The Mayors Against Illegal Guns seems to remain clueless about what causes the major increase in the murder rate in America's largest cities.  These people cannot seem to grasp the idea that if you don't punish criminals, let criminals out of jail and let murderer's walk out of jail with small bonds or no bond at all, the murder rate will increase.  Dumb as a box of rocks is the phrase that comes to mind, or are they?  The Mayors Against Illegal Guns is a cover.  I believe their aim is your guns and my guns.  I believe their real goal is to make the uninformed ones believe that all guns are the problem.  When criminals are stopped by law-abiding citizens defending themselves, the media doesn't cover it or if they do, the story disappears in a matter of hours.  Thieves are getting bolder and bolder.  In Chicago, Joe Perillo who owns Gold Coast Exotic Motor Cars, stated that criminals made off with $2,000,000 worth of watches.  Some of those people who live on the Gold Coast believe crime won't affect them.  Of course, they have armed security in their Gold Coast high rises.  This might be a wakeup call to them, eh maybe, possibly, ok, maybe not.

Sunday morning, I was sitting in my mother-in-law’s kitchen gazing out the patio doors at the huge hard maple tree that dominates her back yard.  There were only two leaves still hanging on the tree.  A few minutes later a cold December rain began pattering against the doors and windows and the last two leaves that were on the maple tree floated to their final resting place on the ground.  Mother Nature had officially informed me that Fall was over and winter was on its way.

On Black Friday week the National Shooting Sports Foundation, NSSF, reported that there more than 683,000 background checks performed.  This period includes November 20, 2021 thru November 25, 2021.  This year will end up being the second highest number of background checks on record.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

It is customary to think about what we are thankful for as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the uniquely American Holiday – Thanksgiving.

The sentiments expressed this time of year may very well be sincere but if these sentiments are not followed by action, what value do they have?

I looked at the calendar and was shocked to see how fast Thanksgiving is catching up with us.  Not only that but Christmas is not far behind.  Somehow when Halloween gets here, it always seems there is plenty of time before the major holidays; then, in a flash, that time is gone.  Happy Thanksgiving to all. 

On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918 World War I (WW I) ended.  WW I had left 9 million soldiers dead, 21 million wounded and at least 5 million civilians died.  WW I was the “war to end all wars.”  What WW I really did is laid the ground work for WW II.  The problem was that WW I ended with an armistice not a surrender.  The caldron of discontent boiled for 21 years in Germany.  The draconian measures, placed on the German people festered and caused the rise of Adolf Hitler.  November 11^th was celebrated to remember the American soldiers in WW I.  In 1954, the name of the day was changed to Veteran’s Day to honor American soldiers of all wars.