August 2012
A Girl and Her Gun
A Girl came into guns fairly late in life, after being vehemently anti. She went on to write a post heard ’round the world.
I started this blog as a journal to my daughter, who being raised by me, believed guns were bad and scary, so now that I was carrying one, well, it rocked her world.
I wanted her to see the struggle I went through and how I came to carry a gun. I didn’t want her to think it was casual or that she couldn’t trust me or my opinions. I was very nervous that she would doubt everything I said because I had changed my mind on an issue I felt so strongly about.
I had no idea when I started this journey that I would change so much. That I would actually enjoy shooting or that it would become a passion of mine and I had no idea how my daughter would feel about me or guns.
The Death of the Book
We live in a truly amazing time.
Not that long ago, one had to really search to find books, enlist the help of librarians or book shops to order books which were not available locally, or just plain make a note for a future date when you maybe spot the book you’re after in a second-hand bookstore.
Then came the internet and Amazon, and pretty much everything in print can be ordered and shipped halfway across the world.
And then came the iPads and Kindles, and the same books can be downloaded straight from Amazon.
Or bought all over the place — Baen is my favourite. Alliteration Ink is also interesting.
Or downloaded for free from Classicly and from the authors themselves.
Which is why the New York Times article on The Death of the Book Through the Ages is interesting.
A true visionary
“He didn’t invent iron ore and blast furnaces, did he?”
“Who?”
“Rearden. He didn’t invent smelting and chemistry and air compression. He couldn’t have invented his Metal but for thousands and thousands of other people. His Metal! Why does he think it’s his? Why does he think it’s his invention? Everybody uses the work of everybody else. Nobody ever invents anything.”
— Ayn Rand, 1957
If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen,The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.
It’s been too long since I’ve waded through Atlas Shrugged.
Thanks for jogging the memory, Jennifer.