Hey there! Here are the topics for today’s independent commentary:
- Great Falls/Cascade County Fireworks
- Gun Violence – Public Health Crisis
- Stanley Cup Final
- One More Thing
GREAT FALLS/CASCADE COUNTY FIREWORKS:
I happened to catch a report from KRTV about the rules for fireworks in the city of Great Falls and in Cascade County. They are different. Does anyone else think that is ridiculous?
A person running one of the fireworks stands in the county explained the rules:
“In the county you can sell from the 24th of June all the way to the 5th (of July),” said Sean Allen, assistant coach for the CMR High School Wrestling Team. “If you’re inside the city limits you’re only allowed to sell between the 2nd and 5th.”
In the immortal words of CeeLo Green, “now ain’t that some shit?”
I used to do my share of roman candle fights and bottle rocket battles. I don’t shoot fireworks anymore, but the neighborhood picks up the slack. I can hear them being fired before the time to do it and way after that time to do it. Everyone should follow the rules or this freedom may be lost.
The county and the city should get on the same page.
GUN VIOLENCE – PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS:
The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy on Tuesday declared gun violence a public health crisis, driven by the fast-growing number of injuries and deaths involving firearms in the country. The advisory came as the U.S. grappled with another summer weekend marked by mass shootings that left dozens of people dead or wounded.
So, will anything be done because of this public health crisis? I doubt it. That’s the problem we have in this country.
Read the complete report from the AP HERE.
STANLEY CUP FINAL:
The winter sports season is finally over! The Florida Panthers beat the Edmonton Oilers in game seven 2-1 to take home the Stanley Cup. The Panthers won the first three games of the best-of-seven series before the Oilers came back and won the next three.
I was able to watch most of the games and this is one of the best Stanley Cup Finals I have watched.
ONE MORE THING:
Here are the lyrics that are stuck in my head this week:
I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own
I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead, long live the king
One minute, I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin’
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason, I can’t explain
Once you’d gone, there was never, never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world
– Viva La Vida (By Coldplay) (Video)
The Western Word 
I must preface this comment. I have always loved guns, especially historic and antique guns. I love to study the roles they played in history. For example, Lewis and Clark killed thirty-three grizz on their journey to the coast with nothing but .50 caliber black powder single shot rifles. Can you even imagine the cojones and skill that takes? Or the revolutionaries with their Kentucky long rifles that defeated the British. Unbelievable skill with a fantastic firearm. Actually aided the revolution more than we can imagine, for the British were bungling along with their Brown Bess unrifled barrels. Guns have played an incredibly impressive role throughout our history. And it makes for fascinating study. Give me a time period and I can probably tell you what guns were in use and how the affected history.
And as a kid growing up in the west, guns were always around for use in hunting and plinking. So I’m very familiar with guns. I’m not crazy about all the new guns. To me they’re uninteresting and boring. They all essentially look the same.
And then I went to Nam in ‘71 and was issued one of the very first military issue AR 15s. They were called CAR 15s at the time. I thought it was an astounding weapon. Full auto in such a small rifle. I thought it was the ultimate combat weapon and still do. I don’t think it’s been improved on. But I returned home and went back to loving my traditional guns. I never dreamed the AR would become a cult item for public consumption. I never could understand why a civilian would want one. To me it seemed bizarre. And still does. It’s way overkill for any kind of self defense. I have to look askance at the folks who salivate over owning one. Sumthin’ wrong with them people.
So when I read this latest Supreme Court ruling, I was aghast. What the hell were they thinking? You don’t need a damn full auto to be a patriotic citizen. In fact, all you have to be is mentally deficient!
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/12/opinion/supreme-court-bumpstocks-guns.html