1. A measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system's disorder, that is a property of the system's state, and that varies directly with any reversible change in heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system; broadly : the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system
2. a : the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity; b : a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder
3. chaos, disorganization, randomness, see Meridian-Webster
Further examples of entropy: aging, obesity; methods to counter: vitamins, exercise, diet.
No measure, despite how noble the intentions, will 100% protect us from our fellow humans, and comparisons to dangers from knives, cars and baseball bats obfuscates the issue at hand: the warping of the constitution to justify building personal arsenals (with no apparent responsibility to secure them), and the wealth of weapons manufacturers. Mr. LaPierre is a lobbyist, and like so many "chicken hawk patriots" conveniently missed his generations' opportunity to be a "good guy with a gun" and represent his country in Vietnam.
In Chicago, in New Orleans, in East Winston-Salem, East/South Side ____________, random acts of violence are seen by the same media as a personal failing in "that area of town" versus a structural failing. That structure is society as a whole and a failure to apply not the Second Amendment, but the Second Law of Thermodynamics - Entropy - to systems decaying due to the market-driven and void meaning now of "education," avarice, career politicians pimping constituencies with the flimsiest fidelity to principles or promises, propped up by corrupt money interests whose only ambition is not "the common good," but to maximize profits, avoiding taxes and bequeathing large truckloads of treasure to their heirs.
In physics, entropy is why there can be no such thing in nature as 100% efficiency or perpetual motion machines. Thus, no one political party, culture/race has, or should have a complete lock on the Oval Office and the Presidential Mansion (as it was once called).
We are given sound bites and sloganeering: speeches on "shining cities on a hill," whereas we have the stench of a dung heap ripe with methane for the lighting. Lit by ignorance, goaded by pundits with zero education, zero sophistication, zero appreciation for nuance that some of our fellow mortals cannot digest; that some of their worst pronouncements might as well be from clouds and smoke on Mount Sinai.
And by some stretch of sanity, what would be gained if such inane, insane actors were actually successful in what could nakedly be called revolution and armed insurrection? The Pyrrhic ashes of anarchic victories are a poor foundation to rebuild a republic from.
As I watch the news, I'm not sure if this is an enactment of Animal Farm, or a slow train wreck. Some common sense suggestions:
- For starters: how about an ATF Director (not ONE since 2006)?
- Propose Conflict Resolution Skills classes to students and teachers K - 12. Science teacher Ryan Heber essentially used that to talk a shooter down in California, diminishing casualties.
- Propose rebuilding infrastructure of state mental health services gutted by cuts - obviously, the "free market" has seen no value in filling this need.
- Propose universal background checks for all gun sales (including mental health screens).
- Propose registration of all legally purchased firearms and owning tax.
- Proposal: Digital Grip Recognition Biometric authorizing tech: you shoot it, you own it and the consequences.
- Propose owners spend up to $5,000.00 to secure home arsenals (preferably biometric safes).
- Propose owners liable $500,000.00 if stolen weapons are used in armed robbery.
- Propose owners liable $1,000,000.00 if stolen weapons are used in a murder.
"Common sense is not so common." Voltaire
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