Please checkout "My Philosophy"

I have updated "My Philosophy." It will show readers where I am coming from.  Please look it over and comment.  I am not locked into anything and am willing to think outside my box.  I think we could probably get some good discussions going.  We all need to work the philosophical sides of our brains more often and examine our basic assumptions.

Both sides at fault in Obamacare debate

The debate over Obamacare has brought out a lot "spin" from both the Left and the Right.  Both sides should be ashamed of this unethical behavior.  When are the American people going to hold their elected officials accountable for lies, distortions, etc.?  See these and other excellent articles at factcheck.org

Supreme Court to hear federal gun control law case

The U.S. Supreme Court will be hearing the case of U.S. v. Castleman during its upcoming term which starts next month.  The issue in the case is
whether  Castleman's "Tennessee conviction for misdemeanor domestic assault by intentionally or knowingly causing bodily injury to the mother of his child qualifies as a conviction for a “misdemeanor crime of domestic violence” under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(9)." Castleman was convicted of possessing a firearm while being a person who had been convicted of a "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence."  Unfortunately, it does not appear that this is a Second Amendment case.  The Court desperately needs to clarify the scope of the Second Amendment right.  Many lower courts have refused to read Second Amendment rights beyond possession in the home.  The Court needs to make clear that, as per the language of the Second Amendment ("keep and BEAR") protects at least some forms of carrying ("bearing") and extends beyond the home.

More guns, less crime

The recently release FBI Uniform Crime Reports show that violent crime and gun homicide rates continue to go down despite a series of intense gun-buying sprees.  Bottom line: guns don't cause crime, they don't encourage crime.  The article states:

"With gun ownership in American at an all-time high, violent crime, according to the FBI's most recent national crime report, is at its lowest level in more than four decades. The rate of homicides in which murderers use guns has decreased almost 50%, from a high of 6.62 per 100,000 to 3.27 in 2012.
But why are mass shootings rising, you ask? A recent Wall Street Journal report helps explain one of the primary reasons: “One theory is the proliferation of public areas where guns are outlawed. 'Since 1950, almost every single public shooting in the United States in which more than three people have been killed has taken place in what are commonly known as "gun-free zones,”' reports the Washington Examiner. Recent shootings at schools and movie theaters illustrate this point. The Navy Yard shooting is another example. A policy implemented 20 years ago effectively banned people other than security guards from carrying guns on military bases. The shooters go where it's less likely that someone will fire back.“

Criminals won't obey gun laws and they are not protected by the Second Amendment.  Arguably many crime victims are indirectly the victims of gun control. Law abiding people generally obey gun control laws.    They are not armed, others around them are not armed. They are "soft targets."

Zimmerman's wife not sure if it was self-defense; milking the talk shows

The George Zimmerman case is one that the Left just keeps milking.  As I told some friends a few w weeks ago after the divorce announcement and confrontation news, that it was only a matter of time till she gets on some talk show and drops hints that it may not have been self-defense. This has now happened.   What you have to realize here is that many people have figured out that the way to make $ on talk shows and interviews is to say what the interviewer/network want to say.  And, it always feeds weak egos to get on TV and be treated like a celebrity.  Trayvon Martin's family and friends milked  the opportunity and Mrs. Zimmerman perhaps decided that it was here turn for the limelight and perhaps revenge.   Fox wants to interview people who say what the conservative viewers want to hear. ABC, NBC, CBS, MSNBC want to interview people who say what their conservative viewers want to hear. The interviewees are smart enough to figure out what they need to say/hint/imply. It 's good for the interviewees, but bad for balance coverage and often bad for the truth. Also bad because non-newsworthy items drown out the truly newsworthy.  When are the American people going to realize that the media are trying to manipulate them?