Thursday, February 22, 2018

Back to the Flowers...


17 comments:

  1. It is indeed snowing, as forecast.

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    1. You really do need a better weatherperson, Cat. We do too--the Sierra Nevada snowpack is very deficient.

      Alan

      P.S.: The lunatic fringers are really feeling their oats today. No specific links now, maybe not at all today. Back to work.

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  2. Here's what I just sent to my six state Senators, who will be voting on gun control in Vermont next week:

    Dear Senator ...,

    It is my sincere hope that you will vote in favour of banning civilians owning assault weapons in Vermont.

    I am strongly in favour of raising the age of gun purchase to 21years, and feel that universal background checks are vital.

    Here’s one more idea. What if all guns had microchips in them, much as dogs and cats are given? The current system that is used to identify cats and dogs could also be used to identify guns. Moreover, if the chip had a radio frequency, the location of the gun could be seen by law enforcement, and possibly school offices. This would be easy to implement in a short space of time, such as three to six months.

    Thank you for doing everything available to keep my grandchildren safe!!

    Warmly, ...

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    1. Chips in guns? Have a firearm be traceable? Are you out of your mind? Do you know how quickly the criminals would find a way around that? It's a terrible idea!

      As for raising the age of gun ownership, why, according to this article from November of last year, some thirty-four states have no minimum age for firearm use. and that's working out really well. <a href="According to Snopes</a>, toddlers killed more Americans in 2015 than terrorists. That's a record we at the NRA are very proud of.

      As for background checks, that's just plain un-American! We're going to defend Americans' God-given right to buy and sell firearms without pesky licensing and background checks!

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    2. How about mandatory medical and liability insurance, like automobiles? To go along with the yearly permit renewals.

      Alan

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    3. That's another great idear that will never fly. I mean, commonsense and gun ownership don't seem to mix.

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    4. LOL! Well, if ALL guns had microchips, they would need to be created such that dialing th chip disables the gun. They can just LIKE IT. Ha!

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    5. Three of my Senators have already written back that they are indeed going to vote in favour of all measures that will keep children safe and two of them are cosponsors of the legislation. The Senator who put the bill forth is one of the other three, so that's four I am sure of so far. Yes.

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  3. “The Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge.”
    — Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

    The cultural reference is obscure to me, but after all, he’s a kid. In any event, he has it wrong. The Republicans are today the party of Adenoid Hynkel.

    —Alan

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    1. Oh, c'mon, Alan, even I get the Simpsons reference. And, believe me, if he meant that as an insult to Democrats, it isn't!

      But who did you say the Republicans are the party of? Speaking of obscure cultural references. :)

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    1. That governor sounds like a right bastard!

      Hardly surprising that the Cheat-o in Chief has led to an uptick in law school applications. During the travel ban unpleasantness last year I found myself wishing I'd followed my mother's wishes and gone to law school.

      Neanderthals reminds me: Alan, have you read Robert J. Sawyer's Neanderthal Parallax trilogy?

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  5. llistener--it just dawned on me; you say you have SIX state senators? How does that happen? I should have expected but one.

    Alan

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    1. I'm not talking about DC, but the Statehouse here. We have two Senators in DC: Leahy and Sanders. Within the State, Senators are doled out by county and by population density. So of the 30 Senators in the State, my county has six Senators.

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    2. I, like Alan, only have one state senator. The apportionment clearly is different in different states.

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