Tag Archives: open

Just the facts – Gun Ownership

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Just the facts

Just the facts. Just the evidence, and science. In other words...something most Americans are very good at ignoring.

It’s been quite laughable what people have been trying to post this week, once some gun nuts took objection to an old post.  The common characteristics of the attempted posts were:

1) Inability to communicate.  My god.  I’m insulated from it a bit given where I work.  A scientist HAS to be able to write well, as you certainly won’t get published if you aren’t a capable writer.  However, I always knew that basic writing was a skill lost on most Americans.  If you try to post something, I’m not going to take your arguments seriously if you’re incapable of writing a coherent sentence, or are incapable of writing a sentence without 3 misspellings. 

2) Vulgarity - Sorry folks, if you start a post by calling me an asshole (or worse)…it isn’t going to be posted.  The automatic filtering alone will make sure that those posts are directed right to the trash bin.

3) Complete rejection of reality.   My god it’s scary what people believe. Looked through the trash bin, and saw all kinds of wonderful attempted posts about citizens with guns being more important than police, that more people are saved by civilians with guns than are killed, etc.   It’s scary to read posts from people who think of THEMSELVES as America’s TRUE policemen (an EXACT phrase used by one guy…god that’s scary).  I guess it goes back to a previous post of mine, about peope’s insecurity and carrying guns as a way to pump up their ego or feelings of self-worth. 

Fortunately, as with most phenomena, you CAN actually take a scientific approach to the issue, and look at the data.  The data are pretty damned clear:

1) Kellermann, A., and Reay, D.T., 1986. “Protection or peril? An analysis of firearm-related deaths in the home.”  New England Journal of Medicine 314(24): 1557-1560. This research found that a homeowner with a gun is 43 times more likely to kill a FAMILY member, than a home intruder.

2) Kellerman, A., Rivara, F.P., Rushforth, N.B., Banton, J.G., Reay, D.T., Francisco, J.T., Locci, A.B., Prodzinski, J., Hackman, B.B., and Somes, G., 1993. “Gun ownership as a risk factor for homicide in the home.” New England Journal of Medicine 329: 1084-1091.   Households owning guns are three times as likely to be a victim of homicide as non gun owners. 

3) Miller, M., Hemenway, D., and Zarael, D., 2007.  State-level homicide victimization rates in the U.S. in relation to survey measures of household firearm ownership., 2001-2003.  Soc. Sci. Med. 64(3): 656-664.  This study found that homicide rates, including homicide of children, were directly correlated to regions with higher proportions of home gun ownership.  The top 25% of states with highest gun ownership had homicide rates 114% higher than the states with lowest gun ownership. 

As this last study ponts out…it’s simply easier for criminals to obtain guns in areas where more guns are present.   One study found 90% of guns used for crime were obtained illegally.  Gun proponents thus say criminals are “going to get guns anyway”, so they too need legal means of obtaining guns to “defend” themselves.  However, these and other studies note the direct correlation between gun availability/ownership, and violent crime.  In areas where guns are more easily obtained through legal means, there are also more guns available illegally, and crime rates are much higher.

The facts are pretty straightforward.  But those on the right seem little interested in fact nowadays, be it gun owners…global warming denialists…Obama “birthers”…etc.   

And none of this even addresses the wacko “Right to Carry” groups who have been filling up my trash bin.  Consider this research:

Branas, C.C., Richmand, T.S., Culhane, D.P., Ten Have, T.R., and Wiebe., D.J., 2009.  “Investigating the link between gun possession and gun assault”. American Journal of Public Health 99(11): 2034-2040. – This study found that those carrying a gun are FAR likelier to be both shot, and killed, than unarmed crime victims.  People who carry are 4.5 times as likely to be shot compared to unarmed crime victims.  As Branas notes, it may be the “type of people” who carry firearms, but it also is likely due to the “sense of empowerment” gun carriers have.   For those wackos who think they can carry a gun and use it defend themselves (seemingly EVERY wacko who tried to post fits this category), the study also notes that in the cases where a gun-carrying victim has some chance to defend themselves, they are even MORE likely to be shot…5.5 times as likely to be shot than an unarmed victim.

Yes, even this study notes that there are some successful defensive gun uses each year, but they note “the probability of success may be low for civilian gun users”.  The study notes that you’re in far MORE danger when you carry, than if you don’t.

Just the facts!  Scientific, peer-reviewed literature!!  Not some wacko gun nut sending me a profane email, with a link to a pro-gun website touting all the “benefits” of carrying  a gun.  And you wonder why your posts don’t make it past the trash bin?

Posted in Culture Wars

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Relationship between penis size, and men who carry guns?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments

I’m a scientist.  I like to conduct research, look at the results, and form my opinions based on facts (something some of you may want to try).  As a scientist, I have a legitimate question I’d like to see addressed and published in the scientific literature…

Is there a relationship between a man’s penis size, and whether they carry a handgun?  It’s a valid question.   I see it all the time in life, where those who are the most insecure are ALWAYS the ones who try to puff themselves up and make themselves look more important than they really are.  The most insecure people are the ones who feel the need to brag.  The most insecure people are the ones who feel the need to discriminate against other human beings who aren’t the “same”.

Therefore, as a scientist, I just am making the hypothesis that men who feel the need to carry handguns must have incredibly tiny penises.  No, I’m not talking about sportsmen and hunters.  Heck, even I was a pheasant and duck hunter in my youth.  Those who own a shotgun or a rifle that’s used for hunting?  It’s a valid reason to have a gun.

But a handgun?  A concealed handgun? Or losers who make the NRA or open carry organizations a primary driving force in their lives?  GOTTA be guys with tiny little penises.  It’s a valid scientific hypothesis, one that I’m SURE would be confirmed by the facts.  It’s a little out of my research area though…any other scientists out there want to take up the challenge, and conduct this study?

Posted in Culture Wars

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Scum of the Week – Adam Turner

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Terry| 9 Comments

What is it about gun “enthusiasts”?  How does one ever reach a point in life, where your primary ambition becomes making sure you can carry a gun wherever you want, whenever you want?  Why would you NEED to carry a gun wherever you want, whenever you wants?  Are people SO paranoid, SO insecure about their own pathetic lives, that carrying a gun around somehow gives them comfort?  Makes them feel important?  Makes them feel like a bigger person than they really are?  Are their lives SO pathetic that THIS becomes their most important issue in life?

Sioux Falls is considered changing an executive order that bans firearms from city property.  City lawyers are concerned they’re opening themselves up for a lawsuit by having such an executive order.

Leading the charge to get the executive order changed is Adam Turner, president of the Sioux Falls chapter of “South Dakota Open Carry”.  This jackass says that “gun-free” zones make people less safe.  Yes, Mr. Turner, arming EVERYONE, having a BUNCH of trigger-happy gun freaks like yourself running around will DEFINITELY make the world a safer place.  Given that the majority of the human race appears to be either 1) dumber than a cardboard box, and/or 2) hateful and uncaring about their fellow man, pardon me if I don’t feel “safer” knowing gun freaks with IQ’s lower than my pet cocker spaniel are all running around carrying, even when I’m in such “dangerous” locations such as city parks.  Thank GOD we have nutjobs like Turner around to ensure that I’ll have a host of wackos around with guns, while I’m on city property watching my son play soccer, or enjoying a walk through the park.

Congrats Adam Turner.  You and the ENTIRE “South Dakota Open Carry” group are well-deserved winners of the Scum of the Week award.

Posted in Culture Wars, Scum Of The Week

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My wife, savior of Hummingbirds

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Terry| 1 Comment
Ruby-throated Hummingbird

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird in my yard. A beautiful male hummingbird like this one spent a harrowing (for him, and me!) few hours in my garage this weekend, before my wife saved him.

May is probably my favorite month of the year.  It’s when the warm weather usually takes hold after a long, cold South Dakota winter, and from a birding perspective, no month of more spectacular, with summer birds arriving and many migrants moving through that you don’t see at any other time of the year.  One of the highlights of May for me usually happens around May 8th or so, when the first Ruby-throated Hummingbird shows up in my yard.  We’re at the fringes of their normal breeding range, but I live across the street from a state park that has some forested land next to a river, and it does seem like they breed there.  Breeding has never been confirmed in my part of the state, by I do have hummingbirds around my yard all summer long, including young ones that usually show up in my yard sometime in July or so. 

We’ve had an incredibly mild winter, and March was spectacularly warm for South Dakota.  Many trees and other plants bloomed a good month before they normally do.  I’m not sure if that’s the reason why, but this spring has been very slow for hummingbirds in my yard.  I have only seen one male occasionally visit my yard.  Sunday, I was out doing yard work most of the day, came in the garage, and noticed a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird flying around the top of the garage, constantly banging up against the roof as he tried to find his way out.  We have a very tall garage, with a good 6-feet or more above the actual garage doors.  The poor little guy was obviously freaking out, and couldn’t figure out that to get out of the garage, he needed to first go down about 6 feet to where I had left all the doors and windows open. 

I continued my yard work, hoping he’d find his own way out.  But after an hour, he was still in the garage.  He was obviously getting tired, as he’d fly up and bang up against the roof for a bit, then come down a foot or two and rest on a wire to the garage door opener.  I started to try to find a way to lure him out.  I brought in my hummingbird feeders and placed them low in the garage.  Later, as I worried about his strength, I put one high near his wire perch, in the hopes that he’d at least feed.  He was having none of it, with no interest in coming to the feeders.  After 2 hours or so, when his energy was obviously getting less, I slowly brought up my 2 long-handled fishing nets in the hopes of trapping him in between them, so I could bring him down and out of the garage.  No luck.  He wouldn’t budge from his wire perch and fly into the nets, and I certainly wasn’t going to force the issue.

I was very frustrated, thinking that the one hummingbird I had coming to my yard was about to die.  I went back out and started working in the yard again, when I saw my wife coming very slowly out the back door of the garage with a very long feather duster in her hands.  She said “Is he on there???”.  Given that the bird didn’t want to fly much any more because it was tired, my wife slowly raised the feather duster up by the bird on the wire until the hummingbird clung on.  Then she ever-so-slowly and carefully brought the duster down and out the garage door.

The hummingbird was indeed clinging to the feather duster!  But he must have been very tired, because even after getting him out into the sunlight, he just clung there for a minute or two.  Finally, he zipped up and away.  Given how long he was in there and how tired he seemed to be getting, I just hope he was able to feed quickly and recover.

One thing I will do is change out the ends of the manual garage pulls that dangle down from my garage door openers.  They are bright red balls hanging down in my garage.  I had heard that hummingbirds are sometimes trapped in garages, because they area attracted to the bright red color, fly into the garage to investigate, and can’t find their way out.  I’m not sure if that’s what happened to this little guy, but just to be safe, I’ll be removing the red balls.

Posted in Birds

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“Conservative” Gingrich and “Open Marriage”

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Terry| 2 Comments
Sad Gingricdh

Poor Newt. It's believed this picture was taken right after former wife Marianne refused Newt's request for an "open marriage". Newt gets grumpy when he doesn't get his nooky-nooky from...well...from whatever warm, female life form happens to be near him at the time (other than his wives).

OK, it’s official.  Newt Gingrich is officially the scummiest politician in the U.S.  That’s one HELL of a title to have, because you REALLY have to work at it to put yourself head-and-shoulders above the rest of the scummy U.S. politicians, since approximately 99.4% of U.S. politicians qualify.  I think I would have already put Gingrich up towards the top of the scummy list, but with the upcoming interview with (ONE of) his ex-wife, he’s surpassed all expectations on just what IS a scummy, and hypocritical, U.S. politician. 

Marianne Gingrich (wife #2?  #1?  #3?…it’s hard to keep track) has an interview airing later today, where she’s expected to talk about her marriage to Newt.  Among the creepy items…Newt going to her, and saying he wanted an “open marriage” so he could have both a wife, AND a mistress.  This “request” was just AFTER scumbag Newt admitted to having a 6-year affair with a Congressional aide.  WAY…TO…GO…NEWT (Slow clap inserted here).  I gotta hand it to you, bud, you have taken “scummy” to some new, stratospheric level. 

Good timing by Rick Perry today, dropping out of the race, and endorsing Newt, right before this bombshell drops.  While I’m handing out titles, I think I’ll also bestow a title on Rick Perry…WORST…PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN…EVER.  My god…could Perry have run a worse campaign?  It’s hard to overcome your own mental shortcomings, but besides his catastrophic debate performances, his entire campaign seemed beset by missteps and horrible timing.  Add this to the list…he can’t even drop out of the race without screwing up.  Is Newt Gingrich REALLY the person you want to endorse as representing the “Conservative Values” that Perry supposedly represented?

Speaking of which…why is it the Republicans so self-identify with the supposedly “conservative” trait of morality?  And why is it that when push comes to shove, they tend to IGNORE minor little indiscretions like your GOP hero banging a Congressional aide?   For all the high-road talk from conservatives, for all the attempts to self-identify with social conservatives, the actual ACTIONS of the GOP shows that morality doesn’t matter worth a hill of beans.  No, what REALLY matters to the GOP is 1) the next election (true of the Dems too), and 2) Short-term economic gain (to hell with future generations). 

Morality be damned!  We’ll see how this plays in South Carolina, where the social conservatives supposedly will play a key role in how things turn out.  Will they do what Repubs have TRADITIONALLY done…talked a good talk, but in action, show that morality just doesn’t matter worth a hill of beans?  Or, will Perry dropping out, coupled with the Marianne Gingrich interview, make South Carolina the primary that seals things for Romney?

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized

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