What if you had the power to change history? What if you could influence the future? How ’bout an election or two? Let’s assume that’s possible for the nonce. Would you use that power for good or evil? Would having the power corrupt you, sooner, later, or eventually? And here’s the kicker – would you know if you had it, and if you knew, would it make any difference in your behavior? That’s a lot of what ifs. But that’s the price you pay for reading a book that can turn conventional wisdom on its ear, as does Left Turn, a book by the Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics at UCLA, Professor Tim Groseclose. But the more interesting question the book raises, is how does this affect the fight over our 2nd Amendment rights?
DVRs are great. No more are we held hostage to the autocratic whims of the networks. So I was watching last week’s episode of The Event (hey…I’ve been busy) when one of the characters gives one of the others a pistol, telling him “We’ve chosen a .380 for it’s stopping power, and low-power cartridges so that the bullet won’t exit.” (Italics mine) Um…wait a tic, .380? Stopping power? Huh?!