Proposed Vermont gun law

[Barbara Neville]

Salutations to Transition Vermont from Transition Utah where word of your common sense has even reached to the west. Something about a tax on non-gun owners. It's making waves here in Utah! Best wishes and regards--Barbara Neville

[Barbara Neville]

Dear Brad, I LOVE the ideas of group cooperation. They seem optimistic too. You even used the word "transition"--thanks for the post. Any takers?

[Brad Vietje]

This brings up some interesting and even frightening questions...

It seems there are many ways to respond to a changing world, but they all seem to fall into two broad categories:

1. Helpful, cooperative, nurturing, community-building actions and thoughts
- or-
2. Individual, "Last One Standing" approaches, like Hoarding, Hiding and being willing to defend what's yours with violence.

As some people learn about the huge changes that will be driven by the end of the oil age, stashing food and water, and stocking up on guns and ammo seem like natural, reflexive responses. I know people who are deeply embedded in this mode of thinking.

My sense is that with deeper reflection comes the realization that we can make a transition to a better way of life, a more local economic system, and a less competitive, more community spirited way of life, and that even if the system we all know falls apart, that life does not have to become miserable. We can make a better world if we can get enough people to work together on all the little parts of the whole.

Scam or no scam, the idea of requiring people to arm themselves is a scary proposition, and seems like dead-end thinking to me. Maybe we need to give some thought and attention to how we will co-exist and possibly cooperate with people who have vastly different views of how the future will play out (?)

I'd be supportive of a discussion -- virtual or in person -- of these ideas and how to deal with the more violent parts of our culture.

Clear skies,

Brad

[Barbara Neville]

I liked the idea of it. 'Says someone is thinking. Thanks for responding.

[Carl Etnier]

It's a hoax. Or rather, a 9-year-old story being pawned off as something new. The bill went nowhere in 2000.