As it perpetually is in Game of Thrones, winter is coming. HBO just released a teaser for Season Six of its blockbuster show, which has been predicting winter for some time, but is still in late fall. Doesn't matter, it started snowing last season, and I can't wait. Winter IS coming.
Sadly however, with the cold weather comes another mass shooting, this one an apparent act of terrorism thus reigniting two political debates at once, increasing the chill in rhetoric, and adding a nice smattering of bah-humbug to the holiday season. I hope you like your Eggnog with a twist of cynicism, and today's digest is a bit longer in light of these events. May the holidays be warm and safe for you and yours.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading
This Day in History
1992 - US Marines arrive in Mogadishu, Somalia on a peacekeeping mission that included UN troops and international aid workers. Although the Marines were able restore stability long enough for food distribution to stop wide spread starvation, they were not able to capture the warlords whose violence created the humanitarian crisis which first led to international intervention. By spring of 1994, following a failed raid memorialized in Black Hawk Down, the Marines were gone. Since then Somalis has existed more as lines on a map than as a functioning nation state, a haven for terrorists and everyone's favorite 21st century pirates.
Shoot First, Ask Questions Maybe
This is not the first time I've written about guns, and the last time I did so, my friend Chris in Texas sent me two studies showing insufficient evidence to determine if guns laws affected violence rates (from NCJRS.gov), but also admitting their limitations due to lack, but also acknowledging flaws in research, data collection, and analysis (from the Center for Disease Control).
I'll counter here with a more recent study that finds a strong connection between higher rates of gun ownership and rates of gun homicide (from American Journal of Public Health), but reading over all this made me realize the importance of semantics in this debate.
The two studies Chris sent me say that they cannot find firm evidence of a connection between gun laws and violence, while the study that I shared finds an explicit link between rates gun ownership and gun homicide. Chris and I are using evidence to prove two different, but I think equally valid points. His study shows that guns aren't linked to overall violence rates, which I think is correct. Crime is a massively complex problem, and limiting access to guns is no panacea for violence. As gun rights advocates like to point out, attackers in other places attack and kill with knives. But I think that point actually reinforces mine. More sensible gun regulation is only one part of curbing overall crime and violence, but it would very immediately save some innocent lives.
Shooting from the Lips
In this digest - as opposed to on Facebook - I try not to be political. That is, while I express strong opinions on issues, I avoid talking about political parties or politicians (except Vladimir Putin, of course). But today I have to break with tradition and go after Donald Trump, whose rhetoric and the reactions it provokes are increasingly scary (from the Week).
I am generally weary of the slippery slope argument. I find that it is often used in a political context as an excuse to do nothing. For example, given the current dysfunction in government, it seems ludicrous that passing universal background checks could suddenly lurch the whole stagnant machine forward enough to somehow repeal the 2nd amendment.
But this is different. On many documented occasions, Trump supporters have used violence, and there is no unwieldy legislative process to prevent an escalation of fear, paranoia, and hatred. I do not believe Trump is actually the racist bigot he pretends to be, but that does not excuse him, nor does it make his words any less dangerous. Trump may not be Hitler, but some of his followers are only one coordinated, violent act away from being Rohm's Brownshirts. I don't believe Trump will become president, but I fear the damage his words will have until the process is over. Trump makes homegrown terrorism and escalating harassment of Muslims more likely, fostering a toxic, negative spiral.
Disaffected Dystopia
Like many before him, Trump sells a racially pure utopia, free of the others, whoever they are. This vision necessarily manifests violently, and has always appealed primarily to those disaffected whose reality is dystopian. Read about the lives of Dylann Roof's friends, with whom he lived, and ask if it makes sense that Trump has some appeal (from the Washington Post). When Chinese companies are opening copper plants in the American south to take advantage of cheap American labor (from the Washington Post), it isn't difficult to figure out why Trump is popular with some.
Trump's words resonate to who have been left behind economically, if not politically. Jobs and livelihoods are gone, and with them hope and opportunity. Scapegoats are needed, and while I can and do take fault with who those scapegoats are and how that blame manifests, it is not the fault of the scapegoaters that their jobs disappeared. White America does not suffer from systemic inequity, but global economic trends have created an unsustainable economic reality that adversely affects rural whites as well. As opportunity exits, instability simultaneously enters.
I don't believe this will be our path, but we see signs of this fraying already, both in the words of Trump, and in the actions of Roof and Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Dear. And lest I forget, the reason we are talking about this now is the shooting in San Bernardino that was orchestrated by people who actually want to destroy our society, the terrorist group Daesh.
Trump thinks we can address the threat to us by creating and exploiting divisions. By calling radical Islamic terrorism what it is, we can paint a billion people with its brush, undermine the values and laws of our nation, and somehow be better suited to address this threat to our way of life? History has taught this lesson many times. We need a better reality, not an omnipotent and ominous "them" to fill OUR void of hope. We have a real external threat to address. It is immoral and illogical to foster disunity in the face of that threat, and it will not help us win.
The Boogie Man!
Meet Boogie and his new baby sister, Vivian! It's up to you to figure out who is whom, but know that Boogie, a Brussels Gryffon - allegedly the inspiration for Ewoks - keeps a watchful eye over his newest human. When not watching Vivian, Boogie lives in a Star Wars fantasy world in which he chases squirrels and pretends they are Imperial Stormtroopers. He also as an affinity for watermelon and popcorn. Big thanks to Nate and Joanne in Chicago for sharing Boogie, and congrats on being new parents!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
As always, please remember to send theopt-in form to friends, and to fill out the feedback form if you have any recommendations or want to share an article link or dog.
Last week I introduced trivia, and got enough responses to justify keeping it going. Right now there is a three way tie for first. The leader board will be posted at the very bottom weekly.
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia section each week.
TRIVIA!
2. President Obama refers to ISIS/Daesh as ISIL. What does the L stand for, and what does it mean?
LEADER BOARD
1. MS: Meghan - 1 Point
2. MS: Steve - 1 Point
3. TX: Chris - 1 Point
