Someone asked my why I had offered to teach members of the LGBT community to use firearms.

I shot back at him that it is the right of everyone to defend themselves, period. No and, if or buts. It is an absolute.

He then asked me if I was some kind of friend of the LGBT community. I shot back that I am a friend of liberty.

Like it or not, these people are our neighbors and what they do behind closed doors is their business. Those people deserve the same liberties as everyone else. To take theirs is to take your own. 

As for my personal attitude toward ANYONE regardless of just about anything is they are judged simply by the content of their character. Race, color, gender, sexual preferences have nothing to do with it.

It's as simple as that.

I can remember three trangenders I often enjoyed the company of simply because they were good people and were interesting. Back in the day my attitude drew a number of questions and comments, both bad and good.

Then again I'm the guy that took a hooker to Midnight mass one Christmas eve. I wrote about that incident a while back. It's in this blog if you want to dig it out.

I got a lot of flak for that and sluffed it off. My shoulders are broad. I suppose if I actually do start giving the LGBT community lessons someone is likely to say something to me. They'll get a damned smart answer.

Someone fairly close to me asked me, "If you don't like LGBT parades then why are you offering to do this?"

She was partly right but didn't understand the entire picture.

I don't like LGBT parades. I think they're somewhat tasteless. I also don't like #BLM rallies nor Klan rallies and a lot of other things. Yet if the government tries and deny any of these groups their right to parade or assemble they will find me as a solid supporter to insure they get their rights.

It has nothing to do with the organization itself and everything to do with a concept called liberty. Liberty trumps butt-hurt.

I've left a lot of people butt-hurt with this attitude. They can't seem to fathom why I would argue in behalf of the Ku Klux Klan all week only to show up at their rally and throw rotten vegetables at them.

It seems like a paradox unless ou understand the words 'liberty and justice for all'. Everyone has a right to assemble and I have a right to like or not like them.

Would I train Klansmen or #BLM types? Probably not because I am afraid they would misuse their new skills. These people are generally looking for people to victimize.

On the other hand the LGBT community has never harmed anyone to speak of and have a history of being victimized for nothing at all that I can see. Besides it's my choice. I'll train whoever I want.

The woman that asked me why I would train them also asked me if it would bother me being around a man dressed as a woman. The answer is a resounding no.

During my life in Kodaik I was friends with three transgenders. This was in the 80s long before it was even remotely socially acceptable. One was transgendered before I met her. She was a talented person that was in the medical field and she treated me right.

The other two I knew for their entire transgender proceedure. If I recall they were starting out in hormones when I first met them. I watched the proceedure simply because they were my neighbors so to speak. Both of them I was friendly with. 

Kodiak could be a rough place and in general people got along. It was probably a good place for a transgender to live during the transformation. Still, there were occasional slights.

One day I was at one of the bars. Julie (not her real name) was sitting there minding her own business when a woman in her late 40s came in tanked up. I think she was going through menopause because she was a real bitch.

She looked at Julie and made a particularly foul comment Julie's upcoming surgery. I won't repeat what she said save to say it was foul.

I was reading a paper at the time and didn't even look up. "I'll bet hers is going to taste a lot better than yours does," I said, dryly.

That brought the house down and I knew I had made a friend for life. My comment made the rounds and for the next couple of weeks. I seldom had to buy my own beer.

The woman with the crude mouth was already an enemy. I bet she would have kept her mouth shut if she had seen me but she didn't.

I have to give Julie credit. She always looked her best. She wanted to be a woman and worked at it. A couple of times she helped some of the strippers at the club with their hair and makeup. I have to admit they looked a lot better after Julie fixed their hair and touched them up a bit.

I knew a couple of gay men, too. One time one of them gave me a tip that I use to this day. It has saved me almost 40 years of aggravation.

He was sitting next to me at Tony's and saw me reach in to fix my shorts.

"Bad set of briefs? he asked.

"Yeah," I said. "My junk keeps wiggling out the fly."

"You don't know how to avoid that?" he asked. "Run over to Krafts and get a package of briefs and I'll show you."

So I ran next door and bought a 6-pack of briefs and we sat at the bar and he showed me how to see of a pair was put together correctly. We found a bad pair and got a Magic Marker from the bartender and marked the pair. If I recall this happened in July so I wrote 'April' across the seat.

A few miutes later another one of the guys walked in and asked what we were doing. When we told him he stuck around. I think three or four of us learned the trick.

He proved right. When I wore the pair my junk wiggled out the fly. I simply tossed them that night. 

Ever since then I check newly purchased briefs and throw out the occasionally shoddily constructed pair and if I do this I never have a problem.

The gay community has never done me any wrong. I attribute that to the fact that I try and treat everyone like a human being until they make it clear they don't deserve it.

Government isn't going to protect any of us. People that rely on the government to do this are called 'victims'. The police generally show up after the crime has been committed.

So why is the government so insistent about gun control? Why are the Democrats so adamant about disarming the public?

Simple. A disarmed citizenry is a lot easier to control.

Remember this: When government tells you that you don't need a gun, you need one.

The offer to teach LGBT community members stands. 

As for my critics? They are cordially offered the use of the piece of mistletoe I keep clipped to my shirt tail.


To find out why the blog is pink just cut and paste this: http://piccoloshash.blogspot.com/2009/12/my-feminine-side-blog-stays-pink.html NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED IN THE WRITING OF TODAY'S ESSAY