The Mind Boggles

Even as they accuse President Obama and the Democrats of trying to ruin the country, rightists, tea party afficionados, even some Southern Democrats, and of course Republicans seem hell-bent on destroying themselves. Literally.
This week, Virginia's General Assembly passed a law. One of the effects of this law is striking in its idiocy. Evidently, one will soon be able to walk into a bar in old Virginny, order a drink, then another, then another, then another, etc., all the while carrying a concealed, loaded weapon.
This is just one of the many actions taken by states to protect those who can obviously protect themselves - gun owners. Even Wyoming, proud possessor of the "I'll shoot you in the face" former Vice President, has passed laws loosening gun control. However, the federal government has not really been too concerned with tightening gun laws. They've been far too busy dealing with Afghanistan, health care reform, education and tax overhaul, and attempting to help the economy recover from the last disastrous eight years of policy. In other words, gun owners and their lobby seem to be acting preemptively. Now imagine a drunk man with a concealed weapon acting preemptively. Right?
Frankly, I am not pro gun control. I see gun control as the equivalent of putting a band-aide on a severed limb. I do, however, support bans on: automatic weapons (unless you're hunting zombies), carrying guns into a school, library, or religious establishment (unless it's filled with zombies), and certain other instances, always allowing for a zombie exception. I would think that a ban on concealed weapons in a bar would just be common sense, though. Whiskey and weapons don't mix, and often miss, hitting bystanders. And given that we're talking about the home state of the Virginia Tech massacre, I am doubly perplexed at the VA GA's lax attitude towards weapons.
Meanwhile, in Utah, it might become, for all intents and purposes, a crime to have a miscarriage. "The Sranger" reports that "A bill passed by the Utah House and Senate this week and waiting for the governor's signature, will make it a crime for a woman to have a miscarriage.... In addition to criminalizing an intentional attempt to induce a miscarriage or abortion, the bill also creates a standard that could make women legally responsible for miscarriages caused by "reckless" behavior. Using the legal standard of "reckless behavior" all a district attorney needs to show is that a woman behaved in a manner that is thought to cause miscarriage, even if she didn't intend to lose the pregnancy."
Utah preggers - DO NOT GO TO VIRGINIA!!!
I find it interesting that the very same people who are always talking about wanting a smaller government pass laws like the one above. An official injunction on what is usually a natural bodily function (25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage) seems a far greater invasion of individual rights and liberties than Obama's increasingly feeble attempts to make sure we don't go into crippling debt every time we visit the doctor. And once again, where were these people when the government allowed the NSA to spy on private citizens without a warrant?
The Utah bill in question also raises the issue of just who may call an action reckless, and what recklessness is. Is it reckless for a pregnant women to go down a flight of stairs? Drive? Fly? Laugh?
Take a loaded weapon to a bar?
Hypocrites and idiots. No wonder Obama's reasoned, rational, and conciliatory tone doesn't work.

Hamas: "Abbas no longer represents the Palestinian people."

Hamas, the Palestinian political party and paramilitary group that controls the Gaza Strip, claims that President Mahmoud Abbas "no longer represents the Palestinian people, and is not qualified to express Palestinian hopes and ambitions." The statement comes as Abbas announces his willingness to restart negotiations with Israel should the latter commit to a three month settlement freeze. Abbas also stated his opposition to armed resistance. Hamas calls his mindset "defeatist."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nitenyahu has often indicated he would be willing to discuss a settlement freeze. However, he also said the freeze should only apply to the creation of new settlements, and that construction of houses, schools, and other buildings would continue in preexisting settlements. Hamas sees any such freeze as pointless and an attempt to "judaize Al-Quds."
Paranoid as they sound, Hamas' members and leaders are not far off the mark. Israeli policy has long included the practice of creating facts on the ground - settlements, people, synagogues, and other phenomena - in an effort to claim more and more territory as part of Israel. Most recently, Nitenyahu confirmed Israeli plans to retain large swathes of territory in the West Bank, even if a peace accord is reached.
Nitenyahu's truculence mirrors that of Hamas. However, Hamas is the legitimate leader of Palestine, having won a majority in Parliamentary elections. Fatah's refusal to relinquish power has led to a schism within the Palestinian community. Hamas picked up on this schism in their statement as well, saying it was absurd for "Abbas [and his colleagues] to negotiate with Zionists while simultaneously refusing a debate within Palestine."
If Israel and the USA want a viable solution in Israel/Palestine, they must cease talks with Abbas and begin focusing on Hamas. It may be unpalatable, but the fact of the matter is that Hamas commands more respect and legitimacy than Abbas and his cohorts in Fatah.