And Once Again---Babes with Guns

  I was just flipping through my electronic mail here, and found a letter from a friend of mine about school shootings. Then I hear that another shooting just occured at a school this morning! What the hell is going on here? Has society COMPLETELY fallen apart? What the hell are the parents doing with these kids??????

                 I have raised two daughters, somewhat successfully, I tend to think. I also own guns...hand guns, shotguns, whatever. Neither one of my girls EVER talked of taking a gun to school to settle something! Now, to be fair, they did always expect me to go there to intimidate teachers and the principal! Which I would gladly do, of course. But even then, I never used a gun to get my message across.

                In a way, I sort of hate guns, but I happen to own them, so that is a paradox...and a strange one at that. I no longer hunt, so I keep them knowing that at sometime I may need to defend my home and family against an intruder....maybe. I have been in some very 'touchy' situations before, with some very volatile persons, and have never pulled out a gun.

             Once a gun comes out, there can be only ONE END. Someone ends up shot. If you need a gun, then you have exhausted all of your options, now you must decide if you can kill someone...or let them take your gun and kill you. Neither outcome is a good one. This is just what I was talking about earlier...I won't say that ANY kind of music causes kids to do these things. I will say that MOST of the blame lies with the parents.

           My oldest daughter has moved out, started a family, and I STILL know who most of her friends are.(you can NEVER know everything). I can name my youngest girl's friends as well. I know where she is every minute of every day. So far, she hasn't gotten bold enough to skip school, but when she does, I will deal with it.

            Do I hide my guns? From my grandchildren, yes. From my girls and my wife? Certainly not! They know what guns are for, and what they can do to people. They understand that a gun is a TOOL. Like a hammer, it has a specific job to do, and that is just what it does. GUNS KILL THINGS. They are not toys, they are not art, they are not phallic symbols. They are, quite simply, specialized tools. No more, no less.

              Now, next will come the allegations that some video-game caused this young boy to do this shooting. Bullshit! Someone at that school pissed this kid off, and more than likely just pushed him aside; maybe he didn't run with the "popular" crowd, maybe he wasn't a jock. Who knows? I find it strange that this child went straight for the administration at his school, and not after students. Someone needs to do some looking in that direction.

               In my dealings with teachers here, we have some who need a break from teaching. They have had their jobs too long. You can see it in their eyes, in the way that they treat certain students. Hell, I have a nephew that was tied up, and had duct tape put on his mouth in school!! He was just a little kid at the time, first or second grade. I saw this same boy snatched completely off the ground by just one arm when he was in third grade by a male teacher.

           At the time I saw this, I didn't pay attention to the child, only the teacher. I took the child from him, and told him to pick on someone his size....and since I was right there, I was most certainly available! Only later did I find out that the child he was abusing was my nephew. It didn't matter at the time, it was a small child being man-handled by a two-hundred pound grown man. No one could just stand by and watch that.

             We need to identify kids who have short fuses. We need to teach older kids that it is wrong to tease and harm ANYONE.  We need to do away with "cliques" in schools. We need to go to school uniforms, so no one gets pushed around because of what they wear. And, mostly, PARENTS NEED TO BE INVOLVED IN THEIR KID'S LIVES!!!!!!!!!

              Don't tell me you are too busy with work. That's bullshit. I managed to work 16 hour days in a hot, dirty factory. Worked to the bone, and just as tired, I always had time for my little girls. Let's put the blame right where it belongs....with the parents. No more, no less.

 

Holla' If You Hear Me!!!

Of Men and "Music"

  It is no secret that I hate rap music. It sucks. It only glorifies violence, drugs, and calling women 'bitches' and 'ho's'. It is the most base, and stupid shit that I have ever heard. It is a sad day when we let our children's heroes become drug dealers, pimps, and pushers.

            Now, wait, I hear you out there...."hey, didn't YOU yourself do lots of bad things when you were younger? Aren't you being just a little self-righteous?" No, I am simply being self-aware. A lot of the things I did were wrong, and took advantage of people's circumstances, to my own good, or for profit. I never said it was right, and I think most of my message was "DON'T BE LIKE ME". I never glorified anything that I did to someone else.

             Now, here comes this '50 Cent' rapper. They made a movie about his life. So he was shot nine times. So what? If you are into dealing drugs, it just comes with the job. Sort of an "occupational hazzard". Don't come crying to everybody that you were shot, then Medicaid has to pay to keep you alive. Shut up, die, or get over it! And in that vein, I wrote the following......

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                     (sung to the tune of "The Beverly Hillbillies)

       Come and listen to my story of a man named '50 Cent',

        He made a lot of drug money, but now it's all been spent.

          When one day while he was shootin' up some drugs,

          Up from the street popped a couple of thugs.

           (record producers)

            "Rappin' 50, that's where the money's at,

              Get some new clothes, and a funky fresh hat".

               Well the first thing you know, 50 Cent's a millionaire,

               Folks lookin' at his fresh new ride,

               He said, "Hey, get away from there;

               Back in the ghetto is where y'all belong...

               So get along little doggies, get along!"

 

Really, don't take this rap crap too seriously. I listen to real music. Music that has something extra, where the singers have something....what is the word I am looking for? Oh, yeah, TALENT! That's it, TALENT.

 

Questions, comments, abusive remarks......recording contracts? You always know where to find me.

                Holla' If You Hear Me!!!

           

Words to Live By?

    It has been brought to my attention that our human language is woefully inadequate. Think of it this way; describe to me the difference between a lemon and a lime, then try to describe the difference in taste? we just don't have the words for such things.

               Try to explain love, hate, or any other human emotion. You simply  cannot do it. For someone to understand just what you are talking about, they MUST have experienced it themselves. Once you realize this, talking to someone takes on a new meaning. "Am I making my point understood to this person"?  "Am I using the right words"?  "Am I even sure that what I am saying makes any sense"?

                 Now, I can  "turn a phrase" with the best of them. I consider myself to be somewhat of a wordsmith. I know many 'big' words that hardly seem appropriate here. I know some, if not ALL, of the most base words that our language has to offer. Still, I could never describe love to someone who doesn't know it...the taste of salt...the smell of a summer rain in the middle of the day...what a small child smells like. You know it, that smell that all babies have.

              Try to describe just how a rose smells to someone sometime..."Words to Live By"? Which ones?  Questions, comments, abusive remarks?? You know where to find me!!

 

                              Holla' If You Hear Me!!!

A Bounty On My Head

  Ok, about 19 years ago,(I can't believe it was that long ago!), there were these drug dealers in our small town. Just small time hoods, really, nothing major. I happen to have a younger brother who is very stupid. He actually owed LOTS of money to these assholes for drugs. No more than a few hundred dollars, but he still owed it to them. After all, he got the 'product', and used it for what it was intended.

               These guys came after my brother, and naturally, he came to me. I told him I would not help him...he made this mess(not his first time), and he could clean it up. The bad thing was, he lived with our grandmother. It wasn't long before they went after her....then I got involved.

              Any time I caught them sitting in their car making 'deals', I would break it up! Any time I saw them in town, I did everything to make their life a living hell. The cops wouldn't do anything, so I did it myself. Before too long, word got back to me that one of these guys had a "contract" out on me. He wanted someone to shoot me. And he was willing to pay....$100.00 for my head.

             $100.00??????? I was so pissed off, I couldn't see straight! That was ALL I was worth to him? A Hundred dollars?? Fuck that!! I wanted his ass....how dare he only offer $100.00 for me!! I made his life hell, and finally caught the guy that took up the "contract".  I confronted him in front of a now gone gas station here in town. This young man was standing there talking to a few of his friends, telling them about his up-coming "payday".

               I just sort of pulled up in my car, and walked right up to the group. I asked him point-blank about his intentions. He stated that I was to be "eliminated" by him. This started me to laughing...I told him that he wouldn't live through the day. "You see", I said to him, "if you look at the door of my car, you will see a shotgun barrell, and a fine young lady holding it. That fine young lady was my wife, and the gun was loaded. This young man was informed that ANY movement from him would be considered hostile, and he would surely suffer dire consequences quickly.

             Before I turned to go back to my car, I told him that it ended there. I would give him no further warning. The next time he saw me, it would be too late for him. He left town that day. Later, the drug dealers left town. It was just too much trouble to sell with me breathing down their necks.

 

              Holla' If You Hear Me!!!

Rules For Men

  Ok, so my wife sent this to me...I had to share it with all of you. This should get your giggler going...

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WOMEN'S 50 or so RULES FOR MEN

1. Men like to barbecue. Men will cook if danger is involved.
2. Men who have pierced ears are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry.
3. If you buy your husband or boyfriend a video camera, for the first few weeks he has it, lock the door when you go to the bathroom. Most of my husband's early films end with a scream and a flush.
4. Be careful of men who are bald and rich; the arrogance of "rich" usually cancels out the nice of "bald."
5. Marrying a divorced man is ecologically responsible. In a world where there are more women than men, it pays to recycle.
6. Men are very confident people. My husband is so confident that when he watches sports on television, he thinks that if he concentrates he can help his team. If the team is in trouble, he coaches the players from our living room, and if they're really in trouble, I have to get off the phone in case they call him.
7. If it's attention you want, don't get involved with a man during play-off season.
8. Men like phones with lots of buttons. It makes them feel important.
9. Men love to be the first to read the newspaper in the morning. Not being the first is upsetting to their psyches.
10. All men look nerdy in black socks and sandals.
11. The way a man looks at himself in a mirror will tell you if he can ever care about anyone else.
12. Don't try to teach men how to do anything in public. They can learn in private; in public they have to know.
13. Men who are going bald often wear baseball caps.
14. All men are afraid of eyelash curlers. I sleep with one under my pillow, instead of a gun.
15. A good place to meet a man is at the dry cleaner. These men usually have jobs and bathe.
16. Men love watches with multiple functions. My husband has one that is a combination address book, telescope and piano.
17. All men hate to hear "We need to talk about our relationship." These seven words strike fear in the heart of even General Schwarzkopf.
18. Men are sensitive in strange ways. If a man has built a fire and the last log does not burn, he will take it personally.
19. Men are brave enough to go to war, but they are not brave enough to get a bikini wax.
20. All men think that they're nice guys. Some of them are not. Contact me for a list of names.
21. Men don't get cellulite. God might just be a man.
22. Men have an easier time buying bathing suits. Women have two types: depressing and more depressing. Men have two types: nerdy and not nerdy.
23. Men have higher body temperatures than women. If your heating goes out in winter, I recommend sleeping next to a man. Men are like portable heaters that snore.
24. Women take clothing much more seriously than men. I've never seen a man walk into a party and say "Oh, my God, I'm so embarrassed; get me out of here. There's another man wearing a black tuxedo."
25. Most men hate to shop. That's why the men's department is usually on the first floor of a department store, two inches from the door.
26. If a man prepares dinner for you and the salad contains three or more types of lettuce, he is serious.
27 If you're dating a man who you think might be "Mr. Right," if he a) got older, b) got a new job, or c) visited a psychiatrist, you are in for a nasty surprise. The cocoon-to-butterfly theory only works on cocoons and butterflies.
28. Men own basketball teams. Every year cheerleaders' outfits get tighter and briefer, and players' shorts get baggier and longer.
29. No man is charming all of the time. Even Cary Grant is on record saying he wished he could be Cary Grant.
30. When four or more men get together, they talk about sports.
31. When four or more women get together, they talk about men.
32. Not one man in a beer commercial has a beer belly.
33. Men are less sentimental than women. No man has ever seen the movie THE WAY WE WERE twice, voluntarily.
34. Most women are introspective: "Am I in love? Am I emotionally and creatively fulfilled?" Most men are outrospective: "Did my team win? How's my car?"
35. If a man says, "I'll call you," and he doesn't, he didn't forget... he didn't lose your number... he didn't die. He just didn't want to call you.
36. Men hate to lose. I once beat my husband at tennis. I asked him, "Are we going to have sex again?" He said, "Yes, but not with each other."
37. Men who can eat anything they want and not gain weight should do it out of sight of women.
38. Getting rid of a man without hurting his masculinity is a problem. "Get out" and "I never want to see you again" might sound like a challenge. If you want to get rid of a man, I suggest saying, "I love you... I want to marry you... I want to have your children." Sometimes they leave skid marks.
39. Men accept compliments much better than women do. Example: "Mitch, you look great." Mitch:"Thanks." On the other side:"Ruth, you look great." Ruth: "I do? Must be the lighting."
40. Impulse buying is not macho. Men rarely call the Home Shopping Network.
41. Men who listen to classical music tend not to spit.
42. Only men who have worn a ski suit understand how complicated it is for a woman to go to the bathroom when she's wearing a jumpsuit.
43. Men don't feel the urge to get married as quickly as women do because their clothes all button and zip in the front. Women's dresses usually button and zip in the back. We need men emotionally and sexually, but we also need men to help us get dressed.
44. Men are self-confident because they grow up identifying with superheros. Women have bad self-images because they grow up identifying with Barbie.
45. When a woman tries on clothing from her closet that feels tight, she will assume she has gained weight. When a man tries something from his closet that feels tight, he will assume the clothing has shrunk.
46. Male menopause is a lot more fun than female menopause. With female menopause you gain weight and get hot flashes. Male menopause - you get to date young girls and drive motorcycles.
47. Men forget everything; women remember everything.
48. That's why men need instant replays in sports. They've already forgotten what happened.
49. Men would like monogamy better if it sounded less like monotony.
50. All men would still really like to own a train set.

"On the Cheap".

   Gather 'round, children, and listen to my tale of the cheapest man alive. Umm, that would be ME, in case you are wondering. If anyone knows anything about me, it is two things---I am a pack-rat, and I am cheap! I never throw out anything. If I can't fix it, then surely it has parts that I will need later on! This keeps me in constant conflict with the wife.

              Last week, we had a small fan to quit working. I said I would "get to it" sometime or other. This is standard 'man-talk'; it simply means that we will have a look at it, and determine if it can be fixed...with no cost to us. Seeing as how us men are so much smarter than women, we can sometimes fix these little things!!(you can stop laughing  now)

             So, I bring the fan in today, did I mention that it rained last week? While this fan was on the porch? Yes, I have a porch, I am a redneck, remember? Anyway, I bring it in, and completely dis-assemble it. The darn thing was clogged with hair! This has long been a problem with fans in my house. Both of my daughters have hair down past their knees. It seems that their hair just gets into everything.

                Well, I was able to bring the little fan back from the dead. Yes, he is sitting in my kitchen, just humming along. I do this frequently with small home appliances. People tend to throw things out that still have a usefull life. I still own the little hand mixer that someone got us when we got married 23 years ago. And, yes, it works! I have had to take it apart, and grease the little bearings in it, but it still works!

             I guess that I am fortunate that I am able to fix things that go wrong. I used to work on cars. In the Army, I was a diesel mechanic. Tanks, trucks, whatever. All this, and I make jewelry too! I guess you could say that I have it all!!

 

               Holla' If You Hear Me!!!

Dammed if you do....etc.

 So, here I am, online, and yakking at you. Through the "magic" of 'ma Bell', I have purchased "Unlimited Long Distance Dialing", for the ridiculous price of more than $70.00 per month. This way, when I dial out on my pc, it doesn't cost me over $600.00 per month! (and believe me, they tried to charge me that much my first month!) Crooked bastards!

                  So, I ask, why is it that when I actually make a call to someone, and it is long distance, I am charged for it? Plus state tax, federal tax, and some kind of 'sur-charge'? I swear, if 'Ma Bell gets any closer to me, I will need some Vaseline, and a Latex Condom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even my wife rarely gets that close to me! Someone is getting screwed, and I think it is ME! And I ain't even getting kissed! Shit, I ain't even getting a reach-around!

                 Funny thing. I learned that it was illegal to have a monopoly on something in the fifth grade. When I asked the teacher "why is the Bell Telephone Network not considered a monopoly", I was told that it was 'different' for the telephone company. I never understood that; a monopoly is still a monopoly. In 1978, the U.S. Government proved my point for me. I guess teachers don't know everything!

           Now, we have a 'diversified' telephone company. This seems to mean that Bell Telephone Company can screw everyone as THEY see fit. Oh, sure, there are 'other' phone companies, but Bell still holds all of the cards. Ain't America great?   Questions, comments, abusive remarks? You know where to find me!!!!!!!

 

        Holla' If You Hear Me!!!