Irma hammered Florida yesterday, and the full impact won’t be known for days or weeks. The storm pummeled the coast with 130+ mph winds, and ripped the roof clean off a building in Miami. The storm surge has done as much or more damage. As the waters recede from this latest natural catastrophe, we also remember another tragedy. It’s hard to believe the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City are now 16 years old. Children who weren’t even born then are now old enough to drive. As we clean up from the storms, we should also remember those who lost their lives on that fateful day.
Here’s an excellent, short retrospective produced by the History Channel for last year’s anniversary.
As horrific as the damages were, adversity has a way of bringing people together. We’ve seen countless stories of Good Samaritans in Houston in the wake of Harvey, from two men with a hovercraft who got permission from Coca-Cola to raid all the water in their Beaumont distribution center for those in need, to the grandparents who called Chick-Fil-A for help and rode out of their living room on jet skis. I’m sure we’ll see more of the same in Florida, even if the media would rather hyperventilate about the need for a conversation on climate change.
Batten Down the Hatches, NFL
As the winds battered Flordia, the Washington Post turned its battering ram on the National Football League. It’s only week one–Go Panthers!–but WaPo Columnist Jerry Brewer says the “NFL season is making me queasy” because of the league’s “blackballing of Colin Kaepernick.” “How could this man, who took a knee during the national anthem last season and wore a Castro T-shirt in Miami, possibly remain unemployed?” Hint: it’s because he decided to load up more baggage than his talents could carry.
The Second Amendment Advances in Maryland
With everything else that’s happening, you could be forgiven for not knowing a major gun rights case is moving forward in Maryland. Stephen Gutowski writes at the Washington Free Beacon:
The case stems from Maryland’s law requiring those who want to purchase a handgun to obtain a license before doing so. In order to obtain the license, a Maryland resident is required to obtain training, submit an application to the state police, submit electronic fingerprint records to the state police, pay associated fees, and pass a background check. The same background check is also required when purchasing any firearm in the state, whether from a licensed dealer or in a sale between private individuals.
Personally, I’d like to see someone from Maryland Shall Issue make the argument that gun licensing isn’t fundamentally different from a poll tax. It can easily cost more than $200 just to apply for a Maryland Handgun Qualification license. We would never allow poll workers to charge a $200 fee for the privilege of possibly being issued a ballot if the state decides you’re qualified to vote.
McCain Prepares His Legacy
And finally, I’m no fan of John McCain’s politics, but this moment from his latest CNN interview with Jake Tapper stuck out. Asked how he wanted to be remembered, McCain responded that he hoped people would say, “he served his country, and not always right, made a lot of mistakes, made a lot of errors, but served his country, and I hope you could add honorably.”
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