down around the Canoe Club 12-16-12.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
A Few Thoughts
What I see is insanity
Whatever happened to humanity?
Whatever happened to humanity?
Whatever happened to humanity?
"The Power of Equality" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
I don't feel safe in this town anymore. I don't feel safe anywhere, really, in light of yet another senseless, mass killing. There is no shelter from this tragedy, nor is there relief from the sorrow, anger, frustration, and helplessness we feel. We search for meaning and find none. We look for solace that can't be found. There is no balm in Gilead. We find we can't run away and hide our heads this time. We have to look at our starkly violent society staring us directly in the face and decide who we are as a people.
I had a college philosophy professor named Dr. Winter, who described himself as a "flaming liberal" and would go on the occasional - but fascinating - rant about how dysfunctional our society has become. "We live in a sick society!" he'd exclaim before expounding upon the reasons. From this latest event, we can see the truth of his assertion.
Although I'm not a flaming liberal, I am left-leaning in most matters political, on some issues radically to the left. I do, however, believe gun ownership is a Constitutional right. I also wonder where that right ends. Is it unlimited? If so, then we have the right to own any type of weapon we can afford, including tanks, cannons, 50-caliber machine guns, Apache helicopters. Do we have the right to own RPG's, flame throwers, and hand grenades? After all, the Second Amendment says the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed. That certainly sounds as if this right has no limits, but does any reasonable person believe that to be the case?
If the Second Amendment is not unlimited, then we have the right (and the moral obligation) to control and curtail ownership of certain types of weapons, and that means instituting a sane, rational gun control policy. I don't mean a gun ban; that would be ridiculous, unrealistic, and unconstitutional. Responsible gun ownership should not be curtailed. I support the right to own rifles and handguns for hunting and self-defense. Anyone needing assault weapons, though, might be suffering from paranoia or masculinity issues. Otherwise, why have them? Are we in imminent danger of attack?
According to Wikipedia, early American settlers viewed the right to bear arms as important for deterring tyrannical government; repelling invasion; suppressing insurrection; facilitating a natural right of self-defense; participating in law enforcement; and enabling the people to organize a militia system. I don't think our founders could have foreseen the types of modern weapons we have today. Would they have approved of such ownership? In the present day, England is not going to attack us anytime soon. We have the most powerful military in the world, so there's no chance of any nation sending troops to invade our soil. So what's the rationale for owning assault weapons?
The problem is not merely the proliferation of guns. In our sick society, mental illness also plays a role. Not all of the mentally ill are violent, but I'll venture to say that most violent people are mentally ill to some degree. Here in Columbia, Andrew Moyer and Brianna Michael tortured and murdered their infant son Andrew Moyer, Jr. Obviously they were violent, but does anyone believe they're not also mentally ill? Would any sane person commit such a heinous act?
We've endured events like this before, but this one was a game changer. The murder of so many innocents has shocked us all into the realization that something must be done. These crimes simply cannot continue. We cannot allow Congress to continue to be influenced by the NRA's blood money. We as a society must focus our moral outrage into definitive action.
I know I don't have all the answers. All I know is we cannot allow another of these tragedies and still maintain the right to call ourselves civilized. No sane society would allow this to continue.
For now at least, we live in a sick society. Dr. Winter was never more right.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
States With the Most Legal Guns in 2012
Pennsylvania is number 20 on the list.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/12/15/states-with-the-most-legal-guns-in-2012.html
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