09.30.05

In Florida, we Stand Our Ground!

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property, Miscellany, Strictly Opinion at 7:45 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Yeehaw. Thieves, Crooks, Robbers & Rapists, beware! As of tomorrow, we in Florida now have the right to use deadly force in public, whether on the streets, at work, or in our cars - in addition to protecting our home. Just on the outset, sounds a bit Wild West, doesn’t it?

At least, that’s what the MSM would have you believe! And they’re doing a great job promoting their message. More than one of my friends has made comments to me to the effect of “Well, I sure hope this law doesn’t get abused”. As if. I mean, does anyone really believe that just because the law has changed that those of us who own guns and are law abiding are going to suddenly start shooting at anyone who slightly annoys us? If so, then our families might be in trouble!

I hate hearing those types of comments because they just add to the idiocy that is gun control. My family has always had guns. My dad was never a hunter, nor is my husband. They enjoy “plinking” at a target more than anything else, but the primary reason that we own guns is for self-protection. I was taught to handle a .357 when I was about 12. We lived in a rural area, and on the rare occasion that my folks went out for an evening and had to leave me at home, my dad would always leave with the admonishment “you know where your equalizer is”. I never once pulled it out back in my adolescent days as I hadn’t a need for it - but he always reminded me, just in case anything happened to spook me or I had any concerns - I was not without protection.

As an adult, about 16 years ago, I came home to find that someone had broken in to my home while I was at work. It took me a few seconds to register why my answering machine was gone and my bedroom was in disarray. I couldn’t believe how violated I felt. I immediately located my gun which thankfully had not been found, and with it in hand I searched under every bed and closet before I called the sheriff’s department and my fiance (now husband). My fiance was first to arrive, and he had to convince me to put my gun away before the deputy arrived, LOL. For years afterward, I kept my gun locked, loaded, and with me.

Now, as an “at home” mom we have our guns put away, but they’re not far out of reach. Again, living in a rural area, I like knowing that they’re there. I’ve never felt the need to pull one out for self-defense, but wouldn’t hesitate for an instant if I felt threatened. It’s about time for us to begin putting our daughters into the target practice rotation. Actually, they have both fired air pistols and bb guns, but never anything larger. That’s not to say they’ve not had any training - they’ve actually been taught a respect for guns since they were tiny tots - they knew that if a rifle was standing in a corner of a room that they were not to touch it. We’ve taught them what guns are for and that they are dangerous in the wrong hands and so they have a healthy respect.

At any rate, I for one am happy about the new law taking effect here tomorrow. Not because I’m trigger happy, but because maybe, just maybe, more of these can be avoided.

Update: Ogre weighs in . . .

Permalink 1 Comment

09.28.05

I’m back . . . more blogging to come . . .

Posted in Miscellany at 7:03 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Hehehehe! Had a wonderful weekend with family (my sis lives about 4 hours away) and am just trying to get back into the swing of things. As a side note, my sister and I each have a birthday in November (along with my youngest daughter) so we usually celebrate it together at Thanksgiving time. This year, she surprised me. A few weeks ago, while we were discussing my oldest daughters birthday, she asked me whether I preferred anticipation or surprises. I answered that I think anticipation is half the fun. I never thought about the conversation again - and this weekend she gave me both. She’s planned a weekend for the two of us to celebrate our birthdays together - in NYC! We’ll be staying in the heart of Manhattan and going to see Fiddler on the Roof (I did a little theater production of Fiddler 20+ years ago). I’ve never been to NY, but am soooo looking forward to it! At any rate, I get the best of both worlds - a total surprise this weekend, and now I have a month to anticipate the trip.

Meantime, I still have the realm of the mundane to deal with to keep me grounded . . . dentist appointment for #1 daughter and myself this morning, and editing some of my photography from the last couple weekends before I can get back to the business of “real” blogging. Just wanted to say “I’ll be back”.

Permalink Comments

09.22.05

Good News from Iraq . . .

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property, Miscellany at 7:43 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Alrighty, first up - just to show that there is something other than war going on in Iraq - people in some areas are living their lives in relative peace and enjoying culture.

Dadmanly talks about the Iraqi Army and the some of the new ways that our soldiers are finding to interact - it’s an interesting read and the commentary on the Iraqi culture from an American perspective is telling - there is much we could learn from their past mistakes about the horrors of governmental dependence.

And finally, a nice flash presentation by Bill Roggio.

And with this, I sign off for a few days - it’s my daughter’s birthday tomorrow and we’re away for a visit with family ’til Monday eve - hope you all have a good weekend, and may God watch over and protect those in the path of Rita.

Permalink Comments

09.21.05

Don’t Get Stuck on Stupid Tee

Posted in Unusual, Miscellany, Silly Stuff at 4:15 pm by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Well, I had this ready to go earlier today and then my computer crashed - inspiring me to take a break, LOL. But now, after signing on to find some gentle prodding in the form of a trackback from the Unrepentant Individual I figured I might as well get with it! So here’s what the layout looks like from my Cafe Press shop. You’ll see several different options for tees, and if there is something else you’d like to see this on, let me know - I take requests!

Permalink Comments

Stuck on Stupid regarding Katrina

Posted in Miscellany, Strictly Opinion at 8:34 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

This was a great comment from General Russel Honore to a reporter who was stuck on the blame game:

Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that’s happening this time, though, and did not have that last time…

Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I’m not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we’ve got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let’s talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months.

H/T to Radio Blogger.

Permalink Comments

09.19.05

This Week in History . . .

Posted in History at 8:46 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

History highlights for the week include the birth of the Old Grey Lady and CBS, infamous murderers, traitors, explorers, and internet milestones. Some very interesting things have happened this week in history - check it out!

September 18

1851 - The New-York Daily Times, which will become The New York Times, begins publishing.

1873 - The Panic of 1873 began on September 18 with the failure of the Philadelphia investment house of Jay Cooke. Cooke had played a large role in financing the Union war effort by marketing federal bonds to farmers and workers.

1927 - Columbia Broadcasting System goes on the air.

1932 - Actress Peg Entwistle commits suicide by jumping from the H in the Hollywood sign, forever turning the sign into a symbol for the paradox of the American film industry.

1975 - Patty Hearst is arrested after a year on the FBI Most Wanted List. I was 14 when Patty Hearst was arrested. I remember reading everything I could find during the time she was missing and after her arrest. My own opinion at the time was that she was telling the truth about her experiences, and I felt sorry for her. I’m a little less idealistic at 43, but she now seems to be living an exemplary life.

1998 - ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is formed.

September 19

1692 - Giles Corey is pressed to death after refusing to plead in the Salem witch trials.

1796 - George Washington makes his farewell address. George Washington was not a fan of the political party system - he believed that “It serves to distract the Public Councils, and enfeeble the Public Administration….agitates the Community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms; kindles the animosity of one….against another….it opens the door to foreign influence and corruption…thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.” Imagine that!

1959 - Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland.

1982 - Scott Fahlman posts the first recorded instance of the emoticon to an online bulletin board

September 20

1737 - Runner Edward Marshall completes his journey in the Walking Purchase forcing the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony.

1954 - First program compiled from FORTRAN runs (FORmula TRANSlator/TRANSlation)

1984 - Suicide bomber in a car attacks the United States embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, killing twelve people

September 21

1780 - Benedict Arnold gives the British the plans to West Point

1897 - The Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus letter is published in the New York Sun.

1937 - J. R. R. Tolkien publishes The Hobbit. If you haven’t read Tolkien, you haven’t lived! Just for fun, check out your Hobbit name! Mine is Lila Sandybanks of Frogmorton

1942 - B-29 Superfortress makes its debut. Most famous was the Enola Gay - check out the restoration site!

September 22

1776 - Nathan Hale is hanged by British General William Howe for spying during American Revolution.

1862 - A preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation is released.

1893 - The first American-built automobile, built by the Duryea Brothers, is displayed.

1961 - Peace Corps is formed.

1985 - The Plaza Accord devaluing the US dollar was signed in New York City.

September 23

1642 - First commencement exercises occur at Harvard University. Colonial Era Graduates

1780 - British Major John Andre arrested as a spy by American soldiers exposing Benedict Arnold’s treason

1806 - Lewis and Clark return, after exploring the Pacific Northwest. Interesting factoid - Meriwether Lewis father died when he was five. By age eight, it was not uncommon for him to explore the forests and caves in the Albemarle County, VA area alone; sometimes camping overnight.

1875 - William Bonney (”Billy the Kid”) is arrested for the first time.

1962 - The Jetsons aired for the first time.

1981 - Jack Henry Abbott, best-selling author, is arrested for murder. Of course, the reason Jack Abbott became a best selling author was that Norman Mailer helped Abbott, who was in jail for armed robbery and killing another inmate, win parole in 1981. Abbott landed back in prison six weeks later for murder, and in 2002 hung himself in his cell.

September 24

1493 - Christopher Columbus departs on his second expedition to the New World

1869 - “Black Friday”. Gold prices plummet as stock manipulators Jay Gould and James Fisk plotted to control the market.

1908 - The first Ford Model T is built

1957 - President Dwight Eisenhower sends United States National Guard troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to enforce desegregation.

1962 - United States court of appeals orders the University of Mississippi to admit James Meredith. Interesting to note that James Meredith distanced himself from the Civil Rights movement in the late 60’s, became a stockbroker, joined the republican party and made several attempts to be elected to congress. In 1988, he accused “liberal whites” of being the greatest enemy of African Americans.

1993 - Broderbund releases the computer game Myst.

Permalink Comments

09.16.05

Happy Constitution Day!

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property, History at 10:55 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Ogre over at Ogre’s Views and Politics is spending the day really looking at the constitution. If you haven’t done so yourself in a while, check it out! And if you’re wondering what else happened this day in history, you haven’t checked out a post I made earlier this week.

Permalink Comments

New Orleans Slideshow is Back Up!

Posted in Miscellany at 7:05 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Okay, for those who’ve been asking and looking for the link, Silvia Morales (Alvaro’s sister) contacted me (and I imagine others) with this new link for Five Days with Katrina. Go. See. Share.

Permalink Comments

09.14.05

Good News from Iraq . . .

Posted in Miscellany at 2:25 pm by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Some of my readers may or may not realize that the Bloggers 4 Freedom aggregator that I have linked on my sidebar is a site that my sister and I debuted in May of last year (2004) to try to spread the good word from our troops. While our mission has been moderately successful, with the retiring this week of Arthur Chrenkoff, I think it would be helpful to begin passing along a few more of the positive and uplifting stories that we read. Not that there aren’t some disheartening ones, but frankly, the MSM has those more than adequately covered. At any rate, I’m going to try to cover several of these each week as I run across them.

First off we have The Roadblock from Thunder 6/365 and a Wake Up.

A few minutes after they finished their labors my patrol turned onto their road, and finding it blocked we set up a security position. Had they done nothing our patrol would have been gutted. Instead we were able to screech to a halt out of the kill zone.

An hour later as I watched the EOD robot defuse the giant IED I felt a cold shudder run down my spine. Brave soldiers, myself among them, had almost lost their lives on this empty stretch of road. The only reason we didn’t was because equally brave Iraqi citizens refused to bear witness to our destruction. Thank God.

Read it all here.

Permalink Comments

09.13.05

This Week in History . . .

Posted in History at 8:11 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

In my “spare” time, I am a history buff. Not a history buff in the “I know everything there is to be known about any particular era” sense, but more a history buff in the “I enjoy reading, studying, and learning from history in general” sense.

With that thought in mind, I have determined to begin a weekly (or perhaps bi-monthly or monthly) posting (depending on the time I find) which I will call “This week in history”.

I’m going to narrow the focus to US history, and only those things which are particularly intriguing to me - otherwise it would take me a month to get through a weeks worth of research, and I just don’t have that kind of time. So, here we go - perhaps you’ll find something new and interesting that you didn’t know about before either!

September 11, 1789 - Alexander Hamilton becomes the first Secretary of the Treasury.

September 11, 1857 - Mountain Meadows Massacre between 120-150 men, women, and children pioneers are massacred by Paiute Indians and a Mormon Militia lead by John D. Lee.

September 11, 200l - Never Forget!

September 12, 1609 - Henry Hudson discovers the river that would later bear his name.

September 12, 1814 - Battle of North Point wherein American Militia held off the British army so that defensive entrenchments around the city of Baltimore could be completed. Directly contributed to the ending of the war of 1812.

September 12, 1940 - Hercules Munitions Plant in Kenvil, NJ explodes, killing 55.

September 12, 1957 - North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) begins Operations at Ent, Colorado. May 12, 1958, a formal agreement is signed between the US and Canada. Until the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, NORAD’s focus was almost exclusively fixed on threats coming toward the Canadian and American borders, not terrorism in our domestic airspace. Because of that day, NORAD’s focus has increased to include domestic airspace. NORAD’s mission is truly global.

September 12, 2001 - Article V invoked for the first time ever in response to the September 11 attacks.

September 13, 1847 - Battle of Chapultepec Mexican American war - General Winfield Scott ordered the hanging of deserters to coincide with the raising of the Stars and Stripes over the captured citadel.

September 13, 1899 - Henry Bliss becomes first person in the US to die in a car accident. He stepped off a streetcar into the path of an automobile. Wonder if this is where we got the expression “ignorance is Bliss”?

September 13, 1970 - First running of the New York City Marathon.

September 14, 1814 - Francis Scott Key writes The Star-Spangled Banner

September 14, 1901 - President William McKinley dies of an assassination attempt eight days earlier (guess you’d have to call it more than an attempt, eh?) and Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th President.

September 15, 1831 - Locomotive John Bull takes its maiden journey in New Jersey.

September 15, 1967 - Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson, responding to a sniper attack at the University of Texas, writes a letter to the United States Congress urging the enactment of gun control legislation.

September 16, 1776 - Battle of Harlem Heights proved to the American Militia’s that they could win in battle against the British.

September 16, 1942 - USS Wasp torpedoed in Guadalcanal.

September 16, 1956 - Play Doh is introduced to the world!

September 17, 1630 - Boston, Massachusetts founded by John Winthrop.

September 17, 1787 - Text of the U. S. Constitution agreed upon in Philadelphia.

September 17, 1859 - Joshua A. Norton declares himself the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

September 17, 1908 - Lt. Thomas Selfridge crashes a Wright Brothers plane becoming the first airplane fatality

September 17, 1976 - First Space Shuttle “Enterprise” unveiled.

Hope you enjoyed this tour through the week of September 11-17. Tune in again next week . . .

Permalink Comments