Catching up

Some nice responses to my recent brain dump on the blog and via email.

To clarify re: my comment on an armed and trained population, let me give you where I’m coming from: I’ve spent some time considering the ramifications of the relatively consequence-free society we’ve built. By that I refer to the primary go-to method of ensuring we coexist peacefully is the criminal justice system, and the secondary is the civil courts. It hasn’t always been that way; for most of our existence, behavior was modified in an immediate and often final way for the most serious infractions. Now, we can barely even address the most ancient of offenses against us without involving lawyers. For example, a man sleeps with another man’s wife; the cuckolded husband has no legal recourse in most states, and in fact is disincentivized from taking corrective action due to the legal and financial consequences of HIS actions. Meanwhile there is no negative consequence for the man who snuck in there and engaged in a socially destructive act.

In olden days there were many behaviors that were regulated by fear of direct, immediate reprisal, yet there are no such consequences today. Following the murders in Virginia my thoughts ran towards the benefit of an armed populace to redress the victimization of those who play by the rules by those who are breaking them - those who are being good preyed upon by those who are doing evil. A populace packing weaponry certainly has its drawbacks, but on the plus side would be the deterrence of some extreme antisocial behavior, or at least abbreviating it in the quickest, most direct way possible.

But back to Dan... the rest of my vacation was excellent. I had an amazing time in Palm Desert and then in San Francisco, and came back to NY refreshed and energized. This month at work is a heavy crunch time, and for the next few weeks I’ll be running ragged, though I expect things to lighten up a bit in June. I’m totally not getting enough sleep, but things are getting done and all is well.

Thanks to all who wished me a happy birthday. I'm wicked old now...

A few days off before I head on my cruise for work. I've got some prescription strength seasickness medicine handy, and my tux for those late nights in the casino. More when I get back...