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| courtesy of arlenew.com |
I am in no mood to look at the planet alignment over Aurora, Colorado to try to find the malefics in place that would explain yet another shooting. Oh, I am sure they are there and I am also sure that if we found out the birth date of the shooter and the victims we would find some links….. Frankly, I am tired of looking for connections for shootings. I am sick and tired of it all.
I am also tired of my fellow progressives who might be inclined to light some candles, sing some songs and move on. There is nothing wrong with either candles or songs. I am a huge fan of both. What I am not enamored with is a weak Progressive movement that refuses to stand up to the gun lobby.
Yes, I know it is easier for corporations and the NRA to control members of the political right because if you tend to go right you ascribe to the more paternalistic, authoritarian structure and find it easier to follow rules set down from “on high.” Yes, I also know that those on the right are more prone to follow a dogmatic religion and tend to believe things no matter how far-fetched if they appear authoritarian. They will follow rules, stick together, not question and buy information without demanding a lot of evidence. I do have a degree in Political Science – I get that.
Now it is time for the Left to say we don’t care that the NRA and gun lobby can shout “Communism”, “Socialism” – words many of their undereducated followers haven’t a clue about their true definition. I don’t care that they can make placards saying, “Protect the Second Amendment” and know that thousands will rally around them even without a bit of historical knowledge about how it and why it was written.
Now it is time for the Left to come together, put down their candles and their lattes and say, dammit we want it to be illegal for a person to get 6000 rounds of ammunition off of the Internet. It is time for the Left to demand the reinstatement for the assault weapons ban. It is time for the Left to say if you call yourself a patriot then you should care that police officers are not sitting ducks out there.
We must cover the backs of our politicians by saying if you don’t support gun laws you won’t have our vote the same way the right says the opposite. We must call offices and write letters and make this an issue in this an every other election.
Lighting candles after another tragedy doesn’t do it anymore. We need to be proactive, demanding and mad as hell – and stay that way after the faces of the victims fade from the television screen.