Gun Control..... ummm, no.

After watching a video on Youtube pertaining in small part to gun control, and then not being able to comment, due to an error on YT, I figured I'd vent here!
There are many arguments for and against gun control, but I want to focus on a generalized view of the whole thing. It seems, after reading comments on YT that many people who support gun control believe that an armed population is a dangerous population, as now, everyone has a gun, so crime will automatically rise, as will murders, because, as we all know, guns kill people (and rob banks, and conduct drug deals, etc.). This is a flawed argument, as it assumes that if carrying guns is legalized, everyone suddenly has a moral collapse, and crime in and of itself becomes acceptable.
The way I see it, criminals are criminals, no matter what. Sure, some can be rehabilited, but once someone goes down that road, it's hard to get off it. If someone is willing to break the law with a gun, what will stop them committing a crime by owning a gun? They simply ignore the law, and because of this, criminals will always find a way to get or own guns. So, by enacting any sort of gun control, the only people who will be disarmed are those who would not commit a crime with a gun in the first place. It causes crime to rise, as those who are the victims of crime have no way to defend themselves. Criminals will be emboldened as there is less of a chance of harm coming their way when the people they attack have no line of defense.
Granted, there are exceptions to the rule. By allowing everyone to have guns, someone who is mentally unstable is almost guaranteed to have easy access to obtain a firearm that they intend to use to slaughter a number of innocent civilians. However, on the flip side of this, if someone who is unstable goes on a rampage, similar to what has happened on countless college and school campuses in recent years, undoubtedly, someone else there will be carrying a weapon, and will be able to stop the carnage before it gets out of hand. It brings balance to the power having a gun brings. For every 1 criminal or nutjob who has a gun and decides to use it in an illegal manner, there will be 10 law-abiding, gun-carrying civilians who can stop them. I'm speaking in generalities, obviously, and there will always be bad apples on any tree. I just feel that if a bad apple comes my way, I should have the right to dispose of it, so it doesn't hurt anyone else.

Sorry!

For some reason, the template I used was not showing up correctly, at least not on my computer. Hopefully the change helps everything show up!

What is wrong with people?

So this morning, I'm driving to work, and traffic starts slowing down in a really unsual spot. I figure there's an accident, on account of the horrible fog, and proceed to crawl through at about 5mph. I turned on the radio to see if there was any info on what was going on. Apparently there was a 3-car accident blocking the left lane- my lane- so I decided to switch to the right lane... which was a challenge as no one was kind enough to let me in, so I gave up. Continues to crawl until I was about a half a mile from the crash site. Threw onmy turn signal, and was blocked from moving to the right lane, until finally someone had enough decency to let me in (thank you whoever you are). Things start to lighten up almost instantly, and I'm building speed. Turns out, the guy I was behind was going super slow, but had about 8-10 car lengths between him and the car in front of him... and it was the same for that car as well. This was frustrating enough, but then one of the people who wouldn't let me in to the right lane (who is now in front of me) decides it's a good idea to slow down and check out the accident... which isn't blocking either lane, it's in the turn lane.

Listen, I'm the type of guy who likes to watch the "Saw"-type movies with tons of gore and all that, but I've yet to see an accident where anything like that was present. Most every single accident I've seen has been a minor event, and definitely nothing worth stopping or slowing down for. Yet anytime there is an accident, or a car broken down, or even someone pulled over by a cop, it seems every driver besides me has to look to see what's happening. PEOPLE! STOP LOOKING!!! THERE'S NOTHING TO SEE AT ALL!!!! You're slowing everyone down behind you, which makes them (and me) late to work. Stop being so incredibly selfish! Traffic flow depends on everyone being as selfless as possible, which is not something anyone will ever teach you... you have to figure it out for yourself.

Super Mario Brothers- Frustration

This video is hysterical, especially if you've spent any time playing Mario. WARNING- Strong language throughout!

ODOT- you're amazing.

Being that Lancaster doesn't seem to have any jobs that pay much, I found a job in Westerville, about 6 months ago. I don't hate it, and the pay is alright, so I'm pretty happy. One thing I could live without? The drive. I have the privilege of sharing the roads with some of the best drivers on earth some 2+ hours everyday. Here is a list (in no particular order) of things I love to run into daily. Enjoy!

·Drivers who ride on your bumper. Who doesn't love this? I mean, I already go 5+ mph over the posted speed limit, and you'd think that'd satisfy most everyone, but there's always one or two people who just have to go faster than a Stealth fighter. Of course, they always decide to let me know that I'm not going fast enough by driving 2 inches from my rear bumper. I then have to deal with the guy next to me who has suddenly decided going as fast as I am is a great idea, so I can't get over unless I pass him by hitting Mach 3. I wonder where these people are going in such a hurry?

·The complete opposite of the person above- the guy who drives 5mph under the speed limit. Granted, being tailgated is annoying (obviously); even more so when you're speeding, but if I can't hit the posted speed limit due to somebody who not only wants to take their sweet old time, but wants to enjoy all the natural beauty that surounds 270, then I get a little frustrated. I remember making a sticker for a lady a couple years ago that said something to the effect of "I drive 10mph under the speed limit at all times. Deal with it.". I wanted to wring her neck! You will get rear ended one day, so deal with it.

·Rain. I could just stop there, as rain while driving is pretty bad, but in Ohio, it seems to be the first sign of the apocalypse, or that's how people seem to translate it when they get in their car. Ohioans seem to want to think that rain is nothing to worry about, and they can simply drive as crazy as they normally do, which usually ends up with multiple accidents all around Columbus, or multiple vehicles off the road. You'd think after living in the same city, which has a fairly predictable weather pattern (most of the time), for 20+ years, and driving on the same roads for all that time, that you'd start to understand what it takes to drive when the roads are wet. Apparently not.

I did notice something driving to work this morning- there is an amazing lack of any kind of reflectors on both 33 and 270. While the road is dry, it's no big deal, but when it's wet, the lines all seem to disappear. I have pretty good eyesight (20/10 when I was younger!) and I have a hard time seeing the lines when the roads are wet. Reflectors can't be so expensive (especially compared to the cost of taking care of multiple accidents on any rainy day) that they have to be rationed... can they? Driving in Pennsylvania at night, it's like staring at a Christmas tree... reflectors EVERYWHERE. If you can't see the road there, you have to be blind. Literally blind. I would accept something other that what we have now- a reflector in the middle of the road every 2-3 lines. Nothing on the side of the roads, unless there's an overpass or guardrail. That's insane.

·People who blatantly ignore yield signs. We've all done it, so this was never an issue, until I noticed that people coming onto a freeway, who have a nice big yield sign, which, last time I checked means you yield to oncoming traffic, decide to not only ignore the sign, but muscle their way in front of me, when I'm still going full speed. If everyone exercised some seflessness and patience, there would be far fewer traffic jams and much less road rage. Good luck with that.

· Traffic light timers. Really? We're using technology from who-knows-when, and we're expecting it to work forever? I have been thinking of inventing some type of technology that will sense where the cars are at, and turn the light green at whatever time it deems necessary, thereby allowing traffic to flow as it needs to, not based on someone's antiquated timer. I get real tired of sitting at a red light when there is literally no traffic crossing in front of me. Of course, with the timer, it's inevitable that as soon as I get a green light, someone in the intersection is pulling up to a red, even though the whole time I sat there it was green. I swear, I think someone at the traffic office is watching and laughing on a daily basis.

I'm sure there are other things I can add to my list, but my blood pressure is rising as I type this, so I need to step away...lol. What are some things YOU take issue with?

It's been a while since I've had a nightmare...

I had a nightmare last night. I had forgotten how joyously fun those are (Sarcasm doesn't translate well online, does it? ). It was rather strange, and got me thinking a bit.

The scary part wasn't very long (is it ever?), but was enough to make me flail around in bed and yell in my sleep (according to my wife). I was at my grandparents house, more specifically in their kitchen. I noticed through their bedroom doorway that something was running back and forth. It turns out it was a small toddler, although if I remember right, it was red. Before I knew it, I was holding it in my hands, and it was trying to bite me. I think this is when I realized it was a demon in baby form. Somehow it got away, and went back to the bedroom. I went after it, only to see it disappear into the bed... only this time, it was silver/ grey. This is when I started yelling... I was trying to provoke it out so I could finish it. I remember my "scream" being very weak and faint, but it was enough to draw the demon-baby out. This time though, the daddy demon stuck his head out sharing words of encouragement to junior. As soon as baby appeared, I wrapped my hands around it's neck, and proceeded to start bashing it's head against the dresser drawer- thus the flailing about in bed. I remember the bashing doing very little to no damage whatsoever before Karen woke me up. I was all shaky and whatnot. It's been quite some time since I've had a nightmare, and I don't miss it. When I was growing up, my nightmares would literally give me a choice at a certain point... it looked as though I was a third party, looking in on a scene of a movie, albeit very dimly lit. I always had 10 seconds to choose whether I wanted to continue or if I wanted to wake up. Naturally, I'd wake up most, if not all the time. I never understood how or why that happened, but I'm glad it did.

My take on language/ immigration (may offend some- fair warning!)

First off, "hello". This is my first blog, and I'd like to welcome you. Get comfy, and feel free to leave a comment, if you feel strongly enough to do so.
I was on Facebook a little bit ago, and a local news station asked this question: "Last night during Sunday Night Football, NBC 4 received calls from angry viewers after the network aired a commercial in Spanish. Some of the graphics during the game were also in Spanish. The game was played in Miami, which has a large Hispanic population-- presumably the reason behind those decisions. How do you feel about the Spanish influence during the broadcast? Was it offensive or appropriate?"
I (as I sometimes do) responded that since we live in America, English should be the prevalent language, and should be learned by all those who live here. I even think it's good to learn the language if you're only visiting for a short period of time. Now, before some of you start calling me a racist or a redneck or whatever derogatory term you like to throw around at people you disagree with, hear me out. I am an American, born and raised (on the playgorund is where I spent most of my days...), and as such, I speak English. I'm also online a bunch, so I try to use English as well as I can when typing, although that seems to be a crapshoot on some days (especially if I have to type "the" a lot... it comes out as "teh".... grrrr). It really irritates me when people try to make the argument that English should be the only official American language, then proceed to violently murder it with reckless abandon. I'm no expert, but, please, I think you need to learn English as much as Abdul does... just sayin'.
Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is this- if you are going to spend any time in America, do yourself and all of us a favor, and learn the language. How do you expect to do anything substantial in this country if you don't first learn the language. It's akin to me moving to, say, Germany, with the intent of starting a business to make a better life for myself and my family, only refusing to learn German. I hear that many Europeans speak English (or at least that's what Hollywood has told me for years), so it'll be cool. If I can't speak German, how am I going to do anything, much less start a business and be profitable? Hand gestures and facial expressions can only go so far. In order to make the most of my time in Germany, the first thing I would do is learn German... that way, I can at least communicate with the population, and not be seperated from them (except on the grounds that I'm an "ugly American"... no amount of German can wash that away!).

It's the same here. Someone mentioned that America is a "melting pot", and I completely agree. I want every single person who wants a better life to come to my country, and to make a name for themself. I want them to scrape together just enough money to get here, not know the language (at first) and make something from the $5 that's in their pocket when their feet first touch our majestic soil. That's how it's been done for years and years, and you know what? It's made out nation great. Once you get here though... integrate yourself into our nation... learn the language, the customs, the history... become an American... don't become a foreigner in America, but a fell-fledged American citizen with all the rights and liberties that come with that distinction. Melt into this pot, and become something great! Without the common thread of language, we are doomed to be seperate, no matter how close we are, physically. Look at Babylon from the Bible... when the tower of Babel was being built, everyone spoke one language, but once people started speaking different languages, everything fell apart, and the people scattered. That's what's happening now! I'm happy to see people from different ethnicities and backgrounds coming to our country, but if I can't at least speak to them, they may as well still be in their native land.

On a somewhat related note- I've heard an argument for illegal immigration pertaining to the Native Americans who got shafted by the Europeans who invaded what is now the US. I completely agree that what happened with the Native Americans was a travesty, but rather than shrugging it off and allowing it to happen with others, I'd like to learn from history, lest I be doomed to repeat it. If illegal immigration isn't stopped, we will be overrun and overtaken- "hello, reservations". No thank you.