Category Archives: Politics

More Depravity

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From Mitt Romney’s campaign website: “Mitt will enforce the laws already on the books and punish, to the fullest extent of the law, criminals who misuse firearms to commit crimes. But he does not support adding more laws and regulations that do nothing more than burden law-abiding citizens while being ignored by criminals.” 

Of course, professional criminals don’t massacre innocent civilians. There isn’t any money in it. The men who commit these crimes are angry and/or insane but otherwise ordinary people. They don’t have underworld connections. They would find it difficult or impossible to acquire military-style weapons if such weapons were illegal.  

According to Romney, we should simply work harder at catching these people after they shoot up a movie theater, school, campaign event or commuter train. 

Unfortunately, catching them after the fact has never been the problem. The problem is to prevent them from shooting lots of us in the first place.

Depravity

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In the law, “depraved indifference” is a state of mind that can affect a defendant’s criminal liability: “To constitute depraved indifference, the defendant’s conduct must be ‘so wanton, so deficient in a moral sense of concern, so lacking in regard for the life or lives of others, and so blameworthy as to warrant the same criminal liability as that which the law imposes upon a person who intentionally causes a crime” (www.definitions.uslegal.com).

Compare what Republican Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin recently said about  our supposed constitutional right to own assault weapons that can fire up to 100 rounds without reloading: “These are rifles that are used in hunting. Just the fact of the matter is this is really not an issue of guns. This is about sick people doing things you simply can’t prevent. It’s really an issue of freedom” (Fox News Sunday, 7/22/12). 

These are rifles that are used in hunting people.

Drowning

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The United States, apparently alone among industrialized nations, is caught up in a struggle between two extremely different political persuasions.

It’s as if a competent lifeguard is trying to rescue a remarkably incompetent, very large swimmer. The lifeguard is doing her best (in this case, it’s probably a “her”), but the swimmer (probably a “him”) is in a panic, insanely struggling and dragging them both under the waves.

People can see this death struggle from the shore, but they’re not paying much attention. They’re mostly worrying about their tans and whether it’s time to go buy a hot dog.

One problem with this metaphor is that the people on the beach are being dragged down too. Unfortunately, they’re too preoccupied, uninterested or stupid to notice what’s going on.

The swimmer, of course, would call himself a “conservative”. A more accurate designation would be “radical right-wing ideologue”.

(Postscript: I was asked who the lifeguard represents. Metaphors are especially open to interpretation, but let’s say the lifeguard represents those thoughtful people who are paying attention to what’s happening to this country.)

Common Sense

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Chris Rock used to get big laughs and loud applause when he suggested putting an enormous tax on every bullet sold. In a more practical vein, Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey has introduced legislation that would outlaw ammunition clips holding more than 10 rounds.

Is it possible for our government to do what is sensible and clearly constitutional?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/24/opinion/6000-bullets-in-colorado.html?hp

Insanity

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1999 – Columbine – 12 dead, 21 wounded.

2007 – Virginia Tech – 32 dead, 17 wounded.

2008 – Northern Illinois – 5 dead, 21 wounded.

2009 – Fort Hood – 13 dead, 29 wounded.

2009 – Binghamton – 13 dead, 4 wounded.

2011 – Tucson – 6 dead, 14 wounded.

2012 – Tuscaloosa – 18 wounded.

2012 – Aurora – 12 dead, 58 wounded.

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

We don’t have a well-regulated militia. Instead, we have the unregulated sale of dangerous weapons.

Either weapons of war like the AR-15 assault rifle should be illegal or we should all be able to purchase surface-to-air missiles. It’s one way or the other.