One of the most powerful political organizations in the United States is the National Rifle Association. The president of the United States recently claimed he wasn't afraid of the NRA[1], only to have an NRA spokesperson -- not the president himself -- later announce that the president had changed his mind[2]. It was painful to watch the most powerful man in the free world be treated like a small child.
The cornerstone of the NRA's platform to sell more guns is the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Its original intent has been perverted[3] over the years, and the language construed to mean something very different.
Well, right now, the Second Amendment is on deathwatch, largely because of a passionate bunch of kids and Twitter.
David Hogg, one of the survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, just disciplined[4] one of the most powerful Fox News talking heads.
The efforts by Hogg and his impressive peers have resulted in one of the retired Supreme Court Justices calling for repeal[5] of the Second Amendment. If this trend continues to advance, I expect it will be repealed.
Even in the face of substantial evidence, we still don't seem to get that Facebook was at the heart of what allowed a reality-TV star to become president, against all the odds. We still don't seem to get the scary power of social media and fake news[6].
I'll share some thoughts on the impressive power of social media and the massive risk of underestimating kids in this new digital world, and then close with my product of the week: the HP Notebook Computer that The Wall Street Journal called the best of the best.
Old vs. Young
By the time I really got to know him, my grandfather had retired from his career as a petrochemical CEO and engineer. One of my least fond memories was being at a party with his friends (I'm guessing I was around 12) and listening to him pontificate on nuclear power. His position was that people were stupid because they didn't want a nuclear power plant in their back yard.
I spoke up (which was unusual because I was pretty shy back then) and suggested that it likely was due to the fact that a recent movie, The China Syndrome[7], had shown what could happen if a plant failed, and the objectors probably didn't want to die.
My grandfather's response was something to the effect that I was too young to have a clue about what was going on and I should wander off and go watch TV or something. I recall being laughed at by his friends as I walked away. I still remember that event like it was yesterday, and still feel the anger.
Of
