{"id":6137,"date":"2023-02-14T09:25:30","date_gmt":"2023-02-14T14:25:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=6137"},"modified":"2023-07-13T11:24:46","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:24:46","slug":"accepted-losses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/","title":{"rendered":"Accepted Losses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Again<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Three are dead, five injured in a shooting on Michigan State University\u2019s campus in East Lansing last night. The shooter, a forty-three year old man, took his own life when confronted by the police.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world is sending its \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d.  \u201cWe are all Spartans today\u201d, one commentator said, a phrase of solidarity with the mourning campus. Members of the minority Democrats in the state legislature say \u201c\u2026we cannot let hate win\u201d.  But thoughts, prayers, love; hasn\u2019t put a dent in the number of mass shootings in our \u201cshining city on the hill\u201d, the United States.  It\u2019s the fifth anniversary of the Parkland shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School today, where seventeen were massacred.  There have been protests, marches, dramatic speeches and many, many horrifying acts of violence in the past five years.  Little has changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been sixty-seven mass shootings in this new year.  In total, 5214 are already dead from guns in 2023, today, on February 14th<\/sup> (Gun Violence Archive<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recognition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When confronted with mass shootings in the past (the Oxford High School shootings), the leader of Michigan\u2019s Senate Republicans said: \u201c If we get obsessed with eliminating all risks, we will then develop and evolve into a country we won\u2019t recognize, because we’ll also have no freedoms<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have already “developed and evolved” into a country I don\u2019t recognize, a country where gun violence is accepted and normal.\u00a0\u00a0There is little hope for change.\u00a0\u00a0It\u2019s no good talking about how to \u201cfix\u201d this:\u00a0\u00a0we cannot.\u00a0\u00a0And rather than propose solutions that will not be agreed to, we need to look at why our nation is so emasculated that we are forced to accept these deaths as inevitable, as acceptable losses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we get here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freedom\u2019s Limits<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1919, Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote the most famous dictum on limitations on the First Amendment\u2019s freedom of speech.  In his majority opinion in Schenck v United States<\/em> (245 US 47) Holmes stated:  \u201cThe most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic<\/em>.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our freedoms, guaranteed in the Constitution, have never, ever, been \u201cunlimited\u201d.  The bedrock of the American experiment, the \u201cfive freedoms\u201d of the First Amendment (speech, press, religion, assembly, petition), are not absolute.  As Justice Holmes said, there always is a limit to their exercise.  And there always will be those who claim the protection of those freedoms  whose actions are beyond the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some limitation on freedom only makes common sense.  Absolute freedom means absolute chaos.  The old saying:  \u201cYou\u2019re right to swing your arm ends at the tip of my nose,\u201d describes the balance all of our actions require to get along in society.  Every citizen of right mind \u201cgets that\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlimited Freedom<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

But somehow when it comes to the Second Amendment, we have lost our minds.  \u201cA well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.<\/em>\u201d   The wording is clear, the first section, \u201c\u2026well-regulated militia<\/em>\u201d modifying the second \u201c\u2026keep and bear arms<\/em>\u201d.  \u201cWell regulated<\/em>\u201d was the Founding Fathers control on the public, much as \u201cfalsely shouting fire in a crowded theater<\/em>\u201d controlled the First Amendment right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in our \u201cmodern\u201d world we have detached the second amendment\u2019s clauses.\u00a0\u00a0The current radical view upheld in the Courts is that \u201cwell-regulated militia\u201d means every citizen of the United States, from the upstanding to the mentally ill.\u00a0\u00a0It no longer modifies anything.\u00a0\u00a0Our current Supreme Court has moved to saying that it\u2019s \u201cOK\u201d to yell fire in this crowded theater, whether there\u2019s a fire or not.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We now say that everyone can have a gun.  And not just a gun, but a semi-automatic rifle with rapid-fire capability.  And that gun can have as large an ammunition magazine as possible, in case a person needs to fire dozens of rounds at a time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here in Ohio citizens can carry sidearms without regulation, like the \u201cwild-wild West\u201d of the movies.  Friends go to their young children\u2019s birthday parties with loaded pistols strapped to their hip.   And maybe in our current world they are right.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fear Itself<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because, unlike almost any other modern nation in the world, the United States is a nation of fear.  We are told to be afraid; of urban areas, of sex offenders stealing children at the library, of the \u201cstranger\u201d, particularly the stranger of color, in the dark.   Our fear is \u201cginned up\u201d by some news media and social media because fear increases \u201cviews\u201d, and views mean profits.  And our fear is also stoked as a political motivation \u2013 \u201celect ME, and I will protect you from your fears!\u201d  And their offer of protection is simple:  you can have your own gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is our America.\u00a0\u00a0This is the Nation I do not recognize.\u00a0\u00a0Because America always was a Nation that solved problems, that built highways and airports and ran wires across the breadth of the country.\u00a0\u00a0America always moved forward into the future, we have never cowered from the problems of the present.\u00a0\u00a0Except now:\u00a0\u00a0we must \u201cbe small\u201d to avoid being a target, and of course, \u201cbe prepared\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0And in this America \u2013 that means have a gun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And until we are willing to face that fear \u2013 we will never change.\u00a0\u00a0We will cower behind our guns.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Again Three are dead, five injured in a shooting on Michigan State University\u2019s campus in East Lansing last night. The shooter, a forty-three year old man, took his own life when confronted by the police.   The world is sending its \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d.  \u201cWe are all Spartans today\u201d, one commentator said, a phrase of solidarity with the … Continue reading “Accepted Losses”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAccepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Again Three are dead, five injured in a shooting on Michigan State University\u2019s campus in East Lansing last night. The shooter, a forty-three year old man, took his own life when confronted by the police.   The world is sending its \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d.  \u201cWe are all Spartans today\u201d, one commentator said, a phrase of solidarity with the … Continue reading "Accepted Losses"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"480\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marty Dahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@martydahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@martydahlman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marty Dahlman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marty Dahlman\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"headline\":\"Accepted Losses\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":982,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/\",\"name\":\"Accepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/index.php\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/14\\\/accepted-losses\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Accepted Losses\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/\",\"name\":\"Trump World - Essays on Politics and the Trump Administration\",\"description\":\"Essays on Politics and Life in Our America\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dahlman.online\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c\",\"name\":\"Marty Dahlman\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\",\"width\":480,\"height\":640,\"caption\":\"Marty Dahlman\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/dahlman.online\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/03\\\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1\"},\"description\":\"I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dahlman.online\",\"https:\\\/\\\/m.facebook.com\\\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/martydahlman\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Accepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Accepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","og_description":"Again Three are dead, five injured in a shooting on Michigan State University\u2019s campus in East Lansing last night. The shooter, a forty-three year old man, took his own life when confronted by the police.   The world is sending its \u201cthoughts and prayers\u201d.  \u201cWe are all Spartans today\u201d, one commentator said, a phrase of solidarity with the … Continue reading \"Accepted Losses\"","og_url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/","og_site_name":"Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","article_publisher":"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","article_author":"https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","article_published_time":"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":480,"height":640,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marty Dahlman","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@martydahlman","twitter_site":"@martydahlman","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marty Dahlman","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/"},"author":{"name":"Marty Dahlman","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"headline":"Accepted Losses","datePublished":"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/"},"wordCount":982,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/","url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/","name":"Accepted Losses : Our America - Essays on Politics and American Life","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-02-14T14:25:30+00:00","dateModified":"2023-07-13T15:24:46+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/02\/14\/accepted-losses\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Accepted Losses"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/","name":"Trump World - Essays on Politics and the Trump Administration","description":"Essays on Politics and Life in Our America","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/#\/schema\/person\/5fa8c1b0305cf5f1f3633225843e621c","name":"Marty Dahlman","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","width":480,"height":640,"caption":"Marty Dahlman"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/dahlman.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_3564-e1488996194684.jpg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1"},"description":"I'm Marty Dahlman. After forty years of teaching and coaching track and cross country, I've finally retired!!! I've also spent a lot of time in politics, working campaigns from local school elections to Presidential campaigns.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.dahlman.online","https:\/\/m.facebook.com\/Dahlmanonline-610417212502642\/","https:\/\/x.com\/martydahlman"]}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6137"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6138,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137\/revisions\/6138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}