Respect Authority

Sometimes, when I’m not watching TV, or reprogramming my faulty DVR for the ninth time, or idly wondering whether mood rings come in “irritable,” I read books. And since this is my blog and I’ll wax intellectual if I want to, I feel it’s high time I start reviewing them. Because trust me, there are a lot (175 unread books in my 330-square-foot apartment, to be exact).

The most important thing you need to know about God Is Not Great—it’s a rather awkward book to read in public. Which isn’t to say that New Yorkers have any specific problem with atheism, or one 20-something semi-hipster predictably reading about it on the subway, but one finds it hard to ignore the looks, which vary from skepticism to accusation (by the way, in a rant for another time, I find the Kindle really hampers my predilection for observing what others are reading on the train). Then again, maybe it’s just some watered-down version of Catholic guilt that has me wanting to reach out to fellow riders; “I’m not an atheist; I mean, maybe, I don’t know. I’m just—the book was on sale.” Read More ›

If you thought people were clinging to their guns before, you should see them now.

A New York Times article Friday documented a significant increase in gun sales in the wake of Barack Obama’s ascendance to the proverbial American throne. Calling the President-elect a “gun-snatcher,” rednecks and firearm enthusiasts throughout the country are stocking up on their favorite weaponry in preparation for either a crackdown on gun ownership or a heretofore unknown plot to take over the world.

“He wants to take our guns from us and create a socialist society policed by his own police force,” said Jim Pruett, owner of Jim Pruett’s Guns and Ammo in northwest Houston. Mr. Pruett said sales on the Saturday before the election were seven times higher than sales on a typical “good Saturday.”

Indeed, in Colorado, gun buyers set a one-day record. According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Saturday marked the highest-ever number of background check requests in a 24-hour period.

It appears much of America is attached to their ignorance as their Smith & Wesson. Although Obama endorsed a handgun ban in Illinois, and stands behind states and cities’ local determinations on gun control, he has no open plans to circumvent the 2nd Amendment.

Suggesting restrictions on gun ownership, in a time when semi-automatic weapons are disconcertingly prevalent, is not akin to taking away an individual’s right to hunt, or own a weapon in the interest of self defense. Or to walk around the house in boxers, double-fisting matching pistols. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.