Add your support to the virtual sit-in for the 30th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Read the other supporters messages regarding choice and leave your own, this is too important a right to let Bush's thugs take it away while no one is looking. If you haven't noticed, he has been hacking away steadily at our rights since he got in office, I think his people have a "do as much damage as possible in four years in case we don't get re-elected" agenda. No wonder the rest of the world is afraid of us...

I went through last night and added to and reorganized my links in the right column. I added more women's issues links, more liberal political links, a bunch of anti-war links and some self-defense links aimed at women, most of them pro-gun. I know that sounds like a weird contradiction... how can she be pro-peace, anti-war and pro-gun?? To me, self-defense has always been a very basic human right, like being able to choose what god(dess) to worship, and whether or not I want to have a child. I grew up around guns, and respect them as what they are, good for target practice and essential for self-defense in our modern world. I live in one of the largest cities in America, I worked in law enforcement for many years and I've seen both the damage and the good that guns can do. I also am trained to use one and know that if someone broke into our house and threatened me or my husband, I wouldn't think twice about defending us. If you are considering getting a gun for self-defense, that's the number one question you need to ask yourself, could I use it if needed? If not, invest in a good alarm system and some baseball bats. If you answered yes, take some classes, go to the range and get familiar with the weapon so it's not a mysterious taboo thing, just another tool that you need to respect, like your car. You wouldn't buy a car without knowing how to drive? It's a deadly weapon also, a woman here in Houston used her Mercedes to kill her husband just recently. Cars don't kill people, people kill people...

I worked apartment security during the early 80's and on many of my jobs we were not allowed to carry guns, but I did have a nice big patrol car. I always used to think "if someone steps out into the parking lot and aims a gun at me my only option is to flatten him". As the late great satirist Bill Hicks said, in response to the poor truck driver beat during the LA riots, "step on the fucking gas!". Not to lend support to the woman who ran over her husband, then backed over him, then ran over him again, then... She's a psycho, she was also being filmed by the PI's she hired to follow him, and her 16 year old step-daughter was in the car with her, talk about traumatized. All said though, if your choice is between being shot in the face by a bad guy (or worse, being kidnapped, raped and tortured) or going to court for possible manslaughter charges for running down a guy with a gun, there's not really much of a choice there, IMHO.

One of the more nicely done gun info sites aimed at women is Self-Defense - A Basic Human Right, it also has some really stunning visual propaganda images promoting gun ownership. If you've never been around real crime, or been a victim, I know the thought that you might actually need something as extreme as a gun to defend yourself is probably a fairly abstract idea, but you really are responsible for your own safety, waiting around for someone else to save you is not a very good option in real life. Take precautions, always be alert, at home and away, but having something solid to fall back upon if something does happen is not a bad idea. Not trying to scare anyone, I'd just rather err on the side of being overly prepared than suffer the consequences of not being so. I'm 5'1", l have a concealed-carry permit, and I've owned my own handgun since I was 21. I have a Smith & Wesson model 66 .357 for home protection, and target practice. If you're not going to carry it, get the 4 inch barrel, it's more accurate and easier to shoot. I have a 2 inch, in case I want to carry it, and I have a S&W airweight hammerless .38 as a carry gun, it's a lot lighter, but it's harder to shoot. I'm hoping I never have to shoot it anywhere but on a range. I prefer revolvers, they're the easiest to work with, they don't misfire very often. They also don't spit shell casings out in your face, and it's much harder to injure yourself because they have fewer dangerous moving parts (I cut my hand open on an automatic slide once, long story).

Alas, I'm coming down with some sort of sinus infection. The weather has gone from freezing to the high 70's in just a few days, I wonder why I'm sick all the time? I have that achy feeling in my ears and the back of my throat, I think I'll head to bed early tonight.