Guns, Beer and some post primary election talk...

Guns, Guns, Guns...
Tonight I went to one of my favorite drinking establishments to meet a friend and enjoy a tasty adult beverage. The establishment I went to is one I have frequented many times; this time though, there was something different

No Guns at the Great Dane

I never thought I would see the day when I saw a sign like that anywhere in Wisconsin. I have no problem with people owning guns. I own one myself. If you want to go hunting or target shooting great. Have at it. I also understand that the second amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms; however, we live in a far different world that of our forefathers. As a society we have grown, we no longer are a people living on the frontier needing to defend our homesteads from hostiles. We have a standing army to defend our borders.

The notion that we as a people need weapons to prevent our government from becoming tyrannical is a specious argument at best. I highly doubt an armed population is going to be able to go up against M-1 tanks and AH-64 Apaches. There is also the argument that we need weapons for protection against criminals. Again, I do not buy that argument. Unless you have reflexes like a cat it is doubtful you would be able to pull a weapon out in time to prevent an attack.

Fear Sells

This argument is really one of the easiest arguments for the gun lobby to make. If you do not carry a concealed weapon you will be a victim of a horrible crime. You can see this argument clearly in the ad that appeared on this very blog earlier today to the left. "Seconds Count: Police are only minutes away." That is a pretty powerful message - carry a handgun or you will be a crime statistic.

Carrying a weapon, especially a handgun, makes a person feel powerful, invincible even.  Now the gun lobby cannot tell you that, nor can it tell the people who are buying this load of bile that either. So they sell a message of fear. As we know fear sells...and everyone is buying.

Sadly though as long as the gun lobby is as strong as it is and as long as the gun lobby stirs up the second amendment extremists we will never be able to have a reasonable and logical debate on guns and the gun issues we are facing in this country.  Perhaps it is time for us, as a nation, to revisit the second amendment and create a new amendment that places reasonable restrictions on gun ownership and ones ability to carry a weapon in public. We no longer live in the old west...we are supposed to be a civilized society.  Lest we forget, handguns have one purpose and that is to kill people.


Mmmmmm...Beer

Unless you live in Minnesota.

Hundreds of bars, restaurants and stores across Minnesota are running out of beer and alcohol and others may soon run out of cigarettes -- a subtle and largely unforeseen consequence of a state government shutdown.

In the days leading up to the shutdown, thousands of outlets scrambled to renew their state-issued liquor purchasing cards. Many of them did not make it.

Now, with no end in sight to the shutdown, they face a summer of fast-dwindling alcohol supplies and a bottom line that looks increasingly bleak.

One by one, bars get tapped out

Republican hostage taking in Minnesota is appearing to be bad for business. If a deal is not reached by the end of August they run out of tax stamps for cigarettes...while as a non-smoker that does not bother me, I am sure it is going to bother a number of people. Then of course there is the irony,

Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, is concerned enough that on Tuesday he even advocated for Dayton using his executive powers to allow alcohol sales to continue.

"The governor keeps insisting he wants more revenue, but if he doesn't instruct his administration to address this issue, he'll be chasing revenue out of the state,"

One by one, bars get tapped out

I would suggest to Senator Howe that he and his colleagues work with the Governor of Minnesota on this impasse. An impasse of the Republican party's making. I hope they solve this soon I really do not want all of Minnesota coming to Wisconsin and drinking up all of our Spotted Cow.

Elections

Just another word about the recall elections...I have to say that I am disappointed in the Wisconsin media. While all of the media outlets in the state have noted that there were fake democrats running in yesterday's election; not a single one of them condemned the Republicans for doing such an unethical and hypocritical act (especially when one considers their stance on election integrity with the voter ID bill.) What I saw with news reporting on this issue was an entire industry fearful of showing any partisan bias an entire industry afraid to tell the truth. The reason for this is, I am sure, fear of losing advertising dollars. There was a time in this nation when the media was considered the fourth estate, or the unofficial fourth branch of our government...the branch that kept government honest. Thanks to media consolidation there is no room at the table for anyone to make a stand, to do the right thing.