What I Don't Know Would Fill A Great Big Book

The list of things I don't fully understand seems to grow daily. For example, I cannot understand why I live in a country that has to debate whether or not a person who is not allowed to fly on a commercial airliner should be allowed to purchase a gun. Okay, maybe it makes a little sense. It would keep that person from using that gun on a commercial airliner. 

I am also confounded by the way that same country has chosen to expand gun rights in the wake of the massacre at Sandy Hook. In Kansas, gun owners can now carry concealed weapons without obtaining a license. In Texas, those with permits will soon be able to carry openly in holsters and bring concealed weapons into some college classrooms. And in Arkansas, gun enthusiasts may be able to carry weapons into polling places next year when they vote for president. In the three years since twenty elementary students, aged six and seven, and six adults were killed states have done little if anything to limit the chances of something like that happening again. Unless you're a fan of the "good guy with a gun" program, because if that's your vision of the future then you're all set. 

Me? I'm still confused. Especially when I hear the story of Mohammad Tariq Mahmood. Mohammad was traveling, or he had hoped to travel, with his brother and nine of their children from their home in England to the Happiest Place On Earth. They wanted to go to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, perhaps out of fear that the one in Paris might be a little too dangerous right now. They never made it. They were told that immigration officials stopped them at the gate. In a statement, the US Customs and Border Protection authority did not refer to Mahmood's case, but said there were more than sixty grounds for inadmissibility to the US, including health reasons and prior criminal convictions. "The religion, faith, or spiritual beliefs of an international traveler are not determining factors about his/her admissibility into the U.S.," the statement said.

Oh, did I mention that Mister Mahmood was a Muslim? That probably means that not only does he already have a gun, but he is ready to use it, along with his nine children packing Mickey-shaped wads of plastic explosive into the House of Mouse. Which would probably be fine with the very impressive security force at The Magic Kingdom, since they can handle just about anything. Just don't let them catch you with a selfie-stick. 

I don't get it.