I have to admit that I never thought of Michael Moore as particularly funny, but since the following cannot be considered serious, I am assuming it to be the opening move into high comedy.

XXVIII AMENDMENT
SECTION 1.
The inalienable right of a free people to be kept safe from gun violence and the fear thereof must not be infringed and shall be protected by the Congress and the States. This Amendment thus repeals and replaces the Second Amendment.

SECTION 2.
Congress shall create a mandatory system of firearm registration and licensing for the following limited purposes: (a) licensed hunters of game; (b) licensed ranges for the sport of target shooting; and (c) for the few who can demonstrate a special need for personal protection.

All who seek a firearm will undergo a strict vetting process with a thorough background check, including the written and confidential approval of family members, spouses and ex-spouses and/or partners and ex-partners, co-workers and neighbors. A mental health check will also be required. There will be a waiting period of one month to complete the full background check.

SECTION 3.
Those who meet all the requirements for the restricted gun owners groups and successfully pass the background check must take a firearms safety class and pass a written test on an annual basis.

SECTION 4.
The minimum age for the restricted groups who can own a firearm is 25 years old. Renewal and review of the firearms license will occur on an annual basis.
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SECTION 5.
Congress will stipulate and continually update the limited list of approved firearms for civilian use, including weapons in the future that are not yet invented. The following firearms are heretofore banned:

• All automatic and semi-automatic weapons and all devices which can enable a single-shot gun to fire automatically or semi-automatically;

• Any weapon that can hold more than six bullets or rounds at a time or any magazine that holds more than six bullets;

• All guns made of plastic or any homemade equipment and machinery or a 3D printer that can make a gun or weapon that can take a human life.

SECTION 6.
Congress shall regulate all ammunition, capacity of ammunition, the storage of guns, gun locks, gun sights, body armor and the sale and distribution of such items. No weapons of any kind whose sole intention is the premeditated elimination of human life are considered legal. Congress may create future restrictions as this amendment specifically does not grant any American the “right” to own any weapon.

SECTION 7.
Police who are trained and vetted to use firearms shall be subject to comprehensive and continuous monitoring and shall be dismissed if found to exhibit any racist or violent behavior.

SECTION 8.
Persons already owning any of the above banned firearms, and who do not fall into the legal groups of restricted firearms owners, will have one month from the ratification of this Amendment to turn in their firearms for destruction by local law enforcement. These local authorities may organize a gun buy-back program to assist in this effort.

Many years ago, I read something online that impressed me but have never been able to find it until now; George H.W. Bush’s “Ten Rules for Former Presidents”. Bush 41 seems to me, to be underrated, but in my mind, he was a man of wisdom and great character who understood his role as president including both responsibilities and limitations. I miss him.

Ten Rules for Former Presidents

1. Get out of Dodge – fast. You’re history on that cold January day, so be pleasant about it all. Smile a lot. Try not to wave to the huge inaugural crowd too much. They’re there to see the new guy.
   
2. As you fly back home on Air Force One, look around. Take a shower. Grab a few napkins and some notepads and Lifesavers with the Presidential seal on them. Lie down on the bed in the President’s cabin because 34E on the commercial airlines is quite different.
   
3. When you get off Air Force One, wave from the top of the steps because a TV camera from the local station will probably be there. “How does it feel to be home?” [the reporter] will ask. “Great to be back!” And you look ahead and try not to think what it used to be like just four or five hours before. You’ll hurt a little, but that will go away – sooner than you might think.
   
4. Don’t try to shape history by writing op-ed pieces all the time or by criticizing your successor. If you really want to make news and get back on TV, you’ll find the best way to do that is to criticize your successor. Don’t! If you really feel strongly about something, drop your successor a line but don’t leak it to the press. The important thing is to quit worrying about your legacy. It’s up to others to decide that.
   
5. When you’re out walking your dog, try not to argue when you see the guy down the street who always insists on giving you his views on every issue. Oh, you’ve got to listen, but it is better to nod silently and not disagree when he says, “You should’ve invaded Cuba and gotten the CIA to knock off Saddam Hussein” … smile pleasantly and try to keep moving.
   
6. Play some golf but resist telling everyone what it was like to play with Jack [Nicklaus] or Arnie [Palmer] at the course near Camp David. No one wants to know how many times you had the legends of sports to the White House. (They didn’t really love you. They just wanted to see the White House.)
   
7. Be nice to all autograph seekers, tourists, and people who interrupt your dinner. After all, some of them probably voted for you, and those who didn’t will swear they now wish they did.
   
8. Remember the five “stay” rules:
   1. Stay out of the way, out of Washington, out of the news, away from press conferences, off the TV.
   2. Stay away from bashing the national press, even those that knocked your socks off when you were President.
   3. Stay away from most of those ‘yellow pad’ think tank events – the ones where the conference proceedings are carefully written then printed, never to be read by anyone ever again. You might want to consider the occasional world peace seminar in Bermuda but be sure the organizers get you a tee time.
   4. Stay away from saying, “Here’s the way I did it.” You had your chance.
   5. Stay well. And when you get older, resist telling everyone about which body part hurts. Drink bulk stuff, exercise, stretch, keep younger people around you. Smile a lot. Feel young at heart.
      
9. Always count your blessings. Quietly remember the wonders of the White House. Never forget the many people that helped you get there, those that worked in your administration, or the dedicated civil servants who treat the White House with such respect and dignity while making those who live there feel “at home.” Remember the majesty of the Oval Office. And as the years go by, give thanks to God for your family, your true friends, and for having given you the chance to be President of the greatest country on the face of the earth.
   
10. Hug your grandkids. If you don’t have any, get some. And if by chance you have a son or daughter who has a chance to be President of the USA, ask yourself, “Might this really come true? Only in America!”

I was recently reading an article on Christian music from the 1980’s and saw a link to Joey Taylor’s (of Undercover) blog. The link has a snippet of a post from his blog and the gist was that Joey is now an atheist. I visited the blog and read his reasoning for where he stands. While I cannot and will not condemn where he has ended up, I find that I am saddened by it. My reading of Joey’s posts suggests to me that he is trying to fit God onto a human framework of understanding – something that I consider to be be fundamentally impossible.

Faith is not easy. I find myself questioning God frequently. But when I look at creation and consider all that I can see, there HAS to be a greater power behind it all than I can comprehend.

It is called faith for a reason. If it were not faith, it would be a logical conclusion based on facts. But facts do not tell the whole story. There is much that has gone before that we cannot be sure of. I am sure the humanists who are smarter than I and are very sure of themselves will call me misguided and easily led by fantasy. But I have looked through telescopes and seen Saturn and it’s rings with my own eyes and marveled at its existence. Who has not seen the wide-field camera views of the Hubble telescope wherein hundreds of GALAXIES are visible. And we are to believe this is the result of random chance? How is the idea of God any less valid than an explosion of matter with no explained origin?

I know what I believe even if I sometimes wonder why.

I watched this video on YouTube this morning. It was refreshing to see an honest look at electric vehicles’ impact on the environment and how they stack up next to internal combustion vehicles.

Well worth the time spent to watch it.

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”

Somehow the subject of Disney came up today and I remembered that back in 1987, someone came around in the breakroom at Tomorrowland Terrace selling I (heart) ER pins with Mickey ears inside the heart. ER (in the Disney terms of the day) meant “Early Release” from your shift. Basically, if it was slower than expected, the leads would come around to see who “wants to ER” thus improving labor expenses. As a huge fan of the ER concept, I of course bought one.

Now, 35 years later, I am hoping I still have it.