Sort of off topic: When I read JPs post about 'grabbing his gun' I was
shocked (really) that this would be his reaction. My shock came from
the fact that this reaction struck me as so alien (no pun intended :) to
my own experience. That same day I was watching the news. They were
talking about the Menendez trial. Typical, "blah blah, found guilty with
special circumstances, blah blah, going to appeal, blah blah, the
brothers may face the death penalty..."
My reaction to the "death penalty" thing, literally, was "Oh My God!"
I was shocked. Stunned.
In Canada, as many of you know, we don't do the 'capital punishment'
thing. It is an alien concept to me, and thus, when they were showing
a picture of these two men on the TV and said "These guys may very
well be executed by the state" it shook my world. Holy geez.
Yes, I am also convinced that Americans are basically nuts.
Another story: A few years back, when I was in my NASCAR racing-fan
days, I decided to attend a race at the Watkin's Glen track. I have
been in Watkin's Glen many times when it wasn't race-season. It's
a quiet, peaceful, smallish town. Gorgeous, surrounded by some really
great vinyards, wonderful restaurants, fantastic people.
Race-weekend is a whole other world. The population of 4000-odd (?)
people skyrockets to a frightening 150,000+. (I'm not one for crowds).
It was more than that, however. One day, prior to the race, I was
walking around 'trailer city' which surrounded the track. Just sort
of hanging out, eating a hotdog, spending disgusting amounts of money
on souveniers for my brother. As a Canadian, when I see a firearm,
it shocks me. It's a rare thing up here. Half-way through my hotdog
I noticed a pick up truck with a full gun-rack. Full. Maybe 4-5
weapons. I shuddered. Then, like it was some sort of revelatory
experience, I started to notice firearms *everywhere*. And they
were everywhere. Most people at that track had a firearm with them.
That's 150,000 *armed* people in a very small place.
My Spidey-Sense went squirrely. The potential for disaster scared
me so much that I immediately left the track, went back to my hotel,
and stayed there until the actual race was run.
Granted, as far as I know, no one got shot. No one even fired a
shot, I guess. It still scared the begeezuz out of me, and I've not
gone back to the US, for that very reason, since. I have never had
as stressful a day as that one. I don't know how people in NY city
can sleep at night. I don't know how anyone can walk the streets
of a US city without *constantly* being on edge.
I'm probably over-reacting, but guns scare the fuck out of me.
The fact that 360 guns are manufactured in the US *every hour* is
good enough reason for me to never go there again. Unless I really
have to. Keep in mind: all of this is just personal opinion. I'm
fully aware of the philosophical reasoning behind the "right to bear
arms" (I don't necessarily agree with it, but I understand it.) I'm
very aware that most US citizens who own a firearm are rational,
non-violent, normal people. But having been in a place with that
many people, that many firearms, and that much beer -- well, that
is on my 'top 5 times when I was so scared that I almost panicked'
list.
*shudder*
- Deb (with the right to bare arms ;)
[note: no, I don't want to start the 'gun control' thread again ;]
--
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Debra L. Richardson - 002134r@dragon.acadiau.ca - HBA Soci & English
http://dragon.acadiau.ca/~002134r/
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