Sunday, April 5, 2009

America, living (and dying) on the edge

Forgive my pontificating, but is the price for American liberty now that you simply accept the fact that you may be shot to death in a senseless mass killing?

The old equation that you could just stay out of ghettos (or 7-11 at 3 am) and you'd be fine seems over. Not that certain areas are not still statistically safer, but there's no real, inviolable sanctuary. From school killing to killing at a nursing home, you as a US citizen get to live your whole life under the gun

But for most people the threat still seems remote. It can't happen here, it can't happen to me etc. Having been on the wrong side of a gun three times in my life (New Orleans, the tourist section of San Juan PR, and Philadelphia - only the last was in a ghetto), I cannot subscribe to that any longer.

Did the founding fathers intend a society that seems to have a death wish when they supposedly established the supposedly individual constitutional right to bear arms?

On the other hand, you can go to Europe and seem like a tough guy. "That's right, we live on the edge and wouldn't have it any other way, you wimps." What can compete with being shot at to liven up an otherwise routine day or event? Cheap Thrills!(except for the undertakers bill).

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