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Gov. Perry for packing heat.
April 30, 2007Texas Gov. Rick Perry said that he's in favor of removing all of the restrictions for people to carry their concealed handguns.
Basically... as long as you're legally carrying... you should be able to take it anywhere.
I'm not really sure how I feel about that.
Read on....
He makes a few good points in this article though.
I mean, if a student at Va. Tech would have had a gun, maybe he could have stopped the rampage that left so many dead.
Or if some crazy guy comes into the church you are attending with a gun, no sense in not being able to protect yourself.
That's why we have the broad justifiable homicide rule. You have the right to shoot dead anybody you fear is trying to take your life or property.
Now...I don't think allowing people to take guns into bars is a good idea at all.
But the murders in town a few days ago perhaps could have been prevented if somebody else brandished a gun and scared off the perps.....
Or, it could have simply turned into an old-fashioned western gunslinger battle like in the movies.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By JAY ROOTAUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry, mulling ways to stop the kind of murderous rampages that recently left 33 dead on a college campus in Virginia, said Monday there’s one sure-fire solution he likes: allow Texans to take their concealed handguns anywhere.
Period.
Perry said he opposes any concealed gun-toting restrictions at all — whether it’s in a hospital, a public school, a beer joint or even the local courthouse.
“The last time I checked, putting a sign up that says 'Don’t bring your weapons in here,' someone who has ill intent on their mind — they could care less," Perry told reporters. “I think it makes sense for Texans to be able to protect themselves from deranged individuals, whether they're in church or whether on a college campus or wherever."
As reporters began clicking off a list of places where concealed permit holders face restrictions, Perry cut off the questioning and made it clear that he meant anywhere at all.
Under current law, secured airport areas, hospitals, courthouses, bars, churches and schools are among the places where weapons are or can be banned, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
People entering federal courts in Texas are routinely required to leave even their cell phones behind.
“Let me cover it right here," Perry said. “I think a person ought to be able to carry their weapons with them anywhere in this state if they are licensed and they have gone through the training. The idea that you’re going to exempt them from a particular place is non-sense to me."
State Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, called Perry’s proposal “a terrible idea."
“Anybody has a right to tell somebody that they can’t bring their handgun into their place of business," Burnam said. “I think the governor is just overreaching in a counterproductive way and it's kind of typical (of the) governor — shoot from the hip, literally and figuratively."
Perry made the remarks at a news conference after meeting with Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt to discuss ways to prevent mass shootings and enhance school safety. The discussion stems from President Bush’s drive to find solutions to such tragedies in the wake of the carnage at Virginia Tech University.
About 260,000 Texans, who have undergone mandatory background check and training, are licensed to carry a concealed weapon, records show. In the last fiscal year, 180 licenses were revoked and 493 were suspended for unknown reasons, records show.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 08:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Website Rant
I don't know how many of you may have noticed this....
But our nearest newspaper competitor within our company has updated their website.
Everybody should go check out The Abilene Reporter News website.
This is the new template that has been around for more than a year for newspapers in the Scripps Howard umbrella.
San Angelo has it (and they are a smaller newspaper than us).....now Abilene has it.
I can't even begin to tell you how much better the new template design is than the one that we currently have.
Seriously....if we switched today, I'd bet that our online readership would jump by a couple thousand people within a week. Especially if we promoted it.
Anywho....everybody go check out the Reporter News page and see how much better our website hopefully will be one of these days.
peeeeeeeeeace.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack
Party Over....my week of vacation has ended.
I can't possibly explain how much fun it was, I won't even try. Actually, I didn't even take any pictures of anything although I wanted to.
What did happen is now I am inspired. I want to do something important now. I have a couple of projects in mind that I really want to tackle.
I have a plan.
One of my friends suggested that my escapism has something to do with my trying to get over my ex-girlfriend. I laughed outloud at that. Trust me...it didn't take that long to get over her. Certainly not the two months that it's been.
Actually....the escapism I've had for about three weeks total (Austin State Soccer trip, Vacation, and few days of State Golf/Tennis) have done nothing but recharge my batteries for this job.
Some of you may not know this...but it's not all fun and games up here at the newspaper. There is a lot of work-place stress. It's been a stressful time over the last couple of months.
Trying to adjust to a new boss and short staff hasn't been the easiest thing in the world to do. I think we've done a good job overall with the photo coverage of things, but then something will happen with the paper and the creative vision I have tried so hard to convey in my work will just get butchered in the paper.
That's frustrating. I feel like I've done a better outward job of dealing with that...but inside, it just builds up on top of all of the rest of the stress from being here. Just the nature of the buisness...that's why they give us vacation time.
That's why I've been trying to escape for the last couple of weeks.
I love being out on the road. I love a sense of adventure. I'm excited about the regional trips that I get to take with a reporter on occasion. That's what I long for so much more than sitting around the office waiting for something to happen.
That is part of my plan. That is part of the project I want to begin working on.
Don't ask me what it is though yet...I have no idea, just know that it's going to happen.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Sweet Sweet Vacation Time
April 22, 2007I will be gone for a week....I actually have some time off.
Don't expect to hear from me until I get back. And don't call...I won't answer.
peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeace....
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
My Granny
April 20, 2007Four years ago yesterday....the entire Smith side of the family was gathered around a dinner table at a pork bbq cafe in Memphis, Tenn. eating and laughing and sharing jokes like we have done our entire lives around Christmas time or Thanksgiving or any time we went to Granny and Papaws.
We were all there....Holly, Jennifer, Ricky, John Anthony, myself, my sisters, Uncle Rick and everybody but one.
Granny wasn't with us that night physically. She lay in a hospital bed, drawing closer and closer to heaven before the rest of us.
But she was there with us. We all felt it. We all knew it. She was there.
That was Saturday night, April 19, 2003.
It was the most fun I've had with my extended family in a very long time.
On Sunday afternoon, my granny left us behind to go to so much better of a place. She beat the breast cancer. She fought so hard to beat it and she did. She fought so hard that her body couldn't fight anymore and God called her home on Easter Sunday.
That was the saddest day of my life and it will be for a very long time.
There are few days that go by that I don't think about it. This week it was worse. It's been harder this week than any time since then and I don't really know why, just caught me at the right moment.
Right now...I'm wearing a pink Breast Cancer Awareness band. I got it on Monday and haven't taken it off but to sleep. I'll wear it until it breaks, then I'll get another one and another one after that.
In so many ways, I wish she was still here physically with us.
But I also know that for the last 4 years...she's been doing better than anybody else in the family.
I love you and I miss you Granny....I can't wait until I see you again.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 08:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
More on this later...
Posted by Jason Palmer at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
A new photo on the way...
April 19, 2007So we get an e-mail this morning from Carroll and Tony Kori, the web boss, that they don't like the lack of uniformity in our blog promo photos.
Especially when they've created a new promo photo thingy on the main TRN web page. They kinda squished a bunch of the pictures on there.
So...I got to jump in the studio for an impromptu photo session. Lucky for me, I was wearing my newsboy hat and one of my fave. blue shirts of all time. I think I've had this shirt since 1999.
I'll try to put together some of the out takes just for grins if I can find them.
Hopefully I'll have something before the day is over...lol
Posted by Jason Palmer at 04:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Final State Soccer Tally
April 17, 2007Okay...sometimes I get asked when I'm out and about....
"So how many pictures to you take when you shoot a game?"
Well...I'm going to figure that out for you. Everybody I've run into who has seen the paper has told me that I did a great job of shooting the game on Saturday...I thought you might like to know just how I narrowed it down to getting those good shots. I may even post a few that didn't make the paper...although a bunch of the really good ones did.
So...without further delay, here are the totals from shooting Saturday:
603 - Photos taken at the soccer final (not including the few that I deleted in camera, which were limited to about 20 fan photos trying to get a good exposure reading)
82 - Photos of fans in the stands
6 - Cans of Sierra Mist consumed in the pressbox pre and post game
10 - Attempts at connecting to the internet at the Round Rock ISD Stadium to transmit photos back to the office
45 - Photos of the team holding the championship trophy over their heads
5 - Random photos of the ground where my camera went off without me knowing
72 - Soccer action photos where my timing was off and the ball isn't even in the photo
79 - Totally worthless non-fan action photos.....such as focus being just off a bit to not even close, and people in the way of what would have been a good photo
23 - Total number of photos submitted back to the TRN for publication including game action, reaction and fan support.
15 - Requests by Rider fans to "Take my picture"
4 - Times asked if that lens was heavy.
4 - Guys in kilts in the front row
30 - Cans of Dublin Dr. Pepper purchased in Stephenville
775 - Miles round trip to Round Rock and the various places I drove while on the clock down there.
2,000 - An estimate of the total number of photos taken from Thursday to Saturday.
If anybody any questions about any of the other trip stats, I'll be more than happy to research those for you.
I'll get around to putting some more photos up soon....peeeeeeeeeeeace.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
State Soccer
April 15, 2007Rider boys won state....in case you hadn't heard.
I just rolled in and got my car unpacked....I'll have a full report/recap tomarrow.
Deuces..
Posted by Jason Palmer at 02:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
RRRRRRooooad Trip
April 11, 2007I am a big fan of a road trip.
I have often said that it would be fun to just get in my car and take off in a northerly direction and end up in who knows where.
I'm not heading north today...I'm headed south. Down one of the prettiest drives in the entire state in my opinion....Hwy. 281 to Austin.
First off...it's a gorgeous stretch into the hill country....but most importantly, what makes the trip awesome are the number of stops you can make at cool little places along the way.
Uh...can you say Dublin Dr. Pepper?
Any gas station near Stephenville has the best DP on the planet. If you know what I'm talking about, you're already shaking your head yes and probably drooling....if you don't know. Let me explain it to you.
The Dublin Dr. Pepper bottling plant is the only one in the country that still uses pure cane sugar to sweeten it....not the cheap corn syrup that we're used to.
I will probably pick up a case or two of the Dublin DP for members of my family and myself. It's like the old days of moonshine running....but better. It's Dr. Pepper
Onward....
Posted by Jason Palmer at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Going to state...yay
April 10, 2007There is something crazy fun about following a sports team to the end of the road.
That's going to happen this week for the Rider boys and girls soccer team in Round Rock, and I'm going to be there to cover it.
Now, I'll be a bit of a hometown cheerleader and not lie, it's a lot of fun to watch the kids go crazy-nuts and win the whole thing. And since they've gone this far, they may as well win. I think at least one of the Rider teams will win the state championship, but I don't know which one.
But...for me as the photographer...it's just as much fun when they lose.
That sounds cruel and heartless I know...but either way, I have to bust my butt and get a great emotional reaction shot to basically show instantly whether they won or not.
Usually....as a photographer....you hope for a good close game, maybe a tie and a shootout.
Either way...a heartbreaking loss or thrilling last second win will produce better photos than a blowout after the game is over. If it's 5-1 like the Raidesr beat that El Paso team last week...there isn't going to be nearly as much excitement as a goal with 10 seconds left in regulation to win it.
Sure...at this point in the season, there's a good chance that either girls or guys team will go dog-pile crazy reguardless of the final score...but I have always preferred a great tension-filled game one way or the other.
Anybody else going down to Round Rock....holla.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
My own humble beginnings...
April 09, 2007Random blog of the week...
I was going through some old photos of mine the other day for no real reason...and I came across a gem.
Actually, this very photo was one of the ones that pretty much made me decide to launch myself off the cliff and into the pool of photography.
I'll set up the scene for you...
When I still lived in Fort Worth, my dad, sister and I worked at the Ballpark in Arlington as stadium vendors. Dad and I were beer vendors while my sister sold ice cream and lemon chills. It was pretty fun getting to share stories from the Rangers game with them.
Anyways, back in 2000, I wanted to shoot the 4th of July fireworks at the ballpark. I convinced my boss to let me bring my camera and tripod into the vending area just to store until I was done selling.
It was nooooooo fancy camera like I use now.....Canon Rebel G (the cheapest of their film models) and a Wal-Mart tripod.
So after the game was over, I ran out of the stadium and tried to get into a position across Mark Holtz Lake and get a reflection in the water. Of course, the wind was blowing pretty hard so there was no chance of smooth water....
But I knew how to shoot fireworks...and I knew where they would be shooting from. What I wasn't sure of was the exact settings to nail the exposure of the ballpark AND the fireworks.
If I remember right...I was using ISO 100 film and going back and forth between f5.6 and f11 and shutter speeds of 5-10 seconds. I really should have taken better notes back in those days.
Now..I have the experience and confidence that I think I could nail this shot every time....but back then I was 20, brand new at shooting stuff, and had no idea how it would turn out. I had about 20 or so shots that were really good, perfect exploding fireworks over the stadium and whatnot...but this one jumped out at me.
When I pushed the shutter, and the pyros went off, I knew I nailed it....just knew it. Turns out I was right....and all it did was deepen my resolve to pursue this professionally.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 01:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
The Rattlesnake Hunt.
April 05, 2007Okay...now that I have fully recovered from the rush of adrenaline...here's the story.
So, for my birthday, I decided that I wanted to do something a bit foolish and fun at the same time. I don't think I was going to be able to do any better than my 27th birthday when I covered the Texas Rangers on opening day.
But I wanted to have some kind of fun...so I decided that looking for highly venomous snakes in their natural habitat and trying to catch them sounded like a great idea. The entire thing is for a photo page that will run on Monday (everybody go buy a copy)....and to tease the Waurika Rattlesnake Roundup next weekend.
If you've never been up to Waurika, I highly suggest going, it's a blast. Plus, all the money raised goes directly to help their volunteer fire dept. (which is also a great cause).
Well, I AM officially scared of snakes, but as I do with all of my fears, I wanted to face them.
So...without further delay...I'll show off some of the snakes and me actually catching them.
If you're my mom and/or don't want to look, now's your chance to back out.
So me and three guys headed out to a known rattlesnake den on Tuesday afternoon, looking for trouble.
Before long, we found what we were looking for.
This was the trouble we were after, and it didn't take all that long to get him all pissed off and riled up at us. This guy was about 4'6" long and in a bad mood.
So, after a few minutes of getting friendly with the snake and taking a few pictures, the guys decided they would let me catch him. I was...hesitant....to say the least.
But I figured, no guts no glory right...what's the worst that could happen.
Death...that's the worst that could happen.
So they give me the tongs and showed me exactly where to grab the snake at as to not injure him or anything...
Clearly...I am a bit jumpy, I've got my front leg ready to send me jumping and scrambling backwards.
This next one...my knees buckled a bit. The snake made a lunge at me and I nearly peed myself....much to the delight of my three country boy friends that were having a blast watching.
Finally....great success! After making sure that the snake wasn't going to get loose from the kung-fu grip I had with the tongs, I reached down and grabbed for his tail. I missed the first time...but the second time, I got him.
Hey mom...look what I found.
Following this photo...I might have curled up on a rock and cried for about 10 minutes. j/k
Putting the snake in the bag, you get a better idea of just how large he was. That's a big snake folks, that's the kind of snake that Indiana Jones hated.
Then..believe it or not, I got into the snake pit wiht about 150 rattlers when we made it back to the Roundup building....yeah, I said I got in the snake pit.
Then I took a picture of myself....
For reference...note, those are the snakes in a pile in the corner...'cept for a few that were a bit more active, and mad. Also note...two of my hunting buddies on the other side of the wall.
And that...folks, was how I spent several hours of my 28th birthday, cheating death and taking pictures.
Peeeeeeeeeeaceout....jason
Posted by Jason Palmer at 02:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Blog Stats
April 04, 2007We have new March blog stats....
Nick G - 349
Jason - 258
Lara Richards - 79
Seeing as how Nick is 3x as old as I am, he should have 3x as many readers, but he doesn't, I'm closing the gap like the Rangers in late September (which would be funny if you have any idea what I'm talking about).
Birthday blog update coming....soon as I get a chance....probably this evening. I have photos from the snake hunt, you don't want to miss.
Posted by Jason Palmer at 02:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Happy Birthday to me....yay.
April 03, 2007Officially....sometime in the 7:20-30 a.m. time....it was my birthday.
April 3rd, 1979...I'm officially 28 years old today.
Last year...I wasn't really happy about it....this year is different. I have no reason whatsoever to be glum about turning another year older.
In fact...I'm in a pretty good mood today. So much so, that I even found "They say it's your birthday" to put as the song on my myspace page. Normally...that's not the response I have.
I'm not sure why specifically I feel different about this one. Maybe it's because now more than ever, I feel like I have control over the decisions I can make in my life. I dunno...maybe it's simply because I have a great group of good friends that I know wishes me well today.
Josh, Ricardo, Whitney, Sara, Anthony, Aaron, Andy, Zach, Ashlea, Gary and a whole bunch of others who will send me their best wishes. It's a feeling I haven't had in a long time, knowing that I matter.
I spent Sunday and Monday at home with the family, which is where you should spend part of every birthday in my opinion. We had fun, ate dinner and generally kind of hung out.
My youngest sister Kristin is up in Kansas at school, but I fully expect to get a phone call from her at some point today. If she doesn't, I know it's because she was busy, and that's perfectly okay too.
I suppose...if I had to try and sum it up so far this morning...I'd have to say that I'm completely content with everything. I have achieved closure with big chunks of my past, some more recent than others, and it's as if a huge weight has been lifted. I am back to living MY life.
One of the girls I dated way back in high school sent me a message in reguards to a goofy photo of myself I had posted and said that "was the Jason I knew and loved." Funny...the most important part of those little words wasn't me wondering if she loved me....but if I had actually made it back to the Jason I was 10 years ago. I have always said that was one of my goals...I wanted to be the same kind of guy I used to be. Fun-loving and without a care in the world.
I know I'm older and "wiser" now than I was at 18. I have the scars to prove my life hasn't been a well-paved path like I had hoped....and I know that I can't take back those years I threw away.
But I can't help but feel like I'm on a new path....starting today. The day I turned 28.
___________________________________________________
So...what HAVE I done thus far today. Well, I just dropped $525 on new tires for my car. Good lord, I can't even begin to tell you the difference it makes. It's one of those feelings you either just go "Yep, I know that feeling, it's awesome"....or you get rid of your car before you have to change tires.
Also...today was the day that I committed to getting a membership at the YMCA like I wanted to 3 months ago. I will be in shape. I will work hard to get there, because I deserve it. So by my 29th birthday...I'm going to be freaking ripped. I'll have to beat the girls off with a stick.
But the eventual potential highlight of today....I'm going rattlesnake hunting for the paper.
I'm scared of snakes, maybe even more than Indiana Jones....but I'm going because I suggested it for a project. At least I'll get to be outdoors, which is the best thing possible in my world.
Birthday Day Updates will follow.....
Posted by Jason Palmer at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
