Something to Know - 17 December

1.  I am going to try and keep a dialogue going on matters related to the 2nd Amendment.  Not necessarily every day, but to stay as focused as we can to figure a way out of a dysfunctional interpretation that has evolved into recurring horrors.  Is it an admission that the 2nd was basically flawed at its inception (as I stated earlier), or is it flawed as a result of subsequent Supreme Court interpretations of the Amendment?   Whatever it is, I think we need to realize that developing a sensible public policy is not going to happen if we just wait for "them" to figure it out.  We have to start pushing the discussion, and keep pushing it until the political will is strengthened enough to set the stage.  It is going to take time, but we can start (or continue) with something like this piece:

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/print/47102/

2. As stated before, the Republicans are flailing around looking for demons where they can, without attacking those (minorities and women, etc) who they need to attract votes from.  Now, they want welfare applicants to undergo involuntary drug testing:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/demonizing-welfare-recipients/2012/12/16/2048c1fc-40af-11e2-ae43-cf491b837f7b_print.html

3.  Picking up the pieces and starting the pushback on gun violence has to start somewhere.   Diane Feinstein will be introducing a bill to ban assault weapons.   Not sure if this means the sale or ownership or both:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/16/dianne-feinstein-assault-weapons-ban_n_2311477.html

4.  We profess ourself to be part of a peaceful non-violent culture (or we do we?).  In actuality, in world opinion, we are a violent gun-loving culture.  Here is a discussion that we need to enter and learn from:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/the-freedom-of-an-armed-society/?ref=opinion&pagewanted=print

--
Juan

"Either the United States will destroy ignorance or ignorance will destroy the United States."
       -- W.E.B. Du Bois

"All human beings should try to learn before they die what they are running from, and to, and why."
       -- James Thurber

"We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language."
       -- Oscar Wilde

"Estimated amount of glucose used by an adult human brain each day, expressed in M&Ms: 250"
       -- Harper's Index