The Gun Debate

As the debate over gun control rages across America, there is only one truth that stands out: the issue brings out the worst in Americans across the spectrum. Civility, rationality, compromise, and common sense are replaced by vitriol, racism, name-calling, extremism, and partisanship.  No one is clean.  Not the pro-gun people; not the anti-gun people.

To the anti-gun folks who believe we need to get rid of all the guns, and that people who like guns are all crazy-ass, redneck, trailer trash:  Get a grip!  First of all, there are millions of perfectly sane, safe, law-abiding gun owners from all walks of life in this country.  They have the right to own their weapons.  It's that simple.  There is also the fact that it is logistically and politically impossible to ban and/or confiscate all guns.  Would I like a world with no guns?  Yes.  I would.  Is it a reasonable expectation? No.

To all the gun nuts out there who think that if we allow ANY gun controls, Stalin and Hitler are going to rise from the grave and destroy America and her way of life: Get a grip!  NO ONE is coming for your guns.  No matter how paranoid you may be, the US Army and law enforcement won't be invading your house any time soon. The government at this particular point is only asking that you  a) show you are not a felon, crazy, or on drugs, b) not going to sell your legally purchased weapons on the black market for a profit, and c) give some thought as to why you may need an automatic weapon with a 30 round clip to go deer hunting?

I am a proponent of tighter gun controls and always have been. At the same time I respect the rights of those people who choose to own guns. I think that the proposals put forth by the current administration are quite reasonable: tighten and expand the background checking procedure, curtail illegal gun sales, and eliminate the sale of guns, such as automatic rifles, for which no reasonable gun advocate or sportsman has any real use.  No one in a position of power is calling for an outright ban or confiscation of ALL weapons.

There is room for compromise in this debate if people could only come to their senses.

Damn the Redskins su...wait...What?

What is this?  A glimmer of hope?

Despite the fact that my once brilliantly hued burgundy and gold heart has turned to the color of mud and dismay at the state of the NFL these days has significantly dampened my enthusiasm for the game, I can't help but feel a spark of excitement for the emerging Redskins. At 8-6 and in the midst of a five game winning streak, the Skins are going into their final two games - against hated rivals Philly and Dallas - with a serious chance of winning the division and making it to the playoffs. The Eagles are in complete meltdown, and the Cowboys have some serious chinks in their armor, so anything is possible. My belief in the Redskins still hasn't risen past the "I'll believe it when I see it" phase (too many years of futility for that to happen yet), but, Holy Turn Arounds, Batman! What if?

Shame the world is going to end on Friday.

HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!

The PC Culture of Censorship

You know the world has taken a turn for the absurd when I agree with George Will on anything other than baseball.  In today's Washington Post, Will opines on the death of free speech in this age of "sensitivity" and "diversity". As is his wont, Mr. Will blames the academic liberal elite for much of the problem and cites anecdotal evidence that would make any self-respecting liberal cringe.  I totally agree with the idea that, as a people, we should be sensitive to other people's feelings and that embracing diversity in our culture is a truly noble and valuable thing.

The problem is that we've seem to gone over the edge to embrace hyper-sensitivity.  It's one thing to use the "n" word or other other epithets that promote hate and violence against any group of people. But it's entirely another thing when you can be sued for looking at someone in a way that they "perceive" to be offensive. Let's say I'm at my desk at work listening to a Slayer cd on my headphones.  I have the cd case next to me, and a co-worker walks by, sees the cd cover, and, for whatever reason is offended by it. Should I be sanctioned by my employer?  If I'm on the bus reading William Shirer's, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, should I have to be worried I might offend someone because there's a swastika on the cover of the book? Where does it end?

Free speech is one of the cornerstones of American society. I disagree with everything that bloviating buffoon Rush Limbaugh has to say, but I don't deny his right to say it. The fact is that some folks out there simply need to grow a spine.  Peace, love, and harmony would be great, but the world is an ugly place. There are people out there who are going to say and do things you don't like but are within their rights to do so. Deal with it!




This song is 30 years old and still as relevant now as then.

Dead Kennedys

"California Uber Alles"

I am Governor Jerry Brown

My aura smiles

And never frowns

Soon I will be president...

Carter Power will soon go away

I will be Fuhrer one day

I will command all of you

Your kids will meditate in school

Your kids will meditate in school!

[Chorus:]

California Uber Alles

California Uber Alles

Uber Alles California

Uber Alles California

Zen fascists will control you

100% natural

You will jog for the master race

And always wear the happy face

Close your eyes, can't happen here

Big Bro' on white horse is near

The hippies won't come back you say

Mellow out or you will pay

Mellow out or you will pay!

[Chorus]

Now it is 1984

Knock-knock at your front door

It's the suede/denim secret police

They have come for your uncool niece

Come quietly to the camp

You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp

Don't you worry, it's only a shower

For your clothes here's a pretty flower.

DIE on organic poison gas

Serpent's egg's already hatched

You will croak, you little clown

When you mess with President Brown

When you mess with President Brown

[Chorus]

Four More Years!

I am relieved.  I am relieved that this interminable election is finally over. I am relieved that Barack Obama has been re-elected as president of the United States.

The task ahead for the president is a daunting one. The partisanship that divides the nation is deep, and if the vitriol flying in the comments section of the various newspapers I read today is any indication, it will continue for the foreseeable future.  My hope (although John Boenher's quotes in the Washington Post today don't give me much comfort) is that the Republicans in the House and the Democrats in the Senate and the president himself will see that what is needed to set the country on the true road to recovery is a return to the ideals of compromise that the United States was founded on.  The compromise that had to be achieved in order to create the Constitution in the first place.

There are serious problems the government needs to address which can only be tackled with the co-operation of both parties.  I hope that over the next four years President Obama makes deals that piss off both the left and the right.  I hope he gets Republicans and Democrats from both extremes to finally realize that progress needs to meet in the middle.  If he can do that, we will see what actually happens when a president is allowed to do his job govern.

The country is recovering.  The recovery is slow, but it is moving. The ballot initiatives that gave the right for LGBT couples to marry in Maryland and Maine and the votes to sustain the Dream Act to allow children of undocumented immigrants to go to school without the threat of deportation, lead me to believe that maybe, just maybe, the country is moving towards a more tolerant society in spite of the rantings of the ideologues. Obama was gracious in victory, and I can only hope that the Republicans can be as equally gracious in defeat

There is no joy in Mudville.

In what can only be described as a crushing loss, the Washington Nationals fell to the St. Louis Cardinals in game five of the NLDS. The Nats went ahead 6-0 in the third inning with a power barrage that had been missing most of the post season.  The Cards fought back little by little until, with two out in the 9th and down to their last strike, scored the go ahead runs to win 9-7.

I take solace in two things. 1) During spring training, no one in their right minds would have predicted that the Nats would have made this far, let alone have the best record in the MLB (Hell, not three years ago the team lost 103 games).  It was a great season. 2) Most of the team, which, overall, is VERY young, will be around for a long time.  They will get their chances at post season play again.

Unlike the haters and the fair weather fans out there, I don't have any bad words for Davey Johnson, who should be in line for Manager of the Year in my opinion, or for any of the players. The simple fact is this:  the Cardinals were the better team, and they won.  It's baseball.

I'm terribly disappointed, but I LOVE THIS TEAM!

See y'all in the playoffs next year.

Here we go! It's do or die for the Nationals in Game 5 of the NLDS!

Boy oh boy oh boy! So far, this entire NLDS has been insane!  All four series, Tigers/A's, Giants/Reds. O's/Yankees, and The Nats/Cards, have gone to 5 games for the first time in MLB history. It's been exciting baseball all around.

Now, as the Nats/Cards game 5 approaches, I find myself getting more and more excited.  The Nats have their best pitcher on the mound, Gio Gonzales, who struggled to find the strike zone in game 1, but has a history of bouncing back from a tough outing and dominating.  The real question will be the Nats offense. Can the Nats get to Adam Wainright, who struck out 10 in game 1?  The Nats have the momentum after a dramatic walk-off homer by Jayson Werth last night in front of a boisterous hometown crowd tied the series at 2-2.

No matter what happens, it's gonna be a wild, fun ride!  GO NATS!!

PRETTY FRICKIN' BUENO!!!

NATIONALS ARE NL EAST CHAMPIONS!!!!

A sensational season! 96-64! Best record in baseball! As a fan that jumped on the Nats bandwagon from opening day in 2005, this is truly a great experience!  After all the losses and the futile seasons, this is definitely worth the wait.  The first playoff baseball in DC in 64 years since the Homestead Grays went to the Negro League Championship in 1948.  Man, I would love to be back in DC today!!

Now it's on to the next task: the NLCS!!

GO NATS!!! GO NUTS!!!