What made you miserable today?

C0ldf1re · Post by **C0ldf1re** » 22 Dec 2012, 03:25

Fran wrote:
C0ldf1re wrote:Micro$oft have just upgraded my email account from hotmail to outlook. I don't like it so much, but I can't go back. It has started putting my email notifications from this forum into my spam folder. Perhaps it knows something about Scott. I think we should be told.
Ah C0ldf1re, come on it's Christmas time don't be picking on poor Scott.
I'm making a start on Xmas with a glass of Bailey's & loads of ice, join me & I just might cook breakfast
You'd never know your luck in a small town!

You're on, dear! It just so happens that I accidentally bought twice as much Baileys as I had planned. Can't let it go to waste.

clintessential · Post by **clintessential** » 28 Dec 2012, 11:04

I'm saddened by the news that GEN Norman Schwarkopf died yesterday. GEN Schwarkopf led the coalition forces
that defeated the Iraqi Army and forced their retreat from Kuwait in 1991. He retired in 1992. He was one of only
a few US military leaders to be knighted by a British monarch.

-- 29 Dec 2012, 09:02 --

Someone once said that the greatest day in a man's life is often the day after he died. I wish I could remember who
said that. His is the best description of The Eulogy that I can think of. My post is not a eulogy. That honor will always
lie with the Deceased's loved ones and comrades in arms. My post is a recollection of what I remember about Norman
Schwarkopf. These recollections have endeared him to me.
When LTC Schwarkopf was a battalion commander in Vietnam, he earned 3 Purple Hearts. A Purple Heart is given
to a soldier who has been wounded in combat. The fact that he received three of them is indicative of where he
spent most of his time--in the field with his troops. That same year, 1969, he ordered his artillery to fire on a
position that he thought was held by VC. He was wrong and his mistake caused the deaths of 7 of his own soldiers.
The day after it happened, he held a news conference and read a statement giving pertinent details, owning up
to his mistake and apologizing to the families of the dead soldiers. When he returned from Vietnam, he took 30
days leave. He spent the first week of his leave traveling to the homes of the 7 soldiers. He arrived at their homes
in his dress uniform, introduced himself, and apologized personally to each family. He didn't have to do any of this.
But he did. It was a measure of his decency.
My last recollection could be a summary statement of his career. GEN Schwarkopf was asked by a reporter what
questions he had for the Iraqis who would be at the surrender. His reply: "I'm not going to ask them anything. I'm
going to tell them what they have to do." Hoorah. RIP.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 31 Dec 2012, 15:34

My faithful old laptop blew up. I am typing this out on Hades' IPad. AHhhhhhhhr.

Bighuey · Post by **Bighuey** » 31 Dec 2012, 20:01

Arent those IPads like a toy? A friend has one, she says you need a 5 year old's fingers to use it.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 31 Dec 2012, 20:23

Bighuey wrote:Arent those IPads like a toy? A friend has one, she says you need a 5 year old's fingers to use it.

Hey BH, unless you have a keyboard, typing is murder.

Going shopping for a new laptop as soon as all the holiday shopping dies down.

Bighuey · Post by **Bighuey** » 31 Dec 2012, 20:41

You should find some good sales after Xmas. You can get rebuilt laptops for about 200 dollars.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 31 Dec 2012, 21:49

@Gannon
Can a laptop blow up? .... that's kinda scary

Anyway it's 2:45am here on the west coast of Ireland & so far today nothing has made me miserable .... yet!

Bighuey · Post by **Bighuey** » 31 Dec 2012, 22:10

Same here Fran. Its 7.09 here in Baja and the only thing that is making me miserable is all the fireworks going off all around me.

Phoenix98 · Post by **Phoenix98** » 31 Dec 2012, 23:23

I think every single person who has commented on the school shootings and firearms has spoken in favor of removing guns from the hands of the citizenry. I find that amazing.

It would still have been extremely sad to have heard that just a few children had been killed by that gun-wielding coward. However, if a principal, custodian, or teacher had only had a gun, there certainly would not have been twenty-six innocent ones slaughtered so mercilessly. One of the most appalling elements of this tragedy is that the stripping away of constitutional privilege is the reason for such mayhem.

There is absolutely no chance of keeping guns out of the hands of people who have no respect for life or for law. For that reason, the only hope for a tranquil society is that any and every law abiding citizen who wants a gun be able to have a gun.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 01 Jan 2013, 06:14

@Phoenix98
The pessimism in your post surely has made me miserable this New Year's Day. OK I am fortunate to live in a largely gun-free society althought we do, of course, have our quota of criminals involved in gun crime but it is beyond me to see how you can consider a shoot out with high powered weapons in an infant school to be the answer.

Would you want teachers to prove they were a good shot before being considered qualified to teach infants?
Is the logical next step to arm the infants themselves?

To paraphrase some Greek philosopher .... "They make a wasteland and call it freedom"

StephenKingman · Post by **StephenKingman** » 01 Jan 2013, 07:09

Phoenix98 wrote:I think every single person who has commented on the school shootings and firearms has spoken in favor of removing guns from the hands of the citizenry. I find that amazing.

It would still have been extremely sad to have heard that just a few children had been killed by that gun-wielding coward. However, if a principal, custodian, or teacher had only had a gun, there certainly would not have been twenty-six innocent ones slaughtered so mercilessly. One of the most appalling elements of this tragedy is that the stripping away of constitutional privilege is the reason for such mayhem.

There is absolutely no chance of keeping guns out of the hands of people who have no respect for life or for law. For that reason, the only hope for a tranquil society is that any and every law abiding citizen who wants a gun be able to have a gun.

The gun laws will never change in America because of all the money gone behind the campaigns for the likes of Romey, Obama etc, its political suicide to change this. Im nor sure equipping a gun in a school is the answer though, whats to stop a deranged or unstable student getting their hands on it and causing another tragedy? Arguably this would be even worse as the student could just bring tonnes of ammo with them and load up the gun! What i dont get is why you can have a gun legally at 17 yet cant touch a drop of alcohol until 21, backwards to say the least...

Geneen Karstens · Post by **Geneen Karstens** » 01 Jan 2013, 07:34

I'm afraid our country has been going backwards for a long time now. What scares me is the increased sales of guns since the Newtown shooting. I agree getting guns in the hands of ordinary citizens who will shoot anything that moves when they are apprehensive is clearly not the answer. And two states legalizing marijuana blows my mind. I've said for years that we are going the way of the Romans and I don't see how a crash canbe averted. I worry about what it will be like for my grandkids.

Bighuey · Post by **Bighuey** » 01 Jan 2013, 09:57

I agree, Geneen. No great civilization has ever lasted. They all went down the tube after a while. The US has only been around for a couple hundred years and like you, I believe were on the way out. I think the technology is ahead of the mentality. Super bombs, super guns, we cant handle it. When they wrote the constitution and the amendment for the right to bear arms, youve got to consider the arms they had back then. Single shot inaccurate muzzle loaders. People have got to change, thats the only answer but its not likely that will ever happen.

clintessential · Post by **clintessential** » 01 Jan 2013, 10:25

Like most Americans, I've listened to the Gun Debate all my life. In the home that I was raised in, the Debate was never joined. My father, as in all matters, was the last word. When I asked if I could have a BB Gun for my 11th
Birthday his response was unequivocal: "Absolutely not. Guns are not allowed in this home. Ever."
He never expanded on his answer, except his comment that "a lot of people are killed by unloaded guns."
I'm 67 years old and I've never owned a gun. Or felt that my life's circumstances required it. I drove a cab in Las Vegas
for 22 years. During that time, 18 of my fellow drivers were murdered. There were countless robberies of drivers
where the robber was armed with a handgun. But we weren't allowed to have sidearms in our possession when we
drove our cabs. Some drivers I knew ignored the law and carried loaded handguns with them(even when they weren't driving a cab). My answer to all this was to strictly enforce a vetting process, that among the more liberal thinkers
among us is often referred to as "racial profiling." I never discussed the vetting process with others and only mention
it here to give the reader an idea of how enduring my father's position on guns has been. Anyone wishing to debate
the efficacy of the vetting process I employed will have to look elsewhere.

Phoenix98 · Post by **Phoenix98** » 02 Jan 2013, 21:40

It seems at first blush that if it were possible to disable and launch into outer space every single gun, grenade, bomb, bazooka, missile, mine, warhead and tank, it would be a good idea. One would think that such a dramatic stroke would bring peace to the world and to all its neighborhoods. Seemingly, to do away with instruments of violence would bring an end to violence.

However, most of mankind's history has been lived without guns and tanks. Back then there were knives, nets, fists, rocks, clubs, racks, whips, firebrands, cliffs, nooses, arrows, poisons, siege engines...

I realize this is debatable, but my knowledge of history (which I get from books

) tells me that we have more peace and security today than we had back then.

The real problem is not the instrument or armament, but the heart. When we have spiritual, mental, and emotional problems, death and misery follow. That became evident when Cain used an AK47 on Abel. (little humor there) I hope you understand the point.

As much as anyone, I want an end to violence. I want peace in the streets, and international concord. That is why I believe in respect for others and maintain a high degree of tolerance. And for purposes of the gun question, it's why I believe people have a right to defend themselves.

If you don't agree, that's okay; I like you anyway. Maybe it can be my role to be the token conservative.