I Love Bicycles

Though they have had their drawbacks.

When I was little it seemed like everyone but me had a bicycle. I wanted one too! A bike heated my preschool dreams like a hotrod did a teenager's imaginings. I drooled over bikes and dropped hints till the folks finally took me up to Wheaton's in Kalispell to buy one.

The day of finally getting one was like all the Christmases I'd ever known rolled into one. The bike I got was not exactly what I wanted -- I wanted a horn! -- but was shiny and pretty and MINE! I could live without the horn. It was a size to fit ME, and the seat and handlebars were properly set up for ME! IT WAS MINE!

I wanted to ride it home from the store, but Mom and Dad both said "NO!" I kept pestering in the hope that once we got to Four Corners and off of the highway they'd relent. No such luck. I had to wait till I got home. Once we were there and the bike was finally unloaded, reality reared its ugly head -- sort of like what happens when you finally marry the gorgeous woman of your dreams.

If the events had been set to music there would have been a lot of percussion instruments involved, accompanied by cymbals. CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! CRASH! BOOM! I could no more balance myself on that horizontal-loving machine than I could fly.

Dad watched me for a few tries, then took the bike himself. He said he'd never been on one before, but away he went, perfection in motion. He handed it back with a "There, that's how it's done" and walked off. He wasn't much help.

I swallowed pride and asked for training wheels but he shot that idea down, saying no one ever learned to ride a bike using them. I had to learn the hard way, and it was hard on me, my clothes, and my not-so-shiny-now bicycle. And on Mom. Not only did she have to wash the bloody clothes and sew the torn pants and shirts, she had to listen to me complain. (Dad was totally wrong, by the way. My daughter was given training wheels on her first bike and learned to ride quite well. When I took them off at her request, she almost flew down the driveway.)

Carol Olson , a neighbor girl some years older than I, took pity on me and spent a good chunk of her summer pushing me around, running with the bike and launching me on my wobbly way to gravel rash. I never did have a triumphant break-through in my balancing abilities -- I only managed to slowly increase the distances I made between launches and topples until it suddenly dawned on me that I wasn't falling over any more. Dad wasn't impressed.

The bicycle was my main mode of transport for the two mile trip between school and home, and after I got into high school I still rode it from the house to Riedel's where I met the bus.

In the stateside Navy, I put some miles on the haze gray bike the boat had. I used it to haul 4 or 6 35mm movies back and forth when we were in a port that had the ancient USN equivalent of a video rental unit. Ships were allowed X number of movies at a time and it was the task of the junior Electrician (me) to trade them in and get new ones. Since I never watch movies and was clueless about what was good or bad in what I picked out I got regularly bitched at but wasn't relieved of the duty.

In case you are wondering where I am going with this, I am about to explain the scar in my eyebrow . . .

So, I am peddling though the shipyard in Long Beach on that balloon-tired gray junker of a bike with two heavy 35mm multi-reel movies swinging off of each side of the handlebars. I am paralleling the track for a crane that sits in a groove in the concrete roadway. A USN pickup pulls up alongside me and I pull over to give it room. The front bike tire drops into the track groove and wedges between the iron track and the concrete. The tire stops, the bike doesn't. Result: Faceplant and slide on the concrete, because the last part of you that detaches from the bike is your grip on the handlebars and having your arms stretched back and anchoring you pretty much guarantees your face hits first.

The pickup didn't stop. I unwedged the bike, gathered the films and wobbled the rest of the way back to the boat. And was met with "What the H*** did you do? Are the movies okay? Go get patched up after you put them away and secure the bike. Oh, and is the bike okay?" This might give you an insight into the mind of a career Navy Chief, btw.

It was the Electronics Technician that taped my eyebrow back into place. We were too small to have a Corpsman on board.

My next phase of biking was after I was married, and the wife and I bought matching J.C. Penney bikes, green three-speeds, in Nampa where I was finishing up college. They were transportation to class and work for me, and came back to Kalispell with us.

Flash forward to Bec riding a bike. I went for a ramble with her and took my black lab along on a lengthy rope. That I tied to the handlebars. Yeah, not so smart . . . That idea worked fine and we had a good head of steam built up when the dog spotted something up the neighbor's driveway and took off at right angles to my course. I was left floating along wondering my bike went. It followed the dog. No face plant, but skinned elbows, ribs and knees and fatally wounded dignity. Yeah, Bec hadn't thought putting the dog on that rope was a good idea.

--------------------------

I still love bicycles and still ride, but with more caution and less speed. These days I pamper myself with a nice 2nd or 3rd hand mountain bike with full suspension, a nice benefit on bumpy streets. I am training my dog to trot alongside the bike when I ride, but she is not fastened to the handle bars and is not on a long leash. I have learned a little over the years, and it has been DAYS since I last crashed because I tried to do something stupid.

TBC "Memento mori" (Me)

NC

"Memento mori" (Me)

Married Life

Herman by Jim Unger Official Site/Archives | Unsubscribe

"Memento mori" (Me)

The Veto: Schweitzer is Clueless

Montana Governor Vetoes Permitless Carry Bill

On May 10, Governor Brian Schweitzer vetoed House Bill 271, the permitless carry bill introduced by state Representative Krayton Kerns (R-48). You can read the Governor’s veto letter here. HB 271 would have allowed any law-abiding individual who is eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law to discreetly carry a firearm for self-protection within city limits in Montana without obtaining a concealed weapon permit.

In his letter, the Governor states, “Obviously, this bill would greatly imperil the work and safety of Montana 's lawmen, including sheriffs and highway patrolmen.” However, this letter seems to ignore current law in Montana as well as the provisions of HB 271.

For the last twenty years, Montana law has allowed any law-abiding citizen who can legally possess a handgun to carry it concealed, without a permit, anywhere outside city limits. So, no carry permit is currently required for law-abiding citizens in over 99% of the state, the area of Montana where sheriffs and highway patrolmen have primary jurisdiction. There is twenty years of empirical data that shows the exact opposite of what the Governor claims.

Law-abiding Montana firearm owners know what is obvious: that it makes no sense to allow them to carry concealed without a permit on one side of the city limit line but not on the other! Law-abiding citizens do not suddenly turn into criminals when they cross the arbitrary boundary into a city. Law-abiding Montana firearm owners also understand that it makes no sense to allow them to carry a firearm openly within city limits but require them to obtain a permit simply so they can put on a coat.

The Governor also wrote that HB 271 would “dismantle many reasonable Montana laws and regulations which ensure that permit-holders are not unduly burdened” and “void our state’s reciprocity agreements with more than thirty states that recognize concealed permits; and it would void our laws that allow Montana permit-holders to forgo the background check required for a firearm purchase.” This is factually incorrect since HB 271 made absolutely no change to the concealed weapon permit system. It simply added twelve words to one section of law that provides exceptions to the prohibition on concealed carry.

Please contact Governor Schweitzer today and express your disappointment at his veto of House Bill 271 and the misinformation on which the veto was based! The Governor can be contacted by calling (406) 444-3111. You can also send him an e-mail message at brianschweitzer@mt.gov or leave a comment for Governor Schweitzer online by clicking here.

"Memento mori" (Me)

The Rules.

Stolen from Boingboing "Memento mori" (Me)

Obama, and Bush's Tactics

Stolen from the Washington Examiner, worth reading.

The vindication of former President Bush?

By: Christopher Taylor 05/05/11 12:33 PM

President Bush was reviled and hated at an almost unbelievable level while in office, with almost no accusation or conspiracy theory untried or unbelieved by the left. Every single action the man took was considered evil and horrible, every single event was an excuse to shower bitterness and spite toward the man and all he did. President Obama's career and political campaign for eight years was largely shaped by how he acted toward President George W. Bush. Now all that has changed.

In one event, on May Day, the entire case against President Bush was demolished by one of his greatest critics: President Obama.

Lets start with the invasion of Iraq, which was solidly opposed by the Democratic Party by 2004 when they realized they needed a tool to attack the president with for the elections. It was in Iraq, because of the US presence there, that a courier was captured, a courier that gave us key information that led to the location of Osama Bin Laden. Bush's decision to invade Iraq turned out to not be a distraction after all, but they key to getting Bin Laden.

Guantanamo Bay, long decried by the left as a haven of human rights violations and extralegal activity, a place President Obama swore repeatedly to close down (and has not) was the location where information critical to the location and killing of Osama Bin Laden was uncovered. Instead of being a blight on America and the source of Osama's popularity, Gitmo became his doom.

Other secret prisons, held up as proof of the sinister, awful nature of the Bush administration, were the site of other information needed to find Osama Bin Laden.

For years, the left argued that the Bush administration and no other administration has ever used torture to get information from terrorists and terrorist suspects. They argued this was ineffective, and further that it was evil and something that America should never use. Several leading figures, including Leon Panetta, have noted that it was the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques" long called "torture" by the left that got us information to find and kill Osama Bin Laden - techniques still in use by the Obama administration. Direct, targeted killings by military drones, bombs, and soldiers was condemned by the left during the Bush administration, but with a single stroke, the Obama administration reporting the use this tactic to end Osama Bin Laden showed the validity of the tactic. Not only that, but the Obama administration has long argued that this tactic is perfectly legal. Tho were previously attacked as "Dick Cheney's Assassination Squad." The left's A List talking heads such as Seymore Hersh, Keith Olbermann, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart, among others all specifically attacked this team as an extra-legal tool used by the sinister Vice President Cheney to carry out a personal agenda. Now we find out that it was this very team which moved into place and carried out the mission against Osama Bin Laden. Patriotism, previously mocked and attacked as being crass, manipulative, and even a tool of the political opportunist is suddenly popular again on the left. When Osama Bin Laden was announced dead, the celebrations and patriotism began, with flag waving and chants of "USA! USA!" heard outside the White House. President Obama's passive "lead from behind" method of downplaying and reducing US leadership in the world was a direct reversal of President Bush. Bush was called a "cowboy" and reckless, and the bold, open view of America as a leader in the world was despised. Now, however, the USA is seen to lead by taking out Osama Bin Laden personally, striking into the heart of another nation to carry out a mission in a unilateral manner without any UN approval or world-wide permission.

The truth is, the Bush administration's tireless efforts to fight terrorism worldwide in the face of unbelievable opposition and pressure by the left was so effective and so right that now, even hard left former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had to recently thank President Bush.

This was a long process that started years ago under the Bush administration, and was carried out using the same techniques with the tools and areas established by the Bush team by the Obama administration. Two presidencies in a row worked to bring about the death of Obama, resulting in justice for the man who attacked America twice on its own soil.

President Bush told America we needed to be ready for "patient justice" before we could finally see Osama Bin Laden taken in. And President Obama, one of the Bush administration's most strident and vocal opponents, used the very tools, techniques, and tactics that he attacked previously and very publicly to accomplish it all, vindicating former President Bush and six years of the War on Terror before Obama took office.

"Memento mori" (Me)

Local Action Needed: Important Ammunition Bill on Governor’s Desk

Montana: Important Ammunition Bill on Governor’s Desk

Monday, May 02, 2011

House Bill 159, sponsored by state Representative Cary Smith (R-55), is legislation to restrict the authority of the Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) and the FWP Commission to regulate firearms and ammunition. HB 159 is currently awaiting action by Governor Brian Schweitzer. The need for this bill became evident in 2010 when FWP proposed regulatory changes for the 2010-2011 hunting season. Absent one shred of scientific evidence in support of their suggested change, FWP proposed that lead shot be prohibited for all upland game bird hunting on Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) throughout the state. A review of the “Hunting Season/Quota Change Supporting Information” document prepared by FWP was shocking in that it provided absolutely NO support for this recommended policy change. In fact, it contained multiple points indicating a lack of objective biological or scientific support for this proposed change. Consider this quote from the FWP “support” document with respect to the requirement that even very low density grouse hunters would be prohibited from using lead shot on WMAs: “Lead presence and accumulation under extremely low levels of lead shot shell use has not been established as a significant environmental concern.” Or this comment which clearly shows the politicization of the issue: “…this proposal is as much or more about programmatic message and general intent as it is about specific resource protection or management need.” FWP should be all about managing and protecting the resource, not sending “programmatic messages”! Their own language would indicate that this proposal was nothing more than a political and symbolic gesture. This is of concern to the NRA because it is consistent with what we are seeing with other states moving in the direction of broader restrictions on the use of lead ammunition for hunting. The passage of House Bill 159 would remove this purely political, potential outcome by restricting the authority of FWP to regulate this aspect of game management. Please contact Governor Schweitzer today and respectfully urge him to sign House Bill 159 into law! The Governor can be contacted by calling (406) 444-3111 or by e-mail at brianschweitzer@mt.gov.

TBC "Memento mori" (Me)

The Story of My Life

(Me) (Home)

Stolen from Holycoast.com

Here's a thought.  Most of us with computers also have some form of printer.  Get yourself some Avery Labels (the 30 to a page mailing labels are about the right size) and simply print out a page full of them that look like this:

That's all you need to say. The sticker is small enough that you should be able to stick it on the pump near the purchase amount and it won't be terribly obvious to someone watching. However, everyone that uses that pump will see it and be reminded why they're paying the ridiculous prices they're paying.

"Memento mori"
(Me)

Yum, Bacon!

Cologne or perfume?

"Memento mori"
(Me)

I am a PLUGGER!

"Memento mori"
(Me)

Hoping this passes . . .

Montana: Permitless Carry Bill to be Voted on by Full House & Senate

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Please contact your state Senator and Representative Immediately! NRA-supported House Bill 271, sponsored by state Representative Krayton Kerns (R-58), passed out of the Conference Committee this morning and anti-gun Senate amendments were stripped out of the bill.  In fact, HB 271 was made better than it was as introduced!  The current language simply says that the prohibition on concealed carry does not apply to “a person who is eligible to possess a handgun under state or federal law.” Existing law allows any person who can legally own and possess a firearm to carry it openly, either loaded or unloaded, anywhere in the state, including within city limits.  Additionally, law-abiding citizens are authorized to carry firearms concealed, without a permit, anywhere outside city limits.  Law-abiding citizens do not suddenly turn into criminals when they cross the arbitrary boundary into a city.  It makes no sense to allow them to carry concealed without a permit on one side of the line but not the other! HB 271 now goes before the full House and Senate for a vote to concur.  Please contact your state Representative and Senator IMMEDIATELY and respectfully urge them to support House Bill 271.  Please send an e-mail AND follow-up with a phone call.  Legislators can be reached via e-mail by clicking here, or via phone by dialing (406) 444-4800.  If you need help identifying your state Representative or Senator, please click here.

"Memento mori"
(Me)

Strong Words & Truth

Washington, Mar 30 - Rep. Young Refuses Humane Society Award


Alaskan Congressman Don Young refused an award this evening from The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Humane Society Legislative Fund that would have honored his work for animals in 2010.   While capitalizing on the good work of local humane societies that shelter, spay, and neuter animals, the HSUS does not own, operate, or directly control a single animal shelter in our country, despite a budget of well over $100 million.

“HSUS are hypocrites, plain and simple, and I will not join them by accepting this award,” said Rep. Young.  “Local animal shelters and humane societies do excellent work by caring for neglected and homeless animals, and through their spaying and neutering programs.  This organization, however, has absolutely nothing to do with animal welfare.  Instead they prey on the emotions of big-hearted Americans.  They flash images of abused animals on our television screens to raise money that will eventually go to pay their salaries and pensions, not to helping better the lives of these animals.  They run anti-hunting and anti-trapping campaigns and are of the same cloth as PETA and other extremist organizations.  I can only guess that I was to receive this award due to my support of the Wildlife Without Borders program, which develops wildlife management and conservation efforts to maintain global species diversity.  That program is true conservation; what this group wants is preservation. To accept this award would be supporting their manipulative ways and misguided agenda, and I want no part of that.”     


"Memento mori"

(Me)

HB271

HOUSE BILL NO. 271

INTRODUCED BY K. KERNS, HINKLE, HARRIS, VANCE, MILLER, HOWARD, RANDALL, INGRAHAM, WAGNER, WITTICH, YATES, KENNEDY, HALE, SKEES, FLYNN, HENDRICK, BLYTON, BLASDEL, TAYLOR, C. SMITH, REGIER, WARBURTON, G. BENNETT, HANSEN, LONEY, READ, MCGILLVRAY, KNOX, O'NEIL, GREEF, BRODEHL, MCNIVEN, SALOMON, K. PETERSON, SKATTUM, C. VINCENT

A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT REVISING THE LAW RELATED TO THE OFFENSE OF CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON; PROVIDING THAT THE LAW DOES NOT APPLY TO A PERSON WHO IS ELIGIBLE UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES TO APPLY FOR OBTAIN A PERMIT TO CARRY A CONCEALED WEAPON; AND AMENDING SECTION 45-8-317, MCA."

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:

     Section 1.  Section 45-8-317, MCA, is amended to read:

     "45-8-317.  Exceptions. (1) Section 45-8-316 does not apply to:

     (a)  any peace officer of the state of Montana or of another state who has the power to make arrests;

     (b)  any officer of the United States government authorized to carry a concealed weapon;

     (c)  a person in actual service as a member of the national guard;

     (d)  a person summoned to the aid of any of the persons named in subsections (1)(a) through (1)(c);

     (e)  a civil officer or the officer's deputy engaged in the discharge of official business;

     (f)  a probation and parole officer authorized to carry a firearm under 46-23-1002;

     (g)  a person eligible to apply for OBTAIN or issued a permit under 45-8-321, or a person with a permit recognized under 45-8-329, OR A PERSON ELIGIBLE TO OBTAIN A PERMIT UNDER 45-8-321 WHO HAS COMPLETED A COURSE AS REQUIRED UNDER 45-8-321(3)(B) OR (3)(C) AND HAS IN THE PERSON'S POSSESSION EVIDENCE OF COMPLETION OF THE COURSE;

     (h)  an agent of the department of justice or a criminal investigator in a county attorney's office;

     (i)  a person who is outside the official boundaries of a city or town or the confines of a logging, lumbering, mining, or railroad camp or who is lawfully engaged in hunting, fishing, trapping, camping, hiking, backpacking, farming, ranching, or other outdoor activity in which weapons are often carried for recreation or protection; or

     (j)  the carrying of arms on one's own premises or at one's home or place of business.

     (2)  With regard to a person issued a permit under 45-8-321, the provisions of 45-8-328 do not apply to this section."

"Memento mori"
(Me)

Where it all began

 


"Memento mori"
(Me)

Truth!

"Memento mori"

(Me)

JJ: I Lose Track of Time

It's March 15th.  I meant to post this on the 11th.

Dad died three years ago on the 11th. Mom died five years ago on the 12th. It does not seem like it has been that long.

I miss them both. I miss the sights and sounds and smells and memories of Home. Home, where Mom was, warm and full of love . . .

I think of them a lot, especially Dad. I wish with all my heart that he & I could have been closer, but it seemed like we always existed in two different worlds and we had nothing to really talk about, no real common ground or interests.

I wish that I had been able to grant his last request of me, that I move in with him, but I thought, and still think, that it would not have worked. I was not willing to pay the price, to radically change my life, to give up autonomy and be a submissive adolescent again. Two of us under one roof, with each of us used to being our own boss, would have led to a lot of bad feelings on both our parts.

But I still blame myself for not trying. He was so lonely after Mom died . . .


TBC

"Memento mori"

(Me)

From One of My Favorite Blogs

Unshelved. If you like books or libraries, stop in and look at their daily comic strip. They do NOT usually resemble this one!




"Memento mori"
(Me)

The Grizzwells

TBC
"Memento mori"
(Me)

TWIMC

Passing this on:

I was eating lunch today with my 12 year old grandson when his mom asked him

"What is tomorrow?"  He said "It's President's Day"

 She asked "What does that mean?" .... I was waiting for something profound...

 He said "President's Day is when Obama steps out of the White House and if he sees his shadow, we have 2 more years of unemployment."

 I almost snorted my iced tea.

"Memento mori"

(Me)