Dump Saruh

Eugene Robinson – Guns and responsibility

No doubt, Robinson will receive death threats from freedom-loving patriots defending themselves against the violent rhetoric of the Left. Giant sarcastic air-quotes around each of those words.

Eugene Robinson – Guns and responsibility

By Eugene Robinson

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

We may not be sure that the bloodbath in Tucson had anything to do with politics, but we know it had everything to do with our nation’s insane refusal to impose reasonable controls on guns.

Specifically, the rampage had everything to do with a 9mm semiautomatic Glock pistol – a sleek, efficient killing machine that our lax gun laws allowed an unstable young man to purchase, carry anywhere and ultimately use to shoot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head. The weapon also was used to shoot 19 bystanders, killing six of them, including a federal judge and a 9-year-old girl. …

We do know, however, that Loughner reportedly had a history of drug use and bizarre behavior. Students and a teacher at a community college that Loughner briefly attended found him so erratic, confused, menacing and potentially violent that they persuaded college authorities to bar him from campus pending a psychiatric exam.

Yet on Nov. 30, he was able to walk into Sportsman’s Warehouse in Tucson and purchase the weapon that authorities allege was used in Saturday’s rampage. He apparently also bought extra magazines loaded with ammunition.

To buy the gun, Loughner was required to pass a federal background check – and he did, a store manager told reporters. It is against federal law to sell a gun to someone who is mentally ill, but there is no indication that Loughner was ever officially deemed to suffer from mental illness. Even if he had been, there is a good chance that his name would not have been properly entered in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. …

Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign, said in a statement that "if Congress had not allowed the ‘Assault Weapons Ban’ to expire in 2004, the shooter [Loughner] would only have been able to get off 10 rounds without reloading. Instead, he was able to fire at least 20 rounds from his 30-round clip."

Eugene Robinson – Guns and responsibility

photos

A Walk in Albuquerque’s Bosque

Those outside of New Mexico probably have no trouble imagining the desert aspects of New Mexico, although this is the high desert, the land of sage, not saguaro. And, although everyone has heard of the Rio Grande, most probably can’t imagine the riparian habitat that hugs the floodplain and banks of the river. The dominant native vegetation of the bosque (riparian woods) is craggy, sprawling cottonwood, which can become enormous over a long lifetime. Possibly the largest remaining bosque in New Mexico is also in the heart of New Mexico’s largest city, Albuquerque. Among the many trails within this largely public space is the Aldo Leopold Trail (ALT), constructed almost two years ago. The trail leaves the paved Paseo del Bosque Bike Trail (which itself is a treasure of the community) near the Rio Grande Nature Center (another gem), located where Candelaria dead-ends near the river. A short section of the ALT is paved. All of it is level. When the pavement ends, the sandy trail pushes closer to the river, affording many views of the river, waterfowl, and the western bank of the river. On Thurs afternoon, 1/6/11, we walked about 3 miles round-trip, taking us nearly as far north as Montaño bridge, where the sandy trail re-joins the bike trail. Near that end point, we sat on a massive fallen cottonwood someone had carved into a couple of benches. In an hour and a half, we nearly forgot we were surrounded by a city. We only encountered two other people on this trail (riding horses), although we saw perhaps a dozen bike riders on the bike trail. We also saw a bird we’ve seen only once before and never in Albuquerque. Here are some pictures (click any to see larger versions and captions, which also pop up as you hover over each photo):

On the west side of the Rio Grande. Seen from the east side, as we were hiking the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NM.

Peregrine falcon seen along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NMPeregrine falcon seen along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NMPeregrine falcon seen along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NM

Ice in the Rio Grande along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NMMontaño Bridge overlook seen from the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NM.Beaver activity along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NM.

Canada geese seen along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NMRed-cheeked flickr seen along the Aldo Leopold trail in Albuquerque, NM. We saw more than half a dozen in one tree.Hooded merganser in the acequia near the Rio Grande Nature Center in Albuquerque, NM.

It is far too easy to ignore this beautiful sliver of land and water in the heart of Albuquerque,
in the heart of New Mexico, in our hearts. Get out and see for yourself, wherever you live.

A Walk in Albuquerque’s Bosque
dreams

Press 3-5

In the dream, I entered a large room for a meeting. I approached a podium to check in. A woman said, “Press 3 – 5.” I looked at the top of the podium, which featured a large joystick on the left and three buttons at the bottom: [345] [3] [345]. The guy in front of me stared dumbly at the controls. I pushed him aside, but also stared without comprehension at the maddeningly dream-like interface. A guy (that guy?) said, “There’s the [5] button,” pointing to an area above the others, mixed in with buttons of various types, none of which had characters I remember.

At that point, I *felt* the involvement of a part of my mind that wasn’t caught up in the dream. That part speculated this was a test. I imagined – I did not see in the dream, but imagined about the dream – that there was a small screen, one line tall, a few characters wide and that whoever could perform the instructions despite this absurdly adverse setup would be selected. (For what?)

Later, awake, and telling the dream to Merri, I wondered if the guy I pushed out of the way was me. Not just in the sense of “you are everyone you meet in a dream.” Impatient with my own failing, I pushed myself out of the way. But I think the voice that identified the [5] was not the external narrator who hijacked the dream.

QOTD

Gotta Love Ebert (Best Line of the Day)

Season of the Witch :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

Ever since Bergman’s “The Virgin Spring” was remade as “Last House on the Left,” his work has suggested a rich mine for homage.

You know I am a fan of Nic Cage and Ron Perlman (whose very existence made the “Hellboy” movies possible). Here, like cows, they devour the scenery, regurgitate it to a second stomach found only in actors and chew it as cud. It is a noble effort….

Season of the Witch :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews

"It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." — Sam Adams