A New York Times commentary exposes the fallacy of "Guns=Freedom"

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Monday December 17, 2012 · 5:21 AM PST

2012/12/17 · 05:21

The most cogent, thoughtful piece I've read on the significance of the widespread distribution of firearms in American society and its affects on our freedom and the quality of our democracy appears on the Opinion page of this morning's New York Times. I recommend this highly and have sent the link to a wide number of individuals, especially those I know who speak so intensely about the importance of guns to maintain our freedom. The full link is here:
The Freedom of an Armed Society

The author, FIRMIN DEBRABANDER, points out the essential fallacy of the "Guns=Freedom" argument in two ways. First, citing Hannah Arendt's "On Civilization," he shows how the possession of firearms in public places (or even the likely assumption that many would make in a heavily-armed society such as our own that those around them are likely to have guns) is first responsible for the creation of hierarchy and the dissolution of equality of citizens necessary for democracy to flourish. Furthermore this is also probably responsible for silencing individuals rather than enabling dialogue and discussion, the true and essential quality of a democratic society. As he says:

A favorite gun rights saying is “an armed society is a polite society.” If we allow ever more people to be armed, at any time, in any place, this will provide a powerful deterrent to potential criminals. Or if more citizens were armed — like principals and teachers in the classroom, for example — they could halt senseless shootings ahead of time, or at least early on, and save society a lot of heartache and bloodshed.
As ever more people are armed in public, however — even brandishing weapons on the street — this is no longer recognizable as a civil society. Freedom is vanished at that point.

WorldWeary

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Friday November 02, 2012 · 6:30 AM PDT

2012/11/02 · 06:30

Dear Red States:

We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics, and we've
decided we're leaving. "Legitimate rape...." Really. We in
California intend to form our own country and we're taking the other
Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes New
York, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan,
Illinois and the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial
to the nation and especially to the people of the new country, The
Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get Andrew Cuomo
and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin. We get the
Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand. We get Intel and Microsoft. You
get WorldCom. We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and
entrepreneurs. You get Alabama. We get two-thirds of the tax
revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share. Since
our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian
Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families.

With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the
country's fresh water, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of
America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners),
90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, most of the US low
sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy
League and Seven Sister schools, plus Berkeley, Stanford, Cal Tech and
MIT. With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese
Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US
mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99%
of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush
Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

38% of you in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a
whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death
penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that
Saddam was involved in 9/11, and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you
are people with higher morals then we lefties. We're taking the good
weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.

Why I haven't contributed to the Obama campaign

WorldWeary

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday October 01, 2012 · 8:33 AM PDT

2012/10/01 · 08:33

I have to admit it. Though I have contributed about $1000 to various progressive House and Senate candidates in the current election, I have not yet sent any money to the president's campaign. Also, I am not likely to. Today's Daily Kos reminds me why. Follow the spoor for more.

WorldWeary

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Monday September 10, 2012 · 2:32 PM PDT

2012/09/10 · 14:32

Events and Data on the heels of the great Democratic Convention, the mendacity and downright ikky-ness of Romney-Ryan, the incredibly great polling data from literally all over the country and in every swing state, suggests that Obama will destroy Romney. But that in itself is problematic. It ought to be a progressive priority to work on the down-ticket contests with a Dean-ian Fifty State Strategy. More below.

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A New York Times commentary exposes the fallacy of "Guns=Freedom"

Dear Red States (note from a friend)

Why I haven't contributed to the Obama campaign

Obama will win. But the big issue is Congress.