Guns for everyone

Yesterday, a little 9 year old girl accidentally shot and killed her shooting instructor who was standing next to her as he helped her try to handle a fully load, fully automatic uzi.  That’s right, an uzi.  Not just a standard handgun, not even a more traditional rifle, but a fucking uzi.  From my understanding (mainly from reddit comments and my experience handling one in CS), this short barrel, fully auto, death machine is one of the most difficult machine to handle.  So why did this little girl, or her parents, or the instructor allow her to shoot it, let alone touch the thing is beyond me.  However, that will not stop be from speculating.

Since the incident, there has been a lot of talk from the media and the general public about (again) gun control and kids.  Likewise, a lot of attention have been turn to the instructor, the shooting range, and the parents.  But you know, that not really the important question here.  Yes, obviously, and legally, that should be all that matters.  People feel the need to know and under stand the situation, and accordingly, find someone to blame.  But the fact is, the culprit is all of us.  Well actually, it’s all of you.  My friends, my colleagues, my (albeit Bakersfield) community, and the world at large.  The problem here is not specifically the instructor’s lack of (or zero) judgment, the parents’ cluelessness, the shooting range’s improper (it wasnt) practices, or even any particular laws that would have prevent it from happening.  The problem is our society’s views on guns and how over the pass several decades the imagine of the gun and turn into that for a toy.

I am all for personal rights to do pretty much anything you want, but there is a different between having a right to do it, and promoting it.  Sadly, at least for the case of gun, the latter seems to be what is occurring.  Consider this, every few days or so, I see someone on my news feed post something about the gun they just bought or about the shooting range they just went to.  Add to this the violent movies and video games, and it understandable why guns are no longer feared as they should be, but instead becoming something that is desired and its deathly imagine becomes neutered.  However, this is not to say that the aboves cause gun violence or accidents, but let me truthful it, it cant be helping it either.

Quinn is 2 years old.  She is smart (insanely so), able, and listens to directions (eh).  But at this time, I wouldn’t even consider letting her use a small pairing knife to cut tofu, let alone touch a gun.  In fact, I dont think I’ll even let her use scissors unsupervised until shes like in kindergarten.   But, there are people out there, parents, that would let a 9 year old, a 8 year old, hell a 5 year old hold and operate a gun.  Are you fuckers insane?  Guns are killing tools.  They serve one purpose.  They have little to no utility for everyday life (most people).  And any pleasure you get from it is, well, twisted.

**side note:  on the last point, I’m not saying that the person is twisted, but instead, that the pleasure that you get from it is twisted.  This pleasure is likely a primordial release of joy, stress, fear, life.  It is the same pleasure you get from punching a punching bag, or screaming at the top of your lungs.  It is not wrong to want this release, and there is definitely a time and place for it.  But the pleasure is nevertheless, a exertion of emotional that needs to be understood and should be dine under the right condition.**

Thus, guns cannot and should not be paraded around on your facebook page as if it’s the next coolest toy in your emasculated  closet, and I should not need to hear you touting about it like you just discovery the cure for ebola.  If you like guns, like to shoot guns, like having it in your house, carry it on you for safety, use it for hunting, as a door wedge,  put it on bread and eat it like toast, I don’t care, have at it.  But do not, I repeat, do not, make light of owning one, using one, or wanting one.  If you do, then you continue to perpetuate this flawed and deathly inaccurate perception of guns.  If you don’t then maybe somewhere some place in Arizona a parent wouldn’t think it’s a good idea to her 9 year old girl to a shooting range, or maybe the shooting instructor may have been more caution in letting her pull the trigger, and perhaps just maybe, the little girl wouldn’t have her life ruin before it even began.

video test

First day out

My new toy.

…

I haven’t written on here in awhile and I find it very liberating.  Even though this blog – and I guess with most other blogs – is suppose to be an outlet for ones emotions and thoughts, sometime not having to write anything down can evoke the same feelings.  I guess what I mean to say is that; sometimes doing nothing, can be the ultimate form of self expression.

Yeah yeah…we’re sorry too

I shouldn’t be writing about this because all it does it give more credence to the fact that this news is important but damn I can’t help it.  I just find it all too funny.  This morning while Tiger Woods was giving his press conference/apology I tired not to pay attention to it.  However, it being on Kiis, Kroq, and Power (3 of the most popular radio station in my area) I couldn’t but help.  I mean for fuck sake…you guys aired it live?  LIVE?  You never aired anything live.  Even you’re shows aren’t live yet this was somehow newsworthy enough to be telecast as it was happening? Anyways, at least NPR got it right and had some other stories/fundraiser on air instead.  Eventually though, even they had to scome to this “news” story.  There, I heard him apologized…to a lot of people and honestly, I found it it kind of funny.  I had a few chuckles at his ordeal.  I’m sorry I’m not trying to be insensitive or rude but I just found the whole situation ridiculous.  I mean look…here is a grown man, with an extraordinary talent that was just stupid enough to fuck up and mess up something in his life.  Now he has to stand up in front of millions of people and apologize for that.  Sure he has responsibilities.  But surely it’s not to me.  It’s to his family…and only they.  Fan’s who feel like they have been “betrayed” need to have a cold hard look at themselves in the mirror.  This man is not some god to be idolize to the point that he can have no flaws.  He’s just a very gifted guy that made a very average mistake.  Just like I don’t expect musicians or actor or even some politicians to apologized (publicly) for their failings, I don’t expect them from my athletes either.  Even ones with godly skillz.

Izzy! XP

Just found out that Izzy is part dachshund, cocker spaniel, Saint Bernard (I have no clue how) and saluki.  The latter being the most awesome.  A saluki is known for its grace and majesticness.  It is also commonly refer to as a gazelle hound or the Royal dog of Egypt.  They are perhaps the oldest breed of domesticated dog, just a hair away from wolves.  The saluki have even been represented on ancient relics, mentioned in the bible, and buried with great Pharaohs.  They are loyal by nature and breed for hunting.  In essence…they are extremely badass.

I’ve always thought Izzy looked kinda regal.  No wonder she was from a long line of royal hounds.  The dachshund makes sense too (probably the most identifying).  But wt…cocker spaniel? OK maybe.  But a saint bernard too?! That’s a level 3 trait meaning she is at least 20% of that breed.  That’s like a whole grandparent.  I dunno about that one.  She always gets cold so I have no clue how Saint Bernard is in her blood.  Oh wells, it just makes her even cooler.  Though the funniest and probably the most curious thing out of all of this is that there is no detection of Chihuahua at all.  Like really? Haha…I love that mutt.

sick

It’s hard being at work right now.  I’m usually never sick and when I am, I rarely admit it.  Most time it’ll be my stomach, or my allergies, or the feeling of being coming incapacitated after mights of massive drinking.  When that happen, I can still fake being alert and responsive but right now I’m too tire to even do that.  My nose feels like it’s breathing fire, my throat is sore and starchy, and I’m continuingly getting lightheaded and dizzy when I get up out of my chair.  Reddit and manga can’t even keep my focus and it’s taking ever brain cells I have to write this post.  There not much more to spare tho so I’ll end it here.

Merry Christmas!

Had a number of episodes with the GF this weekend.  Some were quite bad…others were damn sexy =).  Anyways, one stood out in an interesting way.  While attempting a last minute maneuver to get my mom a Christmas gift, I realized I did not know how to sign a Christmas card.  Now you might wonder “What the hell does that mean?  It’s signing a card…everyone has done it.  Its simple no?”  Well first off, thank you for not getting irritated my ineptitude (yeah you know who you are), and secondly no I have never signed a Christmas card before, or at least ever recall signing one.  Sure I’ve once or twice put my signature on them and have signed other sorts of cards (like birthdays and congratulations), but when it came to it…sitting there in the parked car in front of the Walgreens.  With a blue in my hand and some cheesy “Wish You a Merry Christmas!” card on my lap, I froze.

“Was I suppose to just put my signature on it? Where would it go?  Under the text?  In the left corner where the empty space was?  Wait or was I suppose to write another message then sign my name?  But the card already had a message on it, wouldn’t that just be redundant?  Is Brooke gonna sign it too?  Is it suppose be long or short?  I mean it’s my mom.  I’ve never given her an Christmas present before, let alone a card.  How does this shit work?”

My family has never been big on traditions.  We rarely celebrated Christmases or Holidays or special events when I was growing up.  Even our birthdays was minimal to say the least.  But did I mind this?  No.  I mean yeah I would loved to have had a tree and piles of boxes of presents and streamer and clowns and balloons and the likes but hey you can’t have everything.  I watched enough TV to know that though we didn’t have what other families had…we had more than some that were out there.  The world is harsh and I was just happy to know that I didn’t have to experience that.  Though maybe something can be said about having to discovered that at so young of an age.  I ever remember once when I was about 7, I asked to myself “I am going to believe in Santa, or am I not?”  Can you imagine how that conversation must have went? I was telling myself that I was too young to not believe in Santa so I decided to maybe wait another year or two before I start to realize he’s fake. Anyways, though I never learned the proper etiquette of xmas card signing or gift giving, I still am very happy about what I did learn.

Fort Hood

First off I do want to acknowledge those that died and their families in yesterday shooting.  It was a terrible vile act that should have never happened.  But because it was so heinous, it leads me to speculate even more about what actually occurred and why the incident was so strange.

Let look at the facts that we were given:

-shooter was an army major/doctor/specialist that handles severed cases of PTSD and other mental disorder

-he was born in the US, grad or Virginia Tech

-Muslim faith

-was never depoly but was about to for his first time into Iraq

-did not want to be deploy, even hired a lawyer to fight for his case

-perhaps had an problem with alcohol

-perhaps picked on and teased because of his faith

-wore his thobe (traditional muslim clothing) out the day he committed the act (usual never wears it) and apparently yelled out “God is great” in Arabic

-so far the count is 13 dead, 30 injured

-used 2 non military issued hand guns, only one being semi-automatic

-occurred in the way-port of leaving and returning soldiers, adjacent to a graduation ceremony that was commencing

-was injured by a female traffic officer that was first on scene

-catch him coming from around the corner of the building

-she was shot once, he four times

-speculation for another (2) shooter(s)

-shooter was thought dead, but is alive and in stable condition

With all these facts one can simply imagine a man that was picked on and teased with who had intimate knowledge of what goes on in war.  He was on the edge of his sanity and was finally pushed overboard with news of his deployment and alcohol abuse.  He then used his training to cause immense harm to the facility he was at and in the end was taken down by a heroic officer than was at the right place at the right time.

But can that be all? Why is it that I still get the feeling that there is a complicated and probably controversial back story to this?  How does a man that specializes in medicine and psychology lose out to inane faith and hatred? How does simple treatment of others’ PTSD and mental disorders cause one to have that much fear to be deploy that he in turn gunned down his own comrades?  How can 2 handguns, only one being a semi-auto killed and injured 40+ people most of whom are trained in combat?  How is it that a random traffic patrol officer was the first on the scene and surprised the assailant? What happened to the report the other other shooter(s), and was that just due to confusion? Could this be the work of some evil covert force that brainwashed or forced this man to do this? Or did he know some horrible horrific information that it caused him to rather shoot and kill tens of his fellow soliders instead of being deploy? Was there a more specific purpose? Was it about faith or was it about fear?  Ok the last few were exaggeration but you know what I’m getting at.  This story is just too wild.  Maybe I’ve seen too many movies about conspiracy and alternative motives that I’m jaded by it all.  But do know this; currently the shooter is alive, paralyzed but alive.  If he we to somehow mysteriously die, I will bet my right arm that there’s more to this story.

MIA WB

Wow how long has it been since I’ve written in this thing?  I’m kinda tempted to look at what I wrote last but I’m just going to forge on.  Hmm let see…well I took my LSAT recently.  I’m actually getting my score in a few days and I’m nervous as fuck.  If I get a good score I know that the decision to go back to school would be an easy one.  I want to go back.  I want to do (cliche) something more important with my life, my career.  However, if I get a bad score *eesh*, I dunno what I would do.  Law school means thousands more in debt (I’ve already accumulated so much) and attending a tier 2/3 school is not ideal.  Of course I can also take the test again, but I’m not sure if that’s even worth it.  Law School Admissions are kinda dicks when it comes to things like that.  So like I said…I’m nervous as fuck.  Scare really. I’ve spent about 4 months looking at materials, and a good 2 studying it.  I know I’ll be lying if I said I did all I could to prepare for it…but I did put in a lot of work.  Hopefully it was enough.

During that span I/we (Brooke and I) also got a dog.  Her name is Izzy…well her full name is Isabella Swan Capilla Tawanna (=P).  She’s pretty awesome.  We got her at the pound so we’re unsure what mix she is but I think the consensus was chihuahua  + beagle.  Since this is my first dog I’m still kinda unsure how to take care of her.  When we first got her she would be scared of everything.  She wouldn’t want to walk on our tiled floors or eat the food we got for her.  Slowly though she became more playful and comfortable with he surroundings.  I still think she’s a scare little pup (it’s that damn look on her face) but I’m sure that’s just me being overly worried (doesn’t help that we leave her at home all day).  Yeah we love her.  She’s pretty awesome.  Did I mention that?

Ok last big thing…we move into a new place.  It’s a loft (though it does have a separate room) in Downtown.  Loving it there so far.  It’s got a heated pool,  a jacuzzi, a gym, and from what I can tell, cool neighbors.  But best of all is that we’re right in the center of everything.  For entertainment, there are awesome restaurants, cafes, bars and clubs within walking distance (and of course the ocean). For consumer goods, we got Ross and Norstrom Rack across the street (we can see from our windows) and a Wal-Mart (been there once though and never want to go back) and Albertson not too far away.  There’s a starbucks, 7-11, subway, bikestation, hooters, a neat ass dog park, movie theater, big 5, panda, etc.  We haven’t really explore the area yet but knowing that it’s there and that we don’t have to drive to get to them makes me thrill about our place.  Sadly, all this cost a lot more than what we were spending before.  But for now at least…it’s definitely worth it.