What’s the Government to Do?

In article published today on Slate, David Weigel  examines the impact the Arizona shootings will have on the upcoming legislative session. In his piece, Weigel concludes that while the tragedy ought to make the 112th Congress consider stricter gun laws and the way our country handles the mentally ill, nothing will likely change, due in part to politicians being afraid to touch these “hot button” issues and procedural roadblocks Republicans would present in the House. Weigel represents a growing voice of young, progressive, pundits, highly visible in the social-media community, asking what the Federal government will do in response to the assassination attempt of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Why are they calling on the Federal government to respond to the situation at all? Where do the government’s responsibility lie?

Obviously, since a Federal judge was killed and there was an attempt on a Congresswoman’s life, the Federal government has a responsibility to prosecute the alleged shooter to the fullest extent possible, but with a Justice Department led by Eric Holder, that does not seem very likely.

Outside of that, what exactly do we need the Federal government to do? To suggest, as Weigel does, that stricter gun laws may have prevented the massacre is anecdotal at best. Yes, it seems likely that the alleged shooter obtained his weapon legally, but Weigel’s argument assumes that the alleged shooter would not have obtained a weapon by some other means. Let’s assume for a moment he was not allowed to purchase his weapon legally and because of that gave up on his planned killing spree. It would represent one instance where a gun crime was prevented due to the lack of legal access to a gun, as opposed to the mass of gun violence committed with illegally obtained guns each year. It would be the exception to the rule. Are Arizona gun laws too lenient? I don’t know, that’s for the residents of Arizona to decide, not the Federal government.

How about mental health? Obviously, the alleged shooter had some mental issues. On a whole, the care for the mentally ill in this country could be a lot better. I think it’s great if we, as a nation, can use this tragedy as a chance to consider those who suffer from mental illness and explore ways to better treat them. But again, not a Federal issue. It’s a system best left to the states and the private sector.

In the end, it seems that the Generation Y progressives are just like their predecessors and never miss an opportunity to exploit a national tragedy to expand the size of the Federal government. Some things, it seems, will never change!

Beyond Belief

When I sat down to construct my 2011 reading list, I made a point to visit a few older books that I have been meaning to read. In fact, the first five books on my list fall into that category, among them two political pieces–Richard Ben Cramer’s What It Takes and David Brooks’ Bobos* in Paradise–two music works–Jacob Slichter’s So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star: How I Machine-Gunned a Roomful of Record Executives and Other True Tales From a Drummer’s Life and David N. Meyer’s Gram Parson’s biography, Twenty Thousand Roads–and one sports memoir–Josh Hamilton’s Beyond Belief.  The books accurately reflect my interests in life–2 parts politics, 2 parts music and 1 part sports.

First up, I tackled Hamilton’s Beyond Belief, a light read that takes on a heavy subject–Hamilton’s well documented battle with addiction and his transformation into a sports superstar. The book was a Christmas present from my cousin. As huge Texas Rangers fans, we have both been fascinated with Hamilton’s story since he joined the Rangers. I have heard Hamilton recount his story on several occasions on local sports talk radio show, the evening news and read about it in the local paper, not too mention through the national media outlets who continue to harp on his tale of recovery. The book serves a mainly an expansion of these interviews. Indeed, nothing new is recounted in the book, but what the expanded version does provide is a glimpse at how far Hamilton had fallen, which makes his meteoric rise that much more amazing. To think that as recently as 2006, Hamilton was living with his grandmother in North Carolina, in the early stages of his fight against addiction, suspended from baseball, is unfathomable, considering that in 2008 he would be a MLB All-Star and put on a unforgettable show in the Home Run Derby and then in 2010 win the ALCS and regular season MVP trophies.

Beyond Belief is a perfect example of a book, where prose doesn’t matter as much as the substance. After all, Hamilton is a baseball player, not a writer. He gets help from Tim Keown, a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine, which helps hold the book together. I read the 256 pages over two nights and it could definitely be devoured in one sitting. It would make for the ideal travel book, where you know you will be on a plane, in an airport or riding in a car, but it’s definitely worth a few hours of your time.

Published in 2008, the book basically ends with Hamilton’s exploits in the Home Run Derby, before he had his infamous relapse and before winning the MVP award, but the gist of the story is there–Hamilton is a man who has overcome a lot and serves as an example to millions of people caught in a struggle. I admit; I am a bit more intrigued with Hamilton because of his uniform. If he played for the Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, or any other MLB team, I doubt I would find the book as interesting, even though only a brief portion is devoted to his time with the Rangers. The one theme that extends beyond team affiliation is his faith, and those stories alone beg to be told.