Thursday, April 18, 2013

Boston etc.

The event in Boston was truly shocking, but I am heartened by the response so far. Except for a few fringe types (A.J.), everyone has been surprisingly restrained, allowing the authorities to do their job and helping as much as possible.
A definite contrast to how the gun issue has been handled. Here we have two sides talking past each other, engaging in strong rhetoric and demonizing each other to a typical extent.
Perhaps I can see this as I am not strongly invested in this issue. Not that it isn't an important issue, but I have discovered you can really only put effort into so many things before you diminish your effectiveness everywhere.
So from my perspective, why not an all of the above approach, like Obama claims to be using with energy?
It seems to me that both sides have offered valuable partial solutions. Why not use them all? Armed guards in schools doesn't eliminate the need for background checks, or a ban on high capacity magazines the need for better mental health treatment (which, frankly, I don't think the NRA is pushing hard enough. If they had much sense, they would be talking about that nonstop.).Maybe some clever Congressperson could even link some of these ideas in a bill and see if both sides would support it. Or, if not, at least you could flush out the insincere.
Maybe this can be the issue where the polarization of our country begins to crumble.

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