Lack of Proper Comparative Context

I found this meme on a facebook page called Americans Against the Republican Party.  The group's tagline is "Saving America from the regressive GOP.

The man pictured is Gene Wilder.  He is dressed as he appeared in the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Mel Brooks. 

There is a plethora of Internet memes using this photograph.  It doesn't take much effort to create one.  I've seen it used with all sorts of messages -- some liberal, some conservative, many having nothing at all to do with politics -- so I'm fairly certain that it is Willy Wonka rather than Gene Wilder who is being selected as a spokesman. 

I have no idea who first decided that Roald Dahl's classic character would be a good choice for this application, but I find it interesting.  Perhaps because the reader is never quite certain whether the eccentric, enigmatic chocolate maker is good or bad, whether he's telling the truth or lying.  

What's the point of this meme and is it a point worth making? 

First, let's look to see if Republicans have something to complain about. 

According to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, which has a wonderfully simple-to-navigate website, the National Debt is defined as: 

". . .  the cumulative amount outstanding that the government has borrowed to finance deficits." 


There is a feature on the website which allows one to look up the National Debt figure of any particular day for the last ten years.  

As of February 14th, just a few days ago, that number was  $16,540,800,290,147.46.

As of Jan 20th, 2009, the day before President Obama took office, the National Debt was recorded as  $10,626,877,048,913.08

So, it would indeed seem that the National Debt has been increased during the Obama administration.  

The text at the bottom of the meme is a bit vague.  We've only had one President Reagan, but we've had two  Presidents Bush and we don't know which one is being referenced.  The first President Bush served immediately following Reagan.  Then came an eight year gap for the Clinton adminstration.  The second President Bush immediately preceded President Obama.    

Fortunately, once again,  Snopes.com came to my rescue, saving me hours of digging, comparing and struggling with mathematical computations involving ridiculously large numbers.

Back in 2011, the chart shown below was apparently circulated by Nancy Pelosi's office. 

A quick perusal tells me that the makers of our Willy Wonka meme could (and probably do?) mean both Presidents Bush.

So what did Snopes.com conclude after its in-depth analysis?

"All in all, this is a case of relatively accurate information which is of marginal value due to lack of proper comparative context." 

So there you have it.

The Truth About Guns

I found this Internet meme on the facebook page of a group called Teabonics, which offers this explanation of its mission:  "Welcome to Teabonics where we call out the hypocrisy of the GOP."

Thanks to these folks, I've spent the better part of today reading about guns in America. As a result, my head and heart both ache. I feel agitated, frustrated and angry.  Anyone who believes this is a simple issue is misinformed and needs to get educated.


Sticking to the facts for a moment, my research reveals that the meme is essentially accurate.  I am deeply endebted to Adam Winkler for his excellent article, "The Secret History of Guns". 


The photo shows members of The Black Panther Party standing on the steps of California State Capitol building in May of 1967.  

They were assembled to protest the Mulford Act, which  Governor Ronald Reagan did in fact sign  into law. The law prohibited the carrying of a loaded weapon in any California city.  

I have not yet found a specific reference to the NRA's position on that particular California law, but in the 1960's the organization did support more restrictive gun laws, culminating with its support of the 1968 federal Gun Control Act.  Explaining that endorsement,  the NRA stated, "While certain features of the law . . . appear unduly restrictive and unjustified in their application to law-abiding citizens, the measure as a whole appears to be one that the sportsmen of America can live with.”

The Black Panthers had grown impatient with the non-violent measures of Martin Luther King's civil rights movement.  They formed armed police patrols and learned to use the letter of the law to protect black citizens from police brutality.   In 1966, it was legal in California to carry a loaded weapon in the street, so long as it was registered, not concealed and not pointed in a threatening manner.  The Black Panthers followed the letter of the law and the white establishment felt threatened enough to propose legislation forbidding any citizen the right to carry a loaded weapon in public.  

OK.  So now that we know what it's all about, why would Teabonics consider this meme to be useful in furthering its goal of calling out the hypocrisy of the GOP?

Well, simply put, if it was good enough for Reagan, shouldn't it be good enough for today's Republicans?

Sadly, the issue is far more complex than this meme would have us believe.

Adam Winkler's article includes this particularly fascinating paragraph:

"The new NRA was not only responding to the wave of gun-control laws enacted to disarm black radicals; it also shared some of the Panthers’ views about firearms. Both groups valued guns primarily as a means of self-defense. Both thought people had a right to carry guns in public places, where a person was easily victimized, and not just in the privacy of the home. They also shared a profound mistrust of law enforcement. (For years, the NRA has demonized government agents, like those in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the federal agency that enforces gun laws, as “jack-booted government thugs.” Wayne LaPierre, the current executive vice president, warned members in 1995 that anyone who wears a badge has “the government’s go-ahead to harass, intimidate, even murder law-abiding citizens.”) For both the Panthers in 1967 and the new NRA after 1977, law-enforcement officers were too often representatives of an uncaring government bent on disarming ordinary citizens."

Doesn't it  seem that the Black Panthers were reacting  exactly as many of today's gun rights activists believe they should be allowed to react when government oversteps its bounds?  

The more I learn about gun violence and gun control, the more sickened and disheartened I become.  I would like to stick my head in the sand, letting others fight it out, hoping for the best. I don't want to know any more;  I just want it to go away.

The shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school was a tipping point and I am glad to see the nation energized and engaged in meaningful dialog . BUT -- speaking of hypocrisy --  it should not be worse to see white elementary school children gunned down than it is to see black inner city teens gunned down, but somehow, to this nation, it is.   If I find this reality infuriating, I can only imagine what black people feel.

Despite our imperfections, hypocrisies and obsession with sound bites, can we make something good from something so evil?   Can we work together to make changes that protect all our citizens from gun violence?

I am afraid that the answer to those questions is No.  The dialog is not open and respectful.  People on all sides are fearful and there is too much propaganda and too many lies are told.

But this meme -- it's not a lie.  

It's one version of the truth.