Map of Russia, featuring Chechnya and Dagestan, where the Tsarnaev family escaped to from Chechnya in early 1990s. Карта России, показывающая Дагестан, куда бежала семья Царнаевых в 1990х.

Много уже было и многое еще будет сказано по поводу взрыва бомбы на бостонском марафоне, но эта статья в Нью Йоркере о русской реакции к теракту, заинтересовала меня. Вот мой ответ:

1. Россия всегда радовалась чувству собственной центральности и причастия к мировым событиям.  Папа Иоан Павел II, поляк по происхождению, считался практически “одним из нас” в Союзе (особенно потому что в отличии от Джералда Форда, Советский Союз верил в то что страны Восточного блока, были продолжением СССР).  К тому же, Русским как впрочем и другим, нравится быть причастными к знаменитости своих соотечественников (прошлых и настоящих) в независимости от того если власти поддерживает политику этой знаменитости или нет.  Голда Меир, бывший министр Израиля, и другие Израильские политики с российскими корнями, часто называются “нашими”, как минимум средним русским обывателем.

И действительно, многие выходцы из бывшего Советского Союза и России стали знамениты.  Eсли бы Россия могла затребовать все Олимпийские медали выигранные бывшими гражданами, a теперь представляющими страны всего мира, я уверен что Россия была бы #1 в мире по медалям.  Шутка в том что многие (и некоторые бы даже сказали “большинство”) Россиян не хотят жить в России, и выбирают гражданство другой страны при возможности.  Есть конечно исключения, наиболее знаменитый из них, актер Жерард Депардье, который выбрал Русское гражданство по налоговым причинам, что с моей точки зрения только напоминает о том что в сегодняшней России дело не в идеологии, а в деньгах.

2. Я не русский.  Я знаю что это запутывает многих в Америке, но я еврей.  Для четкости, русский еврей.  Однако, тот факт что многие евреи из России не следуют иудаизму и Торе,  (и некогда этого не делали), при этом глубоко уважая историю, культуру и традицию своего народа, запутывает окружающее население неимоверно.  Мнение что евреи это все те кто приняли иудаизм, существует только в Америке.  В Израиле, вы считаетесь евреем только если ваша мама еврейка, и принятие иудейской религии там мало чего значит.  С другой стороны, в паспорте моих родителей было записано что они “евреи” и считалось что они были Атеисты, так же как и любой другой нормальный Советский гражданин.

Вопрос о том являются ли обвиняемые в организации взрыва на бостонском марафоне русскими или чеченцами, не существует нигде кроме как в шовинистской России.  Там, нету вопроса о национальности братьев Тамерлана и Джохара Царнаева.  По их лицам и именам, понятно что они не русские.  И тем не менее есть желание одновременно принять братьев как своих, и отвергнуть их как бывших “домашних” террористов.  (Я лично считаю более важными вопросами такие как, например: знало ли ФБР о деятельности братьев до взрыва? Как политика Соединенных Штатов за последние 4 года увеличила или уменьшила шансы возможных актов терроризма, и чему нужно измениться на местном, штатном и федеральном уровне из за трагедии которая произошла в Бостоне.  Но это я.)

3. Русские очень хорошо знают и понимают риск связанный с чеченскими террористами и радикальным исламом, а так же о вреде быть ассоциированным с терроризмом, и этим объясняются соболезнования и даже некоторые извинения уже пришедшие из России.  Как результат двух войн, и политику Русского правительства в отношении Чечне на продолжении последних 20 лет, Чеченские беженцы оказались разбросанными по всему миру.  Как указывает статья в Нью Йоркере, это трагедия может в потенциале заставить русских (или более точно “русское правительство”) признать ущерб нанесенный в Чечне, своим, хотя никто конечно не будет оспаривать талант Русского правительства отрицать очевидное.  В более большом масштабе, то что произошло в Бостоне, должно всем напомнить о вреде Войны которая создает беженцев, травму, и последствия которые сказываются по всему миру путями которые тяжело предсказать и невозможно полностью проконтролировать.

4. Ирония тут вот в чем: как сказано в этом интереснейшей статье (на Русском языке), как показали последние исследования, генетически говоря, русских нет.  Есть только русско-говорящие финны.  Это ужасное оскорбление русскому чувству самомнения и самоважности, особенно совокупленное с тем фактом что русские часто смотрят сверху вниз на финнов (и на другие национальности населяющие территорию бывшего Советского Союза или соседствующих с ним).

Под дополнительным давлением постоянно сокращающегося населения (с 1991 года, население России уменьшилось на 5%), Россия может захотеть назвать своим каждого знаменитого соотечественника, (не важно чем прославившегося, или членом какой этнической группы или народа он является) просто для удовлетворения собственного чувства влияния на мировые события.

Map of Russia, featuring Dagestan, where the Tsarnaev family escaped to from Chechnya in early 1990s.

Much has already been, and will be written about the Boston Marathon bombers, but this article in New Yorker about the Russian reaction to the events caught my attention.  Here is my response:

1. Russia has always thrived on feeling of its centrality to all the world events. John Paul II who was Polish, was considered practically “one of us” by the Soviets (especially since unlike Gerald Ford, Soviets believed the Eastern block countries to be an extension of the USSR); and Russians (as do others) appreciate being connected to notoriety of their countrymen and women (former and current) regardless of whether their government supports the policy of an individual or not. Golda Meir – former prime minister of Israel – and other Israeli politicians with Russian background, are frequently referred to as “ours” at least among the average Russian folk.

There are indeed a lot of natives of former Soviet Union and Russia, who have become famous worldwide, and if Russia could claim all the Olympic medals won by its former citizens now representing countries all over the world, I’m pretty sure Russia would be #1. The trick is that many people (some would say “most”) do not want to live in Russia, and chose citizenship of another nation whenever possible. There are of course exceptions, most recently French actor Gerard Depardieu who chose to have Russian citizenship for tax reason, but to me, that’s just one more reminder that today’s Russia is not about ideology, it’s about money.

2. I’m not Russian. I know it’s confusing to many but I’m actually Jewish.  A Russian Jew to be precise. However, the fact that many Jews from Russia or the former Soviet Union do not practice Judaism (and never have) while having the deepest respect for our heritage and culture, confuses many people even more. The reality is that calling a person a Jew – meaning someone who is practicing Judaism – exists ONLY in America. In Israel, you’re considered Jewish only if your mother was Jewish and converting to Judaism means little there.  On the other hand, my parents’ passport in Soviet Union said “Jews”  (“Yevrei”) and it was presumed that my parents were Atheists just like every other normal Soviet citizen was presumed to be.

Thus, the question of whether the accused Boston Marathon bombers, are ethnic Russians or Chechens is fairly irrelevant anywhere but in the chauvinistic Russia.  There, there is no question about the nationality of the brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  From their faces and names its clear they are not “Russian”, but there is the desire is to both claim and reject these made-back-at-home terrorists.  Personally, I would consider many questions to be much more relevant, such as:  was FBI aware of Tsarnaev brothers activity prior to the bombing?  How have American policies over the last 4 years increased or decreased chances of terrorism occurring in the United States, and what needs to change going forward on local, state and federal levels following the tragic events in Boston?  But that’s me.

3. Russians are all too aware of the risk that comes from Chechen terrorists and radicalized Islam, as well as the harm of potentially being associated with terrorism, and thus the condolences and even some apologies that have come from Russia already.  As the result of the two wars, and the Russian government policies towards Chechnya over the past 20 years, Chechen refugees have been spread all over the world.  As the article in New Yorker points out, this tragedy could potentially force the Russians (or more appropriately “Russian Government”) to own up to the damage it has done in Chechnya, not that anyone would ever argue with the Russian government ability to deny the obvious.  On the bigger scale, events like what happened in Boston, need to remind all of us the ultimate harm of War which creates refugees, trauma, and aftershocks that can resonate around the world in ways that can be hard to predict and impossible to fully control.

4. Here’s the irony:  as this fascinating article (albeit in Russian) points out: according the latest research, genetically-speaking, there are no Russians.  There are only Russian-speaking Finns.  This is a huge insult to the Russian sense of self-importance, especially combined with the fact that Russians have historically looked down on Finns (and on many other smaller ethnicities populating the former Soviet Union).   With the added pressure of the steadily decreasing population, (population down 5% since 1991), Russia may want to claim every notable Russian worldwide (no matter how notorious or ethnically different), just in attempt to stay relevant.

I decided to run because it was the right thing to do, but I wanted to win because I care about Janesville and I want people to want to live here.  I feel that our quality of life is where we need to make the biggest strides going forward, and I intend to use my voice – literally on the radio via Discover Janesville, in my Janesville Messenger columns, and in the many ways that I am involved in our community – to advance this important point.  We need jobs, but people with jobs have a choice of where to live, and I want that choice to be Janesville.

This means that we need to rededicate ourselves to improving our community, and it means that our local government needs to be laser focused on providing those amenities that allow one community to compete for talent and residents with other communities.  This means that a skate park, which is badly overdue to be built in Janesville, needs to be built.  It means that turning Milwaukee street to two-way in the downtown area – Janesville Mile – needs to occur.  During my service on the council, we unanimously supported turning that part of Milwaukee street to two way, but due to cost, the council chose to not spend the money.  For the sake of our downtown, and our community, we need to swallow hard and make the needed changes.  We need to invest in Janesville.

Our economic development needs to also focus on those amenities which make our community attractive to those making a choice of where to live.  This means reaching out to chains such as Panera Bread and others, and to look for ways to persuade them to open up Janesville locations.  This means reaching out to appropriate businesses and find a way to open up a grocery store downtown.  This means looking for ways to help and identify local businesses people that may be interested in opening a business we need, such as a roller rink but also art and culture-related enterprises, which are more important to making a community feel like home then we sometimes realize.  It means not merely reacting to a company that is looking for economic incentives, but putting the government to work for us – residents of Janesville.

The list is long and the council needs to begin addressing it, starting with – most likely – hiring a new city manager that shares those values.  I congratulate last night winners and wish them much success.  The voters have entrusted the 7 people on Janesville City Council with a tremendous responsibility and they are my council as well.  I am proud to be an active citizen of our community and will continue to stay active and involved.  For instance this Saturday I will take part in Big Give food drive, anchoring the Basics co-op location, and on Sunday I invite all of you to come and take part in honoring 3 local individuals who will be inducted into United Arts Alliance Arts Hall of Fame.  The event will take place at 2:30 pm at Janesville Performing Arts Center.  There is much work to do and I know that together we will make Janesville a place where people want to live.

Sincerely,

Yuri Rashkin

#1. Picking a city manager.  It can be easy to forget but city council has only one employee – city manager.  Picking the right city manager, is probably the single most important function of the council.  When Eric Levitt was picked by the council on which I served, in 2008, we interviewed a number of finalists before finally making the choice.  It was not an easy process yet an absolutely necessary one.  While we have competent people to steer the ship for a while, it is important for the council to not abdicate its responsibility, and to find the best possible executive for the city.

A manager who reflects values of the community and the council, and under whose leadership, Janesville will thrive.  Someone who will enable economic development, while protecting the city’s assets; someone who will ensure city services are provided, while maintaining financial stability of the organization; someone who will reaffirm community faith in clean and open government, while maintaining transparent communication; someone who will be that quality advisor to the council, and will help the 7 individuals work as a team.

2. Economic Development. Every person running for the council names “jobs” as their top priority, yet what can the council do about it?  Economic Development, or “ED”, as it is called in the industry, is a three-legged “stool”.  These legs are:

a. Bring new businesses to the community. Does that mean that we need to roll out the red carpet for every business that comes to city hall asking for incentives?  No.  Businesses understand competition and they want to see municipalities compete, which means the council needs to know how to bargain without giving away the farm.

b. Help local businesses grow.  Council can choose to support strategies that will ensure city’s preparedness as the larger economy improves.  For instance, aggressive land purchases in the past, authorized by city councils, allowed the city to be prepared for expansion by local companies when time was right for growth.  Council can also create environment where business people feel like Janesville is a place where they want to do business, not a place that puts sticks in wheels of the entrepreneurial spirit.

c. Help local businesses get started.  Creating a business-friendly environment in Janesville starts at the top.  Having a permit process that protects public safety is crucial, and making sure that the process is fair and not excessively burdensome is very important, but having a council that looks for ways to say “yes” to businesses needed to help community grow, is one thing that the council can do.  Council also plays an important role in economic development because its decisions made on Monday night in the council chambers that end up on the front page of the Janesville Gazette.

During my tenure on the council, I worked hard to foster economic development, and one of my proudest moments was my strong support for bringing the Janesville Jets to town.  A team, which fosters community spirit, utilizes an existing city facility, and spreads good word about Janesville across the region, is the kind of business that Janesville needs.   City council played a vital role in giving the green light to this venture.  At the same time, TIF district incentives are something that Janesville has effectively utilized for economic development and job creation for many years.  TIF districts in particular, depend on effective management team being in place.

3. Setting the Budget.  Economic development occurs in communities that offer quality services: from safety offered by professional and well-trained fire and police force, to well-maintained roads and solid infrastructure.  Most of the city budget is spent on salaries, and  at the same time, due to statewide restrictions, Janesville is limited in revenue growth to new construction.  That means that the council needs to find and maintain a balance between retaining high quality workforce, and providing high quality services at a manageable cost.  This is also where having the right management team in place is vital because relations with employees can be adversarial or respectful.

As always, I welcome your input and appreciate your support and vote on April 2.

I am writing in support of Yuri Rashkin’s write-in candidacy for Janesville City Council.

I have known Yuri as a friend, community leader and suporter of small local businesses.  He has shown his commitment to downtown with his “Janesville Mile” idea.  He is committed to serving Janesville as a member and past president of Janesville Noon Lions, where we both are members.  Whether it is helping visually impaired persons or promoting the arts and downtown, Yuri is always there when help is needed.

These days, when we are in short supply of good candidates and the city is facing tough choices, I can think of no better candidate than Yuri RAshkin.  Please join me in writing in Yuri Rashkin’s name for city council April 2!

Russell Allen, Janesville

RASHKIN GOOD CHOICE AS CITY FACES CHALLENGES

Yuri Rashkin has my write-in vote for Janesville City Council.

As a former council member, and one who helped select a former city manager, I understand how important the next term will be for the city of Janesville.  With the potential departure of a very competent city manager and the development director, we have additional challenges to face.  I would welcome Yuri to serve another term on the city council to guide the city in the next two years.

Please join me, and write in Yuri Rashkin as one of your choices for Janesville City Council.

ED L. PULLIAM, Janesville

You have until 5 pm today to submit letter to the editor.  If you haven’t sent a letter in the last 30 days, please take a second to send an email today by clicking HERE.

A slightly longer answer is: I did not want to run for the City Council in December and I saw no need for me to serve in this role.  After  campaign for the Assembly that ended much sooner then I expected, I was not sure if and when I would ever run again.  Losing that race was also a new experience because in the past, I won every election that I ran in.  I guess there are many lessons in life to learn.  I have instead concentrated my time on my life – my family, my music, my work as a Russian language interpreter, Discover Janesville podcasts.

But just a brief glance at Sunday’s Gazette editorial makes it clear that these are no ordinary times, and April 2nd is no ordinary Spring Election.  In fact, I feel we are standing on the precipice of sorts, where the city is about to lose its manager, the entire approach to how the city will handle economic development – job creation – is about to undergo a notable change potentially channeling more public money towards the private sector, while the field of candidates running caused several residents to reach out in search of someone else.

And that’s where I come in.  This time last week, I was perfectly content living my life.  Yet, under the circumstances, I feel that if I can help make a positive difference, I simply have to give it a try.  I know that by running as a write-in candidate, I am putting my candidacy at a severe disadvantage: my name is not on the ballot, I have no time to knock on doors – it’s spring break week – or order signs, raise funds, record radio commercials, etc., etc.  I accept that.

I am running now not because I want to give myself the least chance of success, but because our community deserves to have people serving on the council who are creative and open minded.  People who care about preserving our services, and people who were able to do that.  People who care about economic development but won’t give away the farm to an unproven prospect.  I am also running because by my example, I hope to demonstrate that democracy and good governance are worth getting involved for.

I have served Janesville for four years on the Council, and with your help, I will bring that experience, approach of inclusiveness, and commitment to community, back to City Hall.  So on April 2nd, please Write in Yuri Rashkin for City council.

Executive Director of a newly formed nonprofit organization Discover Community Media and the host of Discover Janesville podcasts, Rashkin earned a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from UW – Whitewater in 2011.  He is employed at Luther Memorial church in Delavan as Music Director for Contemporary Worship and works as a musician, performing throughout Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois.  He also works as a court and medical interpreter, provisionally certified with Wisconsin Supreme Court as a Russian language interpreter.

Rashkin has a long record of community involvement in Janesville as past president of Janesville Noon Lions and current President of United Arts Alliance, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting arts in Rock County.  During his tenure on the City Council, Rashkin created the Janesville Mile, a comprehensive marketing concept for downtown Janesville, as well as advocated in support of local businesses, blight elimination, sustainability and transparency in government.

Rashkin does not plan to raise any funds for the campaign and plans to use the short time available prior to April 2 election, to highlight that people have a voice in democracy and that voting matters.  Those interested in supporting his candidacy are invited to check out FB event page “2013 Write In Yuri Rashkin for City Council”, and to contact him via email at YRashkin@gmail.com.

While sitting at a restaurant for breakfast one day, I’ve come to discover that several people around me managed to loose a substantial amount of weight – 20 to 35 lbs – by going to Medithin Weight Loss Clinic.  I figured that if these people were able to do it, it was time for me to try.  Medithin is located right here in Janesville and without a question put me on track to getting the results I wanted to achieve.  Though I’m not at my goal of losing 50 lbs (not at all unreasonable by Medithin standards), I was able to loose over 35 lbs and continue to maintain it while making slow progress to get my weight even lower.

I am not going to go through the many benefits of weight loss, suffice to say that I feel better, look better and plan to do a lot more running, which is a sport I really enjoy.  What I would like to do here, is to share some of the things I learned about my body and weight loss, that perhaps could be useful to you, the reader.

1. Reading calories and counting calories can seem like a burden at first, but what I realized was how much good food we have around us, how inexpensive it is, and how little of it we can afford to eat without increasing our weight.  Counting calories, even though I no longer do it as strictly as in the beginning, provided me with fundamental knowledge of what I am putting into my body.  Combined with knowing how many total calories I need to consume within a day, forced my brain to become part of the equation.  It also made it clear that eating at fast food restaurants is to be avoided.

2. Carbs are to blame.  So much of the food most of us eat – breads, pasta, rice, potatoes – are rich in carbohydrates.  Carbs are plentiful, cheap, frequently taste great, and if not used for energy, get stored as fat.  By cutting out carbs, and replacing the space they took on my plate with proteins and vegetables, not only am I able to control my weight but I just plain feel better after I eat.  I also realized how few vegetables I have gotten used to eating over the years.  Instead of being the cake, veggies became the cherry on top.

3. You can have a little bit of anything you want.  Life of denying pleasure that comes with eating tasty food may work for monks but not for me.  Knowing that I can never have …. whatever it is – does not fill my life with joy.  Knowing, however, that I can have a little bit of a delicious dish that will result in unwanted pounds if eaten in its entirety, creates a space where free will and motivation can exist.  It also creates motivation to put as much time as possible, between these treats.

4. Find snack foods that help between meals.  In my case, I discovered that having the following foods always available, made what seemed like starvation at first, into a manageable approach to eating:

* Nuts.  Any nuts are good in my uneducated opinion, but I found that cocoa-covered almonds are delicious.  At first I was nervously counting how many were in a serving, but then I discovered that since they are not only full of protein and are low in carbs, but are also full of fiber, they just leave the body in due time.

* EAS Carb control shakes.  While there are other options on the market, again I found these shakes (especially the Chocolate Fudge flavor) to be quite good.

* Fruit-flavored Jello.  Some people love it some people hate it, but if you are one of those who consider Jello to be an option, pig out all you want – sugar free version can be eaten in practically unlimited amounts – though I dare you to eat much more then 2 cups of it at a time.

*Eggs.  Simple, tasty and full of protein.  I make sure to boil these 6 at a time, and have some hard-boiled and peeled eggs sitting in the fridge at all times, just in case.

*Water.  It is my understanding that we are supposed to consume half of our weight in water per day: meaning if you are 200 lbs, you should drink 100 oz. of water per day.  It may seem intense but it does feel good and it does help in a number of ways: water gets rid of dehydration, which is particularly likely in northern climates in winter when people exist primarily in-doors and the outside air is dry as well.  Additionally, water in your system creates a feeling of fullness.  To be clear: drinking half of my weight in water on daily basis is still more of a goal than reality but I know that it is practically impossible for me to drink too much water.

*Broccoli.  I might as well admit it – I like broccoli.  Knowing that it is a food that is great for me only helped to ensure that I always have some broccoli around.  Broccoli can be dipped in fat-free Ranch dressing, or mustard.

5. Exercise.  My goal is to be on my elliptical machine 30 minutes each day.  If I feel more ambitious, I may stay longer but with time being limited, longer work outs are not always an option.  However, having done my exercise for the day, makes me feel good on many levels. Also, the knowledge of exactly how many calories I lost while exercising on the machine, fits much better in my new mindset where number of calories consumed and burned off have a pretty precise meaning.  For instance, if I know can have 1,200 calories per day, losing 400 calories while exercising feels much more rewarding then just doing 30 minutes of exercise.

This is what works for me, and I hope that this information helps you get to where you’re going.  Good luck!

To learn more about Medithin Weight Loss Clinics, check out my interview with Jeff Dedrick, co-owner of the clinic, right HERE.

A message was sent to Washington DC that fighting Russian organized crime and corruption comes with asymetrical consequences.

A message was sent around the world that engaging in defending human rights in Russia is not allowed, especially if you are not from Russia (being from Russia was always considered to be a life-threatening condition).

A message was sent to those who fought the old Soviet regime, received American citizenship, and are now engaged once again in protesting the latest Russian dictatorship.

And a message was sent to the Russian electorate, stating that the Government (or as it is historically known in Russia – “Power”), remains staunchly anti-American.  After all, wagging finger at the West has  been a popular way all over the world, to redirect frustration one’s own populus has with its government, and Russians are very frustrated with their government.

But what this law really does, is punish the one group that has the least organized protection in Russia – its orphans.

It may seem surprising at first that there have been protests against this legislation in Russia – why would Russians care about the rights of Americans to adopt Russian children?  They don’t, really.  But the reality is that leaving Russia has always been compared to winning a lottery, almost regardless of the destination point.  Imagine for a second, living in a country where a person who left and lives abroad, is considered to have achieved something in life, a success story.  In that mindset, for an orphan child to be able to leave Russia to go not just to any country, but to AMERICA, is as much a blessing as being an orphan in Russia, is a curse.

This should make it easier to understand why this law – and which has already become known as the “anti-orphan law” – is opposed by many in Russia.  In fact, in just a matter of days, Russia’s popular Novaya Gazeta (New Paper), collected over 100,000 digital signatures for a petition, calling for new elections, and for the dismissal of the current parliament.

The passion with which Russians are angry and not just with the anti-orphan law, but with their own lawmakers (whom they have traditionally regarded, and seemingly accepted, as non-entities), for signing off quickly and quietly on this attack on children, is new and underlines the protests seen in Russia throughout 2012.  Yes, the Russians of the early 21st century have embraced the plight of orphans, but it is certainly worth noting that this frustration seems to trump even the fear Russians have of their own government.

Is it the rise of the middle class?  Is it about the children?  Is it about the length of time since the last murderous government repression, or is it about the betrayal many Russians feel towards the “democratic” reforms of the last quarter century?  Only time can tell, but in a way, I see a parallel between the Newtown tragedy and the Russian anti-orphan law in that it is the attack on children that appears as likely as anything, to awake a sleeping giant.

The message I want to pass to all those yearning to bring an orphan Russian child into your American home is this: the Russian people are on your side, even if their government isn’t, because the people understand that Russia is not a country.  It’s a punishment.

The latest and clearest example of this mindset was on full display today, when at his press conference NRA’s Wayne LaPierre announced that the solution to the problem of school shootings, is to place more armed guards in our schools.  Considering the nature of the tragedy, and the great number of possible solutions: from safety training to increasing access to mental healthcare, or anything else for that matter, NRA’s solution made clear that it represents interests of those who sell guns not those who buy them.  Then again, to a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

The question that I really would like to have answered is this: has the paradigm of our existence shifted so much since last Friday, that an organization such as NRA as it currently stands, is no longer acceptable to the general population? The National Rifle Association and the  gun lobby have reached an amazing level of success in controlling politicians and dictating political agendas.  The mere fact that Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms hasn’t been able to confirm a director in years, says a lot about the power this industry wields.  But as in all conflicts, when one side dominates, the only way to change the balance of power is through asymetrical warfare.  In the world where the gun manufacturers lobby has decimated its known opposition, an extraordinary event, or to be precise, murder of 20 children at an elementary school, shifted the paradigm knocking the lobby off balance.

In “Structure of Scientific Revolutions”, Thomas Kuhn argues that revolution occurs when new problems are not solved by the currently existing solutions.  In other words, the paradigm shift presents us with new problems requiring new solutions because the old ones no longer work.  And that makes every old and tried argument used by proponents of gun “rights” (otherwise known as “people advocating selling-as-many-guns-as-possible-to-anyone-who-can-afford-it”) for decades,  suddenly ring hollow.   The old tried-and-true arguments of arming teachers, protecting rights, and imperfect laws, now seem more offensive then implausable.

And thus my point: unless the National Rifle Association adjusts to reflect the new reality we all live in, it might as well refund the dues it collects back to its members, and shut down the headquarters, for it is bound to go the way of today’s Republican party – noisy, unappealing, and ineffective.  While only NRA can decide what role it plays in the future of this country, I sincerley doubt that Wayne LaPierre is part of the solution.