Slippery Slopes

by Rain Trueax

I had written the blog for today and then woke up Friday morning to another mass shooting, this time in New Zealand. This was another psychotic shooter, with no caring for other humans. His name needs to be forgotten, but we do need to pay attention to the meaning behind his insane rant. I didn't read all his words but enough to see what he wanted was one thing-- to strew mayhem. He put out some kind of twisted manifesto, which deserves to also be forgotten but what we should remember is how these kind of evil people want to divide and destroy others-- not just those they killed or injured but from all walks of life. He had excuses for his killings, but they weren't reasons. They were attempts to elevate himself and his cause of destruction. People like that don't deserve to be elevated. They deserve to go to prison for the rest of their miserable lives, never able to send out their words again-- words intended only to hurt others.

So, yes, I had a life this week and wrote about it. It'll be after you hit Read more. I don't intend to let that life be destroyed by the evil of one person. I do believe we all need to say less anger-filled words and be more inclusive in our language recognizing that good and bad exist sometimes side by side. We need to pay attention to the good and bring more of it into life. 

I intended Slippery Slope for today's title for other reasons but it fits what happened in New Zealand too. The slippery slope can begin with hate-filled rhetoric. I try to keep with the philosophy that if I don't like someone or what they say, sometimes it's walk away and other times it's try to make my point where it sticks to that point and not become an accusation. Nobody but the shooter is responsible for what happened in New Zealand, but life is better when we dwell on what is good-- not on what is bad. Some days are harder than others to do that. This has been one of those times. I have been waking up feeling upset without a firm reason for why and then i remember. I don't know how we escape that. The big thing is that we don't get dragged down by the lowest elements of humanity.

 fairy duster

In Arizona, we are still in the midst of trying to get a permit to replace the carport.  This has been an ongoing project since we got to Tucson with first the demolition of the original structure damaged by age and termites, then the gravel and leveling of a new surface for the building, finally the drawings to get approval for a new carport, smaller with space alongside for an RV of one sort or another. 

Once our little neighborhood was annexed into the nearby Oro Valley, everything got more complicated. Counties also have regulations but often less complicated than when you are in what considers itself a higher economic level community with man-made ponds, fountains and golf courses. We originally considered ourselves part of Casas Adobe, which was older with modest homes-- in short places like ours.  It tried to become a city but was refused while Marana and Oro Valley succeeded. I guess it was inevitable that one of them would get us as it's all about the taxes, baby ;).

Hopefully eventually, we will move forward and get an approval, leading to the crew we had demolish the carport and replace the posts on our patio cover able to start work. That contractor is not licensed in Oro Valley but is in Pima County. He knows what he's doing, but the gods that approve permits don't know his work. What we have had to do, after finding him through Home Advisor, is have him be the sub-contractor, with Ranch Boss being the Contractor and also the one who draws the plans to submit. That is complicated by not knowing all the rules-- so he has learned as he went.

Zoning and regulations are good for communities, but they sure can complicate getting work done.

Surprisingly, it's been colder than usual for March (of course, not like cold in other parts of the country), and we've had some healthy rains. They used to talk about Tucson being in drought. Looks like not for a while will they say that. 

Otherwise, I follow the news when I can stand it. It was disappointing this week to see Hollywood stars, people who otherwise seemed like good people, caught up in a cheating scandal to get their kids into major universities. How do people lose touch with ethical behavior? Were they cheaters all along with many times they'd managed to cheat the system or did they lose track where it came to their kids? Very sad. 

One thing about ethics is it can be a sliding scale. People cheat on little things and then find themselves tempted to cheat on something bigger.  In this case, these people seem nice, but they deserve to get some jail time, something I bet they never guessed they'd ever have happen. If we punish 'ordinary' folks for breaking laws, why not celebrities? I'll feel bad for them unlike some who are smirking over it. The reality is-- don't cheat on anything. It can get easier the next time and the next time before it suddenly catches up.

This week, I spent quite a bit of time doing research for the historical blog where I post once a month. That got quite interesting as it was about ranch history from the early 1900s and gets into WWI and family dynamics. If you are interested in such, check it out. 

Sweethearts of the West