It's Stupid to Argue With Stupid People

The fun never ends on Facebook.  Another American friend posted this gem:


"I believe in the right to keep and bear arms.  One Facebooker has challenged all gun owners to put this on their wall.  The Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right of the individual.  If you believe in the 2nd Amendment and you are not afraid to show it, re-post this".

At this point, I am not sure if the content of these stupid posts are what I have an issue with or if it's that these people are so unimaginative, they can't think up their own status updates.

Let it go!  We all know you Yanks love your guns.  We get it.  We don't understand it.  But we know that deep down, you're nothing but a bunch of war-loving air heads.  I would also hazard a guess that one quarter of the sheep that post this crap about your right to bear arms don't even have guns.  But damn it all to hell, if you wanted to own one, you sure as hell could!

In March 2005, four RCMP officers were ambushed on a farm.  All died.  The man that did it killed himself.  Canada mourned.  For a long time.  This, to most Canadians, was a horrifying thing.  Policemen die on the job, it's what happens.  But four officers at one time?  It was (and is) unthinkable.  

A few days ago, I read that eleven officers in the US have been shot and killed this year.  No one seems to bat an eye.  Are they immune to the horror?  Do they not worry how scary it is to realize that even policemen, the people hired to protect the innocent and keep the neighbourhoods where we live safe aren't immune? 

It would worry me. I worries me when one officer is killed.  

I don't even understand why the American's belief in guns bothers me so much.  I don't live there.  Maybe if more than half our news didn't come from the States, I would be ignorant to it and not care so much.  

But I guess it's that old problem I have with stupid people.  And really, it's stupid to argue with them.  They can't see how twisted their logic is.   They believe that the more guns there are, the safer they'll be.  They like vigilanteism.  They like to feel that they have the power to stop others with their gun.  The problem is, it's mostly the innocent that die.  

De-Junk Update #1

It's been nearly three weeks since I found out I would have to de-clutter, clean out the basement and various other forms of legal torture.  

I am happy to report the following:

I managed to get rid of one thing.  The only reason it's gone is that a nice young man took it off my hands and actually gave me money for it!  Yay me!!

1 down, 499 to go.

Way to go Sue!!

Who's Your Momma?

Having grown children seems to be a constant period of adjustment, for me, anyway.  As a mother, you can't help thinking of them as your children....as little people, holding on to your hands, running to you when they're hurt or upset or God forbid, maybe asking you your opinion once in a while.  Maybe it's worse for me.  My husband wasn't around much when they were small so I was it for them.  I took them to their sports, I was the one that was home for them when they were sick, went to parent-teacher interviews, took them to the doctor when they needed to go.

I had decided a little while ago that I would let my children be.  I wouldn't expect them to spend time with me, so I would not ask them to visit or accompany me to family dinners with my siblings or my parents.  I wouldn't expect them for dinners at my house or to show up for birthdays or holidays.  It's just easier for me this way.

But I hoped, deep down, that maybe they would keep me abreast of their lives in some form.  With Ryan, it's different, he lives with me, so he tells me things most of the time.  He planned a trip with his girlfriend and told me pretty much everything.  With Alex, I fear that he may get married, buy a house and have two children and I may be left in the dark.  One day, I may get an invitation to my grandchild's grade twelve graduation party.  It could happen.

Never was this more apparent a couple of months ago when my boyfriend and I had dinner with my brother and his wife, whom I hardly see.  Alex works for this brother.  

As my brother is dishing out the fifth and final appetizer, he says:

"I hear Alex and Ashley are buying a condo together".  I pause, fork stuck in mid-air.  I glance at Kevin. He's looking at me, eyebrows slightly raised, looking at tad confused.  

"What?" I respond intelligently.  What else to say?  Do I pretend that I know exactly what he's talking about?  If I do, I risk the ire of my mother, who is also there.  She'll just be mad that I just didn't share this little tidbit.  Honesty is the best policy.

"Yes, they're thinking of moving in, buying a condo.  Ashley is making good money working for that lawyer, Alex makes good money..." blah blah blah, on and on he went but I stopped listening.  

The worst thing about this was the week before, Alex spent the night at my house.  He and I went out to dinner, went back to my place, had a couple drinks, just the two of us.  He had ample opportunity to talk to me, to tell me his plans, but he chose not to.  I seriously doubted this was a new thing, because he had mentioned to me a month or so before that Ashley wanted to move out of her parents house.  A year before, he told me he was saving up to buy his own place.  I think it had been a plan for a while.  So....why wouldn't he tell me, his mother, about it?

I was upset for a while.   But then, I remembered the pledge I made to myself - they are not your little babies anymore.  Let them be.  Let them make their plans and do their things.  They are not required to tell you everything they are doing with their lives.

But it would sure be nice......


So today, my son Alex called me to tell me he and Ashley broke up.  For the last and final time.  They broke up about a year ago and I found out on Facebook.  So, maybe there is hope after all.  

Guns, Oil and the American Way.

Eating at me right now is the status of one of my Facebook friends.   An American, she is of the belief, like a lot of NRA wanna-bes that guns don't kill people, people kill people.  Is she right?  Yes, to a point.  
What is eating at me however is that I want to respond to her post with perhaps just a little common sense, which in the world, seems to be lacking.  

To everyone who is calling for stricter gun laws in light of the tragedy in Tucson, may I offer this little tidbit: If guns kill people, then pencils misspell words, cars drive drunk, and spoons make people fat. Remember: HOLD THE PERSON ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS, not the means they chose to utilize!!! Repost if you agree...I just did!


So my response if I did want to start a shit-storm on Facebook would be something like this:


"The flaw in your argument is of course that pencils are a drawing implement, cars, a transportation tool, spoons, a kitchen utensil.   Each are manufactured with a non-lethal purpose in mind.  Honda doesn't make vehicles with the intent of them being used by drunk drivers.  No one at Laurentian thinks "Gee, this pencil is going to poke someone's eyes out one day".  Get my point?  Firearms, whether they are rifles,  shotgun or handguns, are manufactured with the same purpose:  to kill something."  


Yes, people kill people, but they kill people with guns - in the US.   Seventy five per cent of murders in the US are committed with a firearm.  In Canada?  About 32%.  Canada has gun control.  The US?  Only three states have gun control laws similar to Canada.  In some states, you don't need a carry to conceal permit.  


But hey, at least their rights aren't being infringed upon.  It's easier to buy a gun than it is to get a driver's license in the US.  Good for them.  


I tend to believe in a civilized society, we don't need to have guns in our homes.  But then again, the US is 24th in the world for murders, 0.042802 per 1000 people, ahead of countries like Mexico and Columbia.


Canada is 44th in the world, just ahead of Australia, with 0.0149063 per 1000 people.   Great Britain, where the average constable doesn't even carry a firearm has even less murders.  


So who are the dumb asses?  


In a country where school shootings are common-place, where ten year old boys kill their mother when they're pissed off, where small children accidentally kill their play dates, with guns, you'd think that perhaps the country as a whole wouldn't be so keen on the 2nd Amendment.  (Which was written in a different era, not to mention).  


Maybe they should worry more about their crappy economy, their lack of health care, their crime rates instead of being worried about the demise of their right to bear arms.  


Just my opinion of course.


God Bless Canada.  

Junk Much?

For four and a half years, I have lived in a house that I didn't want to live in.  I won't go into all the boring details, but it's been hard to stay someplace where I haven't wanted to be, where there are bad memories and where I spent a lot of sad time.  I knew four years ago that the best thing for me would be to sell this house and buy another home, smaller, less expensive to heat and maintain, where I could begin the road of developing new,  happy memories.

Now, I am "permitted" to sell the house.  The "paper" says I must list the house for sale by April 30th, which for normal people is a lot of time.  I need a LOT of time.

In the past, I have prepared this house to list.  It took a steady two weeks of cleaning, de-cluttering and the dreaded getting rid of all the junk.

I have probably cleaned out the basement seven times since I moved here.  Each of those times I took a fully loaded SUV or pick up truck to the landfill to get rid of the crap that I figured no one would want.

But I haven't done it in some time.  The basement is full of stuff and I honestly don't know where it came from.

I am a pack rat.  I like things.  Lots of things.  Which is going to pose problems when I do get my smaller, less expensive house.  There will be furniture to get rid off, boxes in the basement to dispose of, all most likely filled with stuff that no one has looked at in at least five years.

A few months ago, I started a list - HOUSE CLEANUP.  There was about twelve must-do's on that list. I worked at it for a while.  I still have nine to go.

So, April 30th?  Gee, Miss Procrastination better get her ass in gear.

The Great (and Not So Great) Things About Dogs

I love my dogs like they are my children.  I think that's because my children are now men and once a mother, it's often hard to let go of that need to take care of them.  So, I have dogs.  Two beautiful Golden Retriever boys that I love to death, but routinely drive me nuts at the same time.  Somewhat like children.

I had a Golden Retriever before.  He was a wonderful dog.  He was well-behaved and calm.  He never chewed things he wasn't supposed to.  His worst faults were that he liked to carry socks around and he was very affectionate.

These boys?  Not so much.  Well, the affectionate part yes, as that's a big part of a Golden's personality.  But the rest?  No.  Not well-behaved.  Not calm.  And they often chew things they aren't supposed to.  Mainly sofas and shoes.

On to the great things about dogs-

1.  They truly do love you, no matter what.  You can yell at them, ignore them, forget to let them out for a pee.  It doesn't matter.  They will still love you.  They will still come running when you get home from a long day at work.

2.   They are good company.  When you want to be alone but not REALLY alone, they will just sit there and be with you.  No need for conversation.  No need to analyze what they're thinking.

3.  When you compare owning a dog to having a child, dogs are relatively cheap.  You don't need daycare.  They eat the same food everyday.  Same cookies too.  You don't need to buy clothes as they grow and they don't need car seats.  It's a win win.

4.  They'll walk as long as you want.  They won't start whining that they're tired or cold.  

5.  They don't talk your ears off.  They can communicate in other ways.

6.  They don't complain.  Ever.

The not so great-

1.  Mine don't sleep past 6:45 am.  Most of the time, they are up and ready to go at 5 am.  Luckily, they eat, pee, poop and fall back asleep.

2.  They still love me unconditionally, but I suspect it's partly because I hold the key to their kibble stash.

3.  Dogs are inexpensive until they need to go to the vet.  Then it's game on.

4.  I sometimes wish they could talk.  It's often frustrating to realize that Manchester has decided to pee on the floor by the door, all because you didn't notice him standing there, ready to go.

5.  They like to eat things you'd rather they avoided.  For mine, it's toilet paper and dryer sheets.  Manchester is two years old and I still can't leave a roll of toilet paper unattended in a bathroom.

6.  Having two dogs if a challenge.  If one is less well-behaved than the other, they often drag the good dog into the fun, which in my house, is getting Oscar to indulge in some wild and crazy toilet paper shredding.  Luckily, when Manchester is helping himself to some cheese cake whilst standing with his paws on the counter, Oscar realizes that that behaviour is totally inappropriate.  Good dog....

7.  And the saddest part of owning a dog - they don't live long enough.  January 5th marked the second anniversary of Timone's death and still I think about him every day.