God and Guns
There is one big problem common to both God and Guns. While everyone thinks they understand both God and Guns, that is, who or what they are and what they represent, the fact is, very few of us really do. This absence of understanding of God and Guns has created problems of monumental proportion for the country threatening not only our way of life, but the existence of the country itself.
The failure to understand God, most obviously, is of the far greater importance of the two problems. Also, the lack of understanding of God dramatically contributes to the second problem of not understanding Guns. I would not be so presumptuous to attempt to explain God in the next few paragraphs. And also, each person must try to understand God in their own private way. While most of us cannot hope to ever totally understand God, we all must try to do so. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? Do we have a purpose? Do most of us even ponder these questions?
The greatest importance of God for human beings is the knowledge that God exists. The knowledge of God’s existence provides a spiritual and philosophical aspect to our lives. This allows human beings to establish standards of behavior, order and civility which further allow us to enjoy the world God has provided for us. Unfortunately, in many parts of this world, the ignorance of God and absence of these codes of conduct eliminate the inhibitions of murderous men to inflict death and suffering on their fellow human beings.
Fortunately, our own country has never experienced this extreme condition. However, the country effectively is drifting away from not only an understanding of God, but also, even the concern of whether a God actually exists. The consequences of ignoring God are, conversely, the deterioration of standards of behavior, order and civility. The most profound manifestation this deterioration is the current Depression the country is experiencing. The very clear cause of this Depression is the total loss of confidence in the country’s financial system and even the government itself. This loss of confidence was brought about by the greed, fraud, lies, and base dishonesty of thousands of employees of the financial institutions which bilked trusting customers out of their life savings, retirement accounts, homes, jobs, and even caused some people to take their own lives. The ruthlessness of these thieves was stoked by a complete disregard of morality, honesty, integrity, and fear of punishment. The consequences of this Depression are yet to be realized however, the existence of capitalism as an economic and political system is severely threatened. What impact could this Depression have on our lives if one of any number of alternative “very bad” final conclusions occurs?
The bottom line is that the absence of the acknowledgement of God removes a moralistic foundation for the country. Only with a belief and acceptance of God can the consistent practice of morality and honesty be achieved. If morality and honestly are no longer emphasized within the culture and throughout the media, if children are not taught the value of morality and honesty, then morality and honesty are practiced less and less and the country suddenly finds itself well down the road leading to complete moral and ethical decay which is now precisely the case. Civilized society cannot successfully exist under these conditions. Confidence in the country, government, economy, financial system, etc depends on the acceptance and practice of the general population of the underlying principles of morality, honesty and ethics. Therein in also lies our own happiness with our country and its lifestyle. History repeatedly proves this premise. “He that would live completely happy must before all things belong to a country that is of fair report.” (Simonides of Ceos 556-469 B.C.)
*****************
The complete lack of understanding of guns by nearly everyone was created by a barrage of television, video games, and movies delivering the message that “it is cool to kill people with guns.” The “bad guy,” of course, must always die a violent death. Additionally, of course, to make it realistic, “good guys” must also get shot. However, it cannot be said that guns are inherently “bad.” Quoting Shane in the movie of the same name, “A gun is a tool, Marian. No better or worse than any other tool, an axe, a shovel, or anything. A gun is as good or as bad as the man using it. Remember that.”
Therefore, regarding guns, one fact must clearly be understood at the outset. Guns are inherently “necessary.” They provide defense for our country’s military and law enforcement agencies. They provide a means for hunters to practice their sport and maintain wildlife populations to manageable levels. We need guns period. Of course, the Constitution guarantees “the right to keep and bear arms.”
The lack of understanding of the Gun is complicated by two facts:
1. “Bad people,” (however they are defined) shouldn’t be allowed to purchase, own, or bear guns.
2. The average person, that is, the great majority of people, are not knowledgeable about what is the actual purpose of a gun. What is a gun for? As fantastic as that might seem, it is nonetheless, true.
To clarify the understanding of the Gun, consider each of the above facts separately. Regarding Fact #1, intelligent laws must be enacted to prevent criminals, mentally ill persons, (and people defined by other exclusive criteria) from purchasing, owning or carrying guns. An application for a permit to purchase a gun from a business or even a private owner should be as comprehensive as an application for a mortgage for a home. Proof of employment would need to be verified, and a great deal of scrutiny would be attached to the process of owning a gun. Unfortunately, with all the “bad people” in the world, it has come to this.
The huge criminal elements and the drug trade are equally huge customers for guns. These are the people whom should be outlawed from owning guns. Of course, the “bad guys” will come up with ways to get the guns anyway. But, at least, this would be a start. The enacted laws would need to provide severe penalties for anyone in possession of a gun that is not their own and anyone who does not have a permit for it.
Fact #2 is complicated by the misinformation about guns as disseminated in the aforementioned television, video games, and movies. However, this part of understanding the nature of guns can be simplified. A gun really has one purpose. A gun is a weapon used to kill people or animals. That’s it. (I know gun advocates scream about guns for target shooting and all that nonsense. However, why would a person need to be good at shooting targets if he or she isn’t going to use a gun for its ultimate purpose, to kill.)
There are basically two kinds of guns. First, there are guns used for hunting animals. Second, there are guns used for hunting (shooting) people. Looked at in this context, the owner or potential owner of a gun must ask himself, “What am I going to do with this gun? Am I going to use if for hunting animals or for shooting people?”
If a person is going to use the gun for hunting, that is fine. Hunters hunt with guns used for hunting animals. That’s very obvious. However, the big problem comes into the conversation with the other kind of gun, the people or “anti-personnel” gun. What kinds of guns are available for shooting people? Today’s Wall Street Journal had listed by state weapons confiscated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives. There were grenades, machine guns, AK47’s, pistols, shotguns, rifles and other assorted high powered types of guns. If this kind of weaponry has been confiscated, how much is out there has not been confiscated and is in the hands of “bad guys?” These kinds of guns are specifically used for killing people. These kinds of weapons are for criminal usage. The average person doesn’t own these kinds of weapons nor have any need for them. This is where the regulation is desperately needed. First, however, the production and distribution of these kinds of weapons on a massive scale must be halted.
The gun producers have a great system. They produce guns they know will fall into criminal hands. Then they produce guns for the police. But, they produce even bigger guns they know will fall into the criminal hands. Then they produce even bigger guns for the police. Does this system of ever bigger and more sophisticated guns and weapons sound quite a bit like the “arms race” between countries? There’s a lot of money to be made by killing people!
Two events earlier in this week underscore the problem. In Germany, a seventeen year old high school student randomly killed fifteen people. In Alabama, a twenty-eight year old man randomly killed eleven people (some family members were specifically targeted). How these two people had access to that much firepower is the first question which should be answered.
Should a person have a gun for self-protection? Most people would answer this question “Yes.” And, that could be the correct answer if it weren’t for a very simple question: “What am I going to do if I “need” to actually use the gun against another person?” Most people never really consider that. Will they actually use the gun when the time comes? Again, most people say “yes.” The problem is, when the time comes, pulling a gun and pointing the gun at a person is a very big step into the abyss. The rule is to never pull a gun unless you fully intend to use it. Once the gun is in your hand and pointed at another person, the dynamics of the situation change very rapidly. The person the gun is pointed at may also have a weapon, in which case he will probably fire his weapon at you. Or, the person may turn and run. Do you take a shot at him or just let him go? Or, the person may lunge at you to attempt to wrestle the gun away from you. You have about one second to fire the gun before he gets to you. If you are not ready to immediately fire the gun at the person (aiming at his torso because it is the biggest target), you are in real trouble. There is no time to think about it. You can’t wrestle with the person as you have only one hand free. The other one is holding the gun. You are bound to lose the wrestling match and the gun. If the “bad guy” gets to you, he takes your gun away and shoots you with it.
This is the greater part of understanding the Gun. People guns are used to kill people. Nobody wants to be injured or killed by a gun. And, if the average gun buyer ever gave it any real thought, they really don’t want to use a gun to injure or kill someone else. This would be even more the case if the person considering the purchase of a gun had ever seen a person actually shot by a gun. Pictures of victims and movies don’t bring the point home nearly as much as standing over someone who had just gotten killed---before their bodies were covered. That is why people guns need to be much more heavily regulated and their manufacture needs to be extremely rigidly controlled. If the factories keep producing and distributing them, they are going to be used for what they were intended to be used for, killing people.
When it comes to guns, no matter how small (used by individuals), nor how big (used by countries), one statement clearly summarizes weapons. “We are mad, not only individually, but nationally. We check manslaughter and isolated murders; but what of war and the much vaunted crime of slaughtering whole peoples?”
(Seneca 8 B.C. – A.D. 65)
What, then, of God and Guns? If there were more God, there would be fewer Guns. If there were more God, there would be less crime. If there were more God, there would be more honesty and trust among people. If there were more God, confidence and trust would be restored for citizens in each other as well as in the country and its economy and financial systems. For its very survival, the country needs to stop itself from this precipitous plunge of self-destructiveness. There is a way.
James Wharton
copyright
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Aristotelean Trepidation
Aristotelean Trepidation
By the end of any given day, someone, somewhere in the country will have been arrested for shoplifting something they can fit in their pocket or hide under their clothes. It will most likely be an item of relatively little value, maybe under $100 or so. This person will probably be fined or sent to jail, depending if he or she had been caught before. This hardly seems fair.
It hardly seems fair, that is, when punishment for such an insignificant crime as petty theft is understood in the context of the absence of punishment for substantially more horrific offenses of a similar nature.
Stealing is “bad.” But, is the average citizen harmed by shoplifting? It is true shoplifting results in higher prices for everyone because the losses from stolen merchandise must be recovered. No one wants to pay higher prices, however, the average citizen is not really significantly harmed by shoplifting.
On the other hand, the crimes of theft and fraud as committed by the super-thieves of Wall Street have brutally harmed the average citizen. While the pathetic shoplifter stole a few dollars of merchandise from a company, this sodality of the super-thieves of Wall Street stole the entire company, or at least multi-millions of dollars from it paying themselves obscene bonuses. They knowingly placed excessively risky bets on “not-understood assets” (now known as “toxic assets”) using other people’s money entrusted to their care. The losses of millions of jobs, 25%-50% of home equity, 50% of 401k value, the loss of homes, the destruction of lives, and suicides obviously cannot be compared to the inconsequential shoplifter’s pathetic crime.
Of far greater import and magnitude, the super-thieves of Wall Street, while committing their crimes of Theft and Fraud, also committed the crimes of Treason and Terror. The question then becomes, why are the super-thieves a.k.a. treasonous individuals, terrorists, and con-artists who are guilty of the crimes listed in the above paragraph, not prosecuted and punished?
Treason, defined by Webster’s as “the betrayal of one’s own country by waging war against it,” is a capital offense. Treason is clearly involved here because the government has substantially less ability to pay for critically needed defense modernization and upgrading because funds must be diverted to repair the carnage to the country’s financial infra-structure produced by these ruthless, selfish, super-thieves. This significantly compromises the country’s ability to defend itself which could actually threaten the country’s existence in time of war. These super-thieves should be tried and punished to the full extent of the law. While this may sound extreme, it would be very un-wise to consider it so without a solid grasp of the continuously fragile and volatile world order and the already diminished readiness status of our armed forces. The United States nuclear weapons stockpile is obsolete and urgently needs upgrading. All of the Armed Service branches need massive technical and equipment modernization, as well as enormous training for their forces. These Wall Street super-thieves are specifically enemies of the United States and guilty of treason.
Terrorism is also clearly at issue here. Terrorize is defined by Webster’s as “to fill or overpower with terror.” The average citizen is filled with great fear for his or her own well-being and the very survival of the country itself. Is this not the aim of the Osama Bin Laden’s and other terrorists? While the tragic and massive loss of life on 9-ll cannot be compared with the financial instability wrought by the super-thieves of Wall Street, the fact remains that the country is effectively terrorized unless, if one were to dispute this conclusion, they wish to challenge the definition of terror according to Webster’s. This, too, is a crime for which the super-thieves of Wall Street should be punished. Once again, if this seems extreme, consider the final chapters of the current Depression are not yet written, and one can only guess what may be the dire events yet to come. This Depression was specifically caused by the super-thieves because their greed and selfishness totally destroyed the confidence in the country’s financial system and the government itself. While Mr. Obama enjoys a very high approval rating which is well deserved, the average citizen has lost confidence in the government itself. The governments failure, even refusal, to aggressively prosecute and punish the Wall Street super-thieves clearly delivers the message that its okay to steal and de-fraud investors, holders of 401k’s, home-owners etc. There will be no punishment if the thief steals on a large enough scale and can hire equally loathsome attorneys to prevent his punishment.
Does anyone in government read history? Do judges even know how to read? If there is no punishment for the crime, then there will be a crime. “The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than by reverence, and to refrain from evil rather because of the punishment that it brings, than because of its own foulness.”
(Aristotle 384 – 322 B.C.) A strong philosophy and aggressive policy of “Aristotelean Trepidation” is mandatory for the government to write into law to help prevent similar crises in the future. In other words, “if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you.”
Once treason and terrorism are brought into the context of the crimes committed by the super-thieves of Wall Street, further discussing their base crimes of theft and fraud could seem redundant or over-zealous. This would be the case were it not, again, for the magnitude of their crimes and their brutal impact on the lives of millions of innocent people. If these people were business thieves and frauds working in China, they would be brought to trial and executed for their crimes against the state as well as the theft and fraud. Again, consider the magnitude of suffering they have caused, the compromise of the country’s defensive capability, the millions of people affected, and the wide-spread misery they have spread throughout the country. For now, it appears we must live with the incompetence of our own legal system. It is of little comfort to know: “The judge is condemned when the criminal is absolved.” (Publilius Syrus, Circa 42 B.C.) Of course, the criminals first have to be brought to trial. As of today, March 12, 2009, it appears there is some stirring within the Justice Department and state Attorney’s General to at least prosecute some of these criminals for fraud and theft. But, that is not enough.
When people, especially those in fiduciary positions involving other people’s trust, betray that sacred trust and steal from those who trust them, they are the lowest of all life forms. That is not a matter of idealism and narrow-mindedness. The reason these horrific crimes by the super-thieves of Wall Street must be aggressively prosecuted by the government is that confidence will not be restored in the financial system or the country itself without the assurance to the public that massive Treason, Terrorism, Theft, and Fraud will not be allowed to happen. Only when the average citizen again feels confident about investing and participating in the financial infrastructure will the country recover. The following observation may be applied to both Wall Street and the government who must prosecute these criminals: “Whoever has even once become notorious by base fraud, even if he speaks the truth, gains no belief.” (Phaedrus Circa A.D. 8)
James Wharton
Copyright
By the end of any given day, someone, somewhere in the country will have been arrested for shoplifting something they can fit in their pocket or hide under their clothes. It will most likely be an item of relatively little value, maybe under $100 or so. This person will probably be fined or sent to jail, depending if he or she had been caught before. This hardly seems fair.
It hardly seems fair, that is, when punishment for such an insignificant crime as petty theft is understood in the context of the absence of punishment for substantially more horrific offenses of a similar nature.
Stealing is “bad.” But, is the average citizen harmed by shoplifting? It is true shoplifting results in higher prices for everyone because the losses from stolen merchandise must be recovered. No one wants to pay higher prices, however, the average citizen is not really significantly harmed by shoplifting.
On the other hand, the crimes of theft and fraud as committed by the super-thieves of Wall Street have brutally harmed the average citizen. While the pathetic shoplifter stole a few dollars of merchandise from a company, this sodality of the super-thieves of Wall Street stole the entire company, or at least multi-millions of dollars from it paying themselves obscene bonuses. They knowingly placed excessively risky bets on “not-understood assets” (now known as “toxic assets”) using other people’s money entrusted to their care. The losses of millions of jobs, 25%-50% of home equity, 50% of 401k value, the loss of homes, the destruction of lives, and suicides obviously cannot be compared to the inconsequential shoplifter’s pathetic crime.
Of far greater import and magnitude, the super-thieves of Wall Street, while committing their crimes of Theft and Fraud, also committed the crimes of Treason and Terror. The question then becomes, why are the super-thieves a.k.a. treasonous individuals, terrorists, and con-artists who are guilty of the crimes listed in the above paragraph, not prosecuted and punished?
Treason, defined by Webster’s as “the betrayal of one’s own country by waging war against it,” is a capital offense. Treason is clearly involved here because the government has substantially less ability to pay for critically needed defense modernization and upgrading because funds must be diverted to repair the carnage to the country’s financial infra-structure produced by these ruthless, selfish, super-thieves. This significantly compromises the country’s ability to defend itself which could actually threaten the country’s existence in time of war. These super-thieves should be tried and punished to the full extent of the law. While this may sound extreme, it would be very un-wise to consider it so without a solid grasp of the continuously fragile and volatile world order and the already diminished readiness status of our armed forces. The United States nuclear weapons stockpile is obsolete and urgently needs upgrading. All of the Armed Service branches need massive technical and equipment modernization, as well as enormous training for their forces. These Wall Street super-thieves are specifically enemies of the United States and guilty of treason.
Terrorism is also clearly at issue here. Terrorize is defined by Webster’s as “to fill or overpower with terror.” The average citizen is filled with great fear for his or her own well-being and the very survival of the country itself. Is this not the aim of the Osama Bin Laden’s and other terrorists? While the tragic and massive loss of life on 9-ll cannot be compared with the financial instability wrought by the super-thieves of Wall Street, the fact remains that the country is effectively terrorized unless, if one were to dispute this conclusion, they wish to challenge the definition of terror according to Webster’s. This, too, is a crime for which the super-thieves of Wall Street should be punished. Once again, if this seems extreme, consider the final chapters of the current Depression are not yet written, and one can only guess what may be the dire events yet to come. This Depression was specifically caused by the super-thieves because their greed and selfishness totally destroyed the confidence in the country’s financial system and the government itself. While Mr. Obama enjoys a very high approval rating which is well deserved, the average citizen has lost confidence in the government itself. The governments failure, even refusal, to aggressively prosecute and punish the Wall Street super-thieves clearly delivers the message that its okay to steal and de-fraud investors, holders of 401k’s, home-owners etc. There will be no punishment if the thief steals on a large enough scale and can hire equally loathsome attorneys to prevent his punishment.
Does anyone in government read history? Do judges even know how to read? If there is no punishment for the crime, then there will be a crime. “The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than by reverence, and to refrain from evil rather because of the punishment that it brings, than because of its own foulness.”
(Aristotle 384 – 322 B.C.) A strong philosophy and aggressive policy of “Aristotelean Trepidation” is mandatory for the government to write into law to help prevent similar crises in the future. In other words, “if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you.”
Once treason and terrorism are brought into the context of the crimes committed by the super-thieves of Wall Street, further discussing their base crimes of theft and fraud could seem redundant or over-zealous. This would be the case were it not, again, for the magnitude of their crimes and their brutal impact on the lives of millions of innocent people. If these people were business thieves and frauds working in China, they would be brought to trial and executed for their crimes against the state as well as the theft and fraud. Again, consider the magnitude of suffering they have caused, the compromise of the country’s defensive capability, the millions of people affected, and the wide-spread misery they have spread throughout the country. For now, it appears we must live with the incompetence of our own legal system. It is of little comfort to know: “The judge is condemned when the criminal is absolved.” (Publilius Syrus, Circa 42 B.C.) Of course, the criminals first have to be brought to trial. As of today, March 12, 2009, it appears there is some stirring within the Justice Department and state Attorney’s General to at least prosecute some of these criminals for fraud and theft. But, that is not enough.
When people, especially those in fiduciary positions involving other people’s trust, betray that sacred trust and steal from those who trust them, they are the lowest of all life forms. That is not a matter of idealism and narrow-mindedness. The reason these horrific crimes by the super-thieves of Wall Street must be aggressively prosecuted by the government is that confidence will not be restored in the financial system or the country itself without the assurance to the public that massive Treason, Terrorism, Theft, and Fraud will not be allowed to happen. Only when the average citizen again feels confident about investing and participating in the financial infrastructure will the country recover. The following observation may be applied to both Wall Street and the government who must prosecute these criminals: “Whoever has even once become notorious by base fraud, even if he speaks the truth, gains no belief.” (Phaedrus Circa A.D. 8)
James Wharton
Copyright
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