“Ad Nauseam”
A major part of my childhood went towards reading Louis L’Amour type Western novels and comics. The adventurous world of cowboys, their steeds, their Smith and Wessons, spurs, silver bullets and romantic interludes fascinated me to no end.
Irrespective of the storyline, the revolvers and guns remained the centerpiece of attraction in the macho world of cowboys. Somehow, one could not but help get the impression that they would feel kind of impotent without these handy weapons.
As the world advanced and evolved around these trailblazer gentlemen, society and its values changed in many myriad ways. One thing however which did not change in the geographical habitat of these ranchers and cowherds was their spellbound charm for these firearms. The pervasive insecurity in which these cowherds grew up came to define their character and gradually the national eccentricity of an entire nation.
It is said that if you leave a computer or a gun in a kindergarten class for a couple of hours, the kids will very quickly learn how to use either of them perfectly on their own without any kind of adult guidance. Further, leave a loaded gun in any peaceful gathering and you can be assured of a fatality sooner or later. Such is the nature of these beastly contraptions.
Expansive nations have indeed followed this basic technique towards creating worldwide insecurities by initial preferential arming of vulnerable nation states. Thereafter, when the time is ripe, they appear on the scene as net security providers for the region with a bigger array of arms and munitions. An existential crisis is created and the poor countries are forced to make some very hard choices. Military security concerns understandably override every other form of security and development.
The next stage is the arrival of bodies like the IMF and the World bank who now dictate your policies. Even greater debt and a sure-shot downward spiral follows leading to impossible-to-shake-off dependencies. What a beautiful and modern way of “colonization without occupation”!
All this is universally well known and no rocket science by any stretch of imagination but unsuspecting or corrupt politicians invariably fall for this trap instead of focusing on regional peace initiatives.
I can very well understand what you are doing on the world stage. But you regretfully do not understand that life is indeed karmic in nature. The same insecure mind-set which leads you to externally chase power prevents you internally from letting go of your firearms today. I presume you get a sense of pseudo security from doing so.
Just to highlight the nature of the problem, The US had 19,350 firearm homicides and 24,245 gun suicides in 2020. Also, since 2009, there have been 274 mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 1,536 people shot and killed and 983 people shot and wounded.
The country is literally swamped with guns and gearing to implode. “US firearms makers produced more than 139 million guns for the commercial market over the two decades from 2000 and the country imported another 71 million”.
And yet lawmakers obviously listening to their stupid constituencies, refuse to budge, Only last year, the Governor of Texas signed a law allowing anyone in the state over 18 to openly carry a handgun without a license or training. You got to be crazy!
Ad Nauseam is a Latin term for an argument or discussion that has been repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome even to the point of nausea. Well, the debate on the Gun Laws within the United States which surface with a remarkable regularity with each mass killing of innocent children, definitely falls under this category.
And the entire country, sadly including the judiciary, takes refuge behind an archaic law called the Second Amendment dating back to 1791, which reads as follows:
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.
Even the former President of the United States (Obama) one time displayed his political helplessness on this subject, “It has been the one area where I feel that I’ve been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on earth in which we do not have sufficient common-sense, gun-safety laws even in the face of repeated mass killings.”
“And you know, if you look at the number of Americans killed since 9/11 by terrorism, it’s less than 100. If you look at the number that have been killed by gun violence, it’s in the tens of thousands. And for us not to be able to resolve that issue has been something that is distressing.”
In fact, Plato saw it coming in 375 BC in the Republic where he claims that democracy is a danger due to excessive freedom. He also argues that in a system in which everyone has a right to rule, all sorts of selfish people who care nothing for the people but are only motivated by their own personal desires are able to attain power.
According to a PEW Survey, four-in-ten U.S. adults say they live in a household with a gun, including 30% who say they personally own one. Also, Americans are divided over whether restricting legal gun ownership would lead to fewer mass shootings. 51% Americans still believe that restricting gun laws would make no difference to mass shootings or in fact lead to an increase in mass shootings. You got to be dim man!
The blame at the front end is passed over to the powerful gun lobbies. You mean to say that for the last 200 years, you have not been able to shed off the influence of these lobbies. Sorry Sir, you are choosing to accept the mortalities of your babies and kids for a ‘so-called larger good’, which any logical human would fail to understand.
So next time the superpower representatives get up on a world stage to tap you on the knuckles for human-rights violation, just show them the door and play out Madonna’s famous words, “Papa don’t preach!”
The babies all over the world have to be saved indeed.
Appalled at your collective & absurd insanity,
Horax (Casper)
First published at seekmediation.com on 29/05/22
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