It’d be funny if life weren’t so sacred. – The Fly

When I do my “News Roundup” posts, I try to avoid stories that might be called “Darwin Award” entries.  While I do poke fun at the well-earned misfortunes of others, I draw the line at laughing at their deaths.  Yes, there are times when the death of a dumbass is worthy of public ridicule, but beyond said dumbass is a family that is mourning.  If I ever die doing something stupid, and even at 43 that’s a possibility, I would hate for Irish Woman and the children to stumble upon someone pointing a finger at my stupidity and laughing.

I think that’s also why I believe wholeheartedly in self-defense, no matter which measures are used.  My life is precious, and those of my wife, children, family, and friends are even more so.  Yes, shooting is a lot of fun, but I have to take care to always remember why I practice, why that safe holds a gun for every member of my household.  Because those lives are sacred to me, I am willing to fight, and possibly die, to protect them.

Villainy wears many masks, none of which so dangerous as virtue… — Sleepy Hollow

Which is more dangerous, the guy in the djellaba waving a rifle around and threatening to blow up Chicago, or the guy who wears a suit and shames us for looking askance at the guy in the djellaba?  Which is more treacherous, the woman who holds up the bank, or the lady who abuses the trust of the bank’s customers to pillage their deposits?  Which is more treasonous, the guy who tries to sell the secrets of our nation to a foreign power, or the politician who does his best to undermine the Constitution?

Tonight, on the Clamp Cable Classic Movie Channel, don’t miss Casablanca, now in full color with a happier ending. — Gremlins 2:  The New Batch

There are some things that can be improved, and there are a lot of things that are better left the heck alone.  Black and white is not improved by colorizing, either in photographs or movies.  Literature written when things that make us blanch now were common phrases does not need a rewrite, and neither do classic cartoons.  The fact that such things were acceptable at one time or another is part of our history, and we risk repeating the past when we ignore it.  Antique guns, even those available in their millions, don’t deserve to be chopped up, chromed, painted, and have doodads hung from them.

To quote pdb – Is fine!  Learn to appreciate things from the past for what they are, and stop trying to gild the lily.

You’re like the thief who isn’t the least bit sorry he stole, but is terribly, terribly sorry he’s going to jail. — Gone With The Wind

Penitence comes from regretting the act, not the consequences.  Consequences are there to deter the act, but they cannot make someone truly sorry for what they have done.  That’s why a harsh punishment means nothing without first teaching why something that has been done is wrong.  “If you do that, you’ll get a spanking.” is not very useful, but “If you do this, you’ll hurt your sister, and you’ll get a spanking.” is better.

I think that’s one of the reasons that our current regime of not doing much to raise children with any objective morals, followed by harsh punitive measures when they become adults, is not working.  I’m not saying that someone who causes harm to others should not be punished if they can show that nobody taught them right from wrong, but I do think that if we poured some resources and political will into promoting some pretty basic things, we might be better off.  I believe the core of such teaching should include things like this:

• Hurting other people, except to defend yourself or others, is wrong.
• There is no such thing as a fighting word.
• Taking things that do not belong to you is wrong.
• Having unprotected sex before you are ready to raise a child, with no help, is wrong.
• Nobody owes you a damn thing.

I’m not going to waste my time arguing with a man who’s lining up to be a hot lunch. — Jaws

There are some people you just can’t help.  No amount of love, tough or tender, is going to stop them from self-destructing and taking everyone around them along for the ride.  You can pay their bills, buy their food, heal their hurts, and they will continue to do stupid crap that sets the stage for the next episode of drama.

If you have someone like this in your life, you have to sit down and decide if it’s worth it.  Is the heartache, expense, time, and trouble worth what you’re achieving?  If it is, then, by all means, have at it.  If not, then at least you’re being honest about wasting your efforts if you decide to continue anyway.

Ellen Brody:I just want to know one thing – when do I get to become an islander?
Mrs. Taft:Ellen, never, never! You’re not born here, you’re not an islander, that’s it.

— Jaws

I may be in Louisville, but I am not of Louisville.  I guess you can say that about most places if you’re not born and raised there.  It doesn’t matter how I learn to speak, or how I get involved with local issues, I’m not a native, and there are still a lot of places where that counts more than most things.

Even after almost a decade and a half here, I stick out like a sore thumb sometimes.  I don’t care about college basketball, nor do I care about football games played between two Catholic high schools.  I think Kentucky Hot Brown sandwiches are disgusting, although cheese grits have been a favorite of mine since I first lived in the South.  I don’t remember where the Sears used to be, nor do I follow directions based on where Bacon’s used to be.  I don’t get excited over horse racing every spring, and once you’ve watched Warthogs, Abram’s, Spectre, and a bunch of other cool stuff send stuff downrange, Thunder Over Louisville isn’t that big a deal.

But this is a good place to live, and to raise kids.  I can be at Knob Creek on Saturday morning, have lunch downtown, then go to a show out in the suburbs without breaking a sweat.  I know my neighbors, and they know me.  That alone is worth the price of admission.

Morality sucks. – A Nightmare On Elm Street

It’s hard to be a good person, at least a lot of time.  It’s hard to turn the other cheek, when your baser instincts tell you to rip the other guy’s head off.  You want to drink and party and enjoy every moment, but you know you have to get up to go to work tomorrow morning because others depend on you.  Yeah, that pretty young thing is pretty, hot, and tempting, but one look across the dinner table or at the photo in your wallet reminds you of your commitment.  You want to give in to all the temptations that life throws at you, but most of them are a bad idea, and a huge majority of them stand on the other side of lines that you dare not cross.  It’s hard, and you rarely get credit for making the correct choices, but everything that you love depends on you making them.

I’m a religious man, Captain, and I believe we’ll get through if the Good Lord puts His mind to it. Of course, He’ll have to give us His undivided attention. – Operation Petticoat

“The Lord shall provide” is a common mantra among some people.  So long as the manna keeps on raining down, everything’s fine.  Problem is, it’s usually more accurate to say “The Lord takes care of those who take care of themselves”, and every so often, no matter how long the free lunches have magically arrived, they stop.  If you’re not prepared to fend for yourself, and the gravy train jumps the track, you have no business throwing your hands in the air and screaming “Why, God, Why!?”.

You aren’t a slave to be given largesse.  You aren’t a parasite to be suckled.  You are a living, breathing, embodiment of the divine light that is God.  Get off your ass and act like it.

Rizzo: Terrific. Captured by crazed wild pigs and sacrificed hideously before a pagan altar.
Gonzo: Are we lucky or what?

— Muppet Treasure Island

Attitude is everything in a tough situation.  I’ve had jobs that well and truly sucked, but being able to find some fun in it gave me hope, and hope gave me what I needed to get through it.  Once you stop finding those nuggets of fun, no matter how small, you are well on your way to a crash landing.

Just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character. – Pulp Fiction

There is your persona, and there is your character.  Your persona is what most people see.  Your character is what they sense only if they really pay attention.  You can be a chest thumping loudmouth as a persona, but be a sniveling coward on the inside.  Conversely, you can be perceived as weak and quiet, while you have a character that is brave and made of iron.

A lot of us, myself included, put an enormous amount of work into our persona.  How others see us, and how we see ourselves, is constantly refined.  Problem is, most people don’t think much about their character, which is what we see when we look in the mirror.  Persona is what we are when things are going well and we are refreshed and exhilarated. Character is what we are when things are difficult, and we are cold, wet, and tired.

Persona is what people see at first glance.  Character is what people learn as they get to know you.  Which one is more important to you?