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

Quick One

OK, had to do a quick post.  Just found my photos of my WWII fighter collection. . . I will have to do photos of each but here they are in mass as I was cleaning their shelving. . .

PT-109

OK, here is my build of the classic Revell kit.  No photos exist of the actual boat so I did what I could.  There are some descriptions in a few reports on what it looked like, along with info on how they painted the boats in the theater so I based things on that. . . .

So here is what I came up with.  Ya, no big 109 on the hull, that was made up on the float they used in a parade for Kennedy, they did not actually put the big hull numbers on the real thing.

Y-Wing

This is the one that got me going on the Bandi kits.  I have been wanting a good Y-wing kit for years. . .  but they were all snap together. . . well I finally gave in after a few reviews of this kit and went for it. 

Very glad I did!  lots of detail and a great kit.  Bandi did a great job on all the Star Wars kits.  Fun to build, very accurate and good decaling for most of them.

So here are a few shots of the finshed Y-Wing. . .

New X-Wing

So here is the Bandi New X-wing in 1/72.  This is Po's ship.

I like that they molded most of the part in the proper color so it minimized the painting needed.  But some of the decals just did not work for me so I did end up painting some of it like the engine intakes.  I just could not get the decals to lay flat on the curved surface.  No real weathering done on this one.

Woking on an original x-wing now and will post that one when I am done. 

Space 1999 Hawk

Loved this kit as a kid, I thought it was a great design. . . Wish Alpha had had a few in their hangers for use on the show but no luck. . . only in the one episode. . .

But the latest kit release is great.  Lots of details and lots and LOTS of decals to put on her.  MPC put the kit out again and there are still some on Amazon if you are looking for them. . .

While I weathered the two Eagles I have, I did nothing as far as weathering on the Hawk. .  . May at some point but not for now. . .

Famous Droids

So as I continued to build up the Sci-Fi collection and my Star Wars Bandi kids I had to depart from ships for just a bit. . .  I mean how could I have a Star Wars model collection without these guys?

This is actually two kits.  C3PO came as his own kit, and R2 and BB8 were one kit.  They are a bit on the smaller side compared to other kids of these droids (R2 and C3P0) but the detail is GREAT!. 

I continue to be thrilled with the Bandi kits and the detail they have.  They also go together rather easy so they are great kits to get started in the hobby with.  But if you have the experience you can do so much with them with a bit of added paint and weathering.  I did not weather the droids, but I have been weathering the ships.

R2 and BB8 also came with various arms and things you could use and opening doors that you could use to show them doing things if you wanted to.

Trying to get blogging again

OK, been a while and I am going to try to get this going again. . . maybe spread out a bit as life has gotten busy. . .

Just did a post on my models, there will be more of those to come.

I will also start doing some blogging on Safety and my experience as I learn new stuff as a member of my towns CERT  (Citizens Emergency Response Team).  This was a spillover as I became the safety guy at my office.  From there I moved into learning to be an instructor for First Aid, CPR and AED through the Mass Masons. 

The goal for the Masons is to make training affordable to everyone so we can get more folks trained in First Aid, AED, and CPR. 

Well, that just got things going and when the town sent out a notice that they were looking for folks to join the CERT . . . . well, the rest is history.

Anyway learning some cool stuff and it should be shared so we can all be safer and ready for whatever comes our way. . . .

More later

Hobbies - A-Wing

Need to get this thing going again so figured time to post some pics of the latest builds.

I love building models.  Mostly military aircraft in 1/48 if I can get them but also Sci-Fi stuff.  I recently discovered Bandi Star Wars kits and that was not good for my wallet. . .. these are snap-together kits, but very well done and LOTS of detail.  I was amazed at the level of detail they put in these and the accuracy.  So here is the first one I did, an A-Wing with a bit of weathering - a very fun kit.  Was heavy when it was done. ..

This just got me going again. . . I am working my way through their ships (all 1/72 scale) and will post the rest as I have time.