One great thing about the ‘Net: no matter how bad your day is, there’s any number of sites to visit to make you feel better.

Meow

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

—The Second Amendment

I’m sure quite a bit will be written concerning the landmark Second Amendment decision made by SCOTUS. It’s been a long time coming and either way the axe fell, scores of people were guaranteed to be outraged. With so many facets to the discussion, there are many ways to approach it. Like a mother checking her son for lice, some readers have already been over the court’s opinions with a fine comb. Those documents may be scintillating reading, but I prefer the outside in approach. That’s where I codify my opinions and then read what the justices have to say. Now that they have finally spoken, it’s time to offer my views.

My first thoughts regard how the Constitution should be interpreted. Entire libraries could be filled with the philosophical debates over this one issue. Should the hallowed words be construed strictly, and in their narrowest sense? Or is there room for, no, wait… Do the fluidity and constantly evolving nature of humanity demand that we balance the Constitution’s intent against 21st Century developments? I favor the latter reasoning. When we outgrow starter homes we either add on or move. So it should be with the Constitution. Failure to adapt turns a living, breathing document into an ornate scrap of wallpaper. Even the fact that Jefferson et al couldn’t foresee the escalation of technology and sheer volume of weapons has been accounted for by laws that govern all aspects of gun ownership.

So how do I reconcile the specific “well regulated militia” wording in the Second Amendment? Many anti-gun advocates end their analysis with this phrase. My first approach is to consider the paragraph in its entirety. Militias were a necessity during the nascent days of the Constitution. For (hopefully) different reasons, they have their place in today’s America. However, look closely at the following sentence, especially these eight words: right of the people to keep and bear.

Two things are immediately clear to me in that terse sentence. The first is the use of the word “people”. It’s very broad in scope. For those of you who feel the founders wrote exactly what they meant, why do you think they didn’t explicitly narrow the language? Perhaps the right of the constabulary or the right of the militia should not be infringed. The other thing worth noting is the use of the word “bear”. Not only are we allowed guns, but we have the right to use them. And the only way you can bear a weapon is to have physical possession of it. That doesn’t mean it’s sequestered in a sporting club locker miles away, but securely about your person or within close proximity.

In the 18th Century, guns were more that a fact of life. Guns were life. They were how you fed your family and protected them from dangers, domestic and literally foreign. The notion that an 18th Century Congress would pass a law that could be construed as negating the right to possess a gun is beyond fathomable.

Finally, in over 200 years since the Second Amendment’s ratification, no movement, no law, no petition or treaty has managed to strip guns from their owners. Does that make the court’s decision good by default? It took centuries to end slavery too. Although I’d argue that owning a human and owning a gun don’t have the same moral equivalency.

No, the court’s decision is good because it protects a right that the Constitution’s framers held inviolate. But it does so while allowing checks on that right, checks that protect the greater public. Checks that take into consideration we no longer live in the Wild West.

In short, the ruling restores some of the balance of power to the people. And coming from this group of judges, we need all of that we can get.

Welcome to another edition of Cover Me, my sporadic tribute to unique, unusual, or just plain awesome cover tunes. This evening’s artist is famous, but not necessarily for his musical prowess. As a former Phoenix Suns power forward (yes, Pink One, I Googled it), Wayman Tisdale is known for palming orange leather, not the cold steel strings of a bass guitar. But growing up in his minister father’s church, his first love was music.

And Tisdale is as accomplished a musician as he is a basketball player. However, in the bass zone he tempers his flashy thunder, instead favoring a more nuanced, laid back approach. His music confidently crosses between jazz and R&B while managing to avoid the banality of most “smooth jazz”. And Tisdale truly understands the bassist’s position in a band—whether he’s holding the groove hostage, or exploring a melodic lead in the upper register of his instrument. Check out this number one cover of Earth, Wind and Fire’s Can’t Hide Love from his 2001 album, Face to Face.

Waymantisdale.com

Answers.com Biography

Ever mindful of our need to balance our carnivorous leanings, my cousin insists that we have a veggie when we sacrifice animals. Kindly observe the pot of okra and squash nestling amongst the lamb chops and flanken beef ribs. The meal was simple and simply delicious.

Father’s Day was always a big deal at my house. My mother made sure that no matter what else was happening in our sequestered corner of the planet, Dad got his proper due. We made handmade cards that said “I Love You, Dad”. We catered to him, joyously bringing him food and drink. Remembering those happy days is even more important now, since my siblings and I are survivors of abuse.

Read the rest of this entry »

It had to happen sooner or later. Learning a valuable lesson from John Kerry, Obama made it happen sooner. His campaign created a new website, fightthesmears.com, to dispel the outrageous lies and rumors that surround his historic bid for the White House. With the full weight of Rupert Murdoch’s foul ass Fox News Inventing Bureau against him, I’m sure the new site will keep plenty of coders busy in the upcoming months.

The bitterest Presidential Primary I can recall in my 25 years of interest in politics is finally over. It hasn’t all been good, clean fun. It never is. So many things conspired to make this election particularly rancorous. And despite my optimism, I sadly admit that the societal negatives highlighted nearly overwhelm the positives.

Read the rest of this entry »

Humbled. Emboldened. Proud. Those are some of the things I feel tonight. For once I’m part of making a history that I will actually hold dear in my old age. The most tedious work of a lifetime begins now, but tonight, VICTORY!

Hold the phone! The latest eHarmony commercial I just saw had a Black and Asian (looking) couple. It’s an omen. There’s hope for the Democratic Party after all. All wounds will miraculously be healed. Anything’s possible. Gas prices might even recede. Just wait and see. Everything’s going to be OK.

We all know how much fun it is to bitch on your blog, but honestly, man does not live by rant alone. So let me take a moment to spotlight outstanding service from a vendor I discovered online. A heads up: this post continues my recent trend of geeky pursuits, this time cars again.

My search for a steering wheel hub adapter for my soon to arrive steering wheel led me to nipponpower, a Miami, Florida shop. They’ve been around for a decade so all you seasoned tuners go ahead and have a laugh at the newbie discovering a longtime vendor. They get mega bonus points for a real human answering the phone. He was courteous, understandable, and he insisted on verifying my application with the manufacturer since my car wasn’t on the list of supported applications. After verifying, he arranged shipment of the part.

That was last week; the Post Office notified me of a parcel today. Nice! Prompt shipping! Additionally, the original guy I left a voicemail with returned my call to ensure my order had been completed satisfactorily.

Vendors, take note. This is the kind of service that I’ll pay a little extra for. Everyone interested in sport compact performance parts hit ‘em up.