Second Amendment

Lock, Stock and Barrel

Once again today I had the pleasure of watching Fareed Zakaria's GPS on CNN. The man is intelligence personified. It was all about America's love for guns and compared this passion in the USA to the same in other countries. The point of it all was to show what other countries have managed to do successfully to either minimize the violence when citizens are permitted gun ownership or to severely limit their numbers. As always it was very well done.

The biggest surprise was Switzerland where people also love their weapons. There is one similarity. To complement the Swiss Army citizens proudly form militias and are trained just like regular armed forces in weapons use. They become expert shots and are allowed to take their weapons home but any ammunition must be stored and locked separately. I have suggested this for the USA since the 2nd Amendment says nothing about the right to bear ammunition. People scoff at this but it has merit if the production, distribution, and sale of ammo. is strictly regulated.

Swiss gun uses such as hunting are very limited However citizens of all ages including young kids are encouraged to participate in shooting contests at ranges all over the country where ammunition is available and subsidized by the government. It has become a passion like skiing and most participants are expert marksmen. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons are banned.

The big difference with the USA is one of culture. Citizens of Switzerland see guns solely as a means to defend the country, not themselves.

In another country - Australia - after their first horrible mass shooting the Prime Minister enacted severely restrictive laws and included a buy back of private weapons. Many thousands were collected and destroyed. He faced violent backlashed but the policies cut down on murders and suicides by gunfire tremendously.

New Zealand took very harsh measures as well after shocking events there.

Japan was also featured. It has some of the most strict laws on the planet. Apparently as pointed out on GPS, even their underworld - and they have a powerful one, avoids use of guns because they know how strongly the authorities will come after them if they are used. This was astonishing to me. Even the "Godfathers" come down heavily on their minions if the policy is violated.

The same old question comes up. If other countries can do it, why not America? People will give the militia argument but for a small country Switzerland is well respected for its ability to defend itself. The biggest problem in America is mentality and gun lobbies. Guns are huge business in America. The Dodge City Gunsmoke attitude is alive and well. Even major politicians love their guns.

Lastly the question of kids developing a love of shooting and killing through addiction to gaming in their formative years. I have always believed this to be a huge issue. Tech companies who make fortunes from this just like the gun companies disagree. Surprise, surprise! The almighty American dollar trumps all.

I never heard whether Trump owned guns. I doubt it only because by now he would surely have shot himself in somewhere other than the foot.

Fully automatic weapons have no place in the homes and hands of private citizens anywhere.

#thebrewsterblock

Moon Shot Artemis: Goddess of a lot of things

" One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

Who can forget those words or where they were in 1969 when uttered by Neil Armstrong on the moon? Given the state of the world today, I have to lean towards the small step aspect since it was over 50 years ago. We have been somewhat pathetic on the leaps for mankind front both at home and abroad. 

I happened to be on a post-university tour of Europe before deciding on a career. My girlfriend and I were in a campsite in France listening to the broadcast in French on a transistor radio which sat on a fellow camper's car roof. That was another small step - the transistor. (If you read this girlfriend, I'd love a copy of our pictures!)

Have we come a long way? Was that and the Challenger and all it cost in money and lives worth it? Some would say yes in the same vane as the War of Independence; the Civil War; and all World Wars were worth it. Lives are always lost in accomplishing greatness and historic change.

So in trying to decide what to write about today I glanced again at the headlines. The next moon shot was front and centre (British spelling folks. Chill out.)
Why "Artemis?" Who is this? In case you don't know (I didn't) she was a Greek goddess (Roman counterpart was Diana). Look her up: ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis; Artemis • Greek Goddess of the Hunt and Moon - Facts and Information (greekgodsandgoddesses.net). Apparently she is a goddess of the hunt , the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. As Diana, she was a virgin Goddess of wildlife (how did they know?) and patroness of hunting; She is twin sister to Apollo and daughter of Zeus, God of Gods!

No wonder religion is still in a mess and believers of one fight believers of another. No wonder women are better multi-taskers than men. Anyway NASA seem to have chosen a great name especially the sister of Apollo element and Goddess of the moon.

Now for the good stuff. Should we even be going there again? Some would say that all of those resources should be utilized here on Earth to help solve today's problems. There is one thing for certain. If this immense effort of time, resources, people, and money is necessary to send even a few people to the moon, God help (which one?) us all if we have to escape this planet because we have made it totally unlivable.

Only a very select and very rich few will be able to live on other planets. This is not often discussed but figure it out for yourselves. Most of us will be stuck below decks here on Earth just like the Titanic. And THAT is why it should not be done. How many people could all that money and technology solve here on Earth?

The other reason for focusing our attention here is that only international cooperation will solve Earth's problems. Once that is achieved it will be much easier to conquer space by combining our knowledge and brainpower.

Will this happen? Look at Russia and Ukraine. Look at China. Look at the USA tearing itself apart. It won't be in my lifetime but would you really want to live in some sort of capsule? Would you want to put on a complex space suit just to go "outside?" It won't be for fresh air - that's for sure.

Wise up people. If our leaders - and WE elect them - keep kicking the worst problems down the road for the next generation, VERY soon there won't be a next generation.

Who knows? Maybe deep down there beneath all of those dinosaur skeletons we keep discovering this has all happened before. Perhaps one rocket series should be named Atlantis.

#thebrewsterblock

Why is America S-o-o-o Divided?

 WHY is Trump so Popular with his base?

U.S. politics has always been right vs. left - liberal vs. conservative; state power vs. individual power; socialist vs. capitalistic. We face many of the same megatrends here in Canada.

Both are lands of tremendous resources and splendour. They are magnets for people who are oppressed and want a better life as represented by the Statue of Liberty.

I have written a lot of anti-Trump posts in this blog. The reason to me is obvious. I can't stand the man, and he does not even impact me directly here in Canada. What is less obvious are the reasons so many of his "base" love him. Perhaps it is time to look outside the box as they say. "Box" is a very topical word with The Donald these days so why not.

I have seen and heard one thing frequently. The GOP might not like Trump and some of his ass kissing colleagues in both Houses, but they dislike even more the alternative - Biden and the Dems. Let's take a look at that. I still maintain one thing however that I have always said. You don't chop off a foot to treat an ingrown toenail. Electing Trump to change Washington is more like the amputation.

Immigration has always been a problem for those with the good life. As the years pass, others are often brought in through immigration policies or in some cases slavery to perform the tasks many of the established will not do. As long as the dominated accept the lesser and physically more demanding jobs involving labor and long hours, things go well. It is way better than they had back home. 

However immigration as a means of helping people escape their woes back home - at the American taxpayer's expanse, is an issue. Many well off Americans see Biden's approach to immigration as too slack. Trump's appeared to be very harsh but many preferred it. If there are not jobs for those already here, why bring in more unless they possess specific skills which are needed?

Trump scored when he said it was time for other nations to pay for American help and defence. It was popular. Biden got out of Afghanistan but in a very clumsy shotgun fashion. Trump signed the treaty but Biden is taking the blame. He is staying out of Ukraine directly, but this new stand off approach is still associated with Trump. Many see Biden as emulating this.

Biden appears to be one of the most honest Presidents but people no longer care about telling the truth. Many lie in their own lives if it is to their benefit and turn a blind eye to the practice.

There is no question that many new Democrats view their own leadership as old guard and not progressive enough. The newer vision of more liberalism is dividing the party but more extremist views of the Republicans seem to be uniting the GOP.

Biden won with a lot of black voter support but his inability to pass voters rights into law has disappointed a lot of those same people.

The world is full of more problems now than Trump faced: COVID pandemic; Monkey Pox; floods; extreme drought; inflation; lack of jobs although that is improving; high fuel coasts; high interest; kids staying at home; overworked medical staff; Ukraine; China. The current President is always blamed for such things and some including Biden acknowledge that the "Buck Stops Here". Trump did not. He won't accept responsibility for anything that is tough to accomplish.

Even though Biden is probably more fit than most his age, voters worry that he is too old and that image won't go away.

Finally there are not only more right winged extremists coming out of the woodwork than ever before, they are taking actions and calling for more. Some even made it into Washington's highest circles and might still be there.

The Wildfires throughout the world are metaphors for the problems America faces. Resources and willpower are thin. Trump loves creating problems and wants more. They are a diversion from his incompetence, inability, and illicit activities. If he is re-elected he will appoint many who are also longing for Authoritarianism.

God help America and the world if Trump becomes POTUS again. As I have said before, one day Lady Liberty will abandon her post and swim back to France if he gets back in.

#thebrewsterblock

Hail the Alex Jones Decision

Alex Jones is like an Iceberg

I guess you can read that a couple of ways. There is a huge amount below the surface that you don't know about but have heard is looming there. Also we hope that he will eventually melt and disappear doing no more arm. He has already done enough.

I watched much of the CNN special last night but must admit I fell asleep. He is so over the top crazy it is boring after a while. You have to wonder how many hours he practiced his rage act in front of mirrors. It is like Trump with the downturned scowl. I think Jones must have studied Adolf Hitler as a kid (I don't think Trump studied anything) and has tried to look just as enraged. I would have expected him to have developed his own salute but perhaps that is yet to come.

Hundreds of thousands of Americans actually believe his every word. Can any sane person even believe that? I had no idea that he made his fortune by selling what is reported to be junk product - "snake oil" - on the web. If he endorses it, people buy it. How can so many Americans be that naive? Oh yes - they also voted Trump in and believe his every lie as well.

The Clintons are part of a satanic cult meeting at a pizza house abusing and sacrificing children? Sandy Hook was a hoax? The government controls the weather? They put additives in the water to make people gay so they won't reproduce? It is making frogs gay? Robert Mueller is a pedophile? These are but a few.

We can only hope there are many more convictions to come for him alone, driving him into abject poverty. He deserves it.

The bigger picture here is that finally one of these dingbats was prosecuted for lies he told and spread. It is great that America has free speech. I can stand on a soap box in a public park or on my own lawn and say anything I want. I won't be charged for standing there or speaking. But I CAN and SHOULD be charged for consequences of my words and lies.

One thing would improve all of this. The family hurting in this case, should not have to incur one cent of expense in having him silenced and even for receiving damages. They should not have had to prove that they were real; that their son was real and was indeed shot; or that hey are hurting.

That is another area of the infamous American justice system that needs to be improved.

Now focus on Trump. He makes Jones look like Mother Teresa.

#thebrewsterblock

Critical Race Theory. What's in a name?

One Clear Remnant of America's Racist Past: Lynching

To those of us who are not American, the effort by many of her politicians and citizens to hide their shameful racist past is in itself shameful. Along with its gun sickness, it is just another example that characterizes this country as a special needs country on the world scene. In modern schools there are special teachers for special needs children - not so on the international stage.

Other nations who have infamous and horrible racial pasts such as Germany and South Africa have long since acknowledged their sins. They have made a point of educating younger generations of same, in order to help prevent it from being repeated. They didn't do it with assault weapons or by trying to sweep it under the carpet. Great Britain has not gone quite as far but certainly teaches its past colonial policies to history students. 

The USA and Canada did horrible things to native people in their very distant pasts. That was an unfortunate element of all discoveries by explorers and conquerors when they settled new lands with abundant resources but were inhabited by other beings to whom those resources rightly belonged.

But there is a special place in hell for those who then travelled to foreign lands like Africa and southern islands to capture and force black people to be taken back to America (and Britain) and turned into personal property like common beasts of burden. 

It happened. Surely the way to redeem oneself is to own up to the deeds and make amends. America has indeed come a long way but at the heart of most of her problems today is the same old passion - racism. 

If you consider an alcoholic or other addict, many also fail to admit their problem and seek help. In many cases they don't think they have a problem. There is an urgent need for it to continue. They don't want it "fixed" especially if it means going public and admitting a weakness. It seems in America that racism is no different.

However there is at least one scar on America that will never go away whether they ban them all from the text books or not. That is lynching. I have just read that it took some 120 years to finally outlaw this practice, and then it is only a hate crime! Indeed!  How can anyone have hesitated for so long to make such an horrific practice illegal in every single state? Are there really people who plan to use it again? Were some of them the ones yelling "Hang Mike Pence" on January 6th, 2020? 

You can also charge a lynching perpetrator with murder but why was the practice itself not put on a parallel with murder deserving equal punishment? It is just a personal form of 1st degree murder driven by hatred. American law has always been based on the premise that no one person or group can be judge, jury, and executioner. Apparently lynching was an exception.

It seems like a "no brainer" to the world at large. Perhaps those two simple words provide the simple explanation for taking so long to do the right thing.

Trying to abolish critical race teachings is just Critical Race Tinkering. The cat is out of the bag. The world and history already know.

#thebrewsterblock