Strange Things Happen

You sometimes hear strange things you don't expect in places where you don't expect them.

I attended a class Saturday required to obtain a "CHL" or concealed handgun license. It was filled with people like me, getting a license for the first time. We were sitting like sardines in a little room in Pasadena, in an abandoned theater that now serves as a practice range.

In the middle of it a couple near me told a strange but true tale. They said that one night at 2 or 3 a.m. in the morning a woman started running around the outside of their house yelling something about "He's trying to kill me." Before they knew it, the woman jumped through their bedroom window! She ran into a closet and they called 911. All they had for defense was a knife.

Later they found a knife that the woman had dropped after breaking through the window. After hearing their story I found myself saying "If you had Armor Glass film on your windows, that never would have happened." The woman (or a burglar) would not have been able to break through their glass with a knife in her hands. Our security film would have prevented it.

It proved to me that security window film can provide armored protection, like a gun in many cases to protect you from a bad situation, be it a burglar, a wayward golf ball, a crazy lady on crack (the couple later found a crack pipe nearby), a hurricane or explosion....

It was a whirlwind week. I expect the next to be the same. It's odd to see the world slowing down while Armor Glass is speeding up...something fascinating is happening.

I passed the test with a 92. If we don't address the situation in Mexico, we'll all need the personal protection. Don't expect the violence to stay there when the criminals are making billions and importing high caliber killing machines. Don't expect hurricanes not to happen each year.

The other fascinating story I heard this week was at the "State of the County" lunch where Judge Ed Emmett told the story how a few tug captains kept a runaway ship from taking out our 610 bridge during Hurricane IKE last year. If that happened, it would have cut a vital Houston transport link -- and cost taxpayers millions of dollars and months, if not years, of repairs. During the 100 mph plus fury of IKE these guys chased down a ship that broke its moorings and would have wiped out the huge brige. Others joined in. All during the night, they kept the ship against a bank to keep it from destroying the bridge. All received a standing ovation.

The message. Be prepared. Or face the future high winds without protection.