The (not so) Wild West

Who cares if the gun fighter in the Old West was a figment of the imagination? Who cares if the infamous Wild West was actually the birthplace of strict gun control laws? Garry Wills writes, “Far from the gun being the tamer of the West, the West had to tame the gun in order to be civilized.” Famous Western gun cities such as Dodge City and Durango, required all the cowhands to leave their shooting irons with the sheriff before they could amble off to the saloon. Timid legislators in the Commonwealth of Virginia and other states with lax gun laws should take notes of what the town fathers did in Dodge City, Durango, and other cowtowns in the old West to save lives.—America and Its Guns: A Theological Expose, page 175

<idle musing>
We really do have a selective memory, don't we? And I mean all of us, no matter where we stand on any issue. We tend to only remember the past in a way that supports our foregone conclusions about the present.

That's why we need two things: Each other (especially those who disagree), and the Holy Spirit. Each other because we bring each other face-to-face with another viewpoint. And the Holy Spirit so we don't kill the other before listening to them!
</idle musing>