Home > Wendy Does Waco > Archives > 2009 > June > 09 > Entry
Various and sundries
So this blog officially celebrated its second birthday last weekend, so to celebrate I have re-published the second Wendy does Waco blog post, from 2007. I also needed to pull said post out of the archives, because it goes well with an observation I want to make, which is …
Dear fellas, when hiking/running through the Cameron Park trails, please wear some form of accepted athletic gear. Because when you come running at me, full speed, wearing an oversize black hoodie and jeans, I’m either going to scream like a girl, trip you, or, do what I did last night and come to a complete stand still and stare, scared stiff, at you until you pass. You know I’m no stranger to creepy guys in Cameron Park (see previous post), so please, have a heart, at least pull on some basketball shorts and a T-shirt.
For reals though, now is a great time to check out Cameron Park. River trail is open (finally!) and the air is sweet with the scent of lilac or wisteria or something purple. Plus, the cottonwood trees have released all their cotton-y stuff and for some stretches, I swear it looks like there’s snow on the trail.
On another note, I really want to go to the Waco Waterpark. The problem is all the children there. I like kids. But not that much. I have this awesome idea though, a bunch of us could chip in and rent the park for a grown-up only splash time. Whaddayasay? Check it out, we could make this happen.
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By wendy
June 10, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
yes, I filed a police report, was called in for a photo line-up, of his face, not his … and they caught and prosecuted him. Apparently he had been doing it all over the city.
By darkfairymomma
June 10, 2009 7:31 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
tosses confetti and cupcakes Happy bloggy birthday to ya!
By El Diablo
June 11, 2009 8:22 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Do yourself a couple of favors. First, spend some time and money getting a CHL. It could be the difference between blogging about something strange and being shipped back to Carolina in a box.
Then, avoid going to Cameron Park alone and to other places where you might actually need to use it.
“Creepy” with opportunity can turn into tragic really fast.
By Tank
June 11, 2009 8:36 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Re: El Diablo
I think it is telling that the Texan solution is to get a gun first, and not put yourself in dangerous situations second.
By KDF
June 11, 2009 9:49 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
One never knows when he/she will be in a dangerous situation. My family and I drove through San Antonio one night, got lost, and was definantly in the plight of town. Did not think I needed a gun, but having one to protect my family would have made me feel better. If you can drive a car you can shoot a gun. :) <><
By Cecil 1
June 11, 2009 9:51 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Is Cameron Park the only place your no stranger to Creepy Guys??? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, well, there may be a few of those creepy guys here,, lolol
By David
June 11, 2009 11:23 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
“Don’t put yourself in a dangerous situation”
Although I agree with the sentiment, it hardly seems acceptable to just write off going to Cameron park. Its a beautiful park with great trails. Yes, there are some skeezy people about but you can’t let skeezy people keep you from enjoying one of the great natural treasures of Waco.
That said, no, I’m not going to cameron at night… but I’ll happily take my family there during the day.
By John
June 11, 2009 11:59 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Cameron park is amazing.
By Vitter
June 11, 2009 2:30 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Studies in self-defense have repeatedly proven that it is in fact more dangerous for an untrained individual to carry a weapon. And no, your CHL did not train you in any way, shape, or form.
There is a reason why Marines go through a 13 week boot camp and the Army goes through a 10 week boot camp. Leaning to use a weapon in a real-word scenario is very, very difficult. The military knows this, which is why combat troops are trained so vigorously. An individual needs to learn to use a weapon to such a degree that finding a viable target, aiming, and shooting needs to become muscle memory and not conscious thought.
I guarantee that the “training” you went through, 10-hour class and range “qualification,” unequivocally DID NOT prepare you for a real-world situation—much less a situation that might require shooting at multiple targets from a moving vehicle. The “safety” that handgun in your purse or your jacket affords you is nothing more than an illusion that will get innocent people shot.
Despite the truthiness of it, weekend warriors and soccer moms concealing weapons is a bad, bad idea. The better idea is simply avoidance. And calm down. The U.S. isn’t a scary place.
By wendy
June 11, 2009 3:01 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Uh-oh, I was sure CHL meant Cat handler’s license. I’m guessing I’m wrong?
By El Diablo
June 11, 2009 4:09 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
I didn’t say to avoid Cameron Park. I said to avoid going there alone. During the day is another good idea.
Vitter also makes a good point. If you carry a weapon, you have to know how to use it. I shoot on a weekly basis, including target shooting and situational practice, but the thing to remember is that CHL carriers aren’t cops. The reason to carry isn’t to enforce the law, but to protect yourself if all other options (like escape) fail.
I also have a cat handler license, but I keep my cat concealed in the house.
By KDF
June 12, 2009 9:51 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
My concealed cat is under my shirt, and that is causing me some pain. And Vitter, I was in the Navy, was trained on many weapons, many scenarios and am as comfortable with a Cat Handler’s License as one can be. And somewhere at sometime someone may have been accidentally shot by a CHL holder, but you will have to show me where. <><
By KDF
June 12, 2009 10:11 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Vitter, you hammered on the wrong nail. I want to see your statistics. I want hear of regular ol’ guys (weekend warriors) and soccer moms pulling and shooting moving targets in a combat environment. Lastly, most CHL holders are regular gun shooters, and the ones that are not are found at the range several times before they take the class. And CHL holders are not trained for combat, but for simple self-defense for themselves and their property. And finally, the DPS approves the instructors, approves the curriculum and approves of the courses. Gimme a break and get out of your combat zone. <><
By El Diablo
June 12, 2009 10:18 AM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
If the world ain’t a scary place to you, Vitter, you should take a ride to the part of town where I work.
If you’re not scared by some of the people and things going on there, then you’re either lying to yourself or a fool.
By David
June 12, 2009 2:54 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Re: Vitter and military training VS CHL
It is clearly a complicated issue. Obviously someone who is military trained is far better suited to defend themselves with or without a handgun. CHL kind of falls in to a few basic camps (oversimplification): 1) Dumb rednecks who want to carry a gun because they think it’s cool/cowboy/whatever and probably lack the common sense to understand when using it is acceptable versus not acceptable (See: Dumb rednecks in houston that shot those kids “trespassing” playing in the stream… ie, looking for an excuse to use it.) 2) Physically disadvantaged parties in need of protection (Little old ladies or younger ladies that would like to go jogging at night) 3) Someone who is at a vastly enhanced risk of physical confrontation. (IE, its your job to do the bank deposits at 3am)
In my gross over generalization above, you’ll notice I excluded “Normal, reasonable human beings”… this was on purpose. Normal people don’t see the world as such a scary place to put in the 10 hours of effort to get a CHL so they can “be safe when they go to the mall”. I know several Normal Reasonable People (tm) that got a CHL license when it first came out and practically never actually carry the thing because its impractical (Headed to the mall! Keys, wallet, 45 caliber somehow always forgotten at home)
Back to the point of military vs CHL: Most criminals don’t have military training either so we’ll call it even ground ;)