Thinking Out Loud About Discussions

Oct 5

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Discussions.  Lately, people are talking about the time being right for discussion about gun control, discussion about race relations, discussion about police reform.

People have discussed these things for decades if not longer.   In my opinion, there are no resolutions because people do not go to the foundation of the issues.

The second amendment?  An argument can be made that when it was written, it was for the protection of this country against other countries because the U.S. did not have organized Armed Forces.  In that argument, it can also be said that guns then are not the guns that exist now.

Regarding race relations, there are many foundational problems including ignorance and prejudicial assumptions.  The experiences of minorities are generally diminished .   Once comparisons start, it is no longer a discussion but a competition of which is the better race.

Regarding police reform, more than a handful of times on this blog, I’ve mentioned that in cases where police officers are charged, that they are tried on an abuse of discretion standard and not beyond a reasonable doubt standard.   Prosecutors do not have to prove that an officer killed a citizen.  Rather, they have to prove that the killing was not reasonable.  Loads of lawyers who practice appeals know how difficult it is to get reversal on trial court decisions under the abuse of discretion standard.

With foundation comes motivation.  What motivates people to own guns?  What motivates people to concern themselves with other races?  What motivates people to apply to join law enforcement?

We might find that discussions on race relations, gun control and police reform have one thing in common.

 

 

Posted on 10/05/2017, in Gun Control, Potpourri, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. 14 Comments.

  1. Robert A. Vella | 10/05/2017 at 4:42 pm

    >>> “We might find that discussions on race relations, gun control and police reform have one thing in common.”

    Indeed, and that “thing” is exacerbated during times of economic distress – such as the current stress resulting from decades of decline in middle class prosperity.

    Regarding the Second Amendment:

    >>> “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

    Militias were important during the Revolutionary War as military assets, and up to the Civil War as peacekeeping forces since there were no state police nor federal law enforcement organizations as presently constituted. One of the duties of militias was to capture fugitive slaves, and this was undoubtedly a consideration when the Second Amendment was written. However, militias subsequently fell out of favor due to their unprofessional nature. See:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militia_(United_States)

    Shortly after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012, legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin was interviewed on PBS where he discussed how conservatives reinvented the meaning of the Second Amendment in modern times. See;
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/government-elections-politics/how-conservatives-reinvented-the-second-amendment/

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. lulu | 10/05/2017 at 7:25 pm

    I wish I knew the answers to your questions as it is impossible for me to comprehend much of human behavior.

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Xena | 10/05/2017 at 10:07 pm

      Lulu,
      I know what you mean. America is very diverse but yet people are still isolated, still segregated. Many know of the current issues, but not the root cause.

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  3. Dreamer9177 | 10/06/2017 at 6:45 am

    Reblogged this on Dreamer9177's Blog.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Gronda Morin | 10/07/2017 at 5:52 am

    Dear Xena and friends,

    You can change the laws but it is much harder to change people’s hearts. Now we have leaders who are openly inflaming those darker hearts. For judicial fairness, there is no hope of redress with the likes of the Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

    There is one positive outcome. People are no longer able to pretend that racism is not for real. The elephant is out of the closet.

    Hugs, Gronda

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Xena | 10/07/2017 at 2:24 pm

      Gronda,
      ((((Applause)))))

      There are people who still say that racism doesn’t exist. Trump understands this when he said he could shoot someone and still be elected. What he inferred is that there is a measure of favoritism and partiality in the hearts of people where others can never, ever, do wrong. That ideology also applies to racism. And that comes full circle to your excellent comment about the hearts of people.

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  6. jimenobaeznarvaez | 10/19/2017 at 5:34 am

    Regarding the Second Amendment:
    >>> “A well regulated reserves being necessary to the security department of a innocent land, the right of the people to stay fresh and bear arms shall not be infringed. Gronda,
    ((((applause)))))
    There are people who still aver that racism doesn’t exist.

    Liked by 1 person

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