This and That

C.E. "Bud" Brann

Staff Writer

cebrann@ruraltel.net

Another sure sign of old age

Thirty or forty years ago had I been out of contact with my friends for a few days little would have been thought about it. They would assume I had gone out of town for a few days, or was involved in some activity which would have kept me to busy to make contact. Today, they assume I must be dead or dying.

My computer was down for several days last week. Emails sent to me elicited no response from me. First the normal e-mails were sent. They were quickly followed by e-mails saying “Bud, are you there, are you okay?" Next were friends contacting each other. “Have you heard from Bud?" “Is there something wrong with him?" Finally, my phone rang. (You remember phones, the old fashioned way to communicate?) When I answered, the first words I heard were, “Are you okay?" Yup, I was as okay as most people my age and condition, but my computer wasn’t.

Thoughts on the 2^nd Amendment decision.

Recently I wrote an article on the 2^nd amendment, and now the Supreme Court has ruled on the issue with a decision favorable to American freedom. It should have been, but wasn’t, a surprise the decision wasn’t unanimous, winning on a five to four majority. Apparently four of the Justices have never read the words of the founding fathers on the subject. This once again proves that some Supreme Court judges are more interested in activism than law.

Nor was it any sort of surprise that those most vociferously opposed to the decision, such as Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, Chicago Mayor Richard M, Daley and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg all have squads of armed body guards to protect them. Hey, they need protecting, you don’t.

Neither was it a surprise that The District of Colombia, whose draconian gun laws were the cause of the courts decision has the most repressive anti gun laws in the nation and one of the highest murder rates. (In D.C., it is, or was, illegal to take a gun from one room to another in your own home.) Nor was it a surprise that the police chief of D.C. has essentially said “screw” the Supreme Court, we will do what we please or that the above mentioned mayors have already set about actions to get around the Supreme Court ruling. The issue isn’t over. Already both sides are preparing to take action, one side to stifle your constitutional right and the other side to defend it.

Oddly, those mayors and other anti gun folks have never bothered to check the facts, most notably that those with a concealed handgun license commit but a small fraction of the crimes of the citizens in general.

The Kansas violent crime rate is 389.4 per 100,000 population or 0.389 percent. For those 14,000 Kansans who hold concealed carry licenses, there have been only 2 licenses suspended for violent behavior, 1 for assault and 1 for spousal abuse, a rate of 0.014 pecent per 100,000, if I did the math correctly. So much for the “blood in the streets” prediction of the “Brady Bunch” of anti gun people.

Modern medicine

On a highly personal noteb my uncle who turned 93 last December had open heart surgery Tuesday and is doing very well. It wasn’t very long ago that someone that age would have just been expected to lie down and die. Such surgery would not even have been contemplated at that age.

The Internet

One of the newspapers for which I write has dropped the printed version totally to go strictly “on-line.” I initially questioned the wisdom of that decision until “The Edge” publisher, Zach Becker, informed me the online version was already getting more “hits” per week than the printed version reached in a month and it’s a lot cheaper.

Two points of which I was vaguely aware but hadn’t given much thought was the internet's ability to search topics and provide feed back. For example, hundreds, probably thousands of organizations and groups routinely search for topics of special interest to them. They search using key words and phrases. Nothing surprising about that, of course, as we all do that. But, when it comes to online newspapers, this assures much broader readership. For example, my above mentioned article on the 2^nd Amendment was automatically “found” by all sorts of groups both for and against gun control. I found my article mentioned and linked to several pro gun forums including the Kansas and Michigan pro gun forums and at least one such national forum. Thus, in addition to the hundreds of “hits” on my article through connecting to “The Edge” directly, it received thousands of “hits” via other internet sources.

In addition to the benefit such groups have through instant searching of topics of interest; the feedback to the newspaper is far more enlightening. In the printed version, about the only feedback comes from letters to the editor, or occasionally an e-mail to the writer if such is included with an article. An online service available to publications provides information on daily “hits” per article, where the hit originated, by country, state and town and who originated the hit. In the printed version, unless a letter to the editor mentions a specific article you don’t know which articles are most widely read. On the internet, you know by seeing which article got the most hits.

Independence Day, the Fourth of July

I write this July 3d. I’m curious as to how you, your family and friends, and your community celebrate the 4^th. Here in Hays, there is a long tradition which we enjoy every year. At old Fort Hays, free hot dogs, chips, and soft drinks are served to all. During the meal there is entertainment, usually just one person performing. After serving the food, the local band sets up and plays for about an hour, often emphasizing John Phillips Sousa’s stirring marches with a patriotic theme. In the evening, there is a large fireworks display. You may have to park a mile or two away if you want to get close, although we discovered a relatively deserted road where the fireworks are clearly visible. Many people take the occasion to tour the old Fort buildings, an annual visit.

There is also a celebration called Wild West Fest, which has a carnival and music, often with very well known bands. The last one I saw was Charlie Daniels and what a 4^th of July performance he provided. It was fantastic.

Before I moved to Hays, the day was usually committed to a family picnic and evening fireworks and of course shooting off our own fireworks. So, how will/did you spend the holiday?

I realize that as you read this, it will be well after the 4^th of July. But I suggest that should not be the only day on which we reflect on the founding of our nation, and the great founding fathers that set in motion the events which led to some of the most magnificent words ever set to paper, as well as the founding of the United States.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”