I apologize for not having Ask A Bastard done as well as a three week dry spell on Sunday Morning Crazy. I know I’m phoning the blog in lately. I have reasons, but they’re kind of irrelevant. What matter’s is I’m working on getting back on track as soon as I can.
I’m writing on something else. Not on my reduced-meat diet (not just because of Shannon), my reduced WoW time (honestly, it is reduced. People may not think it is, but I can cite evidence proving my point) or my dad’s upcoming birthday (he would have been 63). I’m writing to announce that we, as a nation, are doing it wrong.
see more crazy cat pics
By it I mean the way we take care of each other and administrate our society. Take for instance my lovely city. Chicago recently experienced a significant upswing in violence. Our response is going to be SWAT teams on the street.
I honestly do not think that this will solve the problem.
I don’t really know what will fix the problem at hand; although, a few bloggers feel that MORE GUNS and getting rid of DUE PROCESS is obviously the answer. I’m hesitant to link the blog I’m referencing because its violent and crazier than the creationist blog I linked earlier–and this guy likes to brag about violence. I don’t want to pick a fight with a gun with a gun. Bullets mean I lose. However, I’ve linked the google search I used to find it, so feel free to peruse it. If he finds his way out here, I’ll deal with it then.
While I’m not sure how to stop the violence, I think blaming Liberals (or the new cobag term “liberal fascism”) is asinine. We’ve had over four years of a conservative majority in the government–things are worse now than when Clinton left—and yet Liberals’ get the blame?
I have an unrelated anecdote and rant after the break. Enjoy!
Technorati Tags: Chicago, Gun, Political Rant, politics, Southside, Violence
Yesterday I learned from a colleague that any problems in San Francisco’s Juvenile Justice System stems from Liberalism. This is patently untrue. The problem stems from a system that has lawyers arranging case management services for juveniles while probation assists the police in arrest minors. I learned this tidbit from a director of San Francisco’s probation department. This is not how probation in Cook County works. I tried to explain this to my colleague, and he said, “No. Its liberals. Its San Francisco.”
When i tried to explain state government and the requirements of probation systems in California, I was told “No, its liberals.” In citing how state government works, and the influence of other more conservative counties, I was told, “No. Its San Francisco.”
This is not discourse. This is willful ignorance in the face of the facts. I cite examples, I am told I am wrong because, “it’s Liberals.” How can one have discourse with a person who refuses to listen or discuss facts?
I do not believe it is possible to have discourse with people who get their facts from NewsMAX, Drudge or corporate-bought-and-paid-for Science. It is exhausting to try.
Hell, its sisyphean in nature attempt it, but I don’t think it is responsible to give up because it is damn near impossible. It just means I have keep learning to enjoy the minor victories.
Right now, I feel like I am at the bottom of the mountain, getting ready to push the boulder tgat I know is going to fall back down. I’ll rejoice when I get to the top, and get that one momentary feeling of success, before doing the same thing over again.
(speaking of doing it wrong: Seth told me I misspelled sisyphean. I swear I read it spelled sisyphian. Whatever.)
Liberals are not to blame for everything that goes wrong in a society…not even in San Francisco. Likewise, neither are conservatives, although I’ve had a damn hard time convincing a lot of supposedly-enlightened people of that in the past. Incompetence knows no politics. It’s equal opportunity.
I don’t want to get rid of due process. Due process is important. There’s got to be ways to speed it up, but you just cannot skip it and still say you live in a civilized society.
Now, for something that’ll probably get me some serious behind-the-monitor growls from people. I am a fanatic believer in the Second Amendment. I believe one hundred percent in the INDIVIDUAL right to keep and bear arms. I believe that gun control does nothing but disarm those citizens who decide to follow it, and doesn’t do a damn thing to get guns out of the hands of those for whom a gun control law is just one incidental speedbump on a path of more serious felonies.
But that will do nothing to help your crime wave. Because from the articles you linked, this looks like gangbangers killing gangbangers, plus whoever else gets in the way. These aren’t home invasions, where a gun would help someone defend themselves. No, this is a lot more systemic. The breakdown of families and the coarsening of the culture, mainly. It’s possible to get into an argument over whether forty-five years of the modern welfare state has done more damage than good to inner-city families, but this far gone, that’s neither here nor there.
Fixing this problem will take more than SWAT teams. In fact, it’ll take more than government could possibly ever do. And I don’t know if the folks in the middle of it are willing to do what it takes.
I would blame GWB for the increase in violence. Given the fact that he’s ruduced the standard of living except for himself and his oil cronies — I blame him.
personally, I blame people who blame “the modern welfare state”.
Right K-Unit…I blame Bush Co.