Insanity

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.


At some point, sane people figure out what to do that changes outcomes. That means we are learning how to cope with our world and make a difference. Allowing gun ownership to expand beyond one gun per person living in our country (330 million guns versus 325 million population) and then living with mass shootings where someone brandishes a gun in public, then uses it to kill anybody and everybody around him. Killing the shooter or sending him to prison for the rest of his life does not solve the problem.


Grabbing all the guns in the nation will not solve the problem either.


However, making gun laws that are so weak they are generally uneforceable, is nothing but cover for the gun industry and its asinine lobbyists and gun owners. No one is taking responsibility for the outcomes decried by everyone.


So, at least we can agree on one thing: we want and need a reduction in gun violence. That is the objective. Focus on that.


Now for the solution. We don’t truly know enough to solve the problem because it has become so overwhelming an issue. What do we do about that? We study the issue, research it, and come up with commonsense approaches to solving the problem.


Trouble is, the gun lobby asked and received support from Congress not to study the issue; no research; no government funding for the research. It is a banned subject. In spite of the need for it, a wall of denial has been built. It appears to be more effective than any wall we shouldn’t build on our southern border.


My position on gun violence has been to request gun owners to come up with a solution. Allow them to participate in finding the solution. Include them in the process so they believe in what is getting done.


If they and their lobbyists shrug off this responsibility, the next solution is simple: confiscate guns by category of violence.  AK47’s? Melt them down if they are not owned by the military or police department. Handguns? Same solution.


Now, I don’t want this to happen. Responsible people owning guns is OK. For sport or hobby, I don’t care. For protection I do care. To maintain a well regulated militia I think is OK, too; however, be reminded every state has its own National Guard Units, and we have well equipped police and sheriff departments across the land; and lastly, we have the US Military.


Doing anything less and expecting the desired result is insanity.


Another instance of insanity is imposing tariffs on friend and foe nations around the globe. Expecting them to wage no retaliation is foolishness.


Fair trade, fair pricing, fair commercial operations can only be expected as the result of sincere and meaningful discussions and negotiations. Shooting the enemy first, then asking for his help is not only unreasonable, it is too late. The victim is dead.


So will our nation and its economy be dead.


Congress, do your job. Courts, do your job. The Constitution demands it. And We The People expect nothing less.

We already know the chief executive is out of control and part of the problem.


August 7, 2019