Archive for December, 2012
The Newtown shooting, and all the school shootings that preceded it, validated the beliefs of those who oppose armed teachers. The absence of armed teachers actually saved lives. Sure, brutal cowards massacred dozens of people. Sure, the victims had no defense whatsoever against heavily armed madmen. Sure, innocents died in helpless terror as murderers fired […]
Filed under: Cops | 11 Comments
Tags: active shooter, Adam Lanza, armed teachers, arming teachers, columbine, newtown, sandy hook, school shootings, virginia tech
Based on many recommendations and driven by my basic desire to be fair, I read Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. If you read my blog post from a couple of weeks ago (http://chrishernandezauthor.com/2012/12/06/billy-lynns-bogus-journey/), you’ll recall that I was a little peeved at what I read and heard about the book’s portrayal of our troops. I […]
Filed under: Iraq, Writing | 7 Comments
Tags: iraq, ben fountain, veterans, billy lynn's long halftime walk, veteran authors
Don’t worry. We’re going to be safe. Jaime Foxx, Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebrities have joined forces with New York City Mayor Bloomberg to “Demand a Plan” for new gun control. They helped make a video, then left the studio in the company of their armed bodyguards, to go to mansions surrounded by armed […]
Filed under: Cops | 14 Comments
Tags: active shooter, Adam Lanza, assault weapons ban, gun control, gun crime, mass murders, mass shootings, newtown, school shootings
Let’s be honest; we’re not surprised anymore. We’re no longer surprised when some pathetic, pitiful coward attacks a school or mall full of innocent men, women and children. Maybe we were shocked this time, but only because the victims were so young. These incidents have become so commonplace that when we see a headline or […]
Filed under: Cops | 73 Comments
Tags: active shooter, mass murder, mass shooting, newtown, sandy hook, school shooting
PTSD and my mistake
Full disclaimer: I do not have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I don’t know why some others have it and I don’t. I have no doubt a great many men and women who are mentally tougher than me have PTSD from their wartime service. I think I may be partly responsible for one soldier I served […]
Filed under: Afghanistan, Iraq | 13 Comments
Tags: Afghanistan, iraq, PTSD, veterans
Billy Lynn’s bogus journey
So there’s this book out. It was authored by Ben Fountain, is called Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, and has gotten lots of attention. It just may be the long-awaited Great Iraq War Novel. Karl Marlantes, a veteran author I highly respect, has praised it. The book has been compared to Catch-22. In a nutshell, […]
Filed under: Iraq, Writing | 14 Comments
Tags: ben fountain, billy lynn, iraq, veterans
So there I was, minding my own business, driving down a dark street in the ‘hood. Ahead of me, a traffic light turned red. I slowed to a stop as an old Buick coming the other way punched it. The Buick blew the light, passed me and kept going. I wasn’t real concerned. There was […]
Filed under: Cops | 7 Comments
Tags: pcp, police, pursuit
