Journal of Post-Ralphaelite Thought

Now that the initial wave of shock and horror over the shootings at Sandy Hook has worn off, the national debate has again started about gun control, and to a less degree, mental health issues. Discussions about both are long overdue. After every recent shooting, the first reaction of the gun-lovers is...to buy more guns, because they fear "the government" is going to make it impossible to get guns. Am I the only one who sees this as closely related to the behavior pattern of people who are hoarders ? I'm tired of hearing some say that this happened because of some amorphous  "Evil" in the world that humankind is powerless to overcome. If there's Evil afoot, it's what Hannah Arendt, writing about the Nazis, call the banality of evil :  "normalizing the unthinkable." Such as accepting the idea that the man or woman on the street needs to own military-style semi-automatic assault weapons with huge magazines of ammo. There have been quite ...

All across America, spontaneous grassroot " Tea Parties " are springing up, protesting government spending! Woo hoo! Fox News has been flogging these for weeks now. How spontaneous is that? As for "grassroots," they have been largely organized and promoted by several big conservative think tanks/lobbying organizations: well-staffed and well-financed. Think Progress reports how these shadowy presences have been coordinating groups, producing "how-to" guides, writing press releases and registering internet domains. One of these is Freedom Works , a Washington-based "think tank," founded by Texas Republican Dick Armey, that's had a history of astroturfing . Aiding and abetting is Americans for Prosperity , a section 501(c)(4) organization funded largely by wealthy foundations affiliated with conservative and oil/gas interests (remember when gas hit $4 a gallon?). The Oligarchs may have lost power in the last election but they aren't givin...