Dumbasses To The Left and Dumbasses To The Right. Sane People In The Center.

I find it interesting that so many of those Americans anxious to overthrow the government by force because they feel their natural rights are being violated and that the government no longer is working to secure the safety and well being of the people it represents, do not offer up a plan to change things for the better after they toss out the current government.  They promote violent overthrow because they feel put upon, but they are willing to force their personal beliefs as to the way to remedy this upon their fellow Americans, becoming as bad as the government they oppose.   This makes them hypocrites.

Besides this, do these same folks advocating violent revolt really understand what such action would do to this country?  Do they not see what civil revolt does to other countries?  And are they so anxious to take up arms against their fellow Americans?  Do they really understand the horror of this action? Do they really want more years in which various factions vie to control the  form of our government, perhaps even using more violence?  Do they want to see the economy truly destroyed? As bad as it is now would be nothing compared to what would happen. And what guarantee is there that we would ever restore the government to its Constitutional basis?  Even the Declaration of Independence which says we have the right to overthrow the government, says it should not be done lightly but only in extreme cases. 

My belief is that we have a natural right to completely change the government and we have the legal means to do so through impeachment of officials who deserve it, and through our vote.  Now, this means we should be educated to understand BOTH or MULTIPLE sides to issues before we vote. We need to know and monitor our elected officials.  It also means we should be voting for what is in the best interest of the entire country, not just our personal interests, or even regional interests.
And we need to start now.
 
 I have to be honest.  I think a lot of the people advocating violent overthrow are ignorant asses.  They often are discontented with their own lives and want to put the blame everywhere but where it belongs---on themselves.  Many are totally immature and think shooting off guns as well as their mouths make them tough, he-man type patriots.  My daughter calls this type "Hatriots", which I think is a good term.   Others are just ignorant and go along with any defiance of authority and often crow about it because somehow that makes them feel better about themselves.  All authority is evil, they think.  And by the way, if things are as bad as they say, how do they think their guns would hold up against the government tanks and weapons? And no, owning more and bigger guns is not the answer. Do they believe the entire military would refuse to follow orders and would not shoot their own people?  I seem to recall the Prague Spring, Tiananmen Square, and numerous other places where the people who thought the army would not fire on its own people were quite surprised to learn otherwise. I would like to think our military would be different, and I do believe most, but not all, would refuse. But I could be wrong.  Let us save our military for what it was intended and for what those honorable men and women serve to do---protect us from foreign enemies. (I thank them for every day I live in freedom.) And what other groups would be ready to jump into the fray if there was an armed rebellion?  I can think of enemies both domestic and foreign who would love to take advantage of a civil revolt in the US.  It could turn into a free for all. 
I, too, think the current administration and the current number of liberals and of people wanting hand-outs and a nanny state is the most dangerous threat this country has faced since the Civil War. Political correctness, also espoused by these folks, has been taken to the point of idiocy, often flying in the face of common sense. I think many of these leftists are also dumb asses and every bit as dangerous as the folks on the far right that I just ripped apart.  Plenty of them also should be called "Hatriots" because apparently they see little to like about the US, but consider themselves patriots even though they would like total change. I believe many want to totally change the government into a socialist state.  They tend to think all big businesses and all business profit is inherently evil.  I believe  many think the state is their mammy and want it to take on what should be personal responsibilities.  I detest the pseudo intellectuals, and those who think everyone is entitled to what everyone else has without working for it.  They are enablers, finding excuses for poor choices and behaviors and laying blame on the haves for the have-nots.  Others are idiotic dreamers and idealistic, thinking everyone would act for the common good if they had the opportunity.  Some think terrorists are just like us, only frustrated.  They disgust me.

 I want many things changed and believe many members of the current administration should be impeached, including the Attorney General.  I want less government where I believe it does not belong, but at the same time, I know we cannot and should not return to the days of the early republic when there were not  necessary government services.  One reason the government's role has grown so much is because there is a need for it . These needs should be for services only a government can effectively provide.    However, there is also a line the government should never be allowed to cross, which is where free enterprise can thrive in a responsible way, and where  individual responsibility takes over. 

Yes, I see the need for change, but I am going to try to make change through my vote.  I will vote for those I think can actually achieve the change I think needs to occur.  I do not believe we should do this through a violent overthrow.  If enough people who believe this would actually vote instead of just complaining and/or being ridiculous by advocating overthrow, we could bring about that change. I believe we outnumber the ones who are leading us down the path we are now following.  So all we need to do is vote. And vote wisely.  Vote for those who actually can win and can represent most of our wishes.  There will never be anyone who can be all things to all people, who will mesh exactly with your personal priorities, but there are those who can match somewhat and who offer hope for change. At the same time, the majority in office has to look out for the minority but not become slave to it.  Change may be slower this way, but it is the best way.
If you do not vote, then shut your damned mouths no matter what your beliefs.  You gave up the right to speak up when you refused to vote, and to be an educated voter. 

I Made Him an Offer but He Refused

Dearly Beloved (DB) bought some Haagen Daz ice cream bars. He loves ice cream. Tonight, I just decided I wanted one so I went to the freezer to get one and there was only one left. I started to leave it for DB, but then decided to pig the ice cream for myself. At the time, I laughed and thought I would make up a story about a burglar breaking in and stealing the last ice cream bar. Har. Har. Then I just forgot about it all.
So hours later, DB came home from work, ate, and we were watching television when he got up and left the room. When he came back, he had a half full box of Nips caramels. He sat down and we continued watching the "Godfather". I made some comment about how someone in the film treated his wife. Then, very calmly and softly, DB said, "You know, I remember when I was little hearing a story about my mother and father. My father brought home a big piece of cheese. He told my mother that he was going out but when he got back he wanted a big pot of macaroni and cheese made with the cheese he had brought home. So he left but when he came home, there was no macaroni and cheese. My mother had eaten all the cheese. My father was so angry he chased her with a butcher knife." About this time I realized DB was alluding to the ice cream. I almost fell off the couch laughing. I tried my burglar story but for some reason he did not believe it.
Anyway, we continued watching the movie and eating Nips. Finally, I reached for one and there was only one Nips caramel left. Of course, I started laughing thinking about history repeating itself, so I told him I was saving the last one for him. Very quietly, he said it was too late and I could not make it up and said something about a butcher knife. And here I sit half an hour later still laughing me arse off as I write this post.
My grandson once told his first grade teacher that his grandfather was the funniest man in the world. I do think he was right.

Thoughts on Quilting

    As most of you know, I am what in the quilting world is known as a fabricholic. I am not alone in this addiction. We exist all over the globe, from the woman who sits on a dirt floor in India, piecing together tens of thousands of tiny scraps of fabric to make a beautiful and colorful quilt which she will sell for the equivalent of a couple of dollars and which will be resold for thousands or end up in a quilt museum somewhere, to those who have a $75,000 longarm programmable quilter and an embroidery machine that you program and walk away from, letting the machine do all the work. 

    We all, no matter how good or bad a craftsperson we are, no matter if we quilt by hand or machine, whether we are male or female, old or young, we all share a love of textiles that is an addiction just like alcohol or cocaine. How does this happen? The beauty of fabrics is like a balm to us on one hand and appeals to our creative urges on the other. I quilt in order to justify buying fabric. Truly. I love quilt design but in all truthfulness am not crazy about the actual sewing and quilting unless I am just trying to see if something can be done. I love vibrant colors, see art in each piece of fabric, and tend toward sort of wildly colored quilts although I can do traditional quilts too.
      While going through a little book of memoirs I have been putting together for my grandchildren, in case they ever get curious about what their GG's life was like, I came across a couple of papers on quilts I wrote for a quilt project called a round robin that I did a few years back. I thought I might share these with you so perhaps you can understand how a quilter, at least this quilter, thinks. The second has a lot of quilting terms in it and you may understand some of it and some you may not understand. So any way, here goes:

 

Reflections of a Fabricholic 

 by VG

My life is like a quilt
Some of my points don't match
And I am near to coming apart at a few of my seams.
While some of my scraps are dull,
There are some that are joyously wild and colorful.
I am not too evenly stitched but
each piece of cloth is held together
by the strong threads of love and loyalty
for and from family, friends and country.
Every experience, those remembered and
Those long forgotten is a thread that has been
woven into the fabric of my being.
I am worn thin in some places, and too
lumpy in others, but I still can wrap
myself around my loved ones and help
keep them warm and comforted.
I am a quilt to be used.
To be sat on, tossed in the washer and dryer, and enjoyed.
No mere art quilt am I. I want to be a warm memory
of those I touch long after each of my threads has worn away.

 

My Thoughts on Quilters

by VG

• Quilters have been around the block a few times.
• Quilters keep UFOs in their homes.
• Quilters are on the square.
• Quilters put it together piece by piece.
• Quilters don't need the INS; they take care of their own borders.
• Quilters thoughts are sometimes biased.
• Quilters fabricate their world.
• Quilters have batts in their belfries.
• Quilters love Shakespearean plays; their favorite is "Measure for Measure".
• Quilters are like clothes horses; they are always buying new threads.
• Quilters have been known to cut corners.
• Quilters have wide backs.
• Quilters are artists by design.
• Quilters should belong to the National Audubon Society; they love Flying Geese and they are on the lookout for round robins.
• Crabby quilters sometimes make fussy cuts.
• Quilters sometimes go against the grain.
• Quilters are on the cutting edge---by a scant quarter inch, of course.
• Some quilters are like orangutans---they have longarms.
• Quilters love the company of men---Michael, Robert, Alexander and Kaffe.
• Quilters seam on the straight and narrow, but sometimes they zigzag.
• Quilters are a scrappy lot.
• Quilters know that cotton is a drug and they are all addicts.

Gun Control Lunacy

   There are a lot of gun control lunatics out there on both sides of the issue.  You have your idiots who think they should be allowed to carry a gun openly wherever they go and then you have your idiots who think that by totally disarming the populace, there will be less violence.  I, being the voice of reason, of course, fall somewhere in between the two extremes, as I imagine the majority of the population does.

When our forefathers wrote the Second Amendment to the Constitution, they were trying to protect the citizenry from an oppressive government.  Based upon their experiences with British rule, they wanted to be sure that a well armed militia could be maintained to defend the people from both foreign governments and our own government, should the need arise.   This is stated quite clearly.  Back then, states did not supply arms to the militias.  Members supplied their own arms so they needed to be guaranteed the right to do so. 

Also, as many people hunted in order to supply their families with food, I think the Founders assumed that people could keep arms for that purpose and for personal defense.  So I do believe the Second Amendment gives us the right to own and bear arms. 

 But every right guaranteed us in the Constitution has limits.  Everyone knows the old example that although we are guaranteed free speech, we cannot yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater if there is no fire lest we start a panic in which people may be harmed.  And of course we can be held accountable for slander or libel. So, I think it reasonable that we have limits regarding gun ownership and usage.  Convicted felons, minors, and people with a history of mental instability certainly should not be allowed to own guns.  Of course there are criminals who do not have a record of felonies, and people who are mentally unstable but have no record or have not  yet been identified who are running around out here .  So they would slip through the cracks in gun control.  I include minors because I believe that first, minors usually do not possess the judgment required that anyone owning a gun should have, and because in most cases, they cannot be held legally responsible for their acts.  Further, I believe if a minor gets hold of a gun and commits a crime, the gun owner should also be held accountable as it is his responsibility to safeguard his weapon.  

I am totally opposed to open carry, which to me is just an excuse for idiots to try to convince others of how tough they are and that they are standing up for their Second Amendment rights.  Actually, it shows they are unstable enough that they are among those that should not own guns at all.  Carrying a gun is no proof of manhood or toughness.  Also, some of these open carry types use that right to intimidate others.  It works.  I would never go anywhere I saw people, other than legal authorities carrying guns and certainly would not want children there.  

I believe in concealed carry but with restrictions.  First, an in depth background check should be passed.  Second, if a place prohibits firearms, not even concealed carry should be allowed except by legal authorities or in some cases by someone who is legally designated to do so (and who has passed certain checks in order to qualify).  Third, I think there has to be a reasonable need to conceal carry.   

I believe all guns should be registered.  Of course, criminals will still have unregistered guns, but a registration will help identification of gun ownership in some crimes.  Access to this information would require a writ.

I oppose most efforts at more gun legislation simply because I believe there are probably enough, more than enough, laws now but that the problem is lack of enforcement.  Only if a state lacks a law or the people wish to change an existing law should new legislation be passed.  I see this as a state issue but would like to see some uniformity in laws across state lines.

I do not think that gun legislation will prevent incidents like Sandy Hook.  I see that as the fault of the mother who thought introducing an unstable child to guns was a good idea.  And of course she was held accountable for this in a way commensurate with the crime her son committed with weapons she owned and to which he had access.  He killed her. 

I think if someone is determined to kill others, they will with or without a gun.  The thing is a gun is often easier and more practical to get and use than say, a bomb.  But that does not mean that a person who keeps a gun to defend himself in his home or business should be denied that right because some idiot decides to shoot up a school. 

The key to this issue is enforcement.  Make the consequence for committing a crime with a gun so severe it serves as a deterrent.  Make punishment for allowing a minor access to guns that results in shootings, accidental or otherwise, severe and hold the gun owner equally responsible or at least strongly responsible for the minor's actions.  Make gun safety training a requirement for gun ownership and registration. And narrow the definition of stand your ground laws. 

So yes, I favor what I consider responsible gun control, but I do believe people have a right to own guns.  I believe I have a right to shoot anyone illegally entering my home because I have to assume, armed or not, they are willing to do me or my family bodily harm. I would not hesitate to do so.   To not assume this is downright foolish. However, I do not see the need for assault weapons or large caches of weapons by private owners.  

I do not see everyone who favors gun ownership as a pawn of the NRA, a redneck, or threat.  I think those opposed to guns do more to turn off people to control than not, when they try to paint all supporters of gun ownership this way.  And truth is, most gun owners are responsible people.   

And I do not give a damn about what statistics are in other countries.  They are not the US and they have different forms of law enforcement and different cultural issues.  Besides statistics can be jiggled to fit anyone's needs.  For example, gun death statistics usually include suicides, but do not necessarily say so.  In my opinion, a person who wants to kill himself, will do so, gun or no gun.  Also, that should not be considered a crime anyway. It is a personal choice, a stupid one in most cases, but should not be considered a crime.  Yet, it figures into crime statistics. 

Well, that is my rant for the day.  I really don't care whether you agree or not.  My blog. My opinion.