Month: March 2009

Science remains in Texas, sorta.

/ hsoi

The Texas State Board of Education voted 7-7 on restoring a rule that “strengths and weaknesses” of all scientific theory be taught in public school science classes. The vote, failing to pass, means the doors to teaching creationism as scientific theory remain closed.

Frankly, I’m torn on this.

Should strengths and weakness be taught? Hell yes. Should evolution be taught? Hell yes. Should “creation stories” be taught? Hell yes. Should Intelligent Design be taught? Hell no. Allow me to explain.

In my opinion, Intelligent Design is a disingenuous concept. It’s not a scientific theory, it’s a religious effort masquerading as science in some sort of zealous effort to wedge Christian theology into the science classroom. I don’t appreciate this. Call it what it really is, present it for what it really is. Trying to do this really doesn’t win anyone over to your cause, since you’re twisting and lying. But hey, if you want to further this notion of “Intelligent Design” then you better talk about The Flying Spaghetti Monster as well.

Should we teach all approaches to how life, the Earth, the universe was created? Yes we should. Why? Because ultimately we don’t know. Every approach has as much chance to be wrong as the others. The more that we can know, the better off we can be. I personally find my life better off the greater variety I know about. Variety is the spice of life, right? We seem to dig 31 flavors, not 1 flavor, yes? And just because you can know about all 31 flavors, you can still favor just one of those flavors. So why can’t you know about how the ancient Egyptians viewed the creation of the world? What harm does that do? What help does that do?

I frankly think that if we’re going to provide people with an education, those people are better served by the more they can know. Too little knowledge can be dangerous, but I just don’t think too much knowledge being dangerous. So let them learn about Darwin. Let them learn about the Judeo-Christian creation stories. Let them learn how tribal cultures view things. Just let them learn. In this learning, present things as they are. You can present religious matters from a purely academic standpoint, although you do have to allow them to be treated academically. Present all possible theories, all possible stories, explore them, question them, seek to understand them and see how they fit into the greater human experience and deciphering of our great life mysteries. Let people learn…. freely, unabridged.

Little things

/ hsoi

I can’t remember where exactly I read this (and my Google-Fu is weak tonight), but I’m pretty sure it was either in Suzi’s blog or Ron’s blog. S or R was talking about little things and how wonderful they were. That time together didn’t have to mean going out on some extravagant date. One was saying how the other needed to go down to the corner store to put gas in the car and asked to go with. Sure it wasn’t an extravagant date, but it was time together. 

I shared that with The Wife and since then we’ve been doing little things like that. Walk down to the mailbox with each other. Walk around the block. Run a quick errand. Whatever works. We’re even doing it with the kids, Oldest, Middle, and Youngest. I need to run to the store, go with me. I need to fix the sink, come watch. You’re reading your book? I’m reading my book. Come sit next to me and let’s read together.

Sometimes lots of little things adds up to more than just a few large things, y’know?

Little Lady

/ hsoi / 5 Comments

A buddy of mine came to me a few days ago asking for help getting started with firearms. He’s shot a little bit, his wife hasn’t shot anything. Apparently wife’s friend took some sort of introduction to firearms course and had a great experience, relayed that to wife, now wife is interested, so husband/buddy came to me for some guidance on how to get started.

Since we don’t live in the same state I did the best I could to offer some generic guidance towards finding a worthwhile instructor: questions to ask, the sorts of things to look for, etc..  And I hate to say it, but since his wife was involved my gut feeling was for them to seek out a female instructor. Why? I didn’t want them to risk getting the “Here lil’ lady, let me help you with that” sort of mentality. Or saying that “Oh for you, Hon, you want a little snub-nosed J-frame .38… but Hubby he can have a big-ass 1911 .45” sort of bullshit.

Here’s a fantastic write up on this very problem.  Caleb offers his comments on the write-up, as does Tam. TXGunGeek posted on this same topic just a little while ago.

Children and guns

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Kellene is starting a 4 part series on children and guns. I’ll update this as she posts each part:

  1. Part 1 – Want to Ensure Your Kid Never Commits a Gun Crime? GIVE Him a Gun. (how about giving her a gun too?)
  2. Part 2 — The Myth of Gun Safety.
  3. Part 3 — When Is It Safe to Educate Your Children on Guns?
  4. Part 4 — What’s Really Responsible for the Deaths of Our Nation’s Children?

Kathy Jackson also has a great section on her website about kids and guns. 

I ran into this last week during a beginners pistol class. One student asked about how to deal with kids and guns; he had a 3 year old and an 8 year old. He told me his first thought was to keep the gun a secret and not tell the kids. In my opinion the better thing to do is to tell the kids. Make no bones about the gun, make no mystery about the gun. Make the gun a plain and boring thing; even better, take your kid shooting and teach them about gun safety and how to property use a gun. I’ve said before that we find education to be the right answer for keeping our kids safe from so many things, yet somehow we think ignorance about guns is the right approach. I fail to follow that logic. I think we ought to be consistent here: educate your kids as much as possible about guns. That will keep them safe.  Of course, for this one student, I said this really only applies to the 8 year old. For the 3 year old, you’re just going to have to take steps (e.g. a GunVault or better, get your CHL and just carry the gun on your hip all the time). But when the younger child is old enough, teach them too.

Updated: Kellene just posted part 2, added the link above.

Updated 2: Part 3 was just added. Kellene makes a good distinction here. There’s teaching your children about the notion of guns and being safe with them, then there’s teaching your children how to use them. I’ve blogged on this before, here and here.

Updated 3: Part 4 added. I don’t totally agree with her take here because I do think you can draw the line between toy guns and real guns, between playing and “for real”. However, I do agree that the mindset needs to be there no matter the gun, toy or real. Even when they are playing, they can still understand and apply correct behaviors (e.g. minding the trigger finger). There can and still should be parental supervision. Even if they are playing and violate something you can and should take the time to correct them. Mindset matters a great deal, and if you can provide your children with the right mindset, with the right knowledge and skills and ability to make the right decisions, that’s going to serve your children best.

Ancient modern combatives

/ hsoi

James over at Hell In A Handbasket has a great video comparing and contrasting modern military combatives against Renaissance combatives. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Honestly, this doesn’t surprise me too much to see. The body can only move in so many ways, you can work against the body in only so many ways, and in the end it’s all either a push, a pull, or a twist. It’s not like it’s possible to suddenly discover some new way the body moves or doesn’t move and thus invent some new attack vector. When you get down to it, all martial arts ultimately teach the same stuff, the same movements, the same techniques; what differs is mentality, focus, approach, philosophy.

But still, it’s a neat video to watch.

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results

/ hsoi

That’s the definition of insanity. It seems to be alive and well.

If there is some new era of urban conflict and we need to prepare ourselves for that conflict, there seem to be two courses of action. The course of action some want us to take is to disarm the good citizens and tell us that Government Will Save You™. Well, I offer my simple experiment as to why that won’t work. So the remaining course of action is to take some responsibility for yourself to get some training, knowledge, and ability on how to defend yourself. 

It’s your life. How do you want to live it? You’re always welcome to join the insanity. Let me know how that works out for you.

Next bailout…. newspapers

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

You’ve got to be kidding me. There’s actually consideration for a bailout of the newspaper industry?

The demise of newspapers is not because of some economic crisis… it’s because of the rise of the Internet. That printed medium is obsolete, plain and simple. I know it’s de rigueur to prop up failing industry with legislation (music industry, movie industry, Amtrak, etc.) and of course all the cool kids are getting bailouts. But there is no practical end served by this that isn’t already being served (arguably better) by electronic media. Adapt people… evolve. Let the dinosaur die.

What’s scarier about this is there is lip service to those being bailed out that they can continue to report as they wish, but they cannot endorse political candidates. Well, not only is that a foot in the door for greater control and censorship, but in and of itself is a complete violation of freedom of speech and press. It flat out is Congress abridging speech and press.

I take some solace that this bill hasn’t attracted any cosponsors, so hopefully it will die. But either way, contact your Congresscritters and tell them not just “no” but “hell no”.

Syd’s back

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Syd is back blogging… saying it’s alright Ma, I’m only bleeding.

I feel much the same way he does. Angry about the past 8 years, angry at the direction that we seem to be headed in the next 4-8 years. But we just have to keep on, but we must be even more vigilant. The fight however seems difficult, since emotions are running high and rationality is losing ground. I understand emotions (including fear) and how that can lead to irrational thought, but it’s no way to run a railroad nor legislate nor govern… yet sadly, it’s the current modus operandi. Fear is our zeitgeist.

And I do agree that a new AWB isn’t going to happen… now. I think there’s bigger fish to fry (the economy), but there’s no question this administration is sowing the seeds. Thankfully there’s pushback, thankfully there are those that stand strong. That helps, but it doesn’t mean things are safe. Folks it’s simple… you lose (give up?) your ability to fight back, then you become a subject, a slave, and you’ll eventually lose everything else.

It’s hard being an optimist, but you gotta keep trying.