failed to protect their daughter.  However, they failed to hold their daughter accountable for allowing MySpace to protect her, by falsifying her age (she was 13, but represented herself via myspace as 18).

Couch that, I’m big on personal safety, and doing what is necessary to ensure that one remains as safe as possible.  Does that mean I think someone going out is asking for an attack of any sort?  No, it does not.  But if one chooses to participate in an activity that puts them in the position of being a possible target, one needs to accept the potential consequences and do what is necessary to minimize those consequences – e.g. walking in groups or near groups of people, making online profiles private, reducing the amount of personal info available for general searches, etc, etc.  Ya know, that whole personal responsibility thing…

In the event my air travel friendly friends were interested (or if you just want some amusement or potential insight), TSA has come up with a blog. Where you can speak your mind, ask questions, or compliment the staff.

TSA Blog

However, the closed the thread about inconsistencies. Much to my chagrin, as I wanted to address the fate of my Leatherman P2.

The gods do like to amuse themselves with humans….

Former GA Rep. to run for Prez

Didn’t she get the fact that we don’t like her when we voted her OUT of office? She was a joke enough for GA, but apparently she didn’t realize the punchline wasn’t funny. *handforeheadnufsaid*

And no, my dislike for her has nothing to do with her hair. More to do with her politics and the fact she makes female lawmakers look bad.

Haditha Incident

Charges dropped against 2 Marines in Haditha incident

‘Bout time CNN posted more information about this issue. And I’m happy to see that things are going forward with the conclusions that need to be voiced. It’s quite sad that groups will latch on to something, just to latch on, I really wish they’d notice the patterns and come to more rational conclusions than leaping to something that is sketchy at best. While I admit that it’s possible these groups came to the right conclusion, the least they could have done was come up with evidence that would seal it up, instead of evidence that resembles a game of pick-up sticks, than anything else. Otherwise, they should have presented the possibility and left it to those in the position of weighing the evidence and making the judgements. I’m sure some of them will be screaming somewhere, about the injustice. Of course, I doubt any of them will comment on the injustice of “freedom fighters” making sure innocent civilians are targeted. Sad situation, all around.

Oh how I love when the constraints of a free society work the way they were intended. To update from my little rhetorical commentary from yesterday, it seems that the public has gotten some of the message….oddly enough, from places like DailyKos.com:

“One of the best ways to communicate one’s distaste for Coulter’s repeated incidents of hate speech is to respectfully but firmly let her advertisers know you are deeply troubled by their indirect support of bigotry through their advertising on Coulter’s Web site,” the blogger VolvoDrivingLiberal wrote on DailyKos.com on Sunday.

Verizon, Sallie Mae and NetBank said the ads were put on a variety of sites by a third party company. In many cases, advertisers do not know which sites feature their ads. source

As a result, Verizon has made their adjustments and their ads are now no longer placed on her site, and the other 2 are currently working on doing the same. See, this is the way things are supposed to work. Not all these stupid laws, and whatnot. People reacting and using their granted ability to change what they don’t like. No, I’m not a fan of Coulter, but I give her credit for being willing to shove her foot in her mouth to make a point, however convoluted she manages to make that point by not shutting up. But, in the typical trickster style, she stirs shit up, that needs to be stirred. Now only if the other side could find someone with that ability too. Kennedy would be good, if he could actually do it consciously instead of unconsciously. He’s a natural, just needs to put more thought into his efforts.

“Ann Coulter’s use of an anti-gay slur yesterday was un-American and indefensible,” Edwards said in a posting on his Web site, http://www.johnedwards.com.

“In America, we strive for equality and embrace diversity. The kind of hateful language she used has no place in political debate or our society at large.

“I believe it is our moral responsibility to speak out against that kind of bigotry and prejudice every time we encounter it.”source

I’ll have to take a cue from ALa, in regards to the whole free-speech thing….

Hate speech, such as Coulter’s example, is protected by the 1st Amendment. Her calling Edwards a “faggot” is well within her right, and in all honesty, utilising the rights granted in the Bill of Rights is perfectly American. If she were advocating that someone go beat the crap out of him, or harm him or his family as a result, then we’d be getting into different issues. Now, where does this go….Well, this is going back to a tanget that ALa spoke about, in regards to people who champion the whole free-speech ideal, as long as it is speech that doesn’t offend them. Once that speech is deemed offensive, they’re all about silencing said speech. Granted, I don’t believe I’ve heard Edwards championing free-speech, but the minute he does I’ll be firing off a letter to him about it…..oh wait, he utilised that right when he decided to ask Cheney about his lesbian daughter….. With that said, I think he needs to grow a fucking spine and learn what inciteful speech is all about. Hell, the guy’s a bloody lawyer, and a defense attorney at that, you’d figure he knows how to sling shit well enough, unless he’s just that bad of a lawyer (no, I haven’t looked up his record to know that info).

With that said, I wonder what he has to say about all the cartoons and various commentaries that came out of the last election, about him being all buddy-buddy with John Kerry? Or would he be grouping all of that insinuation that he was gay, with Coulter’s actual labelling him as such?

And the best line of the article: But the New York Times reported that she responded, in an e-mail, “C’mon, it was a joke. I would never insult gays by suggesting that they are like John Edwards. That would be mean.” Go Anne, now that’s commentary I like to hear.