0021 - 14JAN2013 - "The 2nd Amendment"...

Where do we start fixing this mess? “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”, reads the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (by the way, this is the version that the states approved, and differs slightly from the originally proposed one)… I believe that, to one degree or another, every US Citizen is in favor of, and supports, the 2nd Amendment and its meaning: the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. Now, there is something really twisty here that I am trying to understand: there are folks who interpret that right to bear arms as a mandate for citizens to be armed and vigilant to ensure they can keep the government in check, and to ensure they, given some circumstances, can fight and beat the Armed Forces of the US Government to avoid tyranny; they embrace - fiercely - part of the amendment and consider themselves the self appointed state militia, but – simultaneously - reject vigorously any type or regulation as clearly stated in the amendment. I respect that interpretation, although I struggle to understand it. But here comes the twisty part: these folks are usually the same group that gets very upset when there is any mention or proposal to cut the growth (let alone actual reduction of) the budget for the Department of Defense, also known as the Armed Forces of the US Government; they insist – and I agree with this position - we must have the best, most respected and best equipped armed forces in the world. So, let me get this straight: on one hand you consider the US Government the enemy and stand ready to fight it; and on the other hand you insist that the US Armed Forces, that same enemy you stand ready to fight, must be the best fighting force in the world… Am I the only one who sees the contradiction here? You want to make sure that your enemy is unbeatable? Isn't that suicide? This is one of those things that make you go: hmm..! I suggest this one needs to be re-thought!

Football. The Notre Dame coach needs to be fired too! I think the fans who went to the Orange Bowl should get their money back! It was such a one-sided affair that I turned it off within four minutes and watched Alaska State Trooper instead! Regarding the NFL, in the last two week-ends there were several shows worth mentioning. First, the whole managing team of the Redskins must be fired and banned from ever coaching again: how dare they send a visibly and ostensibly impaired rookie to be immolated and forever diminished just because the chance of winning the game… The kid was destroyed and according to some orthopedic surgeons, he will be able to play again, but will never be the kind of player he was… On the other hand, there were two superb games this past playoff week-end. On the first one, the Ravens edged the Broncos in an overtime thriller. I must mention that last year Tim (inadequate, subpar, not-good-enough, not-NFL-material) Tebow, took the Broncos to a play-off win against the Steelers, one game further than Peyton (8th-wonder-of-the-world) Manning took them this year… Makes you think if the people managing football really know anything about the game…! On the other great game, the raptors (Seahawks and Falcons) went after each other with all they got and delivered a whale of a game… Congrats to both and again to the winning Falcons… Well done!

Hawks Bluff. Not too much to talk about… There have been reports of two more fires along roads that border some Phases of Hawks Bluff. Five weeks after I called the Sheriff office looking for information/update regarding the original fires, the sheriff returned my call this past week; left me a message saying he would call again soon, but that second call hasn't come in yet… I will have to call the sheriff again… Will update if I learn something new… I also heard this past weekend that, as drainage works on the swales was being done in Phase III, as mandated by the Tennessee Department of Natural Resources, resident complained to the working crew about them creating a mess and making the place look bad. The workers stopped works and have not returned… Does anybody know anything else about this?

Quote of the week…
“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”

- Peter T. Mcintyre

So, stay fearless, my friends…