Something to Know - 18 December

1.  We should continue to understand the history surrounding gun control.   Here is an excellent article from The New Yorker.  It is a concise and necessary background on the development and interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.  You really should read this.   Pay particular attention as to how the interpretation goes from "people" to "individual" when it was the N.R.A., in the early 1970s, changed the dialogue and adopted the right to conceal weapons as a guarantee.  You will see that is is not specifically stated in the 2nd Amendment that it is the right of "individuals to bear arms" but that it is the right of people through their well-regulated militia to bear arms.   If we are all going to help push our legislators to come up with meaningful and necessary regulations, we need to understand the basic history:

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/04/23/120423fa_fact_lepore?printable=true&currentPage=all

2.  The State of Michigan GOP legislature and governor (a super majority) is on a rampage to kill unions by dividing and conquering workers.  This is nothing more than the wealthy business interests of the state taking advantage of their greed and distaste for workers rights at a time when they control all the levers of power to be able to pull it off.  If you are not familiar with the RTW (Right to Work) situation, please read this:

http://truth-out.org/news/item/13386-michigan-republicans-deny-police-officers-and-firefighters-the-right-to-work?tmpl=component&print=1

3.  The Teaching Profession has been under assault as of late.   The ALEC forces (a conservative and Big-Bucks financed cabal) is busy at work to demonize workers in the public sector, and the public school teachers and unionized city and county workers are in their firing lines.   You don't have to read this article, but if you are not familiar with the dark forces killing the middle class, or you have an interest in teaching, or you would like to stay current in the affairs of state, you might like to read this:

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/13367-the-corporate-war-against-teachers-as-public-intellectuals-in-dark-times 

4.  Newtown, I think, has become the end of the cul-de-sac in our road of tragedies.  Is it the images of twenty sweet innocent lives of children, now gone? Perhaps.  It probably is not the thought of a crazed and unstable killer, because they are amongst us, and they load up and pull triggers and we are unable to predict the next one.  I think we are spurred on, this time, because we now realize that nothing is going to change until each and everyone of us pushes back and insists.  Becoming activists, in whatever form, can make it happen:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/opinion/the-gun-challenge-reason-for-hope.html?ref=opinion&_r=0&pagewanted=print

--
Juan

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