Watch and Wait President Obama has proposed using the Federal “no-fly” list as a register to deny the purchase of weapons. Seems like an easy win. Some say, however, that it would be unconstitutional, violating the Second Amendment, or that it would be simply unworkable due to the errors inherent in the list itself. I don’t buy “unconstitutional”. There’s a provision in the Constitution to protect the “freedom of assembly”, i.e., the right of persons to travel and to associate with one another freely. Banning them from commercial air travel could be interpreted as a violation of this right, but nobody minds that: Because nobody wants to be on the plane one of those banned bombs. Well, nobody wants one of those banned to head to the office and start shooting up the place, either, do they? As for “unworkable”, Carly Fiorina’s “friend” notwithstanding, I don’t buy that either. Her friend got off the list eventually, and now, presumably, flies hither and yon regularly, without guns, of course, but probably still has to take his shoes off and stand in the scanner and have his carry-on bags wanded, etc. Waiting for the next mass shooting or the one after that is what’s unworkable. Watching people buy guns whom you suspect would be trouble on a plane is what’s unworkable. The concern that being unable to buy a gun would tip a suspect off is just stupid. They’re already not allowed on a plane. Don’t you think that might make such a person concerned for their status regarding law enforcement? The NRA bought-and-sold politicians will make up any excuse to do nothing regarding the regulation of firearms. They ignore the part about a “well-ordered” militia in favour of an armed rabble that inevitably includes psychopaths and criminals. “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” come up-front ahead of other rights. Want a gun? Join the military.

Who's Got the Guns? O.k., it's America, so the first answer is everybody. Except that's not right. What we need to remember while Ferguson burns is that the police have the guns, and having the guns means using them right. Quoting from Spiderman is simplistic, perhaps, but with great power comes great responsibility. Having guns and the right to use them means using them responsibly. Having the legal power to use force, even non-lethal force, for the purpose of controlling crime means using force responsibly, with restraint and judiciousness. A lone cop against a lone alleged assailant shouldn't require a spray of gunfire. The grand jury got it wrong. Well, they got what they got, and that led to wrong, so the question has to be what happened to lead them to their decision? Why did they think that all that gunfire didn't warrant an indictment? Maybe we'll find out from AG Holder, but I have my doubts. We surely won't find out from the arrests that will follow the riots. We didn't find out after Rodney King, either. But it's long past time we did, that we asked ourselves the questions: why are police so quick to shoot and kill unarmed black men? Why do we need our police to be so heavily armed that they serve effectively as an occupying army? Our politicians have let this get out of hand. In the scramble to be most "tough on crime" they give the police far too much leeway, far too many powers, and even where judicial restraints may exist, this requires judicial review, and it's too late by then. There were marches in the 1970's and '80's to "take back the night", a campaign against sexual violence against women. Maybe we could use some "take back our communities" now.

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice [Schools]
The NRA, after skulking off into what turned out to be wholly temporary obscurity, including shutting down their Facebook page (they have friends?), has returned with some truly awe-inspiring gun-nut belligerence.  Armed guards in schools is what we need to keep our kids safe, and less violence in video games and t.v. and movies (and in the home, maybe, do you think, like fewer guns lying around . . . o.k., no, not so much that part).

Never mind that there are plenty of schools already with armed guards, including at Columbine, even when that school massacre was perpetrated, more guns is always the answer.

Write to your representatives in Washington, in your State capitol, in your county government, in your municipality . . . write to everyone.  Tell them you want regulations and tell them they can't have your vote if they take one more dime from these asshats.

I'm writing to mine every day until I get an answer and a commitment.

Update
Arm the priests!