SnapperHead

Buddy Holly! The Big Bopper! Ritchie who?

2006-03-16T10:32:00.000-08:00

I was reminded of a conversation I had once, with someone twenty or so years older than me, right after the movie "La Bamba" came out in 1987. He was referring to what the reaction was in southern Ohio after the February 3, 1959 plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly, JP "The Big Bopper" Richardson and Ritchie Valens. He wasn't trying to sell anyone short. It takes things a while to make it to southern Ohio. Probably more so back then. This day is commonly referred to as "The Day The Music Died."

The reason I was reminded of this conversation was an announcement that was made on January 18, 2006. The Winchester plant in New Haven, Connecticut will cease all production at the end of March 2006. So will end the production of the Model 70 bolt action rifle, the Model 94 lever action rifle and the Model 1300 Pump Action Shotgun.

Noooooo! Not the 70! AAAAAAh! No more 94's! The what? Oh yeah. The 1300.

Two Ledgends and perhaps one in the making. The Model 70 began production in 1936 and became known as "The Rifleman's Rifle." The new Model 70 was introduced in 1964 and a lot of shooters and hunters are still complaining 42 years later. Not only was the rifle more or less redesigned but the controlled round feed bolt was replaced with a push round feed and the free floating barrel to stock fitment left a space large enough for small game animals to hide. Twenty years later in 1994, Winchester finally came around and went back to a pre '64 type action. The claw extractor, fixed blade ejector and controlled round feed bolt were back. Some models now have a controlled round push Feed which combines the best qualities of both. The Model 70 is perhaps the most imitated bolt action rifle in history. The three position safety is almost without doubt the most ingenious bolt action safety ever devised and I doubt that fact will ever change.

The Model 94 began production in 1894 and, by way of clever marketing, became known as "The Gun That Won The West." That slogan is still used 100 years later and even though the 94 didn't win the west, it sure did put a lot of meat in the freezer. The 94 chambered in 30 WCF (.30-.30) has taken more deer that any other rifle. That's what I've heard, read and whole heartedly believe to be fact. I can't tell you how many people I've heard say "I took my first deer with an old thirty-thirty." The explosive popularity of The Single Action Shooting Society has put both old and new 94's at a demand that is at an all time high. The 94 has been around for 112 years and I have a feeling someone somewhere will still be making them 112 years from now. They just won't be stamped on the barrel "MADE IN NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A."

The model 1300 came into existence in 1978. The youngest of the three at 28 years of age. Not that long compared to the other two. I never thought the 1300 got a fair shake. It had big shoes to fill. In the world of pump guns the model 12 is the stick by which all others are measured. Sure others have been made longer and sold more but, someone once wrote "The Winchester Model 12 points like the hand of God." I don't foresee any pump living up to that standard.

In 1866 Oliver Winchester bought control of the New Haven Arms Company and changed the name to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The history actually starts twelve years before that, but that's when the barrels started to say "WINCHESTER REPEATING ARMS, MADE IN NEW HAVEN, CONN. U.S.A." And now is when it ends.

I have a 94 in my safe. Chambered in .30-.30. Made in the early 1900's. I pick up my 70 in a few days. It's a brown laminated coyote in blue. Chambered in .270 WSM. Brand new, and the dealer didn't gouge me on the price like so many are doing now that the end of them is near. I don't own a 1300. I have a 12 that was made before 1920. Points like the hand of God.

Spread the Joy

2006-03-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

It seems I am picking on the Brady's a lot. Well just to be fair, I think the folks at the Violence Policy Center are a bunch of idiotic morons too.

The Spin

2006-03-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

The Brady's have taken to calling Castle Doctrine, or "Stand Your Ground" laws, "Shoot First" laws. Castle Doctrine allows a person to use deadly force, if necessary, to defend their life and the life of others, if they are in a place they are legally allowed to be, without the duty to retreat.

Just to let you know, the person who fires the first shot often is the only one to fire a shot. If I ever have the misfortune of being confronted by deadly force, I damn sure want to be the one to "Shoot First."

I think they should rethink their spin.

Silliness Ought-Six

2006-03-11T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is from the NRA-ILA website. www.nraila.org

Same Old Silliness, Different Year

Friday, March 10, 2006

Brady Campaign’s LatestAnnual “Grades” for State Gun Laws

Every year since 1997, the Brady Campaign, previously known as Handgun Control, Inc., has “graded” the states on their gun laws. It released its 2005 grades on March 9, 2006.

Brady’s premise is simple. It supports gun prohibition and laws that inch closer to gun prohibition, so it naturally believes there are not enough gun laws. In the group’s press release announcing its new “grades,” its chair, Sarah Brady, says, “we have done almost nothing, at the state or Federal level, to make it harder for either a terrorist, garden variety armed robber, or young person to get their hands on a handgun.” This is an incredible statement, given that the Brady Act, for which the group claims credit, requires a criminal background check on anyone who purchases a firearm from a firearm dealer, and given the fact that there are many other federal and state gun laws.

Brady’s approach to its “grades” is equally simple: the fewer a state’s restrictions on guns, the lower the grade, and conversely, more state gun control laws equate to a higher grade. This year, Brady gives 32 states an “F” or “D” (10 “Fs” and 22 “Ds”) and the average “grade” for the 50 states is a “D+”, about the same as in previous years.

However, there is no correlation between Brady’s grades and violent crime or firearm-related deaths. For example, six of the 10 states Brady gives an “F”, and 13 of the 22 states Brady gives a “D”, have violent crime rates below the national rate.

There is also no correlation between Brady’s grades and trends in violent crime or gun-related deaths. Since 1991, violent crime has declined every year, 39% overall, to a 30-year low (and murder has declined to a 39-year low), and since 1993 the firearm-related death rate has decreased 32% among the whole population and decreased 63% among children. Yet, as noted, Brady’s grades are essentially unchanged from year to year, mostly “Fs” and Ds”.

The Price of Tea in China

2006-03-11T12:30:00.000-08:00

China is a member of the UN security council. The UN would like to ban small arms ownership by private citizens worldwide. Forgive me for not being able to quote exact words or remember names as I cannot find this information via Google. A Chinese delegate to the UN made a comment that the United States is barbaric for allowing its citizens to own guns.

Hmmmm. Let's see. Now why do you suppose the Chinese would be against the citizens of the US owning guns.

By the way the Chinese people are forbidden to own firearms. Look how well that's working out.

Kudos to Ben Stein

2006-03-11T11:46:00.000-08:00

The following is from The American Spectator.

Missed Tributes
By Ben Stein
Published 3/6/2006 2:08:21 AM

Now for a few humble thoughts about the Oscars.I did not see every second of it, but my wife did, and she joins me in noting that there was not one word of tribute, not one breath, to our fighting men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan or to their families or their widows or orphans. There were pitifully dishonest calls for peace -- as if the people we are fighting were interested in any peace for us but the peace of the grave. But not one word for the hundreds of thousands who have served and are serving, not one prayer or moment of silence for the dead and maimed.

Basically, the sad truth is that Hollywood does not think of itself as part of America, and so, to Hollywood, the war to save freedom from Islamic terrorists is happening to someone else. It does not concern them except insofar as it offers occasion to mock or criticize George Bush. They live in dreamland and cannot be gracious enough to thank the men and women who pay with their lives for the stars' ability to live in dreamland. This is shameful.

The idea that it is brave to stand up for gays in Hollywood, to stand up against Joe McCarthy in Hollywood (fifty years after his death), to say that rich white people are bad, that oil companies are evil -- this is nonsense. All of these are mainstream ideas in Hollywood, always have been, always will be. For the people who made movies denouncing Big Oil, worshiping gays, mocking the rich to think of themselves as brave -- this is pathetic, childish narcissism.

The brave guy in Hollywood will be the one who says that this is a fabulously great country where we treat gays, blacks, and everyone else as equal. The courageous writer in Hollywood will be the one who says the oil companies do their best in a very hostile world to bring us energy cheaply and efficiently and with a minimum of corruption. The producer who really has guts will be the one who says that Wall Street, despite its flaws, has done the best job of democratizing wealth ever in the history of mankind.

No doubt the men and women who came to the Oscars in gowns that cost more than an Army Sergeant makes in a year, in limousines with champagne in the back seat, think they are working class heroes to attack America -- which has made it all possible for them. They are not. They would be heroes if they said that Moslem extremists are the worst threat to human decency since Hitler and Stalin. But someone might yell at them or even attack them with a knife if they said that, so they never will.

Hollywood is above all about self: self-congratulation, self-promotion, and above all, self-protection. This is human and basic, but let's not kid ourselves. There is no greatness there in the Kodak theater. The greatness is on patrol in Kirkuk. The greatness lies unable to sleep worrying about her man in Mosul. The greatness sleeps at Arlington National Cemetery and lies waiting for death in VA Hospitals. God help us that we have sunk so low as to confuse foolish and petty boasting with the real courage that keeps this nation and the many fools in it alive and flourishing on national TV.

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He also writes "Ben Stein's Diary" in every issue of The American Spectator. Please click here to subscribe.

The Brady Bunch. Not That One, The One I Don't Like

2006-03-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence has come out with their annual state report card. 32 states received a grade of D or F. California, the state in which I live received an A-. My guess is when California bans all firearm sales and confiscates the firearms of all it's law abiding citizens it will get an A+ and be a crime free utopia. But now we will have to live just short of such a utopia. By then I hope I live in one of the 32 states that have a D or F. Preferably F-.

These grades need to be read differently than those you would normally read. The way I see it, the lower the grade the better. Getting an A means that those of us who are law abiding gun owners have a more difficult time purchasing firearms. The more restrictions on the freedom and right to own firearms the higher the grade. The Brady's believe that no one has the right to own firearms. The Brady's believe that no one has the right to self defense. The Brady's believe that all one needs to do when danger arises is run away.

The Brady's line of thought could not be more WRONG. No American should ever have cower from a criminal or any threat. No American should ever have to run from danger. The Brady's keep saying that The NRA is the criminals best friend. I think the Brady's are the criminals best friend. Their asinine beliefs in the restrictions they promote do NOTHING to disarm criminals. All the Brady's do is promote laws and restrictions that disarm the law abiding and leave them helpless and dependent on others to protect them and their family.

If you don't own a firearm, That is your choice. If you do, Join the NRA and help fight those that want to take away your right to own that firearm. An armed society is governed, an unarmed society is ruled.

Join the NRA here. www.nra.org

The Constitution of the United States of America

2006-02-10T01:54:00.000-08:00

Just Curious. Have you ever read The Constitution? Well you should. I've seen copys for as little as a $1.50. Get it and read it. Don't interpret or try to figure out if its living or breathing or a document that time has made obsolete. Just read it and take it for what it is. Think about who wrote it. Who fought for it. Who died for it.

A freedom that is forgotten is lost forever.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882577981/qid=1139565865/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/103-4850012-0627814?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1891743007/qid=1139565905/sr=2-2/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_2/103-4850012-0627814?s=books&v=glance&n=283155

Check out the Bureau of Justice Statistics

2006-02-10T01:45:00.000-08:00

Ok. Check out these statistics and judge for yourself. Keep in mind that there are more firearms now than ever before in the hands of private citizens, more States than ever allow concealed carry, and firearm sales keep going up year after year.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance.htm

Now, Join the NRA. www.nra.org

Big Steaming Piles.

2006-02-10T01:20:00.000-08:00

According to the Violence Policy Center press release ""Pro-Gun" States Lead Nation in Per Capita Firearm Death Rates New Violence Policy Center Analysis Reveals
Louisiana, Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Alabama, Nevada, Mississippi, Montana, Arizona, and Arkansas Top List of Most Deadly States in the Nation. " There's the top 10. California is number 32 and New York is 45. Here, read for yourself. http://www.vpc.org/press/0602rank.htm

No mention or breakdown of Homicide, Suicide, accident, self defense or even how many were. Just Firearm Death. Let's see, I live in California now, moved here from Arizona, moved there from New York and moved there from Ohio. Numbers 32, 9, 45, and 37 in that order. I not only know where I feel safer, I also know where I am Safer and I can tell you that what this press release is leading you to believe is one Big Steaming Pile. And that's a fact.

note: I will try to find the violent crime data and you can see how it compares. Since They are the Violence Policy Center I think they should have a press release with that information as well. Hmmmm. I wonder why they don't.

The Performance Center.

2006-02-10T01:15:00.000-08:00

For those who do not own a Smith&Wesson Performance Center firearm.
You gotta get one. These things are incredible.

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=11101&storeId=10001&categoryId=15714&langId=-1&parent_category_rn=15701&top_category=15701

The Wait Is Over.

2006-02-10T00:46:00.000-08:00

And the waiting is over. I picked up my new piece on Tuesday the 7th of February at 4:10pm. Thirty-two minutes after I was allowed to by California Law. Once again the legislature of this state has kept the people safe from me buying two guns in a 30 day period. Funny thing. They call it a 10 day cooling off period and all it does is make me more angry. To quote The Simpson's episode "The Cartridge Family" while Homer is at a gun store named Blood Bath and Beyond.

Gun Shop Owner: Sorry, the law requires a five-day waiting period. We've got to run a background check.

Homer: Five days? But I'm mad now!

My State of The Union

2006-02-01T00:34:00.000-08:00

It's pretty Good.

The Waiting Is The Hardest Part.

2006-01-31T16:02:00.000-08:00

I hate waiting. Mind you I am a very patient person and I love anticipation but I am talking about waiting. Waiting is being denied something for no good reason. Let me explain. On December 28th I purchased a handgun. A sweet new CA legal (I'll save that for another day.) Wilson CQB. This was a birthday present for myself. My 40th birthday was January 17th. I did the paperwork at my local dealer on that same day and it arrived at the dealer that following Tuesday January 3rd. I picked it up on January 7th. You see I had to wait 10 days because the state of CA does their own background check in addition to the Federal check done by the NICS. Now, I am used to the 10 day bullshit. I have several firearms. Some would say a shit load and others would say "That's all ya got." I also have a Class 3 Federal Firearms license That allows me to collect Curio and Relic Firearms and obtain them through interstate commerce. With a few additional CA restrictions. (I'll save that for later too.)

On the 6th I decided to buy another handgun that I came across that was a limited edition and had to be acted on without haste. When I picked up the CQB on the 7th I paid for it in full. It arrived at my local dealer on the 10th. I did the paperwork on the 28th and on February 8th I get to pick it up. Yes paid for on the 7th of January, pick-up on February 8th. You see in CA you not only have to wait 10 days but you can only buy one new handgun a month. Bullshit. Now, get this. I can buy as many used handguns a month as I want. Well, consigned Handguns. The used market is pretty much null and void due to the safety drop test.(Again, more on this later.) I can see no logic in this WAITING! These laws are without any logic what so ever. They are designed to do nothing but annoy and irritate gun buyers. First they raise fees, make you buy a CA Approved Gun Lock, and now they make you wait.

I am now compelled to buy a new handgun every 30 days. Buy and do paperwork, pick-up ten days later, wait 20 days and repeat. Maybe I'll throw in a couple of consigned guns with the new one every now and then. This will annoy someone more than the waiting annoys me.

What really sucks is that there are criminals on the street buying without any background check or waiting period. And they can buy as many as the want when ever they want.

Lies, Stupidity or Stupid Lies? I Think Both.

2005-11-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

This letter to the editor was in today's San Francisco Chronicle.

Immune gun dealer

Editor -- Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, is dead wrong in his letter to the editor (Oct. 3) attempting to explain why he voted to grant special-interest legal protection to the gun industry.
Perhaps embarrassed by his pandering to the National Rifle Association, Thompson falsely claimed in disputing a Chronicle editorial ("Gun industry's special deal," Oct. 27) that the legislation would not have barred a suit against the notorious gun shop that supplied the Washington, D.C., snipers.
After the D.C. sniper attacks, police traced the Bushmaster XM-15 assault rifle used in the shootings to Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma, Wash. Bull's Eye could not account for the disappearance of that assault weapon, along with more than 230 other guns that mysteriously escaped from its shop.
Victims of the shootings filed a lawsuit against this dealer to hold it accountable for a dangerously irresponsible lack of security that allowed so many of its guns to vanish. They won a landmark $2 million settlement from Bull's Eye last year.
Thompson inexplicably voted to shield gun dealers like Bull's Eye whose reckless practices supply criminals with firearms. Legal experts, who examined the legislation, including former White House Counsel Lloyd Cutler, concluded that it would have protected Bull's Eye and required dismissal of the victims' case.
Thompson should admit his mistake and apologize to the victims of gun violence whose cases may now be barred because of his irresponsible vote.

DANIEL R. VICE
Staff attorney
Brady Center to
Prevent Gun Violence
Washington, D.C.

This is my letter to the editor in response.

Editor, After reading the letter from Daniel R. Vice, "Immune gun dealer ", I felt it necessary to address his opinions and statements. Mr. Vice refers to Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, as "Perhaps embarrassed by his pandering to the National Rifle Association" in his support of the lawful Commerce in Arms Act. I feel Rep. Thompson was pandering to his constituents which is his job. The NRA has approximately four million members, which politicians should read as four million possible votes. If every law abiding American citizen who owned a firearm was an NRA member, that number would be in the neighborhood of 80 million. NRA members, and firearm owners who are not members, tend to vote based on gun related issues. In 1994 when congress passed several gun control bills, many members were not re-elected and the balance of power changed parties.

Mr. Vice also states that this legislation would have prevented victims of the Washington, D.C. sniper from suing Bull's Eye Shooter Supply in Tacoma, Washington. This legislation clearly states that it does not protect manufactures or dealers from negligence or criminal activity. When Bull's Eye was unable to account for more than 230 guns they were in violation of Federal law. I am a Federally licensed collector of curio and relic firearms and must keep acquisition and deposition records and be able to account for every firearm in my collection.

The Victims of the D.C. sniper, with help from The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, also sued the maker of the firearm that the sniper used. Bushmaster Firearms, Inc. Manufactured and sold a firearm to a federally licensed firearms dealer that was licensed and regulated by The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Bushmaster did not violate any laws. This legislation would have prevented this lawsuit. It prevents legal businesses from being sued for the action of criminals.

The Brady Center tends to think that all guns are bad, anyone who has a gun is a criminal, all firearms dealers are selling guns to criminals and all firearm manufactures are getting rich making guns for criminals. They also believe the second amendment does not apply to individuals and that only the military and law enforcement should be armed. This can quickly be verified by reading their website at www.bradycenter.org. This legislation prevents the Brady Center from suing firearms dealers and manufactures out of business.

Rep. Thompson has not made any mistake and owes no one an apology. His is protecting the rights of his constituents whether they wish to exercise that right or not. He is helping preserve that right for the citizens of the United States and the State of California.

Jeffrey Priest
San Mateo, CA

Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act

2005-10-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

Today the house of representatives passed S397 the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This is a great victory not just for the NRA or the firearm manufactures, but for the citizens of this country. Gun control advocates are doing their usual smoke and mirrors routine by condemning this act. Either they did not read this bill or, as I expect, they just despise it because it stops the frivolous lawsuits that they had hoped would bankrupt the gun industry. One only need to read the bill to expose their ridiculous false statements. "Lawful Commerce." That is what is protected. The bill does nothing to protect anyone from criminal activity or negligence.

A Marker in Time

2005-09-13T00:20:00.000-07:00

This past weekend marked the fourth anniversary of the terrorist attack on The World Trade Towers and The Pentagon. What has become known as 9-11. Our Most recent marker in time that means the world changed. In our measurement of time and history we tend to put markers that give us bearing and understanding. BC AD. Pre-War Post-War. Pre-9-11 Post-9-11. That day effected us and our world in ways we will probably never understand.

I spent the weekend thinking about that day. Not dwelling, but thinking. I am sure there are a lot of people trying to forget that day, But not me. I am trying to remember every last minute with as much clarity as I can. And, most importantly, I am trying to remember exactly how every thing was before that exact moment in time. You see, even though everything changed that day, I have a say in how it changes me. I have a say in the amount of significance I put on that day.

September 11, 2001 will most likely be the most significant day in History for my generation and maybe for generations to come. But, only if we allow it too. My parents generation had December 7, 1941. Then they had VE and VJ Day. And they came away stronger and wiser. The Greatest Generation. I hope we eventually have our day of peace. And leave a legacy for future generations to remember us by. So take a deep breath and smell the air. Think about how it smells now and how it smelled before 9-11. Before that marker in time.

Being dependent

2005-09-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

There seems to be too many people who depend on the government for far too much. I know that there are times when assistance from the government is a good thing, but expecting or demanding this assistance is wrong. There are even people who think the government needs to be bigger in order to give more people more assistance.

I would suggest not making the security, safety and well being of you and your family something the government gives you. They are not required by law to do this and I am grateful they are not. Anything the government gives you, the government can take away.

Legislation update.

2005-09-09T14:35:00.000-07:00

AB 352, the bill that would have required handguns to microstamp their make, model and serial number on their cartridge case when fired, has failed to pass the Senate. SB 357, the bullet serialization bill, was shelved earlier this year. They might be back next year so we must stay diligent in our efforts to defeat these and other gun control bills when they arise.

Stay alert. Stay Informed. Protect our Rights.

www.nranews.com

Independent Commissions.

2005-09-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

Independent commissions are quite possibly the biggest waste of time that has ever been conceived. These commissions are formed and after the press finishes their feeding frenzy the people realize that nothing has been accomplished, learned or gained. The Warren commission gave us the magic bullet. The 9-11 commission gave us universal blame. Neither answered the questions being asked or, more importantly, the questions that weren't asked. These type of commissions seem to focus too much on who or what went wrong. Instead They should focus more on prevention and action.

USS Iowa BB-61

2005-09-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Senator Dianne Fienstein rarely does anything I agree with. However, being responsible for moving the USS Iowa to the west coast is something I have to applaud. I also have to applaud the lambasting she gave the San Francisco board of supervisors for voting against docking it in the city for a museum. I am so very sorry the board is so ashamed of the history of their country, their state and their city. I am sure this fine battleship will find a home and serve the people once again as an educational tool and symbol of freedom. I would like to remind the supervisors that those who forget there history are doomed to repeat it. I wonder what happens to those ignore history.

Nut jobs.

2005-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I hate to mention names on my blog, but I have to make an exception this once. Can anyone tell me how a complete and total over the top nut job like Nancy Pelosi can get elected to any office anywhere. I know she represents the 8th district, which includes San Francisco and explains a lot, but the fact that she is the house minority leader tells me a lot about the democrats in the house. I used to think Howard Dean was the most out there democrat but he can't hold a candle to this wacko. I am sure that if she had not gone into politics she would have seen more than one straight jacket by now.

Elections and Polls.

2005-09-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

I was reading the newspaper today and a letter to the editor was criticizing the governor for saying he would veto a bill allowing same sex marriage because the people had voted against it in an election. Then they said that he should also be against the special election this November because the majority of Californians were against it.

Ok. First; The Governor was referring to an election in which the citizens of the state voted and the majority voted no. Second; The writer of this letter is referring to a poll conducted by an unmentioned organization. These are two different things. I can't believe this person does not know the difference between an election and a poll. It angers me to no end that someone who lives in a democracy could be this stupid. Here's an Idea, When November 8th (That's election day by the way. It is even marked on most calendars as a reminder.) rolls around, instead of voting, GO TAKE A POLL!

Shut up and do something.

2005-09-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

If some people spent as much time helping others as they do bitching, whining and moaning about no one helping then no one would need help. There is too much that needs done right now to put up with everyone who wants to do nothing but point fingers. What is being dealt with is a catastrophe.

(Main Entry: caÂ·tasÂ·troÂ·phe Pronunciation: k&-'tas-tr&-(")fEFunction: nounEtymology: Greek katastrophE, from katastrephein to overturn, from kata- + strephein to turn

1 : the final event of the dramatic action especially of a tragedy

2 : a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune to utter overthrow or ruin

3 a : a violent and sudden change in a feature of the earth b : a violent usually destructive natural event (as a supernova)

4 : utter failure)

Sounds like we are doing pretty well. Maybe we will learn and do an even better job when faced wicatastrophephe again. Maybe we won't. Maybe the catastrophe won't be as bad next time. Maybe it will be worse than we can possibly imagine.

Elections.

2005-09-02T23:45:00.000-07:00

There is a special election coming up this November for the state of California. There are several initiatives on the ballet that were spearheaded by our governor when the legislature would not play ball with him. The media keeps reporting that the polls show most Californians are against the special election. If I am not mistaken, elections are the foundation of democracy. Why would anyone be against an election? The cost of an election is far less than the cost of no election.

Side Note:This election will be when the citizens of San Francisco get to vote on a ban of all handguns and the sale of all firearms and ammunition within the city limits. This was thought up by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Let me think. Banning guns. Being against elections. Hmmmm. I just can't put my finger on........ OH YEAH!