{"id":4021,"date":"2018-05-23T10:43:46","date_gmt":"2018-05-23T17:43:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/?p=4021"},"modified":"2018-05-23T10:47:01","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T17:47:01","slug":"make-america-safe-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/make-america-safe-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Make America Safe Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01.png\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3804 size-medium alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01-300x100.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01-720x240.png 720w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/NRA-Away-01.png 1575w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-4016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01-300x89.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"89\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01-300x89.png 300w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01-768x228.png 768w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01-1024x305.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/BumperNRAuncleSam-01-807x240.png 807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I tried to put a couple of bumper stickers up for sale on the do-it-yourself sites Zazzle.com and CafePress.com, but they wouldn&#8217;t touch them due to threats of lawsuits from the NRA. If you don&#8217;t see many anti-NRA bumper stickers, you now know why. Any decent lawyer will tell you it would be totally legal if you had your own press and distribution system, but the NRA&#8217;s threats function like a preemptive SLAAAP suit. Oh well.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m updating this post\/page yet again. The Parkland shooting seems like decades ago, and the latest, in Sante Fe, TX, is briefly in the news along with Ollie North being named as the new face of the NRA. Ollie freaking North! Once again, the NRA and the GOP are blaming &#8220;mental health&#8221; as the reason, and Ollie even suggested it was Ritalin causing all the shootings.<\/p>\n<p>This page is mainly a songwriter demo to get musicians playing the song. I wrote about the origins of this song here twice before, but this time I&#8217;ve changed the title from &#8220;Blow the NRA Away&#8221; to &#8220;Vote the NRA Away.&#8221; Perhaps the change will encourage more musicians to record the song and change a few minds on the issue of gun control.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1280\" height=\"960\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dDrjA1l3N1I?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>UPDATE: I recorded the video after I&#8217;d changed the title\/chorus to &#8220;Vote the NRA Away&#8221; from the original &#8220;Blow the NRA Away,&#8221; but before I&#8217;d rewritten the first verse to make it more universal and appropriate for the times. If you are a performer and cover this tune, please use the lyrics below. It&#8217;s only the first verse that is different.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a9 Scott Morrison \u2022 Skeptico Music\u2013BMI \u2022 WilliamScottMorrison.com<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2018A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State,<br \/>\nthe right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Vote the NRA Away<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Well America\u2019s got a problem<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">About how we deal with guns<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Can you pack heat anywhere you want<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Just to have some fun<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Do you need an Army weapon<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">So you can play pretend<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">What\u2019s it gonna take<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">To make America safe again?<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Every Army soldier knows<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Grunt lesson number one<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Your weapon is for killin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Your gun it is for fun<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Army weapons made for killin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">In full-out total war<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Some say they\u2019re so thrillin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Guns ain\u2019t fun enough no more.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">CHORUS<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">You know if they could do it<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They\u2019d legalize grenades<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Flame-throwers and bazookas<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Even tanks would be OK<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">To the loony tune palookas<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Runnin\u2019 the NRA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">War toys are so thrillin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They make you feel so brave<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Some people make a killin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Catering to the craze<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They promote the cult of violence<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2018Cause there\u2019s money to be made<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Politicians quake in silence<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">In the sights of the NRA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The NRA it lobbies<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">It pays and pays and pays<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They\u2019ve bought off most Republicans<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Who always vote their way<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They say war toys are just hobbies<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">No threat to you and me<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">But they\u2019re a clear and present danger<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">To our Democracy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">CHORUS<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">America\u2019s Founding Fathers<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Said people could bear arms<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">So that state militias<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Could keep us all from harm<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">They saw state-run militias<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Well-regulated and ready<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Drillin\u2019 every Saturday<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Down on the village green<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">America\u2019s Founding Fathers<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Showed how to make our laws<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Based on the Constitution<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\u2018Cause people have their flaws.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">It\u2019s clear our Founding Fathers<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Would say the NRA is wrong<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Well-regulated means just what it says<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">And they\u2019d second this loud and strong.<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">America\u2019s a\u2019prayin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">For that happy day<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">When there\u2019s no Saturday Night Specials<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">No Glocks, no Uzis<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">No AK 47\u2019s, no Mac 10\u2019s<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">No AR-15\u2019s<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Vote the NRA away<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">America\u2019s a\u2019prayin\u2019<\/p>\n<p class=\"western\" style=\"text-align: center;\">For that happy day&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Gun Math<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I wrote a version of this about ten years ago when I was still living in Petaluma, CA. The statistics are based on the 2000 Census.<\/p>\n<p>Lets apply some elementary math to the claim that there are _AT LEAST_ 2.5 million crimes prevented every year by law-abiding citizens brandishing guns.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Census Bureau, there were 281,421,906 Americans as of April 1, 2000. Dividing 2.5 million by the total population yields a percentage of .00888 (rounded down). If the gun supporters are correct, to get an idea of how often someone in your area is saved by a gun, simply multiply .00888 by your area&#8217;s population, then divide by 365.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m writing this from Petaluma, California, population 54,478, a town so typical of the rest of America that Ronald Reagan shot (no pun intended) the parade for his famous &#8220;Morning In America&#8221; re-election campaign commercials here, and blockbuster movies such as &#8220;American Graffitti&#8221; and &#8220;Peggy Sue Got Married&#8221; were filmed here just because it is so &#8220;typical.&#8221; I submit that if any town is likely to be considered a valid statistical model for the average American town, Petaluma is it. It has an ethnically diverse population, and also has its share of crime, including the nationally televised Polly Klaas kidnapping\/murder case of several years ago.<\/p>\n<p>So lets run the numbers for this &#8220;typical&#8221; town. Multiplying 54,548 by .00888 yields a result of 484.38 crimes that were allegedly prevented here last year, or an average of 1.32 every day (rounded down). Given what I know of this area, and attempting to apply common sense in evaluating these results, the numbers claimed by gun supporters seem to me to be about as valid a reflection of the reality which surrounds me as a Mother Goose fairy tale.<\/p>\n<p>I have no hard data, but common sense tells me that if guns do prevent crimes here, it happens maybe once every couple of years, and certainly not 1.32 times every day, 9.24 times every week, 39.6 times every month, or 484.38 times every year. Looked at another way, if the gun supporters are correct, in the twenty years I&#8217;ve been in these parts 9,680 Petalumans have been saved from crimes by guns.<\/p>\n<p>This is not to say that there may indeed be cases in Petaluma where brandishing a gun has prevented a crime, but neither I nor anyone I know has ever heard of one.<\/p>\n<p>Scott Morrison<\/p>\n<p>PS&#8211;Always remember&#8211;guns don&#8217;t kill people, bullets kill people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I tried to put a couple of bumper stickers up for sale on the do-it-yourself sites Zazzle.com and CafePress.com, but they wouldn&#8217;t touch them due to threats of lawsuits from the NRA. If you don&#8217;t see many anti-NRA bumper stickers, you now know why. Any decent lawyer will tell you it would be totally legal<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/make-america-safe-again\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77,84,38,17],"tags":[83,5,89,9,68,20,18,86],"class_list":["entry","author-scottadmin","post-4021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-guitar","category-gun-control","category-music","category-political-songs","tag-2nd-amendment","tag-bumper-stickers","tag-country-music","tag-election","tag-guitar","tag-guns","tag-politics","tag-songwriting-demo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4021"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4023,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4021\/revisions\/4023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.castaliapub.com\/williamscottmorrison\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}