I have been interviewed agin, by Viciousrumour from The Dead Letters. VR is a new reader who, apparently has been lurkig for a bit, after surfing in from Super Des' blog, she had some interesting questions. Here they are:
(1) You mentioned in the "10 Weird Things" that you are a professional gunfighter. That's not something you just fall into. Tell us about that. For me this invokes images of the old west and tumbleweeds. What does it take to be a "professional gunfighter"? Do you get to wear chaps?
Well, I am a senior tactical firearms instructor for a federal agency. What that means in plain English, is that I teach people how to fight with a variety of guns. How to fight with guns, as opposed teaching people how to basically operate guns. I have blogged about that in some detail here, have a look at that for a start.
What does it take to be a professional gunfighter? Lots of training. Lots of training and years of experience with a variety of weapons systems. Add to that a thorough understanding of the law, as it regards the Use of Deadly Force, as well as a deep understanding of the philosophy and psychology of killing for a purpose. Once you have all of those things, you need to find a job applying all of that. There aren't many. Sure, you could go to work for one of the many private military companies (PMC's) that are springing up all over the place these days... but a great most of those people are a bunch of cowboys.
You can't be a crackpot and do this sort of work. It requires a great deal of balance.
No... I don't get to wear chaps, but if I could get away with wearing spurs, I would. Not because I need them, mind you, just because they are so cool.
Have I ever mentioned that The Outlaw Josey Wales is one of my favorite moives?
(2) You mentioned in your post about the onion soup that you have a "cheap palette". Do you think that "gourmet" food is over rated? Give us your best argument for good old fashioned cooking.
Oh, there is nothing wrong with gourmet food. I can cook that stuff, and usually make it better than the original bland recipes. I will say, however, that the best gourmet cooking has a tough time when compared to simple fare like Meatloaf, or a really good cheese burger, or a hearty lasagna with some crusty bread and some screw-top red wine with good friends or family.
Gourmet food tastes good... no question about it, but some foods, like the ones I mentioned, are soul-satisfying.
(3) As I read through your blog, I get the sense that your an opinionated fellow. Being the father of a daughter, how have you taught her to speak her mind with out being "in your face" or disrespectful?
Well, being opinionated and being "in your face" are two different things. First, I think that having strong opinions doesn't mean that you spout them as loud as you can, as often as you can. A certain level of discernment is required. In children, it is important to teach the concept of respect. While we don't teach soccer girl to be a doormat, we don't teach her to lip off to people, either... especially to adults.
(4) Starting with your senior year, give us the songs that are the "soundtrack" of your life. One for each year.
We could be here all day for this one, but I'll take a shot at it. Please know that I had to Google for some of these years to jog the memory.
1981: Hungry Heart,, Bruce Springsteen (I'm a Jersey boy)
1982: Our House, Madness
1983: In A Big Country, Big Country
1984: Easy Lover, Pillip Bailey & Phil Collins So Tired, Ozzy Osbourne
1985: Don't You Forget About Me, Simple Minds
1986: Danger Zone, Kenny Loggins
1987: Lean On Me, Club Nouveau
1988: Sweet Child O' Mine, Guns 'n Roses
1989: Blame it on the rain, Milli Vanili
1990: Ice, Ice Baby!,Vanilla Ice (You know that you STILL dance to that)
1991: Black or White, Michael Jackson
1992: Two Princes, Spin Doctors
1993: Mr. Wendal, Arrested Development
1994: I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
1995: This is How We Do It, Montell Jordan
1996: Killing Me Softly, The Fugees
1997: Going The Distance, Cake
1098: I Don't Want To Miss A Thing, Aerosmith
1999: Livin' La Vida Loca, Ricky MArtin (yeah, yeah, yeah... I know)
2000: Scream, Seven Nations
2001: Short Skirt, Long Jacket - Cake
2002: Fell In Love With a Girl, The White Stripes
2003: Hey Ya!, Outkast
2004: American Idiot, Green Day
2005: One Love, Hootie & The Blowfish
2006: We Belong Together, Mariah Carey
2007: Girlfriend, (Avril Leveigne)
Damn! That was hard! Please note that I am certain that there were some years where other songs made a bigger impact, but hey, that's memory for you.
(5) Do you think anyone can ever be Totally Honest?
That is a difficult question. I doubt that anyone can be completely honest, because we all, even the most honest of us, from time to time, tell a friend that their clothing doesn't make their butt look big... when they really do. From time to time we tell our children about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, or that mommy and daddy had the door locked because "we were talking, sweetie".
I think that TOTAL honesty, while a lovely concept, can be terribly hurtful.
If you are interested in participating, please see the following:
DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME
1. Leave a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions (if I don't have your email address, you can email me instead). I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
A Favorite Joke
1st guy: Hey, do you know why eastern France is so heavily forested?
2nd guy: No, why IS eastern France so heavily forested?
1st guy: Because... German infantry likes to march in the shade!
2nd guy: No, why IS eastern France so heavily forested?
1st guy: Because... German infantry likes to march in the shade!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
May Blog Exchange
Friends,
Today is the day for the May Blog exchange! The Blog Exchange is a monthly writing community, managed by Kristen Chase, of Motherhood Uncensored (and many other blogs!), where writers get to stretch their writing muscles... and rant on someone else's blog, for a change.
My guest blogger for today is Heather. I'll be at her place, today.
The meaning of Mother’s Day has changed for me over the years. Whereas once it was a day that I HAD to be nice to my mom (and more often than not, failed) it is now a day that I WANT to be nice to my mom… and honor her.
Because now I haveheathens children.
Now I know what it is like.
Let me first state that I have a wonderful mother. She’s a geriatric nurse and she loves what she does. She’s good at what she does and if you ask her why she chose working with older people.. she’ll tell you… “They are just as confused as I am.”
I can also state that my mother is unique.
I’ve heard, over the years, ways that mothers discipline their children. For some, it was a switch. For others, a paddle. For me and my younger brother, it was dishwashing equipment.
Dishwashing equipment?
Yes….
One day my brother and I just wouldn’t stop arguing. I remember it like it was yesterday… She was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes and we were going at it again… she finally turned to us and yelled, “If you two don’t stop it, I’m going to… going to shove this dishwashing equipment down your throat.”
She doesn’t remember saying this. We do. And we told Dad when he got home.
The following Christmas, and every Christmas thereafter, I got “dishwashing equipment” of some sort from my father.
We also felt that we could go to our mother and ask those tough questions. You know… those like “Were you a virgin when you got married?”
There was silence followed by “I wore a white dress.”
“That’s not what I asked,” I said.
“I wore a white dress,” she again replied.
This was where my dad piped in and grinned as he asked me, “Would you buy a car without test driving it first?”
I thought my mother was going to die. Right there. On the couch.
I often told her that she was the meanest mother in the whole world. She’s proud of that title. And when my daughter calls me the meanest mother in the whole world, my mother looks at Samara and says “Oh no. I am the meanest mother. I have worked hard to earn that title and until the day that I die, I will be the meanest mother in the whole world.”
I have big shoes to fill if I’m to take over the title.
As I’ve aged, my mother is a little cooler and not so dumb.
She and my 87-year-old grandmother have become pretty close. They are typically like two unsupervised teenagers when they go out together. The last phone call I got she informed me that they purchased Spring Break 2007 tee-shirts while in Panama City, Florida to wear to the Master Gardner’s meeting upon her return. Shortly before that, she called to inform me that she was now a Sweet Potato Queen, complete with crown.
She tells me that women who wear red shoes don’t wear underwear and old people who wear gold shoes do so only to mask the pee that may run down their leg and into their shoes because of incontinence. Yes, she’s a wealth of knowledge, that mom of mine.
And she still fusses over me just like I’m little all over again. On a recent visit she wanted to know if I slept okay, if I was warm enough, and one evening we sat at the kitchen table and talked for over two hours about anything and everything. I don’t know when we’ve ever done that.
So let me take this moment, right now, to apologize for everything I ever did, said, didn’t do, didn’t say or thought about doing for the past 30 years. I love you, Mom.
Heather Jacobson is a single work at home mom to Matthew (age 10) and Samara (age 7) who is Desperately Seeking Sanity. Read more about her and her quest for sanity at DesparatelySeekingSanity.com
Today is the day for the May Blog exchange! The Blog Exchange is a monthly writing community, managed by Kristen Chase, of Motherhood Uncensored (and many other blogs!), where writers get to stretch their writing muscles... and rant on someone else's blog, for a change.
My guest blogger for today is Heather. I'll be at her place, today.
The meaning of Mother’s Day has changed for me over the years. Whereas once it was a day that I HAD to be nice to my mom (and more often than not, failed) it is now a day that I WANT to be nice to my mom… and honor her.
Because now I have
Now I know what it is like.
Let me first state that I have a wonderful mother. She’s a geriatric nurse and she loves what she does. She’s good at what she does and if you ask her why she chose working with older people.. she’ll tell you… “They are just as confused as I am.”
I can also state that my mother is unique.
I’ve heard, over the years, ways that mothers discipline their children. For some, it was a switch. For others, a paddle. For me and my younger brother, it was dishwashing equipment.
Dishwashing equipment?
Yes….
One day my brother and I just wouldn’t stop arguing. I remember it like it was yesterday… She was standing in the kitchen, washing dishes and we were going at it again… she finally turned to us and yelled, “If you two don’t stop it, I’m going to… going to shove this dishwashing equipment down your throat.”
She doesn’t remember saying this. We do. And we told Dad when he got home.
The following Christmas, and every Christmas thereafter, I got “dishwashing equipment” of some sort from my father.
We also felt that we could go to our mother and ask those tough questions. You know… those like “Were you a virgin when you got married?”
There was silence followed by “I wore a white dress.”
“That’s not what I asked,” I said.
“I wore a white dress,” she again replied.
This was where my dad piped in and grinned as he asked me, “Would you buy a car without test driving it first?”
I thought my mother was going to die. Right there. On the couch.
I often told her that she was the meanest mother in the whole world. She’s proud of that title. And when my daughter calls me the meanest mother in the whole world, my mother looks at Samara and says “Oh no. I am the meanest mother. I have worked hard to earn that title and until the day that I die, I will be the meanest mother in the whole world.”
I have big shoes to fill if I’m to take over the title.
As I’ve aged, my mother is a little cooler and not so dumb.
She and my 87-year-old grandmother have become pretty close. They are typically like two unsupervised teenagers when they go out together. The last phone call I got she informed me that they purchased Spring Break 2007 tee-shirts while in Panama City, Florida to wear to the Master Gardner’s meeting upon her return. Shortly before that, she called to inform me that she was now a Sweet Potato Queen, complete with crown.
She tells me that women who wear red shoes don’t wear underwear and old people who wear gold shoes do so only to mask the pee that may run down their leg and into their shoes because of incontinence. Yes, she’s a wealth of knowledge, that mom of mine.
And she still fusses over me just like I’m little all over again. On a recent visit she wanted to know if I slept okay, if I was warm enough, and one evening we sat at the kitchen table and talked for over two hours about anything and everything. I don’t know when we’ve ever done that.
So let me take this moment, right now, to apologize for everything I ever did, said, didn’t do, didn’t say or thought about doing for the past 30 years. I love you, Mom.
Heather Jacobson is a single work at home mom to Matthew (age 10) and Samara (age 7) who is Desperately Seeking Sanity. Read more about her and her quest for sanity at DesparatelySeekingSanity.com
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Day of Blog Silence
Friends, I won't be posting at my blog tomorrow, April 30th.
I won't be reading any blogs tomorrow, either.
Tomorrow, I will be joining the One Day of Blog Silence campaign. A day of electronic silence that was originally to be observed for the victims of the recent spree at Virginia Tech.
My silence, tomorrow will be for all of the victims of senseless violence. Whether they were killed here in Virginia at Va. Tech, Baghdad, China, Israel, Palestine... or in Darfur.
Or any of the other, myriad places that people are regularly slaughtered, that the world, apparently, doesn't give a damn about.
Think about it.
Tell others about it.
Make your leaders aware.
And for God's sake, don't just sit there.
Some Wars...
Some wars need to be fought.
Some wars are a moral imperative.
Some wars need to be fought, even if a quick, victorious conclusion isn't likely.
Some wars.
Some, but not all.
Here are a few examples of wars that should be fought:
The war on poverty: The war on poverty, also known as The Great Society, is largely deemed a failure in this country. I disagree. Lyndon Johnson's policies led to greater access to education and health care for poor people in this country, and while the eradication of poverty is something we have not yet accomplished in this, making the attempt to do so is not only noble, but appropriate for a country such as this to do.
Fighting to end poverty is a moral imperative. It must be done.
The War on Drugs: Many people, mostly old (and young) stoners say that the so-called War on Drugs is only about feeding the prison system and persecuting the poor, etc... I disagree. Drugs are a poison in our cities, and in our suburbs, and in the smallest of our towns (yes, there are drug problems in our small towns... even if you don't see them). Fighting the trafficking of drugs is important. If anything, I think that our national efforts to combat drug trafficking should be re-doubled.
Confession: I am biased. Losing a sister to an overdose will do that for you.
The War on Terror: This, too, is a fight that must be fought. This nation must do all that i can to combat terrorism. All terrorism... but we our fight against terrorism is something that should be conducted with good sense... and not in stupid, ineffectual spasms.
One of the first things that should be addressed is the fact that terrorism, like poverty, and drug trafficking/use/abuse, will always be with us.
I'll say it again for the idiots that think it will ever go away: Terrorism will always be with us.
It may not ALWAYS be Islamic terrorists, it may not always be Irish terrorists (forgot about them, did you?); it may not always be American terrorists, but there will always be terrorists.
Having acknowledged that there will always be terrorism, we need to take a good look at how to combat it. One thing that we should note right off the bat is that you CANNOT dismantle a group of organized terrorists with military power. Nope. Can't do it. This is no slap at our Special Forces, or our conventional armed forces, but it is true. Trying to destroy terrorism with an army is like trying to kill a housefly with a 30 pound sledge hammer.
Please don't misunderstand, here. When we identify a terrorist... anywhere in the world, we should be about the business of killing him/her and any of their associates. I said killing. Not Arresting.
Combating terrorism must be done with surgical tools... tools best wielded by Intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Unfortunately, fighting terrorism has become a political bailiwick of gargantuan proportions, and as you know, politicians only care about the next election cycle. This means short-sighted goals that end up making for nice headlines and bumps in the polls when they go well, but they really don't mean much.
Fighting terrorism is important. It must be done. We must use our political tools as well as other assets to fight it. Here is a start: We need to quit with our knee-jerk support of countries or regimes that are oppressive. We need to get at terrorists, much like you need to get at a Dandelion problem in your yard... at it's roots. In order to truly fight terrorism, we have to go after the people that fund it's operations... and my friends, that means we have to quit humping the legs of the Saudis.
There. It's out.
If we really wanted to use military force for an anti-terrorist end, we should have jumped an airborne division into Riyadh. That's who is funding most Islamic terror, you know.
Fighting the wars that must be fought should be priorities for this nation. Sadly, they are not.
Fighting poverty is done with a shrug of the shoulders, some federal or state funding (usually to little, and not well-used), and a silent tsk-tsking about "those people". In modern America, people have the notion that most poor people are poor because they deserve to be poor and that they like it that way. For shame.
Fighting drug trafficking is rather half-assed... if we wanted to put the hurt on drugs, we should defoliate the Cocoa producing parts of Columbia and other countries that produce that shit.
Instead of doing these things... we get the war in Iraq, which has as much to do with terrorism as it has to do with ping-pong.
What a waste.
Some wars are a moral imperative.
Some wars need to be fought, even if a quick, victorious conclusion isn't likely.
Some wars.
Some, but not all.
Here are a few examples of wars that should be fought:
The war on poverty: The war on poverty, also known as The Great Society, is largely deemed a failure in this country. I disagree. Lyndon Johnson's policies led to greater access to education and health care for poor people in this country, and while the eradication of poverty is something we have not yet accomplished in this, making the attempt to do so is not only noble, but appropriate for a country such as this to do.
Fighting to end poverty is a moral imperative. It must be done.
The War on Drugs: Many people, mostly old (and young) stoners say that the so-called War on Drugs is only about feeding the prison system and persecuting the poor, etc... I disagree. Drugs are a poison in our cities, and in our suburbs, and in the smallest of our towns (yes, there are drug problems in our small towns... even if you don't see them). Fighting the trafficking of drugs is important. If anything, I think that our national efforts to combat drug trafficking should be re-doubled.
Confession: I am biased. Losing a sister to an overdose will do that for you.
The War on Terror: This, too, is a fight that must be fought. This nation must do all that i can to combat terrorism. All terrorism... but we our fight against terrorism is something that should be conducted with good sense... and not in stupid, ineffectual spasms.
One of the first things that should be addressed is the fact that terrorism, like poverty, and drug trafficking/use/abuse, will always be with us.
I'll say it again for the idiots that think it will ever go away: Terrorism will always be with us.
It may not ALWAYS be Islamic terrorists, it may not always be Irish terrorists (forgot about them, did you?); it may not always be American terrorists, but there will always be terrorists.
Having acknowledged that there will always be terrorism, we need to take a good look at how to combat it. One thing that we should note right off the bat is that you CANNOT dismantle a group of organized terrorists with military power. Nope. Can't do it. This is no slap at our Special Forces, or our conventional armed forces, but it is true. Trying to destroy terrorism with an army is like trying to kill a housefly with a 30 pound sledge hammer.
Please don't misunderstand, here. When we identify a terrorist... anywhere in the world, we should be about the business of killing him/her and any of their associates. I said killing. Not Arresting.
Combating terrorism must be done with surgical tools... tools best wielded by Intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Unfortunately, fighting terrorism has become a political bailiwick of gargantuan proportions, and as you know, politicians only care about the next election cycle. This means short-sighted goals that end up making for nice headlines and bumps in the polls when they go well, but they really don't mean much.
Fighting terrorism is important. It must be done. We must use our political tools as well as other assets to fight it. Here is a start: We need to quit with our knee-jerk support of countries or regimes that are oppressive. We need to get at terrorists, much like you need to get at a Dandelion problem in your yard... at it's roots. In order to truly fight terrorism, we have to go after the people that fund it's operations... and my friends, that means we have to quit humping the legs of the Saudis.
There. It's out.
If we really wanted to use military force for an anti-terrorist end, we should have jumped an airborne division into Riyadh. That's who is funding most Islamic terror, you know.
Fighting the wars that must be fought should be priorities for this nation. Sadly, they are not.
Fighting poverty is done with a shrug of the shoulders, some federal or state funding (usually to little, and not well-used), and a silent tsk-tsking about "those people". In modern America, people have the notion that most poor people are poor because they deserve to be poor and that they like it that way. For shame.
Fighting drug trafficking is rather half-assed... if we wanted to put the hurt on drugs, we should defoliate the Cocoa producing parts of Columbia and other countries that produce that shit.
Instead of doing these things... we get the war in Iraq, which has as much to do with terrorism as it has to do with ping-pong.
What a waste.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Oh, my aching back!
This is a photo of most of the stuff I carry on my belt and in my pockets while I am working.
It gets heavy... but not as heavy as a patrol officers belt.
I wish I had more to say tonight... but I am tired.
The MIL visit is almost over, and things have gone well.
GF
It gets heavy... but not as heavy as a patrol officers belt.
I wish I had more to say tonight... but I am tired.
The MIL visit is almost over, and things have gone well.
GF
Friday, April 27, 2007
Historical Stupidity
A few weeks ago, the Gunfighter family took a vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was spring break in our local schools, and we wanted some concentrated family time, away from commuting household duties, and everything else.
Williamsburg is one of our favorite places, because Mrs Gunfighter and I are real history geeks. Wait, that isn't quite accurate. Mrs Gunfighter loves history and is a professional historian... I'm a history geek (the difference being that she is trained and has a Doctorate in the discipline... I'm just an oddball with books). Anyway, one of the things we love about Williamsburg is the plethora of good bookstores. Indeed, one of the first things we usually do after getting into town, is to go straight to the Books-A-Million that is near the college of William & Mary (where we REALLY want soccer girl to go).
Well, when we got to Williamsburg this time around, we did the exact same thing. Went to the bookstore. While we settled in and browsed in the various sections, a man came up to me to hand me a flyer, which I accepted. I noticed right away that this fellow was dressed in a black quasi-military outfit that was part Chairman Mao...
and part Che Guevara
Anyway, he said "have a look at this" and walked away. When I looked at it, this is what I saw:
For those that didn't know, the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the settlement of Jamestown, which marked the beginning of the colonization of North America.
Now, I'm not ignorant of history. Far from it. Neither am I ignorant of the horrors of slavery and some of it's lingering effects. I'm not ignorant of slavery's brutal practices, and I don't think that raising the level of awareness of these things is bad.
Having said all of the above, I think that; A) Celebrating the establishment of the settlement that eventually led to the creation of the United States (and Canada) is a good thing; and B) Suggesting that the celebration makes a mockery of the brutality of slavery is wrong-headed.
I'm not one of those "slavery-happened-then-it-went-away-get-over-it" people, but I think a little perspective is in order. Most of the information that you can find regarding the history of Jamestown and about the establishment of a slavery culture in America has been very sensitive to the incredible importance of the contributions of slaves and free blacks to the creation and the early economic viability of the United States.
No one should think that racism isn't still a problem in this country. It is, and when it rears it's ugly head, it must be attacked.
The celebration of the founding of Jamestown isn't racist, and it shouldn't be attacked.
When I see that manifesto of the idiots in the The New Black Panther Party. I see a group of people that would have better spent their time actually learning their own history before displaying their ignorance.
There are many problems in this country, folks. The Jamestown celebration isn't one of them.
I hate historical stupidity.
Williamsburg is one of our favorite places, because Mrs Gunfighter and I are real history geeks. Wait, that isn't quite accurate. Mrs Gunfighter loves history and is a professional historian... I'm a history geek (the difference being that she is trained and has a Doctorate in the discipline... I'm just an oddball with books). Anyway, one of the things we love about Williamsburg is the plethora of good bookstores. Indeed, one of the first things we usually do after getting into town, is to go straight to the Books-A-Million that is near the college of William & Mary (where we REALLY want soccer girl to go).
Well, when we got to Williamsburg this time around, we did the exact same thing. Went to the bookstore. While we settled in and browsed in the various sections, a man came up to me to hand me a flyer, which I accepted. I noticed right away that this fellow was dressed in a black quasi-military outfit that was part Chairman Mao...
and part Che Guevara
Anyway, he said "have a look at this" and walked away. When I looked at it, this is what I saw:
For those that didn't know, the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the settlement of Jamestown, which marked the beginning of the colonization of North America.
Now, I'm not ignorant of history. Far from it. Neither am I ignorant of the horrors of slavery and some of it's lingering effects. I'm not ignorant of slavery's brutal practices, and I don't think that raising the level of awareness of these things is bad.
Having said all of the above, I think that; A) Celebrating the establishment of the settlement that eventually led to the creation of the United States (and Canada) is a good thing; and B) Suggesting that the celebration makes a mockery of the brutality of slavery is wrong-headed.
I'm not one of those "slavery-happened-then-it-went-away-get-over-it" people, but I think a little perspective is in order. Most of the information that you can find regarding the history of Jamestown and about the establishment of a slavery culture in America has been very sensitive to the incredible importance of the contributions of slaves and free blacks to the creation and the early economic viability of the United States.
No one should think that racism isn't still a problem in this country. It is, and when it rears it's ugly head, it must be attacked.
The celebration of the founding of Jamestown isn't racist, and it shouldn't be attacked.
When I see that manifesto of the idiots in the The New Black Panther Party. I see a group of people that would have better spent their time actually learning their own history before displaying their ignorance.
There are many problems in this country, folks. The Jamestown celebration isn't one of them.
I hate historical stupidity.
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