Divemedic

Interesting developments in the public’s opinion of the Zimmerman case. In March, when the agitators were busy trying to circumvent the intent of the ‘stand your ground law’ by misrepresenting the facts in the case, 33 percent of the country thought that Zimmerman had murdered Martin, and 15 percent thought it was self defense.

On April 17, the polls were showing that 41 percent said it was a justified shooting, and 59 percent felt that it was either murder or manslaughter.

On May 18, the photos of Zimmerman’s head was released, and it became known that Martin had no injuries, except the gunshot wound and injured knuckles. Public opinion shifted. On May 20, the polls showed that 40 percent felt that this was a justified self defense shooting, and 24 percent felt it was murder.

So as people got out from under the information that was being manipulated by the mainstream media and saw the facts for themselves, public opinion changed.

 In a related poll, we also see an interesting result for the ‘stand your ground’ law. The press and the anti-gunners (Redundant, I know) are using the shooting to attack ‘stand your ground.’ The  public isn’t buying it. 56 percent of Floridians support stand your ground laws, while only 37 percent feel that you should have to retreat before using force to stop an attack.

Here is the story on the feelings about the charges.
Here is the story about the public’s attitude towards ‘stand your ground.’

Before I became a firemedic, I was a volunteer EMT in Virginia, then a volunteer firefighter in Arkansas, then a volunteer firefighter/EMT in Florida. During those times, I had jobs working on industrial automation equipment. I got tired of being laid off every few months because we kept exporting jobs overseas, so I became a full time firemedic.

Anyone who has worked in a manufacturing related field can tell you that the jobs have been disappearing for decades. Ross Perot predicted the ‘giant sucking sound’ of jobs because of NAFTA, and many said he was a kook.

Turns out, he was right.

And so, here we are, our economy teetering on the brink of disaster, and I am sitting here wondering when the Chinese will finally absorb us into their empire.

I recently bought a Smith and Wesson M&P45. This means that I now have the M&P40, M&P Shield, and now the M&P 45. I have to admit that I am greatly enamored of the entire M&P line.

I have (or have had) a collection of various handguns from different manufacturers:
Third Generation Smith and Wesson 45’s: The 4506, 4516.
Sig Sauers: P220, P226, P229
Kimbers (since sold) Pro Carry II, Crimson Ultra Carry II, and Custom
Glocks: 22, 19, 26, 27

and so far, I have to say that I think the M&P is the best that I have had so far. As long as you change out the trigger for the Apex trigger, this series is accurate, reliable, feels good in the hand, and seems to eat whatever you put into it. It is easy to repair and modify yourself, and I think that Smith as a real hit with the M&P series.

The pistol that I am currently carrying is the M&P40 with a 9mm conversion barrel. I have 18 rounds of 115 grain 9mm+P Corbon ammunition ready to go, and with a muzzle energy of over 400 foot-pounds, I think that this makes a fine defensive piece.

All day, we have been having internet issues. It goes down, it is out for awhile, it comes back up. It has been down at least 4 times today, once it was down for over an hour.

My system is set up on a high speed cable modem, which runs to a Dlink router, and then to the home network. On the network is a television, two Roku boxes, two desktop PCs, an iPad, two iPhones, and a MacBook. (We are a relatively tech savvy house.)

The last time the internet connection was down, we tried:

1. looking at the local network. I could see and access all of the devices on the network from my PC. Local network is working fine.

2. We then tried rebooting the modem. Didn’t help, connection still down.

3. Then we tried sending a ping to google.com. It timed out.

4. We then tried sending a ping to the DNS server. It also timed out.

I called tech support for my internet provider. By this time, the internet connection is back up, but for how long? The person I got tells me that she needs to reboot the modem. I told her we already tried that, but she insisted. No dice. Then she says that the modem is answering fine, and she thinks my router is the problem. She insists that I need to remove the router and connect the PC directly to the modem.

I explain to her that I know that she is working off a script, but I tell her that I am sure that the router is not the problem. She insists, and wants me to disconnect it, and tells me that I need to pay extra for “home networking service” if I want to set up a home network.

I hung up. I am not happy with the tech support that I got. Not happy at all.

I know a few people who act like this. Pretty funny.

About a dozen years ago, as I mentioned in a previous post, I carried a handgun in a fanny pack. Fanny packs were the perfect carry method for concealed handguns. Everyone had them, especially the tourists in Central Florida. It made carrying a handgun more comfortable, as you could wear clothes that are suited to Florida’s hot and humid summers, while still enabling you to carry a full sized handgun.

It was during the summer of 2000 that I was dating this woman, and we decided to make the drive to Tampa with some friends, so we could visit Busch Gardens. Now, one of the first rules of carrying a concealed weapon is not to talk about it. It just isn’t polite, and is rather boorish behavior, to run around and get in everyone’s face about the fact that you are carrying a gun. For that reason, no one we were with knew that I was carrying a Glock 23, except the woman that I was dating.

We were standing in line for a ride, when one of the women asked my date why I always wore “that stupid fanny pack” everywhere. She replied that I carried a gun in it. This caused the questioner to loudly yell at me, “You have a gun in that thing?!?” The rest of the conversation went like this:

Divemedic: “Hold it down. Everyone can hear you.”
Distraught woman: “Why do you have a gun in that fanny pack?”
DM: “Because it won’t fit in my pocket.”
Woman: “That isn’t what I meant, and you know it. Why do you carry a gun?”
DM: “In case someone tries to attack me.”
Woman: “So you really think that someone is going to try and kill you in the parking lot?”
DM: “If I thought that, I wouldn’t be here. The best way to survive a gunfight is not be in one.”
Woman: “Exactly. The best way to not get in a gunfight is not to have a gun. No gun, no gunfight.”
DM: “I know you are smarter than that. That is like saying that you can avoid car accidents by not being in a car. Pedestrians get run over all the time. You might as well not own a fire extinguisher, either. That way, you will never have a fire.”

She wasn’t even anti-gun, she was just conditioned like many people are, that they do not need guns, because only the military, police, criminals, and paranoid, uneducated nutjobs need guns. She eventually came around, and now owns a gun that she keeps at home.

The way we win this argument is by being level headed, logical, and not losing our temper. By doing so, we convince those who are not true anti-gun believers into seeing things in a different light.

As for the fanny pack, this incident, as well as the searches that resulted from 9-11, made me realize that it was no longer a viable carry method. I still have it, but I have not used it in over a decade.

John Spartan, you are fined one credit for violating the verbal morality statute.