Walkin' in a Splintered Gun-derland pt. 1

   In the fallout of the Newtown, CT tragedy, gun control has become a fertile ground of rabid debate. I've already gotten in a few arguments on the topic and I have not found anyone able to convince me to change my opinion. Despite what some Arizona lawmakers seem to think, the laws governing firearms need to be tightened in some way. Make no mistake, I'm not professing that I have the exact solution, I merely recognize the progress that must be made. The facets of this issue are many, (and I plan to address as many of them as I can think of, one at a time) but today I want to address only the logical fallacy of comparing gun control to drug laws.
   This is one of the most common arguments facing people like me. NRA supporters just love throwing around the 'how's that war on drugs going, and why should we ban guns when the drug war is failing so miserably?' Yes, it's true that if we banned guns it would create another criminal enterprise like the drug cartels. However, there are very few people in the country who are actually trying to completely ban guns, and I am not one of them. However, if you are of the opinion that firearm regulations in the country as a whole are anything but lax, you are mistaken and it deeply worries me. Both sides of this debate like to point to the children, so here are some facts with regard to guns, drugs and children. 40% of high school students admit to having tried marijuana, a schedule 1 illegal narcotic**. Also, one third of families (that's 33 and a third percent) in America who own guns also have children*. I was not able to find any data regarding how many children actually tried shooting a gun to compare to trying marijuana, so these statistics are not exactly parallel, but it illustrates my point, that there is already less demand for guns than there is currently for drugs among young people. And drugs are entirely illegal, not simply (under)regulated. With these obvious gaps in demand for guns versus drugs, I have a very hard time believing then, that gun control laws will lead to criminal activity on the same scale. Put it this way, there are already illegal weapons markets in the U.S. supplying weapons to organized crime groups who don't want to deal in serial numbers and licensing. Would restricting widespread access to guns lead to more of the general, law-abiding population to turn criminal, buying guns illegally just to have them? Compared to the current demand for drugs even though they are illegal, I see no logical reason to believe that increased gun control would bring drug-level criminal activity.
   What I really want to say about all this is that drugs are for self-destruction and guns are for the destruction of something or more accurately someone else. Therefore, from an ethical standpoint, I see huge differences in laws regarding one and the other. Like banners and headlines cry out, my interests are in the protection of the children, not protecting the guns. Maybe we need more in-depth psychological evaluations before gun licenses are issued. Maybe certain kinds of guns, like automatic weapons should be banned, but hunting rifles should be OK. Maybe we should raise the legal age to use guns or even include gun safety in schools. Maybe gun safes should be mandatory or there should be increased ability to track who is buying and moving guns. Maybe gun license renewals need to be more frequent. Maybe the qualifications to get a gun should be harder. I don't know the best solution, but I do know the worst solution: inaction and denial.
   No real harm can come from increased regulation, only perceived harm. Guns are not the only method of personal defense, and hunting is not a necessity. I could even see me, personally, target shooting for recreation, however, I also play video games for fun. If Counter Strike 1.6 was responsible for the deaths of a classroom of kindergarteners, I would feel the same way, and call for the game's banning. And no, I'm not talking about the influence on the crime, I'm talking about the means; no video game disc can fire .30 caliber rounds 800 times a minute. The video games vs. guns post is one for the future. The evidence of apathy to this cause fills headlines with the worst news imaginable, and no solution will make everyone happy or work instantaneously. However, we need to make a conscientious effort and we need to try now, before another maniac, who ought to be in a jacket that makes him hug himself, exploits the gaping loopholes and lax laws, and another community is left in desolation and grief.
Sources:
*http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/gunsafety.html
**http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/marijuana-use-in-high-school/

The Gist of my Sis and the Sad of my Dad

    My grandma recently 'voluntarily' decided to stop driving and my dad is batting around several ideas for what to do with her car. His front-running option is to put enough money into it to make it run and pass inspection, and promise it to my sister when she gets her license. All well and good, until you realize that my sister is 24 and has resisted my father's driving instruction for six years. I'm two years younger than my sister, and I've had my licence for almost three years now. I bought my own car which I'm still making on-time payments for. I learned to drive primarily by myself, and with help from my wife and her aunt, and a bit from my parents. My dad, by the way, was usually too tired from arguing with my sister teaching her to drive that he didn't have much time to teach me. I've beaten around to bush in many conversations with my dad, so here I'm going to be blunt. My dad is spoiling my 24 year old sister.
    It's especially infuriating for me, because in my opinion he did a very good job raising me. I have an accurate moral compass, and I have good decision-making skills which is really what the goal of parenting should be. My sister is lazy, frightfully irresponsible, and her conscience isn't strong enough to combat peer pressure or the power of suggestion. To boot, she is utterly convinced of her own superiority. When she was younger, she struggled with simple math problems; she would finish one, move on to the next, and already have forgotten how to get the solution. My father got so frustrated trying to help her he would sit next to her telling her that she knew how to get the answer, and she still struggled. Somehow she now believes she her opinions are always right, and traditionally, she is usually wrong. She is covetous, and will frequently use or consume something belonging to others, and this likewise stems from their past interactions. More times than I can count, I was made to share a portion of my meal at a restaurant with my sister because she asked my dad and he instructed me to give up a bite. No wonder she doesn't respect the thoughts and feelings of others.
    Sorry to laden this post with a huge sob story at my sister's expense, but I see the underlying issues they seem to refuse to address. My dad and I have had several conversations about my sister, and his frustrations with her. He told me how powerless he felt, that with her being 24 years old he has no leverage with her. His leverage lies in all the MANY MANY things she asks for that he provides her with including food, items and cold, hard cash as well as the things he voluntarily gives her, like the car. It's quite simple: either she is independant of her father, or dependant on him and everything that implies. If my dad wants to keep appeasing her with money, then she is dependant and he has absolute claim to any rules he tries to enforce. If she is independant, she can ignore any rules she pleases, but she has no right to anything from her father, be it money, assistance or even shelter in the house she's made no indiciation of ever moving out of. Dad, if you want to motivate my sister to drive, then stop giving her rides everywhere. Make her walk or take the bus. That's fucking motivation. That is allowing her to fail and learn from her mistake instead of living life with the bumpers up, with daddy protecting his little girl from the slightest possibility of experiencing failure or negative emotions. Dad, you need to be OK with lettering her fail, and more than that, letting her know when she is full of shit. I always was charged with reigning my friends in from making fun of her. Maybe if we hadn't been so restrained, she would have a more accurate outlook on who and what exactly she is. Instead if her current delusions where she can do no wrong, reinforced by her father.

Imagine ALL the People

    Happy 2012 all! For those of you who saw the ball drop last night, do you remember Cee Lo Green singing "Imagine" by John Lennon? Not too bad a rendition if I do say so. I was admittedly apprehensive when I saw who was singing, but the soulful version Mr. Green brought to New York wasn't bad. He did catch some flack for changing the lyrics, saying "all religion true" instead of Lennon's original "no religion too" but these are the times when we must seek mass appeal (but that's another blog entry). What pissed me off about the ceremony was the attire of Cee Lo in context.
    If you were paying attention, you would have seen the singer in a black fur coat decked out in gold accessories. Which is fine for a artist trying to appeal to urban listeners, but "Imagine" is what he's there to sing! Does he have any idea what the song is about? It really struck me when he sang the line "imagine no possessions/I wonder if you can." ...Well I know someone who can't imagine 'no possessions.' Any meaningfulness that might've been brought to the song was obliterated by the blatant opulence.
    In all honesty, I don't begrudge Cee Lo Green for having money or nice things. Just recognize and respect the message of the song you're singing for Christ's sake. The outfit would've been fine if the song was his classic "Fuck You," but not for an idyllic utopian song about how humanity as a whole could come together and share the world as equals. All I'm saying is that some people are dreamers, and some people are paid to pretend to be dreamers; I don't think Lennon would've counted Cee Lo Green among dreamers with which to join. Certainly not based on the evidence presented.

Not Talkin' About The Football Team

    Understanding has great potential to prevent conflict. Frustratingly enough, one catalyst of conflict I've witnessed stems from the misunderstanding of one word: Patriot. Patriotism is a strongly emotional word, but it's flung around far too much. Admittedly the height of paranoia in the wake of 9/11 has subsided, but the abuse of the word is still a go-to method of attack for two kinds of people: idiots, and those who intend to control us.
    Patriotism is defined as devoted love, support and defense of one's country. Too many individuals become so blinded by that love, however, and feel that to support one's country one must follow whatever we are told without question. The simple act of calling elected officials and lawmakers into question can draw accusation that you do not support the entire country, which is unquestionably fallacious. Unfortunately this kind of catastrophizing is very popular, and draws a great deal of public support. And why not? who wants to appear unpatriotic, especially in the middle of a crowd? Cries of who is or isn't patriotic is used to great effect to control many kinds of people, and it's comical.
    I love my country, I am thankful for everything my country provides for me. However, to claim there are no problems, that nothing needs fixing, is bluntly delusion. I would probably come under fire, and be labeled among the "Blame America First" group, of which I believe is a gross oversimplification. However, if I am looking for flaws in America, and finding them, I have two options: leave the country, or try to fix it. If I'm trying to fix it, then it's because I believe the problem can be fixed and the change would benefit the whole country. Change is not bad, and it is illogical to assume that a desire for change implies a hatred of the the entire nation. I can hate one aspect and still love the whole. From the lyrics of Immortal Technique, "I love the place I live, but I hate the people in charge" and as the graffiti says on the 590/490 can-of-worms "You can't spell 'Patriot' without 'Riot.' As I keep coming back to, think for yourself.

Have Yourself A Merry Little One

    I hope all your Christmases and Hanukkahs were and are enjoyable! Welcome back, let's dive right in to what pissed me off this Christmas. Your first question is probably why I'm talking about Christmas when I've made no secret of my Jewish descent. I subscribe to whatever religious practices I want without the label. I like celebrating Christmas, so y'all can deal. Now, I'm sure you're now wondering what could possibly have pissed me off about such a happy time, and the offending party is closer than you or I might think. Family. You can't choose 'em, and you can't choose to ignore 'em.
    My wife and I made a last minute decree to not leave the house at all on Christmas. With the presents forgone, we decided to respond to her grandmother's guilt-ridden phone message asking us to Christmas dinner with her by ignoring her. In a stroke of honesty, we told my parents of this, and they immediately began in with the shame to goad us into dinner with them and my grandmother. "Or at least you could come down and talk with her for a while." My grandmother, by the by, was coming to my parents house for a traditional Hanukkah dinner scheduled for Christmas day.
    I rapidly grew weary in life, of the phrase "well it's family" or "well he's family" or "she's family" as if that is all I should need to go against my better judgement and my personal preferences. Throughout life the only family member I ever chose was my wife. Other than that, I'm stucm with and emberassing hodgepodge of people I don't see eye-to-eye with and who disapprove of me. Why should I sacrifice so much for a person who thinks so little of me? The moral of the story is that for coming down and chatting with my grandma, she gave us a Hanukkah card with $25 in it. That translates to each of us getting paid $12.50 for 45 minutes of awkward, pointless conversation in which both sides speak but not about each other. In my opinion, not worth it. Keep the card and the money. I'd rather have spent the time the way I wanted, with only my chosen family.