Sebastian, today, called for another Starbucks Appreciation Day.  I have created a public event on Facebook to help get the word out.  Feel free to join and invite more people.

Thank Starbucks for following local laws and not discriminating against citizens exercising a constitutional right.

The National Gun Victim's Action Council, an anti-rights group, is planning a boycott of Starbucks because the company does not discriminate against gun owners and those who exercise their right to carry a firearm for self defense. Starbucks respects local laws and does not create their own rules to disarm law abiding citizens

The company should be thanked for their continued respect of local laws, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Let Starbucks know we appreciate their stance and they should not bow to the wants of any anti-rights organizations that are truthfully in the minority.

Today I finally bit the bullet and cut my hair.  It was a big change for  me, but my head already feels better.

Here are the before photos:

I donated nearly 2 feet to Locks of Love:

Now, the official after photo:

Great Clips is awesome.  Not only did I get a good hair cut, but it was free since I donated my hair!

Apparently, people now, in the US, have the ability to screen their future offspring In vitro and choose which embryo to keep and which to "discard".  Not only can gender be selected, but genetic diseases can be tested for and culled out by not choosing the vulnerable embryos.

DNA analysis of human embryos are also currently used to determine vulnerability to illnesses such as Down syndrome, hemophilia, kidney disease and cystic fibrosis, according to Kisken.

People seem to want this ability without realizing the consequences of their own actions.  When I read the article, a particular movie came to mind.  Gattaca, despite being science-fiction, is scary on the basis that it is indeed plausible.  Steps are being taken to lead us in that direction.  It is getting harder and harder to have a natural birth in hospitals.  Doctors feel it is safer for a woman to give birth via Cesarean section (though i think they are just thinking about their pocketbooks).  Pretty soon, it this keeps up, women will not be able to have a natural conception, let alone a natural birth if they so please.  With the government spreading its grimy little fingers into every facet of our daily lives, it would not surprise me if the new healthcare will start to require In vitro fertilization and screening.  To "ease" the requirements of the public health system.  Next thing you know, you won't be able to exchange any bodily fluids without a permit to do so.  As one will have to be screened as fit for reproduction.

Just as in Gattaca, embryos will be screened for genetic superiority and if a child is conceived and born by natural means, that child will be classified inferior, provided the pregnancy is even allowed to go to term.  What better way to induce someone into wanting to get an abortion if there is no way to obtain health insurance for their child.  The only way to make it anywhere in life will be through registration as a genetically superior being.

Stop playing God, all it does is allow discrimination of the "lesser beings".  

Not only did this take place in California, but at a High school no less, so of course it can't happen here, a school is a gun free zone.  The school went on lock down after a murder-suicide took place in the parking lot.

“I heard the shots and I knew someone was dead,” Chad said. “Why would he do this at a school? And why did he have to do it where there are kids everywhere?”

Just because it is a school with kids present does not mean that someone with intent will be thinking about the logistics involved.  The person is not going to care due to a one track mind.

“This just makes you think it could happen anywhere,” she said.

Thanks captain obvious, welcome to the party.  Why do you think this series is named like it is!?

I'm a bit behind on this, but I haven't forgotten about it.  Beale Street in Memphis, TN decided that it is going to ban guns on the entire street after restaurant carry was passed.  So based on that, nothing should happen right?  Cause guns are banned.  Well, tell that to the 6 people injured from a shooting in none other than the Beale Street district.

Later this month, Beale Street will break out the hand-held metal detectors at the entrance points and use other security measures to keep guns out of the three-block area day and night.

Based on the fact that there are metal detectors, how did someone get through with a gun?  Honestly, the detectors are just another form of security theater.

No matter what type of safe guards are in place, if a criminal wants to do something, laws are not going to stop them.

But, but, it can't happen here, we have metal detectors to keep us safe.

H/T WizardPC

Since JayG started it and I actually have a story to tell, here goes nothing.

So here's the meme. Long answers or short.
1. What was your first car? Model, year, color, condition?
2. What adventures did you have in it, good or bad?
3. What happened to it, what's the end of the story?

My first car, bought from my cousin by my parents, was a 2002 Hyundai Accent much like what is pictured here.

It was stick shift and the low profile model.  It also was the bare minimum on any extras as in no cruise control.  My parents bought it for me after I moved into an apartment from the dorms.  Since I had previously lived on campus, I didn’t need a car and my parents said they didn’t want me driving home every weekend.  I didn’t have a car in high school, didn’t need one and I didn’t get my license till after I graduated, I didn’t have a use for it.  At the time, I felt school was more important than driving.

My first urban driving experience with this car was in Seattle.  I was driving up James St., which happens to be very steep, and had to stop in the middle of the hill for a red light.  As I was still fairly new at driving a stick I conked the engine when the light turned green.  After that, I quickly learned how to play the clutch on hills which came in handy for the WSU campus.  If need be, I could easily let it roll more than normal to warn other drivers that were on my tail.

That car was a good little car.  That is, until it became known as the coffin on wheels.  A car that small up against a fuel tanker carrying 11,000 gallons of fuel, head on, is not a fair fight.  The car, to say the least, did not survive.

*Notes below are from Barron, I do not remember the accident or 5 days after the accident.  My condition was the same as Drew Barrymore's character in 50 First Dates.* Pictures below could be considered by some to be of a graphic nature. Click read more for pictures.

In September, a former Deacon of Lakeland Church in Florida killed his wife then shot a couple clergymen at the church.  Parishioners tackled the man after he started shooting and subdued him until the authorities arrived.  What makes this an It Can’t Happen Here type of story is the following:

“I’ve never heard of any problems there,” said Bryan Neely, who owns a motorcycle shop about two blocks away.

Just because you haven’t heard of problems doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

"We're trying to find out exactly what forced him to go into this killing rage on a Sunday morning," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. "It's sad because of all the places you should be safe, you should be safe in your house of worship. And you should be safe in your house of worship on a Sunday morning."

[…]

"If we can't feel safe in the church, where can we feel safe?" Johnson asked.

One should be able to feel safe in their own home too.  Doesn’t mean that is going to be the case all the time. 

Crime does not discriminate.  Just because it is a place of worship does not mean it is exempt.

It may be the 21st century, but hate crime still exists.  Whether it is by color of one’s skin or one’s gender orientation, there are still people out there that have a problem with it and will act out.  No matter where you live it can happen.  Be it college campuses or large, seemingly progressive cities, no place is immune.

"It feels like a violation," said Evans, "feels really shocking because you don't think things like this happen anymore, especially in Seattle, Washington."

It really sucks that this happened and I hope the party responsible gets caught, but you are living in a dream world if you think it can’t or won’t happen here.

Just because you think something has been relegated to the dustbin of history, you can still have some asshat trying to revive it.

A high class, quiet town nestled in the Cascade foothills in Western Washington, what could possibly happen there?  The most one ever hears about Issaquah is that it is home to Krispy Kreme Donuts in Western Washington (they showed up there first before spreading).  Who'd a thunk a deranged lunatic would would open fire there?

"We were running from guns. That's not supposed to happen in Issaquah," she said.

"It was so close. It was like you didn't really think it could be gunfire right behind you," said another woman who was there, Dawn Hill.

Issaquah is home to people who work at tech companies, much like Microsoft and it’s not exactly "low rent".  Yet, bad things still happen.

“In my whole life I've never seen anything like this,” said Jack Hover.

Just because it hasn’t happen before, doesn’t mean it can't happen at all.

Mmmm…Krispy Kreme.

H/T Ry

The cops chased the wrong car and wound up arresting an armed man on a school campus.  Rollins College is a gun free zone.  The only thing permitted for self-defense is a spray, provided it is used correctly. 

Despite the rules, someone still went on campus with a firearm, oh boy, how did that happen?!

Its not like there is a magic barrier that prevents guns from finding their way on campus.

Sadly, in Carson City Nevada, 3 people were killed, 2 being Guardsmen at IHOP and 8 people were injured.  Locals Barbecue and an H&R Block were also fired upon.  The shooter killed himself, putting the count at 4 dead

"This happens in third-world countries, not here," Swagler said.

This is not limited to third world countries, look at what happened in Lakewood, WA and Fort Hood, TX.  What really bites and pours salt into open wounds is the fact that our men in the military cannot be armed while in uniform.

"I don't know what's happening to my city," Hunter said. "This happens in L.A. or Las Vegas but not here."

Tragedies such as this can happen anywhere.  They are not limited to high profile cities. Look at what happened in little ol’ Moscow, ID.  Loons are found everywhere.

H/T Weer’d Beard and TinCan Assassin

Over the weekend, at the time of the Brooklyn parade, 46 people were shot.

"Last night was unbelievable," one source said yesterday. "I can't remember a couple of hours like these since the days of crack."

This is New York people, home of some seriously high crime rates and a Brady score of 62/100.  No matter where you are located it can happen. 

How’s that gun control working for you Mayor Bloomberg?

Mayor Bloomberg, the asshat, has decided that first responders are not invited to the 10th anniversary ceremony of ground zero. 

Because you know, the people who ran into the buildings trying to save people should totally be left out.  The people who spent weeks of their own time searching for survivors should not be there either.  But we have more than enough room for three asshat's that actually had NOTHING to do with any of it.  Obama, Bush, and Giuliani did absolutely nothing that day.  Everyone else did what they were trained to do, those three are just using the deaths of others for political gain.

Those three individuals do nothing but masturbate thinking about the abuse created by the TSA and DHS knowing it has been created and furthered by their hand.  They take no greater pleasure than that of destroying the rights of the law abiding, sexually abusing them, and intimidating them.

It should come as no surprise that given those three have such fine moral caliber, the first responders would not be invited to their private little circle jerk of tyranny.  Frankly, if I was a first responder, I would keep my ass home because nothing good could possibly come from aiding in their political power plays.

Thank you Barron for the commentary.

Drama free, in the case of this party that meant gun free.  Yet, 11 people were shot, one of which was paralyzed from a bullet severing her spinal cord.  This has made it to the “It Can’t Happen Here” series by being a gun free, drama free zone.  All persons were searched before entering the party, yet a shooting still occurred. 

Even more than that, how's this for icing:

"IDs were being checked and everybody was being searched through the front," he said. "So he [the shooter] probably came in, seen somebody he had issues with, went home and got his gun."

Yup all of those efforts worked out real well in the end didn't they?

Also note, this occurred in NY where guns are so very accessible. </sarcasm>

Today I had two scheduled job interviews and one impromptu interview.  The scheduled interviews went well.  The other one on the other hand ranks right up there with being fired for having a disability.

I found a few job listings for a Palouse Pets in Moscow, ID and decided to drop my resume off.  The jobs included a dog bather and a kennel technician.  So, considering my background in animal science and having 3 years of experience as, essentially, a kennel tech at the university I thought it would be a fairly easy job to land.

Well, that wasn’t so.  During the interview we discussed my qualifications and abilities, but soon the conversation started to focus on the fact that I have a disability.  Now, I have had this disability for over six and a half years and nothing short of extensive surgery can be done about it*.  I have no restrictions other than what I feel is needed.  The bitch conducting the interview had a real issue with my disability as it reduces usability in one hand, but does not limit functionality as a whole.  The disability is something that hasn’t stopped me from working with animals in the past, including horses.  This woman felt that I could not function well enough to handle a bunch of dogs and wants me to get permission from my doctor, whom I haven’t seen in over three years, so as to verify that I can indeed fully use my arm.  She felt I would be a liability if I were to be injured.  The disability in my right arm makes me no more likely to be injured than anyone else.  No other past jobs felt that I was a liability to the company.