Friday, September 17, 2010

I Could Ask a Thousand Questions

But, I'll start with three.

On Monday, I received a personal rejection note for one of my short stories. It contained several compliments and ended with "a great story." Okay then, I'd like to ask why did you reject it? Of course that is not possible, but I take comfort from the words of Saul Bellow - "rejections ... teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, 'To hell with you.' " And another writer friend recommends a short cry followed by storming another bastion. That could work. And, the story was a sim sub, so perhaps another publication will be moved by it enough to say yes.

On Wednesday, I attended a Regional Council meeting, because there was to be a discussion and presentations about the proposed federal legislation which would abolish the long gun registry. The Council heard from several presenters who support the need for the registry and a few people who want it abolished. The men, yes, they were all men, who wanted to do away with the long gun registry didn't hesitate to denigrate expert opinions, and to try to pit rural Canadians against urban Canadians. I could have asked them a thousand questions, but there was no time. However, I think the essential question is - Why shouldn't owners of long guns have to licence and register their deadly weapons? If you want to own a gun, you must take responsibility for it and must obey the law. If you can't afford the fees, then don't buy the gun, or guns. In Canada, the Supreme Court has ruled that owning a gun, bearing arms, is NOT a right but a privilege. Why is that so hard for some people to accept?

And now that the weather has become cooler and it is possible to do many things that were not possible during the extreme heat - why does my body want two naps per day and a good night's sleep too? It's 8 p.m. and it's dark, so I'll think about that tomorrow.

Do you have a question for which I can provide a frivolous, or even a serious answer?