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quix

TMI

Frank Gehry or Rem Koolhaas
Dan Savage or Charles Mudede
No legs and a million dollars or A million legs and no dollars
Tom Skerritt or Dave Matthews
Tushy or Tuchus

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Mar 20

quix commented on Today's Dinosaur News.

@2: So, summer popcorn flicks are supposed to have the academic seriousness of a research grant proposal?

Feb 6

quix commented on Chris Brown Says He Deserves Respect, but What He Really Deserves Is....

I'm perplexed. "A swift kick in the balls," while clearly merited, isn't one of the options. What to do?

Jan 18

quix commented on Garfield Faculty Votes to Continue Strike on Student Testing.

There was a great story on this last night on All Things Considered.

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/17/169620124/…

Jan 1

quix commented on The New Year Morning News.

@3 &@7: But don't pediatricians discuss other child-proofing issues (household chemicals locked up/out of reach, electrical outlets covered, etc.) with their patients' parents? Is it really so out of line that, in the course of such a discussion, they might raise the issue of whether there were any guns in the house and, if so, were they secured sufficiently to prevent little Johnny from accidentally blowing his own head off?

Dec 28, 2012

quix commented on Fiscal Cliff Diving.

@13: Thank you. Being right is swell, but it's not synonymous with doing right. Cheering for millions of economically vulnerable people to be screwed in the hopes that said screwing will damage your political opponent's position isn't just dangerous (given the possibility of backlash against you instead of against your opponent), it's wrong.

Dec 19, 2012

quix commented on National Review Writer Blames Newtown Massacre on Feminine Passivity.

I'm sure they're fiction. Whether that was her intent or not is the question.

Dec 14, 2012

quix commented on Telling People Not to "Politicize" Mass Shootings Is Politicizing Mass Shootings.

Sorry for the double post--SLOG appeared to eat the first one (hence the second).

Dec 14, 2012

quix commented on Telling People Not to "Politicize" Mass Shootings Is Politicizing Mass Shootings.

He may not have used the words "gun control," but I wouldn't call Obama's call for "meaningful action...regardless of politics" silence.

I couldn't agree more with @5 more. If you want change, whining on the internet isn't going to cut it. Organize, mobilize, and make yourself a political force to be reckoned with. Gun control advocates could form their own lobbying organization to stand up to the NRA or they could even organize to join the NRA en masse and, when they've reached critical mass within the organization, vote to change its policies and mission.

And more importantly, if y'all genuinely want a debate, you'll have to be genuinely open to debate. That means being willing to listen to the viewpoints of others and working to understand where they're coming from. Shrieking "GUNS ARE EVIL" at the top of your lungs will never convince anyone who doesn't already agree with you, and treating all gun owners like trigger-happy crazies will nip debate in the bud.

Dec 14, 2012

quix commented on Telling People Not to "Politicize" Mass Shootings Is Politicizing Mass Shootings.

The President may not have used the words "gun control" but I don't think his call for "meaningful action...regardless of politics" constitutes silence. As gus notes above, the man has a lot on his plate--including not letting the economy be run back off the rails by those who place tax cuts for the rich above the good of the nation--that can take a major hit if he were to get up in front of the White House press corps and outline a 15 point plan for enacting effective gun control legislation.

There is also the likelihood that he chooses not to fixate on gun control right out of the gate because there's more at work here than just easy access to guns (although that is clearly a factor in incidents like this). This is a President who understands and embraces complexity and nuance, and this means that you won't always get instantaneous single-issue focused soundbites out of him.

In the meantime, the more effective path would be for gun control advocates to come together to form a single, cohesive lobbying organization to counter the NRA. If you want to effect change, organize, mobilize and make it politically dangerous to ignore you. Moaning on the internet won't cut it.

Finally, if you want to have a debate on this (or any) subject, you need to be genuinely open to debate. Shrieking "GUNS ARE EVIL" at the top of your lungs will never convince anyone who doesn't already agree with you, and writing off those who disagree with you as trigger-happy crazies will nip debate in the bud. If you're not ready and willing to listen to and try to understand other viewpoints, the discussion is never going to go anywhere.

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Dec 14, 2012

quix commented on We Are an Awful Nation.

While I agree we do need to give some teeth to the "well regulated" language in the Second Amendment, guns are far from being the only issue that needs to be addressed in the wake of such incidents. This country has a tremendous problem with the availability and accessibility of mental health services. When y'all are writing 15 different posts about the need for gun control, it would be lovely if even one of you could take a few moments to address other significant factors that lead to this kind of violence. These things don't happen in a vacuum. The ease with which a mentally ill person can get their hands on a gun is a problem, but so is the fact that nobody seems to notice that these people are mentally ill until after they've engaged in the most destructive violence imaginable is another. Let's not be so myopically focused on guns that we miss the rest of the picture.