I want to read it again and circle back for more comments. I've got thoughts.
I love the central concept of Ownership. I leaned into Private v. Public, where we find that privately-owned properties are better tended and have better curb appeal. I'd like, with your leave and that of your other readers 😁 I'm going to focus there today.
First, though, our furnace has been down since Tuesday and the inducer motor for this old beast is on order. Should be here on Wednesday but it's 16°F (that's -9 °C for nerds like me) out now with a high of 20. Of course, The Husky Dawg is just lying in the yard observing the action within his domain but we're going to have to do some weatherizing to prepare for tonight so heading for The Home Depot for some little space heaters for the plumbing.
"First, though, our furnace has been down since Tuesday and the inducer motor for this old beast is on order. Should be here on Wednesday but it's 16°F (that's -9 °C for nerds like me) out now with a high of 20."
Holy crap! Hoping that you can get the space heaters to fend off the adverse effects of the sub-freezing cold on plumbing.
We contended with that awful weather all this past week – no fun...it just feels colder here in the Lone Star state.
I think we just do the best we can...even with Fb, reaching out to people so far back in the past is likely to cause more trouble than it's worth...especially if one is male, regardless of the age and gender of the person one may be trying to reach, at some point, it just comes across as creepy...
The hypocrisy about responsibility in the political world is obvious. What's funny is I think certain factions of the Democrat Party are trying so hard to use the "classified documents" to bring down Biden, but they've trained the media too well and the masses are just numb, so it's not working. Frankenstein, meet your monster.
Your story about the football player is interesting. Your questions are valid as is your point. I suppose it comes down to those moments where someone is "side seat" driving in the car and tells me to go at a light because I have "right of way," to which I say, "Yes, but I'm not sure that person speeding at us knows that and I'd rather not have a smashed car, thank you." Just like there's defensive driving, there's defensive living. We forget that.
As for accepting responsibility, it's a complex subject. People who are honest enough to take responsibility often get chewed up and spit out. They become scapegoats for much more than their fair share. So they learn to shut up. (I'm speaking from personal experience here, though I'm still not smart enough to shut up.)
I'm actually surprised when people take responsibility. It's not something you see, outside people trying to get out of public castigation for "micro-aggressions," when they'd be much better off saying, "I'm just not playing this game."
I don't really have much to say; you've said it so well. I'm sorry it took me a while to get here, but it was well worth it.
"Your story about the football player is interesting."
This reminds me of an interesting case brewing in Baltimore City, in the "Who's Fault?" vein.
Last summer, a nine year-old boy (I considered, researched hyphenation for 5 mins...) somehow acquired a gun, took it out in the street, and shot and killed a 15 year-old girl. It was not an accident and the boy knew how to chamber a round. *He meant to do this.*
MD has a law that anyone under the age of 13 cannot be charged with any crime. So how then to get justice?
I could write paragraphs about the case but ultimately new City State's Attorney Ivan Bates - replacing an incredibly ineffective, Soros progressive (one of the first, in fact), and, it turns out, criminal Marilyn Moseby - in his first few weeks on the job, charged the boys grandmother, a permitted gun owner, with two counts of negligence in letting the boy get to her apparently unsecured firearm.
with the stated justification being that he's concerned "someone" will exact justice on their own
Well, now that's interesting. I could see under seven or eight, but thirteen? A twelve-year-old in Tennessee was shooting at the interstate near where my mother's family is from. He was just firing at cars, and he hit someone and killed him. I know he was being a stupid kid, but Tennessee went after him.
However, I have a problem with going after parents. That can so be abused. But at the same time, *shrug* what are you going to do? I don't know whom to credit (Duck on a Bike or Not From Texas, I'm sorry), but sometimes you're left only with the "least worse" option.
The crazy thing here is everyone I knew, including my sister and I, grew up around guns, loaded and behind every door, no gun locks, no gun safes. Guns were everywhere. And no one got shot, and trust me, my high school experience, I *should* have been the one in the clock tower (if we'd had a clock tower).
This is a big topic on the daytime talk radio show(s) I listen to.
For my part, I do not think a nine year-old is too young to face a judge. I'm not thinking jail time but some serious intervention - goodness, this while family could use some real help - and the shame and embarrassment and something truly stays in your record.
I don't care how old you are. If you kill somebody, I think it should be in your record forever. It's your job to figure out how to live with it.
"I don't know whom to credit (Duck on a Bike or Not From Texas, I'm sorry), but sometimes you're left only with the 'least worse' option."
I'm big on proper attribution – that was Duck.
It's so counter-intuitive, isn't it? Growing up around guns, almost through osmosis, one learns to respect the object, the damage it can do, the importance of proper care and handling. And while what you experienced in high school undoubtedly would have justified you being in that clock tower (had there been one), you didn't – you, even at that age, had the presence of mind to exercise restraint.
"MD has a law that anyone under the age of 13 cannot be charged with any crime. So how then to get justice?"
I'm surprised the drug trade hasn't capitalized on this to use kids under the age of 13 to do their street-level sales and distribution, ala Breaking Bad.
She too, was only 13 years old, at the time, and there's NO WAY the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Imagine, it coming back to haunt you, a decade later. Apparently, she's getting a new trial, and new defense counsel.
I think that's a very real concern – far too many members of the legal profession (judges, sheriffs, DAs) give the appearance of having compromised their ethics for political gain, with defendants and plaintiffs paying the price.
"I'm surprised the drug trade hasn't capitalized on this to use kids under the age of 13 to do their street-level sales and distribution"
It is widely accepted that this is, in fact, the case and that the law, signed into law last summer, was largely to protect these at-risk yutes from facing any sort of judgment.
So, I guess you could say that the law worked in the case.
Wow, this one's a doozy. Gonna need some extra time to digest and have a pretty full day at the office before leaving early to pick up something we expected to be delivered to our home...
"There are those who, when confronted with the consequences of their own recklessness, will offer any number of excuses in the hope of evading personal accountability."
I believe I've shared with the whole room here, that after some reflection I've determined that the common element in every one of my life crises has been ME.
I will say that recognizing that does not lead directly to perfect future responses to challenging stimuli - more often, "Damn - I did it again" - but at least now, I do own it (sooner?).
Nah. You do good long form. But it's heady so takes a while.
But I definitely like the angle about Responsibility. And I think I see how you're working up to Ownership. Like, say, if Parks or Bridges were Privately owned vs. Public. (-ly? @LilliaGajewski !!??) Or... Patriotism. If it's _your_ country - and I believe peoples can choose to be American. In fact, I'd prefer that. Just being born here doesn't mean you can't be a socialist...
When I was trying to come with a title, the concept that occurred to me was ownership of our own actions, decisions, and the consequences that come with them. While the world we live in doesn't really reward doing so, being responsible and accountable (if only to ourselves), is its own rich reward.
This is good. Really good.
I want to read it again and circle back for more comments. I've got thoughts.
I love the central concept of Ownership. I leaned into Private v. Public, where we find that privately-owned properties are better tended and have better curb appeal. I'd like, with your leave and that of your other readers 😁 I'm going to focus there today.
First, though, our furnace has been down since Tuesday and the inducer motor for this old beast is on order. Should be here on Wednesday but it's 16°F (that's -9 °C for nerds like me) out now with a high of 20. Of course, The Husky Dawg is just lying in the yard observing the action within his domain but we're going to have to do some weatherizing to prepare for tonight so heading for The Home Depot for some little space heaters for the plumbing.
"First, though, our furnace has been down since Tuesday and the inducer motor for this old beast is on order. Should be here on Wednesday but it's 16°F (that's -9 °C for nerds like me) out now with a high of 20."
Holy crap! Hoping that you can get the space heaters to fend off the adverse effects of the sub-freezing cold on plumbing.
We contended with that awful weather all this past week – no fun...it just feels colder here in the Lone Star state.
"If the Lord truly does look after drunks, fools, and little children, then I am living proof"
As am I. And I am not amongst the faithful so, well... I am at a loss to explain it.
"If you can come to accept your past"
This, it turns out, is quite the challenge for a Recovering Catholic.
"and you’ve done what you can to genuinely and sincerely apologize to those affected by what you now own"
*jots down personal 'My Name is Earl' List*
Now, if only I had 53 years to say "I'm so sorry" to all those in my wake, I could come out in the black.
I think we just do the best we can...even with Fb, reaching out to people so far back in the past is likely to cause more trouble than it's worth...especially if one is male, regardless of the age and gender of the person one may be trying to reach, at some point, it just comes across as creepy...
"which is disturbing enough for a paranoiac, like me"
Skynet:
https://tenor.com/search/throw-our-heads-back-gifs
Pi Guy is right in that there is a lot to digest.
The hypocrisy about responsibility in the political world is obvious. What's funny is I think certain factions of the Democrat Party are trying so hard to use the "classified documents" to bring down Biden, but they've trained the media too well and the masses are just numb, so it's not working. Frankenstein, meet your monster.
Your story about the football player is interesting. Your questions are valid as is your point. I suppose it comes down to those moments where someone is "side seat" driving in the car and tells me to go at a light because I have "right of way," to which I say, "Yes, but I'm not sure that person speeding at us knows that and I'd rather not have a smashed car, thank you." Just like there's defensive driving, there's defensive living. We forget that.
As for accepting responsibility, it's a complex subject. People who are honest enough to take responsibility often get chewed up and spit out. They become scapegoats for much more than their fair share. So they learn to shut up. (I'm speaking from personal experience here, though I'm still not smart enough to shut up.)
I'm actually surprised when people take responsibility. It's not something you see, outside people trying to get out of public castigation for "micro-aggressions," when they'd be much better off saying, "I'm just not playing this game."
I don't really have much to say; you've said it so well. I'm sorry it took me a while to get here, but it was well worth it.
"Your story about the football player is interesting."
This reminds me of an interesting case brewing in Baltimore City, in the "Who's Fault?" vein.
Last summer, a nine year-old boy (I considered, researched hyphenation for 5 mins...) somehow acquired a gun, took it out in the street, and shot and killed a 15 year-old girl. It was not an accident and the boy knew how to chamber a round. *He meant to do this.*
MD has a law that anyone under the age of 13 cannot be charged with any crime. So how then to get justice?
I could write paragraphs about the case but ultimately new City State's Attorney Ivan Bates - replacing an incredibly ineffective, Soros progressive (one of the first, in fact), and, it turns out, criminal Marilyn Moseby - in his first few weeks on the job, charged the boys grandmother, a permitted gun owner, with two counts of negligence in letting the boy get to her apparently unsecured firearm.
with the stated justification being that he's concerned "someone" will exact justice on their own
Well, now that's interesting. I could see under seven or eight, but thirteen? A twelve-year-old in Tennessee was shooting at the interstate near where my mother's family is from. He was just firing at cars, and he hit someone and killed him. I know he was being a stupid kid, but Tennessee went after him.
However, I have a problem with going after parents. That can so be abused. But at the same time, *shrug* what are you going to do? I don't know whom to credit (Duck on a Bike or Not From Texas, I'm sorry), but sometimes you're left only with the "least worse" option.
The crazy thing here is everyone I knew, including my sister and I, grew up around guns, loaded and behind every door, no gun locks, no gun safes. Guns were everywhere. And no one got shot, and trust me, my high school experience, I *should* have been the one in the clock tower (if we'd had a clock tower).
"I could see under seven or eight, but thirteen?"
This is a big topic on the daytime talk radio show(s) I listen to.
For my part, I do not think a nine year-old is too young to face a judge. I'm not thinking jail time but some serious intervention - goodness, this while family could use some real help - and the shame and embarrassment and something truly stays in your record.
I don't care how old you are. If you kill somebody, I think it should be in your record forever. It's your job to figure out how to live with it.
"I don't know whom to credit (Duck on a Bike or Not From Texas, I'm sorry), but sometimes you're left only with the 'least worse' option."
I'm big on proper attribution – that was Duck.
It's so counter-intuitive, isn't it? Growing up around guns, almost through osmosis, one learns to respect the object, the damage it can do, the importance of proper care and handling. And while what you experienced in high school undoubtedly would have justified you being in that clock tower (had there been one), you didn't – you, even at that age, had the presence of mind to exercise restraint.
Interesting from many angles.
"MD has a law that anyone under the age of 13 cannot be charged with any crime. So how then to get justice?"
I'm surprised the drug trade hasn't capitalized on this to use kids under the age of 13 to do their street-level sales and distribution, ala Breaking Bad.
Last night, Mrs. NFT and I watched this miscarriage of justice: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12069112/?ref_=ttep_ep4
She too, was only 13 years old, at the time, and there's NO WAY the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt. Imagine, it coming back to haunt you, a decade later. Apparently, she's getting a new trial, and new defense counsel.
I think that's a very real concern – far too many members of the legal profession (judges, sheriffs, DAs) give the appearance of having compromised their ethics for political gain, with defendants and plaintiffs paying the price.
"I'm surprised the drug trade hasn't capitalized on this to use kids under the age of 13 to do their street-level sales and distribution"
It is widely accepted that this is, in fact, the case and that the law, signed into law last summer, was largely to protect these at-risk yutes from facing any sort of judgment.
So, I guess you could say that the law worked in the case.
Wow, this one's a doozy. Gonna need some extra time to digest and have a pretty full day at the office before leaving early to pick up something we expected to be delivered to our home...
I'll selfishly jump in here ...
"There are those who, when confronted with the consequences of their own recklessness, will offer any number of excuses in the hope of evading personal accountability."
I believe I've shared with the whole room here, that after some reflection I've determined that the common element in every one of my life crises has been ME.
I will say that recognizing that does not lead directly to perfect future responses to challenging stimuli - more often, "Damn - I did it again" - but at least now, I do own it (sooner?).
This is a great theme, UnTex.
Thank you!
Thanks!
Sorry about that...I discarded almost half of the final draft.
I need to either edit better, or narrow the scope of my topic...
Nah. You do good long form. But it's heady so takes a while.
But I definitely like the angle about Responsibility. And I think I see how you're working up to Ownership. Like, say, if Parks or Bridges were Privately owned vs. Public. (-ly? @LilliaGajewski !!??) Or... Patriotism. If it's _your_ country - and I believe peoples can choose to be American. In fact, I'd prefer that. Just being born here doesn't mean you can't be a socialist...
"Publicly" to match "privately." That liberal arts education is really paying off. ;-)
😊
I like what you are picking up.
When I was trying to come with a title, the concept that occurred to me was ownership of our own actions, decisions, and the consequences that come with them. While the world we live in doesn't really reward doing so, being responsible and accountable (if only to ourselves), is its own rich reward.