PeaceBang
The manic mind of the minister -- Auntie Mame Meets Cotton Mather. Blogging about Unitarian Universalism, UU Christian spiritual practice, occasional cultural and political ravings, and the inner life of ministry. PeaceBang is the alter ego of a small town pastor serving an historic New England Unitarian Universalist congregation.
“Sire, The Peasants Demand The Right To Bear Arms!”
June 28, 2008 on 9:15 pm | In Activism, Cultural Commentary | So says the frantic-looking lackey to the sardonic, pint-sized king in a frame from the much-missed comic strip, “The Wizard of Id.”
The king, always deliciously arrogant, replies, “Then rip off their sleeves.”
I laughed and laughed when it ran over twenty years ago and have never forgotten it.
Here’s the full NY Times story of Antonin Scalia’s and the other conservative Supe’s latest great contribution to American jurisprudence, with a truly mind-boggling photograph of pro-gun protesters included (the photo could be titled, “White Guys Just Wanna Have Guns” sung to the tune of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”). Can someone explain the logic of “If guns kill people, do pens misspell words?” Maybe it’s because I’m a bit down in the dumps today and the old mind isn’t particularly keen, but this just plain baffles me. I know someone out there can lay it out like an algebraic equation, a=guns a=pens, there’s an obvious analogy there, let me ’splain it to you. Please do.
Meanwhile, I’m disgusted and sickened by the decision — for some reason, Cher singing “If I Could Turn Back Time” runs through my head — probably because this ruling does seem to turn back time when we should be moving forward with gun control, not insisting that the second amendment really has nothing to do with the 18th century context within which it was ratified.
Aw, hell.
Let’s just tell a few jokes, then.
“They say guns don’t kill people; people kill people. But I think guns help. Just standing there saying bang doesn’t really hurt anybody. - Eddie Izzard
“I’m all for gun control. Sometimes I shake a little; I’ve got to use two hands.” - Tom Kearney
“Why do I need a gun license? It’s only for use around the house.” - Charles Addams
from “The Wizard of Id,” Brant Parker (artist) and Jonny Hart (writer)
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I’ve been more of a gun control guy but the Police have failed so badly protecting folks in the cities that I have a hard time telling people they can’t keep a hand gun in the house for protection. Look at Father Pfleger in Chicago who’s been leading the charge against gun stores and you’ll notice he has a security guy with him.
Comment by Bill Baar — June 29, 2008 #
Gun control is only as successful as the desire for people to adhere to it and in this country, where an undercurrent of violence and fear run barely contained within the surface, this will be a tall order that simply restricting gun ownership won’t begin to address.
Don’t take away guns, seek to understand why people feel a sense of contentment and self-satisfaction in pulling the trigger.
Comment by Comrade Kevin — June 29, 2008 #
Doesn’t the “pens mispell words” argument have to do with what Aristotle would have called confusing the efficient cause with the formal cause? Guns and pencils are just the tools (efficient causes) in the hands of people with ideas (formal cause) for bringing about some end (gun injuries or misspelled words).
Dear PeaceBang, I’m only a relatively new reader of your blog, and I enjoy it immensely, but I have to agree (with some qualifications) with Comrade Kevin: Let’s try and understand what motivates people, and then deal with that. Einstein is supposed to have said that the Fourth World War will be fought with sticks and stones… Disarmament, whether at the personal or national level, will only really work when all parties agree that it’s in their best interest. Sadly, I don’t think we’re there yet.
Oh, and pardon me for grumbling, but couldn’t your proposed caption for the NYTimes story be interpreted as just the tiniest bit sexist/racist? I know it was a joke (and I’m a big ol’ Cyndi Lauper fan to boot). But can’t we move beyond that? White guys with guns is as ugly a stereotype as any. [Who, me? I’m just innocently commenting on the reality of that particular photo. If you can find any women or people of color in there, let me know. Otherwise… !!
Thanks for writing. - PB]
Comment by Terry B — June 30, 2008 #
I’m as pro-control as the next person, but I have to say there’s a lot of hope in this decision. (No, I haven’t been knocking back the Scotch at 6:00 a.m.) Scalia comes out and says that certain kinds of controls are probably OK (felons — and that’s a big group, sadly — mentally ill people). He also indicates that the right (just like free speech) isn’t inviolate: people can’t carry a gun at any time, any place, for any purpose. This means that we CAN put some limits on gun ownership.
I’m hopeful that this decision will lead to more artfully drafted laws that will really cut down on the horrific level of gun violence. We’ll have to see. [I’ll try to see things your way, Mom. And let’s hope your hopefulness is worth hoping for. - PB]
Comment by DairyStateMom — June 30, 2008 #
Unfortunately, I think gun violence is inexplicably tied to our culture of violence. I don’t care about people having guns, in general, and I don’t see gun control laws having much impact on people committing crimes with them. A high schooler can buy a gun for $50 even in a place like Portland. If I want to go to the store and buy one legally, I can expect to pay around $300 for the same 9mm.
(I know I’ve done the research). Something’s wrong with that picture.
But underlying all of it, is this culture that mocks communication and diplomacy as weak (or “French”), and glorifies violence as the final solution. I don’t know what to make of it some days.
Comment by h sofia — July 1, 2008 #