Category: Politics

David Swanson says ‘Memorial Day THIS’

David Swanson writes:

Imagine if at some point during the 1990s or 1980s the President of the United States had given a speech. And this was his speech:

My fellow Americans, I’ve been regularly shooting missiles into people’s houses in several countries. I’ve wiped out families. I’ve killed thousands of people. Hundreds of them have been little children.

I’ve killed grandparents, wives, daughters, neighbors. I’ve targeted people without knowing their names but because they appeared to be resisting an occupation of their country. I’ve killed whoever was too near them. Then I’ve shot another missile a few minutes later to kill whoever was trying to help the victims.

I don’t charge these people with crimes. I don’t seek their extradition. I don’t even try to kidnap them. And I don’t do this to defend against any imminent threat. I don’t make you safer by doing this. It goes without saying (although the people in the countries I target keep saying it) that I’m generating more new enemies than I’m killing. But I urge you to remember this: All but four of the people I’ve killed have been non-U.S. citizens.

Is it just me or are we complacent about drone attacks as a country? Is it because it’s not boots on the ground? Or do we somehow believe it’s just a means to an end?

Jon Stewart on the NRA Convention

 

So much to appreciate here…

  • Pointing out both sides use fear to promote their agenda — one of my BIGGEST complaints with our political system.
  • Showing the irony in calling the government the evil tyrant that we must protect ourselves from and then applauding the government for being the good guys.
  • Pointing out that there’s no way to always know who the good guys are and who the bad guys are — and if they’ll always stay that way.
  • And pointing out that if a good guy becomes a bad guy (as sometimes happens) in the NRA’s mindset, you’ve already given them a gun.

A co-worker pointed out last week that if the real reason we need guns is to protect us from the evil tyrant of a government – he wants an F-16. Because an AR-15 isn’t going to protect him from the largest military in the world.

I agree.

Seems we’re going to either really have to up our own personal weapons arsenal – or drastically downgrade the U.S. military.

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Also – for some additional fun, The Daily Show came to Dallas this past week to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

The clincher line – “They do the jobs we don’t want to do, staying sober and staying politically engaged.”

Defense Distributed claims working 3D printed handgun

What does it say about handguns in our country when the ability to print your own handgun using a 3D printer isn’t a game changer?

And although this is a fascinating provocation, it is not (yet) a game-changer, especially in America where traditional guns (capable of firing thousands of rounds without melting down) are cheap and easy to get. You can even "3D print" a gun by asking different CNC shops to cut and overnight you all the parts to make up a working gun, breaking the job down into small pieces that are unlikely to arouse suspicion.

via Defense Distributed claims working 3D printed handgun – Boing Boing.

If Obama asked me about gun control

gun control

It’s been a little over a month since the Sandy Hook shooting. 27 dead in one day – the majority of them were six-year old children.

And since Sandy Hook, we’ve seen more than 1200 other shooting deaths around the country.

The details of Sandy Hook still seem somewhat sketchy, which is leading a lot of people to claim it’s a conspiracy and others to drive a solid line in the sand on one side or the other in the gun control debate.

Since the shooting, President Obama has issued his plan, based on Vice President Biden’s advice but they never asked me for my advice. I’m sure you’re all super surprised.

Oh well – I’ll share it with you and anyone who will listen.
Continue reading If Obama asked me about gun control

Civil liberties need a strong education

Blundell and Gov. Rick Perry
Gov. Rick Perry and I after a 2006 interview | Photo by Perry staff member

Amid budget shortfalls and huge cuts predicted in public education (K-12 and higher ed) it’s interesting that I came across this bit from The Texas Declaration of Independence.

it is an axiom in political science, that unless a people are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self government

The statement was made in support of Texas’ reasons from seceding from Mexico, citing no educational system had been put in place in Texas at the time, even though the resources where definitely there.