It's good to hear that the congresswoman is able to communicate with medical staff now. Also to hear more optimism about her chances of surviving.
Guns?
I Live in the Philippines, which has become a heavily Americanised country over the past 100+ years. Its both ironic and an anathema that basketball was thrust upon the Filipinos during their US colonization.
Unfortunately the American pro-gun ethos was also thrust upon the Philippines during this same period. It's probably obvious I'm against them - why - well there are so many reasons, but let me cite this as a great example. Nearly every business, on every street has an armed guard on their front door. That includes down to your basic 7-11 store, t-shirt shop or coffee outlet. Go out shopping and, in a crowded street, there is, door after door of armed guards. They carry hand guns and anything else from an armalite to a pistol-grip sawn-off shotgun.
Needless to say there are numerous people shot and killed here in the Philippines. Some, you might argue deserved it, but most not.
The logic that dictates that you should prepare to visit your neighbors house or the local mall, as if you were going to cross Marginot Line in 1940 is about as scary as the Simpson line "No jury in the world is going to convict a baby ..... maybe Texas".
You'd think that the heavy Americanization pro-gun comparison would also mean that in America there are armed guards in every shop on every business in every mall of every city, but that's not the case, so your comparison is confusing to me.
That need for defense and armament is a cultural issue and its genesis comes from the population at large feeling unsafe. (Very much like the gun culture in some Arab states) Perhaps also from the country's history as a perpetually colonized and exploited region of the world, and it's diverse social/religious background. It's a chicken and egg scenario. So look to the Philippine government for that phenomena, not to the Americanization of the country. You may hate basket ball, but guns there probably predated what happened after the Spanish-American war.
I'm not against guns, and the 2nd amendment in the country's constitution means it's part of the rights of any citizen here to own one. I don't own one, and would not want one, and have been fortunate enough never to feel the need to own one. I would however like to keep the option if I ever wanted one. What I'm against is the lack of differentiation of what a gun is/used for. A shot gun, knock yourself out, a hunting rifle, go get it, a target practice pistol, fine. A semi automatic sub machine gun... should be EXTREMELY regulated, and it's not, adding insult to injury what is an over the counter purchase in one state is highly controlled in another.
But I visited the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, some rough parts in Philly and other areas across the nation.
. Aswell 99% of the negative views against our 2nd Ammendment right are from non-US citizens on this forum., so frankly you opinion does not matter to me.
