[meteorite-list] Matters Arising. When in Rome!

[STARSANDSCOPES at aol.com]

Hi List,  This is the first time I have  chimed in on one of these rants 
but here goes:

The biggest mistake was  not the photo!  Heck, tourists love fake stage 
coach hold ups staged all  over Arizona.  They even have one in Knot's Berry 
Farm in California.   The photo was just for fun.

The mistake that flipped switches was the  stereo type insult to gun 
owners/users.  That was a "Bad Post" and should  be apologized for!   Martin 
joined in, prior to the slam, in a light  hearted observation of the photo 
situation and I felt the post that started all  this was a slam to him as well.

I have cut and polished meteorites with  Martin.  During those visits we 
have occasionally practiced with  guns.  I must say that as meticulous as he 
is with meteorite matters he is  with guns. 

With his Glock he is an amazing shot!   ( I even  suspected professional 
competition!) Once again, every thing is meticulous with  him.  Absolute 
safety!!!

I am not typical in any way either.  I  like assault rifles but then again, 
I have hundreds and hundreds of acres to  shoot them on.  I do not hunt.  
This winter I spent more on 55 gal  drums of wheat than on meteorites.  We 
are reestablishing wild turkey in  the area and for a time they need a little 
help.

Last week hunters had a  cougar up a tree with hounds on my land.  I took 
pictures and made them let  it go.  (Email me for photos, I'm there with 
Daisy the "old girl"  hound.)

My point is some what an agreement with every one.  We have  cultural 
differences so don't condemn and stereo type a culture you are a  visitor in!!!

I like Kentucky Bourbon, but I don't slam German  Octoberfest participants 
for drinking too much beer! 

The photo was just  giving the many tourists what they want.  The 
condescending, superior  sounding email post was poison, and worse, was designed to  
be!

Tom

In a message dated 2/3/2010 7:40:18 P.M. Mountain Standard  Time, 
geeg48 at msn.com writes:


I'm sorry folks, but some of you  need to get a life.  That photo was just 
plain fun.  The last thing  any of those folks in the photo (I only 
recognized Geoff Notkin) had in mind was  to start this.  Really....what a pantload! 
   

Yes, I live in Arizona...yes, you're allowed to carry a weapon in 
Arizona...yes,  I've lived around guns my whole life...yes I own several of 
them....yes, I enjoy  shooting them...yes, I understand gun safety rules and I 
wouldn't point a weapon  at anything I didn't intend to shoot, but PLEASE!

I don't think  the objections to the photo had anything to do with "gun 
safety".  I think  it had more to do with a mindset that is basically anti-gun. 
 It's as if  having a gun in the same photo that has a meteorite in it 
somehow taints the  meteorite and the people in it.  PLEASE!  It's hard to tell 
from the  photo whether it's a real weapon or not.  I wish that it had been 
a bright  "day glow" green, plastic squirt gun, but you know what, I still 
think that  objections would still have been be raised.  Like I said, this 
all has to  do with a certain mindset.   Period.                     
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