12.19.05

Best Posts of the Year

Posted in Miscellany, Strictly Opinion at 12:22 pm by LeftBrainFemale

mister snitch is hosting a search for the best blog posts of 2005 - not the most popular or highest rankings - but the best posts.

Either click on one of the links above, or you can email your suggestions to: mistersnitch [at] hotmail [dot] com.

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Scenarios

Posted in Essays, Life, Liberty, Property at 8:18 am by LeftBrainFemale

Ruminations from this morning cross posted atThe Liberty Papers

It doesn’t matter our label or what we choose to call ourselves, but those of us who truly believe in personal freedom and responsibility - and live our lives in this way are rarely going to be victims. Sure, there are exceptions - we may at times be overcome by brute force, but anyone who thinks they’re going to rape, mutilate, or murder us will find that they’re going to have to have brute force on their side . . . ’cause we’re not going to make it easy for them to accomplish their nefarious aims.

We’re fully aware that life doesn’t happen TO us, but that things which happen in our lives are a direct result of the choices and decisions we’ve made. One of the things that has always been quietly prevalent throughout my life which makes it difficult for me to be a victim is what I call “scenarios”.

My first memory of this concept was around the time I was 12 years old. One of our neighbors who was remodeling his home was renting a house closer in to town while he made the renovations. His step-son, who was a couple years younger than I - got home one day from school to find that his step-dad dead - killed by a bullet from one of his own guns. It took years before they found the perpetrator, but I still remember vividly the call my mother got that afternoon. She was crying hysterically, and it took a bit for me to get out of her what had happened - naturally, I was afraid something had happened to my own father.

The repercussions for our family were that while my dad had had guns before (.22 rifle, shotgun) my dad acquired a .357 magnum, and immediately made sure that my mom and I knew how to handle it. Dad had given me a Daisy Red Ryder a couple years before, and I enjoyed playing with it, but this was a whole different ball game. I didn’t really like the loudness, but I was proud of the fact that I was a pretty darned good shot. At any rate, back in those days, we NEVER went anywhere without our gun along - and if my folks ever left me at home, dad would remind me “where my equalizer” was and give me a quick refresher. I think I only ever had to get the gun out one time as I answered the door (we lived out in the country and had no “peep hole”) and it turned out to be a friend, but I answered the door with the gun held out of sight in my hand as I’d been taught.

My point is, in order to teach me how to handle the gun and situations that could arise, my dad introduced to me the concept of scenarios. He didn’t call it that, but that’s what it was. He put into my mind the ideas of things that could happen and asked me to come up with how I should handle those situations. A few years later, as I became a driver and took my much younger sister out to movies and things, I would run through scenarios on my own to try to prepare myself mentally should we be accosted somewhere by someone who wanted to carjack or abduct us, and a few years later, I worked for our sheriff’s department (as a secretary in CID) and learned first hand some of the consequences of not being prepared for the worst. I took classes given through the department on self-preservation and rape prevention, but I think one of the greatest teachers I had was that of the crime reports that I typed and things I learned from them.

For a long time, I thought that I was the only one who ran “scenarios” in my mind. Then, when I met my husband, I would notice sometimes that as we were driving along somewhere, I’d look over at him and see him with his jaw set and a “don’t you mess with me” expression in his eye. Since there was nothing that I had seen to precede this behavior, and I knew he wasn’t angry with me, I finally asked him one day “what are you thinking?” when he explained to me that something that he’d seen in passing triggered his going into a daydream about a scenario and what he would do if he encountered it, I think I knew then that I’d met my prince.

Before we married, my home was broken into one day while I was at work. I arrived home, went to check the answering machine, and to my horror, it was gone. I can’t imagine that any thief today would bother with an answering machine, hehehe - but it was no laughing matter at the time. It took probably a full minute for the impact to sink in - for me to realize that my jewelry box was lying upside down on the bed, that a pillowcase was taken from the bed, etc. It was fairly obvious that my arrival home had probably scared the thief away - my VCR had been partially pulled out but not removed and screens were slit in both my kitchen window and a back door. All these years later, I still remember vividly how violated and angry I felt that some stranger had entered MY home and taken MY personal property. I felt deeply the lack of control and the powerlessness to stop what I’d not known was happening, but I quickly took action to insure that no more harm be done. I was a victim I suppose, in the the strictest sense of the word, but I wasn’t going to lie down and be victimized further.

As soon as I realized what had happened, I retrieved the small handgun that I’d had hidden and made a tour of the house - looking under the beds and in every closet, gun in hand. I then made two calls - one to my fiance and the other to the Sheriff’s department. Fortunately for me, hubby-to-be arrived first finding me standing in my driveway, gun in hand. He convinced me that it would be best to put that away and not mention it.

As sad as that was, I’m sure he was right. At that time, laws concerning handguns were more strict in Florida than they are now, and my gun could very well have been confiscated. It wasn’t, and for many years after, I carried it with me in my vehicle wherever I went. Like my dad before me, I resolved never to be caught unawares.

Things are a little different now - I’m home most of the time with my daughters - but I noticed that Daisy has brought back the “Red Ryder” again and they’re selling at our local Wal-Mart. Maybe it’s time I buy one for my gals - I’m definitely NOT raising them to become victims.

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12.16.05

I’m in a “Bah-humbug” State of Mind . . .

Posted in Essays, Strictly Opinion at 11:19 am by LeftBrainFemale

Okay, well, let me get one quick but controversial statement out of the way right off the bat. Our family does not celebrate Christmas.

Before you jump all over me here in cyber-space, and without getting into the discussions of religion (which I prefer not to do here) I will tell you that there are a myriad of reasons why - one of the main ones being that our faith doesn’t call us to do so, and secondarily, the commercialism just sickens me.

Now, lest you feel that I’m picking on you or yours for your decisions, I’ll tell you that it doesn’t bother me for you to celebrate however you wish. Most of our family outside the core of my own, my sister, and my parents DO celebrate Christmas as do our friends. It took some of them a bit to understand that we really don’t want gifts, etc. but they eventually came to terms with our decision.

Frankly, there are still parts of the holiday season I enjoy. For about a week. I enjoy the decorations and pretty lights on the houses around town, I enjoy all the good baking, and I enjoy the holiday “spirit” and hospitality that folks “put on” for this time of year.

But sometimes I wonder - am I the only person in the world who thinks that we’ve become a “toy-crazy” society? I can tell you right now, that while my kiddos don’t have every new toy that comes down the pike, they surely get more than they need - and I figured out a good while back that the most expensive electronic gadgets, while very enticing on the shelf and oh-so-very-wanted-and-desired - quickly get shoved into the back of the closet for the decidedly low tech pens, paper, watercolors and stuffed animals.

What brings this home to me, every year, is the huge drive for “toys for tots” that goes on all over the country. Last night, hubby switched on the TV and I saw that even Dr. Phil is getting in on the act this year with providing every whim of the children who lost homes and toys in hurricane Katrina. Now I’ve never seen much of Dr. Phil, and most of the time, he seems to have his head on pretty straight - and I do empathize with and feel sympathy for all those who lost all they had in Katrina. However. While trips to Disneyland and all the toys your heart desires may be fun, seems to me that this is just not the best message to be sending.

What has happened to our ability to talk to our children? To allow them to share some of the struggles in our lives as adults? Are there still real adults who live among us who understand that adversity is character building, and giving all to our children is teaching them only to expect that if they step in a pile of **** they will always come out smelling like a rose ‘cuz somebody (government or charity) is gonna take care of them?

Another thought is what is up with all the store gift cards? I mean, really! What is the point? I thought that part of the fun of gift giving was to be thoughtful and to try to pick out something that the recipient would appreciate - but I suppose that little idea is long gone as well. So *I* buy you a gift card - and in return you give me one. Does this strike anyone else as just plain silly? If your holiday “gift giving” has degenerated to that point, is there really a point other than for show?

I’m not advocating withdrawing from Christmas or gift giving as something for everyone, and my children get more than they need, want, or even deserve throughout the year. I’m betting that most children do - even those of poor families.

Posted in the Permanent Floating Ping Festival 12/17/05!

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12.09.05

Good Morning, and Welcome to My New Home!

Posted in Miscellany at 7:59 am by LeftBrainFemale

I got tired of playing around with the “blogger” thing - so after enjoying WordPress for my postings over at The Liberty Papers, I decided to move onward and upward!

The downside is, I can’t get my comments or trackbacks to transfer (not without more aggravation than I’m willing to go through, anyway) so I’m starting off fresh again. I did go through my old posts and copied and pasted comments in on posts that were more active, so if we had a dialogue going, you should be able to find your remarks.

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12.07.05

Clark Foam vs. the EPA

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property at 8:55 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

I’m writing today about a situation that I just learned of which hits pretty close to home for us. Some of you may have realized from my writings that my husband is a surfer (has been since the 60’s) and it has played a rather large role in our life - we host a website dedicated to local surfers where we post pictures of them that we have caught at local surf spots. My hubby along with a number of his friends have made several surfboards - both for themselves and others.

It came to my attention last night that Clark Foam, the producer of 90% of the polyurethane surfboard blanks used world-wide has been closed down by the 9th District of the EPA for a two-week period while they investigate the factory which they believe does not meet industry standards. At issue is the chemical toluene diioscyanate commonly known as TDI along with the fact that the technology inside the factory was designed and built by Gordon “Grubby” Clark in the 60’s.

In a fax which Clark sent out to shapers on Monday afternoon, he says that the citation issued him by the EPA could mean prison time for him or the fining of an “astronomical” amount of money. He also apologised to customers and employees saying “I should have seen this coming many years sooner and closed in a slower, more predictable manner . . . I waited far too long, being optimistic rather than realistic.”

And, frankly, the research that I’ve done overnight on my own, I can understand why he would be optimistic. According to the EPA website, research on toluene diioscyanate has been rather inconclusive - a number of studies have been done over five-year periods and while it has been shown that inhaling TDI is a bad thing (that’s why they wear respirators, yanno?) the only link to increased cancer that has been shown was when they put to substance into the stomachs of rats! TDI is not only found in the manufacture of surfboard blanks, but also in sealants, adhesives, carpets, furniture, etc. - probably in items found in every home in the world!

So it seems to me that Gordon Clark’s only crime is one of naivete - most other companies using this chemical have already left California, where, by the way, simultaneously with the Federal EPA implementing a slightly weaker version of California’s existing anti-TDI law in 1999, California itself actually instituted stronger laws against its use.

The outcome of this investigation could potentially have a devastating effect, at least in the short term, on the surf industry. Yes, there are other ways to make boards. (Polystyrene, epoxy, etc.) Yes, others will move in to take up some of the slack - but in the short term, at least, there are going to be jobs lost, manufacturers of boards who have to lay off employees, and prices of surfboards will definitely increase. I’ve already heard some rumbling in the surf community (not known for their conservative views in general) that “he shoulda known better” or “he coulda switched to a less harmful way of manufacture - it wouldn’t cost that much” but to those folks I just say get real - if it could have been done better, cheaper, smarter - why did he end up with such a corner on the market? Seems to me it would be a real feather in the cap of a new manufacturer to be able to say that they had a safer way to produce a polyurethane blank.

My heart, personally, breaks for Gordon Clark, his employees, and the shapers, manufacturers, hobbiests, etc. who are losing a great resource. While most homes in America may not have a surfboard among their prized possessions, of those of us who do - Clark Foam has had a solid reputation for almost 45 years.

In a letter of allocation placed on the web for their customers, I think Matthew Weaver of Fiberglass Supply sums it up best:

It behooves all involved to take some time to reflect on what is happening to Clark Foam, and what is happening here in the United States. We need to be concerned about the future viability of manufacturing in the U.S. especially in regards to small businesses and the regulatory burdens placed on them. We need to become educated in the issues and facts. Then we must act. Write letters to your legislators and become involved in local area politics and organizations.

While my own family doesn’t rely on Clark Foam for our livelihood, I’ve never felt a governmental burden hit more close to home - and I’m afraid we may have reached the end of an era.

Update - Quotes from the EPA and local officials are coming out now, saying they did not force Clark Foam’s Closure. But I think Clark himself spells out pretty clearly what has happened:

“Meeting increasingly stringent environmental regulations would cost millions of dollars.”

“The way the government goes after places like Clark Foam is by an accumulation of laws, regulations, and subjective decisions they are allowed to use to express their intent. Essentially they remove your security, increase your risk or liability, and increase your costs.”

“They simply grind away until you either quit or they find methods of bringing serious charges or fines that force you to close,” Clark wrote.

Open post linked at The Conservative Cat

Cross-posted at The Liberty Papers

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12.06.05

Carnival of Liberty XXIII

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property at 11:50 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Hey all, Carnival of Liberty XXIII is up at Below the Beltway! Check it out!

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12.05.05

Is Tolerance the same as Acceptance?

Posted in Essays, Life, Liberty, Property, Strictly Opinion at 1:44 pm by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

Cross posted at “The Liberty Papers”

Exerpt: I’m afraid at times that I may come across as a moralizer - it’s really not my intention - but I think of myself more as a moral philosopher or ethicist.

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12.02.05

What’s in a Number?

Posted in Life, Liberty, Property at 7:08 am by LBF (Left-Brain Female)

This week, yet another disturbing article has appeared in the MSM via AP reporter William J. Kole. I think this article deserves a fisking, so here goes!

Two U.S. Allies Pulling Out of Iraq

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Two of America’s allies in Iraq are withdrawing forces this month and a half-dozen others are debating possible pullouts or reductions, increasing pressure on Washington as calls mount to bring home U.S. troops.

Bulgaria and Ukraine will begin withdrawing their combined 1,250 troops by mid-December. If Australia, Britain, Italy, Japan, Poland and South Korea reduce or recall their personnel, more than half of the non-American forces in Iraq could be gone by next summer.

This is really not a story at all. According to Global Security (July 1, 2005) Bulgaria was scheduled to remove their troops by end of year 2005, and Ukraine by October, 2005. So rather than this being a “sudden” decision to pull out as would be implied by the blaring headline, Bulgaria and the Ukraine are departing just exactly as planned.

Japan and South Korea help with reconstruction, but Britain and Australia provide substantial support forces and Italy and Poland train Iraqi troops and police. Their exodus would deal a blow to American efforts to prepare Iraqis to take over the most dangerous peacekeeping tasks and craft an eventual U.S. exit strategy.

“The vibrations of unease from within the United States clearly have an impact on public opinion elsewhere,” said Terence Taylor of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Washington. “Public opinion in many of these countries is heavily divided.”

At this point Japan has intentions to remain in Iraq through 2006, and South Korea is scheduled to bring home 1/3 of their troops in the first half of 2006, but to extend their overall deployment for at least another 12 months, Britain and Australia currently have no plans to withdraw - they’ve committed at this point to seeing the operation through to it’s completion. Not quite the dire picture painted.

In the months after the March 2003 invasion, the multinational force numbered about 300,000 soldiers from 38 countries - 250,000 from the U.S. and 50,000 from other countries. The coalition has steadily unraveled as the death toll rises and angry publics clamor for troops to leave.

Now the nearly 160,000-member U.S. force in Iraq is supported by just under 24,000 mostly non-combat personnel from 27 countries. Britain has the second-largest contingent with 8,000 in Iraq and 2,000 elsewhere in the Gulf region.

The “logic” that the coalition has unraveled is astounding. By his own writing, we determine that down from 300,000 soldiers from 38 countries, we now have about 184,000 from 27 countries. But what must be recalled is that we are now in the reconstruction stage - not the initial phase of the war, and while non-US troops have fallen to about 48% of their initial levels, US troop involvement has also decreased to about 53%. Hmmm. So, yes, perhaps some (remember Spain, anyone?) decided that the public outcry against the war was too much of a political problem and necessitated their withdrawal, but overall, levels are probably what should be expected.

In his strategy for Iraq, announced Wednesday, President Bush said expanding international support was one of his goals. He also seemed to address the issue of more allies withdrawing.

“As our posture changes over time, so too will the posture of our coalition partners,” the document says. “We and the Iraqis must work with them to coordinate our efforts, helping Iraq to consolidate and secure its gains on many different fronts.”

Kinda fits with my summation, don’tcha think?

There’s more to the article, but most of it I’ve pretty much covered - it’s just the same old spin, different day. But far more interesting to me is this:

Iraq Seeks to Stop Foreign Withdrawal Plans

The Interim Iraqi government seeks to convince several countries not to withdraw their forces from Iraq after these countries announced plans to this end.

The Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiar Zeibari urged Japan to keep its forces in southern Iraq, saying that early withdrawal of what he called the coalition forces will lead to more violence.

Golly. According to the other sources I read, we are “occupiers”. We’re not wanted. Go home. Go away. Yet, here I find that the interim Iraqi government is asking us to stand our ground and help them to achieve their goal. Amazing. Unless you’ve been reading the writings of some of my friends here, here & here.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, Saddam had 35 years in power in Iraq, our own U. S. Constitution took 2 and a half years to become ratified by the then 13 states - and that doesn’t include the years in the making - all the debates and infighting to get it to that point. Yes, the Iraqi’s will have to take over at some point, and it’s in the works - but all this nay-saying and negativity in the press is only serving to give aid and comfort to the enemy. Numbers and statistics can be skewed to be read however the writer wishes them to be read - so I say, don’t trust ‘em, folks! Question EVERYTHING.

Open post linked at The Conservative Cat

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