WOC Alert 5/4/99 - Guns and Male Violence; Forget Amnesia; Humanitarian

Wojtek Sokolowski sokol at jhu.edu
Wed May 5 07:59:42 PDT 1999


I agree with everything they say about the connection between machismo and gun symbolism in this culture. It is, however, beyond me how gun control legislation will change that. It did not stop alcoholism or drug abuse, but prohibition and war on drugs moved us closer to a police state.

Wojtek


>Date: Wed, 05 May 1999 01:00:54 -0400
>From: Women Leaders Online <wlo at WLO.ORG>
>Subject: WOC Alert 5/4/99 - Guns and Male Violence; Forget Amnesia;
Humanitarian
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>WOC Alert 5/4/99 - Guns and Male Violence; Forget Amnesia; Humanitarian
>Aid, Not Military Millions
>
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>Guns and male violence have been inextricably linked in both fable and
>fact in the U.S. since the European invasion.
>
>From Davy Crockett to Rambo, male culture has celebrated guns as a way for
>men to wreak vengeance and act on their perceived righteous beliefs. Since
>the wresting of this nation's lands from the Native Americans, men have
>used guns to enforce their entitlement. And getting a gun, with all its
>phallic symbolism, is a rite of passage for far too many young men in
>rural, suburban and urban areas, marking their entry into macho manhood,
>providing visible proof of their virility.
>
>If symbolism were all, there would be no problem. But couple the
>availability of guns with the inability of too many men and boys to
>control their anger and the male sense of entitlement fostered by the
>culture, and death is the result. Each year, 32,000 people are on the
>losing ends of this guns-and-anger combination, dying in the name of this
>symbolism. 15 children each day are victims of gun violence.
>
>The recent mass shooting at Columbine High School should bring even more
>clarity to this problem. Once again, young men, armed to the teeth, have
>killed to get revenge for being harassed and disrespected. And easy
>access to guns and bombs, along with right-wing fueled hatred and
>Nazi-fostered sense of white male entitlement, made their reaction almost
>inevitable. Had these boys been girls, the harassment, more than likely,
>would have been endured in silence, and internalized. But clarity - and
>solving the problem - seems to be far from the collective will of those in
>power.
>
>Perhaps unconsciously, politicians, media commentators and others in
>positions of authority have been unwilling or unable to address this nexus
>of guns and male violence. The contortions used to avoid naming this
>problem range from using gender neutral terms (such as children) to talk
>about the shooters, to banning black trench coats, to blaming abortion.
>And even those (including President Clinton) who talk about guns, talk in
>terms of keeping access for some guns, rather banning them altogether. It
>seems the mystic pull of guns as a symbol of virility continues in the
>nation's male-oriented psyche.
>
>But we cannot permit our nation to be defined by machismo. The results
>are too deadly for both women and men.
>
>Just as we have on issues ranging from birth control to sexual harassment
>to child support, women must force our nation to look at guns through
>women's realistic eyes. We must force our nation to recognize the deadly
>facts and fatal fables connected with guns. And we must, as the people of
>other nations have, stop all general access to guns.
>
>ACTION:
>E-mail your Senators <<http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm>> and
>Members of Congress <<http://www.house.gov/writerep/>> and urge them to
>ban civilian access to guns. The Supreme Court has never ruled that the
>Second Amendment guarantees private gun ownership, so the issue is one of
>marshalling the national will, not overcoming a Constitutional
>prohibition. And while the task of banning guns will be extraordinarily
>difficult, it is not impossible.
>
>What is impossible would be to continue to sacrifice our nation on the
>altar of gun worship.
>
>FORGET AMNESIA -- WLO IS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD WOMEN
>Amnesia is the best gift the voters can give any politician. And it is
>the gift the radical right hopes will guarantee their stranglehold on
>Congress.
>
>Remember this past winter? Were you outraged by the attempt by
>morally-challenged Congressmen such as Henry Hyde, Bob Barr , Dick Armey,
>and Tom DeLay to impeach President Clinton for having an affair?
>
>Remember the previous Congress? Were you outraged by the shutdown of the
>entire U.S. government by the Republican leadership in Congress?
>
>Remember what they did last week? Are you outraged by the constant
>efforts by right-wing Republicans (joined by a few Democratic fellow
>travelers) in Congress to outlaw abortion and birth control, cut funds for
>education, health care, and the environment, increase funds for the
>military and tax breaks for the rich, block gun control and campaign
>finance reform?
>
>Have you ever thought, "The Republican leadership and their followers of
>both parties in Congress have to go?"
>
>Have you ever thought, "I want a Congress that looks like me?"
>
>If the answer to these questions is Yes, then WLO Wants You.
>
>WLO is looking for women who want to change Congress -- and are willing to
>*run* for Congress to bring about change.
>
>There are 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Tom DeLay, Dick
>Armey, and the Republicans control the House by only 12 votes - the
>smallest Republican majority in our lifetime.
>
>If only 6 districts go from anti-woman Republican to pro-woman Democrat,
>Republican control will end and pro-woman legislation will become
>possible.
>
>WLO is a non-partisan organization. But we have been so outraged by the
>actions of the right-wing leadership since they took control of Congress
>in 1994 that we are willing to do whatever we can to end reactionary
>Republican control and elect pro-women Members of Congress .
>
>In particular, we want to recruit, train, and elect progressive women to
>run for Congress.
>
>If you are a citizen over 25, you are legally qualified. If you have ever
>held office, or held a leadership position in your community, you have
>the skills. If you are not afraid to speak in public or ask friends and
>strangers for money and support, you have the aptitude.
>
>We are eager to help -- with training, consulting, and introductions to
>the people in Washington who count.
>
>ACTION:
>If you are interested in running, or just curious, drop us a note at
>wlo at wlo.org and tell us about yourself. We'll read it, and give you our
>honest opinion about your chances. If we think you have the potential,
>we'll do everything we can to help. Write us today!
>
>HUMANITARIAN AID, NOT MILITARY MILLIONS
>Today marks the 29th anniversary of the killing of 4 students at Kent
>State University, who died protesting our nation's military campaign in
>Vietnam. With that memory still fresh, we are pleased to pass on this
>alert from Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) about this week's vote
>to fund the military campaign in Kosova/o and Yugoslavia.
>
>"Both the House and the Senate will meet this week to debate Emergency
>Supplemental Funding for the NATO bombing campaign.


>
>"On Thursday, April 29, the House Appropriations Committee voted for a
>$12.9 billion Kosovo "emergency" supplemental appropriations bill, more
>than double the Administration request for $6 billion to pay for the war
>in Kosovo.
>
>"The Committee majority resorted to a shell game to avoid charges of
>adding pork to the bill to pay for a war. They loaded programs into the
>supplemental appropriations bill that have nothing to do with the war in
>order to clear room for pork requests in the fiscal 2000 Defense
>Appropriations bill.
>
>ACTION:
>"Call your Representative at 202-225-3121 or e-mail
><<http://www.house.gov/writerep/>> and your Senators 202 224 3121 or e-
>mail <<http://www.senate.gov/contacting/index.cfm>> and ask them to oppose
>the additional pork spending for the Pentagon. Ask them to only support
>money to help with the refugee crisis, but no more. The Pentagon already
>receives over half the discretionary budget -they do not need more! They
>need to reorder their spending priorities.
>
>"The money they spend on pork projects will come from the Social Security
>Surplus. Several members are calling for offsets for the Pentagon programs
>which will rob the already diminish other discretionary budgets, like
>education, health care, housing and other social programs.
>
>For more information, contact WAND at http://www.wand.org
>
>AND NOW, A NOTE FROM OUR SPONSOR:
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