We sunk a truck! Let’s get the hell out of here! — Operation Petticoat

Sometimes, you just have to take the results you get and be happy that you were able to achieve them.  Not every shot hits the X ring.  Heck, some days I’m happy I managed to hit the berm.  The trick is to figure out what you did right, what you did wrong, and plan accordingly.

I can shoot straight, if I don’t have to shoot too far. — Gone With The Wind

A few of you have shot with me, and know that I’m no sniper or gunfighter.  I’m better than some, equal with a few, and not even close to as good as most.  “Fair to middling” is how I describe my skills.   I’m passable with a pistol, not bad with a shotgun, and OK with a rifle.

This is mostly due to the amount of time I can devote to practice, and all I have are excuses on that front.  It takes a lot out of a very limited pool of free time and excess funds to travel to the range.  I don’t dry fire enough.  I don’t do dime and washer drills to improve my trigger pull.

But I do what I can do.  Joining KPDL and committing to get to matches forces me to get out at least once a month and have goals for improvement.  I’ve started working on bad habits, and I’m trying to unlearn 30 years of things like crossing my thumbs.  I’ll keep working, and hopefully I’ll keep improving.  Spring is a wonderful time to go to the range here in Kentucky, and I’m going to try to take advantage of it.

You see, Mrs. Higgins, apart from the things one can pick up, the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a common flower girl to Professor Higgins, because he always treats me like a common flower girl, and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering, because he always treats me like a lady, and always will. — My Fair Lady

At some level, all people deserve respect.  One of the failings of the world right now is the way that being respectful and polite to everyone, king or pauper, has become the exception, not the rule.  I don’t see this as a Southern/Northern thing, or a young/old issue.  I’ve been called “Sir” and thanked in Minneapolis and been disrespected in Atlanta.  I think it’s more of a “raised right” versus “feral” issue.  I learned my manners from the back of my grandmother’s wooden spoon.  It wasn’t abuse; it was correction. So far, I haven’t had to resort to such things with my own children, probably because of Irish Woman’s influence on them, but I will never stop trying to get my hellions to show respect for the people they meet.

If any form of pleasure is exhibited, report to me and it will be prohibited! I’ll put my foot down, so shall it be… this is the land of the free! The last man nearly ruined this place he didn’t know what to do with it. If you think this country’s bad off now, just wait till I get through with it! The country’s taxes must be fixed, and I know what to do with it. If you think you’re paying too much now, just wait till I get through with it! — Duck Soup

One of the biggest challenges I find when talking about politics and social issues is to separate people from the attitude of “I don’t like it, so it should be abolished or regulated.”  The topic could be guns, drugs, marriage, or whatever.  The weirdest topic I ever had to deal with was whether or not someone in a suburban setting should be able to plant fruit trees instead of ornamentals.  The other person was totally serious, and could not understand why someone would prefer a real pear tree to a Bradford pear.  I was called “hippie” because I divulged that I prefer to plant strawberries to petunias.

Freedom to do what we want means we have to let others do what they want, assuming that neither of us is doing harm to someone else.  And by harm, I mean real harm, not “I feel icky inside when I see two men holding hands” or “I have a flashback to something that never happened to me when I see DaddyBear wearing a gun on his hip”.   Basically, my philosophy boils down to “you do what you want to do, don’t bother me or mine, and don’t ask me to pay for it, and I’ll do the same for you.”

Tolerance does not necessarily equate to acceptance, though.  It certainly shouldn’t equate to forced participation.  I have no problem with two people of the same gender deciding they want to spend the rest of their lives together and wanting to make it official, just as Irish Woman and I have done.  I do have a problem when that couple forces a business to provide the trappings of the ceremony and celebration against their will.  I believe that if you can carry a gun, open or concealed, you should carry a gun when you go about your daily business.  On the other hand, I do not try to force this onto private businesses that wish to keep armed people off of their property.  I just ask that they make that position clear before I go into their establishment.

In a nutshell, you mind your business and I’ll mind mine.

It’s easier to pull the trigger than play guitar. Easier to destroy than create.  — Desperado

I hope I never have to use violence to defend myself or my family.  I prepare for the eventuality, but always have a silent prayer in my heart that I will never need to do it.  Physically, pulling a trigger is one of the easiest things to do, but doing so could destroy our lives.  Even if I’m 100% in the right to do it, the psychological toll it would have on us would be great.  The risk to our home and our livelihoods from civil suits, even if I was justified, would be almost as great.

My 1911 weighs 3 pounds loaded, but the responsibility that comes with it is much more.  Every time I pick it up, I have to be fully cognisant of that.

Some men aren’t looking for anything logical. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. — The Dark Knight

Some people fight out of conviction to their beliefs or cause.  I have argued with people, and while the discussions can become heated and rarely change either of our minds, I know that they know their subject and are standing on firm ground with their assertions.  These people tend to be respectful in disagreement and can counter my arguments with facts or good arguments.

It’s the other kind of opponent that gets to me.  It’s the person who wants to argue just to be contrary, or just to watch you spin.  They can even be on my side, and seem to be experts in the “True Scotsman” argument.  They don’t care who wins, so long as they can watch someone lose.   They are quick to go to name calling or other personal attacks, but are just as quick to take offense if you seem to be winning through reason and logic.

There is a fine line between taking a hard stance and defending it, even to the point of being rude, and being a troll.  I think the trick for all of us is to identify these people, ignore them of they’re on the other side of an issue, and convince the other side of the issue to ignore them if they’re on our side.

Just smile and wave, boys. Smile and wave. — Madagascar

The art of the impassive face is one that I learned very early in life, and it’s one that has served me well.  Being able to look happy when I’m furious, or to laugh when I want to scream gives me time to think before I speak or act.  It keeps others from knowing when they’ve pushed my buttons.  I know it’s petty and passive aggressive, but not letting on when others have gotten on my nerves makes me feel better.

Darling… you know how God invented liquor so the Irish wouldn’t rule the world. Well, I think he may have invented being stubborn so we can be the best at something. — The Ghost and the Darkness

One of the most poignant moments of our honeymoon in Ireland was when someone found out that we were both descendants of Irish immigrants. The gentleman looked at us, smiled, and said “Welcome home.” The funny thing is that, even though we were only there for a few days, it did indeed feel like we were leaving home when we flew back to Kentucky.

Great storms announce themselves with a single breeze, and a single random spark can ignite the fires of rebellion. — Ladyhawke

I’m not that concerned with the blowhards in the world. With few exceptions, they yell a lot and do little. It’s the quiet, thoughtful people that I watch. While others hurl insults and accusations, they find out what is really going on, see where others are failing, and find ways to succeed. Want to know when to either pitch in for best effect or to prepare to repel boarders? Watch for when the quietest person in a situation starts moving.

There’s another old saying Senator. Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s raining. — The Outlaw Josey Wales

The political season of madness has begun here in Kentucky. Mitch McConnell wants to crush the Tea Party, especially Matt Bevin. Matt Bevin thinks that McConnell should have quit a long time ago, and is contributing to most, if not all, of the problems the country faces. Allison Grimes is staying out of the way until they’ve finished tearing each other up, then she’s going to bring her party machine online.  Both major parties are blaming the other for everything from athlete’s foot to nuclear proliferation. I think it’s time for the politicians to stop raving and start talking. It’s time for us to stop scoring cheap points and start demanding answers and concrete plans. It’s way past time we told politicians that we’re sick of their crap, and we deserve better.

Today is the Ides of March.   Politicians everywhere should remember the lessons of this day.