A Call To Arms

 

Ladies and gentlemen of Missouri – the state I currently reside in – state senator Lauren Arthur (https://www.arthurformissouri.com) needs our help.

SB 936 would ban ownership of fire arms from anybody convicted of domestic violence. 

Per KCUR’s Up To Date radio program: “In 2018, Missouri ranked second in the nation, behind Alaska, in the number of women killed by men. Among Missouri women murdered by their intimate partners, 80% were killed with guns.”  Listen here:  https://www.kcur.org/podcast/up-to-date/2022-02-09/missouri-bill-would-deny-firearms-to-those-convicted-of-domestic-violence

 

Unfortunately, she is no more optimistic about this bills chances then I am, but she hopes to at least get it debated. 

I have offered to submit written testimony in support of this bill and encourage you to do the same.  Please send comments, messages of support, etc to:   lauren.arthur@senate.mo.gov. Further information can also be found at https://www.mo.gov/.

 

Yes, Second Amendment Rights indeed.  Sure.  But, to paraphrase something I read in an Op-Ed piece: there is no “stand your ground law” for those whose ground is being threatened by their partner.

 Somebody’s right to own a weapon does not and should not come before somebody else’s right to be safe.

Somebody’s right to have a gun is NOT more important than someone’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

Samhain

On this day – the ancient Celtic New Year – I always take some time to think about those that came before me.  My grandparents, great grandparents and all the way back.

This time was considered the border between seasons.  Between one year and the next.  Between one world and the next where the spirits of our ancestors could cross over if they so desired for a short period of time.

Or, alternatively, it can be seen as a time to put on zany costumes, cut loose and get lots of candy.

Whichever way you do it, enjoy.

I’ll lead you out with my traditional sharing of Lorenna McKennitt’s “All Souls Night” found at the link below.

https://youtu.be/RooTTuLCfNM

Where I'm at

 

I try to be a “glass half full” type of person…I do….But I’ll be honest:  The past several years – the past year and a half in particular – have just sucked and I’m feeling the need to vent.  So if you want something positive and uplifting, you might consider skipping this one.

I’m tired of listening to the whining.  To paraphrase something I saw elsewhere:  we have kids, some barely into puberty, doing active shooter drills.  Kids.  Learning how to form barricades and hide. Children. Learning to hide from other children.

And what are the parents showing up to the meetings and confronting local officials and lawmakers about?  What has them so upset they are almost soiling themselves?

Yup. That’s right. 

Masks.

And I am fed up listening to lame excuses as to why things that should have been done long ago have not even been started. 

Smoke from wild fires all the way out on the west coast are affecting the air quality in my city in the Mid-West.  That is how bad things have gotten folks.  And, to paraphrase Greta Thornburg, what are we getting from lawmakers and power company officials like Evergy?

“…blah blah blah…We hope to have this percentage of clean energy by 2035 and {yada yada yada} by 2050….blah and whatever.”

Seriously?  You’ve had decades, not years, Decades, to work on this problem; and that is the best you can come up with?  That is pathetic.  You’re useless.  Go home.

This environmental anxiety our youth are experience is nothing new.  I can remember being in grade school and reading in a text somewhere about acid rain and desertification; and being appalled and completely flabbergasted that “why aren’t we stopping this?”

I can remember back in the day when climate change was being referred to as the Greenhouse Effect.

If none of this makes you feel better, it wasn’t meant to.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you will keep getting what you have always gotten.

It is time to grow up and make some serious changes.

And it starts with you. 

 

 

 

ENOUGH

 I fancy myself a writer.  I can remember "writing" my first story in first grade.  

But mere words do not seem enough to express my contempt - and alarm - of the Texas law that just became effective.  

Whatever your views of abortion are, I can guarantee that you will not like living under the surveillance society that this law encourages.

Below is probably the only photo of me you will find on this site.   The shirt I'm wearing is one I stole from my mom's closet.  She is long retired, but had a habit of wearing it when there were management meetings planned.

#RuthSentUs