Category Archives: General commentary on the world as I see it…

The right to bear arms

Posted on November 19, 2015 by BigBill

Over these past several posts I’ve looked at most of the arguments that are raised by people opposed to gun regulation and ownership. I think that a critical examination of the facts leads to the conclusion that none of the … Continue reading →

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“More laws won’t help”

Posted on November 12, 2015 by BigBill

One of the arguments used in defense of doing nothing is “More laws won’t help; we have plenty of laws on the books right now that aren’t being enforced.” There is actually truth to this statement, in my opinion (at … Continue reading →

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More guns, less crime

Posted on November 6, 2015 by BigBill

Some time ago a friend of mine sent me a book, the title of which is also the heading of this blog post. I would describe my friend as a very smart Libertarian, who I’m guessing was a nerd growing … Continue reading →

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Do guns make you safer?

Posted on October 31, 2015 by BigBill

Continuing this discussion of the prevalence of guns in our society:  there’s a meme that states that guns make you safer. The difference between the safety of an individual and the safety of society in general aside, a little noodling … Continue reading →

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“It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.”

Posted on October 22, 2015 by BigBill

This is the punchline of a pithy truism usually accredited to Mark Twain that started with “It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you in trouble…” and then ended with this post’s title. I think this phrase (although probably … Continue reading →

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Why so many guns?

Posted on October 15, 2015 by BigBill

First, full disclosure: I do not own any guns. I think it originated with my grandfather (my father’s father). He actively hated guns. For a long time I thought it was because he loved birds; all things living for that … Continue reading →

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And yet another mass shooting

Posted on October 7, 2015 by BigBill

It seems like almost every week there’s another mass shooting. Most recently a guy shot and killed 9 people in an Oregon community college and wounded another 10 before being killed himself in a gun battle with police. The reason … Continue reading →

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The road not taken. (Robert Frost)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by BigBill

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.” Frost’s poem is arguably the most widely-recognized poem by a US poet; maybe even any poet, period. These … Continue reading →

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“I cannot live without books” (Thomas Jefferson to John Adams)

Posted on September 25, 2015 by BigBill

I love books. I also love to read, but the two are not necessarily the same thing. Reading is for pleasure, to educate and inform myself, to “listen” to other people’s perspectives and to give me something to think about … Continue reading →

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An examined life: The Good Life

Posted on September 19, 2015 by BigBill

The movie Saving Private Ryan opens and closes with a scene set in the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial overlooking Omaha Beach. In front of Captain John Miller’s grave marker (the man played by Tom Hanks in the movie), Ryan … Continue reading →

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