The NRA and here we go again

For those of you who don't know, the 2nd Amendment went through a number of drafts before the rather twisted amendment was agreed upon. Somehow the right wing in our country has perverted the evolution of the amendment/amending sequence to an individual's right to own guns, buy guys, keep guns, strap guns to their hips and go see the President of the United States and recently visit a movie theater.

If are living in Colorado there is a time in your not too distant future when you will go shopping on  a Friday night and you will be treated to the spectacle of 18 year olds packing concealed and loaded handguns with NO NEED for any registration. Perhaps if there were a data base, some loony couldn't acquire 5 guns and some TNT.  They can't drink but by God they can shoot. A couple years ago The NYTimes of course ran a hand wringing editorial about it which will do no good because those who worship at the shrine of the misunderstood 2nd amendment don't read the Times and if they hear about it poo-poo it as being too liberal and therefore not to be believed.

We've been treated to any number of pundits pointing out that if a few folks in the theater were "packing" weapons they could have fired back in some sort of perverse Lone Ranger style - nothing like a gun fight in a crowded theater.  This argument is without merit as there is no reliable data past NRA opinion that having a gun protects you from someone nuts who just want to shoot and kill.  I can see the home breakin in the middle of the night but I can't and won't concede the let's take a gun to the theater mentality. Nor should you.

For your reading pleasure, here are the three drafts to the 2nd Amendment that were written prior to the final. After reading them, let me know if you don't think this entire debate is entirely off track.

I. The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; a well armed and well regulated militia being the best security of a free country but no person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person

II. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no person religiously scrupulous shall be compelled to bear arms.

III. A well regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, being the best security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; but no one religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person.

There you go gun-rights honchos. Now explain that away when you apply your strict construction theories.

Dust Bowl

We took a little break from the writing desk for no other reason that it was too darn hot. Dry too. You read it here first.

We ran across this picture the other day. It is from Life Magazine in the 30s and some of us with too much time actually found the place on Google maps - street view. But then again, Oklahoma or parts thereof, look pretty much the same for miles on end so who is to know if we got it right or not.

We are longing for some rain and this afternoon holds promise. That rain that makes things "mud lucious and puddle-wonderful" as e.e.cummings once wrote (at least we think so but are too hot and lazy to go look it up). But right now we have dust. Not Oklahoma in the 30s dust, but it seems that way.

Very low tide



courtesy of the Suffolk Times.

 The picture ran in the Suffolk Times; a tribute to man's stupidity.

We have a lot of water views here and watching the boats in the harbor or navigating up or out the bay is actually very pleasant. Most are in some sort of hell bent hurry to get where the fish are or aren't or they like the "full throttle" sport which, at $4+ marina prices, seems a bit short sighted. The sailboats glide a bit more slowly of course and don't seem to be in such a scurry to get anywhere.

One such sail boat comes by frequently to take the southwest wind at the close of day and we exchange waves on occasion and they all seem dressed for croquette rather than boating, they raise a toast in glasses that literally explode in glints and gleams in the sun and it is, in all, rather civilized.

The boat in our picture above got where it was because someone raised one too many glasses in salute to the fair weather. Simply, it is alleged that the "captain" was drunk. We think now back to our sailboat fellow and his natty crew, drinking toasts for the sail home. Hmmm.

Our driver's education teacher in high school made a point of warning us that 1 out of 10 persons passing you on the road have had a drink. I guess we all are guilty of that at some point and it is a lesson of course to consider.  But when folks get in a boat they seemingly forget that the exact same behavior (raising a glass to a state trooper - although courteous as you pass them by) is a ticket to the pokey.

Anyway, with the 4th and the fireworks and the full harbor and the celebrating, just use your brains some tomorrow night and if you see someone else who has checked his brains at the door, for crying out loud, say something.