Happy Birthday

(Sing the below verse to the tune of "Happy Birthday")
Happy birthday to youuuu
Happy birthday to youuu
Happy BIRTHday, dear Faaaaacebooooook
Happy birthday tooooo youuuuu!

That's right. Twelve years ago today a young Harvard student decided to come up with a way for people to be in touch with each other on a virtually constant basis with just a few clicks of a keyboard.

Now you too can find out the last time someone took out the garbage or blew their nose or got a divorce-which is pretty much what it's come down to if you peruse some of the posts.

Yet, here I am, a Facebook member.  I must admit there are things I like about it.  I do get to keep in touch with colleagues, friends or distant family who I otherwise would not know a thing about.  Very often, that's not so bad but being the busybody I am, I like to snoop-to a point.  I finally realized I can block some of the more obnoxious posts without 'unfriending' people so that's what I do.

There is an aspect of Facebook though that's very troubling-cyberbullying.  It happens way too often among young people and sometimes leads to tragic results. 

For this reason-among many others-I feel sorry for parents these days.  Add social networking to the very, very long list of things they must now monitor and worry about.  Of course it isn't just Facebook.  There are lots of other social networking sites to keep track of as well.  All in the good name of technological progress. 

Ah, for the good old days when all we had to worry about was polio and smallpox and the bomb.

Happy Last Day of January

  And so we bid a fond farewell to the month of January.  In spite of a fairly significant snow storm last week, it was a very nice month and definitely a welcome departure from last year's frigid weather. 

The forecasts call for a very mild first week or so for February before turning to 'normal'.  I'll take it.

The month ended on a somewhat negative note when I awakened to a smashed mail box this morning.  Some stupid kid(s), riding around smashing mail boxes for kicks, struck yet again.  This is about our 6th new mail box. That doesn't count the number of times I've repaired one that was damaged for future use.    Between snow plows and creativity-challenged kids, they don't stand a chance. 

Are there worse things in life?  Well, yes, of course.  Still.....

Happy February everyone.  For more about the month of February, click here georgeswebpage.com/almanac

I'm reading this weird book now by one of my favorite authors.  He's a popular author and known for writing about some very weird stuff like spirits and double lives.  The author is Dean Koontz and the book is about a woman who is spared a deadly cancer in order to save someone's life. From there the adventure gets more bizarre but I'll spare  you further details in case you want to read it.  The book is "Ashley Bell".

The reason why I brought this up is because after listening to the morning news this morning as I do every morning, I sometimes think I've been teleported into one of Koontz's worlds.  Talk about bizarro.

First we hear of a stand off between nut jobs who think they own federal property and federal authorities.  That was followed by Trump's childish rant at Fox news and his withdrawal from the debate.  Next there's the guy who hijacked a car with a child in it.  and it goes on and on.

I guess the solution is to stop watching the news but it's like an addiction.  I just can't help myself.

Oh well.  Off to the dump. At least things are normal there. 

The Internet

I just received yet another invitation to join a web based portal for one of my (many) doctors.  Access to these kinds of portals provides just about every piece of information there is about your medical status.  Personal information like your height, weight, blood pressure, medications, results of last exam, lab results and diagnoses are all there for you (and hackers?) to see.

This is all done in the name of total transparency-an effort to keep patients informed of their status at any given time in an efficient and timely manner.

The numerous rows of files that one often sees in the doctor's secretary's office are shrinking.  Instead what you now see is the doc walking around with not a stethoscope in his hand but a laptop.

It seems the medical community has joined the digital age with a vengeance all of which makes access to your information very easy and I guess that's the part that has me a tad unsettled.  In spite of the use of secured servers and the huge efforts to secure a patient's privacy, we all know that there are those out there constantly testing the system.  It's not out of the realm of possibility that one or more of these sites will get hacked.  But then let's think about it.  So what?  I have no financial information whatever on any of these portals.  No social security information, no bank records, nothing.  Just a bunch of stuff about my weight and my high blood pressure and other conditions that would in no way benefit a hacker.  So should people be worried?  I suppose not...but still...

Twelve years ago today this young lady was born.  She is the first of our four grand children.  Five months later I retired from a 32-year teaching career.  That marked my entrance into full-time grand parenthood.

Since Brooke's arrival, there have been three others.  Baby sitting duties have lessened a great deal since those days when the kids were younger.  Everyone is in school now and very involved with other family activities.  Nevertheless, there are still plenty of times when I either get them on the bus, off the bus or we have them for overnights and days when there's no school.  All of this is good and I hope it continues on for a long time.

So happy birthday, Brooke.  May there be many, many more. 

There's No Place Like Home

We've just returned from a 10-day trip to our condo in Florida.  The weather was not up to our usual expectations but it was at least warmer than it is here-in addition to which we got to spend time with two friends who we haven't seen in a long time.

One of my main objectives was to try out a metal detector I rec'd for Christmas.  I didn't get to do that but at lease it will be there for our next trip in late April-early May.

Now it's back to the routine.  My usual volunteer stuff-schools and nursing homes-and occasional baby sitting duties and little projects around the house.  Just enough to keep me busy and not so much that I'm stressed out.

Interspersed with all of this will be the occasional snow storm to clean up.

That's life.  Routine. As much as some people complain about being in a rut it's very often the rut that keeps us focused and moving along. 

So there you have it.  My pearls of wisdom for a cold January day. 

Finally, my web site has new pictures from our trip.  Be sure to check it. georgeswebpage.com

Happy New Year

Well, I've done my due diligence and for what it's worth, I'm actually going to make a new year's resolution.  Here it is.

I hereby resolve to refrain from all political posts on Facebook.  I'm sick of them.  I will also attempt to keep any posts that appear here on a positive note.  I'm tired of politics and we're just getting started.  It's going to be a long haul to the elections. 

Other than that, it's business as usual-diet, exercise, good health habits, enjoy the family, etc.  Nothing new there.

Bye for now from Naples, Fl.

Here comes winter

The first significant winter weather event of the season is forecast for tomorrow.  They are calling for sleet and freezing rain changing over to rain.  The morning commute will be a mess.  Thus far it has been the warmest December on record but it's looking like that will end. 

I'm ready with an ample supply of wood, calcium chloride and if necessary a snow blower.  My generator is charged and gassed up as well. 

Finally, I've located the ice cleats that Becky bought for me a couple of years ago in case the driveway is covered in ice and I need to spread around the calcium chloride.  I've already used them several times and they work perfectly.

We leave for Florida on New Year's Day and returning the 10th so we get a little break from the cold but after that it's hello winter.  Let's hope Mother Nature is a little easier on us this year.  The past few years have been brutal.

My next post will be from Florida!

Merry Christmas One and All

With the holiday season in full swing, let's hope some Christian/Judeo values emerge.  Things like civility, kindness, consideration, generosity, patience, tolerance and general concern for others are sorely lacking in far too many quarters.  Make no mistake, there's plenty of these things in evidence and I suppose the optimists among us will focus on only them but how is it possible to ignore those who don't when  making one's way through the day? 

For example take  driving.  The number of motorists who lack the above is incredible.  And how about the political climate these days?  Unbelievably low. 

I guess the only thing to do is behave properly and hope others fall in line-and above all-TURN OFF THE TV.

No matter what religion you happen to be, it's possible to embrace old fashioned common sense decency and values.  That's pretty pretty much all there is to it.

Merry Christmas.

Recommendation

Whether or not you follow the substantial political commentary making the rounds these days, I would like to recommend you check out New York Times columnist Gail Collins. 

Collins is one of the most intelligent and perceptive journalists out there.  She brings to her columns a degree of wit and humor that makes reading her pieces a real pleasure. 

Check out a few.  You won't regret it.

http://www.nytimes.com/column/gail-collins

Three Years Ago

Three years ago today there occurred the tragedy at Sandy Hook School. This is the first day the anniversary occurs on a school day. 

Most elementary children are not aware of the event so nothing will be done to draw attention to it.  The staff and faculty however will have a difficult day indeed but being the professionals they are, they'll put a smile on their faces and get through the day.

It's difficult to move on from this because there are constant daily reminders with so many other gun related acts around the country with the last being San  Bernardino.  Inevitably whenever one of these shootings occurs, the gun-rights debate heats up and Sandy Hook is dragged into it.

Next year will be another milestone year when the brand new Sandy Hook School opens.   Our two grand sons will be there-grades two and three.  It's going to seem very strange and it will be somewhat difficult to go there to see their programs or volunteer in their rooms but I'll certainly do it because they won't know the full story of why they're at a new school.

So life goes on and we adapt as best we can.

In the meantime, remember:

The faces of insanity

Several years ago I posted a picture of Michelle Bachmann who was at the time a republican representative in the House of Representatives and I labelled her the picture of insanity.  Make no mistake, she's still insane.  She's a  genuine nut job but she's definitely not alone.  Check it:

Life is about routines

As you may or may not be aware we just returned from a family trip to our condo in Naples, FL. It has become a family tradition for all 10 of us (6 adults, 4 children).

A trip like this is more than a chance to enjoy family time and good weather.  It represents a break from the routines that have become a part of everyday life.  Many of these routines become tiresome and sometimes stressful so a chance to unwind is always welcome.

But  there are some early morning rituals that refuse to be set aside.  We just can't seem to let go.  Check out the below picture to see what I'm talking about. Four other people are out of range of my camera but they're all doing the same thing with either an iPad, iPhone or a laptop. 

The good news is at some point not too far off, someone will yell  "OK. That's it. Electronics off.  Let's get going."  And then it's breakfast, workouts and of course the beach.  In other words...more routines!

 

Updates

Click here to see updates to my web site.
georgeswebpage.com

More home repairs

Are you a home owner? Do you ever get tired of dumping money into your house and property?  We sure do.  In the last two years we've had our driveway redone, added insulation to our attic and are now having our roof redone. 

For many people a house is their most valuable asset.  It needs to be maintained so there's no other option but to get the work done.  I'm hoping we have finally gotten to the point where we can take a breather from this stuff for the next few years-at least as long as we're going to be here anyway.  That could be for as many as 5 or 6 more years.  We'll see how long it takes me to get sick of doing the driveway every winter.

For now at least we'll be free of ice dams (and therefore interior leaks) and the cost of heating and cooling should go done quite a bit with R60 insulation in the attic.

Here's a picture of the work currently being done.  If you need someone to do similar work, contact me.

A Welcome Break

For the past few days and continuing into next week we have been mercifully ignorant of national and world events.  It's such a pleasure to NOT know all the bad news there is out there.  Instead we're preoccupied with warm weather, the beach or pool and family activities.

I think there's something to the notion that ignorance is bliss-but, alas, it won't last.

I'll let you know when you should check my web site for updates and new pictures.  

Welcome to the Land of the Free (for some) and the Home of the (not so) Brave

 As I write this a controversy is raging over the plan to accept Syrian refugees into the United States. To date thirty one republican governors have vowed to turn them away from their state (although they do not have the authority to do so) while on the Today show this morning former director Tom Ridge of Homeland Security decried the move and went on to soundly criticize the Obama administration for everything ranging from foreign policy to terrorism itself.  Ridge of course has been out of the loop for nearly  ten years but, hey, who's counting?

Here's the thing.  There was a time when the United States of America was the go-to place if a people were fleeing political oppression and tyranny.  It was safe haven for anyone.  Remember the inscription on the Statue of Liberty?  Give me your tired, poor, etc etc.

What happened to that sentiment?  What has happened to this country?  Obviously we need to ensure that the people we allow in are safe and pose no threat to the rest of us but surely we have room for the others, don't we? 

Hatred, intolerance and ignorance must not be allowed to overtake this nation. If it does, we're no better than anyone else.

Good Bye, Sadie

My son,  his family and all the rest of us who knew her had to say good bye to their dog Sadie today.  She was very old and ill for quite a while. She was a sweet, lovable dog and will be greatly missed.

And on the bright side....

 With all of the miserable news bombarding us these days (politics, terrorism, etc.) it's nice to be able to report some good news.

Exactly one week from today we will board an airplane and head to warm, sunny (like today here actually) Naples, Florida.  It's our yearly family trek to our condo for about 10 days to celebrate Thanksgiving, enjoy the weather and have a lot of family fun.  We return home in early December for not quite a month at which time we once again return to Florida for a little over a week in January. Then it's back home to hunker down for the winter. But then, guess what? Before you know it, it's spring again.

And so it goes.  Month after month. Year after year.

Next blog?  In a few days.  Possible topic?  Unless something comes up to annoy me, it will probably be about an issue I've stumbled across a few times lately: shame.

Veterans Day 2015

Happy Veterans Day, fellow veterans.  I served in the U.S. Army from May of 1964 to May of 1966.  It was during the early stages of the Viet Nam war but I was not shipped there.  I spent my entire two years at a state-side post.  None of this was through any of my own doing.  I, like millions before me, was drafted and therefore did pretty much as ordered to do.  Two months before I was due to be discharged, I received orders to report to the First Cavalry Division in Viet Nam but because I had only two months left, the orders were rescinded.

My two years in the army were relatively uneventful.  I made a lot of friends and still remain friends with a couple of people. Like anything else in life there were some good times and some bad.  I absolutely do not regard myself as a hero.  Sure, I gave up two years to serve and I could have been shipped just about anywhere at any given time but unless you were married or a full time student, so did a bunch of others. It was simply part of the times and every healthy young man could expect it to be a part of their life

America does not have a draft anymore.  Every eighteen year old male does have to register but no one is drafted.  The armed forces are all voluntary.

I'm reminded of this because a recent news item reported that a Connecticut National Guard unit has been ordered to Afghanistan.  This got me to thinking.  The original purpose of the National Guard was to maintain order and security at home-not abroad.  But over the past several years many national guard units have served over seas in perilous circumstances.  I think this is a problem.  The national guard is not meant to be a general army.  It was meant to be here, at home. Why is it necessary to use them as though they were regular army soldiers?  Is it because not enough people are volunteering in the regular army?  I don't know the answer to that but the implications are far reaching.  Am I suggesting that we bring back the draft?  No, I wouldn't want to see that happen so maybe what we should be doing is making it more worthwhile for people to volunteer for the regular army.

Food for thought.

Will the real Ben Carson please stand up?

This just in:  Ben Carson, republican candidate for President of the United States is now leading in republican voter polls and other polls show him beating Hillary Clinton in a general election.

For the record, Ben Carson is a nut job.  Click here to find out why.  You'll be amazed.

http://www.salon.com/2015/0/30/the_7_most_impressively_stupid_things_ben_carson_has_said_partner/

Yes you did!

I see this a lot. People send me joke emails with it and it has been posted on Facebook many times.  I laugh whenever I see it-not because there's truth to it and learning algebra was a waste of time but because it's dead wrong.

For the record basic algebraic principles are often introduced in kindergarten and continue through high school.  To understand this it's necessary to know what algebra  is. 

Algebra is actually lots of things.  Most people think it's something like this: 4X-12=2X+18 (answer at the end of this post). Well, that is certainly the kind of algebra we practiced in high school but it's much more.  Notice the equal sign.  That's important.  It implies balance.  One side has to equal another.  Think of balancing your household budget (or maybe not).  What goes out has to equal what's coming in.  Basic arithmetic is basic algebra.

Other kinds of algebra involve sorting, patterns and estimating-all taught in elementary school.   At the heart of it all is a way of thinking.  A way to approach and solve problems.  Logic and analytical skills  are the things we want children to develop.  That's algebra.

Did you think today?  Did you use logic in some way today?  Did you perform any financially related mathematical functions today?  I'm betting you did in which case you did indeed use algebra!

(Answer to problem: X=15.  Easy, right?)

The Healing Goes On

Last week was a busy week for me between doctor's appointments, visits to nursing homes and on three days I was involved in activities at my grandsons' school-Sandy Hook Elementary.

We are  about six weeks from the three year anniversary of the tragedy at Sandy Hook.  They have been a very difficult three years for many people who were at the school at that time.  Several of the faculty have requested and received transfers to other schools.  Some people have left the district to teach at schools in other towns.  But as I was making my way to my grandson's second grade class, I encountered the kindergartners walking through the school in costume.  All the other classes were sitting in the halls watching them, laughing and having a good time. 

There's no question that the climate of the school has changed dramatically. Most everyone has successfully moved on and returned to as close to normal as one could reasonably expect.  It was good to see.

Next year will present a new set of challenges with the opening of the new Sandy Hook School on its original site.  The good news however is the children will be excited about it and with the possible exception of some of the fourth graders, they will not make any connections to what happened.  It will just be an exciting new school for them.  There will no doubt be a few more staffers who will request transfers (thus far the district policy is to allow all such requests).  I know of at least two people who will be retiring.  For the rest-life goes on. 

Back to school....

 Back to school-
Today:  Pumpkin experiments with my grandson's first grade class.
Later Today:  Helped my 6th grade grand daughter with algebra problem (that's right-algebra in 6th grade).
Tomorrow: Take pictures in my older grandson's second grade class of an activity they're doing.

Coming up: states of matter with second graders (older grand son's class); Veterans's Day with grand daughter Courtney's 4th grade class. 

I'm not sure what else is coming up but it's all good stuff.  I get to be back in a classroom with my grand children and when I get home I can put it all out of my mind. 

What's better than that, right?

No way to start a day....

I usually begin every morning by watching the Today show for the morning news while I'm checking my emails and Facebook.  The only reason I watch Today is because it's on NBC and it's the local NBC30 station that I prefer to the others.  Increasingly, however, I am finding the Today show begins with something about Donald Trump.  This morning they announced plans to devote most of the program to a town hall meeting with him.  That was it! I've had enough. I am sick of the media giving this guy a free ride-especially it seems NBC.  I guess they can't find anything more newsworthy.  I switched to CBS this morning. I only watch these shows for about 15 or 20 minutes-long enough to and get the weather and see if anything interesting happened overnight.  From there I'll switch to something I've DVRd like 'How It's Made' or 'Modern Marvels' on the Science channel.  Sometimes I'll watch the history channel as long as it's not 'Swamp People' or some other stupid reality based show. And that's my rant for the day!

The World of (some) New Cars

Sandi just leased a 2015 Acura TLX.  Acuras are made by Honda.  They're billed as Honda's luxury division and they're roughly equivalent to Toyota's Lexus or Nissan's Infinity although not as expensive.

This is the most amazing car I've ever driven.  I'm sure there are plenty of people who think it's nothing special but its many features are new to me.

The car has a powerful V6 engine and an 8 speed automatic transmission that you can barely feel shift.  It's also all wheel drive which for us is a must with our driveway and this climate.

These things are just the tip of the iceberg.  The car also has a navigation system which is by now old hat but I like the fact that you can program it for a location by voice.  In fact everything is voice activated.

Here are some other features:
Heated seats.
Collision avoidance system (blind spot warning and lane; lane change warning; following too closely warning).
Windshield wipers that  automatically adjusts their speed to amount of rain.
Engine shut off when the vehicle is stopped for more than a few seconds.  When you take your foot off the brake or move the steering wheel it starts up.
Two screens-one for navigation and the other a touch screen for climate control and audio settings.
There is no gear shift lever.  It's push button.  When you stop and open the door it automatically goes into park.  When you stop and push the on/off button the car goes into park and the engine shuts off.
There's a backup camera which is quite common on most vehicles now.
Keyless entry with two settings. Everything automatically adjusts to the driver 1 or driver 2 fob. 

 There's more but we're still learning how to use them so I'll update this later.

All in all a very nice vehicle. 

Autumn in Newtown, CT.

I recently posted a slide show album of pictures of local fall colors.  It's on the photo gallery page of my web site.  Check it out. georgeswebpage.com

Happy Happy Happy

Oct. 4-Happy birthday to my wife Sandi.
Oct. 11-Happy 8th birthday to our grandson Cole.
Oct. 12-Happy Columbus Day to one and all.

To see pictures of Sandi & Cole's birthdays (and more) click here: georgeswebpage.com

To learn some interesting trivia about Columbus, read on:

Columbus landed in America, October 12, 1492.

·  Christopher Columbus was born in 1451 and he died in 1506 (aged 54).

·  Columbus was a skilled sailor and navigator.

·  He was certain that the Earth was round. Although this was the view of most scholars and navigators at the time, it was not what most of the people alive in Tudor times believed. Many in the 15th century still thought that the Earth was flat and that it was possible to sail off the edge of the world.

·  Columbus wanted to find an easy way to reach the East Indies (South-east Asia). He decided that the best route would be to travel west from Europe, around the globe. Other navigators had also thought about this option, but they didn’t try it because they thought the distance would be too great.

·  Christopher Columbus struggled to get financial support for his planned westerly voyage. He approached the King of Portugal, John II, in 1485, asking for three ships. He was turned down. Columbus then tried to get funding from Genoa and Venice. They also turned him down. Henry VII, King of England also wasn’t interested in putting money into the voyage. Christopher Columbus finally got the money and ships he needed from Queen Isabella of Spain. This was in 1492

• On 3rd August 1492, Christopher Columbus and his crew set sail from Palos de la Frontera in Spain in three ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta and the Nina. They stopped at the Canary Islands to restock their provisions before setting sail again on 6th September.
• Land was spotted on 12th October. Columbus named the island, which is located in the Bahamas, San Salvador. Columbus went on to explore the northerly coast of Cuba, Hispaniola and the Samana Peninsula.
• Although Christopher wasn’t the first European to visit the Americas – we now know that the norseman Leif Ericson made a voyage in the 11th century – he was responsible for bringing about lasting links between Europe and the Americas.
• Columbus never believed that he had discovered a ‘new’ continent. He thought that he’d established a new route to the East Indies. For this reason, he called all of the native inhabitants of the island he visited indios, the Spanish for Indians.
• Christopher Columbus finally returned to Spain in March 1493. He was welcomed as a hero and given the titles of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and Viceroy of the Indies.
• Columbus made three more voyages across the Atlantic Ocean. He explored the islands of the Lesser Antilles and gave them European names (for example, Antigua and St Kitts).
• He also visited Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Trinidad, Jamaica, Honduras, Nicagragua and Costa Rica.
• Christopher Columbus set up colonies during his voyage, leaving groups of men to form settlements. The largest of these was the one he founded on the island of Hispaniola. Columbus was a poor ruler who often was very harsh and brutal when governing.

The Santa Maria wrecked on Columbus’ historic voyage.
On Christmas Eve of 1492, a cabin boy ran Columbus’s flagship into a coral reef on the northern coast of Hispaniola, near present-day Cap Haitien, Haiti. Its crew spent a very un-merry Christmas salvaging the Santa Maria’s cargo. Columbus returned to Spain aboard the Nina, but he had to leave nearly 40 crewmembers behind to start the first European settlement in the Americas—La Navidad. When Columbus returned to the settlement in the fall of 1493, none of the crew were found alive.

• He initiated the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Columbus' son became the first African slave trader in 1505, according to founder and CEO of the Imagine Institute Eric Kasum.
• Columbus believed he could conquer all of the natives and on his second journey he brought back cannons and attack dogs. One of his men, Bartolome De Las Casas, said he witnessed beheadings, dismemberments and rapes of natives by Columbus' men. De Las Casas stopped working for Columbus and became a priest after witnessing the monstrosities.
• The explorer and his men disrupted the entire economy of three continents. Post-Columbian diseases killed more than three million people within the 50-year span after his arrival in the New World. It is also said Columbus brought syphilis from the New World back to the Old World.
• Columbus never believed he found the New World, he thought it was a new passage to India. He also died thinking he found Asia — a place he had never been.
• Half of his voyages ended in disaster: one of his ships sank, another ship rotted away and at one point his group spent a year lost in Jamaica.

One down. Many to go

Mark this day-October 8, 2015.  One very big autumn chore is now complete.  For the past two months I've been cutting, splitting, stacking, cutting, splitting, stacking, cutting, splitting....well, you get the idea.  Five cords of fire wood.  Three of them bought cheap-cut but not split or seasoned.  Two of them gathered from various sources myself.  This is wood for the season after the upcoming one.  I already have 3 cords ready for this year.  And with any luck at all I could squeeze another year out of it which would bring me to 2018 when I reach my 75th birthday.

Coincidental with today's milestone I got the second and last oil delivery for 2015.  I will have used a total of 366 gallons which is 100 gallons less than the year before in spite of record cold temps.  So how do I account for the savings?  Simple-a new Vermont Castings wood burning stove.  Between the large drop in fuel prices and the new stove I've pretty much paid for all the wood I bought and a good chunk of the stove. Pretty neat, huh?

Now it's on to other fall chores: pruning, a few house repairs, leaves, final mowing.  It never ends but I'm not complaining because I have a house and yard to do it in and I have the energy (usually) to do it.

Bye for now.

Umpqua Community College, Oregon...Ten more...

Umpqua Community College,  Oregon.  Ten dead, 20 wounded. 

Politicians need to stop saying "our thoughts and prayers are with you" and do something.

What should they do you ask?  For starters pass Federal laws that call for background check, require a waiting period, ban off the shelf sails at gun shows and stiffen the penalties for selling firearms illegally.  Will that put a complete stop to these kinds of things?  No but it might stop a lot of them and that's a start.

Once that's done, we can take it from there.  No one wants to repeal the Second Amendment. No one wants to deprive sane people from enjoying sport shooting, hunting or protecting their lives or property. The goal is to take steps toward keeping firearms out of the hands of lunatics. It's that simple.