I recently read a Stephen King quote:

"Speaking personally, you can have my gun, but you'll take my book when you pry my cold, dead fingers off of the binding."

...and I can't help but wonder how, without the gun, he intends to defend possession of the book.  (Assuming here that cold and dead is a suboptimal outcome.)

According to the latest ad for Kings Island amusement park, riding their roller coaster makes you a "ride warrior".  I guess we can add it to the list with "road warrior" and "war on poverty".  It's standard identity advertising -- that is, making people want something because they want to think of themselves as the kind of person who wants that thing.  It's ridiculous, and it sells.  There's a reason that the "warrior" image can sell Americans on just about anything these days, and it's a symptom of a real problem with some pretty terrifying results.

Martial arts has always been an important part of my life...in theory.  In fact, the only thing more challenging that martial arts study, is trying to maintain some sort of coherent study while moving 11 times in 10 years (assuming you count temporary moves).  Apart from some periods of exceptionally poor health, I've always studied something, but the something has changed many times based on local availability.  Due to the irregularity of my study, and probably at least somewhat owing to my irrational hang-ups about sparring, my martial arts background is about a mile wide and a half-inch deep.

My name is Susan Stewart.  I am a professional web developer; I work from home so that I may spend more time with my five-year-old son. I volunteer at the local elementary school teaching a computer club for junior high school students. I am as nonviolent a person as you could possibly meet, yet my government prevents me from carrying a firearm while violent criminals do so freely.