Gun Control

I guess I am a real redneck, but I don't understand all the hoopla about gun control.  How many criminals or terrorists have obtained their guns while standing in a line at Wal-Mart?  I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess, NONE.  All gun control will do is disarm regular citizens and prevent them from defending themselves.  Do you think a burgler wants to break into a home where there is a good possibility of a loaded gun waiting for him, or a home where there are no weapons?  Duh!  If thieves and criminals thought there was a good chance that every home in America had loaded weapons waiting for intruders, I believe that might reduce the crime statistics. 
And this nonsense about criminals breaking into homes, and being injured and then SUING the homeowner - what a load of crap!  If you are in the process of breaking the law and get injured, then you only got half what should be coming to you.  What in the world is wrong with our judicial system that they would award criminals with money?  And why do I have to pay to house criminals for 40 years in a prison?  If you committed a violent crime and someone saw you do it, and there is no doubt about your guilt, you don't deserve a life in prison.  Public hangings would be a great deterrent for those people.  As it stands, they know that the worst they get is their freedom removed.  They get 3 meals a day, exercise, tv, college classes, etc.  When people worked on chain gangs, prison was NOT a pleasant place to be.  Ramble, ramble - anyway, I think gun control is just a stepping stone to our government changing ever-so-slightly towards capitalism.  Hitler did not come out and announce the holocaust on day one.  All changes were gradual and supposedly "for the good of the people". 

Kids today...

I fear we are raising a nation of irresponsible, disrespectful, lazy kids.  This generation of kids have been given so much without having to work for it.  I feel we have done a disservice to them.  I speak of myself, as well.  These kids never had to scrounge for pop bottles to turn in to get money to buy something.  They get allowances, or just the "I need $20.00 to go to the movies" thing.  We don't want our kids to miss out on anything.  Heaven forbid they not be part of the "In-Crowd".  Or we ground them, only to let it slide so they don't miss that high school dance. 
These kids have lived without consequences for the most part.  And blame is the new game.  Everything is some one else's fault.  Let's sue someone because we tripped in the parking lot.  We have given them time outs, when I have seen some kids who need a few knock-outs!  We have diagnosed them with ADD, ADHD or some other acronym and that's the reason they act like wild indians.  When I was growing up, I didn't know one person who had ADD.  I DID know lots of people who knew when they acted up they were going to get a spanking.  Not a beating, just a good old-fashioned spanking.  Why do you think God made our butts padded?  I don't care what anyone says, fear of the pain involved in a spanking prompted good behavior.  The ever popular phrase, "Just wait until your dad gets home!" evoked fear and dread, and I guarantee you we were angels from that minute on. 

Absent fathers are also a big part of the problem.  Children need their fathers.  A hero and role model.  And someone who enforces the discipline code in the house.  Schools are no longer able to punish kids.  I am sure there were some who were over the top and did some unnecessary spanking at school, but I never remember anyone bringing a gun to school and shooting students and teachers in my day.  Why? Because they were taught right from wrong at an early age, and it was enforced with spankings now and then.  And they learned respect for their elders.  And we wouldn't have had to worry about the police - the punishment from our fathers would have been way worse. 

We said the Pledge of Allegiance  every day. We prayed in school.  We had recess.  We didn't have hours of homework every night.  We lived a much slower and simpler life than kids today.  We had free time to ride bikes, built forts, hunt for bugs, or whatever we chose to do.  So none of us became famous dancers or soccer players or politicians - most of us grew up to be happy, productive citizens.  Just seems like our kids never get the chance to be kids. 

More to come another day...