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Libertarian programmer, author and open-source software advocate Eric S. Raymond blogged recently here regarding the president's Oct. 27 remarks to the International Association of Chiefs of Police in Chicago.
"An expectation of casual, cynical lying has taken over American political culture" opens his short entry, but (as is often the case with ESR's blog), there's great stuff in the comments, both from the author:
... and from his commenter community (picking just one here):
Worth a read.
"An expectation of casual, cynical lying has taken over American political culture" opens his short entry, but (as is often the case with ESR's blog), there's great stuff in the comments, both from the author:
When I was much younger the media used to have a thing about what it called “dog whistle” language – subtly coded but deniable race baiting aimed mainly at conservative Southern whites. This had been a real phenomenon – segregationist Democrats like George Wallace and Strom Thurmond raised it to an art form in the 1960s. Of course, once the media got done rewriting history it was commonly attributed only to Republicans.
The phrase “common sense”, used anywhere near gun policy, is best understood as a dog whistle for bicoastal left-liberals. It’s a way to whisper “Psst – I want to create the legal and procedural machinery for firearms bans, but I can’t say that out loud with the rubes listening”.
The phrase “common sense”, used anywhere near gun policy, is best understood as a dog whistle for bicoastal left-liberals. It’s a way to whisper “Psst – I want to create the legal and procedural machinery for firearms bans, but I can’t say that out loud with the rubes listening”.
The US has about 1 million preventable deaths per year. Of that number, about 900,000 are due to heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, and medical error. That is, if you really want to affect the preventable death problem in the USA, you tackle the things in that 90% number. Of the 900,000 deaths, some 400,000 deaths are attributable to medical error. 40% of the preventable deaths annually are because doctors f--- up, in other words. 13 times as many deaths as all deaths involving a gun. 36 times as many deaths as all homicides involving a gun. And the economic cost is approaching $1 trillion a year.
Okay, so roughly 3% of all preventable deaths per year in the US involve a gun in some fashion. Roughly 1% of those preventable deaths are homicide involving a gun. 40% of those deaths are medical error. Why are you so worried about something so statistically insignificant that additional controls will not bend the curve in any meaningful fashion? You should be up in arms at the number of people that doctors are killing annually becuase they goofed.
Okay, so roughly 3% of all preventable deaths per year in the US involve a gun in some fashion. Roughly 1% of those preventable deaths are homicide involving a gun. 40% of those deaths are medical error. Why are you so worried about something so statistically insignificant that additional controls will not bend the curve in any meaningful fashion? You should be up in arms at the number of people that doctors are killing annually becuase they goofed.
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