Two Freedoms...Two Sides To Story

We in Alabama dearly cherish our freedoms. We here at Shoalanda do also, but we have comments on two of those freedoms. No matter what you think the Second Amendment says, unless you're planning on vacationing in Somalia this summer, we don't think you need to keep an assault rifle handy.

You may have perfectly valid reasons for keeping a Sig in each room of your home or a hunting rifle in each vehicle, but you have no ethical or moral reason for possessing an automatic or semi-automatic assault rifle. It's time our government reactivated the ban on these guns. We're not so naive as to think this will cure the problem within 24 hours, but over time the problem will diminish. Just how many have to die before our government sees that?

We'll address the anti-gun lobby while we're at it. They're often so busy including everything but a sling shot in their anti-gun rants that they lose effectiveness. Why don't we all concentrate on the largest problem first? When maniacs can no longer purchase assault rifles, then we can sit back and observe what other laws may or may not need to be changed.

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That brings us to the freedom of speech. We're certainly glad it's free, but we hope everyone strives to make sure their speech is truthful. We totally agree with the three sides to every story statement and try to publish submitted rebuttals as well as comments.

Since the beginning of the year, two blogs have sprung up with the purpose of maligning certain individuals. Between the two, at least eight people have been named as being "Shoalanda." Apparently they keep throwing out names in the hopes of getting it right. Obviously it's irritating to those who have been accused of illegal acts they've never even considered. Why don't they take legal action?

Most libel in Alabama is civil. That requires hiring an attorney and paying out some very big bucks. Most of those accused by these two blogs are indeed pillars of the community and believe their actions, professions, and reputations all preclude anyone from believing these extremely odd tales.

While we have no kind words for these two blogs, they do exemplify the freedom we have to speak our minds. The sad thing is they use falsehoods in the attempt to bolster their opinion of others.



Shoalanda