Godspeed, Mother Nature

So the Confederate Flag is on the outs, prompted at last by another senseless mass murder.

As a card-carrying Yankee, most of my experience with the flag, oddly enough, is from my Southern rock albums and artists – Skynyrd, Hank Jr., even Tom Petty. I would have to look through my collection, but many bands on the Capricorn label seemed to fly the flag in some fashion. 

Growing up, other than random images in our history books, the Confederate Flag simply wasn't on my radar all that much.

But I’m not here to talk about the flag; again, with me it’s guns.

When these killings occur, something has to blamed and it’s always something else, the flag, the bullying, the mentally-disturbed loner.

In a month, or three months, or six months, there will be another mass shooting in this country. We’ll blame it on bad parenting or devil-worshiping death metal, or something.

But surely not guns.

Of course, the killing spree is not just about mass murders either. In this country, it's just murder incorporated, handguns, assault rifles, whatever, whenever. 

I have friends who will tell me that I don’t understand how they need guns for protection, how it’s their second amendment right, how I’m a liberal pansy. How I just don't get it.

No, don't get it. And I never will.

I don’t have an answer for this; I just want people (especially those on the right) to talk about it, people who are smarter than me. You don’t see the amount of gun-related deaths in other countries that we have here.

I’m sick of this BS, and you should be too. And when you read about the next death from a gun – tomorrow, next week, or maybe even later today, maybe you will think about it too.

And stop blaming everything else.

Now it's a sin and it ought to be a crime

News Item:  2-Year-Old Accidentally Kills His Mom in Wal-Mart

I was once a proud member of the NRA.

True story.

When I was 12 and had just started hunting, we had subscriptions to "Outdoor Life,""Field and Stream" and Fur, Fish and Game." Thinking that shooting things was cool, and having the newfound ability to do so, I sent away for a free membership when I saw the ads in the magazine.

I got a spiffy membership card and decal for putting on my dad’s bumper, which he did not allow me to do as nothing went on his car bumpers. So I think I put it on my bedroom window.

Now, many view the NRA as crazy, or at least out of touch with reality.

But it seems as thought just as many view the NRA as vitally vigilant in fighting for our 2nd Amendment rights in a Obama-wants-to-take-our-guns- away world.

As much as I could easily side with the latter (given my heritage and background), I tend to fall in the former camp. I see no need for pistols, automatic weapons and other things just are just designed to kill other people. It should be harder to get a gun than to register to vote. Much, much harder.

Go ahead, tell me I am brainwashed and how naive I am, but the last straw was when some on the Right claimed the Sandy Hook school shooting was staged as part of a campaign for more gun control.

The message I receive from these gun nuts and the NRA is that mass shootings are an accepted bit of collateral damage in the fight to preserve their rights.

How sad is that.

I quit hunting deer when I was 13 and small game when I was 16, but I hold no real grudges against those who continue to hunt. In fact, I still sort of miss those Saturdays with my Dad walking though fields in Huntersville, PA (ironic, eh?) in search of rabbits and ringnecks. But I think that is more about long-gone familial bonds that cannot be recaptured than a thirst to kill small animals.

But as for you concealed carriers and those who leave your pistols unattended for kids to get at, keep telling yourself that a well-regulated militia is needed to protect your home and yourselves against the government.

Yeah, simplistic. Maybe

But also sane, at least in my world.

Dressed to kill.....

For a Sunday-School teaching, God-fearing, member of the Order of the Eastern Star farm wife, my grandmother was plenty tough. I think she had to be.

My grandparents used to have boarders during hunting season; men from out-of-town (mostly near Philadelphia), would come and stay at the big farmhouse for several days during doe and buck season. This photo was from a hunter named Joe and was taken in December 1956 (the back of the photo was inscribed). This particular hunter went home without his buck and signed off, “Better Luck Next Year.”

My grandfather by this point did not hunt (nor did my grandmother) as he was too busy with this farming chores and slowing down from the crippling effects of arthritis. Not sure why Orpha was holding the gun (there is the chance they were about to head out to the smokehouse to kill something for supper), but more-than-likely she was just holding it for posterity. I never saw her shoot anything, but she did cook up a mess of critters and wild game. And made a mean applesauce from the apple trees in the back yard.

And I never, ever saw her in anything but a dress – her “Sunday go-to-meeting” dresses, as she called them, and her everyday working house dresses, which could also double as her gun-totin’ dress.

Those wascally wabbits could get us all killed

Our neighbor, three houses away in a fairly suburban area, shoots rabbits. In his yard, in other neighbor's yards, probably wherever he sees them. He's a regular Elmer Fudd (thanks to my friend Debbie for that comparison).

Except that it's not funny. Not with small kids, particularly mine, around.

I sent him a note, asking him to keep it in his own yard. That's really all I can do because it is legal (really??) as long as you have a permit. What a world.

He responded by saying he would do his best, but that it's an substantial burden given that the rabbits are "wild, could carry disease and any of them could wind up rabid." He went on to say that he has killed 42 over the past six years and that he takes no joy in it whatsoever. He's complained to the city about this "infestation," but has gotten no help because apparently they are too busy with other civic responsibilities, like our water, roads, fighting crime and such. You know, other things we pay taxes for.

Also, to my dismay, some neighbors seem to side with him and others think I am overreacting.

I grew up with hunting. We had guns in our house. I am no gun control crusader.

Guns have no place in my neighborhood.

We will now have to keep our kids under total lock and key so to be sure they don't wander into the next yard looking at a bunny.

Because, unfortunately, it's always rabbit season in my neighborhood.

And that's not funny.

(photo above from Looney Tunes -- how ironic)