The stock market is more than computers and concepts. It is a living, breathing source of energy and wealth. I never tire of studying of it. It is a rare occasion indeed when I watch anything other than CNBC or Bloomberg. Yesterday was one of those days.
Watching the horror of Newtown was gripping. So much pain and so much heartbreak and so utterly senseless! My heart goes out to the family and friends of the dead and wounded.
Because Americans are a "fix-it" people, there will be debate about how to preclude similar tragedies in the future. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has already requested a hiatus from any such "policy" discussion right now. Of course, they would . . . out of respect for the dead, I'm sure.
I am not a registered-Republican nor registered-Democrat, but I am a registered "gun-nut" -- as I have a concealed weapons permit. I have lots of guns and know my family and friends are safer because of my guns. I fully support the Second Amendment.
That said, the NRA does America a great disservice when it insists on maintaining the simplicity of the Second Amendment in an increasingly complex world. Scratch an NRA member and he'll warn "slippery-slope" -- because any regulation on guns will inevitably lead to the confiscation of all guns and our complete surrender to the jack-booted storm-troopers in black helicopters.
Is it really too inconvenient to change the "gun-show" loophole, where any psychopath can buy a gun without a background check? Is it really too expensive to have a psychologist meet anyone attempting to buy a $1,000 automatic weapon? Are there no limits on the weaponry necessary to guard my home? How about a field of fire laid down by a ring of Claymores? Is every restraint on gun ownership by definition unreasonable? In order to get my concealed weapons permit, I only had to pay $35. I could easily have been another post-traumatic stress veteran, but nobody asked.
It is not simply a question of how many guns are necessary. Switzerland is a peaceful nation, not known for such tragedies as Newtown, but it has more rifles per capita than any other nation. After 2-years of required national service, each soldier returns home with his rifle, which makes sense for a small, mountainous nation that is easily over-run from all sides. Are we really so arrogant that we cannot learn anything from other nations? What is the NRA really afraid of?
While the stock market is a living, breathing source of energy and wealth, discussion of the Second Amendment remains fossilized in 1776. Just as there are no guaranties in the stock market, there are no guaranties that any 21st century discussion of an 18th century worry would preclude a single future tragedy. But, it is a long overdue discussion! The paranoid NRA should be ashamed!
My right to bear arms should not trump your right to discuss the "slippery-slope!"
Watching the horror of Newtown was gripping. So much pain and so much heartbreak and so utterly senseless! My heart goes out to the family and friends of the dead and wounded.
Because Americans are a "fix-it" people, there will be debate about how to preclude similar tragedies in the future. The National Rifle Association (NRA) has already requested a hiatus from any such "policy" discussion right now. Of course, they would . . . out of respect for the dead, I'm sure.
I am not a registered-Republican nor registered-Democrat, but I am a registered "gun-nut" -- as I have a concealed weapons permit. I have lots of guns and know my family and friends are safer because of my guns. I fully support the Second Amendment.
That said, the NRA does America a great disservice when it insists on maintaining the simplicity of the Second Amendment in an increasingly complex world. Scratch an NRA member and he'll warn "slippery-slope" -- because any regulation on guns will inevitably lead to the confiscation of all guns and our complete surrender to the jack-booted storm-troopers in black helicopters.
Is it really too inconvenient to change the "gun-show" loophole, where any psychopath can buy a gun without a background check? Is it really too expensive to have a psychologist meet anyone attempting to buy a $1,000 automatic weapon? Are there no limits on the weaponry necessary to guard my home? How about a field of fire laid down by a ring of Claymores? Is every restraint on gun ownership by definition unreasonable? In order to get my concealed weapons permit, I only had to pay $35. I could easily have been another post-traumatic stress veteran, but nobody asked.
It is not simply a question of how many guns are necessary. Switzerland is a peaceful nation, not known for such tragedies as Newtown, but it has more rifles per capita than any other nation. After 2-years of required national service, each soldier returns home with his rifle, which makes sense for a small, mountainous nation that is easily over-run from all sides. Are we really so arrogant that we cannot learn anything from other nations? What is the NRA really afraid of?
While the stock market is a living, breathing source of energy and wealth, discussion of the Second Amendment remains fossilized in 1776. Just as there are no guaranties in the stock market, there are no guaranties that any 21st century discussion of an 18th century worry would preclude a single future tragedy. But, it is a long overdue discussion! The paranoid NRA should be ashamed!
My right to bear arms should not trump your right to discuss the "slippery-slope!"
