MANY GROUPS WOULD CONSIDER PEOPLE WHO COLLECT EDGED WEAPONS AS KOOKS. THE ANTI WEAPON GROUPS WOULD PROBABLY CONSIDER ANY SUCH PEOPLE DANGEROUS FOR POSESSING OR TRAINING WITH ANY TYPE OF WEAPON. WEAPON COLLECTING OF ANY TYPE MAY BE POLITICALLY INCORRECT ACCORDING TO CERTIAN LIBRAL GROUPS, THERE SEEM TO BE GROUPS WHO PROTEST AGAINST EVERYTHING COLLECTING AND OTHERWISE.
FORTUNATELY THESE PEOPLE ARE SELDOM ENCOUNTERED AND USUALLY APPEAR ONLY IN THE MEDIA AND NOT TOO OFTEN THERE. I DON'T CONSIDER THESE FOLKS AS IMPORTANT AND ONE MANS KOOK IS ANOTHERS SCHOLAR, TEACHER AND CONNISUR

. TO EACH HIS OWN BE IT RENISANCE FAIR, STAR TRECK CONVENTION, OPERA OR THE FORUM GATHERING IN TIMONIUM (ALAS I CAN'T MAKE IT THIS YEAR

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I HAVE NEVER BEEN A CONFORMIST AND FOLLOW MY INTERESTS AS I PLEASE EVEN IF THEY ARE OUTSIDE OF WHAT A FELLOW FROM THE SOUTH WEST SHOULD. FOR EXAMPLE SPORTS, FISHING AND HUNTING, TOOLS, CARS, MACHINES AND GIRLS I AM INTERESTED IN ALL THESE THINGS ALSO BUT DON'T LIMIT MYSELF TO THEM. FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVE SOMETIMES THOUGHT I SPEND TOO MUCH MONEY ON OFFBEAT THINGS LIKE FORIGN TRAVEL AND COLLECTING ODD THINGS. PERHAPS THEY ARE RIGHT BUT I VALUE THE EXPERIENCE OF VISITING COUNTRYS AND CULTURES DIFFERENT FROM MY OWN AND STUDYING THE OBJECTS AND CRITTERS THERE MORE THAN MERELY SAVEING A PILE OF MONEY. (I JUST WISH I HAD LOTS MORE MERE MONEY SO I COULD RAMBLE AND COLLECT MORE

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A EDGED WEAPON POINTED AT YOU IN A AGRESSIVE MANNER DOES INSTILL A DIFFERENT KIND OF FEAR THAN A GUN, SOMEHOW IT IS MORE PERSONEL.
I DON'T FEEL THAT EDGED WEAPONS ARE IN A CULTURAL GHETTO ALTHOUGH SOME DO HAVE A STIGMA ATTACHED TO THEM. THE MOVIES MADE A COMMON KNIFE HERE IN THE USA WHICH COULD BE FOUND IN MOST FISHING AND TOOL BOXES INTO A EVIL THING, I SPEAK OF THE SWITCH BLADE. AFTER THE MOVIES CAME OUT EVERYONE IN GANGS AND OTHERWISE WANTED TO CARRY ONE AND LAWS WERE PASSED BANNING THEM. I AM SURE THERE ARE OTHER CASES IN MOST COUNTRYS OVER THE WORLD AS THE USA IS A VERY YOUNG COUNTRY AND JUMPED FROM THE STONE AGE TO IRON, CANNONS AND GUNS IN FAIRLY RECENT TIMES.
SOME GOVERMENTS SEEM TO BE ASHAMED OF THEIR HISTORY AND WANT TO BURY IT AND JUST PLAY UP HOW MODERN THEY ARE AND PUT DOWN MANY GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THEIR ANCESTORS BECAUSE THEY CONSIDER THEM PRIMATIVES. IN SUCH CASES MUSEUMS AND BOOKS ARE STRIPPED OF THEIR TREASURES AND THE CURRENT DOGMA TAKES ITS PLACE. THIS IS UNFORTUNATE AND IS ALSO ONE OF THE REASONS COLLECTIONS OF WEAPONS AND BIOLOGICAL SPECIMINS ARE REMOVED FROM DISPLAYS AND REPLACED WITH INTERPRETIVE EXHIBITS. THIS MAKES IT MORE POLITICALLY CORRECT AND ECOLOGICALLY SENSITIVE BUT MUCH OF THE WONDER OF THE WORLD AND ITS HISTORY AND CREATURES ARE LOST FROM VIEW. THE ENDLESS VARIETY IN THIS WORLD HAS ALWAYS BEEN OF GREAT INTREST AND I LIKE TO SEE , DO AND LEARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE WHICH MAKES ME A POOR SCHOLAR AS I COVER TOO MUCH AND DON'T FOCUS ON A SPECIALITY.
I TOOK TAIKWONDO FROM MASTER DON WON KANG WHO WAS A KOREAN EIGHTH DEGREE BLACK BELT AT THE TIME AND HE TAUGHT SWORD TECKNIQUES TO THE UPPER BELTS. THERE WAS NO CUTTING AND I DIDN'T ADVANCE FAR ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY SPAR BUT DID ENJOY IT AND PICKED UP A NICE JAPANESE SWORD TO PRACTICE WITH WHEN NOT USING A STICK. PARDON MY RAMBELINGS ITS LATE GOOD NIGHT