There’s a lot going on these days, but I’ll confine my meandering comments to a couple of topics.

Tucson shooting. Much has been said and written about this horrible event over the past week. There are one or two things that have stuck in my mind. The first is that weapon – a glock with a 30-round clip. Why the hell are these weapons available for purchase? Where did he get the gun, the ammo? And how many shootings like this will it take to put some reasonable control on such out-of-control firepower? Every time this kind of thing happens, we hear the bleating, “Our thoughts are with the victims of this senseless crime,” blah-blah-blah. And yet we do nothing. I thing it’s time for Chris Rock’s $5,000 bullets. (Adjusted for inflation, that’s probably $7,500 per round.)

The other thing is the discourse question. There’s no question but that over-the-top rhetoric inspires violent acts; whether this is one of them, no one has been able to say. It just seems like the combination of nut-case gun-headed political screamers and easy availability of guns is a particularly toxic one. What can be done? $5,000 bullets.

Haiti plus one. Haiti is still in peril, still buried under a pile of rubble a year after that catastrophic earthquake. The international community has offered the same kind of “help” they always have for Haiti – most recently, blocking participation of Lavalas (Aristide’s party), the only truly broad-based political movement in the country, from participating in the November elections. The current ruling party, having taken power in the wake of a coup, seems capable only of nodding obediently to foreign investors.

Sure, you all have been generous in your donations – that’s clear. But as is so often the case, our charitable acts are more than counteracted by the official policy of our government. That has been the same in regards to Haiti since they declared independence 200 years ago. Through economic and military means, we have worked to bring about the destruction of their government institutions, their agricultural sector, and whatever independent development they may have realized. The 2010 quake was just a coup de grace for them.  

Now that it’s 2011, let’s do better by these people. Let’s get our government to stop manipulating them and make a good faith effort to help them rebuild their independence as well as their homes.

luv u,

jp