Doublethink again. As Frank pointed out in his post Police Oversight and Dead Children, “Our society is all about guns; men are supposed to like them; boys are supposed to play with fake ones. I wish it weren’t so. But it is wrong for a society to tell a boy in a million ways that guns are cool and then blame him for getting killed.”

I was looking for an incendiary image that I could use for my last post. I wanted a picture of a woman looking afraid while holding a gun, so I typed “woman holding a gun” into Google search. The images that popped up were disturbing, but not in the way I was expecting.

I understand the phallic nature of guns, the sense of control and power that holding one apparently exudes, but I still think it’s a stupid and dangerous fetish. I presume that’s the reasoning behind making paintball and other types of “toy” guns look so realistic, so boys can play men (and by “boys” I mean grown men who don’t want their toys to look like toys). Actually, I understand that too.

Unfortunately, there are too many real guns in the world and therein lies the real problem.

In yet another accidental shooting here in the U.S., a child is dead simply because someone who had no business having a gun in the first place, left it lying within easy reach of a child. So today, a 5-year-old boy is dead in a tragedy that was, as a chief deputy astutely observed, “avoidable.” Of course it was.

Leaving a child and a 6-month-old infant unattended is a negligent thing to do. Leaving those same children alone with a loaded gun is reprehensible. People make stupid choices every day, but stupid choices involving guns are pretty much guaranteed to go badly.

Even if she weren’t armed and afraid of being alone, children should never be left in the hands of someone who won’t actually be looking after them. What sensible person would leave a loaded weapon on a coffee table and then take a nap? If you’re afraid of being alone and the gun makes you feel better, nap with it! Better you should accidentally shoot yourself than lose a child left in your care.

This image and accompanying text are from a multi-forwarded email that I received this morning.

This Guy Had The Guts To Put This On The Internet

There are people in my life whom I love in spite of our vast political and religious differences. (I feel a little like Diana Nyad dealing with Oprah — Oprah only sees what she wants to see.) So rather than respond to this rhetorical bile and risk offending someone whom I would rather leave in blissful ignorance, I’ll vent here.

[Editor’s note: I have not altered the unique grammatical structure or punctuation of this proud American’s defiant, unapologetic and God-fearing expression of patriotism, however I have omitted the variety of typefaces, American flags, eagles, photos of kittens appearing to pray, and so on.]

Is this apoplectic outpouring of patriotism from a real person or is it just a Conservative variation of the ancient Chain Letter? Is MSgt Arthur R Mason USAF a real person? The only indication that he might be a walking, breathing (if not thinking) human being is on a restricted (and I’m pretty sure I know why) Yahoo! Group: “Army Security Agency Vets – A club for the top ten percent.” Verifying his existence isn’t really important. What’s important is that MSgt Arthur R. Mason USAF (Ret.) had THE GUTS to maybe have posted this rant on the internet himself!

Regardless of the original writer of this offensive, ignorant tirade, it is being passed around like a note in a 7th grade classroom. There is much to correct, mock or easily disprove, but what’s the point? People either agree with it or they don’t. I don’t, but obviously there are many people like MSgt Arthur R. Mason USAF (Ret.) who are filled with rage at imaginary wrongs and feel compelled to spew their impotent and misguided opinions at anyone with an email address.

UPDATE

This is a screenshot of page that I can’t get to now without joining the group.

[1] Unless you’re in another country, you will be sold a Big Mac in English.

[2] God helping me not to fear

Bill O’Reilly, mouthpiece of the Great White Male, recently came out, not from the closet silly, but almost pretty much in favor of gay marriage. Apparently he’s okay with civil unions and really doesn’t care either way. I don’t know how old his kids are, so he might end up pulling a Portman someday. According to Politco, O’Reilly said the following:

What’s next, Rush Limbaugh saying he supports women’s rights? I know that’s a pipe dream. He’s more likely to suffer an on-air aneurism (which could happen and would be truly inspirational).

I am not a great follower of history, but Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of the few names that comes to mind when I think of people who gave of themselves to make this a better society.

Being white, I am naturally ignorant of the true struggles of any other race. I know my world; I hear rumors of others. And yet, here I am, at the request of a friend, blogging about a man, an historical figure, about whom I actually know very little. What I do know is that, because of men like Martin Luther King, Jr., our world ― as far from ideal as it is ― is better and more unified. His strength and bravery, his choice to become a voice for his people, cleared a path toward self-respect and hope. His people being anyone oppressed, abused, tortured, or murdered because of the ignorance, greed, and brutality of other human beings.

See also King on Poverty.