Category: Opinion
THOR’S DAY RANT: Avoid Danger!
Written by Troglodad
Thursday, 29 April 2010 14:28
No Comments

My in-laws have this annoying habit of endangering themselves on a fairly regular basis. I’m not just talking about how they refuse to lock the door to their home during the day- despite there having been cases of criminals barging into homes and attacking people in their town. No, I’m talking about how they dash outside when they hear loud noises. Or sit on the porch to watch for tornados during Warnings. Or how when they hear there’s a big fire, they get in their truck to go for a drive and take a look.

I like to say that my in-laws are the same people that Godzilla steps on in his movies. You know the ones. While all of Tokyo is running for their lives, these fools stop, turn toward the camera, point a finger and yell "Gojira!" Then a building falls on them. Or they get stepped on.

"Curiosity killed the cat" does apply to people. And not just my in-laws.

Just yesterday, I was reading an article about a shooting in our town. The police were called to a park where a shirtless man was walking around, pointing a gun at people as they drove past. The police responded and ended up having to shoot the man when he pointed his gun at them.

What really struck me as ignorant in this article, was the neighbor who walked outside to see why the police were at his nearby park. He sees the gunman, goes inside and tells his wife to take the baby and go to the basement. Then neighbor goes back outside to watch some more.

Folks, bullets can travel a really long distance. When they hit glass, or even bodies, they can continue to travel. They don’t fly a few feet and drop to the ground like a baseball.

More importantly, bullets go where they are pointed- which is not always where the gun wielder was aiming.

When I was in the Air Force, this fact was hammered into us. We were told to never, ever discharge our weapons in the direction of the very-expensive aircraft. Especially our M-16s, which have an effective range of almost 400 meters (over 1200 feet and that fire a round that can punch through concrete blocks.

If you see the police with their guns out, or some criminal waving a gun around, don’t just stand there looking. Take cover.

Which brings up a very important issue the movies are always getting wrong. About cover.

"Cover" means something that will protect you. "Concealment" is something that hides you. A bush will not stop a bullet. It might hide you, but if a bullet is accidentally fired (possibly through poor aim or random accident), it will go right through that bush. Similarly, car doors, couches, windows, etc will not stop bullets. Even human bodies don’t stop all bullets.

It is very important to seek cover, or get the hell away. Don’t stand there waiting for Godzilla to step on you. Seek cover. Run away.

 
SAVE YOURSELF!
Written by Troglodad
Sunday, 10 May 2009 12:01
5 Comments

Ever wear a life preserver when you were in a boat? Ever wear your seatbelt when you drive? Ever get a flu shot?

Those are all actions that many folks choose to avoid because they’re inconvenient or uncomfortable, despite the fact they could save your life. Gambling with your life is pretty foolish. Gambling with damnation is stupid.

Chairman Maobama has declared the United States not a country of Christians, but people with "ideals." That’s very sad, as ideals won’t save your immortal soul.

I know that the whole debate of science vs religion is a heated one, but I’d say that around the world, over 80% of all human beings believe there is a life after death. Here in the U.S., the belief in the afterlife is so strong we’re in a current upsurge in Ghost-oriented TV Shows, where folks try to take pictures or record spirits at haunted sites.

So, I’m not going to argue whether or not we have souls. If you think you don’t, stop reading.

If you’re still with me, I’m going to ask you a simple question: Do you want to save yourself?

Before you get all uppity, I’m not suggesting that you log off the internet and plop down in front of Trinity Broadcasting or dash out to buy some evangelical biography. I’m suggesting you form your own opinions. And to do that, you need to go to the source: the Bible.

Some of you may not want to read the Bible. You’ve gotten a pretty distorted vision of what Christianity is from television preachers, out to make you donate your hard-earned cash, until it hurts. Or you’ve seen preachers like Jesse Jackson stick their nose in politics and offer sermons that seem counter to what they claim Christianity is. This may have even driven many of you to read the Koran, or the tales of Confucius, or maybe L Ron Hubbard’s greatest work of fiction.

But have you read the Bible?

Up until a few hundred years ago, most folks couldn’t read the Bible, or the Koran, or any religious text. Illiteracy was wide spread. Instead, folks had to go to Church, temple, etc., and listen to someone tell them what was in there.

But you can read.

Have you ever read the Bible? How about just the New Testament? The first Four Gospels? One of the Gospels?

You’ve read novels. Maybe you’ve read stereo instructions or the manual that came with your new car. You clearly read a lot on the internet. Are any of those readings going to save your immortal soul?

When it comes to Christianity, it strikes me as just such an amazing bout of laziness for people to not read the Bible, at least once. Instead of listening to what one person tells you what you have to do to be saved, why not find out for yourself?

I would love to pose the question to our "President" from Kenya. "Have you ever read the Bible?" We know that he is thoroughly familiar with the Koran, having been educated in a Islamic schools as a child. But did he read the Bible himself, or just sit in Reverend Wright’s church for 20 years listening to what is allegedly in the Bible?

Finally, here’s something else to consider. People get life insurance, "in case" they die. People wear seatbelts, "in case" they have a wreck. Fighter pilots wear parachutes, "in case" they have to eject from their aircraft. What if the Bible is right? What if your immortal soul will spend eternity damned unless you follow some simple Bible teachings?

I know that Americans tend to let others do their thinking for them these days — who to vote for, what clothes to wear, and even what foods to eat. But when it comes to something as important as where you’ll be spending eternity, don’t be a slacker. Read a Bible at least once.

No one else can Save you — you have to Save yourself.

 
NBA Playoffs: at least they’re not getting bailed out
Written by Ron McClure Jr.
Monday, 20 April 2009 13:50
12 Comments

Well, it’s time for the NBA Playoffs. It’s amazing to me that so many people complain about CEO salaries when athletes are raking in the dough, hand-over-fist. I was thinking about the “outrage” from so many Americans and the utter disdain that many have for CEO’s and their “ridiculous” salaries.

Did you know that the top six NBA teams combined, pay player salaries over a half a billion dollars? B-B-B-Billion, that’s right. In total there are 30 teams with combined players’ salaries exceeding two billion dollars. Kevin Garnet makes $24.75 million alone for throwing balls through hoops. And, that’s just players. NBA head coaches average between $4 and $5 million, plus you have the other coaches, managers, trainers, etc.

So, where is the great “outrage” for these “ridiculous” salaries? Where are all of the picketing activists complaining about these over-paid blokes? I'll tell you where, drinking beer at the Knicks and Lakers games, that’s where.

We sit back and watch billions and billions of dollars get spent for our “entertainment” and ask no questions. Sure, we hear the occasional grumble here and there, but nothing of the likes of the CEO outrage. We watch movie after movie with actors making millions (per movie), and then listen to some of those actors complain about CEO salaries.

This is why I love college sports. Yes, I know that millions are spent for coaches and facilities, but the players are (supposedly) only given scholarships. Now that’s entertainment to me — watching amateurs playing games. If I hear one more pro athlete, in contract negotiation, say “I’ve gotta feed my family,” I think I’ll throw a chair at the TV (well maybe not). Instead, I’ll do like the UN and send them a letter telling them how angry I am, and then, of course, do nothing.

So, I hope you enjoy the playoffs. Me, I’m going to start watching board meetings, you should join me. I figure if the CEO’s are making entertainment salaries, then we can justify them by classifying them as “entertainers.”