News & Articles

Gun-sense

We’ve all heard the phrase, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.” Ignorant, stupid, or stubborn people do this.

There’s now a second definition of insanity, “letting a bad thing happen over and over, and doing little or nothing about it." The lazy, corrupt, callous, or Republicans do this. No, of course not all Republicans. But we’ve passed the point a long time ago where we can afford to be polite and pussy-foot around the issue of gun violence. We’ll never contain it without being blunt and honest.

Republicans oppose nearly all proposals about gun violence saying it wouldn’t have prevented this or that mass shooting tragedy. It’s true, but we have to start somewhere. Banning assault weapons won’t stop mass shootings, but it will stop some, and “send a message.” It’s a good starting point. Laws against murder and drunk driving don’t stop those things, but believe me they reduce them.

A child victim of yesterday’s Allen, Tex. shooting had no face left. A rifle suitable for “hunting” or self-defense doesn’t do that. Some child victims at Sandy Hook could only be identified by DNA; their bodies were too chewed up. Assault rifles do that. Jesus would even ban them for military.

The US has 330 million people and 400 million guns. Assuming 95% of those are possessed by “good guys with a gun,” obviously that hasn’t worked. In science, we try things. If they work, we keep them. If not, we try something else.

By the way, I like guns. Some are beautifully made tools and machines. But I’m not in love with one. Yesterday the US had it’s 199th mass shooting of 2023. It was day 127. We’re probably No. 1 in the world. That’s not “great."

A. Martin
Merrifield, Minn.

I have a question

At what level, jurisdiction, or demented anti-life anti-democratic unconstitutional Disney-esque fantasy is it the business of legislators or any other governmental office what a person’s sexual preference or identity is? What national danger does that pose? The same question can be applied to learning about America’s racial history? And why is government muddling in education anyway?

All the recent sex and abortion laws, which are proliferating like toadstools everywhere, seem to feed the radical right’s agenda to sow confusion, fear and chaos. It has nothing to do with any moral principle, but only to prepare us all to accept some autocratic or theocratic rule.

Are all these rogue Republican officials, who hypocritically push for ‘states’ rights’ while lusting for Federal roles, really showing us American citizens how they want to be running things? It’s definitely not the will of the people, but more of an evangelically-fueled return to the Middle Ages. There ain’t a Dave Durenberger among ’em.

I have said it before; these current so-called Republicans will claim any identity, any religion, and pose as men-of-the-people in order to goose-step into power. They have no god but money and absolute domination. Should such scoundrels succeed, I am afraid the entire world will eventually have to deal with this problem.

Ray Allard
Duluth

About fishing

People who just like being out there in the boat on the dock beside the stream might consider trading fishing in on bobbering. It's just like fishing except there is nothing much below the bobber. You're not there as a predator and it's more relaxing.

Karen Moore
Duluth

Collateral damage

It's the official military euphemism for reckless murder. The innocuous term is a cover-up to divert the public from the horror of war.

In an all-out showdown it would include all life forms including vegetation, which is perishable.
The sound bite would be, "That's all, folks."

Gerald Norrgrad
Duluth