Page 46 - Shahrvand BC No. 1219

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Celebrating the Prince of Peace in the Land of Guns
...a letter from Michael Moore
Monday, December 24th, 2012
Friends,
After watching the deranged, delusional
National Rifle Association press
conference on Friday, it was clear that the
Mayan prophecy had come true. Except
the only world that was ending was the
NRA's. Their bullying power to set gun
policy in this country is over. The nation
is repulsed by the massacre in Connecticut,
and the signs are everywhere: a basketball
coach at a post-game press conference; the
Republican Joe Scarborough; a pawn shop
owner in Florida; a gun buy-back program
in New Jersey; a singing contest show
on TV, and the conservative gun-owning
judge who sentenced Jared Loughner.
So here's my little bit of holiday cheer for Why is that? THAT is the question we
you:
These gun massacres aren't going to end
any time soon.
I'm sorry to say this. But deep down we
both know it's true. That doesn't mean we
shouldn't keep pushing forward – after all,
the momentum is on our side. I know all of
us – including me – would love to see the
president and Congress enact stronger gun
laws. We need a ban on automatic AND
semiautomatic weapons and magazine
clips that hold more than 7 bullets. We
need better background checks and more
mental health services. We need to regulate
the ammo, too.
But, friends, I would like to propose that
while all of the above will certainly reduce staggering rate: every three hours a women
gun deaths (ask Mayor Bloomberg – it is
virtually impossible to buy a handgun in
New York City and the result is the number
of murders per year has gone from 2,200
to under 400), it won't really bring about
an end to these mass slayings and it will
not address the core problem we have.
Connecticut had one of the strongest gun
laws in the country. That did nothing to
prevent the murders of 20 small children
on December 14th.
In fact, let's be clear about Newtown: the
killer had no criminal record so he would
never have shown up on a background
check. All of the guns he used were legally
purchased. None fit the legal description
of an "assault" weapon. The killer seemed
to have mental problems and his mother
had him seek help, but that was worthless.
As for security measures, the Sandy Hook
school was locked down and buttoned
up BEFORE the killer showed up that
morning. Drills had been held for just such
an incident. A lot of good that did.
And here's the dirty little fact none of us
liberals want to discuss: The killer only
ceased his slaughter when he saw that cops
were swarming onto the school grounds –
i.e, the men with the guns. When he saw the
guns a-coming, he stopped the bloodshed
and killed himself. Guns on police officers
prevented another 20 or 40 or 100 deaths
from happening. Guns sometimes work.
(Then again, there was an armed deputy
sheriff at Columbine High School the day
of that massacre and he couldn't/didn't
stop it.)
I am sorry to offer this reality check on our time. He'd better. An
much-needed march toward a bunch of
well-intended, necessary – but ultimately,
mostly cosmetic – changes to our gun laws.
The sad facts are these: Other countries
that have guns (like Canada, which has 7
million guns – mostly hunting guns – in
their 12 million households) have a low
murder rate. Kids in Japan watch the same
violent movies and kids in Australia play
the same violent video games (Grand Theft
Auto was created by a British company;
the UK had 58 gun murders last year in a
nation of 63 million people). They simply
don't kill each other at the rate that we do. 1. POVERTY.
should be exploring while we are banning
and restricting guns: Who are we?
I'd like to try to answer that question.
We are a country whose leaders officially
sanction and carry out acts of violence as a
means to often an immoral end. We invade
countries who didn't attack us. We're
currently using drones in a half-dozen
countries, often killing civilians.
This probably shouldn't come as a surprise
to us as we are a nation founded on
genocide and built on the backs of slaves.
We slaughtered 600,000 of each other in
a civil war. We "tamed the Wild West with
a six-shooter," and we rape and beat and
kill our women without mercy and at a
is murdered in the USA (half the time by
an ex or a current); every three minutes a
woman is raped in the USA; and every 15
seconds a woman is beaten in the USA.
We belong to an illustrious group of
nations that still have the death penalty
(North Korea, Saudi Arabia, China,
Iran). We think nothing of letting tens of
thousands of our own citizens die each
year because they are uninsured and thus
don't see a doctor until it's too late.
Why do we do this? One theory is
simply "because we can." There is a level
of arrogance in the otherwise friendly
American spirit, conning ourselves into
believing there's something exceptional
about us that separates us from all those
"other" countries (there are indeed many
good things about us; the same could also
be said of Belgium, New Zealand, France,
Germany, etc.). We think we're #1 in
everything when the truth is our students
are 17th in science and 25th in math, and
we're 35th in life expectancy. We believe we
have the greatest democracy but we have
the lowest voting turnout of any western
democracy. We're biggest and the bestest at
everything and we demand and take what
we want.
And sometimes we have to be violent
m*****f*****s to get it. But if one of us
goes off-message and shows the utterly
psychotic nature and brutal results of
violence in a Newtown or an Aurora or
a Virginia Tech, then we get all "sad" and
"our hearts go out to the families" and
presidents promise to take "meaningful
action." Well, maybe this
president means it this
angry mob of millions is
not going to let this drop.
While we are discussing
and demanding what to
do, may I respectfully
ask that we stop and take
a look at what I believe
are the three extenuating
factors that may answer
the question of why we
Americans have more
violence than most
anyone else:
If there's one thing that
separates us from the
rest of the developed
world, it's this. 50 million
of our people live in poverty. One in five
Americans goes hungry at some point
during the year. The majority of those
who aren't poor are living from paycheck
to paycheck. There's no doubt this creates
more crime. Middle class jobs prevent
crime and violence. (If you don't believe
that, ask yourself this: If your neighbor has reasons gun murders in other countries
a job and is making $50,000/year, what are
the chances he's going to break into your
home, shoot you and take your TV? Nil.)
2. FEAR/RACISM.
We're an awfully fearful country considering
that, unlike most nations, we've never been
invaded. (No, 1812 wasn't an invasion. We
started it.) Why on earth would we need
300 million guns in our homes? I get why
the Russians might be a little spooked (over
20 million of them died in World War II).
But what's our excuse? Worried that the
Indians from the casino may go on the
warpath? Concerned that the Canadians
seem to be amassing too many Tim
Horton's donut shops on both sides of the
border?
No. It's because too many white people
are afraid of black people. Period. The vast
majority of the guns in the U.S. are sold
to white people who live in the suburbs
or the country. When we fantasize about
being mugged or home invaded, what's the
image of the perpetrator in our heads? Is it
the freckled-face kid from down the street
– or is it someone who is, if not black, at
least poor?
I think it would be worth it to a) do our
best to eradicate poverty and re-create the
middle class we used to have, and b) stop
promoting the image of the black man
as the boogeyman out to hurt you. Calm
down, white people, and put away your
guns.
3. THE "ME" SOCIETY.
I think it's the every-man-for-himself
ethos of this country that has put us in this
mess and I believe it's been our undoing.
Pull yourself up by your bootstraps! You're
not my problem! This is mine!
46
1391 ‫ ید‬8 ‫ جمعه‬- 1219 ‫ شماره‬/ ‫سال متسیب‬
Clearly, we are no longer our brother's In touch with Iranian diversity
and sister's keeper. You get sick and can't
afford the operation? Not my problem. Vol. 20 / No. 1219 - Friday, Dec. 28, 2012
The bank has foreclosed on your home?
Not my problem. Can't afford to go to 46
college? Not my problem.
And yet, it all sooner or later becomes our
problem, doesn't it? Take away too many
safety nets and everyone starts to feel the
impact. Do you want to live in that kind
of society, one where you will then have a
legitimate reason to be in fear? I don't.
I'm not saying it's perfect anywhere else,
but I have noticed, in my travels, that other
civilized countries see a national benefit
to taking care of each other. Free medical
care, free or low-cost college, mental
health help. And I wonder – why can't we
do that? I think it's because in many other
countries people see each other not as
separate and alone but rather together, on
the path of life, with each person existing
as an integral part of the whole. And you
help them when they're in need, not punish
them because they've had some misfortune
or bad break. I have to believe one of the
are so rare is because there's less of the
lone wolf mentality amongst their citizens.
Most are raised with a sense of connection,
if not outright solidarity. And that makes it
harder to kill one another.
Well, there's some food for thought as we
head home for the holidays. Don't forget
to say hi to your conservative brother-in-
law for me. Even he will tell you that, if
you can't nail a deer in three shots – and
claim you need a clip of 30 rounds – you're
not a hunter my friend, and you have no
business owning a gun.
Have a wonderful Christmas or a beautiful
December 25th!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@MichaelMoore.com
@MMFlint
MichaelMoore.com