Recent Comments

1. about 6 years ago on Rose is Rose

   @ cthuhulu – No, not in the ‘modern’ sense. However, if you go back and read some of the old Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon comic strips on which “Ranger Rory” is based, or even modern Science Fiction by authors such as David Weber you’ll soon understand that Rory is wearing what is known in the SF genre as a “skin suit”. That is a custom-fitted, skin-tight, light-weight, low-pressure environmental suit that also permits complete freedom of movement.

   Besides that, I agree entirely with Sneaker.

2. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   PS: A better definition:TDS – Topical Dimentia Syndrome

3. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   @ Babs Maloney and following replies – The reason some people accuse someone else of having TDS is not their political convictions. That’s because TDS applies to both sides of the political divide. Actually, it’s a term coined to describe anyone who descends into frothing, rabid, hate-spewing invective when someone disagrees with any part of their picture of what would make the US perfect. Bsed on what I have observed in the comments to Mr. Wiley’s wonderful sense of humor, I would judge that to include about 70% of those who post in this area. Sad. Really sad.

   The worst part? You are supposed to be rational, educated adults. For shame, those who insist on turning this place into a shambles full of invective. You are pointing fingers at each other and screaming into the wind – and the wind just doesn’t care.

   Well, here’s my TDS spew for the day: The US would be the best country in the word if its citizens would get their heads out of their butts and go read (multiple sources, especially those that disagree with their preconceptions), think (not just knee-jerk), and then propose some solutions that actually stood even a 10% chance of success in dealing with just one tiny issue. Take it in nibbles, people. Work within the system as it exists to change what you don’t like. And stop pointing fingers at someone you think might make a good scapegoat for your own failures to invest in your citizenship.

4. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   [Continued from above]When was the last time you heard of a mass shooting in Israel? Not recently. Why? Because every Israeli man, woman, and child is taught from birth to swwrm the shooter(s), overpower them, disarm them if possible, and if not, simply kill them. A boot kick to the temple will do that. But the other part of it is, the Israeli government does not allow its news media to blat out ‘triumphant’ headlines about any such occurrence, no matter how much carnage is wreaked. Only foreign reporters do that.

   The result? Very few political activists even bother to use guns. The return in investment is just too small. There’s no hooplah, and nothing to which to lay claim for ‘masterminding’.

5. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   [Continued from above]

   Unfortunately, this situation will continue as long as:

   1) the news media is allowed to make a bruhaha feature feast of headlines concerning every such situation, as opposed to ‘burying a 1-paragraph report on Page 37’ – or electing not to report it at all – like any concientious editor should do. Want to make a difference? Start a campaign in your city to refuse to buy, subscribe to, or watch any news outlet that sensationalizes any form of assault or murder. It simply does not belong on the front page. News media revenues will fall off, and the almighty dollar will speak very loudly to the editors and publishers. That’s not a violation of the First Amendment, by the way. You can not constrain a person from speaking, but you can constrain where and how they are allowed to do so.

   2) we accept and honestly believe what we currently are teaching ourselves and our children – that somehow they are entitled to a world that is ultimately and completely safe, and that Mommy and Daddy can make laws that will legislate morality. You can’t. You just can’t.

   3) we insist on refusing to require professional instruction (such as now is required in 45 states for obtaining an automobile license) for every student, without exception, regarding the very real dangers involved in the handling of firearms, and the safest methods of doing so. Too many of us take the ostrich attitude of “ignore them, don’t let our kids touch or even see them, and no one will get hurt”.

   4) we teach ourselves and our kids to ‘run away and hide’ in a shooting incident, instead of turning toward and rushing the attacker. This is taught in such places as Israel, for instance.[Continued below]

6. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   @ Lee Dawson – “The problem is the laws you would come up with will be obeyed by the law abiding gun owners but the criminals will laugh at you* and ignore them to go and do as they please.”

   … and thank you for making it easier for them to terrorize you with ‘unlawful’ guns they already possess and have no intention of ever giving up because they are CRIMINALS, …

   “Like the facts say, NO NRA member has been a mass shooter or involved except the NRA Instructor who grabbed his AR-15 and helped stop the killer. Believe me, with police response times of 10 – 30+ minutes, the best protection of your children are trained people with guns. I was listening to a podcast about defensive use of guns and a lady stopped the BG attacking her and her children. The police showed up 14 minutes later. A school in TX is arming their teachers because the police say their response time will be up to 30 minutes.

   “Police protection is an oxymoron: Free citizens must protect themselves because police do not protect you from crime; they just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.”

   Sadly, all too true. And it is true no matter where in the world you live. Mass gun violence, as well as using firearms for assaults on individuals still occurs in places where private gun ownership is against the law … like, say, Canada, Great Britain, the USSR, China, … etc. There is no such thing as “perfect safety”, and anyone who believes that they are ‘entitled’ to perfect safety (or teaches that to children) is living in la-la land.

   People will use whatever weapons they can obtain (knives, guns, grenades, bombs, airplanes, what-have-you) to make a “statement”, no matter what the local law says. Just ask the relatives of those who died on 9-11.

   [Continued below]

7. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   [SNICKER]

8. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   Connie – Agreed, 100%.

9. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

   Mostly, she would get pretty incensed when one of the adults picked up her treasured “gift” and took it outside. She seemed to take the attitude of “Wow, here I spent hours catching that, and your spend one minute throwing it away! Fie! The least you could do is eat it. See if I come and warn your lap any time soon.” She would stare at the offender for maybe a minute, waiting for an apology, then stalk off ‘tail high’ to hide in a snit for hours.

10. over 6 years ago on Non Sequitur

    We had a Siamese (‘Missy’) who absolutely loved to hunt and catch mice. She never killed them, tho’. She would pack a live one into her mouth and appear at the back door, merowling a throaty demand to be let in. As soon as the door opened, she would whisk inside and streak for the living room, stopping in the middle of the round braided rug. There she would crouch until at least one person had followed to see what she was doing. Then she would huck the poor, half smothered mouse out onto the rug and sit up tall like the Queen of Sheba, waiting for praise of her hunting prowess.