Knife Bad, Tree Pretty

In my real life I am a retail manager at a big box store. That means that I deal with any number of complaints. Some of these are real, and I handle them as best I can, and some are utterly silly based on misunderstandings or outrage that we won't change our policy "just this once". This last group is particularly challenging since no one at the store actually did anything wrong that I can fix. The reason I bring this up is earlier this week, toward the end of my shift, I was walking the store with my direct supervisor making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be doing and I was approached (if you can call being yelled at from thirty feet away approached) by a customer who had a concern in the second category.

The Aurora Shooting

Sorry this is so late, but there were some things I couldn't confirm that I wanted to be sure of. I don't always blog, but when I do, I prefer to be accurate.

The Aurora theater shooting was a tragic occurrence. I cannot speculate as to the perpetrator's motives, since he hasn't said much to anyone at all since his capture that night. All that has been consistently reported has been the shooter's dyed-orange hair and his "dazed" appearance at his first hearing. The Aurora shooter's odd behavior had been noticed by others, notably Glenn Rotkovitch, president of a local gun club, because of the disturbing outgoing message on his answering machine. According to the article Mr. Ratkovitch

gave [the] staff his name ... and told everyone here to get me if he shows up at the range. I wanted to know who he was before we considered doing anything with him, let alone make him a member. He was flagged.

 So, even the so-called "gun nuts" could tell he was disturbed. Interesting.

The Second Amendment, Businesses, and Property Rights

Before I get started, let me tell you some things about me that I don't think I've come out and said before. I am a card-carrying Life Member of the NRA, and am in the process of upgrading to Endowment Member. I have a concealed carry permit issued by the state in which I live, and carry when I leave the house. On a side note, my state allows permit holders to carry their weapons openly in public, which I normally do. I own a pistol and two working shotguns and shoot them regularly. I say this so the accusation of "left-wing anti-gun nut" can't be thrown my way after I finish this post.

Blogs, Pool Parties, and Bodily Functions

When a blogger puts up a post he is exercising a right to participate in the great marketplace of ideas. Just putting a post out there and letting it sit is similar to the days when someone could go to the public square, stand on a box, and pontificate to his heart's content. At the end of his speech, he could simply walk away and be forgotten, or possibly have rotten fruit thrown at him. The speaker/blogger has had his say, gotten whatever was on his mind out into the open, and been satisfied by the process.

Something Awful This Way Comes

I'm new at public blogging. I have very few readers at the moment and I ok with that. I'd be tickled pink if someone actually linked to a post I had written, even if they were pointing out the total lack of polish in my writing. However, if I happened to stumble across one of my posts on another site, with no attribution, I'd be a bit peeved. And shocked. Musn't forget shocked because I honestly don't think I've said anything worth stealing. Quotes, links, mentions, all ok, even if people are being rude about me. Stealing, not ok. Here's where it gets fun: some people don't know the difference!

Border Patrol Agents to Duck and Cover if Shot At

When I first stumbled on this over at Weasel Zippers, I was sure Fox News had been punked by The Onion, but it looks to be legitimate. According to Fox, new guidelines from the Department of Homeland Security require that all employees, whether sworn law enforcement officers or civilians:

• Evacuate: If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises.
• Hide out: If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely to find you.
• Take action: As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter.

 At first I thought this was only for civilian employees, but no, the DHS has doubled down on the stupid by saying their course was intended for all employees, civilian and law-enforcement officers alike.

4th and Long, SCOTUS punts

OK, after reading through the first part of the opinion (and as an aside I do have to say that Chief Justice Roberts writes very clearly for such a complicated subject) it looks to me like the Supreme Court is a) trying to have it both ways and b) trying very hard to make the American people start paying attention again.

Affordable Care Act Upheld

I am at a loss for words. Working from the phone right now while I'm on lunch, so I'll have to be brief. I'm going to do my research tonight and hopefully have a more comprehensive and coherent post up tomorrow.

I'll leave with this: it is now more important than ever that those of us who feel the Federal government has finally over reached and needs to change exercise our right to vote, and to contact our representatives and let them know how we feel about policy.

Politics in America can no longer be a spectator sport.

What are they teaching them in schools these days?

It's all about civility. And respect. And a whole host of other things that for some reason our society has decided are either not important or too old fashioned to worry with anymore. A popular subject in the news this week is that of Ms. Karen Klein, of New York. She is the bus monitor who was verbally harassed and abused by the students on her bus, one of whom decided it would be fun to not only record the incident for posterity, but to post it to his YouTube account as well. I do not know what started the incident, and no one else seems to either. Like a pack of hyenas these four boys decided they were going to use her as an object of sport and let the abuse flow unfettered.

The First One!

Woohoo! I'm a blogger now! Yay! Or something.

I've decided that the other "sooper seekret" blog I keep isn't really the place for some of my opinions. You see, I have regular readers there who are far more extreme politically than I am and I'm afraid that even the smallest statement of opinion that didn't match lock-step with theirs would unleash a hail of poo flinging and name calling that I have little patience for. This is especially true considering we've offered advise, suggestions, and support to one another during various personal episodes over the past many years.

So, for more public consumption than my personal travails at work and in love, I am starting "Snark from the Edge". If you disagree with me that's fine, keep it civil is all I ask. Name calling and douchebaggery will be met with scorn, criticism, and possible loss of self-esteem (yours, not mine). The first person to fall foul of Godwin's Law in any discussion wins the "Butt Munch of the Day" award and will keep it until they redeem themselves or someone says something dumber, whichever comes first.