For Little Lizzie

I've been asked a few times why I carry. I'm really awful when I'm put on the spot, so I usually say something like "it's legal", or "it's my right". When I open carry, I think I'm going to start saying something along the lines of "to protect my family and myself", or more likely "It's my right, It's legal, and I'm tired of being pushed into the closet by the people who are unnecessarily frightened by guns". It's the truth. Guns are not bad. The vast majority of gun owners are not bad. Most of us do reside in the closet, though, because society has been trained to believe a bunch of lies. I've run across the following story a couple times, and considered posting it. Now I've finally broken down and done it. It's a good read. Enjoy:


“Why do you carry a gun?”

If I had a nickel for every time I've been asked that question, I'd have, uh ... as many guns as his firearm-festooned Editorial Immenseness, Roy-Boy. It's been asked of me by all flavors of folks in all slices of society, with attitudes and expressions ranging from angry-arrogant to curtly-contemptuous, to brainless an' befuddled. My answers to it have sorta formed three phases in my professional gun-carrying life. During that first and longest phase, I answered all of 'em sincerely and articulately, often following up with stacks of historic and legal documents. After many years, I concluded only a semi-significant sliver of people even heard what I was sayin'. The rest had already made up their muddled minds.

Finally, I just got sick of it, and moved on to Phase 2. If those asking seemed to have teensy open spaces in their minds, I gave 'em S & A: "Sincere & Articulate." The more harshly-bleating sheep, however, often got exchanges like this:

"So," queried Snidely Snotworth III, lookin' down his unbusted but needed-bustin' nose, "Why do you think you have to carry a gun?"

"Well," bellowed the Brutish Neanderthal (that would be me): "Because you're not QUALIFIED to carry one. You haven't got the skills, the judgment, the sense of responsibility, or the courage for it."

This answer often popped out after I'd just returned from some Heart-Of-Darkness where every living soul knew that the difference between slaves and free people is having the means and determination to defend their lives, property and liberties. That meant having guns and guts and God-given rights. Most of those people would quite literally die fighting for the freedoms so many Americans casually give away, and proudly bear social responsibilities those sheeple * won't even recognize.

* Sheeple: Sheep-like people, many of whom deny the existence of wolves, and vote to pull the teeth of the sheepdogs who protect the flock.

The Voices

Then I matriculated to Phase 3, where I started having some fun with the Snidely Snotworth types. When they asked the Big Question, I'd go all hunchy-shouldered an' secretive, then lean in close and mutter, "Because of the voices, ya know?" "The VOICES?" sniveled the Snidelies, suddenly scaredy-cattish. "Oh, yeah, the voices ... They told me to be, you know, prepared for when the killer clowns come ... " I'd furtively goggle around. "The voices say the killer clowns are comin' ... They're cannibals, some of 'em, and ..."

About that time the Snidelies would be skitterin' away like mice on polished marble.

Yeah, I know, the "killer clowns" answer might not have been "helpful," but it did just as much good as giving S&A answers to the sheeple, and it was a lot more fun for me. I know you already know why we carry these cannons. But sometimes, just sometimes, we all need a little reminder. That includes me, and I've got one to share with you. One that got me where I live.

The Connor Clan has been nomadic, and we've lived in a number of places. In one of 'em, we shared a side yard and friendship with a young woman we'll call Miss Maine, and her knee-high daughter, Little Lizzie. Miss Maine quickly bonded with the Memsaab Helena. Clearly, Helena's Amazon-warrior spirit and skill with arms impressed Miss Maine mightily, and much of their time and talk revolved around that fierce self-confidence--and guns.

As for Little Lizzie, the munchkin almost duct-taped herself to the Mem's leg. She followed Helena everywhere, but always, always, kept glancing back to check on her momma, as though she were the worried parent.

There was something guarded, something hurt and defensive about both of them, and that fearfulness extended to me for a while. They got over it, thank God. Then I sorta became a moving bunker for 'em, representing cover and protection. Finally, we learned the story.

Miss Maine had been attacked--brutally and viciously. You don't wanta know the details. As with so many such crimes, it wasn't really about sex. It was about hate and domination, cowardice and cruelty. And an even younger Little Lizzie had witnessed it. I like to think the Memsaab and I helped them to recover emotionally.

Then one day Lizzie came and snuggled into my shadow, visibly disturbed. That morning her kindergarten had put on "Frighten The Munchkins Day." Some schools do a pretty good job of alerting children to predators--don't go with strangers and that kinda thing--but others do more harm than good. All they do is terrify the tots and give 'em no operating options. Lizzie already had twin tears glistening, ready to fall when she grabbed a tiny fistful of my trouser-leg and asked, "Connor-Sir, will you a'ways be here? Wouldja be here ... When the bad mens come?"

My knees cracked on the sidewalk as she slammed into my shoulder, shaking with sobs as the hot tears came, splashing my neck and searing into my soul. "'Cause I'm a-scared!" she choked, and clutched me tighter. Oh, GOD/Who would not--who could not--fight without fear, suffer without sense of sacrifice, and kill or die deliberately, using the most effective means available--to protect life, liberty and a Little Lizzie? For God's sake, who?

Those who would not are no better than the predators.

Maybe in Phase 4, when somebody pops The Big Question I'll just smile and say, "For life, liberty and Little Lizzie." You guys can fill in the details.


John Connors
Gun Crank Diaries
American Handgunner
August 2005
http://www.americanhandgunner.com/CGC705.html

DAMMIT!!!

I just realized that when I was broken into a couple weeks ago, they got some frickin jewelery! God, I wish I had been home!! ASSHOLES!!!!

Abbathee..abbathee..abbathee..uh, that's all folks!

Pissed off, hurt, angry, emotional, spiteful, unstable... generally unhappy. This just effin' sucks.

I don't know

It hasn't been perfect, but I thought we had it good. As time passed, and more promises were made and broken, I felt more and more hurt. I don't imagine she felt much different. I think, though, that it did much more damage than I wanted to believe. I told her today that I don't trust her. I know that she doesn't trust me either. I don't know what happened to make it that way, but I have an idea. I'm afraid it's over. I hope I'm wrong.

Global Warming

Did the title grab your attention? Well, get comfy, and open your mind, because there is more inside than just that.

Global warming is not just some made-up phenomena by the liberal leftists to scare the crap out of the general public. It is a documented fact. In the last twenty years or so the average global temperature has risen 1 degree, give or take a fraction. Now you're thinking, big fat deal, right? The difference between our current average global temperature and that of a minor ice age is a matter of 5 or 6 degrees. That's a difference of 15-20 %. Not such a small number all of a sudden. The controversy over the whole thing is whether or not it's a natural cycle of the earth. Earth has gone through many,many cycles of warmth and cold. Scientists know this through their studies of the ice cores they remove from the poles, among other things. They are not right 100% of the time, but they are right far more often than not. It is their job to understand the workings of the earth. Many factors play into how they arrive at the conclusions they have. Different gaseous concentrations in the atmosphere are present due to fluctuations in temperature, and the effect it has on plants and animals.

For most of history, earth has gone through her cycles without major deviations in influence from its life forms. For the most part, nature is very good at keeping an efficient balance. Overpopulation is dealt with through different levels and types of disease, starvation, and predation. In the recent history of earth, and this includes a very large number of years in relation to human history, there have been huge changes in habitation. The human brain has thrown a major monkey wrench into the cogs of nature. We have a unique combination of the ability for efficient communication, the capacity for abstract thought and problem solving, and the body parts to put it all to use. We have figured out how to get around nature's tools for population control. We can fix or circumvent most mental and physical diseases through scientific research and the use of synthetic substances, we farm to provide food for our growing population, and predation against the human race is nearly non-existent due to our ability to use defensive tools, and our habit of living in communities. This has resulted in a population explosion.

Let's zoom in closer to modern day. Are you of the camp that believes our presence here has no effect on our atmosphere? I challenge you to go into the woods, sit in a tent in 30 degree weather with a candle and a thermometer. Light the candle, watch the thermometer. An average candle will yield around 50 BTU's per hour. You'll be surprised at how much the temperature rises. The average furnace puts out around 90,000 BTU's. How's that for a little perspective? It doesn't take much. Now let's consider a few things. Some of this has been addressed, some possibly not. There are a lot of things you do throughout your day that creates heat. Some of the obvious things are: cooking, heating your house, and taking a shower (water heater). The heat from these activities has to dissipate somewhere. You know where? It goes into the air, or atmosphere, if you like that better.

The human body puts out between 250 and 650 BTU's per hour, depending on the level of activity. When you start your car in the morning, it dissipates heat generated through friction, and the burning of fuel. Your television dissipates heat by turning electricity into usable signals, as does your car stereo. Lights generate heat. The friction of the tires on the pavement generate heat in the tire and the pavement, all of which dissipates into the air. Everything you own was probably manufactured in some way, and in the manufacturing process, created heat, which had to dissipate into the atmosphere. Every single match struck, every lighter clicked, every cup of coffee brewed, has an effect on the temperature of the air around you. When I go to the range, and shoot off 200 rounds or so, every single time I pull the trigger, I cause a small explosion. Some of the heat from that explosion is absorbed by the gun, some is absorbed by the bullet, and much of it dissipates into the air fairly quickly. The gun also generates heat through friction. All of this has to "cool down" eventually. Have you ever picked up freshly fired brass? It's HOT! Think of all your family gatherings around the holidays, and how the room seems to warm so quickly when it's full of people. 20 people generating an average of 450 BTU's per hour each equals 9000 BTU's. I have a heater that puts out exactly that number, and heats a 20 by 20 cabin in November to a comfortable temperature, with no other help necessary. Carbon footprint?? Hmph! Try personal heat signature!

Get the point yet? Let's move on to point number two.

In the last few months, I've heard and read many things concerning water shortages all over our country. Our nation's water content has been higher in recent history (read several hundred years) than in almost all known history before. We traveled to this land mass, and began to slowly move westward and populate it, taking advantage of a seemingly endless supply of water. Now, in the last 20 or so years, water levels throughout our country, most notably in the dry southwest, have been decreasing steadily. If the trend continues, population centers are going to have to change. People will have to start moving closer to water sources, or spend huge amounts of money to figure out how to bring water in to places never before considered necessary to do so.

Are we on the downswing of an exceptionally wet cycle, or do we have something to do with it? Consider that a human being is approximately 60% water. The average human ties up around 13.5-15 gallons of water, just by being alive. Forget consumption for now. Just in living and breathing, the average human hauls around an astonishing amount of water. Our population is around 300 million, and growing. That works out to be 4.5 BILLION gallons of water, eating, sleeping, driving, and banking. Didn't know water could do that? Now you know. You, your family, and all of your friends are containers of water, just trying to get through your daily lives. While you are alive, you are hoarding that water, and it doesn't get returned to the earth until you pass on. Gives new meaning to the phrase "kick the bucket", doesn't it? Now consider, when a person is buried in a sealed casket, where does that water go? I was made aware, today, of the new practice of sealing a sealed casket in concrete. Now that water is REALLY trapped. Are we shooting ourselves in the foot by sealing all that precious water away? I've always been one to want a natural burial of some sort, because my body is made up of water and nutrients that need to be returned to nature, in order to sustain the cycles. Lately, I've found that my desire for this has increased exponentially. Cremation may even be acceptable, as far as the water goes, because it would simply evaporate.

In earth's recent history, human population has increased in a frightening manner. The larger the population, the greater the burden on nature, and the more impact there is on the earth, and everything on it. I firmly believe that at the moment it became necessary to farm crops and animals to sustain human life, we were already overpopulated. At that point, we circumvented at least one of nature's most efficient tools at population control, and ecological balance. To think that our presence on this planet has no impact on our environment is not just ignorant, it's ludicrous, even bordering on stupid. Everything you use has to come from somewhere, and everything you do has consequences on something.