I just watched a commercial for some financial services with Dennis Hopper as the spokesman. Dennis Hopper? The dope smoking hippie of the 60s era? The guy on the motorcycle next to Peter Fonda in Easy Rider? He's an image of financial acuity? He is a font of wisdom now?
Baby Boomers are being heavily targeted by financial services companies. I could have used a bit of that targeting about 30 years ago. Nope, back then they were targeting my parents.
We, the Boomers, are the targets of all kinds of advertising. If you can believe the ads, we are having trouble with our plumbing, our abilty to, um, rise to the occasion, have porous bones, trouble breathing, and are in imminent danger of Alzheimer's.
Nothing reveals more about a family than the fighting over the estate when the parents have passed. Sadly.
It's been relatively cold here. Cold in this part of Florida is short periods of the early morning below 40 degree F. Some of you may consider this silly. But it is very serious for us. We are not used to this brutal cold. Winter is supposed be a few short periods (meaning hours) of dips into the upper 40s, followed by highs in the 70s and lows in the mid 50s. I think it's in our state constitution. well, at least for the southern half of the state. The northern half is on its own.
You might want to read the following link. I'd be interested in your thoughts, if you do. Colorado Shooting
Personally, I think it's a tragedy but that no one is to blame except a guy who couldn't turn down a drink. This guy had no friends who would take him to his home and see that he got in okay?
14 comments:
I live in an extremely safe neighborhood, plus we're in a condo with locked outside doors. That doesn't stop me from keeping both a chambered handgun and a loaded semi-auto rifle in the bedroom. I'm sure to about 5 nines that I'll never have to use them for a home invasion scenario, but better for them to be there than not. I fully support "castle doctrine" laws and the rights of self-preservation and gun ownership, and I think this guy was a drunk idiot.
But the homeowner was way out of line in shooting somebody outside his home. I'd be pretty scared in the scenario, I'd have the rifle chambered and safety off...but I wouldn't shoot somebody that was outside unless I gave them a verbal warning and they still came inside. And maybe this guy, drunk as he was, still would have tried to innocently come inside. But I definitely can't support shooting somebody outside your home that isn't an immediate physical threat.
I mean, that being said, I do think that a shooter shouldn't generally have the burden of proving their life was in danger if somebody was in their house or attempting to carjack or mug them. I don't have any sympathy for lowlifes. If you're trying to earn your living by pillaging, you're taking the risk of getting shot.
/just got a small carry pistol and holster last weekend
//waiting on fulton county to get me my permit
Steven - There is a bit more to the story. I had the occasion to hear the 9-1-1 tapes last night. He wasn't merely banging on the door. He actually broke a pane of glass in the back door and was reaching inside in an apparent attempt to unlock the door.
More...
Douglas, we boomers seem to be in pretty bad shape, although apart from overweight, I have yet to suffer any of the afflictions you mentioned. Although, I have made a decision, when it come to Parkinsons or Alzheimers, I'll take Parkinsons... rather spill some of my beer than forget where I put it.
The one thing, and perhaps the only thing, which is clear to me, from a historical perspective, is that there is no shortage or paucity of stories about the negative things that people do in our society, further aided by a huge number of media outlets and vehicles, and significant high-tech communications vehicles. In an earlier day at an earlier point in time, the average citizen would have been unaware of the extent and depth of such events. Just goes to show, virtually every human advancement can be viewed as a dual edged sword. We all have choices as to where we wish to hang out psychologically. Personally, I prefer not to watch my back. I might miss something in front of me, or worse yet, a good night's sleep.
AV - I think the specter of Alzheimer's is worse than most any of the ills that come with old age. I watched it, or its equivalent, overtake her once vibrant mind and reduce her to a large infant.
Log - what you say is quite true. When I was a youngster, most news was local. That is, national and world news did not cover local incidents all over the country or the world. If it was national or world news, it was confined to news of a grand scheme. Now, we hear of abductions of small children in a town we've never heard of. We hear of shootings, such as the one I mentioned, which would have once only made headlines in the nearest large town. Are we better off for it? In some cases, perhaps. In others, I am not so sure.
Iggy Pop is now advertsing car insurance in the UK. I find this most perplexing. But maybe I'm too young to understand why he should appeal for those purchasing insurance.
Madame - Iggy is 61 years old. Not sure why he'd be a good icon for insurance buyers, he may have a hard time getting health insurance. Anyone unfamiliar with this icon of punk rock, might want to Google him or read the Wikipedia entry.
Oddly, I just read his entry on WP last night, due to a picture of him i saw on another blog (looking almost as bad as Keith Richards).
I definitely didn't know about the glass breakage, that is another cause to fear for your life. I can't say that the owner or his family was in immediate physical danger, and ideally he still could have waited behind cover with the gun trained on the door...but that does introduce a lot of potential danger.
I guess I don't think the homeowner should get in any trouble, even though he probably should have fired a warning shot through the door at about leg level before shooting (through a window? just the top of the door?) to incapacitate.
Tragedy nonetheless. Innocent people dying is never good.
Steven - I have little sympathy for the deceased. I have imbibed to excess and done some very stupid things. But I fully accepted my responsibility in placing myself in those predicaments. I feel sorry for the homeowners because they will likely face a wrongful death suit from the parents of the drunken moron.
Steven - one more thing: I do not believe in warning shots.
Steven - one more thing: I do not believe in warning shots.
Steven - I have little sympathy for the deceased. I have imbibed to excess and done some very stupid things. But I fully accepted my responsibility in placing myself in those predicaments. I feel sorry for the homeowners because they will likely face a wrongful death suit from the parents of the drunken moron.
Oddly, I just read his entry on WP last night, due to a picture of him i saw on another blog (looking almost as bad as Keith Richards).
I definitely didn't know about the glass breakage, that is another cause to fear for your life. I can't say that the owner or his family was in immediate physical danger, and ideally he still could have waited behind cover with the gun trained on the door...but that does introduce a lot of potential danger.
I guess I don't think the homeowner should get in any trouble, even though he probably should have fired a warning shot through the door at about leg level before shooting (through a window? just the top of the door?) to incapacitate.
Tragedy nonetheless. Innocent people dying is never good.
Douglas, we boomers seem to be in pretty bad shape, although apart from overweight, I have yet to suffer any of the afflictions you mentioned. Although, I have made a decision, when it come to Parkinsons or Alzheimers, I'll take Parkinsons... rather spill some of my beer than forget where I put it.
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