Karen and I will probably order a pizza, I'll have a few beers, she'll nod off on the couch, and I'll wake her up at midnight, wish her a Happy New Year, then send her off to bed.
WoooHooo!!! Near fatal excitement level here!!!LOL
I just answered this Featured Question; you can answer it too!
"A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the security of his community is little better than the criminal who threatens it."
In my opinion, yes, you do. It is every citizens responsibility to protect themselves, their family, their neighbors, or a perfect stranger in need of assistance.
If you think the police will be there to protect you when things are going horribly wrong, you are sadly mistaken. Most serious, or even fatal, social confrontations happen suddenly, and are over in seconds, or a few minutes at most. The average response time on a 911 call can be 30 to 45 minutes in most cities, much longer if you live in a remote rural area.
Here's a letter I received today from Tim at the United States Concealed Carry Association (USCCA).
December 30th, 2008
Hello, Harold!
Many, many people have been coming to me lately telling me that between the presidential election and the general atmosphere in the country, they have been feeling a tug towards concealed carry.
I've even had guys who have carried for thirty years email me saying that they are getting more serious about how they carry concealed. They tell me they are practicing more, telling more people about carrying concealed, and even signing up for professional classes.
Gun sales are up, and carry permit applications are at an all time high.
It's easy to see that these people feel a sense of duty toward gun ownership and concealed carry.
I'll never forget the time I first felt this 'tug'. It was shortly after becoming a father, while reading an article titled "The Constitutional Right and Social Obligation to Carry a Gun."
I was given the article by a friend, and it really struck a chord with me. It wasn't that I was new to guns- it was just that I had never really put much thought into carrying one around with me.
With my new child, I naturally felt the need to keep him safe, but I had never really felt a duty to carry a gun. But I read on...
"A citizen who shirks his duty to contribute to the security of his community is little better than the criminal who threatens it."
Wow... Needless to say, by the time I finished the article, I began to share the sense of duty that the author, Robert H. Boatman, was taking about.
I realized that not only was it my job to keep my family safe, but it was my duty to help keep my community safe.
I'm not talking about sticking on one of those corny "CCW Badges" and pretending to be a cop- I just mean spreading the word about concealed carry, and making criminals think twice before they pull a gun on someone.
If they hear that one out of every ten people walking around has a gun on them, they have to ask themselves: Is $20 or $30 worth dying for?
More and more frequently, that answer is "NO!". And statistics back that up: Concealed Carry laws lower crime.
So let me ask you- do YOU feel a duty to carry your weapon concealed?
Do you believe that your community is better off having you armed?
I do. I believe your township, village, or city is better off having you as a member of the community.
And you know what? Well over 20,000 members of the United States Concealed Carry Association believe so too.
Friend, if you feel this same sense of duty as all these members, you might be a good match for a membership to the USCCA.
See, people join the USCCA because we're the 'Ultimate Resource for the Armed Citizen'- and we take that mission statement very seriously.
Our 20,000+ members love our magazine and our website for this reason- these materials help them fulfil their civic duty more effectively.
We are more than just a club. We are a tight knit community. We're host to hundreds upon hundreds of articles, stories, and profiles all meant to help you become prepared for whatever you may encounter.
Our writers come from all walks of life- some are expert trainers, and some are people just like you and I.
Give a membership to the USCCA a shot. All you have to lose is a few minutes of your time. All you have to gain is a whole new perspective on carrying concealed, and mountains of life-saving information.
Tim Schmidt
USCCA - Owner / Founder
If you would like more information about carrying concealed, or if you already carry and would like to join USCCA,
Click here.
Other links for concealed carry info:
http://www.carryconcealed.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concealed_carry
http://www.concealedcampus.org/
My two constant companions.
My father-in-law passed away Tuesday, December 23rd, at 10:15 AM. I won't be on here much for a while.
Karen is, of course, devastated.
As am I.
This has changed our Christmas plans a bit. We were going to "pass" on the big dinner we always do, and have a small brunch, instead.
But now, everyone will be home by tonight. Kids and grandkids, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, inlaws and outlaws from near and far.
So everyone will be home for Christmas this year. As Karen's friend Carrie just said to me, everything happens for a reason. Maybe there's a reason you are all supposed to be together this year.
Sure wish they were just coming home for Christmas though.
Jeri and George, newly wed. 1947
George Blevins (1927-2008)
George Wade Blevins, 81, husband of Jeri Blevins of Westwood, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008.
George was born Dec. 11, 1927, in Johnson County, to the late William Worth and Lennie Mae Stamper Blevins. He was a retired truck driver and had previously owned a coal dredging business. He was of the Southern Baptist faith.
In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by two brothers, Bruce Blevins and Ottie Farmer Blevins.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Geraldine “Jeri” Ann Sears Blevins of Westwood; a son, George Richard “Rick” (Bonnie Sue) Blevins of Russell; six daughters, Karen Arlene (Harold “Bud”) Ferguson of Russell, Janet Carol Adornetto of Buffalo, N.Y., Sylvia Wadene (Lee) Virgin of Westwood, Rhonda Dale (Larry Joe) Copley of Ft. Gay, W.Va., Deena Lavonn Maio of Roanoke, Va., and Marti Robinette (Nick) Martsch of Rupert, Idaho; four sisters, Lula (Bill) Adkins of Paintsville, Ella (Vage) Guaze of Inez, Bonnie (Cletus) Webb, of Catlettsburg and Jerri Tackett of Staffordsville; two brothers, Jimmy (Ilene) Blevins of St. Marie, Idaho, and Harry (Diane) Blevins of North Carolina; 20 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; and several nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008, at Caniff Funeral Home in Westwood. Entombment will be in Rose Hill Burial Park Mausoleum in Ashland.
Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and an hour before services Saturday at the funeral home.
Father's Day 2007
Rest in peace, George Wade.
I love you, Dad.
You will be sadly missed!
Karen doesn't have one of those little thingies.
Trust me, I looked!
9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980
It absolutely does not seem possible that it has been twenty eight years.
Imagine, indeed!
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My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.
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You have to be a bastard to make it, and that's a fact. And the Beatles are the biggest bastards on earth.
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The more I see the less I know for sure.
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I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong.
Denise (menskeet) sent me a few tracks from Alvin Lee's newest solo CD, Saguitar, so thought I would share with any other fans that may be out there.
Enjoy!
"This rather awkwardly titled album (Alvin Lee's horoscope sign is Sagittarius) is a true solo project from the ex-Ten Years After frontman. He plays virtually all the instruments except keyboards, overdubbing himself in his home studio to impressive effect. Musically, he's not blazing any new territory at this point in his career, content with sticking to the Chuck Berry styled rocking blues boogies and the country twang he has dabbled in for 40 years. Lee's not a great drummer, and the lack of a rhythm section (other than his own overdubbing) results in a somewhat stiff, homogenous feel that might have been avoided if he had just hired a few pros to play these parts. Still, Lee's voice hasn't changed an iota since his heyday, and songs such as "The Squeeze" adequately replicate "I'd Love to Change the World"-styled hits without being carbon copies. "Smoking Rope" digs into the stop-start "I'm a Man" blues riff with surprisingly electrified results, helped enormously by Tim Hinkley's keyboards and an acoustic based sound that clicks without the drums that often hinder this album's material. Perhaps he could have left the self-explanatory "Rapper" on the cutting room floor, even though the psychedelic guitar solo that snakes through the track helps overcome Lee's very white and cardboard-sounding rapping. He's far more convincing on blues based originals such as "Blues Has Got a Hold on Me," a mellow yet convincing groove perfect for Lee's voice and approach. His vocals have always been Elvis-influenced so when he goes full on Presley for the rockabilly "Memphis" (not the Chuck Berry tune), the effect is impressive and unpretentious. Lee lays off most of the lightning licks of his youth, instead adding tight, taut fills that bring substance without flash to an eclectic and consistently enjoyable set. Ultimately, this is a solid Alvin Lee album that fans will enjoy but that is unlikely to attract many newcomers to his rather predictable if undeniably personal and energetic style."
~Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide~
The plaintive refrains of this song have been running thru my head for three days now. Hopefully, I can put it up here and get it into some of you guy's heads, and finally be able to get it out of mine!
In theory, kind of like, you can't get rid of a cold, until you give it to someone else. With that in mind, listen at your own risk!
Sort of makes me feel like dancin', tho.
Any of you girls out there wanna boot-scoot?
I've supplied the lyrics below, so you can sing along as you listen. That will help to imbed it deeply into your brain.
Look out, Mama, there's a white boat comin' up the river
With a big red beacon, and a flag, and a man on the rail
I think you'd better call John,
'Cause it don't look like they're here to deliver the mail
And it's less than a mile away
I hope they didn't come to stay
It's got numbers on the side and a gun
And it's makin' big waves.
Daddy's gone, my brother's out hunting in the mountains
Big John's been drinking since the river took Emmy-Lou
So the Powers That Be left me here to do the thinkin'
And I just turned twenty-two
I was wonderin' what to do
And the closer they got,
The more those feelings grew.
Daddy's rifle in my hand felt reassurin'
He told me, Red means run, son, numbers add up to nothin'
But when the first shot hit the docks I saw it comin'
Raised my rifle to my eye
Never stopped to wonder why.
Then I saw black,
And my face splashed in the sky.
Shelter me from the powder and the finger
Cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger
Just think of me as one you'd never figured
Who's gonna fade away so young
With so much left undone
Remember me to my love,
I know I'll miss her.
Now, maybe I can get back to the business at hand of humming JingleBells and Frosty the Snowman throughout the day!
Merry Christmas everyone!
I'm trying to upload a Neil Young tune and the Xanga audio manager keeps telling me that the audio file is transcoding.
It's been transcoding for two hours now.
WTF?
This is serious, guys. Pay attention!
How To Buy Lingerie For Your Wife or Girlfriend
I think I'll go shopping! 
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