Eugene Weekly’s Rick Levin Responds to Critics
Rick Levin, the literary drip who was last seen subjecting Eugene Weekly readers to a pointless and largely uninformed anti-gun diatribe (covered by the Commentator here and here), has decided to grace his critics with a reply in the latest edition of the Weekly.
Needless to say, it’s more or less content-free and tries hard to work in some gun-related suicide statistics, a basically non sequitur paragraph about the oppression and tyranny of George Bush, and a lot of ad hominem attacks on 2nd Amendment supporters. At the same time, Levin deploys one of his literary trademarks, namely “authoritative” statements about the gun control debate (“…the bigger, deeper picture… pretty much renders unregulated private gun ownership a ridiculous and dangerous proposition…”) that are more or less devoid of any real legal knowledge.
Maybe instead of constructing absurd straw men and putting words in the mouths of his critics, Mr. Levin would like to debate the 2nd Amendment with some of the Commentator staff?
I enjoy that fact that Levin seems to think that suicides would decrease dramatically if the United States banned guns.
Because there are so few other quick and easy ways out.
He doesn’t actually say it but he keeps citing suicide rates with guns as if I’m supposed to think that it’s the gun the fault that people commit suicide.
Maybe I should write a response to him that quotes my old drill instructors’ 20 minute lecture on how best to commit suicide. They gave that to us after a guy tried to kill himself by slicing his wrists (the wrong way).
#1 method: Take a buffer to the top floor, wrap the power cord around your head several times and throw the buffer off of the building.
Simple, straightforward, and no gun powder required.
Yeah, Levin’s suicide argument is silly since as Scott points out, if someone really wants to commit suicide, the availability of firearms isn’t really a determining factor.
In fact, even with so many bitter, gun-crazy 2nd Amendment advocates running around the United States with their “steroidal firearms”, the suicide rate here isn’t particular remarkable, falling well below places like France, Denmark, Germany, and New Zealand (to say nothing of lovely places like Communist China, Belarus, and Cuba).
I wonder what other borderline-irrational connections we can make to firearms?
I’ll start.
Firearms are bad because the combustion process of each round fired contributes to global warming. If the US managed to get rid of firearms altogether, the carbon imprint for this country would significantly reduce and the world would be saved.
All you guys need to do is go to Rick Levin’s Web site, illustrated with a very artsy-fartsy photograph of the scribe, and you, like me, will assuredly come away with the impression that Mr. Levin fancies himself quite the writer.
And he’s got quite the pedigree! He’s cut his teeth at the Stranger (which means he’s fucking edgy, man!) and the Village Voice (which means he’ll work for free!). Oh, and he’s written fiction.
Like I said
Perhaps you guys could hire him to write your Another Perspective column.
Best idea ever.
Also: Is it just me or does he bear a certain resemblance to Ricky Gervais in that picture?
Maybe instead of constructing absurd straw men and putting words in the mouths of his critics, Mr. Levin would like to debate the 2nd Amendment with some of the Commentator staff?
So is it official? Are we calling Levin out? Because I might need to hit myself in the head with a ball-peen hammer a couple times to prepare for a debate with such an august rhetorician.
Only you, sir, have the power to make it official. I am but a lowly Witchfinder General.
“Her solution? Buy a gun, rather than address the root causes of poverty and crime in a society of massive economic inequality and social quick fixes. True to form of most gun folk, she
Meth is a helluva drug.
Man, you gotta feel embarrassed when even Titties McGhee (AKA Timecube guy) is dressing you down.
Four days and four nights = one day! FOUR EDGES!!! convert to cubism or die in ignorance!!!