Two
brothers, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan co-wrote the screenplay
for the latest summer blockbuster, TheDark Knight Rises. The Dark Knight is a sobriquet for the Superhero more commonly known as Batman. The Nolans, in TDKR (The Dark Knight Rises), present the 8th iteration
of Batman on celluloid, including two others (Batman Begins – 2005, and
The Dark Knight – 2008), in their own trilogy. The complete list
of Batman films includes:
- Batman
– 1966 (Adam West/Also played the character in the TV Series, which
preceded the movie)
- Batman
– 1989 (Michael Keaton)
- Batman Returns – 1992 (Michael Keaton)
- Batman Forever – 1995 (Val Kilmer)
- Batman and Robin – 1997
(George Clooney)
- Batman Begins – 2005 (Christian Bale)
- The Dark Knight – 2008
(Christian Bale)
- The Dark Knight Rises – 2012 (Christian Bale)
Batman is known as a mysterious, brooding character;
occasionally not clearly recognizable as one of the good guys. He tends to do his best work at night, which
of course is when bats are most active.
These are just a few of the back story reasons that resulted in the Nolans assigning the appellation The Dark Knight to their version of the superhero.
TDKR was eagerly anticipated by fans of the DC Comics character, the TV
Show, and the movie series. However,
while the typical storyline would almost certainly have centered upon whether
the film broke gross receipts and
total attendance records, a Colorado
For many
gun lobbyists have used a quote that remains popular today:
“Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.”
My
tacit observation is that is a true statement…that just happens to be
incomplete. To place the discussion into
proper context, the complete statement, from an American perspective
anyway, should be:
“Guns don’t kill people; people (with guns) kill people.”
Last
week, James Eagan Holmes made the Aurora , Colorado Aurora
Without
rehashing the events of last Friday
morning, or giving Mr. Holmes unwarranted star treatment, allow me to provide a brief overview of the results of the unsuspecting assault on a theater filled with innocent people; 70 of whom would soon become casualties,
of which 12 lost their lives. Holmes,
dressed in black protective body armour from
head to toe, entered the cinema through an exit near the front, unleashed two canisters of a tear gas/pepper spray-like substance, and began to spray those
assembled with a barrage of bullets
from three weapons; two Glock
pistols, and an AR-15 shot gun. The 12
dead were all fatally shot, and according to Aurora
As
has been oft reported, James Holmes
purchased all three weapons, 6,000
rounds of ammo, and an assortment of materials used to build an array of
explosives, and he did so legally. He
used his cache to upon Aurora Aurora
The
only problem is there is no debate. Oh,
the media is certainly banging the drum.
A number of survivors and family members of victims are calling for
action. But for the most part, President Obama, his opponent in the Presidential race, Mitt Romney, and most members of both houses of Congress are AWOL on the subject. Of
course, not surprisingly, the few Republicans who are not seeking cover and
moving about below the radar are in fact, gun rights advocates, and proclaim
loudly, in essence, “Guns don’t kill
people...”
The Second Amendment has long been the defining
proviso that the gun lobby hangs its hat upon.
In his continued struggle to negate the influence of the NRA and gun rights advocate. Michael Moore likened the fixation with the concept of the unreduced sanctity of the Second
Amendment as being as though it were written by God. Moore
If
you understand and support the idea of American Exceptionalism, perhaps you can appreciate why even though, as Max Fisher wrote in an article in The Atlantic, the Japanese Constitution includes language that expressly precludes
gun ownership (and swords for that matter), it’s perfectly logical for the Second Amendment to incorporate the
right to bear arms. Naturally, it is our
inherent Exceptionalism that makes the difference, since we (Americans) wrote the Japanese Constitution.
Mr. Holmes was able to assemble an arsenal in a matter of about 60
days. Financial resources aside, I don’t
believe any individual should have such easy access to weapons and accessories
as powerful as those he purchased. While
he did present himself at stores or gun shops to buy the shot gun and the Glocks, he bought most of the ammo and other accessories online. In general, we should all be concerned by
this level and degree of access.
Moreover, given the specific out come of Holmes’ access and subsequent
rampage, we should be flat-out alarmed.
And
if you are among those who believe the answer is if other in the theater had
been armed, someone could have taken him out…I believe that is the wrong
answer. Despite your belief that you are
the beneficiary of an abundance of Cool Hand Luke qualities, statistics
suggest someone else in the crowded theater would have been killed by you,
rather than by Holmes, or in the end,
the number of folks killed would have exceeded the 12 who died Friday. Remember, he dispensed tear gas; he was
wearing a gas mask and body armour from head-to-toe. Chances are, no one else would have been
equally prepared for combat. Ultimately, the more “other guns” in the theater, the higher the
likely number of casualties.
I
am willing to concede there are no easy solutions to resolving the problem of
gun violence in our society. However, I
am convinced if we are to move in the right direction, that movement will
spring from crafting and enacting thoughtful and comprehensive gun control policy.
Meanwhile,
I am left to reflect that such a policy will have come too late to have
prevented “John Holmes: The DarkestKnight!”
I’m
done; holla back!
Read
my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com.
A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information
on a variety of aspects relating to this post,
consult the links below:
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/07/a-land-without-guns-how-japan-has-virtually-eliminated-shooting-deaths/260189/
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