Cynicism has killed the gun-control debate - Sun

[Martian]

Dan Rodricks' diatribe is worth a read. He obviously has done no homework at all on our second amendment rights or those who choose to exercise them.

<snip>

Cynicism has killed the gun-control debate

 

[Norton]

He is the worst of the worst. He is cut from the same cloth as people like Brian Frosh who have their personal ideologies and no amount of rational discussion, facts or statistics is going to have any effect on them.

He will continue to use the bullypulpit of the Sun's dying readership to advance his socialistic utopian views regardless of what we think.

 

[Fustercluck]

Hey Norton,
I love the avatar. I was using that exact one when I joined MDS last year, but in a fit of stupidity lost it. Now I'm jealous you have it, but it indeed makes you one ultra-cool person. Grizzum.

 

[BenL]

Dan Rodricks' diatribe is worth a read.

Nothing that rodricks has ever written or said has been worthwhile. He is an ill-informed, self-styled Baltimoron- a "writer" (using the term loosely) with working-class roots that never bothered to educate himself and isn't worth my attention.

When the Sun paper goes belly-up, I, for one, will cheer.

 

[trickg]

My email to Rodricks:

Mr. Rodricks,

I read your article in the Sun and I’m trying to find a point in your ramble that from my perspective seems very anti-gun.

Not once did you mention that our right to firearms ownership is protected by the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights, and that our rights to keep and bear arms, for whatever legal uses we see fit, is as much of a civil liberty as the right to free speech.

Bad people do bad things – that is a fact of life and we have laws on the books that deal with the prosecution and sentencing of those people – let’s call them “criminals” just to clarify who and what they are. Why should I, as a law abiding citizen of the United States, have to give up my right to keep and bear arms because some people (criminals) have done evil with theirs? That’s like saying we should ban automobiles because people are killed by drunk drivers, or that we should ban alcohol because a small percentage of people can’t handle their booze, and they do stupid, evil and sometimes deadly things while under the influence. We don’t ban alcohol. We punish those who misuse alcohol and do bad things with it.

I’d like to make the suggestion to you that you make a sincere effort to read the writings of our Founding Fathers on the subject of the people’s right to keep and bear arms, and why they felt it was important to codify that right with the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights, because it is clear to me based on your article that you are lacking that knowledge. I’d also like to leave you with a quote from one of our Founding Fathers. My hope is that you ponder it, both in what it meant to the people in our young nation at the time, and how it is directly applicable in these current times.

"Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined." Patrick Henry, 3 Elliot, Debates at 45 (Virginia Convention, June 5, 1788).

Sincerely,

Patrick G.

 

[Boondock Saint]

Very nice letter. Hopefully you get a response.

 

[trickg]

Very nice letter. Hopefully you get a response.

I already got a response - not only was I surprised that he wrote back, but that he wrote back so quickly. This is what he had to say:

Blah blah blah, heard it all before.
I'm sure our Founding Fathers had assault weapons in mind, and mass killings, and school yards and campuses with the boidies of dead children.

Nice, huh?

This was my last response to his nasty-gram:

Once again you have proven the point. Rather than address my note with something as disrespectful as "blah blah blah," you might instead work to familiarize yourself with the reasons the founding fathers felt it was so important to protect the rights of the citizenry.

While I can agree that mass shootings are terrible, the fact remains that the guns themselves only did the will of the evil people behind them. Punish the few of those who do wrong, and not the millions of people who follow and obey the law, and who do no wrong with the firearms they posses.

Sincerely,

Patrick G.

 

[Boondock Saint]

Wow. What an incredulous fool. That's so inflammatory as to open the possibility that you posted that in his name. I'm sure you didn't, I'm just speaking to the foolishness of his remarks.

 

[trickg]

Wow. What an incredulous fool. That's so inflammatory as to open the possibility that you posted that in his name. I'm sure you didn't, I'm just speaking to the foolishness of his remarks.

I pulled his name out of the post - it was the prudent thing to do in spite of the fact that it was directly copied and pasted from an email I received.

 

[HoCoShooter]

What a dick.

People like Rodricks can't figure out why it is that they vote for politicians that refuse to keep criminals in prison and impose common sense laws, then wonder why there are so many criminals roaming the streets. I wonder what percentage of people who kill illegally with guns have a prior felony record?

 

[ezliving]

Writing Rodricks was a waste of time. He is not a reporter. He is a local personality with a soapbox. He is only interested in the vision of his own words. In Rodrickland, his opinion always trumps reality.

 

[Boondock Saint]

My response, because I felt like banging my head against a wall:

Mr. Rodricks,

I'm a long time reader and a first time emailer. I particularly liked your piece on the one year anniversary of 9/11, and even went so far as to print it out and put it up for my co-workers to read. That said, I wanted to let you know that I'm saddened by your recent reply to a reader who took the time to send you well-crafted, intelligent feedback on your recent article concerning firearms. In fact, you went so far as to start your reply with "Blah, blah, blah."

Rather than embracing your differences with the reader, or doing research, or presenting the other side of the story (as there are always at least two), you dismissed him with a wave of your fingertips on the keyboard. Actively disrespecting your readers? No wonder the Sun is failing.

All the best,

The long time reader thing isn't true, but I did like his 9/11 piece.

 

[Norton]

Looks like Mr Rodricks would like to hear from more of us......

dan.rodricks (at) baltsun.com

 

[trickg]

Looks like Mr Rodricks would like to hear from more of us......

dan.rodricks (at) baltsun.com

The link for his email was listed right below his picture - that's how I emailed him.

drodricks (at) wypr.org

 

[MikeTF]

The link for his email was listed right below his picture - that's how I emailed him.

drodricks (at) wypr.org

What is his email? Is the salutation, 'Hey libtard ....' appropriate?

 

[GNLaFrance]

I know people who know him. Rodricks is a legend in his own mind, a not-very-big-fish in a little pond. He shows that attitude to everyone and it'll keep him in the minor leagues forever.

 

[trickg]

What is his email? Is the salutation, 'Hey libtard ....' appropriate?

That second email address was in the signature of the email he sent back to me. What I posted above were the total contents of his email to me, minus the signature block.

I'd take the moral high ground on this one - don't say things like "hey libtard..." because that would only fuel his fire. Approach it from a position of strength, but keep the language calm, cool and collected. That sort of thing is much harder to argue with.

 

[Norton]

He's on the air right now if anyone wants to give him a call:

Hosted By: Dan Rodricks
Midday is WYPR's daily public affairs program heard from noon - 2PM, Mondays through Thursdays. Hosted by longtime Baltimore Sun columnist Dan Rodricks, the program covers a wide-range of topics selected to engage, inform, and entertain the listening audience.

Since its debut, Midday has covered a mix of the serious (politics, the economy, education) and the not so serious (National Grammar Day, crab cakes, film noir) with, as one listener describes it, "A certain politeness, good manners, and gentle laughter."

To call in during the show, dial 410-662-8780 locally, or call toll-free at 1-866-661-9309.
Midday is produced by Marcus Charleston and Brett Keller with assistance from Jonathan Ehrens.
Email your thoughts to the show at: midday@wypr.org

 

[drott]

Wow, Mr Rockricks has really come up with a new one with this "analysis":

"Absent leadership that would promulgate greater control of guns, we fear mass killings will continue. So, the thinking goes, maybe it's best to be prepared - have a gun handy, just in case the madman comes to your office or your kid's school...We have in our midst millions of one-man militias - trusting no one, cynical about life in a changing society, convinced of the likelihood of more dysfunction and gun violence, and convinced, above all, that few in elected office have the guts to do anything about it."

He's directly implying that the huge number of gun owners in our country, and the people clamoring to buy all the guns since Obama was elected, are not buying these guns because they are firm believers in our second amendment rights and know that Obama is against that constitutionally guaranteed right...Nooo, the real reason is because we're "upset" that our political leaders aren't cracking down on our legal gun ownership and implementing sweeping gun control! Even gun owners want gun control everybody! And B'GOSH them rushing out and buying all those guns is proof positive that they do want gun control! That's the ticket!

Mr Rodricks, if you happen to be reading this, your diatribe is the lamest, dumbest analysis I've ever seen concerning arguments for gun control. Even members of your own political party know it's nonsense (not to mention political suicide). Enjoy what little time you have left at the dying Sun. No doubt you'll ponder endlessly in the unemployment line as to how you've ended up there. Well, despair not; maybe Obama will give you a bailout to help pay your salary?? I'm betting you're secretly banking on that, aren't you?

 

[weldingshop]

Trickg,

You used the word "Mr. Rodricks," to start your letter........i would have used "Miss." he cleary has his panty hose on too tight.