Dirty Dishes	Dirty Dishes Archive

Dawn was interested to read of the political predilections of self-identified lesbo Margaret Leber, a voter in Jeffersonville, Pennsylvania. It seems Ms. Leber is "leaning towards Bush" (please, no cheap jokes...) because she is a devout gun toter. In fact, Madge is a member of Pink Pistols, a homo gun group!

Now, Dawn has some considerable sympathy for gun freaks, homo or not. The Bill of Rights's second provision clearly spells out citizens' right to bear arms, and Dawn takes the Bill of Rights seriously. Some carp that such a right existed only back in "militia days" when folks needed guns to protect themselves. But weren't the militias of the day being used to protect citizens from the government? To Dawn, it seems as though the Founders were trying to do exactly what so many nativist extremists claim: prevent citizens from losing weapons with which to defend themselves against a government with a monopoly on guns.

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Of course, gun control advocates frequently ask where to draw the line: should citizens have the right to own automatic rifles? grenades? bazookas? The late Timothy McVeigh, as reported by Gore Vidal, seems to have had the right formula: citizens should have the right to the same level of weaponry in common use against them by police. If the police use it, so can any citizen.

It is distressing to once again realize that the far-Right, though polluted with racial and other foolish bigotries, so much better understands civil liberties issues than many so-called progressives (now that we can't say "left" or "liberal"). John Ashcroft is a horror... but so was Janet "Incinerater General" Reno.

Still, Dawn urges Margaret Leber not to be a one-issue voter; there are myriad reasons not to support the lying, rapaciously murderous presidential pretender occupying the White House.