(Note: This essay originally ran in AltDaily. I wrote it in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre.)

I want to talk about guns. Why should be obvious.

Let’s begin with this basic observation: Guns are unique enablers. They give people the means to commit violence in a much less personal, detached manner than any other weapon (OK - maybe a bow and arrow). They efficiently create large amounts of tissue damage quickly and easily. They generate a false sense of power that can encourage violence in an individual already prone to act that way.

Their purpose as designed is to kill. We shouldn't be surprised that the unregulated and unscrutinized proliferation of firearms in America is leading to such extreme death and carnage.

I believe that beyond the usual boilerplate platitudes that emanate from both sides of the debate, there are complexities to the issue of gun violence in America that are being drowned out and need to be part of the discussion. So with a degree of acquiescence that what I’ve written here will make many folks unhappy and angry, here we go.

OK. I held off for 24 hours, but no one at WAVY posted the report about John Massey's fundraiser at Boneshakers on Sunday. So I'm going out on a limb and posting it myself. If WAVY wants me to take it down, they can ask me.

Note: It's posted on my server instead of YouTube or Facebook because of the fact that it's copyrighted content and I don't want to cause any unnecessary heartburn.

This is how Jon Stewart called the race on the Daily Show

Note: It's posted on my server instead of YouTube or Facebook because of the fact that it's copyrighted content and I don't want to cause any unnecessary heartburn.

{s5_media_player media=[video] video_mp4=[https://fishhawksbrain.com/images/videos/JonStewartObamaWins.mp4] image=[https://fishhawksbrain.com/images/videos/JonStewartObamaWins.jpg] image_visibility=[true]}

(Note: This essay originally ran in AltDaily)

OK. So perhaps saying that all political ads in this election cycle are lies is a bit of a generalization. I’ve even seen a couple I thought were pretty good. But I also strongly believe that the amount of deception and obfuscation that’s being employed in modern political advertising is so pervasive that the majority of what you read, see and hear is too far from the factual to be considered anything resembling the truth.

If you take a default position that they’re lies and someone objective will have to determine otherwise, more often than not, you’ll be right - depending on where you personally draw the line.

Political pros will say that a lie of omission or a lie of deception isn’t “technically” a lie, and that this distinction somehow makes their content accurate enough. But ask yourself this: Has any political ad you’ve seen anytime recently made you feel smarter or more enlightened? What exactly did you learn? Did you believe what you were told? Do you assume those that come from the side you support are truthful, but not those from the other side?

We already know they disrespect each other by the tone of the venal personal attacks that have become so commonplace. But when the campaigns or candidates lie, it indicates that they don’t respect us, either.