virginia tech and gun control

Amidst all of the commentary surrounding this tragic event, it seems that there is one practical thing that can be done to help reduce the risk of such things happening in the future. It is not radically changing our gun control laws, which the states rightly have considerable power over. It is simply to include checks for mental illness in the background check process. Mr. Cho did not have a criminal record, but he did have a record of mental illness that was accessible after the fact. So let's just include those sorts of records in background checks. I think that people on all sides of the gun control debate can agree on that, aside from those who believe that all background checks are unwarranted and/or against the spirit of the Second Amendment. Obviously there is the risk that people who are simply suspected or accused of having some sort of mental illness will be denied the right to own guns. However, I do not think that denying the mentally ill or those suspected of mental illness the right to own guns will severely damage the Second Amendment. I believe in the right of the people to bear arms; reasonable restrictions are by and large accepted by the vast majority of gun owners.

for the love of cricket and the hatred of america

NY Times, March 23rd. Shashi Tharoor's op-ed about the lack of interest in cricket amongst Americans is mean-spirited and uncalled for. I appreciate the fact that it must be frustrating to try to get Americans interested in cricket, but does one have to be so ill-tempered about it? It seems he simply wanted to vent his spleen about America (you obviously have other issues with the U.S., Dr. Tharoor) and somehow sees American indifference to cricket as a symbol of all that is small-minded, homogenized, and impatient about our country. "You may as well learn to accept that there are some things too special for the rest of us to want to waste them on you." I have no desire to play that sort of ad hominem game with you, Dr. Tharoor. I find cricket fascinating and have enjoyed learning about it as well as playing it, but the sports marketplace is rather crowded in this country. Barriers to entry are quite high, especially with the (not always massive) popularity of cricket's little brother baseball. Cricket's lack of popularity is not due to some inherent flaw in the American character, but rather its late-comer status and relative similarity to a previously existing game.

If I have been misreading this, and in fact it is an example of extremely dry sarcasm, I will be happy to be corrected. But the tone did not feel that way to me. The fact that a man of such bile and bitterness very nearly became UN Secretary-General must give one pause.

making a point about islam?

The March 22nd NY Times article "German Judge Cites Koran, Stirring Up Cultural Storm" discusses the ruling made by a German judge (a woman, which may or may not be relevant) that a Muslim man can be allowed to beat his wife in Germany. The article seemed to be accusing the judge of an excess of cultural sensitivity, but could it not be that the opposite is in fact true? The judge could be making a point about the unassimilability of Muslims in German society and ruled in this fashion to publicize the barbarism she perceives in Islamic law.