H.L. Bailey

[lazarusgirl-deactivated20181112]

Title: The Leaving Song. Pairing: Karma/Amy. Rating: Mature. Word Count: 11,520 words. Notes: Future fic. Follows canon. Karmy centric (obviously!) I’ve been working away on this for a while, but only recently had the time to finish and post it. This story deals with some difficult themes, centred around the loss of a parent and dealing with that, so if that’s something you find upsetting or simply don’t want to read, I understand. That said, I’m really proud of what this achieves for both halves of Karmy in terms of their emotional growth. It picks up where canon left off in lot of ways. Thank you as always to @spasticandviolent for her keen eyes and insightful thoughts. This was a mammoth job! Summary: A life-changing event for Karma brings Amy back into her life. As they both struggle to deal its impact, Amy grows more and more concerned for Karma, and is caught between wanting to help and giving Karma the distance she needs.

“You’ve always been the one to fix Karma.”

[h-l-bailey-blog]

Gun control and the 2nd Amendment

Several days ago I posted that I felt gun regulation and 2nd amendment rights could coexist, and that we as citizens had a responsibility to find ways to balance protecting the public while preserving constitutional rights. I received a few comments/questions and wanted to follow up regarding those.

1. Can you please provide credible evidence that waiting periods have had a direct and significant effect on making society safer?

Can you please provide credible evidence that waiting periods have NOT had a direct and significant effect on making society safer? Sure. Either one of us could cherry-pick from the limited research to support our arguments. The CDC reviewed the literature and published a number of findings, but when it came to waiting periods the results were inconsistent at best. Some studies indicated a decrease in gun violence while some indicated an increase in gun violence as it related to waiting periods. (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm)

This particular study was published in 2003, and unfortunately there hasn’t been a ton of research published since then. The Dickey Amendment, a rider attached to the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations  Bill for Fiscal Year 1997, stated “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” This essentially halted all federally funded research in regards to gun violence, and to my knowledge, the Dickey Amendment is still in effect today.

(https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ208/pdf/PLAW-104publ208.pdf)

(http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/02/gun-violence.aspx)

I think it would be in our best interest to have more government funded research in order to better educate ourselves on all aspects of gun violence in hopes of creating public policy that may significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries attributed to firearms each year.

For all of you “I DON’T WANT TO, LET SOMEONE ELSE PAY FOR IT” folks, it’s not always easy for privately funded research to be successful. Those footing the bill often times want a seat at the table to possibly influence the study and/or results. The NFL-NIH partnership to study concussion and traumatic brain injuries is a pretty good example. Simply put the NFL allotted $30 million for this work and when the results came back and weren’t necessarily favorable  for the NFL, the NFL and NIH decided to part ways. 

Gun violence accounts for more than 30,000 deaths each year. Unfortunately that number will never be zero, but I believe we have a responsibility and obligation to try and figure out effective ways of significantly reducing this number.

2. “Anyone willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserves neither.” ~ Ben Franklin

The correct version of the quote is as follows. “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” ~ Ben Franklin

This is a great quote but I think it gets cherry picked often to support whatever narrative or viewpoint one is expressing. To simply put it into context, this quote was written by Franklin in a letter regarding a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the family of the Penns around 1775. The legislature wanted the family to pay taxes to support frontier defense, but each time the legislature was vetoed by the governor, who happened to be appointed by this particular family. Essential liberty was not referring to civil liberties but the right of governance of the legislature in the interests of collective security of the people. You can find a pretty thorough explanation at the link below.

(https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-ben-franklin-really-said)

3. But…Chicago

It seems everyone immediately brings up Chicago when the discussion shifts to gun violence. Chicago does not have the strictest gun laws in the United States. Several years ago, their gun laws were much stricter. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) SCOTUS held the 2nd Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess a firearm in the home for self defense. It also struck down hand gun possession bans as well as the safe storage law. This ruling was reaffirmed by McDonald v. Chicago (2010), and eliminated the handgun ban in Chicago. In 2013 a concealed carry law passed. As a result, gun laws are not as restrictive as they once were.

(http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf)

(https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1521.pdf)

The neighboring states of Indiana and Wisconsin have weak gun laws. Neither state requires licensing/permits for purchasing firearms nor do they require a waiting period. In 2015, Cook et al. found that between 2009 and 2013 60% of guns used in Chicago gang related crimes and 31.6% of non-gang related crimes were purchased in other states. The study also showed that 1/3 of gang related guns and 1/5 of non-gang related guns came from Indiana.

(https://home.uchicago.edu/ludwigj/papers/JcrimLC%202015%20guns%20in%20Chicago.pdf)

These findings were corroborated by a 2014 report released by the Chicago Police Department that found 19% of all guns recovered by CPD between 2009 and 2013 came from Indiana, 6.7% came from Mississippi, and 3.6% came from Wisconsin. None of these states have laws that require background checks on purchases made at gun shows or on the internet.

(http://www.chicagobusiness.com/assets/downloads/20151102-Tracing-Guns.pdf)

Data released by the ATF shows that Illinois faces a massive influx of guns. More than half of the guns recovered in Illinois in 2016 came from out of state while 16% came from Indiana alone.

(https://www.atf.gov.firearms/docs/undefined/2016tracestatesillinoispdf/download) 

Given the data can we honestly say that Chicago is a good example of how gun control doesn’t work given that more than half of all guns recovered came from out of state?

4. Fertilizer, Bombs, and Killing People

Fertilizer, or more aptly Ammonium Nitrate, is not attributed to more than 30,000 deaths each year. From 2010-2015 there were 530 deaths that resulted from bombings, accidental explosions, and undetermined explosion incidents. In the same time frame there were more than 200,000 gun related deaths (stats compiled from CDC published National Vital Statistics Reports).

(https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/docs/report/2015usbdcexplosiveincidentreportpdf/download)

The purchase and sale of Ammonium Nitrate is federally regulated by the Ammonium Nitrate Security Program and the Department of Homeland Security.

(https://www.dhs.gov/ammonium-nitrate-security-program)

The sale and purchase of “Fertilizer” is strictly regulated by the Federal government, but…. yeah. The more you know.

@takashi0 @hexpress @cookingwithroxy @sindri42 @grody1988 @djpain619

@s0cal09 

[grody1988]

Hey, good research. But I’m not gonna lie, I just woke up (yeah I’m that lazy) and not gonna go do my own research right now. But on your Chicago topic, the fact that 60% of firearms used in crimes came from out of state really has no bearing. They were used in crimes. Where they come from just goes to show that criminals will get their firearms where ever they can.

Also, your research doesn’t explain on those firearms. Yes those firearms were bought out of state, but were they stolen firearms, or were they the criminals to begin with?

As for waiting periods, it might be hit and miss with all the data. Sure, let there be a waiting period for a persons first purchase of a type of firearms. But let’s put it another way, I own a few pistols and a few rifles. All legally bought. I want to buy another firearm. I still have a waiting period to go through. If I wanted to do something illegal with said purchase, what’s to stop me from just using one I already own?

[h-l-bailey-blog]

I will have to disagree with the comment that out of state guns have no bearing where Chicago is concerned. However, you do ask some really good questions and make some valid points. Were the firearms purchased legally and brought back to Chicago? Were they purchased legally, stolen, and then wound up on the streets of Chicago? Was the initial purchase legal, but any subsequent purchases illegal due to things such as improper transfer? What can we do, if anything, to ensure or minimize the chances that a legal gun owner will just wake up one morning and decide to do something illegal with a firearm they already own? Is it mental health related? Were there any warning signs and what are those warning signs? Was it in anyway preventable? There are just so many variables in this equation and no one can seem to provide consistent and credible answers. All the more reason to actually research these things so we can reach definitive and credible conclusions. It’s so important for all of us to be educated and informed.

[h-l-bailey-blog]

Gun control and the 2nd Amendment

Several days ago I posted that I felt gun regulation and 2nd amendment rights could coexist, and that we as citizens had a responsibility to find ways to balance protecting the public while preserving constitutional rights. I received a few comments/questions and wanted to follow up regarding those.

1. Can you please provide credible evidence that waiting periods have had a direct and significant effect on making society safer?

Can you please provide credible evidence that waiting periods have NOT had a direct and significant effect on making society safer? Sure. Either one of us could cherry-pick from the limited research to support our arguments. The CDC reviewed the literature and published a number of findings, but when it came to waiting periods the results were inconsistent at best. Some studies indicated a decrease in gun violence while some indicated an increase in gun violence as it related to waiting periods. (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5214a2.htm)

This particular study was published in 2003, and unfortunately there hasn’t been a ton of research published since then. The Dickey Amendment, a rider attached to the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations  Bill for Fiscal Year 1997, stated “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” This essentially halted all federally funded research in regards to gun violence, and to my knowledge, the Dickey Amendment is still in effect today.

(https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-104publ208/pdf/PLAW-104publ208.pdf)

(http://www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/02/gun-violence.aspx)

I think it would be in our best interest to have more government funded research in order to better educate ourselves on all aspects of gun violence in hopes of creating public policy that may significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries attributed to firearms each year.

For all of you “I DON’T WANT TO, LET SOMEONE ELSE PAY FOR IT” folks, it’s not always easy for privately funded research to be successful. Those footing the bill often times want a seat at the table to possibly influence the study and/or results. The NFL-NIH partnership to study concussion and traumatic brain injuries is a pretty good example. Simply put the NFL allotted $30 million for this work and when the results came back and weren’t necessarily favorable  for the NFL, the NFL and NIH decided to part ways. 

Gun violence accounts for more than 30,000 deaths each year. Unfortunately that number will never be zero, but I believe we have a responsibility and obligation to try and figure out effective ways of significantly reducing this number.

2. “Anyone willing to sacrifice freedom for security deserves neither.” ~ Ben Franklin

The correct version of the quote is as follows. “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” ~ Ben Franklin

This is a great quote but I think it gets cherry picked often to support whatever narrative or viewpoint one is expressing. To simply put it into context, this quote was written by Franklin in a letter regarding a tax dispute between the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the family of the Penns around 1775. The legislature wanted the family to pay taxes to support frontier defense, but each time the legislature was vetoed by the governor, who happened to be appointed by this particular family. Essential liberty was not referring to civil liberties but the right of governance of the legislature in the interests of collective security of the people. You can find a pretty thorough explanation at the link below.

(https://www.lawfareblog.com/what-ben-franklin-really-said)

3. But...Chicago

It seems everyone immediately brings up Chicago when the discussion shifts to gun violence. Chicago does not have the strictest gun laws in the United States. Several years ago, their gun laws were much stricter. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) SCOTUS held the 2nd Amendment guarantees an individual right to possess a firearm in the home for self defense. It also struck down hand gun possession bans as well as the safe storage law. This ruling was reaffirmed by McDonald v. Chicago (2010), and eliminated the handgun ban in Chicago. In 2013 a concealed carry law passed. As a result, gun laws are not as restrictive as they once were.

(http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-290.pdf)

(https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-1521.pdf)

The neighboring states of Indiana and Wisconsin have weak gun laws. Neither state requires licensing/permits for purchasing firearms nor do they require a waiting period. In 2015, Cook et al. found that between 2009 and 2013 60% of guns used in Chicago gang related crimes and 31.6% of non-gang related crimes were purchased in other states. The study also showed that 1/3 of gang related guns and 1/5 of non-gang related guns came from Indiana.

(https://home.uchicago.edu/ludwigj/papers/JcrimLC%202015%20guns%20in%20Chicago.pdf)

These findings were corroborated by a 2014 report released by the Chicago Police Department that found 19% of all guns recovered by CPD between 2009 and 2013 came from Indiana, 6.7% came from Mississippi, and 3.6% came from Wisconsin. None of these states have laws that require background checks on purchases made at gun shows or on the internet.

(http://www.chicagobusiness.com/assets/downloads/20151102-Tracing-Guns.pdf)

Data released by the ATF shows that Illinois faces a massive influx of guns. More than half of the guns recovered in Illinois in 2016 came from out of state while 16% came from Indiana alone.

(https://www.atf.gov.firearms/docs/undefined/2016tracestatesillinoispdf/download) 

Given the data can we honestly say that Chicago is a good example of how gun control doesn’t work given that more than half of all guns recovered came from out of state?

4. Fertilizer, Bombs, and Killing People

Fertilizer, or more aptly Ammonium Nitrate, is not attributed to more than 30,000 deaths each year. From 2010-2015 there were 530 deaths that resulted from bombings, accidental explosions, and undetermined explosion incidents. In the same time frame there were more than 200,000 gun related deaths (stats compiled from CDC published National Vital Statistics Reports).

(https://www.atf.gov/rules-and-regulations/docs/report/2015usbdcexplosiveincidentreportpdf/download)

The purchase and sale of Ammonium Nitrate is federally regulated by the Ammonium Nitrate Security Program and the Department of Homeland Security.

(https://www.dhs.gov/ammonium-nitrate-security-program)

The sale and purchase of “Fertilizer” is strictly regulated by the Federal government, but.... yeah. The more you know.

@takashi0 @hexpress @cookingwithroxy @sindri42 @grody1988 @djpain619

@s0cal09 

[h-l-bailey-blog]

To all those saying "you still have access to your birth control," if someone can not afford something, he or she does not have access to it. Need an example? I can't afford a Ferrari, therefore I do not have access to it.

[h-l-bailey-blog]

I support the 2nd Amendment. I own guns. I also know that this country has a problem with gun violence. If I have to wait a few extra days to legally purchase a firearm (i.e., waiting period) or if I have to complete a background check that happens to be a little more thorough than what it is now, I am 100% okay with that. With rights comes responsibility, which means I have a responsibility to admit there is a problem. We have to find a balance between protecting the public and preserving constitutional rights.

[blackindiaink]

[outdoorspastelnature]

Adventure

[exploreelsewhere]

This is what the highest point in the path of totality looked like to the naked eye. Borah Peak, Idaho. [1288X2000] ✈

[dennybitte]

by Denny Bitte

[whatis2plus2]

Since joining Tumblr, I’ve met a lot of young queer people. Look, I’m a bisexual man in a gay relationship, and I’m approaching 30. I was still a kid when Matthew Shepard’s story was being covered on the news. I remember thinking, “I better keep my mouth shut about these feelings I’m having.”

And then I met Dominic when I was 12, and people could see how in love we were. And we got the shit beat out of us. The year I met him, some kids in the grade above me held me down against the bleachers in our gym and stomped on my hand until my fingers broke. Instead of sending me to the nurse, the teacher sent me to the assistant principal to explain the situation. She asked why the kids had beat me up. I said, “They were calling me gay.”

Her response was, “Well, are you?”

My, “I don’t know,” earned a call to my parents, and I was outed. Efforts were made to keep me from seeing Dom. Throughout high school, Dom’s stepmother intensified these efforts. He slept in the basement of the house. Although he was an incredibly talented student, he was prohibited from participating in any extracurriculars. He suffered a lot of physical abuse during those years.

The day he turned 18, he packed up everything he had and walked to my house, and we’ve lived together ever since. Things are better, but they’re not perfect. I’ve had trucks pull up next to me at stoplights and, seeing the pride sticker on my car, through old drinks and garbage into my window. I no longer speak to my dad’s side of the family. I haven’t been to see them for Christmas or Thanksgiving in years. One of my uncles had cornered me at Thanksgiving when I was 17 and said, “I’m not going to judge you, but I’d be happy to break your neck so God can do the judging a little sooner.”

I joined a support group for trans and intersex people. When I joined, 40 people attended regularly. Within the year, the group was half the size it had been. Some couldn’t make it anymore, because they were staying at the shelter, where their stay hinged on them agreeing to instead to attend homophobic sermons. Some were put in correctional therapy. Five of them died. Three of those, I didn’t know, but I knew Alex, the 19 year old who was fag-dragged in Kentucky and died a day later in the hospital, and I knew Stephanie, who went home to Alabama to care for her mom in hospice and was beaten to death with a baseball bat by her mom’s boyfriend.

Tumblr is not reality. The dynamic here does not reflect the dynamic out there. Here’s the part where I finally make a point, and it might be extremely unpopular - but guys, value your allies. Value each other. We are met with enough hate in our daily lives to enter an online safe-space and meet more hate from our own, over petty things. Don’t go after one another over every little thing you find problematic.

Learn to see nuance. Maybe the word “queer” bothers you, and you see a gay man using it as an umbrella term. Maybe someone called a trans man a trans woman because they’re confused about terminology, but the post where they did it was voicing support for the trans community. Maybe someone is just asking a question, wanting to learn more. Stop. Attacking. These. People.

Allies are being driven away. Members of our own community are being ostracized. Others are feeling nervous and estranged, and it’s largely because of places like Tumblr, where the social justice movement is quickly becoming violent and radical. I am begging you, stop nitpicking “problematic” things and start directing your efforts to create real change. When it comes to comes to your allies, forget the “social justice warrior” mentality and put down your torch. Educate calmly. Be respectful. Be understanding. Be forgiving. And I’m certainly not saying that your anger doesn’t have a good place - when you are met with bigots on the street, congress members who want to pass hateful laws, violent protesters, abusive parents, prejudiced teachers, that is when you need to be a warrior. That’s when it counts. In the real world. When you have the opportunity to protect people from real harm. Attacking your would-be allies via anonymous asks is just going to lose us ground in the long run. And we don’t have time for that, not when trans women of color are being murdered every day, not when states are still fighting against marriage equality, not when there are politicians in office who believe that trans people are possessed by demons, not when we’ve just lost 50 brothers and sisters to one gunman, not when the media won’t even admit that the attack was homophobic.

Please step back. Look at the big picture. Look at where we are, globally. Don’t just log on to your safe space and attack your allies over small missteps. That’s like washing the dishes in a house that’s on fire, kids. Let’s fight on the battlefield, and when we come home to each other, let’s just focus on bandaging up our wounds so we can go out and win the war.

[stephrc79]

Signal boost to this unbelievably important message.

[spyhops-blog]

I’d reblog this a thousand times if I could.

[transadvicegroup-deactivated201]

Stop attacking allies. Educate. Not hate. 

[transboysunited]

This is incredibly important. Please read!

The other day, you walked by me with your friends and I could feel the pity in your stare. Don’t you do that. Don’t you look at what I had for you and call it weak. Not when you were the one afraid of it.

[h-l-bailey-blog]

Caitlyn Siehl, What We Buried (via books-n-quotes)

[exploreelsewhere]

Observation Point, Zion National Park, UT [OC] [2048x1366] ✈

[lsleofskye]

Volcanoes National Park | jasonjko

“Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.” - Ralph Marston

[innerpeaceonly]

I got my heart broken and I survived, I failed 3 courses in university and graduated, I got rejected in the very first job I applied for and got promoted yesterday, I went through hard times with my family but then two years later, we laughed our hearts out over lunch, The closest friends disappointed me several times but I made new friends and loved them with all my heart. I did it once, I can do it again.

[redactedc]

I NEEDED THIS SO BADLY

[totallyboardaf]

This. This everyday. I need this everyday.

[stability]

I love her

[lesbianrey]

god……