Weather for Monday in the Tries (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco WA):
Should be sunny and breezy most of the week. Highs in the upper 60 to mid 60s, lows down to 20 to 41. Sunday was hazardous weather, very high winds and dust storms that should die out around 5am Monday or so. Sunday was a perfect day to stay in and take online classes and read. (I often post this blog on Sunday.)
An American-Only Epidemic:
We’ve had yet another mass shooting. As of March 23, we’ve endured 107 mass shootings, 122 people dead, 325 people injured, for a total of 447 victims (that doesn’t count the families involved). The Boulder CO shooting was the 7th mass shooting in 7 days. Don’t bother to write your Senator. If s/he isn’t on the NRA welfare check system, s/he is already fighting to do something positive. If s/he is receiving welfare checks from the NRA, nothing you can say will change her or his mind. Your vote might, but your letter won’t. There are several lists of the welfare recipients online. If you wonder why we can’t get common sense gun control, check out some of the pages. Like Which Senators Have Taken the Most NRA money? and These lawmakers receive the most campaign money from gun-rights backers like the NRA. These sites may not be current, but they’ll give you a good idea. Want gun control? VOTE the illegitimates out of office.
So, I have an idea. I’m willing to change my mind, if someone gives me a better idea and or explains why mine won’t work. And is mine original to me? Probably not. Probably stole some of it from an episode of NCIS. 😉 But here it is. If you like my idea, please feel free to copy it and share with others who might care. In the meantime, perhaps our Courts can do something positive.
When someone is arrested as a suspect in a mass shooting (3 or more victims), do NOT release his name to the public. One thing these guys seem to have in common (and they do tend to be guys) is they love the notoriety that comes, the “hero” worship from other wannabees. So…
When arrested they are henceforth known as Defendant __ (first initial of last name). Their name will not be released to the public, under any circumstance. Their lawyer may know it but may not use it. No witnesses may use his name in court. IF he is found guilty, he will go straight to prison, will not pass Go, and will not collect his name. IF he is found not guilty, he may collect and use his name again. While in jail/prison prior to trial, he will be placed in solitary, not the punishment cells, but where he can’t really talk to other prisoners and give his real name, more like under suicide watch.
Remember the old story, The Man Without A Country —by Edward Everett Hale? Well, I think these guys should become The Man Without A Name. They are entitled to a public trial, I believe, but they are not necessarily entitled to use their name. At least I don’t think they are. I may be wrong. I’d like to see them sent to Guantanamo, but that won’t happen. I’m sure there are all sorts of legal reasons why my idea won’t work. But maybe not. Maybe it could work. Records are sealed all the time. Those records that have his full name, etc., can be sealed. He doesn’t deserve to have his name on the tongues of newsmen/women, or anyone else. If found guilty, he will deserve to be forgotten by one and all.
And the public does not have a need to know the particulars of the shooting beyond the basics. The police, his lawyer, the courts have a need to know, but it doesn’t need to be broadcast on network or cable news. That he killed X number of people is all we really need to know, and the names of the victims. Be honest, it’s an almost prurient interest, not a genuine need to know. Knowing all the gruesome details will not bring the dead back to life. Will it? Or end the nightmares of those who survived?
Like I say, if you’ve got a better idea, I’d love to hear it. OK, read it. If you like my idea, feel free to share it. Anything that will help curb this madness is fine by me. And vote the gun lobby out of office! We are the only country in the world that has this problem.
An aside: Do you realize you really read with your ears? OK, you use your eyes or possibly fingers, to read the letters and words on the screen or paper, but as you read them, you hear them in your mind. That’s one reason why deaf people aren’t great readers. It’s like learning ancient Greek from a book and never hearing it. You recognize the letters, and eventually the words, but not the sounds. Very difficult to read and understand.
Entertainment:
Netflix: I’m back on my Korean kick — 100 Days My Prince. A RomCom. So far, I’m giving it a 3.5-4.0* rating. It’s pretty predictable, but the costumes are gorgeous. The young boy falls in love with the neighbor girl, who’s a tad bossy. But for her he will study. Then, he discovers his father has her whole family killed. Except she and her brother escape, are separated, and raised by other families away from each other. The boy never forgives his father, and then his father gives him to the King to raise as the crown prince. He’s married but has never slept with his (pregnant) wife. In an assassination attempt he escapes, is injured and develops amnesia. He’s taken in by peasants who don’t know how to deal with his noble-man’s speech and way of living. Kinda funny and I’m sure it will get better.
Books: for complete reviews please see Rainy Day Reads at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com
I haven’t finished any books this week, but I am about ¾ of the way through The Reluctant Queen (Book Two of the Queens of Renthia) —by Sarah Beth Durst. I mentioned a couple weeks ago how much I enjoyed The Queen of Blood and told y’all not to be put off by the title. Well, I’m back. And loving it. Delaina is still Queen, but is dying, and they have found a most unwilling woman, with great and untrained power, to take her place to keep the realm safe. Delaina’s chum from school is Queen in another country and is about to make war. The Spirits know the queen is dying and can hardly wait so they can wreak havoc until another human of power steps into the void.
A Hearing Aid Hack: I bought a new phone the other day (see below) and then had to stop in at the Costco Hearing Center to get my hearing aids connected to my phone. The technician took my phone and my aids and tried. Nada. He removed the batteries and dropped them from about 12-18” to the counter. They bounced like crazy. He did it again. Then said I needed new batteries and got them. I asked what he was doing, and he said the less the charge, the higher the bounce, the proceeded to drop the new ones. NO BOUNCE. Now, why do you and I care? Because if you’ve ever taken out your old batteries and laid them down ‘right there’ and picked up you new batteries and removed the tape and set them down to answer the phone or whatever and then you don’t know which is which, drop ‘em. If they bounce, toss them into the recycle bin, if they don’t bounce put them in your aids 😉 If you don’t wear them (yet) remember this hack, because you’ll be asked at some point to help someone who does.
Education: I took my neighbor to the Verizon Store the other day to get her phone fixed. While she did that, I drooled over the new iPhones. Fortunately, they’re waterproof, at least against copious amounts of mental drool. Anyhow, when she was finished, the guy came over to sell me a new phone. Now, I really wanted one but had steeled myself to say NO, but when he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse… basically, with my old iPhone as trade in, I got 60+% off. I have gone full circle, from buying a phone with a camera, to buying a camera with a phone! A couple of my friends have the iPhone 11 Pro and raved about classes they were taking, so I signed on with iPhone Photo Academy. Like the rest of life, it’s all online, but it’s wonderful. Took me two days to go through Module 1 and I can’t believe all I’ve learned. The last lesson ended with an assignment on focusing and exposure. Alas we have severe winds and dusts outside, while that may not bother the camera, they certainly bother me. So, tomorrow, I hope to go out and do my homework. (Note, I wrote this on Sunday)
I know you all don’t have iPhones, but I have a feeling if you have androids, you can find the same sort of classes geared to your phones. I had no idea I was holding my phone wrong to take pictures, or that I could go in and change the auto-focus to manual, or change the exposure. My guess is, you can, too, if you only learn how.
A delighted old-dog-learning-new-tricks Auntie Lenora and a Happy Sammy Brave Dog wish you all a fantastically marvelous week.