Tuesday, February 26, 2013

A Special Friend. A True Buddy. Not a lot of those out there.



 
 
First, I want to offer a special thank you to the folks at the Emergency veterinary clinic in Jacksonville (NC), to the caring staff at Onslow Animal Hospital, and to the special caregivers at the School of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University.
Monday morning, as I was leaving for my morning talk radio gig, I didn't find one of our two dogs, SCUBA Dood, in his usual bed. Inside, where it’s warm. We have a special area complete with a doggie door to allow both of our dogs access to a fenced-in back yard. It gives them the chance to safely explore, when they want, and to find an outdoor corner when nature calls. SCUBA was lying on the ground, on his side, cold, wet. He was having what we later learned was a seizure. My wife, Robie, headed for the emergency clinic with our “child”, wrapped in towels to keep him warm. They stabilized SCUBA, and brought his body temperature…which had fallen to 90-degrees…back up.
 
(In case you're wondering about this strange name for a dog-SCUBA Dood- allow me to explain. You see, I have been an avid SCUBA diver since the mid-1960's, and have spent hundreds of hours underwater. When my bride-to-be, Robie, back in 2005 thought I needed a companion, I never would have thought I could become as hooked on a critter as I did with this little puppy, a puppy I named SCUBA Dood. Simply because I wanted a name that was as special and unique as he was).  
 
 
 
At our regular vet, Onslow Animal Hospital, they jumped on the case as soon as the door opened Monday morning. After a variety of tests, the vet said we needed a specialist, and sent us to NC State University's Veterinary School. Thank goodness there was not a lot of traffic, and I made the 125 mile trip in short order. The team went to work even before I could get my truck parked. There's something really special about people who provide medical care for our pets.

Unfortunately, the news is not so good for SCUBA. It appears that he has cancer, we learn late in the day. Something we could not have foreseen. In fact, he got a clean bill of health during his regular annual check in January, just a month before. Less than 24 hours earlier, on Sunday evening, he was running, playing, being his usual loving, comical self. An 8-year old miniature schnauzer with more personality than most people I know. And, more love than in all of the love story movies ever made. SCUBA's outgoing personality was infectious. No one could not like SCUBA.
It makes no difference what kind of mood I'm in, how tired I am, how tough the day has been, how difficult that humans have been. Makes no difference whether my boss was a troll or is a great guy. SCUBA was always at the door, barking, his little stub of a tail gyrating at about 100 WPS (Wags Per Second). And, when I opened the door, he'd come a runnin'. Those two front paws would soon be forcefully planted on my leg, begging...no, demanding...that I stop everything, put all issues on a back burner, and pet him. A request that was impossible to ignore, even if I had wanted to. An absolute pleasure to be around, this dog called SCUBA Dood.
Unfortunately, in spite of all of the care at all levels, the disease was too much. We have a void in our family today. We have memories, and I/we are better off to have experienced the love and companionship of one heckuva dog.
 
In closing, I want to remind all of us. Take the time to reach out to your loved ones, four legs or two. Take the time to talk with them, to listen to them, to love them. All too soon, it comes to an end.

 
-30-
                                                                               

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Dump the Second Amendment to Save Gang Bangers

Want to drastically reduce illegal killings in the US?
Yeah, like who doesn't want to do that?
Want to virtually eliminate illegal gun-related murders?
Refer to second sentence.
I think that the murder rate in this country is ridiculously high. And, darn near out of control.
It doesn't have to be that way.
We could, as a nation of rational, liberal-minded, pacifists agree to dump that antiquated and pesky constitutional amendment in the Bill of Rights that guarantees that the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
More than 80-million US citizens own more than 300-million guns. I need to add that those 80-million citizens are law abiding people who have killed fewer people than the late Ted Kennedy.
So, why not just take away their guns? That would stop the gun murders, right? Doubtful. And, no one will fall for this philosophy. Unless one subscribes to the philosophies of butt-kissing politicians who are trying to divert attention away from the political blunders of the current administration.
Those butt-kissers are doing everything they can to demonize law-abiding citizens, 80-million of us. In any other situation, those being demonized for no good reason, and with no justification, would be screaming discrimination. And, they would be right to do so.
If we want to discriminate, then I suggest we discriminate against the murderers. And, if one is to believe government stats, one will agree that the vast majority of gun killings are gang related. In Chicago, the city most often cited as being the murder city of the year, studies show that gang related gun murders accounted for more than 90% of the total gun killings last year. In case you're wondering, more than 500 people were killed in 2012 in Chicago. Gang activity accounted for more than 450 of those murders.
But, blaming gangs for the murders is not politically correct. Why? Well, those same government stats, once examined, show that the killers are black or Hispanic. In fact, 96% are black or Hispanic. Not my numbers, those are numbers from the government studies. And, the stats show that almost all of the murders are gang related, that either the killer, or the victim, or both, were gang members.
Given that info, why would we not just discriminate against the gang members? I can't think of any REASONABLE person who would disagree that gang members should not be allowed to possess guns. Not even my friends at the NRA.
Actually, those murders are already illegal, and most are committed by people who are not suppose to have guns in the first place.
Duh.
The problem is not guns. The problem is that our justice system does little to prevent crime. Police do a bang-up job investigating the crimes. After they occur. And, they will tell you that it's pretty easy identifying the bad guys 'cause they've got their pictures and fingerprints on file from previous crimes.
The problem is that we are treating these gang-bangers with kid gloves because of their minority status. It's time, America, that we take back our streets. It's time to do like New York City. Adopt stop and frisk policies for the police. I don't care if it's harassment. If an obvious gang member is in a suspicious area, then cops should be able to frisk him. It's worked wonders in the Big Apple. A city that's three times as big as Chicago had fewer murders than the president's home town (or, at least the town he seems to claim, these days). Every gang member should be stopped and searched, and if a weapon (and, that includes knives, martial arts gear, brass knuckles, or guns) is found, then that person should be held accountable. Justice should be swift, and punishment should be severe.
Naturally, the police should never be allowed to go where they're not needed, and this should not be an open invitation for the law to go beyond the intended boundaries. Strict controls must be strictly enforced. After all, this should not be an opportunity for an anti-gun establishment to violate the Second Amendment.
STOP AND FRISK may not be the best answer. But, it might be worth a trial in a city with a problem like Chicago has.
 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Another School Attack...this one gets almost no coverage


What the hey? Another attack on a school campus and it gets nothing more than local news coverage! How can that be, America? How can that be? No Brian Williams, no Piers Morgan with “School Attack Leaves One Wounded” reports. I’m disappointed. Shocked by their apathy.

Is it because there was no assault rifle or a handgun involved? You might ask the victim whether he thought the 12 inch butcher knife used in the attack was not as scary, not as dangerous as a semi-automatic rifle. You might ask whether the 17-year old man accused in the assault was any less threatening or less dangerous.

You might ask, or observe, as a number of those who have read the story on a local TV station’s web site, if the victim and/or the assailant are members of gangs.

The attack, luckily, was not fatal. At least, not this time. And, the teenager accused of attacking his classmate was quickly arrested. And, it was good that his bond was set at $25,000, a large amount the less-conservative-elements might say, given that no one knows if the assailant has a criminal record. Never mind that he is now free on bond, after appearing before a judge, coming up with the bail. The only positive part of this is that he is under “electronic surveillance”.

I’m sure that the victim’s parents are feeling good about the security of their child. And, I’m sure that the accused knife-wielding assailant has learned his lesson, and poses no threat to anyone because the man wearing the black robe in court told him to behave himself. Hopefully, he is satisfied that whatever dispute happened over the weekend has been resolved. If not, the victim remains at risk. And, if either or both of these individuals are gang members, their families and friends also remain at risk.

And, the bloodshed shall continue. Mark my word, and put it down in your notebook. This story is far from over.