Comment from meeshu

Excellent

very cleverly written, CD. please lay off Dana as I think I'm in love with her. I can only think of one good time to have a gun, when some crazy brings one to my school. I really enjoyed your work...........meeshu

 Comment Written 09-Jul-2018

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2018

Well, if you get to fulfil your dreams, just watch your back. Crazy women and guns might be an exciting combination, but I prefer boring and alive :) Cheers, Craig

Comment from BeasPeas

Excellent

Well, although I am a gun enthusiast myself and have a totally opposite opinion of the people you mention and the circumstances, your poem is well done. I do have a question for you, though, so focused on the good old U.S. of A--don't you guys have any problems to solve in Australia? It must be either boring to live there or so perfect y'all have no problems. Maybe everyone's surfing like Dip. Marilyn

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 Comment Written 09-Jul-2018

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2018

Good question, Marilyn. Let me answer it for you...

I occasionally do write about Australia - but when I do, it's generally about nature themes and such, because that's the bit people who aren't from here have some clue about. If I were to write lots poems about Australian politics, for example, a) no one would read them after a while, and b) I'd be forever explaining myself, because hardly anyone would have the foggiest clue what I was talking about.

That said, I do occasionally vent my wrath against politicians and other miscreants in this country - for example, I've written poems about coal mining, fracking, horse and greyhound racing and other detestable activities.

More than once, I've seen it suggested that myself and other non-Americans should keep our mouths shut about the goings-on in the USA. Usually it comes with the implication that criticising the President or the NRA is "America-bashing". This ignores the fact that the majority (albeit a slim one) of Americans don't want an isolationist President, and don't want a society where it isn't safe to walk the streets. So, taking the side of the majority isn't exactly being anti-US, is it? However, supporters of Trump and LaPierre don't want the rest of the world coming out in support of their opponents, and pointing out that the things these politicians stand for haven't worked anywhere else, ever.

Please rest assured that when Australia has a leader who seeks to appeal to his constituency by setting up our country in opposition to the rest of the planet, and when schools here become shooting galleries, where parents send their children to have them picked off like sitting ducks, my focus will most certainly be closer to home a lot more of the time.

Speaking of which -- a piece of trivia you might be interested in. In May, we had our first mass shooting in 22 years -- that's somewhat better than one a day, every day of the year, but more than we'd like. There ARE illegal guns in this country. Guess where most of them come from? When the State government decides to give in to gun-nuts and allow shooting in State forests where people take their children hiking, guess where the "sporting shooters" are getting their inspiration and support? So yes, I do have a vested interest as well - it's not all "academic".

Cheers,
Craig

reply by BeasPeas on 10-Jul-2018

Hi Craig. I understand what you are saying. However, you must remember there are two sides to every story. All the gun owners I know (of which I am trained and have one myself) are responsible people. There will be wackos no matter where you live or whether guns are banned or not. One of the most violent cities in the U.S. is Chicago who keep voting in a liberal mayor and that is a "gun-free" city, probably Illinois is a gun-free state--I'm not sure. The problem is that no one wants to take responsibility for his/her actions anymore, as in generations past. The minute the perp cries discrimination--he/she is let go and then sues the city for arresting him/her for breaking the law and getting arrested in the first place.

Re Trump. As I've told you before, he is the greatest thing since sliced bread, a breath of fresh air. Many, many of us support him but we had to go "underground" because the violent libs hate him so much. To have a bumper sticker on your car or speak positively of him is asking for violence against yourself, your home and your family. So much about the so-called "tolerant" left.

Trump is not an isolationist. He wants people to come into this country with merit and legally. I have read about Australia's rigid immigration laws. Why can it be selective and USA can't? It's a double standard. Illegals get all kinds of social services immediately, even over American citizens. That definitely is not fair, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill. The conservative POV is come in legally or do not come. EVERYONE wants to come here. We cannot possibly continue to be overwhelmed by masses of people without following immigration laws already on the books but ignored for years.

Obama was much disliked by the right--not because of race--(after all we had a black candidate ourselves and repubs have always been the party of acceptance, not the dems). Obama was disliked because of his policies and the same thing is happening to Trump.

I've been to Australia and liked it a lot when I was flying for the airline. I get what you're saying about having to explain everything.
Best, Marilyn

reply by the author on 10-Jul-2018

Hi Marilyn,

Thanks for the response. There's a few things I can't let pass without comment, but I'll try to be as brief as possible.

1. Your friends might be "responsible gun owners", but the numbers simply don't stack up. Australia typically has around 200 gun-related deaths per year. The US, 30,000. Doesn't that number send chills down your spine? And Australia is far from the best example. Countries like the UK and Japan, which have stricter gun control than we do, have even less. It's a simple fact -- tighter gun control means less gun fatalities, it's been proved over and over worldwide. US gun advocates simply choose not to believe incontrovertible truth.

2. Chicago does have relatively strict gun laws. However, it shares borders with Wisconsin and Indiana -- two of the states with the laxest gun laws. All Chicago proves is that gun laws are not as effective when they aren't consistent on a national basis. Most guns used in crime in Chicago come from outside the state.

3. I'm sure you can't be serious when you label liberals violent. It's your own President himself who said he could walk out into the street and shoot someone dead and not lose a single vote. That's what he thinks of his own constituents, and the scary thing is, to hear them talk, one has to suspect he's right. I never heard Obama make such a claim.

4. When I said Trump is an isolationist, immigration is the least of the issues -- although of course, now that they've finished building his Tower for him, Trump no longer wants migrant workers. Trump has consistently worked, since his first day in office to make enemies of the rest of the world. He's insulted the Heads of State of countless countries, including traditional "friends" like the UK, Australia and Canada. He's called other sovereign nations "shithole" countries. He's walked out of the Trans-Pacific Trade deal. He's withdrawn from the UN Human Rights Council. He's backed the US out of commitment to global clean energy agreements. In short, he seeks to build his own support base by creating an endless procession of "enemies" to pander to a certain section of society's insatiable need to hate. And while he is setting the US apart from every friend it once had, who is he fast becoming best buddies with? That's right, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Il. Insanity.

This uneducated megalomaniac is totally unfit for any public office, let alone the highest one in the land. People (non-Republicans) might, quite rightly, have thought of Reagan and George W Bush as fools (not so much George Bush Snr), but I don't recall anywhere near the absolute horror people have concerning the current President -- and with good reason.

Anyway, that's my last word on this. I don't want to go around making enemies unnecessarily - I'll leave that to Mr Trump. You can have the last word :)

Cheers,
Craig

reply by BeasPeas on 10-Jul-2018

See PM.

reply by the author on 10-Jul-2018

No, I don't.

Comment from lyenochka

Excellent

Boy Jones? No relative of Davey Jones, I guess. Boy Jones would be considered "a plant." Complicated dreams, Craig! Alas, I don't think we can get far with gun laws here. For better sleep, I think you need to stop reading the news before bedtime. Lol.

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 Comment Written 09-Jul-2018

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reply by the author on 09-Jul-2018

I almost never remember dreams of any kind, Helen, let alone cowboy ones. I'm not sure why that is. Many thanks, Craig