Stewart Myrent
I also thought that Beverlee's post was hilarious, although I would never own a cat, as I think that cats are selfish little varmints, and for them, it's all about me, me, me. I also am not crazy about people who have the same mind-set. Janis, I also was surprised that those people in India, the dead man's relations, seemed litigious. I was very surprised to hear they had sued the local town. I, also, am getting totally fed up with Congress' lack of accountability, relative to the gun crisis in this country. But, of course, you realize that they are all getting $ from the NRA, unless they are totally outspoken against firearms & the NRA. I had hoped that after the mass shooting at Stoneman H.S. in FL, those kids would actually effect some change in this country. (Time will tell.) I was very impressed by those kids' message & their eloquence & I wondered if we would have the guts & determination to press the issue, as they did, when we were their age. I have never owned a firearm (but somehow made it to 71, without one). I have no idea why semi-automatic rifles are sold to anyone in this country, as long as you are all of 18-years old. I do not hunt wildlife, but I'm pretty sure hunters do not use AK-47s to hunt. That wouldn't be very fair. So, why are AK-47s, and similar weapons, available to virtually everyone? I can think of no logical reason. Unless you have a penchant for killing other humans. If that's your motivation, then it's probably a perfect weapon. Other than that, I have no idea why they're sold in this country. The only time I have fired a weapon, was when I was in the military. In fact, after I got back to my unit, after basic training, I had to qualify with a .45 caliber pistol. I went out to the firing range, put the pistol in my left hand (I'm left-handed), aimed carefully & pulled the trigger. My left arm shot up in the air (I wasn't expecting the kick) & the range officer rushed over to me, grabbed my left arm & took the gun out of my hand. He said, "You're done!" after that first shot. I looked at him & said, "Did I pass?" He said, "Of course, you passed." That was the last time I ever pulled a trigger & that was 50 years ago. Somehow, I've made it through life w/o a firearm. I am not advocating repealing the 2nd Amendment, although if it happened, it wouldn't bother me one bit, but where does common sense fit in with all of this discussion? I'm pretty sure the Founding Fathers could never foresee the development of semi-automatic weapons, but so what? They did provide for a method to adapt to changing times, but could they foresee a totally unresponsive & irresponsible Congress? They should have, because they had similar problems way back then. I saw yesterday that our beloved president, on the day that 13 people were killed in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, told his rally crowd that he almost cancelled his appearance, because he was having a "bad hair day". Who gives a shit? I would feel exactly the same way, if this disaffected killer had fired his weapon in a Catholic church, a Protestant church, a Buddhist temple, or anywhere else. I am hoping, of course, that in 9 days, or so, we will elect a Congress, that will be responsible & put a check on the Oval Office. Have any of these Republican enablers, ever heard of "separation of powers"? If they have, they certainly don't act like it. Got to go to work.
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