[meteorite-list] Firearms related posts on a meteorite list

From: Darryl Pitt <darryl_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 2010 21:44:02 -0500
Message-ID: <580845AC-197F-42EE-BCCC-07A26EA79348_at_dof3.com>

wow....

mike, yours was as candid an expression of contrition as i have ever
read.

in the unlikely event anyone who does not accept your mea culpa, no
worries---they are not half the person you are.

deeply touching....understanding of how frustration can morph to
aggression....profoundly wishing you and your wife the very best,

darryl


hoping yours is the final word in these days of crossfire.



On Feb 4, 2010, at 9:12 PM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks wrote:

> Hi Folks,
>
> This is my last post on this subject - I promise.
>
> This train wreck of negativity over the gun photo has gone too far. I
> played a role in that, and for that I apologize.
>
> There are deep divisions in this country that have been encouraged by
> those who will profit from keeping the populace divided. This country
> is the most polarized that I have ever seen, and people who would
> normally get along fine are at each other's throats at the drop of a
> dime. That is what is fueling a sizeable portion of the hostility
> going on right now, it's not just the guns. The gun provided a spark
> that lit the pool of gasoline that was already there. I posted some
> things that I should not have. I have strong beliefs and those burst
> forth in a couple of frustrated posts that were directed more at an
> idea than a person or a gun.
>
> Robert Ward, I apologize for calling you "son" and speaking in a
> condescending fashion. I don't know you and I was lashing out at
> something you represent (in my mind) and not you. I grew up in the
> deep south, surrounded by "rednecks". My father was a redneck. I
> know that calling another man "son" is like a challenge to one's
> manhood and it is condescending. I respect your contributions to
> meteoritics and I respect your meteorite hunting skills. You are a
> very underrated hunter and a fair dealer. I bought a Brenham thin
> slice from you a while back on eBay and it is still one of my favorite
> pieces. I have no beef with you personally, unless this episode
> created one, which would be regrettable.
>
> For those who may care, here is why I lashed out - my wife is very
> sick with chronic health conditions. I will not go into all of the
> long details, but believe me when I say it has been the most difficult
> period of our lives. I almost lost her and sitting in ICU watching
> your soulmate fight for life will make a man do some long and hard
> thinking. We don't have health insurance and cannot afford health
> insurance because her condition is pre-existing and no insurance
> company will touch her with a 10-foot pole, or if they will, the
> premiums are so astronomical that they are impossible. We have never
> taken a dime in public assistance and the reason we had no insurance
> when her condition arose, is because we both quit full-time management
> jobs (and good insurance) to be caregivers for her elderly father who
> has Alzheimers - something we did out of love to keep him from going
> into a nursing home. (a fate that a highly-decorated WWII veteran
> does not deserve) So we lost our insurance while we were doing the
> right thing - and then my wife got sick. Where is this going? All of
> the people who are erecting roadblocks to my wife getting affordable
> insurance (and thus access to decent healthcare that isn't an
> emergency room last resort) are people from the
> right/conservative/republican side of the political and social
> spectrum. So, I am developing a big chip on my shoulder towards the
> political right because they are, in essence, prolonging my wife's
> suffering by preventing meaningful healthcare reform. And all of the
> arguments against it center around money - which doesn't mean a darn
> thing to me if I lose my wife and soulmate. All of the money in the
> world won't bring her back if she dies for lack of medical care.
> There are other layers to this situation, but I think this explains
> the bulk of my frustration. If you are blessed with good health and
> your loved ones are blessed with good health - then wake up each day
> be thankful for it - because it is truly a blessing and it can
> suddenly be revoked without warning or reason. This is truly the most
> difficult part of my life and my wife's life and it is very
> frustrating to be denied medical care because we lack money and
> insurance - and we fall between the cracks in the system. It is a
> nightmare that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
>
> So, when I see/hear/read people from the right-side of the political
> spectrum, a surge of hostility, resentment, and frustration wells up
> in me. (which is not a good thing, I know). After I shot my mouth
> off, I got a flood replies (some public, some private) and I latched
> onto your's because it was the first one I clicked on that disagreed
> with me. Then I shot my mouth off again, and the cycle continued.
> And now it has become a major distraction to the List and it has
> fostered division in the meteorite circles. That was not my intent,
> but it was clearly the result of my words and I should have foresaw
> that.
>
> To Michael Johnson - I used the same poor judgement that I accused you
> of - by posting my frustrations to the List. I should have known it
> would stir the pot and fan the flames. I honestly don't believe you
> "trolled" the List with your posting. It's not a photo I would have
> selected to post, but that doesn't mean you exercised poor judgement,
> just because I didn't agree with it.
>
> To the pro-gun people - I am one of you. I grew up with guns in a
> good ole boy family of Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri cotton
> farmers. I strongly believe in the 2nd amendment of the US
> Constitution. I used to collect guns and I have owned more than I can
> count. I currently own two - a sidearm and a shotgun. For a while I
> reloaded my own ammo. I also strongly believe that guns should be
> treated with the utmost respect and that gun owners should be more
> considerate of others who are wary of what guns represent to them.
> Some people are terrified of guns. Some people have had negative
> experiences with them. Some people come from cultures where guns are
> viewed in a very different light. As a gun owner, I would never
> display, carry or brandish my firearm in front of mixed company or
> strangers. As a cigar smoker, I take my cigar outside to enjoy a
> smoke, because I respect the rights of others not to suffer my toxic
> smoke. I pick up or dispose of the ashes and the butt. It's not a
> matter of being pro-gun, pro-tobacco, or anti-gun, anti-tobacco - it's
> a matter of awareness and consideration for other people - people who
> may be good decent nice persons, but happen to disagree with me
> politicially or socially. This is a global meteorite List with
> members from a wide range of cultures, all brought together by a
> common love of space rocks. It is entirely predictable that anything
> that is vaguely political or controversial is surely going to offend
> someone in a global forum. It doesn't mean we should be bland,
> vanilla and "PC", it means we should use our opportunities to joke
> around carefully. In a perfect world, it wouldn't be that way. But,
> on any unmoderated internet list/forum, one must be extra careful in
> order to maintain decorum. I don't know Michael Johnson personally,
> but I know enough that I was surprised by his selection of the photo,
> because I knew "brown-chondrite" was going to hit the fan because of
> it.
>
> We all (those on all sides of the political spectrum) just want to
> raise good kids in a good and decent world and have the freedom to
> make our own decisions and choose our paths in life. We all agree on
> that. But to many people, guns are a symbol that represent those
> things being torn away. And to many others, guns represent the
> primary defense against those things being torn away. As long as we
> are in mixed company (which is exactly what this List is), then we
> should exercise a bit of "PC", just to be on the safe side and prevent
> flareups like this. This necessity is a part of the global culture
> that the internet is, and it should be a default consideration given
> to others.
>
> I failed to exercise that consideration and I reacted negatively,
> which injected negativity into the situation and made matters worse.
> I have my beliefs that are strong and have nothing to do with
> meteorites - I should keep those in private and off the List.
>
> I love meteorites - more than rationally so. I don't want to
> contribute negativity to meteorites in any way. So I regret that and
> apologize for it. I have done this in the past. I hope not to do it
> again in the future.
>
> So there you have it - my apology and concession rant. I hope it is
> more positive in effect that my previous two posts. And I hope the
> next posts are about meteorites.
>
> Best regards and happy huntings,
>
> MikeG
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 2/4/10, Robert Ward <ironfromthesky.com at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Hey meteoritekid, may I suggest that you "unplug" for a while, go
>> outside, and get some real world experience, perhaps then you can
>> base
>> your arguments off something more substantial than than charts,
>> graphs, and statistics put together by some professor in a office
>> somewhere that you have never met. You said "the redneck crap" "is a
>> culture that people tend to view negatively", glad to know how you
>> feel about my culture and that you view people like me as second rate
>> citizens, that is not very tolerant for such a leftist. You must live
>> in a scary world.
>>
>> On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 2:44 PM, Jason Utas <meteoritekid at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>> Hello Mike, Robert, All,
>>>
>>>> Mike G. I would like to point out that Michael Johnson has has
>>>> made a
>>>> huge impact on this community, he tries his best to represent
>>>> people
>>>> that are from all walks of life in the meteorite world, for you to
>>>> target him as using "poor judgement" is insulting, that is just
>>>> YOUR
>>>> opinion, not fact as stated by you.
>>>
>>> And he's fully entitled to that opinion. And sometimes people who
>>> are
>>> in positions of power and who have done good things make
>>> mistakes. It
>>> happens. Happened.
>>>
>>>> I am not your "son" and please
>>>> correct me if I am wrong, but I don't recall seeing you at any
>>>> state
>>>> shoots, ranges, or having read your scores, or article's in any
>>>> firearms publications. Are you a gunsmith? Did you ever shoot
>>>> professionally? Do you have a piece of paper on the wall that
>>>> says you
>>>> know what you are talking about?
>>>
>>> It doesn't take firing a gun, making a gun, or being trained to
>>> use a
>>> gun to know more about statistics and what they say about
>>> gun ownership. That's like saying a pyro should be well-versed in
>>> fire safety and know that starting fires is dangerous, and probably
>>> shouldn't be done.
>>>
>>>> You say that it is incorrect to
>>>> state that "it is people, not guns that kill" Show me one case of a
>>>> firearm autonomously 'jumping up and killing someone'. A person is
>>>> involved 100% percent of the time.
>>>
>>> And a gun is involved in 100% of firearm deaths. And there are a
>>> lot
>>> of those.
>>>
>>>> toting around grandpa's squirrel
>>>> gun, and telling stories at your local bar does not mean you know
>>>> it all, but it is a good indicator of your mindset. Robert.
>>>
>>> Sorry, I'm late for the lesbian tree-hugger benefit. Gotta get
>>> there
>>> before the sun goes down.
>>>
>>> Jason
>>>
>>>> On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 7:31 AM, Galactic Stone & Ironworks
>>>> <meteoritemike at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> Hi Robert and List,
>>>>>
>>>>> Ok everyone, this is getting tiresome.
>>>>>
>>>>> We are all overlooking the obvious - it was poor judgement on
>>>>> Michael
>>>>> Johnson's part to post that photo. Period. Regardless of one's
>>>>> views
>>>>> on guns, this List is global and that photo was bound to stir up
>>>>> trouble - it doesn't take a psychic or mind reader to know that.
>>>>> Posting that photo was essentially a troll - perhaps not
>>>>> intentional,
>>>>> but the effect was the same.
>>>>>
>>>>> It should be common sense not to post controversial material on
>>>>> a public
>>>>> list.
>>>>>
>>>>> You say you are a "expert in the gun field" - Listen son, I was
>>>>> toting
>>>>> around guns before you were a twinkle in your daddy's eye.
>>>>> There is
>>>>> nothing you can tell me about guns that I don't already know and I
>>>>> have forgotten more about guns than you will ever hope to know.
>>>>> So go
>>>>> take your passionate "it's people not guns that kill" defense
>>>>> and call
>>>>> it in to your favorite right-wing AM-radio talk show - I'm sure
>>>>> you'll
>>>>> have a eager audience of Rush Limbaugh fans to agree with you.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is not a matter of pushing delete when you see something you
>>>>> don't like - it's called "ROCKS FROM SPACE PICTURE OF THE DAY" -
>>>>> not
>>>>> "POINTING GUNS AT METEORITE PEOPLE PICTURE OF THE DAY". Can you
>>>>> not
>>>>> see that the photo could have been completely unexpected to many
>>>>> and
>>>>> they were caught off-guard by it?
>>>>>
>>>>> It was fine to stage to photo, it was perfectly good to have
>>>>> fun, it
>>>>> was fine to share the photo with friends. It was poor judgement
>>>>> to
>>>>> post that photo to the Meteorite List.
>>>>>
>>>>> Now excuse me, I have to go host a benefit for retired lesbian
>>>>> tree
>>>>> huggers at my solar-energy-powered gay bar.
>>>>>
>>>>> Best regards and happy hunting,
>>>>>
>>>>> MikeG
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 2/3/10, Robert Ward <ironfromthesky.com at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>> I spent three years training at the finest firearms institution
>>>>>> on the
>>>>>> planet learning about every aspect of the industry, and even
>>>>>> designing
>>>>>> and manufacturing my own firearms models, I am an expert in the
>>>>>> field,
>>>>>> and I assure you they are not "killing tools" and "assault
>>>>>> rifles"
>>>>>> when they leave the factory. They are pieces of metal and
>>>>>> plastic,
>>>>>> People do the killing, guns are inanimate objects. So Mr. G, I
>>>>>> have
>>>>>> been involved with firearms my entire life, ask my friends if
>>>>>> they
>>>>>> think I am a morbid person. You say we should not offend our
>>>>>> European
>>>>>> friends with our rights and traditions? Growing up I spent my
>>>>>> summers
>>>>>> in Africa, and I saw things that offended my that are far to
>>>>>> morbid to
>>>>>> mention here, I did not offend them by sharing my thoughts of
>>>>>> these
>>>>>> customs, I looked the other way and left, if that pic offends
>>>>>> you push
>>>>>> delete. I noticed a post that mentioned a statistic from the FBI
>>>>>> website, 9,369 firearms related murders in the U.S. in 2002,
>>>>>> another
>>>>>> statistic to compare this to is the great genocide in Rwanda,
>>>>>> 800,000
>>>>>> murdered with machete's. I assure you, in the right hands some
>>>>>> sharp
>>>>>> Chinga, or Seymchan slices that are for sale in several rooms in
>>>>>> Tucson could dispatch one's life just as fast as a firearm. Peter
>>>>>> Davidson, those who know me would probably agree that I am
>>>>>> someone
>>>>>> that could be pigeon holed into some Hick-Redneck category,
>>>>>> Peter, I
>>>>>> am not offended by your prejudice, I am proud of my heritage
>>>>>> growing
>>>>>> up on farms and ranches, oh yeah, I am a NRA life member too. I
>>>>>> trust
>>>>>> that all of you that are so offended by this pic do not
>>>>>> subscribe to
>>>>>> cable, or satellite television services, nor do you attend
>>>>>> movies with
>>>>>> "morbid guns" in them. Grow up, just click delete, and spend
>>>>>> this much
>>>>>> time finding some useful input for the METEORITE LIST. Maybe I
>>>>>> will
>>>>>> post a pic of my cats high up on one of my collection pieces so
>>>>>> the
>>>>>> PETA people can have there turn. Robert Ward
>>>>>> ______________________________________________
>>>>>> Visit the Archives at
>>>>>> http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
>>>>>> Meteorite-list mailing list
>>>>>> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
>>>>>> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>> Mike Gilmer
>>>>> http://www.galactic-stone.com
>>>>> http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
>>>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>> ______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>
>> ______________________________________________
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>
>
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Gilmer
> http://www.galactic-stone.com
> http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> ______________________________________________
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Received on Thu 04 Feb 2010 09:44:02 PM PST