Turning a blunder into a learning experience

As some of us get older we hone our abilities and skills to turn a tragedy into something positive .... a study... a learning experience.

A few minutes ago I was swapping old an empty toilet paper roll for a new one.  The new one dropped in the toilet.  (I generally close the lid when working around the proverbial potty but did not do so today).

So .... What did I do?

Observed how much the water line in the toilet dropped pre and post potty tragedy.  Took the new roll of TP and weighed it to compare to the new roll that fell in the toilet.  I am still thinking how to include this in a vacuum tube report.  Question to self .... do 12AX7s float?  Long plate versus short plate?

President Obama - You have lost one more Democrat

President Obama - you should bow your head in shame
Using the Naval Base tragedy to further your own agenda

I just wrote our President.

I have done this in the past.

I have NEVER received a reply even though others I have written have had the courtesy to send me back a simple form letter.

This is my latest:

I voted for you.  Twice.

I felt you have done some good things for the country and some not so good things.

Your approach to reduce violence by restricting firearms ownership is nothing short of shallow thinking and setting up a platform for people whose thought processes are simplistic at best.

You are not addressing mental health, the economy or the myriad of other aspects that contribute to violence.

You show inconsistent logic on a regular basis.  Strict gun laws to limit, restrict or make unavailable sporting arms one moment and expecting us to bomb Syria the next.

The recent tragedy at the Naval facility was a lack of security.  It was a result of a sick individual.  How dare you use this tragedy to support your own agenda when it has nothing to do with the facts.  

Shame on you.  You may be President of the United States of America but I have lost respect for you as a human being and person.  

What are you going to do if somebody tosses a ammonia gas bomb in a public place at some point?  Outlaw cleaning products?  Outlaw bleach?  

Criminals will continue to pay no attention to laws and will continue to procure weapons of many types on an illegal basis.  Your reaction to that is to take weapons away from those who legally procure them and remove the defensive capability of the citizens that follow the law.  When trouble is seconds away the police take minutes to arrive.

I am a registered Democrat.  In the future I intend to vote against the Democratic party unless the actions and past performance of a candidate is clear to me.  If undecided I will vote against the Democratic candidate.

I find your actions detestable.  Revolting.  Disgusting.

You have lost one more Democrat.

My thoughts on the NRA can be viewed (along with four videos) at
 http://la-economy.blogspot.com/2013/09/nra-national-rifle-association.html

NRA - National Rifle Association

When I was a young teen I was a Junior Member of the National Rifle Association.

I attended firearms safety classes, marksmanship classes and a few years later when I entered military school I was on their shooting teams.  A few years after that I entered military service and was a member of the Navy Rifle and Navy Pistol Team.  In 1984-1985 I was a member of the Sheriff pistol team.  But .... I had let my NRA membership lapse.  Until 2012.

I wonder if our elected officials look at the percentages of letters, calls and communications they receive each day and compare those that say well done versus those with complaints?  One reason I re-joined the NRA is to add one more voice to an organized group and support them financially as well.

The actions by our government at the State and National level were of growing concern for me on many subjects, not just firearms.  Budget changes can take years to make a change but how our elected representatives respond and act on firearms legislation gives an immediate picture of their views.

I joined the NRA in 2012 as I stated about and now spend time as a very active member writing our representatives on a regular basis, calling their offices and posting on social media such as facebook, twitter, reddit and on this blog which has been read almost 15 million times.

You can read more of what I have posted on social media and learn my own thoughts by clicking on "read more" below.

Homelessness in Los Angeles Increases

Recently the Los Angeles Times printed a story showing that in spite of the economy improving for some, perhaps the wealthy more so than the general population, the number of homeless on the streets of Los Angeles has increased.

I applaud the story from the Times.

This is the first story I have seen that agrees to what I personally see on the streets each week.  My counts of the homeless which have been documented and which I have posted in real time on social media are also in agreement with this Los Angeles Times story.

Click on "Read more" to continue

Here we go again. Syria.

Here we go again?

One of my friends on facebook posted some commentary on the possible strike on Syria.  I have my own thoughts on the subject and won't even bring up the issues of getting involved on foreign soil while we have so many issues here at home.  I did comment on the history of the subject.

When I was very young I was told that the reason they teach history in the school system is so we can learn from our mistakes. 

Click on "Read more" for the complete piece.

March Against Corruption

If you are not comfortable with the actions of our government take a few minutes to watch the video.  You may find it interesting.