To the Editor:

I'm sure guns were fired into the air in celebration of the Supreme Court's decision finding a Constitutional right for individuals to "keep and bear arms." What is this fascination American men have with guns? It must be a phallic thing. I've always wondered why anyone needs/wants a gun. Is it for protection? If so, protection from who and for what? Think back over your life and ask yourself how many times you were in a situation calling for the use of deadly force.

Now the National Rifle Association lawsuits begin.

Ralph E. Stone
San Francisco



To the Editor:

Randy Shaw wrote: "I recall hearing an interview in the late 1990’s where Nation columnist Alexander Cockburn was criticizing environmental groups for making deals. Asked what they should do instead, Cockburn bellowed, “stand firm”! How “standing firm” would get key legislation passed when the votes were lacking was never made clear, and Cockburn was not asked to expand upon
his analysis."

Unless, of course, the issue of concern is ENDA and trans folks are clamoring to get us all to "stand firm" about forgoing passing LGB employment rights until we can pass LGBT employment rights, using liberal guilt and leftist romanticism of the power of symbolic solidarity as a cudgel.

Then, instead of holding Nancy Pelosi accountable for failing to rustle up the votes needed to pass ENDA+T, they give her a pass and blame the conservative lobbying group HRC which has no power to move any votes.

As far as FISA goes, do you think that most voters would want to give government more leverage to pry into our lives? If so, then Obama is in sync with the voters. If not, then who is Obama in sync with?

Obama is supposed to represent post-divisive politics. I'd hope you all would turn down the relentless spin doctoring of explicating the intracacies of Obama's lurch to the right after winning the primaries
running to the left.

Marc Salomon
San Francisco



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