Shared Values

Well, apparently, Sunni and Shiite leaders in Iraq can sometimes agree.

We know, for instance, that they hold the same contempt for the American troops who are there to save them.

Now The Washington Post tells us that thanks to the fine job of country-saving thus far, leaders of both factions are demanding that their government make it easier for individuals to arm themselves — to lower impediments against gun ownership.

Their argument is that citizens need to protect themselves against an ever-present danger. 
Since the poorly regulated militias all around get to wreak havoc with their firepower, those who simply want to mind their own business must be prepared to defend themselves in their own homes.

It’s a compelling point in a country that has has fallen into near chaos, a nation where there is very little effective law enforcement as a barrier against the the deadly violence that has become a routine way of life … and death.

But why do we hear the same the arguments in the United States?

If the gun-rights advocates in Iraq persist, it will only be a matter of time before they form an INRA, which of course would be the Iraq National Rifle Association.

If I were them, however, I’d avoid the slogan “They’ll have to take it from my cold dead body.”

Being armed to the teeth becomes just another of the American values we can share with the people of Iraq.