To trust or trust not

Imagine this. Driver’s licenses issued by each state as usual, but before a Massachusetts citizen is permitted to drive in Rhode Island, she must apply for a non-resident license, take additional training, provide personal references, and pay exorbitant fees. And in spite of all this, she will almost certainly be denied the permit. Because Massachusetts drivers are simply not to be trusted on the streets of Rhode Island. So she must circumnavigate Rhode Island, perhaps via Connecticut, assuming, however, that she can secure a Connecticut non-resident license. A quandary.

Indeed a quandary, for a Rhode Island driver likewise could not drive in Massachusetts nor Connecticut or New York or New Jersey without applying for and being granted separate non-resident permits. (And remember that non-resident permits are rarely approved). A road trip to Florida would require at least ten different non-resident state permits, each acquired at great expense and great difficulty, each with different experience and training requirements. Such a road trip would be nearly impossible.

This is the reality faced by persons wishing to exercise their right of self defense.

While licensing of automobile drivers and concealed carry permit holders is decidedly different, both have one major element in common: trust.

Do we trust our neighbor to drive safely, prudently, observing relevant laws and regulations? Beyond immediate neighbors, do we trust our fellow citizens from other states to operate their vehicles carefully? Witnessed by the ease and prevalence of obtaining a driving license and the reciprocity observed among the states, the answer is a resounding yes.

And for the most part, that trust is warranted. But we each see, every day, that road-racer wannabe using the rest of us as pylons as he swerves through traffic at high speed on I-95. Or the scofflaw (usually from another state) who cuts you off or blows a stop sign or red light. Every day there are reports of drunk drivers arrested for their third or fifth offense, often after having caused some heartbreaking carnage.

But we look to the common good derived from the wide availability of driving licenses and the interstate recognition thereof. We hold our noses in spite of traffic accident statistics telling us the chilling truth that getting into an automobile is by far the most dangerous thing that most of us ever do.

Trust.

But when it comes to carrying the means to self defense, that trust is much more guarded. And oddly, it tends to be political. Those in the middle and right of the political spectrum tend to trust their fellow citizens. Those to the left do not.

Concealed carry permit holders are statistically the most law abiding among us. They have willingly submitted to finger printing, background checks, training regimes, and paid substantial fees. Yet a Rhode Island permit is not recognized in Massachusetts and vice versa. Connecticut permits are not accepted by any northeastern state save Vermont (which in its wisdom requires no permits of non-criminals). Pennsylvania is likewise not recognized by New Jersey. In the liberal northeast, we claim to love our fellow (hu)man but don’t trust her if she lives across the state line.

Which is exactly what befell Shaneen Allen.

Shaneen, an African American mother of two, medical professional, and resident of Philadelphia, had recently obtained a concealed carry permit. She had been robbed twice and wanted to be able to protect herself and her family. After completing the required training and paying the required fees, she was granted her permit by the state of Pennsylvania.

Shortly after, Shaneen crossed the bridge into nearby New Jersey to attend a surprise birthday party for her son. A police officer pulled her over for a minor lane violation. Shaneen immediately informed the officer that she was a concealed carry permit holder and had a small handgun in her purse (this notification being an essential part of her Pennsylvania training). But there is something about the northeast that makes a state line a trust barrier. New Jersey arrested Shaneen and she spent 46 days in jail before being bailed out. She still faces trial as a felon and, if found guilty, will serve from three to eleven years in prison, not able to raise her young children.

In our northeastern, liberal zeal to make us all perfectly safe, we seem to have gotten it wrong. Gun crime is a terrible thing, but it is committed by sociopaths, not by the Shaneens of the world. Perhaps it’s time to trust our fellow honest citizens a bit more and redouble our pursuit and prosecution of actual criminals. There are plenty of them to keep us busy.

Our future is our kids

It’s hard to imagine how much things have changed.

In 1790, the first US census counted 3,929,214 of us, and 90% of the workforce were farmers. By 2010, the total US population had burgeoned to nearly 310 million while the farm-related population had declined to less than two percent.

These statistics bear witness to the enormous growth of urban and suburban populations. As of the 2010 census, 80% of us live in urban areas. The balance, 20%, is predominantly non-farm rural and very few actual farmers.

We have shifted away from the land, leaving our roots, both literally and figuratively.

What are the consequences of this historic shift? Overall, we have become far more reliant on each other. The pioneer family was completely self sufficient and today’s famer nearly so. But we urban dwellers need power and water and food delivered every day. We rely on our social constructs to keep us warm, feed us, and protect us. When these systems fail (witness Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans), the impact is massive and deadly. We have become collectivist out of necessity.

And we elect politicians that reflect these needs. This gives us such as Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley’s famous proclamation, “We really discourage people from self help.” The collective has drained us of individual initiative and responsibility.

Here is an example. In Augusta, South Carolina, this summer, a working mom was arrested and served 17 days in jail, her child temporarily taken into state custody. Debra Harrell, a 46-year old African American was the manager of a McDonald’s restaurant. She lost her freedom and her child for the crime of allowing the 9-year-old child to play alone in a city park. While you may agree or not with the outcome, the state usurped her role of parent and Ms. Harrell’s rights as a mother were abrogated.

All this seems to fly in the face of common sense. The most dangerous thing you could possibly do is to put your child in a motor vehicle or allow her to go swimming. Kidnapping from a public park is a statistical blip. But common sense is the first casualty as “one size fits all” collective dictates replace individual prerogatives.

The urbanization of America is certain to accelerate with the continued diminution of individual rights, responsibility, and capabilities. We will become a nation of codependent, neotenized softies (see “WALL-E,” the 2008 movie for a vision of that future).

But some are fighting back. Gever Tulley, in a popular TEDTalk, describes his passion for teaching kids to be creative, confident, self-reliant, and capable. In his talk, Tulley tells of  “The Five Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Children Do” and why.

He starts by describing the crazy extent to which child safety regulation has progressed, the end result being that anything sharper than a golf ball is prohibited for child play. Tulley thinks this will not end well, asserting that “When we round every corner and eliminate every sharp object, every pokey bit in the world, then the first time that kids come in contact with anything sharp or not made out of round plastic, they'll hurt themselves with it." (For those of you allegorically challenged, this is allegory).

Here are five things that Tulley recommends (among many more activities at his school camps for kids, the Tinkering School).

1. Play with fire. Children will learn much about this elemental force which changed the course of human history, and they will learn to respect and control it.

2. Own a pocket knife. The knife is a universal tool, “it's a spatula, it's a pry bar, it's a screwdriver and it's a blade.” It also gives the child an understanding of how a dangerous implement may be used safely by following simple rules.

3. Throw a spear. A primitive activity that engages the brain and muscles, “throwing is a combination of analytical and physical skill, so it's very good for that kind of whole-body training.”

4. Deconstruct appliances. This is a wonderful way to understand basic engineering and mechanics. Instead of throwing away that old vacuum cleaner, let the kids tear it apart first and try to figure out how it works.

5. Drive a car. That’s right, plop them into your lap and allow them to steer. This is wonderfully empowering and confidence building.(Best done in a deserted parking lot).

While these may seem extreme to the average urban dweller, they are everyday life for the typical farm kid. And that’s exactly the point – to give urban kids the same opportunities of growth and empowerment.

The future can be bright indeed, if we can base our voluntary collectivism on a foundation of strong, self-reliant and capable individuals. Our future is our kids.