Guns & Roses?

Santa Barbara, California is just the latest slaughter site of insane gun laws. The rights of one trumps the rights of all in the view of the NRA…and of Congress…and of countless state houses throughout our land.

It is time to say no.

And I mean no!  NO!

This is not the Wild Wild West of 1830, or 1850, or even of 1880. This is 2014. We do not need guns in every hand or in every home, or on every street corner. Maybe we need a gun on a hike in the desert to protect us from poisonous snakes, or in the forests from bear, or in Beirut, or Tehran, Baghdad. Or Cairo.

This is downtown San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Miami. Is there danger there?  Probably. But there is an army of police and other security to protect the innocent in those places. Those cities are glorious centers of commerce, art, education and hope for mankind. In those places medical research and services are available to save lives and to improve them as well.

It is the neighborhoods that worry me. The homes and apartments of good and decent people. There are few police officers and security details per capita in those areas. But that is where the growing presence of guns is.

And why is that? Because the guns and arms industry want it so. They make lots of money. They buy the services of lobbyists who will say anything to influence the interests of their client. Because they get paid big dollars to do so. Because they can. because money buys speech.

And money buys votes in legislatures and Congress.

And the people of the land do not respect the elected officials in those bodies because the people of the land are weeping. Weeping. Over their dead sons and daughters and grandchildren. Kids slain by gun owners. Gun owners who have been coddled and protected so they can buy guns whenever they wish, with very little fanfare. Crazy, emotional wrecks or innocent people. They buy guns. Because they can. not because they need to.

And they use those guns not to protect themselves but to spread mayhem. Because they do not control their guns. They have little control over them. The guns get out of their hands. Someone else gets ahold of the guns. And uses them against innocent people.

Trouble is they don’t use them against the very people who enable this manslaughter – the legislators and congresspeople who vote the special interest money. And why? Because they get money from those lobbyists and use the money for their re-election campaigns or whatever.

And these same people wonder why they get little respect!

Please vote against any politician who votes to support the NRA.

It is time for the American people to take back the streets and make them safe from guns.

You and I can do it.

So do it. Now! It is time all can smell the roses.

May 27, 2014