Oregon college shooting
The shootings at Umpqua Community College are the latest in a dreary series of mass shooting incidents occurring almost every week somewhere in the country. This one is slightly notable for a few reasons. It is the second instance after Newtown, that I know of, in which a nerdy lonely child allegedly on the “spectrum†was raised by a single parent who bought him guns. More interesting to me, is the local sheriff who had taken an aggressive Second Amendment stance, having to deal with the fruits in his own town. Finally, there was the interview with the student Army veteran who was packing a concealed weapon in the classroom and who decided not to intervene, out of a desire I am sure not to be shot by the shooter, but also a fear the cops might think he was the shooter when they arrived. I would particularly like to hear what the sheriff has to say about that. I think the NRA trope, that more guns in the environment makes us safer, and that citizens with their own weapons will stop future mass shooters, is a crock.
Government as gun buyer
I have been following gun issues since I started the Spectacle in 1995, but never focused on the fact that governments at every level are major gun buyers. Thus, by definition, they would be able to influence the way weapons are manufactured and sold, if they were only willing to use that influence.
Milwaukee Gun Store Litigation
Just when it seemed that guns were the one hazardous product that could be sold without any regulation, a Milwaukee jury returned a verdict against a gun store for a reckless sale to an obvious straw man (the actual party in interest, a minor, visited the store with him, selected the gun and handed him money). It helped that the victim-plaintiffs were cops, I’m sure.
MSNBC
I had a bit of a crush on MSNBC anchor Alex Wagner and suddenly couldn’t find her show. I belatedly found out that in July, MSNBC canceled her and Ed Schultz, reportedly because they tacked too far left and did not simply pretend objectively to report the news. I never liked Schultz--he was a bit of a loudmouth--but I thought his show’s labor orientation valuable. The destruction and silencing of worker-related media goes back to radio’s night of the long knives in the 1920’s. MSNBC has taken a major step towards the dull center, CNN-style truckling to the Official Narrative. Of course, in a capitalist country, it has always been a problem that left wing television and radio can’t sell enough advertising to stay on the air. The Internet, with its narrow-casting, was supposed to provide the solution.
Russia in Syria
Is it just me, or (speaking of the Official Narrative) are American media deflecting away from portraying Syria as a Vietnam-style proxy war between the U.S. and a resurgent Russia? Aren’t we supporting opposite sides? Aren’t the Russians bombing the rebels we back? The only way you could truthfully not describe that as a cold war conflict would be, for example, if we weren’t really supporting anyone, were not really opposed to the murderous dictator in charge.
Tea Party/Third Party
I’ve said it before, but the Republican infighting over the Speaker position has me thinking again, that all the Republican party needs to do to save its identity and ability to act coherently, is to expel the Tea Party, which could then settle down to being an unimportant and disregarded third party. And the Republicans could stop looking like a freak show, paralyzed by infighting and extremist moves. “What does a Republican Party firing squad do? Stands in a circle and aims inwards.â€
Hospital Bombing
Our repeated attacks on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, called in by our Afghan allies, are not a glitch or exception but illustrate the way war is really conducted. Ineptly, murderously, in a fog. Every claim about precision in war, “smart†weaponry, is bullshit and lies.
Ethical Spectacle of the Month
This month’s ethical spectacle is the Arabic graffiti in background on the television show Homeland, which said “Homeland is Racistâ€. A show set largely in the Middle East did not feel the need to have a staff member actually fluent in Arabic, who could have detected the prank.