Gun Love: The Social Impact of Guns In Our Society

Good Day World!

One of the most devisive topics in America today is gun control.

Some Americans believe there should be more controls on buying guns and what kind of guns should be legal. Other Americans believe that there shouldn't be any controls on gun use.

People often cite the 2nd Amendment when any kind of gun control measures are proposed. Extreme gun advocates don't see anything wrong with owning ANY type of gun; 50 Cal Machine Guns, etc.

With this controversial backdrop, I'm going to take a look at the impact of guns in our society today:

Compared to other countries with similar levels of development or socioeconomic status, the United States has exceptional homicide rates, and it's driven by gun violence.

Visualizing gun deaths: Comparing the U.S. to rest of the world

Accidents caused by guns are common in our country today:

Video - Gun Accidents By Careless People

Article - Guns hospitalize more than 7,000 children per year in U.S.: study 

Article - A Gun In The Home Increases The Risk of Accidents. So does a gun next store

Article - Gun Violence: Facts and Statistics

I looked around for the advantages to owning guns, but frankly there's just not that many examples out there. I did come up with a couple of articles however:

Article - Advantages and Disadvantages To Owning Guns

Article - Should You Buy A Firearm? Pros and Cons of Gun Ownership

Reasons why we buy guns:

Article - Why Own A Gun? Exploring The Reasons Why People Buy Guns

I leave you to draw your own conclusions about the roll of guns in our lives today.

Meanwhile remember when the Beatles sang Happiness is a Warm Gun (bang bang! shoot! shoot!) 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Man-Made Earthquakes: The Irony Is As Thick As Crude Oil

Good Day World!

A new federal map shows parts of Oklahoma are now as seismic as parts of California and Alaska, long the nation’s leaders in earthquakes, and for the first time includes man-made earthquakes.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s new earthquakes hazard map, which helps states and government officials determine insurance rates and building codes, is in part a reaction to the historic increase in seismic activity in Oklahoma.

 Last year the state experienced almost 900 3-plus magnitude earthquakes; in 2007, it recorded just one. On earlier USGS maps, Oklahoma was a seismic afterthought.

(condensed version of Time article)

The oil industry has been defending Fracking since it was first discovered to be an environmental problem.

State and corporate oil interests have fought hard to keep the public in the dark, but enough damning facts have surfaced for us to see what's really been happening.

What was it that Sarah Palin once said the country should do to the delight of the GOP? Oh yea!

"Drill baby, drill!" The irony is as thick as crude oil...

Time for me to walk on down the road....

Why I Don't Want To Be Wealthy

Good Day World!

Unless you were born rich, at some point in your life you've probably dreamed about becoming wealthy.

But being rich isn't everything it's cracked up to be.

Money is NOT the key to happiness. It does make some things easier in your life, but there's drawbacks.

Let's say you won millions of dollars in the lottery (nice thought right?). Here's three things that can happen if you're an instant winner and wealthy:

* People, from family to strangers, will be hitting you up for some of your loot. 

* Some people may be plotting to get your money - one way or the other!

* Winning the lottery can change the nature of personal relationships. Spouses may disagree about how to spend prize money and even split up over disputes about winnings.

Then you have winners who lose all their wealth and are living in poverty, or some who even commit suicide.

Here's 21 lottery winners who lost it all 

If you're born rich there's downsides that can outweigh the benefits. You are not allowed to complain about anything...ever.

Most people think being wealthy is nirvana. 

They don't want to hear about your problems because they envy you. It becomes hard to relate to the middle class or poor whose lives are full of challenges you don't have to worry about.

I'm happy right now with my life. I have a roof over my head, food to eat, and enough money to pay my monthly bills.

Throw in a great family, and friends, and I'm a wealthy man!

Perhaps Pablo Picasso said it best when looking for a happy medium in life:

"I'd like to live as a poor man with lots of money."

Time for me to walk on down the road....

The Easter When I discovered That I Had Two Sisters!

Good Day World!

Happy Easter!

Today, I'm going to share a slice of my life that ties in with Easter.

Back in the early 1950s, when I was a young fellow (somewhere between four and five years old) I discovered that I had two sisters!

They lived with my grandparents in Florida for a while, and then they all moved to California, where I lived with my parents and younger brother.

Why it was that way, is another story in itself. I'm going to stay focused on Easter right now.

My parents weren't religious, and I never attended church. I didn't know anything about Easter...or God.

Interestingly enough, it was around Easter when I first met my two sisters.

I remember how nice they were to me, and that we seemed to hit it off instantly. But my memories of this first meeting are kinda fuzzy, like a newborn chick.

I remember they wore pretty dresses and my brother and I wore ties with long-sleeved white shirts, and dark trousers.

One of the things about Easter is it's about new beginnings - rebirth if you will. For me, it was the beginning of a new life with sisters.

Shortly after that first gathering (maybe a year), my grandmother died of a heart attack while pruning her beloved roses.

That's when my sisters moved in with us. The rest, as they say, is history.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Why Some People Find It Hard To Tell What's Real

Good Day World!

I can't blame some people for being confused about what's real, and what's not these days.

For example, take so-called Reality Shows:

5 Fake Reality Shows Exposed

Reality TV's Worst Hoaxes and Lies

As Robert Ripley once said, "Believe it or Not." Some people actually believe that reality shows are... real. They're very dissapointed when they find out that their show is scripted. 

Then we have ex-reality star Donald Trump running for the president of the United States. Almost Twilight Zone stuff. It's too much to process for many Americans.

One day they're watching The Donald on The Apprentice, eagerly firing people looking for jobs, and the next they see him claiming to Make America Great Again (if you elect him president) by creating more jobs.

I sure don't mean to be rude - a Trump staple - but when people blindly follow him (ignoring scary facts) you can see why he says he loves un-educated voters.

Then there's belief vs reality.

It's important to remember that beliefs are not based upon reality, so they can be different, and this can be, and is, used to cause conflict.

Beliefs prevent people from seeing the truth.They look for an enemy to blame all their unhappiness on when things aren't going their way.

The sad truth is reality is not always that apparent to many people. For whatever reasons. Mental health leading the way of course, but the other factors I mentioned also play into denying reality.

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Future Shock: The Day Dictator Trump Turns On The World

Good Day World!

In a dystopian future we see what happens after Trump is elected president:

It started out quickly.

The first week:
Trump gives Congress several ultimatums after forming a special bodyguard unit (The Trumpateers who have pledged to be loyal to him, not America). He disolves the Secret Service. 

The first 100 days:
After bullying Congress into submission through various dark ways, the new laws came fast and hard. Trump manages to strip Americans of most of their constitutional rights before they even knew what was happening. 

Trump becomes a dictator after eliminating all resistence. 

Torture, during all interrogations becomes so commonplace it's instituted into law enforcement agencies across the land. Debtor's prisons spring up like deadly mushrooms.

The first year:
All Muslims are banned from entering the country under any circumstances. 
The same goes for Hindu's, Sikhs, Buddists, Mexicans, anyone from Central America, anyone from a country that doesn't recognize Trump's dictatorship, and anyone who even looks suspicious from any country.

The Second Year:

NATO declares the United States a "rogue state" after Trump violates every international law possible. Trump doubles the size of the US military goes after countries that have sanctioned him.

When Russia's Vladimir Putin says that Trump's SMALL HANDS are an extension of his small penis Trump comes unglued.

World War III.

It all starts here: 
Trump urges waterboarding and more after Brussels attacks

GOP Foreign Policy Experts Warn A Trump Presidency Would Endanger America

Time for me to walk on down the road...

He Personified the 'Beat Generation': Happy 97th Birthday, Lawerence Ferlinghetti!

                                    Good Day World!

Join me, if you will, in celebrating American poet, painter, and Liberal activist, Lawernce Ferlinghetti's birthday (March 24, 1919) today. He's 97-years young.

Sixty-one years ago, Ferlinghetti was the principal publisher of an iconoclastic band of writers and poets known as the Beat Generation.

Today, he's still co-owner of City Lights, one of the most celebrated independent book stores in America. 

Next to Edgar Allan Poe, he is my favorite all-time poet. I still remember reading Christ Climbed Down with a sense of awe. His style is stunning and profane. I was hooked from then on.

Ferlinghetti was a featured presenter at the Gathering of the Tribes "Human Be-In" which drew tens of thousands of people and launched San Francisco's "Summer of Love."

Happy Birthday, Lawerence!

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Strange News and Trending Views Via a Junkyard Dog

Good Day World!

Like a dog, I like to dig. 

I even refer to myself as a junkyard dog looking for news and controversial views in the world's wastelands.

These are strange days my friend. None of us knows when they will end.

Judge Judy, and Judge Joe Brown, will have to share the judicial TV limelight with Sarah Palin if the pilot she's starring in gets picked up.

Imagine Palin as a judge. That's pretty strange having a political extremist star as a dispenser of justice. (Editor's note: A Political extremist refers to a person or group that holds a set of beliefs that diverge from society's norm to a great degree.)

I knew it! Check this out:

Mystical Experiences Open a 'Door of Perception' in the Brain

Now 3 views for your consideration:

American's View of the GOP

The Pew Research Center published a survey last November that showed less than 32% of Americans had a good opinion of the Republican Party.

American's Views on Immigrants

According to a Pew Research Center report, when it comes to how Americans view the impact on U.S. society and life, there's a big partisan gap - a gap once again reflected in the nation's politics, particularly in the Republican presidential campaign.

American's Views on Gun Control

Last December Gallup conducted a poll and reported that 26% of registered voters said they would only vote for a candidate who shared their views on gun control. The percentage was considerablly higher than when Gallup polled the subject in 1999, and 2000. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Clearing Up The Difference Between 'Love Fests' And Trump Rallies

Good Day World!

Republican presidential frontrunner, Donald Trump, recently told the press that there was no violence during his rallies.

(Photo-Trump version of a Love Fest - via Google Commons)

 He even doubled down on that stupid statement and called his rallies Love Fests!

The facts show a different reality for the ex-reality star. His version of a Love Fest;

Violence erupts at Donald Trump rally in Tuscon

Black Protestor Sucker Punched in Latest Violent incident at Trump event.

From White Power to Nazu Salutes: How Toxic Can Trump Rallies get? 

The Psychology Behind The Violence At Trump Rallies

Here's the difference between what you see above and real Love Fests:

One Love Festival 2016

Must Love Festivals

The Love Parade

Woodstock

That should clear up the difference between real Love Fests and Trump's rallies. 

Time for me to walk on down the road...

Do You Believe In Magic?

Good Day World!

Since prehistoric times men/women have believed in magic.

People still believe in it in the 21st century. People like Texas Congressman, Pete Sessions.
He doesn't believe in the science of Global Warming, but show him a good magic trick and he gets downright bubbly!

I'll bet you didn't know that the Society of American Magicians has been pushing Congress to recognize magic since the 1960's.

The society has found their boy in Sessions. He introduced a House resolution last week that would officially recognize magic as a "rare and valuable art form and national treasure."

No. Really. He's tried to pull this rabbit out of the hat in the past with no luck. 

Here's the resolution he introduced;
"Whereas magic is an art form with the unique power and potential to impact the lives of all people; Whereas magic enables people to experience the impossible; Whereas magic is used to inspire and bring wonder and happiness to others; Whereas magic has had a significant impact on other art forms."

Rebuilding America's crumbling infrastructure, for example, would be more along the lines of what we should expect from Congress.

Of all the thing Congress needs to be doing, celebrating magic doesn't strike me as a top priority. 

That is, unless some kind of magic can make both parties compromise and actually pass bipartisan bills. In that case sign me up as a believer!

Do you believe in magic? 

Time for me to walk on down the road...