Who writes the dictionary? [View all]

[Atticus]

Several years ago, the PTB decided that our little community would be a great place to build a storage facility for "low level nuclear waste" produced elsewhere. Of course, the local Chamber of Commerce and other moneyed interests were all for this prospective cash cow being brought to our area. We were told not to worry: they'd make it really really safe and only "low level" radioactive waste would be stored in our county.

But, one determined mother and housewife didn't like the idea at all. When no one else protested, she wrote her first letter to the editor, included her home phone number and asked for volunteers to help her fight the nuke dump. LOTS of folks responded and she soon found herself not just organizing protests, but speaking at them to hundreds of people. Local politicians started asking "Who the hell IS this lady?"

When it became clear that only prepared "softball" questions were going to be addressed at a public meeting staged by dump supporters, this housewife stood up in the aisle and shouted "Answer the REAL questions, mayor!" until the meeting was hastily adjourned and the rascals fled.

That woman was Mrs. Atticus and I am still proud of her for keeping that glow-in-the-dark landfill out of our children's hometown.

She explained to me early on that the assurances from the government that only "low level" nuclear waste would be stored near us were worthless. While, at the time, that category would consist primarily of used tools from nuclear power plants and some medical waste, THE GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED THE DEFINITION. If in the future, they re-defined the category to include actual spent fuel rods, our community could be "legally" exposed to higher levels of radiation than anyone imagined when the facility was accepted.

IF we are to pursue a ban on "assault weapons", let's be sure we list the specific characteristics we wish to eliminate. Let's be sure WE "write the dictionary" defining just exactly what it is we don't want. For example, whatever the NRA chooses to call, them, no devices which in any way enable a shooter to fire at a faster rate than he can physically pull the trigger may be incorporated in or added to any firearm.

We will need to assume bad faith and anticipate attempts to "interpret" the new restrictions to permit the truly gun-obsessed to use "legal" accessories and add-ons to defeat the purpose of the regulations.

For what it's worth, I write this as a hunter and gun owner who thinks Wayne LaPierre gives punks a bad name.