My fellow Americans, it gives me no pleasure to acknowledge that the state of our union is cracked and divided, wounded and festering, dysfunctional and chaotic. We have trashed and discarded many of the principles that have made this Nation great – compassion, intellect, fairness and a recognition of individual dignity and worth in favor of the narcissistic pursuit of money and power. We have abandoned the noble goals of pursuing life, liberty and happiness for everyone in favor of securing those bounties exclusively for ourselves. In the process, we have fractured the fabric of our society to such a point that the United States of America is just a name, because America is no longer united. You can “boo” if you like, but remember while doing so that you are booing the man or woman in the mirror.
Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Prize winning theologian, philosopher, physician and accomplished church organist, famously noted that “the purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.”
Unfortunately, here in America, a land blessed by God with abundant natural resources and a boundless sea of human ingenuity, we’ve corrupted life’s noble purpose of serving our fellow man to one dedicated solely to serving ourselves instead. It’s a sad state to be in, but one of our own making. The poor and outcast are no longer pitied for their suffering; they are despised, scorned, ridiculed and unfairly stamped with a mark of shame that labels them as lazy, ignorant leeches sucking at the public’s teat. Is it any wonder that against such a withering attack on human dignity, broken communities and broken families and broken individuals would sink into the lowest depths of human despair? Jesus would say, “Open your eyes to the suffering that surrounds you,” but for far too many Americans, such words are repugnant and revolting. This is why America fails and we are no longer united.
And then, there are aliens…not the Martians or creatures from a distant galaxy, but the poor, tired, huddled masses, yearning to breathe free, tempest tossed as they seek the sight of our Statue of Liberty’s golden door, those same aliens about which Exodus so eloquently commands, “You shall not wrong a sojourner or oppress him, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Or what about Leviticus, which millions of Americans are so quick to quote – “You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.” I mention those passages because you cannot pick up a newspaper without reading that Trump says that immigrants from our southern neighbors are all rapists and criminals, and that Cruz and other politicians are complaining that refugees, millions of which are women and children fleeing the ravages of war and starvation, represent a grave danger to the American way of life and should be turned away without mercy. This is why America fails and we are no longer united.
And what has happened to American intellect and our wealth of human knowledge? Sadly, it has fallen in value to the lowest common denominator known as ignorance. We champion ignorance. We really do. Take the term, “Ivory Tower,” for instance. Did you know that it originated in the Old Testament’s Song of Solomon? It was used to connote noble purity. Today, it is best known as a derogatory term describing individuals pursuing higher education as being foolish and disconnected from the realities of the world in which we live. It’s like mocking anyone who wants to go farther than seventh grade. The ancient Greek philosopher, Diogenes once claimed that, “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth.” “Hogwash,” we reply as a Nation, and often using a harsher sentiment whenever out tax dollars are asked to support the teaching of our neighbor’s children. And then when we do decide to open our wallets, we insist on teaching a sanitized version of American history, a stilted and incomplete analysis of our human bodies, a censored rendering of American literature and culture, and a review of the principles of science and nature that sounds more like an Aesop’s fable than a method of rigorous testing and examination. This is why America fails and we are no longer united.
“What of fairness,” you ask? “It’s gone,” I reply. Fairness is being just, it’s impartial, it’s honorable, tolerable, even pleasing. Fairness is the opposite of discrimination and social exclusion. It is recognizing inequality in all its insidious forms and making a concerted effort to rectify the situation. Unfortunately, all the virtue that lies within the principle that Americans use to call fair play has been cast aside with all the pomp and circumstance of manure on a dung heap. This Nation’s justice system is bogged-down with systematic prejudice, but a majority of Americans are more concerned these days with the right of court clerks and bakery shop owners to discriminate against their customers.
There was a time in America when fairness meant that people who worked hard were entitled to a living wage for the fruits of his or her labor, but tens of millions of Americans…let me repeat that, tens of millions of Americans are working a forty-hour week and aren’t being paid enough to raise their heads above the poverty line. And then when the working poor start clamoring for a raise in the minimum wage, the captains of industry and investment cry foul, along with the politicians they bankroll, and claim they cannot afford to pay the bill. Never mind that the top one percent of Americans controls a staggering forty-three percent of America’s wealth. This is why America fails and we are no longer united.
I wish I could say that America stands as a beacon of truth, but I’ve seen enough television commercials and political ads to know that, paraphrasing the words of Jack Nicholson’s character in ‘A Few Good Men,’ Americans can’t handle the truth. That’s why we keep deluding ourselves with such notions as “reducing taxes on the rich creates jobs,” “poor people are lazy,” “people who go to church are the virtuous ones,” “money in politics doesn’t corrupt,” “intelligent design is good science,” “climate change is not our fault,” “more guns are the answer to violence” and “people who don’t think and act like we do have no value.” Yes, those are the notions of a seventh grade intellect, but hey, at least they’re not living in an ivory tower.
The recognition of individual dignity and human worth used to be considered a virtue, but in America it’s not any more. My beliefs trump your beliefs, or your beliefs trump mine, depending on who holds the reins of power at any given moment. Compromise has become a dirty word, not because we’re incapable of achieving it, but because inherent in the concept is a recognition that other people’s beliefs have value, too. That doesn’t work in today’s America where getting one’s own way is valued more than the collective aspirations of our entire society. This is why America fails and we are no longer united.
The First Amendment to our United States Constitution guarantees every individual the freedom to practice the religion of their choosing, or no religion for that matter, and religious tolerance has strengthened the fabric of our society over the course of our Nation’s two-hundred and forty year history. Sadly, that fabric is rapidly unraveling under pressure from large sects of Christianity in this nation that have no tolerance for or appreciation of the religious beliefs of others. Religion is supposed to be uplifting and inspirational to help us build a better world, and improve the lives of our neighbors in the process, but far too often in this Country religion is wielded like a battering ram destroying the lives and limbs of all who stand in its way. If I sound cynical, it’s because I am. Moral purity was never meant to trump the necessity of being kind to one’s neighbor, but you’d never know it by tuning into Sunday morning radio or the self-identified righteous who foul our public discourse with the stench of their hypocrisy. There’s a reason Christ hung out with the poor and the ostracized, and it had little do with their need to be saved. It turned out that they were the genuine folk, the people who could look their neighbor in the eye, understand his or her predicament, display true compassion, and with little material wealth to share, reach out a helping hand. That is not America’s religion, and that is why America fails and we are no longer united.
Many of you are wondering whether all is lost in America, and my answer is a resounding, “No!” There are millions of people in this Nation who are still guided by the hand of empathy and compassion. Millions more appreciate the intrinsic value of education beyond the number of dollars it adds to one’s wallet. Others understand the need for universal justice, the kind guided by fair play and available to all who seek its protection. There are many people in America dedicated to seeking truth, wherever it is found, and in whatever form it takes, and who are willing to speak that truth, no matter the opposition or consequences. And there are many who, in the deep recesses of their hearts, want the courage to hear the truth, if only we could find a way to empower them. They represent my hope.
I remember the idealism of my youth, and I’ve witnessed how years of human misery, and broken dreams, and the resulting distrust can chip away at the veneer of all that is good and possible in this Nation. I still nurse a candle of hope, however, because in the words of the English poet, Joseph Addison, “Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.”
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Monday, January 11, 2016
TRUMP PRAISES THE TYRANTS
I’m not sure why this is so, but GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has a thing for tyrants, and by that I don’t mean in a good way. On December 18th of last year, Trump praised Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that he admired Putin for running Russia as an efficient leader who garnered highly favorable ratings from the Russian people. Just the other day, Trump praised North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-un’s leadership skills saying that Kim deserved recognition for being ruthlessly efficient in getting rid of his political foes. “And you’ve got to give him credit,” Trump gushed, “How many young guys — he was like 26 or 25 when his father died — take over these tough generals and all of a sudden, you know, it’s pretty amazing when you think of it.” And of course, there’s Trump praise for Hitler to consider. Last year, the Trump Party Facebook page showed a picture of “The Donald” with the slogan borrowed from Adolph Hitler: “As a Christian I have no duty to allow myself to be cheated, but I have a duty to be a fighter for truth and justice.”
I think it was Charles Caleb Colton who said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then Trump is doing his best impression of a megalomaniac and the question Republicans should be asking is whether they truly want this kind of man running America. I know I don’t, but hey, I’m a liberal and I’m really not into praising brutal dictators for their actions.
When Trump says he’s going to build a wall along our southern border and force Mexico to pay for it, and he’s going to bomb the Middle East back into the Stone Age, and he’s going to bust down doors to round up aliens living in this country, and he’s going to force Muslims to register with the government, those are not the words of a man interested in a democratic form of government with the rule of law as its underlying principle. Those are the words of a would-be dictator who’s determined to have his own way, or else, and that “else” includes bloodshed for anyone and everyone who stands in his path.
I think it was Charles Caleb Colton who said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If that’s the case, then Trump is doing his best impression of a megalomaniac and the question Republicans should be asking is whether they truly want this kind of man running America. I know I don’t, but hey, I’m a liberal and I’m really not into praising brutal dictators for their actions.
When Trump says he’s going to build a wall along our southern border and force Mexico to pay for it, and he’s going to bomb the Middle East back into the Stone Age, and he’s going to bust down doors to round up aliens living in this country, and he’s going to force Muslims to register with the government, those are not the words of a man interested in a democratic form of government with the rule of law as its underlying principle. Those are the words of a would-be dictator who’s determined to have his own way, or else, and that “else” includes bloodshed for anyone and everyone who stands in his path.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
DYING BY THE GUN AT LIBERTY U
“Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” ~Jesus of Nazareth
For centuries, scholars and theologians have debated the meaning behind Jesus’ statement to one of his companions who drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear when Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Did Jesus mean that his followers should refuse to take up arms or go to war, or was he simply telling one companion that now was not the time for violent resistance? The earliest Christian communities placed their faith in the former interpretation, but following the creation of the Holy Roman Empire in 313 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Constantine, Christ’s admonition has been steadily downgraded in status to that of a feel-good platitude with little application in a war-ravaged world. So far as the 21st Century is concerned, it seems like only the Amish find it relevant.
Last month, Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, a self-proclaimed Christian University in Lynchburg, Virginia, amended its school policy to permit the carrying of concealed firearms on campus, including while in class, in student dorms and during church services. According to a statement issued by President Falwell to the press, the university's change in policy occurred at the behest of a significant number of students. Nine hundred and fifty of them have since secured permits to carry weapons on campus. That could make Liberty University the most heavily armed campus in America!
To be honest, I didn’t know that Liberty University was such a hotbed of criminal activity that the students attending that institution felt the need to protect themselves with firearms. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Still, I would have thought that Divine protection or a well-trained campus police force was sufficient to handle any problems that might arise, but I guess I misjudged the power of Divine protection or the availability of good security personnel in the mountains of Virginia.
Years ago, my son attended the Virginia School of the Arts in Lynchburg and he didn’t experience any problems with violence on his campus, but admittedly that was a secular school without a high concentration of Christian students itching for a gunfight. Oh, there were plenty of Christians attending V.S.A., but they were singing and dancing and doing the kinds of things that artsy Christian students do. They just didn’t pack heat while doing so.
I get the fact that our Second Amendment has become the golden calf of American conservatives, but I figured that a university that calls itself a citadel of Christian thought and values would have had the moral strength to avoid falling under a metal firearm’s godless spell. I guess I was wrong. Apparently, nobody there realizes that all who draw the gun will die by the gun. Don’t quote me. Quote Jesus!
For centuries, scholars and theologians have debated the meaning behind Jesus’ statement to one of his companions who drew a sword and cut off a man’s ear when Jesus was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. Did Jesus mean that his followers should refuse to take up arms or go to war, or was he simply telling one companion that now was not the time for violent resistance? The earliest Christian communities placed their faith in the former interpretation, but following the creation of the Holy Roman Empire in 313 A.D. by the Roman Emperor Constantine, Christ’s admonition has been steadily downgraded in status to that of a feel-good platitude with little application in a war-ravaged world. So far as the 21st Century is concerned, it seems like only the Amish find it relevant.
Last month, Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University, a self-proclaimed Christian University in Lynchburg, Virginia, amended its school policy to permit the carrying of concealed firearms on campus, including while in class, in student dorms and during church services. According to a statement issued by President Falwell to the press, the university's change in policy occurred at the behest of a significant number of students. Nine hundred and fifty of them have since secured permits to carry weapons on campus. That could make Liberty University the most heavily armed campus in America!
To be honest, I didn’t know that Liberty University was such a hotbed of criminal activity that the students attending that institution felt the need to protect themselves with firearms. It just goes to show that you can’t judge a book by its cover. Still, I would have thought that Divine protection or a well-trained campus police force was sufficient to handle any problems that might arise, but I guess I misjudged the power of Divine protection or the availability of good security personnel in the mountains of Virginia.
Years ago, my son attended the Virginia School of the Arts in Lynchburg and he didn’t experience any problems with violence on his campus, but admittedly that was a secular school without a high concentration of Christian students itching for a gunfight. Oh, there were plenty of Christians attending V.S.A., but they were singing and dancing and doing the kinds of things that artsy Christian students do. They just didn’t pack heat while doing so.
I get the fact that our Second Amendment has become the golden calf of American conservatives, but I figured that a university that calls itself a citadel of Christian thought and values would have had the moral strength to avoid falling under a metal firearm’s godless spell. I guess I was wrong. Apparently, nobody there realizes that all who draw the gun will die by the gun. Don’t quote me. Quote Jesus!
Saturday, January 9, 2016
JUDGE MOORE BACK IN ACTION
He’s back! No, I’m not talking about Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, the drug lord that seamen from the Mexican Navy recaptured and sent back to the Antiplano prison where he escaped from last summer. I’m talking about Roy Moore, the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, who was suspended from the court in 2003, then removed from office later that year for failing to abide by federal court orders, then re-elected to the court in 2012 by the good citizenry of Alabama who apparently approve of the notion of having a Supreme Court justice who shows no respect for the rule of law. You’d think that a judge who’d been given another chance would act differently the second time around, but when it comes to Roy Moore, you’d be wrong – dead wrong!
Roy Moore is the guy who owned (he still might) a 5300-pound granite monument of the Ten Commandments that he placed at the state judicial building in Montgomery, Alabama and refused to remove when directed to do so by federal courts. Many in Alabama regard Judge Moore as a folk hero and a messenger from God, but to those with respect for the constitutional rule of law in a democratic society, Moore is nothing more that a self-serving demagogue with an over-inflated sense of ego. Unfortunately he is still the top state court judge in Alabama and he still loves to throw his weight around.
Moore’s current shenanigans centers around one of his favorite political and religious targets: gay couples. Despite last June’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the legal right of gay couples to marry, Judge Moore issued an order this past Wednesday directing probate judges in Alabama not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, a clear violation of federal court orders and binding court decisions to the contrary. Now, probate judges around his state are left in a quandary as to which court’s directives they must follow – the United States Supreme Court or Judge Roy Moore. Once again, Moore has set himself above the rule of law, and to what end? Motions and lawsuits challenging his order will surely follow. Alabama taxpayers will end up wasting millions defending Moore’s pointless crusade and eventually gay couples will be allowed to marry there again.
Judge Moore claims that he is following the rulings of a higher power. That’s baloney!
Notwithstanding his own inflated ego, Judge Roy Moore is not a messenger from God. He is simply a state court judge who swore an oath to defend the United States Constitution. If he cannot honor that oath he should resign, but you and I know that’s not going to happen. With any luck, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary will remove Roy Moore from the Supreme Court bench again and give the rule of law a temporary respite from the antics of its highest judge. I say “temporary” because you know that Judge Moore would make it back to the Alabama Supreme Court again. He always does.
Roy Moore is the guy who owned (he still might) a 5300-pound granite monument of the Ten Commandments that he placed at the state judicial building in Montgomery, Alabama and refused to remove when directed to do so by federal courts. Many in Alabama regard Judge Moore as a folk hero and a messenger from God, but to those with respect for the constitutional rule of law in a democratic society, Moore is nothing more that a self-serving demagogue with an over-inflated sense of ego. Unfortunately he is still the top state court judge in Alabama and he still loves to throw his weight around.
Moore’s current shenanigans centers around one of his favorite political and religious targets: gay couples. Despite last June’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the legal right of gay couples to marry, Judge Moore issued an order this past Wednesday directing probate judges in Alabama not to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, a clear violation of federal court orders and binding court decisions to the contrary. Now, probate judges around his state are left in a quandary as to which court’s directives they must follow – the United States Supreme Court or Judge Roy Moore. Once again, Moore has set himself above the rule of law, and to what end? Motions and lawsuits challenging his order will surely follow. Alabama taxpayers will end up wasting millions defending Moore’s pointless crusade and eventually gay couples will be allowed to marry there again.
Judge Moore claims that he is following the rulings of a higher power. That’s baloney!
Notwithstanding his own inflated ego, Judge Roy Moore is not a messenger from God. He is simply a state court judge who swore an oath to defend the United States Constitution. If he cannot honor that oath he should resign, but you and I know that’s not going to happen. With any luck, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary will remove Roy Moore from the Supreme Court bench again and give the rule of law a temporary respite from the antics of its highest judge. I say “temporary” because you know that Judge Moore would make it back to the Alabama Supreme Court again. He always does.
Friday, January 8, 2016
SOUND BITES FROM THE LEFT
"I'd like to say that Donald Trump is the most outrageous and unqualified person ever to run for president. But really, that's not fair to Ted Cruz."
~Martin O’Malley, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Governor of Maryland
"Cruz actually says that the answer to gun violence is more guns. Senator, the answer to cancer is not more cancer, the answer to poverty is not more poverty, and the answer to gun violence isn’t more guns."
~Martin O’Malley, criticizing Senator Ted Cruz’ position of gun control
“If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, then don’t go to war!”
~Bernie Sanders, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Senator from Vermont
“They talk about class warfare – the fact of the matter is there has been class warfare for the last thirty years. It’s a handful of billionaires taking on the entire middle class and working class of this country. And the result is you now have in America the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on earth and the worst inequality in America since 1928. How could anybody defend the top 400 richest people in this country owning more wealth than the bottom half of America, 150 million people?”
~Bernie Sanders, responding to the charge that liberals in America are engaging in class warfare.
“Dignity does not come from avenging insults, especially from violence that can never be justified. It comes from taking responsibility and advancing our common humanity.”
~Hillary Clinton, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Senator from New York
“Extremism thrives amid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice.”
~Hillary Clinton
“Let’s continue to stand up for those who are vulnerable to being left out or marginalized.”
~Hillary Clinton
“We, the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom that only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who dies in their defense.”
~Barak Obama, President of the United States of America
~Martin O’Malley, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Governor of Maryland
"Cruz actually says that the answer to gun violence is more guns. Senator, the answer to cancer is not more cancer, the answer to poverty is not more poverty, and the answer to gun violence isn’t more guns."
~Martin O’Malley, criticizing Senator Ted Cruz’ position of gun control
“If you can’t afford to take care of your veterans, then don’t go to war!”
~Bernie Sanders, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Senator from Vermont
“They talk about class warfare – the fact of the matter is there has been class warfare for the last thirty years. It’s a handful of billionaires taking on the entire middle class and working class of this country. And the result is you now have in America the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on earth and the worst inequality in America since 1928. How could anybody defend the top 400 richest people in this country owning more wealth than the bottom half of America, 150 million people?”
~Bernie Sanders, responding to the charge that liberals in America are engaging in class warfare.
“Dignity does not come from avenging insults, especially from violence that can never be justified. It comes from taking responsibility and advancing our common humanity.”
~Hillary Clinton, Democratic Presidential Candidate and former Senator from New York
“Extremism thrives amid ignorance and anger, intimidation and cowardice.”
~Hillary Clinton
“Let’s continue to stand up for those who are vulnerable to being left out or marginalized.”
~Hillary Clinton
“We, the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom that only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who dies in their defense.”
~Barak Obama, President of the United States of America
Thursday, January 7, 2016
LIE BIG OR GO HOME
North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-Un has taken a page from G.O.P. presidential candidate and front-runner, Donald Trump’s bloviating playbook by announcing to the world that his regime has successfully tested a Hydrogen bomb. Nuclear experts around the globe, however, are uniformly saying that all the evidence points to the North Korean Dictator’s claim as being a big fat lie, but you have to give Kim Jong-Un style points for recognizing that in today’s climate, the bigger the lie, the more likely the claim will gain traction somewhere. Just ask Donald Trump!
Of course, this is North Korea that we’re talking about, where an estimated twenty-five million citizens accept any word that comes from their dictator’s mouth as gospel truth - under pain of imprisonment, torture or death I should add, but odds are there are thousands of terrorists and militants worldwide who are instantly convinced of the accuracy of Kim Jong-Un’s claim. After all, ignorance is bliss, and what could be more salacious for a crowd of blood-thirsty terrorists than the notion of unleashing a hydrogen bomb upon their enemies?
Recognizing the propaganda value that reports of a successful hydrogen bomb test would produce for Kim Jong-Un’s regime back home, it’s still a bit troubling to consider that the North Korean leader would be stupid enough to think that the rest of the technologically-advanced nuclear world would be hoodwinked by his grandiose announcement, but stranger things have happened, and when it comes to the North Korean leader’s proclivity for bloviating, nothing appears beyond the pale.
Of course, this is North Korea that we’re talking about, where an estimated twenty-five million citizens accept any word that comes from their dictator’s mouth as gospel truth - under pain of imprisonment, torture or death I should add, but odds are there are thousands of terrorists and militants worldwide who are instantly convinced of the accuracy of Kim Jong-Un’s claim. After all, ignorance is bliss, and what could be more salacious for a crowd of blood-thirsty terrorists than the notion of unleashing a hydrogen bomb upon their enemies?
Recognizing the propaganda value that reports of a successful hydrogen bomb test would produce for Kim Jong-Un’s regime back home, it’s still a bit troubling to consider that the North Korean leader would be stupid enough to think that the rest of the technologically-advanced nuclear world would be hoodwinked by his grandiose announcement, but stranger things have happened, and when it comes to the North Korean leader’s proclivity for bloviating, nothing appears beyond the pale.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
GUNS, GUNS AND MORE GUNS
Gun violence has gotten completely out of control in America, but as long as folks continue to flock to the altar of the National Rifle Association and worship the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms as if it’s ordained by the Almighty, innocents will continue to be slaughtered by the thousands while the rest of the society keeps busy cleaning up the carnage. It’s high time we repeal the Second Amendment, and if the wing nuts with weapons decide they want their guns pried from their cold, dead fingers – so be it. Once the smoke clears, Americans will be far safer walking the streets than they are now and tens of thousands of would-be gun death victims will live to see another day.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for the complete elimination of firearms, though I dare say Americans would be a million times safer if that were the case given the current number of firearms possessed exceeding the number of citizens living here. What I suggest instead is a replacement of the Second Amendment with one that affords our elected leaders the power to reasonably regulate the who, what, where, when and how of deadly weapon ownership.
Not having reasonable regulations and restrictions in place to control life-threatening firearms borders on lunacy. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and hundreds of other dangerous controlled substances are either completely banned or tightly regulated, because they pose of substantial risk of death to a person using them. You cannot drive a car unless you’ve passed a driver’s test and prove financial responsibility by purchasing vehicle insurance, because operating a car is an inherently dangerous activity that threatens the safety of everyone in the vicinity. Guns and ammunitions, on the other hand, can be purchased like gum in a candy store. That, my friends, is the height of stupidity, except we have the Second Amendment that guarantees such stupidity, which is why I contend the Second Amendment should be repealed and replaced.
Critics of gun control cite personal protection of life and property as the chief reason why they oppose even reasonable gun regulations, but the fallacy of that argument is that owning and carrying a gun doesn’t automatically make one safer. People who believe that notion should watch the video of Officer Lynn Anderson, a fully-trained and fully-armed veteran of the Northern York County Regional Police Department getting shot at by a driver he pulled over for a simple traffic violation on November 22nd of last year. Officer Anderson’s life was not spared by the sidearm in his holster. It was saved by the reflex of his training and the fortunate fact that his would-be killer (Trev Bowies Jackson) was a lousy shot.
It seems to me that if people want to own a gun for hunting or self-defense, they ought to be required to take a test demonstrating proficiency in firearm safety, secure a firearm ownership license and provide insurance to cover the cost of any damage they cause. Let the insurance market bear the risk of loss instead of innocent children playing on the sidewalks.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not advocating for the complete elimination of firearms, though I dare say Americans would be a million times safer if that were the case given the current number of firearms possessed exceeding the number of citizens living here. What I suggest instead is a replacement of the Second Amendment with one that affords our elected leaders the power to reasonably regulate the who, what, where, when and how of deadly weapon ownership.
Not having reasonable regulations and restrictions in place to control life-threatening firearms borders on lunacy. Heroin, cocaine, methamphetamines and hundreds of other dangerous controlled substances are either completely banned or tightly regulated, because they pose of substantial risk of death to a person using them. You cannot drive a car unless you’ve passed a driver’s test and prove financial responsibility by purchasing vehicle insurance, because operating a car is an inherently dangerous activity that threatens the safety of everyone in the vicinity. Guns and ammunitions, on the other hand, can be purchased like gum in a candy store. That, my friends, is the height of stupidity, except we have the Second Amendment that guarantees such stupidity, which is why I contend the Second Amendment should be repealed and replaced.
Critics of gun control cite personal protection of life and property as the chief reason why they oppose even reasonable gun regulations, but the fallacy of that argument is that owning and carrying a gun doesn’t automatically make one safer. People who believe that notion should watch the video of Officer Lynn Anderson, a fully-trained and fully-armed veteran of the Northern York County Regional Police Department getting shot at by a driver he pulled over for a simple traffic violation on November 22nd of last year. Officer Anderson’s life was not spared by the sidearm in his holster. It was saved by the reflex of his training and the fortunate fact that his would-be killer (Trev Bowies Jackson) was a lousy shot.
It seems to me that if people want to own a gun for hunting or self-defense, they ought to be required to take a test demonstrating proficiency in firearm safety, secure a firearm ownership license and provide insurance to cover the cost of any damage they cause. Let the insurance market bear the risk of loss instead of innocent children playing on the sidewalks.
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