Turn up your speakers and listen to this sound. Do you hear anything?

Edit: With the sound on my computer turned up pretty high, I can hear a noise. I don't know if it sounds the same as a teen would hear.

1. Banning guns works, which is why New York, DC, and Chicago cops need guns.
2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 80.6 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Arlington, VA's high murder rate of 1.6 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.
3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."
4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994, are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.
5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.
6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.
7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.
8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.
9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense — give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).
10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns and Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.
11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seatbelts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for spinal paralysis, a computer programmer for Y2K problems, and Sarah Brady [or Sheena Duncan, Adele Kirsten, Peter Storey, etc.] for firearms expertise.
12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1791, refers to the National Guard, which was created by an act of Congress in 1903.
13. The National Guard, funded by the federal government, occupying property leased to the federal government, using weapons owned by the federal government, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a state militia.
14. These phrases," right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumeration's herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people," all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.
15. We don't need guns against an oppressive government, because the Constitution has internal safeguards, but we should ban and seize all guns, thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th amendments to that Constitution.
16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense, which is why the army has millions of them.
17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they serve no military purpose, and private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles," because they are military weapons.
18. The ready availability of guns today, with waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, et cetera, is responsible for recent school shootings,compared to the lack of school shootings in the 40's, 50's and 60's, which resulted from the availability of guns at hardware stores, surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, mail order, et cetera.
19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, and the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.
20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.
21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.
22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."
23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.
24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.
25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.
26. A self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."
27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.
28. The right of online pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.
29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self-defense only justifies bare hands.
30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.
31. Charlton Heston as president of the NRA is a shill who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.
32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition.
33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.
34. Police officers, who qualify with their duty weapons once or twice a year, have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain.
35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self-protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.
36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.
37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people, which is why the police need them but "civilians" do not.
38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.
39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers with one on their duty weapon.
40. When Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands," they don't mean you. Really.

Last year about this time I'd just gotten out of the hospital for pericarditis and was just about to go back in for the same.

Forty-three years ago today I was in the hospital, but for a much happier visit!

hint hint

KIDS & LOVE

WHAT EXACTLY IS MARRIAGE??

"Marriage is when you get to keep your girl and don't have to give her back to her parents."
Eric, 6

"When somebody's been dating for a while, the boy might propose to the girl. He says to her, 'I'll take you for a whole life, or at least until we have kids and get divorced, but you got to do one particular thing for me.' Then she says yes, but she's wondering what the thing is and whether it's naughty or not. She can't wait to find out."
Anita, 9

HOW DOES A PERSON DECIDE WHOM TO MARRY??

"You flip a nickel, and heads means you stay with him and tails means you try the next one."
Kelly, 9

"My mother says to look for a man who is kind....That's what I'll do...I'll find somebody who's kinda tall and handsome."
Carolyn, 8

WHAT’S THE PROPER AGE TO GET MARRIED?

"Eighty-four, because at that , you don't have to work anymore, and you can spend all your time loving each other in your bedroom."
Carolyn, 8

"Once I'm done with kindergarten, I'm going to find me a wife."
Bert, 5

HOW DID YOUR MOM AND DAD MEET??

"They were at a dance party at a friend's house. Then they went for a drive, but their car broke down...It was a good thing, because it gave them a chance to find out about their values."
Lottie, 9

"My father was doing some strange chores for my mother. They won't tell me what kind."
Jeremy, 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE??

"On the first date, they just tell each other lies, and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date."
Martin, 10

"Many daters just eat pork chops and french fries and talk about love."
Craig, 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

"You should never kiss a girl unless you have enough bucks to buy her a ring and her own VCR, 'cause she'll want to have videos of the wedding."
Allan, 10

"Never kiss in front of other people. It's a big embarrassing thing if anybody sees you...If nobody sees you, I might be willing to try it with a handsome boy, but just for a few hours."
Kally, 9

from www.mikeysfunnies.com

I've shamelessly copied this from my Facebook page, but I figured people here may be interested. Or not.

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. (I can't tag 25 people since I don't have Premium, but I'll tag some. Feel free to pass this along even if I didn't tag you.)

1. I'm the youngest of seven children and enjoy being part of a big family. I have three brothers, three sisters and two step-brothers. Curiously, my sisters all have FOUR brothers and only TWO sisters. Amazing.
2. As you can tell by the last entry, I enjoy humor and think dry humor is usually the most clever.
3. I married my best friend when I was 19. She's still my best friend. After Jesus, Bev is the best thing that's ever happened to me.
4. Speaking of Jesus, I became a born again Christian (John 3:3) when I was 13. I thought I was a pretty good guy until the Holy Spirit showed me that I couldn't get to heaven by being a good person. On April 7, 1979 I trusted Jesus Christ alone for my salvation. My life has never been the same.
5. I have four kids (plus one in heaven): Tara lives in New Mexico, Greg lives in Lancaster, Kaitie and Dylan live at home. I love my kids.
6. For my full time job, I am a computer network administrator for Luthercare. It's a cool job. As an added bonus, Bev now works there too.
7. I am also the senior pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Lititz PA. Before that, I was the church's youth pastor for about 10 years. Previous to that, I was the youth pastor at Open Door Baptist Church in Clermont, Florida. Altogether, I was a youth pastor for about 20 years.
8. Yeah I'm a geek. Ask Kaitie. I love electronic gizmos. I love working in the computer industry.
9. I like to hunt. We didn't get licenses this year, and I really missed being in the woods.
10. I hate to shop ... unless it involves electronics or firearms. Then I'm good.
11. I have a blog on Xanga. Check it out. I think MySpace is incredibly stupid.
12. My Mom died this past year (March 31, 2008) from cancer. I'm still dealing with that.
13. I love to play the guitar. Notice I didn't say I'm great at playing the guitar. But I really really enjoy doing it.
14. In the past 10 years I've developed asthma, especially exercised induced asthma.
15. I think it's stupid that if you want numbered lists or hyperlinks in these notes you have to insert the html code. Sheesh, come on Facebook! What is this - 1995?   [note: don't forget that I wrote this for Facebook. Xanga coolly lets you do all this stuff at the click of a button.]
16. If I could have a few additional lifetimes, I'd be a carpenter in one, something in the medical field in another, maybe a musician in one .... and in one, definitely a superhero!
17. I'm interested in medical things, sort of as a hobby. I'm not reticent to talk about most medical issues, including body parts, female reproduction (Bev says I understand this better than most women), and other icky stuff. My eldest daughter is a nurse and Greg's studying to be an EMT, so medical jargon can flow pretty freely around here.
18. I enjoy teaching and writing. Judging by the comments I get, people seem to enjoy how I communicate, although they could be lying.
19. I love playing basketball, but I don't play nearly as much as I'd like. My schedule is too full as it is, and something has to go.
20. As a teenager, I played Asteroids a lot. Once I played for several hours on one quarter before I had to stop to go to a wedding. I think I got a parking ticket that day. Now I like playing Halo and Halo 2 on X-Box 360.
21. I have some problems with OCD.
22. I've lived in only two states and I've only been outside the US once (to the Canadadian side of Niagara Falls for vacation), I have traveled all up and down the east coast if that gets me any points.
23. I like to use big words. I believe a large vocabulary is powerful. I don't try to flaunt this though.
24. I should read more nonfiction, but I don't. Most of my reading is for recreation so I tend towards fiction. I like action-adventure style movies usually.
25. I like most everything Celtic and especially Irish. Kaitie, Bev and I used to take Irish dancing. Someday we WILL visit Ireland!

So there you have it. Leave some comments.

We had weird weather yesterday and today. It started snowing last evening and accumulated quickly. By 10:30-ish when we walked the dogs, there was about 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. We ended with a foot of snow!

The weird thing is that it only seemed to hit our little town of Lititz and the small town south of us. Other places right around us had a coating, an inch, a couple of inches, but nowhere near a foot!

We're not on a mountain or have any other really significant reasons for a storm to park over our town, but it did. Odd.

Oh well, my kids got a snow day, so they're happy!

I was kind of pulling for the Cardinals, but it was a good game regardless. There were way too many penalties, especially by Phoenix. We had fun having several people over to watch the game. I had to beat up someone-who-shall-remain-nameless for acting up, but it was all good.

Did your team win?