April 12, 2008

2nd Amendment: A Rant

To some the 2nd Amendment is above all others in the constitution, even above the 1st. I didn't think the order made any other more important than another. Those who would argue that the 2nd Amendment is sacred would argue the uselessness of the 14th. Some think that the right to bear arms is a natural right and therefore should not have any law that prohibits or regulates this right. I have given these thoughts before, on another post recently. Since then another 3 year old has shot herself in the head, and a brother of my son's friend was killed today, just 18 years old. The latter I knew as a very small child and can't imagine his death. I don't have any details. I do know that there are other reasons why using a gun and murder is commonplace, but I do think having guns is not a natural right and some restriction would save lives. I also think the machismo and uber patriotism that is enmeshed in the defense of the 2nd Amendment, is part of the American myth, which would make any other point of view, harder to prevail.

These same people talk about responsibility; if they don't think they owe a responsibility to society to regulate their gun sellers or have other restrictions that might actually reduce the number of weapons on the street, then I think they should all live as hermits outside the society. There is a responsibility as a member to make society as viable as possible. We do have restriction on speech in certain circumstance, so why is liberty at the greatest risk, with restrictions on gun purchase. This is going to be the next battle; Pennsylvania, NRA and the City of Philadelphia. I think these people live in the 19th century and think there is some kind of Code of the West. They think their children are more mature to handle weapons than to handle sex and other children are just born thugs. I think some think that the more the other children murder each other; that it would be good riddance. They think the other children have superior prowess, because they always say that if they didn't have a gun they would kill with a knife. That's possible, but let get real; the probability of an ordinary child, unskilled in knife fighting, killing someone is much lower than with a gun.

You know, those same people think their weapon would solve the violence. If they lived where guns were sold out a trunk two blocks from they lived, I think they would live in so much fear that they would probable kill pre-emptively; Not in self defense, as it is so often depicted in their fantasy laden scenarios.

April 06, 2008

Hathor's Evolutionary Theory 157

I have recently learned, that I have Diabetes. Yes, one more thing to deal with. I have been given oral medication, told to loose weight and to watch what I eat. The diet recommends that I eat whole grain breads, cereals and pasta.

Well, I bought a multi-grain loaf of bread. Since I had lost my partial, I don't have enough molars to properly eat the multi-grain bread. I'm thinking why is all this hard crap in the bread. Isn't one of the first things early man invented, was stone grinding? Humans do not have teeth like Moose or even a Gorilla's. I think those that think the bread I had was more natural, don't realize that one of things that differentiate man from other animals is that we have the ability to adapt. We have strove to make life better and livable and to extend our diet in order to survive. We ground our cereals and cooked and smoked meat. We did this many thousands of years ago, so why are we trying to live like man before he discovered fire?

April 04, 2008

An Evening Forty Years Ago

Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968. When I began to think about that night, I think of the failed effort of a group of us to gather with others to decide what to do. We were in an accident on our way to campus; our driver hit a pedestrian. The person, thankfully, wasn't badly hurt.

The anxiety from the accident and the inability to express anger and rage were most of my emotions, but no sorrow. Because King's death was not totally unexpected, there was an uneasy acceptance. Now was the time to act, mourning would be another day.

Tonight when I began to think about that night, I hear this music.