Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for June 22, 2010

Amen to that….

So true Dad

Good Morning, Marg, Mike, ♠Lonewolf♠ & dare I say IRA!

So glad to see Dad is the true Guardian of the Family!!!!

but no other house has security provided by a fierce tiger… mandibles of death..

Well put, Dad!!!

Good Morning, Mike, Marg, ML & Grog!

Get a dog. The only security system that also plays with the kids.

Good morning Marg! Good morning Fran and Kizzzy! Good Morning L’Wolf!

It’s almost three here, what is he whining about??. I nearly shot a sheriff’s deputy on my porch last year, at two in the morning because some stupid 911 operator gave him the wrong directions.

I did not sleep well for a month.

Sometimes castle and sometimes fortress, when protection is necessary!

Good morning everybody, have a fine day!

Castle and fortress are very hugh to be protected from any harms. That will be more difficult while someone sleeps in either of castle and fortress in the night. But at the house, that will be easier to protect from any harms.

Exactly! We’re not safe anywhere, but if you dwell on the negative then you never get to enjoy all the postive things in life. When things get really bad I tell myself that tomorrow’s another day and the day after that etc. The sun will shine again!

Seems Mom got to sleep without too many problems.

Don’t say “I flagged them”. Just flag. Not worth the extra comment. Plz?

I think this particular strip is one of the most profound to come from Watterson. One’s lost confidence when you are robbed or burglarized, adults especially can relate to that. Another reason that he was a titan in this craft! (Spammer flagged)

Sometimes we see ugly black bars on the windows of very nice suburban houses. Folks, we’re putting the wrong people behind bars.

Sometimes we’re prisoners of our own fears.

Good morning all! I agree with RussellNash . A dog is the best alarm and the best of friends. It is a shame that there are so many people who forgot what it is to feel. To feel what it is to be human and place them selves in other people’s position. This strip is very unique. Very profound. Again, Watterson is just incredible!

Yeah I bet Calvin would love a dog - though Hobbes will probably be jealous :-)

Things that go ‘bump’ in the night Should not really give one a fright. It’s the hole in each ear That lets in the fear, That, and the absence of light!

Spike Milligan

I retired from being a claims adjuster. I perhaps attended on 1000 break and enters during my career. The reaction the folks are having is all too typical. Watterson hits the nail right on the head. IMHO This series should be given to every claims adjuster and cop.

Yukoner said, about 3 hours ago

Seems Mom got to sleep without too many problems.

She lives with TWO problems!

All kids should have a dog. They not only protect the home but the family. Being robbed is a nightmare that always lurks in the background.

Off topic: I’m fed up with this spammer lurking here. Flagged the spammer!

But I thought they were just the misunderstood products of a bad environment caused by an unfeeling society. “They stole our TV? Honey, I’m buying a gun.”

Forget the gun. Forget the dog. I’ve seen what a dog can do to a stuffed tiger!

Dogs are worthless pos. Get a rhinoceros.

Dogs are hardly worthless. Mine barks for one reason. When things go bump in the night. Otherwise I could easily be like Calvin’s Dad.

Scatterguns are the best watchdogs, IMHO.

Kea, dogs aren’t worthless…earlier posts said to get a big dog…I used to breed Rottweilers, and while they would let you in, getting out was a whole ‘nuther problem…now I have Boston terriers and they sound almost as vicious in spite of being smaller. They also bark more when upset about something. We also live in a rural area, so dogs and guns are a normal deterrent here. It’s assumed everyone has at least one of each. Love all of the “good mornings” I read. I think you are the nicest blog group out there! Calvin continues to remind me of my students, and I teach high school!

Yukoner said, about 6 hours ago

“Seems Mom got to sleep without too many problems.”

She trusts him to be the protector of the family, and knows she is safe with him around. With that trust, she gets to sleep easily.

that’s a moat point

Been there, done that. exacted justice.

kea, is that a 58 Dodge? Awesome cars they built back in the late 50’s!!

JAMEJO - Shooting the wrong person doesn’t have to happen, just because there is a gun in the house .A good flashlight should always be kept ready & near the gun at night. I know if I hear the noise of someone approaching my bedroom, I call out for verbal verification that it is someone who should be there. If they don’t answer, then I shine a flashlight in their eyes, while I’m clicking the safety off my gun. They’re temporarily blinded, and I can double-check who is coming in before I even raise my gun. Gun safety classes stress that we are to know our target AND what is behind it.

In a perfect world, one’s home would not need to be a fortress, however, that’s not the world we have. Bad timing on the part of evil men can make a would be burglary into a home invasion. In this sense our society is no safer, or less safe, than it was 300 years ago. Our security, and that of our families, is ultimately each of our own responsibility. How each of us chooses to manage that, is in a truly free society, up to us. Perhaps that is different from one region, province, state, community or household to another. As long as the citizen has the right to choose how to accomplish that, we remain free.

I’d rather have an alarm system installed. Unbiased, can’t be fooled, and no having to take care of a dog.

A smart burglar thinking outside the box may have some dog treats on him to distract said dog while he ransacked the place.

And on an episode of “It Takes a Thief”, the family did have a dog, but it did nothing.

Hey, billdi. Maybe you should put up a “Gun-Free Zone” sign on the front of your house. That will probably deter the bad guys. Also, if one or more makes it into your place, just politely tell them that you are calling 911 and the police will be there sometime soon. They’ll probably just shrug and go away.

Ya think?

I have often thought like Dad. But thats not possible in many places in the world.

Mike Firesmith I know you learned about firearms and law enforcement. But true story here in KS SE part a few miles from us. Some guy called in a burglary Sheriff responded to what was a routine call. Was a trap setup the guy who called it in when the Sheriff arrived was shot before he died he called for help, every law enforcement descended, a man hunt started wasn’t safe for anyone to be around, with K9 units to. One Sheriff did find the guy and according to him the guy was aiming at him the Sheriff fired at him and killed the guy they where in a field. The Sheriff that died had been on the force 2 years and left behind wife and child. This happened just recently. You where very fortunate the Sheriff didn’t take you in.

Sign on gate…

MY DOG IS THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES.

listen to some 911calls then tell me that a dog will do. the police(god bless them for what they do) are good at filling out paperwork after its over. ask the 80yr old guy in Chicago from 2/3 weeks ago where the police were. have listened to a 4 min 911 call of lady trying to save herself and kids, old BF went through house door then bedroom door then closet door. it was not a dog that saved her family. Mike F, u r not the only American who wont open your door at 2am with out thinking of your family safety. nice to know not everyone is helpless.

Does anyone know of another C&H in which Calvin doesn’t appear? Is this one day unique?

This gun decision is very complicated. There will always be gun anecdotes. I’ve read of people who have run over their own children backing a car out of the garage. People kill others accidentally with all sorts of everyday devices. What are the statistics of lives saved by use of a gun Vs. lives accidentally lost? I don’t know, but I know what I think.

If you follow the rules and act sensibly, then there will be no children run over and no children shot. Maybe in addition to a background check, a gun buyer should be required to attend a certified gun safety course and pass a test.

Incidentally, our house was burglarized when we weren’t home. Our Golden Retriever was home. I think she must have led the burglar right to the silverware. (Actually, we believe it was a carpet cleaner assistant who had cased the house a week or so earlier, but we had no way to prove it.) Daisy always barked when someone was at the door, so the poor thing probably barked her head off, but the guy knew she was no threat. She would have alerted us had we been home, but then it would have been me Vs. the burglar. If I had a gun and he didn’t, I’d have won. If he had a gun also…maybe I’d be the dead one. If had a gun and I didn’t, maybe he’d have just forced me into the bathroom while he ransacked the place. Burglary is a much lighter sentence than murder. A complicated question.

The sign on my door “My Dog is a Malamute. You won’t hear him coming.”

Kab, you cannot be arrested for holding a gun on anyone in your own home, at least not in Georgia.

The upside of all this is I did not shoot at someone I couldn’t see and who was not actually breaking in. I figured as long as the dogs were raising as much hell at this guy as they were, he wasn’t coming in.

He, on the other hand, was beginning to have quite serious doubts as to if he was in the right place. Three dogs trying to tear a door down getting to him meant my house had not been broken into. Or if it had, whoever had broken in had already been eaten.

The real fun came when he raised his flashlight and realized there was a naked man ten feet from him with a 12 gauge doubled barreled shotgun.

Like most law enforcement people, neither the Sheriff nor the deputy was looking to arrest anyone for the incident. They just wanted to make sure it didn’t happen again.

You can see my house numbers from the space shuttle now. And the confusion as to who lives out at the back of the dead end road with all the trees and dogs, well, that has been cleared up as well.

Keep your alarms. I got mutts and ammo.

tinhutjohn, - you are absolutely right about most homeowners’ reaction to a break in. Same thing happens, on a smaller scale, when their cars are stolen and recovered.

As to guns, I have no problem with them, if you are trained to use them….but we have none in my house (can’t count the black powder Colt Navy pistol)

My husband didn’t even want that in the house. It is not that he against guns for other people. It is a personal thing.

He was a field medic in Viet Nam. He says you never pull a gun on someone unless you intend to use it.

He has a hot temper and knows himself very well. We have no guns.

There are doors and windows with lexan inside them that are quite difficult to break into, but whose presence is nearly invisible. Put on storm doors with a steel strap surround, and covered hinges, and Medeco locks, and after messing with these things the average burglar will go somewhere else that’s easier to get into. A house that they have to spend a lot of time on is unattractive to them. A comprehensive camera/recorder system that you could turn on when you leave would provide adequate evidence for a court, assuming the pictures were viable.

I’d say get a shotgun but I can imagine Calvin with a shotgun…

I wonder if this series was precipitated by a similar experience in Waterson’s own life, or in the lives of one of his friends and/or family?

I’ve been there and know exactly how Dad feels. You feel violated that someone came into your home and uneasy going into dark rooms.

Everything Dad is thinking and feeling right now is exactly what we went through when our house was broken into! And just like with Calvin’s family, we were thankful not to have been at home when it occurred either because there’s just no telling what could have happened if we had been.

To have the one place in the world where you’re supposed to be and feel safe violated like that just does something to you inside that I’m not sure you ever really completely recover from — at least I haven’t and it’s been 16 years now. It’s not that I obsessively dwell on something that happened so long ago but every time we leave the house … every night before we go to bed … that security alarm has to be armed in order to protect our home and our family from that ever happening again — so it just serves as a constant reminder as to why we had to have it installed to begin with.

Unfortunately, it’s just a sad, deceitful, and dangerous world that honest, decent, hard-working, law-abiding people have to live in these days.

The closest we had to a burglary was my son’s good friend from school. The boy hadn’t been here for a month or more but he’d been here before and was always so polite and well behaved. I got a call after he left from his Step-mother saying he came home drunk and trying to blame it on me. The sixteen year old said I gave him money and had come directly home after my house. Actually it had been 2 1/2 hours later. Checking the house we found he took $50 from all of us total, several CD’s, and my son’s watch he got while in the Air Force that he had showed him while he was visiting. I later found out from the Step-mother that he had a drug and alcohol problem and had it set up previously with some older kids to trade our things for both. The boy was sent back to live with his Mom and later sent to a children’s lockdown rehab facility. We tried to find out how the boy was doing from the Step-mother a month later and my son a month after that, but she refused to give out any contact information for him and angrily said he was fine!

i wonder how many people here would get upset if you had to pay $100 and training to be able to post on this site. wait protected by 1st amendment…have you ever heard of second?????