Can you imagine the effrontery of what Georgia's
legislature euphemistically calls the "Safe Carry Protection Act"? Just ask any parent of a child who was at the
Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter.
Georgia "Cracker" takes on a new meaning. Crack! Pow! Rat-tat-tat! To what extreme and at what cost of lives do
we take the interpretation of the Second Amendment? When the Second Amendment became part of the
Bill of Rights the reigning weapon was the Musket, accurate perhaps up to the
length of a football field, and if you were experienced, perhaps you could get
two shots off per minute. Compare that
to today's weapons. Is that what our
Founding Fathers meant, the right of every citizen to carry AK-47s which can
fire 600 rounds per minute with a maximum range of 30 football fields?
Georgia takes this to another level. Bring your gun to
your favorite bar, have a few drinks, and shoot 'em up! Then, go to church with your fellow gun-toting
religious zealots and pray! And, bonus time, give a gun to your kid to take to college!
Georgia now joins twenty two other infamous states with some form of "stand your ground" laws as opposed to eighteen states that
have laws imposing "a duty to retreat," seemingly a more civilized law that puts the burden on
the threatened individual to avoid deadly force where reasonable (like getting
the f**k outta there!), only resorting to deadly force where unavoidable, such
as being in one's home during an armed home invasion.
I've written about this before, ad nausea. Here's but one of several on the subject that makes the point. It just seems that in the wake (sadly and certainly no
pun intended) of the Newtown, CT tragedy, the NRA has simply put state
governments in its powerful lobby cross hairs (pun intended). Frankly, although I support the second
amendment for hunting and target practice, it's dispiriting that we can't have
stronger laws to outlaw automatic weapons and institute laws that mandate
registering weapons as we must register automobiles (which can be equally lethal). It's a stain on our legislative resolve (or
lack of it to be precise).
On to more amusing reading, actually an extended book review of A Left Hand Turn Around the World: Chasing the Mystery and Meaning of All Things Southpaw by David Wolman. I am among the 10-12% of the world's lefties, and I wear
my anomaly with pride. When younger,
they tried to change me to a righty as my handwriting was abysmal. (Still is.)
But I rebelled in the 5th grade, and almost was "left" back as
punishment. Back then I learned from a
Dick Tracy comic book how easily it is to spot a lefty (we normally, but not
necessarily, wear our watches on our right wrist). I'm grateful to be a lefty,
which was an advantage in many competitive sports, particularly (for me) tennis,
baseball and basketball. Lefties seem to
be more prevalent today in those sports. Cream to the top!
Although God himself is obviously right handed (“The
right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.”
Psalms 11), I proudly join my fellow lefties, crazy though some claim us to be.
But at least I'm in good company with Albert Einstein and Barack Obama. It was a fun article to read, certainly more intellectually
salubrious than anything relating to the "Safe Carry Protection Act."
On even a more personal note, today is our 44th wedding
anniversary. We were married at the New
York Ethical Culture Society, only blocks from Ann's apartment at 33 West 63rd
Street and mine at 66 West 85th Street. Another
milestone to be celebrated by a special dinner out tonight.
