Lawsuits: Scourge of Democracy

Children who lack access to proper nutrition, shelter or education; citizens who daily face crushing economic despair; members of the "Greatest Country On Earth" who do not have even the most basic form of health insurance: these are likely groups that should receive attention and aid in the form of state and federal legislation, and consideration for financial hardship.

Another such group is currently being discussed in the United States Senate--a group near and dear to the hears of American politicians and many millions of voters alike--a group who by federal mandate requires protection from those who would seek to harm its members. Yes, that group is the gun industry of the United States.

Is there any other group in America today that has so soft a voice in this age of lobby-driven politics? Arguable, but doubtful. The Senate today started hashing out the possibility of providing additional (and perhaps nearly complete) protection from civil liability litigation. Lawsuits filed against gun and/or ammunition manufacturers in civil court are often (or have the potential to be) "frivolous and politically motivated," at least according to the gun industry.

I certainly don't want to and will not tolerate living in a country in which "frivolous" or "politically motivated" lawsuits are brought against individuals, organizations or corporations! Are lawsuits honestly something you envision when you think of like in modern America? Never! Thankfully, the U.S. Senate will seek to provide a shield against just such legal actions.

The White House threw it's support behind the liability legislation, noting that President Bush "believes that the manufacturer of a legal product should not be held liable for the criminal misuse of that product by others." This seems to make some sort of logical sense when you say it out loud and in passing, like a Dr. Phil bit of "horse sense" when ironing out the kinks and complicated social dynamics of, for instance, falling in love with a drug abuser.

Closer inspection reveals, however, that though the President may believe that manufacturers of legal products should not be held accountable for a product's criminal misuse, one should really concentrate on what that product's intention is in the first place. Cars, for example, are involved in the deaths of many Americans each year. Cars are manufactured with the express purpose of transporting ourselves or others from one place to another, be it for work or pleasure. Alcohol is another prevalent factor in the deaths of Americans, as is tobacco. The express purpose of manufacturing and consuming these products is because they make the user feel good--they provide a deleterious effect. Guns, of course, are manufactured not as a material testament to the Second Amendment; not as a corporeal tribute to freedom; not as an enduring symbol of rugged American individualism and pluck--guns are manufactured with the express purpose of killing things.

Killing is big in America. Killing animals is usually what the gun lobby wants the public to recognize as its members' most closely held concern and hobby. What, are you going to go out into the woods after a bear or an eight-point buck with a boomerang? A spear? An atlatl? A high-powered rifle or shotgun at the least, depending upon your quarry; for the more cunning animals you really need to go semi-auto or better. Home protection is a big factor in supporting the Second Amendment, too. You need a gun to protect yourself, because there are a lot of nuts out there with guns, and who knows what they're capable of doing . . .

Now these two very important and necessary aspects of life in modern America--hunting animals and protecting your home against crazed intruders--is why we have guns, and why we must keep them and our right to use them safe from "frivolous and politically motivated lawsuits."

Many so-called problems and "important issues" in our society (health care, mounting national debt, education, infrastructure, policies toward and relationships with non-Western European nations) are really just so much smoke and mirrors that cloud the things that COUNT in the U.S.--the things that MATTER. I'm talking about things like gay marriage, boobs popping out during Superbowl half-time shows, video games that contain secret sexual content! Our moral and national fibre is fraying at the edges and we're wringing our hands about the homeless? AIDS?? Social Security?!? Questionably motivated wars?!?!?!? Come on people . . . let's buck up and throw in with the team! It's all about lawsuits, and their frivolous and politically motivated natures.