Been a while

 Wow, been a long time.  Was on and off a bit during covid but wow. . .

Anyone still out there?

Gotta get back into this . . .

 Been a while since I blogged. . . doubt anyone is still reading these but here we go. . . 

Been a crazy few years but here we are again.  Things are still nuts and I have tried to step back from the politics a bit.  Not worth the increase in blood pressure.  Mixed results on exercising, need to do that more.  

I have gotten more and more involved in Safety, both at work and in my town.  Started with work, took over the Safety Manager position. . . may not have been my best move right before Covid hit but it is what it is.  That led me to get certified to teach First Aid, CPR, and AEDs. . . which lead me to finding out about our town CERT team so I signed up for that.  If you have not heard of them it is the Community Emergency Response Team and it is an idea that came out of CA after one of their big earthquakes.  We fall under volunteers with the local Fire Department.

All of this has led me to want to go get my EMT cert, but due to Covid there are no classes I can take part time for now. . . but we keep watching.

Finally getting back into models, got two Star Trek on the bench now and a Space 1999 warming up. . . photos when they are done.

I promise I will try to get back here more often. . . plenty to talk about with models, safety and guns . . . 

Memories of 9/11

Where were you?

Do you Remember?

I was in Boston.  I remember the call from my wife when the first plane hit. . . . it was an accident they thought. . . .

I remember everyone on their computers trying to load CNN but the web server could not handle it. . . the news showed the second plane hit. . .  We were gathered around a TV in a conference room.  I remember thinking about a Tom Clancy book where the bad guy used a plane to attack DC and thinking “damn they better get a CAP up ASAP down there”. 

I remember the Pentagon getting hit and the last plane going down when Americans stood up and fought back.  They died so that folks on the ground they didn’t even know would live.  They did what needed to be done.  I remember wondering if I had it in me to do that.

I remember us all wondering where a co-worker had disappeared to. . . then the rumors his brother (also a co-worker) was on flight 11. . . then the confirmation.  He died because he skipped the original flight he was booked on the day before so he could see his kids play soccer.

I remember getting told we could go home, and on the way doing a mental breakdown of what I had at home to take care of the family and protect them. . . I learned I needed to prep more. .  . I remember my friend I carpooled with calling me to see if we were leaving because she was getting out of the city one way or another. . . We wondered where the next hit would be

I remember almost a week with no aircraft flying, and how weird it was to sit on Boston Common at lunch and not see any in the air, to not hear them all the time. . . so quiet.  Same at home, we are under one of the landing patterns and nothing for days. . . .

I remember we woke up to reality for a while, we pulled together, and we got the job done. 

Sadly, now we have gone back to sleep.  We have our own elected officials trying to open our borders to make it easer for these folks to get in the country.  We have even elected folks to Congress who support terror groups.  We let the government pass law after law taking away our rights as we pretend it makes us safer. . . .

Time for us to wake up.  Time to remember who and what we are.  I hope we can.

Gun Control lies

It looks to me like every Democrat running for POTUS this time around are all disqualified based on their lack of knowledge of our basic rights.

Every one of them wants more gun control and an “assault weapons” ban at a minimum, with many wanting to force you to turn in one if you have it.  Making “Assault” weapons illegal is plainly unconstitutional with a small amount of research.

1 – Heller (2008) and McDonald(2010) rulings found that “the right of an individual to "keep and bear arms," as protected under the Second Amendment is incorporated by either the Due Process Clause or Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment against the states.”

These cases also found that any gun in common use is protected. . . for example the AR-15 is one of the most common rifles in our nation. . . so it is covered

2 – If you want to go back to the start of things lets look at the beginning. . . the Miller case where sawed-off shotguns were found to be illegal. . . why?  “because possessing a sawed-off double-barrel shotgun does not have a reasonable relationship to the preservation or efficiency of a well-regulated militia, the Second Amendment does not protect the possession of such an instrument.” 

In plain English – if it does not have a military use it is NOT protected. . . to be protected it must have a military use. . . again the AR-15 would be covered as it is a great training gun since it functions almost the same as the militaries M-16 family of guns but is not a true Assault Rifle.  But most of the controls are the same so if you know how to use an AR you will be able to use an M-16.

So can we move on now folks?  Gun control does not work.  Look at the cites where it is in place. . . crime and murder rates are much higher than in cities without.  Look at Chicago it is a war zone.  Yet states with little to no gun control continue to come up as the safest places to live based on crime rates. . .

When will we wake up?  Some states have, the rest need to.  The Federal Government needs to get involved and start overturning these state laws that are in clear violation of our Constitution.  Then we need to start looking at the real problem, the shooter, not the weapon.  Mass murder has been done with guns, gas, bombs, and cars to name a few items.  We need a criminal justice system that keeps the bad guys out of the public.  And we need a mental health system that will work on identify and helping people before they get to the point that they snap and hurt someone. 

That is the tricky part.  To set up a mental health system that will help folks without attaching a stigma to them that will follow them for life.  And that protects their rights so that they are not stripped of any rights without due process and proof they are a danger.

We have a lot of work to do. . . . and until we move beyond the dream of gun control as a fix and not the total failure it is we won’t get the needed work done.

Anti-Gun Insaity

I will never understand the left. . . .

OMG, there was a shooting!  Quick ban guns, only the .gov should have them. .  . but Trump is Hitler and the government is bad. . .  .

And I don't get how guns are the cause of shootings, but the person is the cause of knifing, arson, rape, drunk driving or any other crime you can name. . . . but you use a gun and it is not your fault the gun made you do it. . .  .

So now we wait and see what DC will do. . .  Hopefully, no new gun laws but I am sure the push from the anti-rights folks is already in full swing. .  . Never mind that not one of the laws they want would have stopped one of these shootings. . .  except for Red Flag laws - those might work if you can get past the part where due process is tossed out the window and we go from innocent until proven guilty to guilty until proven innocent. . .

WTF folks.  Our best hope is to once again prevent any laws before the emotional part of this passes and calmer heads rule.  No good law was ever made in the heat of the moment.

Mass Shootings

So once again gun-free zones have been shown to not be so gun-free as the nut case shoots up the place and kills folks who have no way to fight back. . .

When will we learn???

And before you go tell me how dangerous the USA is please go read this article that shows we ARE NOT the leader for mass shootings.

And before you tell me another law or restriction on our rights is going to fix this please answer the following:

• What was the outcome when we banned alcohol use/drinking in the USA?
• How are current laws banning drug use working?

Ya. . . not so good eh?

And let's look at the fact that murder is as illegal as we can make it. . . has that stopped any of these people?

And if you think banning guns is the answer please tell me how you would do it without getting folks killed or starting a civil war?  

And if guns are the problem then what about the mass killings in Asia that use gas, knives, or arson since they don't have gun access?  Do we just ignore those inconvenient facts that the problem is the person, not the tool?

Yes, we have a problem, and so does the rest of the world with mass attacks now.  And personally, I think it ties back to being too easy on crime, and too politically correct to deal with mental illness because we don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  

But the gun is NOT the problem, and disarming law-abiding folks will only encourage more attacks of all different kinds.  And dead is dead folks.

Wake up!  Gun control has nothing to do with keeping us safe, it is about controlling us.

Starting down that Trans road.

We had our (wife and I) meeting with my son’s therapist he is working with on his transition.

Overall a good meeting and we were open with our concerns.  Mostly I want to see him start to act his age, learn to drive and take a bit more responsibility for things.  He is an adult now and needs to start acting it.  This will also help me to feel a bit more comfort that he is doing the right thing and really does know what he wants.

I know I need to help with this.  We are driving more, and I need to make sure we drive a bit every weekend so he can get better.  The only way to learn is to do . . . . then he needs his license.  I also need to start pushing him a bit to do more chores around the house.  Something we never did much of with any of our kids, and hindsight being 20/20 that was a mistake we made.  Fixing it is not going to be easy, and I am sure I will be the bad guy or seen as mean for working on this. . .  which won’t be easy for me either.

Once he can drive I think it will be a big first step in all of this.  Then he will be able to get around when needed, be it to the doctor, therapist, a job or to see friends.

We are still working on the pronoun thing.  I am slipping up less than I did, and with his chosen name too. . . but I still mess up.  My wife is having a much harder time with this than I am I think.  That is causing it’s own problems as our son acts differently toward my wife than me.  I can ask for things and they get done, she can’t for some reason.  No real idea why, and not sure what to do about that. .  .

I do know I was not cut out for this. . . . . . In some ways we have been very lax parents and let him do whatever he wanted as a kid, now we are paying for it.  He seems to think we will pay for his transition, and I have been saying no, you are an adult and need to get a job and pay for this.  I am paying for therapists, and his healthcare so it is not like I am abandoning him.  He also knows he will always have a home and a roof over his head. . . But I think it is fair to expect some help with him paying for things as he is an adult now.  But saying NO to my kids has never been easy for me, and this is no exception.  Problem is where do you draw the line between enabling him to not grow up, and providing what you should as a parent. . . 

But not to sound like it was all a negative visit.  The Doc seemed to be very good and supported or at least understood our concerns with getting our son to grow up a bit and take responsibility.  I know he has anxiety issues and this will be a learning thing, but it needs to happen.  The Doc also supported my thinking that at his age my son should be paying for his meds and does need a job/drivers license.  I know this will take time but we will get there.

Now if I could just get my son to see there is no magic fix and that all of this will take time, I think we would all have less stress in our lives.  But for now, I still see a kid that is looking for a magic fix to cure his identity, job issue, anxiety issues and all that. . . .  one day at a time I guess.

The Road Less Traveled

My younger daughter has come out as trans, he wishes to be called by a new name and referred to as he.

Now as a parent I must admit I am scared to death about all of this. . . but he is 21, and has chosen this road.  Is it a phase?  Maybe, maybe not. . . only time will tell.  Was it something I did wrong?  Or would this have happened no matter what I did as a parent?  I will never know the answer to this, at least not while on this side of the vail. . and by the time I get that answer it won't matter any more will it?

But I will be sure to support him in everything he does as long as he harms none, and this is no different. 

I won't deal with negative vibes over this and if needed will cut people out of my life as needed.  So far it looks like I have picked good friends and have seen nothing but support for my son and me in this.  If you can't deal then just walk away.  It is not your path to walk and I don't need your reasons religious or otherwise for your opinion on my family.  This is the one thing I will delete any hateful comments on.  I am usually open to both sides of any debate, but not this time.  I have to pick a side and I will pick my family and friends every time.

Yes, I am insisting he works with a therapist on this so he knows all the pros and cons of this and makes the decision with all the facts.  I can do no less.

I do not understand how anyone can turn their back on their kids as they go through this.  All I can say is "What the FUCK is wrong with you as a parent?" if you can turn your back on your kid when they need you most.  You suck as a human and I have no use for you.  And I know they are out there.  One of his friends is also going through this and their folks won't even talk about it. . .. denial of reality is not a way to deal with life.

I never really cared what folks thought of my choices. . . I am Wiccan and open about it.  My son is very sensitive to it unfortunately and I hope he can grow a thicker skin as he walks this path.  I will do what I can for him, and that is that.

I will probably blog about it here not only to help myself work through this, but also to help others who may be going through this and show them that they are not alone. . . .

Wish me luck if you would I know I will need it.  Any prayers of aid to whomever you worship are also welcome.  It will not be an easy road, but walk it he will, and so will I.

Gotta get moving

So been a bit.  Got an X-wing in the works, a TIE and a Federation Dreadnaught (Star Trek)

Sadly the house has some issues so can't build for a few weeks more. . . pics to come

Space 1999 Laser

So I wish I had this model as a kid. .  . got it in a resin kit from Century Casting through this LINK.

Great kit and not much cleanup.  This was the first resin kit I ever did (and only) so not much to base that on but I think it went together nice and easy.  Parts fit well and only needed a bit of fill and clean up.

The Stun/Kill decal was a bit oversized, and I did build up the switch a bit so I could make it slide.  Used some green PVC bits to do that.  Was very easy to do.

Got photos through the whole process . . .

They have a com-loc too which I think I may get at some point so I have the set. . . .

Anyway here you go