I'm afraid I don't have anything to say - profound, stupid or otherwise - about today's horrible news. All I can say is that it was horrible, and we already know that. I kind of gave up after Sandy Hook, as far as hoping anything would be done about gun control, or ammo control, which would be a good thing too. I mean, I know what I'd do, if I were President. Or I should say "attempt to do", because even if I was the President I'd still be only one person. But I'd have the ultimate political platform, and I would use my Presidential power to try and begin the elimination of guns in this country. Yep, the total elimination. My platform, and my effort, would not be anti-Second Amendment. I am not against the right to bear arms, as it stands today, over two centuries since that right was guaranteed. And I know that a lot of gun rights proponents are sane people, folks who feel the need to own a gun for protection, or for hunting. I, as a non-vegetarian (for now), cannot quibble with the hunters, at least those who hunt for food. Trophy hunters, that's a whole 'nuther story. They would be some of the first people who would have their guns taken away under my program, if I were President. But they would not be the first. Or maybe they would be, because for the most part, they would be easy to identify.
You see, if I were President, I would at least try to do something about gun violence. And what I would try to do, is to wipe out the problem, or at least take it way way down, to the low levels of instances seen in countries like New Zealand. It would be my Moon Program, my ambitious legacy project. JFK figured it would take several years from the time of his announcement to put a man on the Moon. My Gun Elimination Project might take a lot longer; twenty years, maybe. Maybe even 100 years. It would begin as voluntary. Turn in your guns, we are going in a different direction. If you truly feel you need a gun for protection, you may keep one for now (or a very limited number). However, if you are found to have an arsenal, or even one gun over the limit, you will face life in prison.
I would attack the gun problem the way that medicine is supposedly attacking cancer, though that may be a bad analogy. What I mean is that I would throw the book at the problem, and ultimately I would use the military to go door to door if necessary.
You see, I myself don't need a gun. I don't need one for "protection" (and how many homeowners or citizen gun-packers ever actually come up suddenly against a criminal, and win such a battle. I will bet the stats are very low).......so I don't need one for protection, even though I live in a major city, and I am not a hunter. I have never owned a gun, and I have never fired a gun.
I believe in intelligence. I also believe that if I do not need a gun, neither do you. However, I am aware of the presumptuous nature of that statement. Perhaps you do feel you need a gun. That is why, if I were President, I would make clear that my Gun Elimination Program was going to take time, and that those folks who were, or are, living in fear may keep their guns for the time being, so long as they did not have more than the limit, which would probably be two guns in any given house.
I would go after gun manufacturers, and makers of ammunition. That would be very difficult, but I would stand my ground and remind the public that my program would take at least twenty years and maybe longer.
Basically, I would begin to throw a wide but ever tightening net around guns, all guns, in this country, except those used in law enforcement or the military. Yeah, I know the warning fables about totalitarian societies, but for now I would trust my police departments and my military, and to enhance that trust I would go hard after any bad apples in those agencies. Bad cops would not be sheltered, nor any soldier who was not fit to be in the armed forces. Once again, intelligence would rule the day. Low brow cops would not be hired, nor recruited for the military.
Gun criminals would be shown zero leniency.
So you see, this would be my program, if I were President. It would be my Moonshot, my most ambitious project, and I would begin by at least trying to do something about all of this. And ultimately, I would use the military to go door to door, to take away any remaining guns, after the twenty year period was up.
And then, after that, after a long period of eliminating guns, I would still not eliminate the Second Amendment. Once all the guns were eliminated and the manufacture tightly controlled, I would allow citizens to apply to purchase a handgun (one) for personal protection, or a rifle (one) for hunting. But the scrutiny of each application would be as strict as if the applicant were going to become a neurosurgeon, or if they were going to work at Area 51. You get the idea.
Intelligence would rule the day.
I know it's a broad theory, and someone could drive holes in my logic if they wanted to, or try to drive holes. Gun proponents are energetic when it comes to the defense of the reasoning that "guns are here to stay".
It's just that I disagree 1000%. And if I were President, I would give it my all to at least begin to eliminate guns entirely. ////
End of tirade.
In happier news, Elizabeth, if you are reading, I liked your photo this morning from backstage at Sonic Boom. I did not know who the musician was (sorry, lol, but I had to Google), but no doubt that is because I am unhip, haha, and from what I Googled I see he is the singer for a very popular band, Sleeping With Sirens. I noticed that you mentioned not wanting to come off as "that person" - i.e. the proverbial backstage fanatic - but I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with simply wanting to meet a person a get a picture taken or an autograph or both. Or even just to say hi.
There are degrees, of course, and that is what separates an overzealous fan (or groupie) from a Serious Fan.
I will now humbly (hopefully humbly, haha) submit myself as a Serious Fan, and one who sought to meet and get photos with every Rock Star I ever saw in concert, at least up until the mid-80s.
Or wait a minute........I did it to Uli Jon Roth when I was 46! So scratch that disclaimer...
The point is, just go for it. Which you already know. :)
The whole point is to Just Have A Blast at concerts. The bands are Having A Blast, the fans are Having A Blast, and so wanting to meet a band member and get a pic is part of the deal. :)
I saw your photo of James with Chris Jericho also, and you wouldn't believe it, but Mom and I used to watch that WWA show (or whatever the letters were) that was on prime time TV back in 1999-2000. The show on network TV that was hosted by Vince McMahon and his daughter Stephanie. Yeah, lowbrow I know.....but it was fun lowbrow. Back then, they had The Rock when he was first starting out. They had Triple H, who was my favorite (and Mom just went along with whoever I liked), and they had Chris Jericho, who had super long hair back then.
We would watch the show every Thursday night when I got home from work at Deluxe. It was only a short term fad for us, just a few months, but it was a lot of fun.
R.I.P. Tom Petty. I was not what you would call a direct fan, but like everyone else I liked some of his music. That was the thing with Petty, and I mentioned it to Grimsley, that everyone liked at least a few of his songs. I think that is about as good as you can do in music, to have tens of thousands of very devoted fans, and to have millions more who like at least some of your output. And on top of that, I think everyone would agree that Tom Petty was one of the coolest guys to ever come down the rock 'n roll pike. God Bless him.
That's all for tonight. :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment