[Oe List ...] Fwd: more Moore!

[jlepps at pc.jaring.my]

Well said, Randy.

Just one caveat: On your last transformation 
(from carelessness to compassion), we've found it 
the case that people really DO care: they just 
don't have effective ways to act it out. In fact, 
there's a basic give-a-damness at the heart of 
humanity. Even those most in opposition to gun 
control care a lot, as is apparent from their 
passion. There's something deeper going on here 
-- maybe it's the lack of effective ways to enact that care.

Anyway thanks again for your fine response to an excellent article.

John

At 06:20 AM 12/30/2012, you wrote:
>Jack,
>
>This is an insightful article.  I wish someone 
>other than Michael Moore had written it so that 
>more people would perhaps read it, and more who do would give it credence.
>
>I was reminded of some of the conversations we 
>used to have years ago with conservatives about 
>how alcohol does not cause alcoholism, but 
>rather some underlying condition(s) in the life 
>of the addicted person.  Today's conservative 
>argument that guns do not kill, people do, has 
>merit as well.  What does not is the implication 
>drawn, that the solution is therefore to arm 
>everyone, another trite version of "might makes right."
>
>Moore's key insight is in that he has indeed 
>analyzed the underlying contradictions and names 
>three of them.  In reading through them I was 
>very struck as to their similarity, or sameness, 
>with the three that HRN named way back when, 
>which we know so well; economic imperialism 
>(poverty), racism (Niebuhr called it "racialism" 
>and we could probably include many of today's 
>other "isms") and nationalism (rooted in exactly 
>the same perversion as the "me" society Moore 
>refers to--egocentricity, individualistic overemphasis, exceptionalism, etc.)
>
>The new gun limitations that are being discussed 
>should be enacted, but as we all know, this will 
>save some lives but not address the underlying 
>issues.  Also as we know, those will not finally 
>be addressed until there has been a significant 
>change of hearts and minds in our society that 
>moves us from arrogance to humility, from greed 
>to gratitude, and from a callous care-less-ness 
>about innocent suffering to compassion in the 
>face of the interdependence of us all.  I 
>continue to contend that facilitating that kind 
>of metanoia is all our outfit has, at the end of the day, ever been about.
>
>Randy
>
>"Whatever the problem, community is the 
>answer.  There is no power greater than a 
>community discovering what it cares about."  Margaret Wheatley
>
>From: Jack Gilles <jackcgilles at gmail.com>
>To: Order Ecumenical Community <oe at lists.wedgeblade.net>
>Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2012 10:57 PM
>Subject: [Oe List ...] Fwd: more Moore!
>
>Dear Colleagues,
>
>I found this essay by Michael Moore on guns and violence.
>
>Jack
>
>Sent from my iPad
>
>Begin forwarded message:
>
>>From: "M. Theophil" <<mailto:weave.marga at gmail.com>weave.marga at gmail.com>
>>Date: December 27, 2012, 10:47:59 PM CST
>>To: "M. Theophil" <<mailto:Weave.Marga at gmail.com>Weave.Marga at gmail.com>
>>Subject: more Moore!
>>
>><image001.gif>
>>December 24th, 2012 5:13 AM
>>
>>
>><http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/celebrating-prince-peace-land-guns>Celebrating 
>>the Prince of Peace in the Land of Guns
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>By <http://www.michaelmoore.com/blogger/mmflint>Michael Moore
>>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: 
>><http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/18/jim-boeheim-gun-control-9000-wins_n_2321304.html>a 
>>basketball coach at a post-game press 
>>conference; 
>><http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/17/joe-scarborough-newtown-shooting_n_2315100.html>the 
>>Republican Joe Scarborough; 
>><http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/gun-seller-i-cant-do-it-anymore>a 
>>pawn shop owner in Florida; 
>><http://articles.philly.com/2012-12-19/news/35914645_1_gun-owners-higher-ground-temple-church-camden-county-residents>a 
>>gun buy-back program in New Jersey; 
>><http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv-movies/watch-tribute-newtown-voice-article-1.1222795>a 
>>singing contest show on TV, and 
>><http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/12/loughner_judge_conservative_gun_control.php>the 
>>conservative gun-owning judge who sentenced Jared Loughner.
>>So here's my little bit of holiday cheer for 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 
>>Congongress 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 
>>gun deaths (ask Mayor Bloomberg – it is 
>>virtually impossible to buy a handgun in New 
>>York Citty and the result is the number of 
>>murders per year has gone 
>><http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/reported-shot-stabbed-slashed-nyc-monday-article-1.1209204>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 
>>withh 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 
>>much-needed march toward a bunch of 
>>well-intended, necessary – but ultimately, 
>>mostly cosmetic – changes to our gr gun laws. 
>>The sad facts are these: Other countries that 
>>have guns (like Canada, which has 
>><http://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/canada>7 
>>million guns – mmostly hunting guns – in their 
>>12 million households) have a low mmurder 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 
>><http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0212/>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. Why is that? THAT is the question 
>>we 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 staggering rate: 
>><http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/homicide/tables/vsextab.cfm>every 
>>three hours a women is murdered in the USA 
>>(<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,164707,00.html>half 
>>the time by an ex or a current); 
>><http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/11/09/cbsnews_investigates/main5590118.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody>every 
>>three minutes a woman is raped in the USA; and 
>><http://www.idph.state.il.us/about/womenshealth/factsheets/dv.htm>every 
>>15 seconds a woman is beaten in the USA.
>>We belong to an 
>><http://www.amnesty.org/en/death-penalty/abolitionist-and-retentionist-countries>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 
>><http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-12-07-us-students-international-ranking_N.htm>17th 
>>in science and 25th in math, and we're 
>><http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/15/nation/la-na-womens-health-20110615>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 time. He'd better. An 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:
>>1. POVERTY. If there's one thing that separates 
>>us from the rest of the developed world, it's 
>>this. 
>><http://www.nbcnews.com/business/49-7-million-americans-poverty-census-bureau-says-1C7073315>50 
>>million of our people live in poverty. 
>><http://www.gallup.com/poll/156806/one-four-mississippi-residents-struggle-afford-food.aspx#2>One 
>>in five Americans goes hungry at some point 
>>during the year. 
>><http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/19/us-usa-survey-paycheck-idUSBRE88I1BE20120919>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 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. 
>><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812#Declaration_of_war>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 pooor?
>>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!
>>Clearly, we are no longer our brother's and 
>>sister's keeper. You get sick and can't afford 
>>the operation? Not my problem. The bank has 
>>foreclosed on your home? Not my problem. Can't 
>>afford to go to 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 reasons gun 
>>murders in other countries 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!
>>
>
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