Trayvon Martin

The president had this to say about the shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.: "When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids. And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this. But my main message is to the parents of Trayvon Martin. You know, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon. All of us as Americans are going to take this with the seriousness it deserves."

As always, President Obama's words were cautious and carefully considered. But he had nothing to say bout Florida's NRA sponsored "stand-your-ground" law, a law that made this crime not only possible but utterly predictable? Why isn't he speaking out against that law? Why isn't the Democratic Party speaking out? Are they so afraid of the NRA and the votes they represent?

A few days ago I had a confrontation with a man. It was trivial - I thought I was right and I'm sure he though he was - but it quickly became heated and potentially violent. The man was half a foot taller than I, a generation younger, clearly in excellent shape, and angry to the bone. Within a few seconds, he began pushing me and bumping up against me, trying to get me to throw a punch. Under the aegis of stand-your-ground or some similar law, he could have legally shot me to death, or vice versa. As it is, we both walked away pissed, but alive. According to Yahoo, 23 other states have stand-your-ground type laws, the wording of which clearly encourages violence and obviates the need for restraint.

When I was a little boy, I saw a 90 year old mad being interviewed on TV. Born in the 1860s, he had been a cowboy. His description of frontier towns like Tombstone was not colorful, it was deadly. He said men simply killed whomever they pleased, with no consequences. That's what the NRA wants. They want the only real justice to be the justice you make yourself with the gun you carry on your hip, or inside your coat. It is time for this president, this administration, and the Democratic Party to stand up to the NRA and say enough is enough. It is not a restriction of constitutional rights to strictly regulate the possession of firearms or to severely limit licenses to carry concealed weapons. That is called sanity.