MARCHING FOR GUN CONTROL

WAKENING UP FROM THE NIGHTMARE

By Stephen Wilson

 

Some dreams you never forget. They convey a vivid and vibrant resonance which leave an

indelible mark on your mind. For instance I

recall I was walking around a school and

entered a gym hall where I heard a lot of

shooting, then coming across some cellar

full of frozen corpses of what looked like

tiny children all laid out. I could hear all kinds

of sirens and then barriers being erected around a school where the police were forbidding

people from entering the school. I could hear

all kinds of weeping, wailing and anguish. Then

I noticed the contorted face of a strange adult

just staring straight at me . I woke up from

this dream feeling shattered. I thought to myself this is not just any dream but an omen of terrible events to come . For in Scotland the belief in the second sight remains quite strong and I have had quite a few unwelcome dreams

about imminent events. I pulled myself together and sketched the face of that odd person I had seen in the dream. Then I phoned my old friend, a teacher, Wayne Rimmer ,who

also happened to be living in Moscow along

with me. I told him : "Look ,I have had a terrible

dream of someone murdering many young

children. Maybe I should warn the police

some where. " Wayne replied : "Have you not

heard the news Stephen ? " I answered :"No

have not. I don't have a T.V. or radio here!"

"Well a madman walked into a school in Scotland and shot dead a lot of school children ". I could hardly believe it. I first

presumed that the mass killings must have

happened in America and Russia! I would

never have guessed it could have happened

in my own country of all places ! I mean after

all , we have far stricter gun laws in Scotland

than America. Scotland is not America.

I later learnt that an embittered and unbalanced businessman who had been thrown out of the scout movement and

shunned by the community for being a

suspected pedophile had entered a school

in Dunblane and shot dead 16 school children

and a teacher as well as wounding many

others . After this ,a mass campaign in

Scotland succeeded in banning all access to

handguns. The figures of the shooting are

exactly the number of those callously murdered in the February 14th American

shooting in Florida : 17. It is perhaps no

accident that the families of the victims of

this former killings which took place on 13th

March 1996 sent a moving message to

the American school children fighting for

tighter gun control. They told them that they

would be with them in spirit on the 24th of

March in America . They offered strong

moral and spiritual support.

The mass demonstrations on the 24th of

March represent an unprecedented event.

Never before have we witnessed such an

enormous mass protest related to gun control.

The main speakers who were survivors of

the shooting gave moving and stirring speeches than can't fail to inspire more movement for change. Speakers stated that if politicians don't do anything to support

gun control they could : 'Vote them out' and that 'prayers and thoughts are not enough'.

One 17 year old student , Edna Chavez,

stated : "Arming teachers will not work, more

security in our schools does not work, zero

tolerance police do not work . They make us

feel like criminals . We should feel supported

and empowered in our schools ".

The granddaughter of Martin Luther King

gave a passionate speech on behalf of all

the African American women who had been

shot dead by police " . Often news reports

don't give adequate or any coverage of those

victims who are just treated as numbers of

some statistics rather than the beautiful

and lively persons they once were.

The school children and their allied adults

seem to know what they are about and how

to go about achieving their aims . Just reading

their recently published manifesto of demands

indicates a highly articulate and sophisticated

stance. The manifesto comprises demands

calling for a ban on the sale of high velocity

semi automatic weapons , an increase in

background checks as well as raising the

minimum purchase of rifles to 21. The

manifesto was originally published in Eagle

Eye. It is worth quoting some of the

manifesto. "We cannot stand idly by as the

country continues to be infected by a plague

of gun violence that seeps into the community

after community does irreparable damage to

the hearts and minds of the American people.'

The manifesto raises the question as to why

it is okay to defend the Second amendment

yet block research into the impact of gun

violence ? Doesn't this violate the First

amendment to free speech and expression?

The absurdity of the current law is expressed

by children who claim : " In a few months

from now, many of us will be turning 18. We

will not be able to drink: we will not be able

to rent a car . Most of us will not be able to

buy hand guns and yet we will be able to

purchase an Ar-15. Why is it that we will be able

to legally obtain a weapon that has the ability

to fire over 150 rounds and kill 17 people in

about 6 minutes?'

....

'We are the firsthand witnesses to the kind of

devastation that gross incompetence and

political inaction can produce.' It seems that

just as in the Hans Christen Anderson tale,

only children can see the emperor is wearing

no clothes. Until everyone else notices the

emperor has lost his senses we will never

truly wake up from recurring nightmares!

 

International Women's Day

CHALLENGING EXPECTATIONS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

By Stephen Wilson

 

"I don't want presents on this day. I find it funny to

see so many men running around buying expensive

flowers and presents for their girlfriends. But what

women need is for men to respect them and not to

scold them at home. They should try and create a

more peaceful environment at home where both of

them feel relaxed!" stated a young economist from

Siberia called Anastasia. She was not referring to

International Women's Day which is held on the 8th

of March but Saint Valentine's Day. It seems that

many men feel under obligation to lavishly shower

their girls with presents on both occasions despite

the fact that the former is largely a Western

tradition. Yet I suspect her words apply to both

occasions suggesting different women want

something more than just presents and pretty

speeches but active respect and acknowledgement

where they are not treated as an abused object or taken for granted cleaner.

Witnessing the eve of International Women's Day

itself remains a fascinating spectacle. Men appear

to rush around two days before the event purchasing

flowers at a cheaper rate to avoid the spiked-price

rise on this date. You see men frantically hunting out

all kinds of gift shops. Given the amount of flowers

which are sold on this date you might as well rename

it : The Day Of Florists!

The original political roots of such a day remain

obscure to most young Russians. It is no longer

held to be a day of protest as in the west but often

another 'Day off'. The day was originally

commemorated to remember American and German

female strikers seeking to improve better conditions.

Clara Zetkin and Rosa Luxemberg, on the 8th March at the second congress of the Socialist 

International , persuaded delegates to commemorate the efforts of women protesters in

Prussia during the revolution of 1848.

Now if you read government posters hung up in

shops around Moscow you simply hear that it is

The Day of Spring, Beauty and Love. One wonders

if women are being fobbed off. The fact is that the

social status of women has tumbled alarmingly.

Even physically beating up a woman is no longer

viewed as a serious crime but a mere domestic

dispute where the police are under no obligation

to intervene even if it results in murder. A recent

horrific case arose when a woman appealed to

the police to defend her from her ex-husband who

was threatening her with death. The police woman

answered: "We will only come to you when you

are dead". Shortly afterwards, the poor woman

was murdered by her ex husband. The police

officer who answered her happened to be a

woman! The abuse of women ought to be seriously

addressed on this and many more occasions!

A recent survey indicates that the attitude of Russian

women appears to be ambivalent and don't justify

prevailing conceptions that Russian women are

very passive, submissive and complacent concerning their plight. According to one survey by the Atlantic service Rambler, as many as 27% would prefer to cancel such a celebration as they don't see much to be happy about.

However, some research by sociologists indicates

that most Russians share in carrying out domestic

chores such as doing the shopping, taking the dog

for the walk as well as giving lessons to their children. 

However, 57 % of women expect men

to fix things and 75% believe he should contribute

more to the family budget than women. Svetlana Wilson told me: "I'm not against celebrating such a day. I only object to being told that I have to celebrate this day by the government. I would prefer to celebrate out of my own choice".

A 16-year-school girl Natasha told me : "I like how

they are celebrating it in the West with meetings and

rallies where they can raise issues. But in Russia how we celebrate it in comparison seems primitive".

I once came across a Russian musician who told

me: "Unlike in the West, we don't have emancipation in Russia." I lamented, if only it were true. Dream on!

 

Gun Control

GUN CONTROL CAN SAVE LIVES

By Stephen Wilson

 

Legend claims that Sarah Winchester, the

daughter in law of the inventor of the

Winchester rifle, was endlessly tormented

by the ghosts of all the victims of his

gun. The ghosts warned her that if they did

not build houses in which to entertain them,

she would be cursed. So she endlessly

built homes for the spirits for the next 36

years. A door built in Winchester house

has the following painted words : Road

to Nowhere. It might seem that those very

words apply to the tremendous efforts of

advocates for stricter gun controls in

America. Each time they appear to be

making progress, for example in

persuading some gun manufacturers to

add tighter safety mechanisms to guns

so only the owner can use them, or

stricter controls preventing mentally ill

people acquiring guns, those reforms

are reversed or rolled back ! Even

very modest proposals to limit gun control

are greeted by a hysterical overreaction

by the lobby of the National Rifle

Association. The government and the

N.R.A. don't seem to feel tormented

or troubled by the families never mind

victims of gun homicide. Even the latest

tragedy on 14th February where 17

students and teachers were killed does

not move them.

Many cynics claim that attending a mass

protest demonstration on March 24th in

Washington in favor of stricter controls

won't make a difference. It is all in vain.

Those young school students will lose

their idealism as they succumb to the

mass pressures to be realistic. In any

case, since those mass killings are largely

caused by mental illness there is not

much you can do ! If those killers could

not get guns they would use knives !

A proposal by Trump actually advocates

arming the teachers. When my Russian

colleagues and students heard this

proposal they were shocked! An

English teacher Oksana Chebotareva

told me: "That is crazy ! It won't work.

It would not work in Russia as we have

some unbalanced teachers who might

just do something crazy ".

American teacher and journalist Jim

Vail posted on Facebook: "Would you like to be a

black teacher holding a handgun when

the cops turn up?" In the aftermath of

the latest mass shooting we have not

heard much about 'the shoot to kill policy

used by American cops against innocent

black drivers.

Some of the arguments by the pro gun

lobby are absurd . Children simply asking

for stricter control of guns are being called

dupes of socialists who want to grab

everyone's right to arms. But there are

no such concrete proposals.

Would stricter controls make any difference?

It certainly would if we put it in proper

perspective. Of the approximately 35,000

Americans that die each year from gun

homicide only a fraction are the result of

mass shootings. Careful research further

indicates that people who suffer from mental

illness are more likely to be the victims

rather than the perpetrators of violence. As

many as 2/3 of gun deaths are due to

suicide while the remaining 1/3 is due to

homicide and accidents. Contrary to the

statements by some politicians, mental

illness is not the main cause of deaths.

For instance, take the case of Chicago ,

when in 2017 a teacher at the Waldorf

school was caught in some cross fire

between gang members. She just

happened to be in the wrong place at

the wrong time when a gang member shot

her by accident. What is no accident is

the fact that a lot of this gang warfare

happens in the poorest parts of the city

where the social services have been

cut back in the name of austerity.

 

A recent research project by the Rand

corporation seems to lend support to

the view that the advocates of improved

gun controls are not naive or irrational

but have a very valid point. The research

vindicates the claim that measures to

control firearms could in deed, save lives.

The research , based on a 2 year review

of past studies and the guesses of experts,

suggested the following possible impact of

certain measures.

For instance, passing an assault weapons

ban might prevent 170 mass shooting

deaths a year.

Furthermore, experts who condone gun

control calculate that passing a universal

background check law could prevent 1,100

gun homicides each year.

Raising the age limit for purchasing firearms

could prevent 1600 homicides and suicides.

This report appears to be available on the

Internet. If I were a gun control advocate I'd

quickly download this report and bring it to

any meeting or rally.

Campaigning can make a distinct difference!

Not long ago Glasgow was the murder

capital of Europe as many people were

killed in gang disputes using knives. A lot of

people thought stricter control of knives

would not make any difference. Yet when

the police decided to adopt a more novel

approach where they tried to offer potential

gangsters a better path by addressing

wider social and economic problems the

number of deaths fell drastically. In fact,

not a single person was stabbed to death

by a knife in Glasgow last year. Yet people

previously said it was impossible. They

should now eat their hats!

 

Book Review Dunkirk

BOOK REVIEW

DUNKIRK BY JOSHUA LEVINE

 

William Collins, 2017 London

 

The huge black and white photo of an

officer dawning a military uniform

dominated my grandmother's room.

Who was he ? The photo remained an

inexplicable conundrum. It seemed sad.

It was in keeping with this ancient grey

granite town Dunfermline which had

known better days as the former capital

of Scotland where the palace now

stood in ruins and a plaque at a tower

reminded tourists of how ;

'The King sits in Dunfermline town,

Drinking his blood red wine. '

I asked my grandmother "who was

the man in the photo ? " only to be

told he was Uncle Alan and shown some

old mementos . My mother told me

not to keeping asking questions as

it upset my grandmother. He had met

a premature death.

It was my Uncle Jim who broke this

long tense silence. He told me :

"Your uncle was sent as part of the

British Expeditionary Force to fight

the Germans and he and his chums

got stuck in Dunkirk. They were asked

to guard the retreat to the beach by an

officer. After placing a machine gun

at the top of a road they looked back

only to discover the rest of the soldiers

and their officer had fled. So they also

did not wait around and ran away. They

ended up on the beaches of Dunkirk

being bombed by Stuka dive bombers.

When one plane dived to drop a bomb

they ducked for cover. When your

Uncle rose he called to his friends but

they did not get up! They were all dead.

Well, your Uncle jumped into the sea to

a ship in the far distance and swam to

it. When he got there he was exhausted

but taken aboard. He was taken back to

England."

I now grasped my Grandmother's

reticence. Of course, I had heard a lot

about Dunkirk but not in concrete detail.

So I was pleasantly surprised to come

across a well written, readable and

intriguing book :' Dunkirk ', by Joshua

Levine. It was fascinating! I could hardly

put it down. It took me just two days to

read it. The reason it is captivating is that

the book attempts to see Dunkirk not

through the eyes of a scholar or one

authoritative source but the soldiers,

sailors and airmen who were there. The

book also boasts of an exclusive

interview with the Film Director Chris

Nolan who made a recent film about it.

 

For anyone unfamiliar about Dunkirk the

basic narrative was that the Germans

launched an offensive, on 10th May 1940

through the Lowlands and into France

against the combined forced of the

French and British. The French

presumed that their Maginot line was

impregnable and that they would

easily repel any attack. However, the

Germans launched operation Sickle

Stroke where they poured 1 million

soldiers and 1500 tanks through the

Ardennes forest at break net speed.

They side stepped the Maginot line

splitting the allied forces in two even

surrounding them. The British decided

to evacuate their army and successfully

rescued 340,000 British and French

troops from the 26th of May to the 4th

of June 1940. However, the losses were

still staggering . Nine allied destroyers

and 200 civilian vessels were destroyed.

Many soldiers were taken prisoner, lost

and equipment abandoned.

 

Levine attempts to put the whole war in

context and covers the historical

background to the war. I learnt a lot of

new facts about this event. The author

argues that everyone has their own

narrative of Dunkirk and we should not

be too judgmental. Levine records

soldiers cracking up, taking off their

clothes to commit suicide by running

into the sea and some soldiers digging

themselves into sand dunes to escape

the reality of war. One of the most

amusing incidents is how some soldiers

were seen sailing aboard a door with

bottles of wine to refresh themselves.

When the rescue plan Operation

Dynamo was conceived, the High

Command estimated they would be

lucky enough it they could save 40,000

soldiers. In fact, they ended up saving

almost ten times that number.

Levine explains why. He tells of how

soldiers and sailors improvised piers,

soldiers repelled German attackers and

the Royal Air Force did a lot to keep

the German planes from attacking

those on the beach. The rescue

operation was helped by so many

civilians in small vessels as well as

destroyers.

What emerges from reading the book is

the chaos, confusion and panic of the

retreat from the Germans. There was also

a lot of paranoia which led to an innocent

British airman who had bailed out being

shot as suspected German spy and so

many others. Levine mentions how the

resentment against the R.A.F. was not

justified as they were fighting against

German planes far from Dunkirk to stop

them taking off . The soldiers on the

ground could not see how their action

was imperceptibly saving lives. One

poor airman who was stuck on the

beach was not allowed to board a ship

because of this anger. He spent the rest

of the war as a prisoner of the Germans.

Levine who worked as a history

consultant on Nolan's film Dunkirk

writes: 'One of the things that stuck

Nilo Otero as he worked on the film was

how semi religious Dunkirk was as an

experience for the British people. 'It

was the first time anything went right

in this fucking war', he says. 'It literally

was a miracle . An actual miracle. And

I think the British people took it as a

sign that this could go right.'

Bemused British soldiers returning to

Britain who expected to be scolded by

the public found instead they were

welcomed home as heroes and given

free food, drinks and compliments by

complete strangers. Churchill

reinterpreted Dunkirk not as a defeat

but a moral and spiritual victory! The

army had survived to fight another day .

Levine quotes a survivor George Wagner

state: "We wanted to survive as a

country. It was about comradeship and

everyone together helping".

 

 

Politics

Letter from Our Reader!

The students will get involved in a movement to pass a few laws about guns. They will support bourgeois politicians whose job it is to rope them into the system. There will be no real changes, so they will get demoralized. Meanwhile, they will not really study why this is happening, the real history of the US, etc. They will not see that the problem is the system itself. The system will thus be safe and secure.

Then some of the students will, "reluctantly," run for office themselves, or support some reformist politicians who promise to "help" them. They will get their supporters to waste all of their energies in getting them elected. Again, the system wins.

If a few of the students or politicians win, they will get sucked into the "realistic" game, of what can be "won" by being "realistic" and making "compromises." Which is exactly nothing. Then they will have to win re-election, so even more compromises and accepting money from the same sources as other bourgeois politicians ("lesser evil"). In the end, they will be bourgeois politicians supporting the system like all the others. And another opportunity to expose and fight the system will have been lost and wasted.

And the system wins again.

Ad nauseum.