The Right To Bear Arms

As a child, long guns were plentiful around the home and were used to hunt animals we brought home and cooked and ate with relish. Hunting is the most ancient tradition, part of what makes us human. Hunting and defense are related to the offensive fighting many animals exhibit when acquiring territory in which to raise young.

In humans, the use of guns accompanied the kill off of many species, before this awesome power was recognized and curbed to some extent. Among humans this new power is used to dispatch hated enemies, which lessened the number of indigenous cultures. Now firepower is being used to destroy nations.

I was taught utmost respect for firearms and concern for the physical damage possible to inflict. The possession of firearms must be accompanied by a moral understanding of the use of power. Since our Bill of Rights applies to every individual in a moral sense, disarmament is not an option. One must live to understand limitations on behavior imposed by the granting of basic rights to all individuals, not just for a select few.

Peace settlements must include land and water rights and payments to injured parties. Dense population, little water and land add up to war, like too many people will migrate or fight for territory like Sheba’s farms. Palestinian refugees still live in Lebanon, a government that had to absorb the extra population due to their displacement for the migration of Jews from Europe in the aftermath of World War II. Dissent swirls around this time in history, threatening to draw combatants into World War III and the true holocaust.

Living Room? Definitely. I’m glad they didn’t decide to make an Israel in Arizona and take my land to do it. I understand the hate and vengeance and a desire to retake what you once had. Reparations must be paid. Call it rent. Call it payments on land, like other people pay. Buy land and give it to the victims of this displacement. I cannot help but wonder who has the property the displaced Jews in Europe possessed in those various European countries, the people of whom turned on the Jews for what reason? Who profited? They should pay.

The invasion would be wise to reverse and grind on home without firing another shot. Take the bulldozers and go home before somebody occupies it. Stop the missiles. Ground the warplanes. The Arab League is not to be ignored and the provision of an issue around which to unite is an unforseen side effect of the Hezbollah War. Nothing is being gained by this war and the satisfaction of retribution against faceless opponents who nonetheless lay dead appears to others as a cruel and unusual punishment for offenses where a trial was held in secret with no witnesses from the convicted were even considered.

The same can be said for other instances called war. An immediate cease fire should also extend to other hot spots. We’ve done enough, folks. Who gets the oil supply in Iraq? Split up Iraq and divide it up as to Kurd, Shia, Sunni and let mixed areas decide which to join.