Me

Gun Free Kids

/ hsoi / 2 Comments

Via SayUncle I learn about Gun Free Kids. They are, of course, against concealed carry on campus.

America’s colleges and universities are under attack from the gun lobby.

We’ll ignore the fact they’re under attack by crazy people bent on hurting innocent students.

The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus is writing to colleges and universities across the country to alert them of the threat and to urge them to band together to oppose the gun lobby’s agenda to push guns into college campuses.

The is no agenda to push guns into college campuses. All there is is a movement to break down artificial legal barriers that keep law-abiding citizens from engaging in law-abiding activities, such as self-defense. Look, Virginia Tech already had policies prohibiting guns on campus, but that didn’t stop Cho Seung-Hui from going crazy. I dare say the only thing that could have stopped crazy would have been an armed student willing to shoot back. But instead all we have are sheep and wolves, and if there are any sheepdogs on campus the law forced them to leave their teeth elsewhere.

The case against guns on campus is strong. There are many reasons why it would be dangerous to introduce guns into colleges and universities.

  • Arming students would make campuses more dangerous every hour of every day
  • Armed students would be accountable to no one
  • Arming students would not deter the rare campus shooting
  • Academic debate cannot flourish in a room full of guns
  • There are better ways to make college campuses safer

Ok….

  1. And how is that? Proof please? Just about every state has concealed and/or open carry. There’s no “OK Corral” shootouts going on. The Good Guys are still Good Guys, obeying the law, solving their disagreements by peaceful means. Statistics and data show that after a State implements a concealed carry law, crime rates fall (or at least don’t rise). Concealed carry holders are also statistically less likely to commit crimes than the general populace.
  2. Really? Wow… I didn’t know having a concealed carry license suddenly put you above the law.
  3. Concealed carry on campus will not stop someone from going crazy. However, if someone is going crazy, having lots of armed Good Guys around could certainly minimize the damage crazy inflicts. Furthermore, let’s not just focus on big, rare shooting events. What about college girls walking across campus to their dorm rooms and being sexually assaulted? Let’s not focus on the rare event, let’s look at common campus crime and try to prevent that too.
  4. Why not? Are you saying that just because someone has a gun that they’re crazy? That if there’s disagreement over how to interpret a poem in English class that suddenly a gun owner is going to get all bloodthirsty and blow you away? Who’s calling who irrational here?
  5. Such as?

You’re not going to stop violence and evil by banning guns; in fact, gun bans tend to lead to increases in crime (why? because Joe Citizen is now too weak to adequately fight back). Guns are merely a tool, and guess what? That tool works great in the hands of The Good Guys against Bad Guys! The Good Guys obey the law, so pass a law to ban guns, now the Good Guys won’t have guns — but The Bad Guys still will. 

This group’s tag line is “protecting families from gun violence”. But as I look around their website, I fail to see how they’re doing anything to protect me and my family from gun violence, or even just plain old violence. I’d like them to explain that better. All I see right now are a lot of emotional appeals, no facts, and no real substance as to how they’re protecting anyone from anything.

I don’t deny there are stupid people out there, that there are dangerous people out there, that there are evil people out there. That these people are out to cause harm to innocent lives. And many times these people choose guns as the tool by which they inflict their harm. And when they go to inflict their harm, they have demonstrated they don’t care about social norms, standards, laws, ordinances, agreements, boundaries, signs, or you and your well-being. If you wish to abridge these people, I’m all for it. But until you can present me (y’know, one of The Good Guys) with some failsafe and foolproof way to keep them from injuring me, my family, my friends, and other good people in this world, please don’t cripple me and rob me of my choice of tools.

Stay Hungry

/ hsoi

The first album I could call my own was Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry. My little sister gave it to me as a Christmas present one year (probably back in 1984). And a record no less. I believe I still have it in my closet somewhere (tho no record players in the house any more).

My mom took one look at the album cover and hated it. So of course that made it even more awesome to me. 🙂

I loved the music videos (back when MTV was actually cool). I loved the music even more. What got me was not just that the music was heavy yet melodic (i.e. you could sing along with it), but there was some sort of artistic point to it and even a message! And what made the lyrical content doubly cool was the surface presentation that belied the real message.

Their song “Burn In Hell” is a perfect example. It’s all heavy, sounds forboding with those opening droning minor chords and Dee Sinder’s low voice speaking out an invocation that sounds like he’s inviting you through the Gates of Hell for an eternity with The Dark Lord. And of course, the fact the song is titled “Burn In Hell”! Hell! Burning! Looks nice and scary on the album sleeve, especially to parents and the PMRC. So of course, to a teenager this is totally cool!

But then you listen to the song and what Dee’s really singing about:

You can’t believe all the things I’ve done wrong in my life.
Without even trying I’ve lived on the edge of a knife.
Well I’ve played with fire, but I don’t want to get myself burned!
To thine own self be true, so I think that it’s time for a turn… before I burn in Hell.

So he’s talking about how he’s been living a life on the road to Hell, but he’s waking up and realizing that this isn’t good. He doesn’t want to suffer and pay for his sins. He realizes that he better change and clean up his ways. But he doesn’t just stop there:

Take a good look in your heart (and) tell me what do you see?
It’s black and it’s dark; now is that how you want it to be?
It’s up to you, what you do will decide your own fate.
Make your choice now, for tomorrow may be far to late… and then you’ll burn in Hell.

Now he’s calling you, the listener, out. He’s calling for self-examination. He’s seeing the bad in your life and calling you out to change your life. There’s no forcing, it’s your choice, and whatever you choose there will be consequences. Remember, this is in the context of heavy metal, which is all about sex, drugs, rock and roll, drinking, debauchery, Satan worship (or at least faking it for record sales), and basically living that destructive lifestyle. And here’s Twisted Sister coming out with a message rather contrary to the style yet still within the mode of the style. It was all really cool, and still is.

These days, Twisted Sister is still going strong but with a different sort of happy message:

And Lita Ford too! It’s great to see their sense of humor is as strong as ever, never taking things too seriously and just having fun.

Guns and church

/ hsoi / 3 Comments

Arkansas’s House just passed a bill approving concealed carry in church.

I applaud this. Texas’ concealed carry laws originally prohibited carry in church but the law changed to allow it (unless, like any place they post a valid 30.06 sign). 

Like I said before, having such laws only stop the law-abiding good guys. The law-breaking bad guys don’t care. The wolves will roam where they please, especially to places where it’s easy to pick off the sheep. Laws don’t erect magical force-fields to keep out the bad guys. 

From the article:

Rep. Steven Breedlove, D-Greenwood, a minister at the Valley View Church of Christ, said allowing concealed handguns won’t stop someone from opening fire inside a church.

“Ronald Reagan was completely surrounded by armed guards and he was still shot,” Breedlove said. “And that is why we must put our faith in God and not put our faith in something else … Let us keep the sanctity of churches and put our faith in God and not in guns.”

No, it won’t stop someone bent on crazy. John Hinckley Jr. was crazy. A minister should know that bad things can happen to good people and we can’t stop it all. And although a subject of much debate, it seems rather a Christian thing to defend yourself and others.

Self-defense may actually result in one of the greatest examples of human love. Christ Himself said, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:14). When protecting one’s family or neighbor, a Christian is unselfishly risking his or her life for the sake of others.

Theologians J. P. Moreland and Norman Geisler say that “to permit murder when one could have prevented it is morally wrong. To allow a rape when one could have hindered it is an evil. To watch an act of cruelty to children without trying to intervene is morally inexcusable. In brief, not resisting evil is an evil of omission, and an evil of omission can be just as evil as an evil of commission. Any man who refuses to protect his wife and children against a violent intruder fails them morally.”

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2265 Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for one who is responsible for the lives of others. The defense of the common good requires that an unjust aggressor be rendered unable to cause harm. For this reason, those who legitimately hold authority also have the right to use arms to repel aggressors against the civil community entrusted to their responsibility.

So while allowing good people to possess useful tools wherever they man roam may not stop crazy, it can act as a deterrent and discourager, and at least give you a fighting chance. Yea, it even appears to be a moral obligation.

I agree. Do not put your faith in an inanimate object — a gun. But perhaps you can have faith that God might be guiding some to do His will, to be the sheepdogs helping The Shepherd guard his flock. Just ask Jeanna Assam.

 

Update: Robb chimes in with his take on the matter.

Oh grow up

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

Once again, I’m with you Lissa.

My mother is Korean, my father is “white” (German, Scotch-Irish). I took zero offense to this. Why? Because there’s no offense intended. Look at the picture…. all the white kids are squinty and the one Asian kid is round-eyed. Looks like nothing but a bunch of friends having fun and being silly. If the Asian kid in the picture isn’t offended (and in fact is playing along), why the hell should you be? Oh that’s right… he’s not the one hoping to milk Miley Cyrus for a $4B payout.

Is it playing on a racial difference? Sure. But being offensive requires intent to harm. I recall one time as a kid some other kid came up to me, made some Asian-like faces, flailed his arms, and made “ching-chong” sorts of sounds at me. Did that bother me? Sure did, because the kid’s intent was to make fun of me and hurt me. In high school a Korean friend and I would always joke back and forth about being a “rice eater”, he’d call me a “half-breed” and I’d call him “slant eyes” or some such thing. Did this bother us? Nope, because it was all in fun with no intent to harm.

Look folks, racial/cultural humor can be funny (Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Mel Brooks, Jeff Foxworthy), or not (Margaret Cho – sorry, while I get her Korean jokes on a whole other level, I just don’t find her all that entertaining). You have to look at intent. Is it intended to be funny? or is it intended to harm? Causing harm to another, even by word or gesture, isn’t acceptable. But it appears all Miley did was have some fun with her friends.

Anonymity

/ hsoi

The Sad Necessity of Anonymity, from Xavier.

The only thing I see wrong with the picture is she’s certainly violating rule #2 and thus rule #1 (doesn’t seem to be violating #3 and #4 is arguable). 

One reason I debated having a blog is because I know how people can be. Xavier hits it on the head about why many gun bloggers blog anonymously. The sad thing is, it’s out of fear — a justified fear, but a fear nonetheless.

I have opted to not live in that fear and make it clear who I am. If I’m going to say something, I’m going to stand behind my words and stand up for myself. Might it get me in trouble? It might. Might I piss some people off? I might. Might some people be “shocked” to hear such things from me, thinking they knew me? They might. Might I lose some friends, I might. But go ahead and judge me, I can’t stop you. All I can do is continue to be me. Be honest, have integrity, be patient, be devoted. If I suffer for my actions, I just have to have faith that it’s all for a greater good. And the best I can hope for is that folks would be willing to engage me in discourse and at least make an informed choice instead of an ignorant snap judgment.

Concert memories

/ hsoi

Music has always been a part of my life, be it performing it or listening to it. I’ve played piano, violin, trumpet, french horn, guitar, a little bit of bass and drums. I’ve played in rock bands; played my acoustic guitar on the street in Denton, TX; various jam sessions; was in “band” from 5th grade through 8th with trumpet, and 11th and 12th I played french horn; I was drum major in marching band my senior year. I’ve actually had thoughts about picking up the french horn again — of all the instruments I played it was probably the most expressive and versatile. I recall in high school playing in a woodwind quintet, and that was a lot of fun… playing with 4 gorgeous girls didn’t hurt either. 🙂

Then there’s all the concerts I’ve been to. I can’t remember them all, but I’ve seen Mötley Crüe a number of times, White Zombie, Pantera, Wrathchild America, Cyclone Temple, Last Crack, Kix, Sepultura, Sacred Reich, Sick of it All, Napalm Death, Corrosion of Conformity, Down, Crowbar, Alabama Thunderpussy, Suplecs, Warrant, Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell, Motörhead, Testament, Stu Hamm, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, White Trash, Lucy Brown, Kage, Dave Matthews Band (before they were signed), Trans-Siberian Orchestra, The Coup De Grace, Scorpions, Trixter, Great White, Child’s Play, Trouble, G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band, Aerosmith, 4 Non Blondes, Collective Soul, and I know there’s been many many more. 

So tonight I’m going to see Tesla in concert. I saw them the last time they came through Austin about a year and a half ago and they were awesome. They are not a washed up ’80s band trying to reclaim their former glory. They still make albums, they still tour, and they seem to grok the whole Internet thing and know how to work with it instead of fighting against it. I’m happy to support them.

Thing is, all day long I’ve been excited about going to the show and I found myself reverting back to my old high school concert-going habits. Things like how you have to listen to the band all day long. Of course when you’re driving to the show, you have to have their music cranked. What clothing am I going to wear? Why my Tesla t-shirt of course, and jeans. I’ve been thinking about how much cash I need to bring so I can buy a t-shirt. As the story goes: “An old hesher once told me that you gotta get the best shirt because they only come around once.” 😀   And then of course, you MUST wear the shirt to school the next day to prove to everything that you were there.

Ever hear of Heavy Metal Parking Lot?

I grew up in the Washington D.C. area, and I was just at that right age when this documentary was made. It brings back so many memories. So many shows seen at The Capital Centre. Man, that was a time.

The filmmaker, Jeff Krulik, used to have all of his movies available for free on his website, but no longer. You can buy the DVD of HMPL (which I have done, and it’s pretty funny to see some of the people today, especially Zebraman), and I managed to find the full video here, tho who knows how long it’ll remain.

Rock on!

The Tao of Programming

/ hsoi

While there are pretty HTML versions out there, I think there’s something about plain ASCII text that’s more appropriate.

Such is my world, in a nutshell

Update: There are also the Unix Koans of Master Foo.

No office, not bad

/ hsoi

Being a software engineer I’m fortunate that my job can be performed anywhere in the world… so long as I’ve got a computer and an Internet connection. As a result, I’m happy to work from home and telecommute full time.

While there certainly are disadvantages to not being in the office, there are also advantages. IM’ing with an office-bound co-worker this morning he tells me about 1. some new computer that another engineering group brought into the office for testing something (dunno what, but apparently the fans are wicked loud), 2. someone had a potpourri thing in the office yesterday and it stunk the place up so bad they had to ask her to remove it. Ah, the joys of the cube farm. The sounds I get are those of my wife and kids working and playing, and the smells of my wife’s cooking. This is quite the advantage. 🙂