I'M BACK! I GUESS

stopped writing for awhile as i thought what i thought doesnt matter and no one cared. still not sure matters but a few people complained so here goes

the recent shootings in tucson have followed a predictable arc; initially it was blamed on partisan rhetoric. as much as a wing nut as sarah palin is, this was not her fault. we have had partisan rhetoric for thousands of years; it goes with the territory

what is more interesting is to think about mental health and gun laws. i grew up in new york and there used to be laws and policy that encouraged large scale permanent institutionalization of the mentally ill. there were abuses and litigation and legislation led to a dismantling of that system; the wholesale release of thousands of troubled people onto the streets of new york and around the country and our current politically correct non system where people who cannot take care of themselves; are a potential risk to themselves and others are out there leading to Tuscon's; with more to come

i for one think society has a right to protect itself, and acting in loco parentis; protect the mentally ill and create a schema where people must be treated, institutionalization is part of the mix; that privacy protections are lowered so that society can protect all its citizens.

this segues into gun laws. i own 2 guns, shot guns that i use occasionally for trap and bird shooting. they were pretty easy to buy. i also own some cars. buying them requires insurance and to operate them and probably buy them a drivers license. i would not feel put upon to have to have a license to buy a gun, to have a background check run on me before i could buy a gun. and if i was mentally ill, be denied the ability to buy a gun.

we dont have a rhetoric problem in america, we have a mental health problem in america and gun laws that can be rationally tightened without trampling our apparently cherished right to bear arms