The Chris Moeller Archives

The latest gun tragedy, in any sort of context

As with many things, there are elements of truth in their fears. The threat of disempowerment is real. Our government should be feared in some circles. It boasts the most powerful military in the world, exponentially too large for its formal purpose. It intrudes upon the civil liberties of its citizens. It sends robot bombs to kill people all over the world-- and does so through its national intelligence agency, rather than its military, so that it doesn't have to publicly cop to it. The United States federal government, its military, and 33 individual state governments commit public murders with the legal protection of the Department of Justice and the courts. Should be we surprised after all this when so many of our citizens also place so little value on human life? Our weapons killed 50 Palestinian children just a few short weeks ago, and there was no national outrage, not even a little hand-wringing.

But trust me, "America-first" reactionaries, your government is not coming for you. You're too useful. You back the regime, the war machine, the hideous beast with two political parties. You swallow the talking points. You provide the public cover for the crimes of the military and the law enforcers. You willingly assist in the intimidation of those that peacefully dissent. At the base of the empire, it's important for the political leaders to keep the comforted middle-class from getting too squeamish. Your protection will always be their Priority #1.

Do guns make us safer? The dichotomy is indisputable. Individually, they make us feel that way, but collectively, they can-- and have enslaved us all inside a sort of minefield of terror. What's indisputable is that they make gun manufacturers richer, and the more that these quasi-political, but very commercial, groups convince you there is a threat to your physical person, the more their sales spike. They're selling you a dangerous product that you will have no logical use for, because it's so fucking easy to make you feel afraid. The outlaws that have the brassiest balls are the ones that challenge authority without being armed.

posted by CM @ 11:56 AM