Straw men

I got a few comments on my post about gun safety that I didn't publish because they attack a straw man. I explicitly, and loudly, at the very beginning, said that I did not have any problem whatsoever with people owning guns. In fact I'm all for it because the deer population here is out of control. This is also true of the approximately 80% of Americans who favor gun safety laws that are quite similar to the Swiss laws, which are not generally in effect in the U.S. and which the Supreme Court would probably rule to be unconstitutional. The Swiss ban large capacity magazines, automatic weapons and many non-firearm weapons which are  sold over the counter in the U.S. You need to have a specific reason -- police or security duty -- to get a permit to carry a handgun. In order to own any sort of a firearm, you need to pass a strict background check, and the permission is revocable. That's what people want here, they don't want to take away your guns or impose "draconian" regulations.

As for Israel offering a two state solution to the Palestinians, that is unmitigated bullshit. Not true. Historically in accurate since they repudiated the Oslo accords. Israel has been slowly but steadily trying to absorb the West Bank by continually confiscating Palestinian land and building new settlements. That's what has been happening, and the Swiss cheese bantustan that has resulted would not be a viable Palestinian state. A solution would require Israel to withdraw to the 1967 borders -- perhaps with some tradeoffs -- meaning the settlements go back to Palestine and the settlers go back to Israel -- and provide a land corridor between Gaza and the West Bank. That they have adamantly refused to do. Because they are trying to take it all. Maybe you're for that, but that's what we're talking about.