Hola y’all! Well here are, another Sunday night and it’s my turn to blog and I got nothing. What else is new, right? Okay, maybe I’ll turn off the TV and try to focus for just a couple of minutes. It’s worth a try, right?
This weekend was pretty interesting. There was a big swing of emotions from the sadness of the massacre in Newton, CT to the news that Schmoop doesn’t have cancer and her surgery went well then back to the sadness mixed with anger over the shooting again. All this helped along by all the stupidity being spewed on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. Everyone wants action but all they have to offer are platitudes, bumper sticker slogans, political propaganda and personal attacks on anyone who disagrees with them in the slightest. So that was fun.
My favorites were the people who just posted the text of the Second Amendment. Yeah, and??? What the fuck was that supposed to mean? That it’s absolute? Are you saying that there can be no legal interpretations of the Second Amendment that result in any regulating of firearms? How come those same people never post the text of the Fourth or Fifth Amendments while the govt is monitoring private conversations, reading our emails, keeping track of our reading materials we get from the library and holding American citizens indefinitely without charges or fair and impartial trials? Not to mention the creation of “free speech zones” and other bullshit like that. And don't even get me started on that Fake Morgan Freeman "statement" and that sad but ridiculous "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" post.
I never get into the gun control debates because I know how the game is played. I know that anything short of super strict regulation and extensive banning of many different kinds of guns (or all guns) is unacceptable to the gun control crowd. And any opinion expressed that fall short of it results in being shouted down.
By the same token if the slightest hint of any kind of gun registration, or the registering of people who put on gun shows and sell guns or even talk about holding people personally responsible for their guns means getting shouted down by the other side. That’s how we do things now. Anything other than the extremes means nothing but personal attacks and angry responses.
I’ve never been a gun control guy, but I will say this much, if your argument against gun control is that we just have to accept that things like the Newtown shooting are going to happen then fuck you. That’s bullshit. Accepting that things like this are “going to happen” means accepting that children are going to get slaughtered by some asshole wearing body armor and carrying several semi-automatic weapons to guarantee our “freedoms?” Nope. Not gonna accept that.
But you know the worst part of all this is the misinformation. All the bullshit that gets reported and then gets passed along on social media that turns out not to be true. It’s bad enough that the media gets stuff wrong, but then people take those bits and pieces of bad info that fits their agendas and they use it and refuse to acknowledge being wrong. They just can’t give up the narrative. And again, what are you gonna do? Tell them they’re wrong about some piece of news that wasn’t true? If you do you’re either a “gun nut” or you want to “take everyone’s guns away.” I think I unfollowed more people on Twitter and Tumblr on Saturday than I have in my social media life combined. And there’s a couple of Facebook that just about to get the boot too.
Yeah, I know, I haven’t offered any answers or solutions either. That’s because I don’t have any. I haven’t a clue what to do. Not about guns or mental health issues or any of it. But hey, at least I admit it and don’t try to act like an expert or a sociologist or a lawyer or specially trained FBI criminal behavior analysts or some shit like so many of you do.
Jayman
Jayman3768@gmail.com
@Jayman_IWS
In happier news, on Saturday's episode of I'm With Stupid we celebrated the great news about Schmoop and then talked about the awesomeness of being single! You know, the lonely nights, drinking alone, eating alone and general lack of companionship. So. Much. Fun!
Listen to internet radio with Im With Stupid on Blog Talk Radio
10 comments:
I liked the Morgan Freeman text on a friend's wall just before coming here lol What I liked about it is, the media is SHIT. But what do we do--people need to know. Information in whatever form is the new crack.
I love this post, Jay. I try to be this level-headed but it's a work in progress.
I'm heartsick over so many of the things I've read from people in response to the CT nightmare, from the gun debate opportunists to foreigners smack-talking America. I didn't realize we were quite this lost.
Guns need to be registered just like cars, boats and trailers. Then taxed. $5 for a small handgun and up for larger guns. All the money collected goes to mental health..... after the politicians get their cut.
Well said Jayman. Far too many people think they know it all and have all the answers. I am thankful that I, like you and others who have a modicum of sense, am smart enough to know that I do not. Cheers!!
Matt
Unlike you, I thought the "I Am Adam Lanza's Mother" post was a good read, maybe because I think we all need to be more aware that this isn't solely a parenting issue anymore than it is solely a gun control issue, but to each their own. Like you, I'm tired of the misinformation and nastiness that came along with it.
Jo: The words in that "statement" are wonderful, it just wasn't Morgan Freeman who said them. The fact that it wasn't Morgan shouldn't diminish them though. But, I'm just trying to let things go and avoid fights. ha
Jay
Mike: There are a lot of things that can be done that won't really restrict gun ownership much. Remember, those guns all belonged to Adam's mother, so it's unlikely that any gun control legislation would have stopped this.
The one idea that I'm very much in favor of is mandatory liability insurance for gun owners. Let's put "responsible" back into the the "responsible gun ownership" talk.
Jay
Matt-Man: Of course nobody really has any answers. But, if a lot of smart people could actually have a decent discussion and maybe do some good things. Not likely, but maybe! ha
Jay
Dana: My problems with the "Adam's Mother" post are
1. Everyone is accepting it as real and honest without any questing of her veracity at all. The few people who have pointed out that her personal blog is very different have of course been called names.
2. From all interviews with Lanza family and friends Adam was absolutely NOTHING like this woman's kid's alleged behavior. The exact opposite in fact.
Her post might have been a "cry for help" or it might have been good old fashioned exploitation of her children to get herself on TV or become an internet famous mommy blogger.
Yes, I'm working on my cynicism. ha
Jay
I am so happy to hear that Schmoop is doing well!
I don't know anything about guns.
Does one need a semi-automatic gun for target shooting like Ms. Lanza liked to do?
I agree with this whole post.
How do you get into my mind?
Being Canadian, I am aware that my opinion does not matter to most Americans...but here goes nothing.
What happened was a tragedy and I feel if he didn't have access to assault weapons, it may not have happened.
Something needs to be done. The amount of gun related deaths in America is astounding...but these were children, babies and it breaks my heart that he had access to these guns because his own mother purchased them.
Something is wrong. I don't profess to know the answers. I don't think taking away the right to bear arms is the answer but does anyone outside of the military or police need automatic assault weapons? Do you need that kind of gun power outside of war or law enforcement?
To me, the answer to that is a simple no.
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