The Week UK 01Feb2020

NEWS 15

Somuchforthehystericalpredictions,

saidDanGainoronFoxNews.com.

Fromthemediacoverageaheadoflast

week’sprotestbygunrightsactivists

intheVirginiancapitalofRichmond,

you’dhavethoughtwewerefacing

“thestartofthesecondcivilwar”.

Therewereallsortsofblood-curdling

warningsabout“whitenationalists”

armedtotheteethandthreatening

insurrection.Intheevent,wegot“a

rallysopeacefulthattheprotesters

evenpickeduptheirowntrash”.The

crowdwasdemonstratingagainsta

packageofnewgunrestrictionsunder

considerationbythenewDemocratic

majorityinthestate’slegislature.Andquiteright,too,saidthe

WashingtonExaminer.Themeasureswould“makeamockery

ofdueprocessandcreatemorebarriersforlaw-abidingcitizens

toexercise”theirSecondAmendmentrighttobeararms.

Yes,thisprotestwasnotasbadassomefeared,saidWill

BunchinThePhiladelphiaInquirer.Butdon’tyoudarecall

it“peaceful”.Therewere 22 ,000people –manydressedin

camouflage and masks, bearingassaultriflesandeven grenade

launchers –gathered outsidethe seat ofthestategovernment.

Localbusinesses shutteredtheirdoors,andmanyresidentsleft

outoffearofwhatmighthappen.

TheeventtookplaceonMartin

LutherKingDay,aholidaythat

Virginiahasinrecentyearsdeclared

a“LobbyDay”,whencitizenscanair

theirgrievancestolegislators;yetno

otherdemonstratorsdaredturnup.

Theprotestmaynothavebeenlethal,

buttotheextentthatitintimidated

lawmakersandscaredothercitizens

outofexercisingtheirownrightto

freespeech,itwas“arguablythemost

successfuluseofterrorismonUSsoil

innearlyageneration”.

Youcanjustimaginetheresponseif

thisrallyhadbeenorganisedbyleft-wingprotestersorblack

nationalists,saidJamelleBouieinTheNewYorkTimes.But

whitemenstillhavethepowertogetawaywithit.Theironyis

thatthesegun-totingpeoplearescared,saidPetulaDvorakin

TheWashingtonPost.Manyfearthata“redflag”lawallowing

weaponstobetemporarilyremovedfromtroubledindividuals

ispartofaplottodisarmthem.Buttwo-thi rdsofallgundeaths

inVirginia are suicides,and mostofthosewhokillthemselves

arerural whitemalesovertheageof45–almostexactly the

demographicat therally.“Think aboutit, guys. The biggest

thingyou have tofear,whenitcomestoguns,isyourselves.”

Best of the American columnists

1February2020 THE WEEK

Anation

overrun with

bathrooms

Derek Thompson

The Atlantic

WhydoesAmerica have“somanydamnbathrooms”?It’saquestion manyforeignvisitorsask

themselves,says DerekThompson,and withgoodreason. Overthepast half century,thenumber

of bathroomsperperson intheUShasdoubled,toa1:1 ratio,andtheseroomsarecontinuingto

multiply.They’regettingbigger,too:thetypicalsizeof abathroomin anew familyhome inthe

US hasdoubledsincethe 1 970s,from 3 5sq ftto 7 0sqft. The obsession with what usedto bethe

smallestroom inthehousehasreachedparticularlyinsanelevelsamongthesuper-rich.Lastyear,it

was reportedthata$49.9mmansion inBel Air,Californiahadeightbedrooms–and 20bathrooms.

Acrossthenation, theshare ofhouseswith ten ormorebathroomshasalmostdoubledin thepast

decade.Thisispartlydownto America’s abundant space,butit’salsoamatteroffashion.Withtheir

Jacuzzis,steamshowers,rainfallheadsandother“gizmos”,bathroomshavebecomestatussymbols,

butthey’vealsoacquiredanew role assanctuarieswherepeople,in today’sconstantly connected

world,canluxuriatein seclusion.Thebath,originallyconceivedbytheRomansas aspaceto

“convenewiththe world,hasbecome one ofthelast placeswherewe cantrulydisappearfromit”.

Clinton’s

clumsy swipe

at Sanders

Katherine Timpf

National Review

Hillary Clintonismakingheadlines again,says KatherineTimpf–thistimewith ablistering

character assassinationonBernieSanders.“Hewasin Congressforyears,” shesays ofthe

Democratic presidentialcandidateinanew documentary.“Nobodylikeshim,nobodywantsto

work withhim,hegot nothingdone.Hewas acareerpolitician.It’salljust baloney and Ifeelsobad

thatpeople gotsuckedintoit.”Askedwhethershewouldsupport Sandersif hewereto becomethe

Democratic nominee, Clinton demurred.Sowhateffecthasthis“brutalattack”hadonthemanshe

beat tothat role in 2016?Havehis backersdeserted him? Of course not.Twitter hasinstead been

abuzz with messagesofs upport forthe Vermont senator, whotradesonhis image of beingathorn

in thesideofthe establishment. Such has been thebacklash that Clinton hadtotaketoTwitter to

clarifythatshe would back anyDemocraticnominee.It’sthe second time inthis primary that

Clintonhasgiven aboost toacandidate sheintended to bring down,followingher “a bsurd”

allegation in October that theHawaii congresswomanTulsiGabba rd was being “groomed” by

the Russians.It’sfurthe rproof, as ifit were needed,thatClinton is just not very goodatpolitics.

Acentury ago last month, the18th Amendmentcame into effect,banningthesale of alcoholic drinks

across theUS. It’spopularly assumed thatProhibitionwas forced onan unwilling public by “Bible-

thumping” crackpots,says Mark Lawrence Schrad,butthat’s agrossmisunderstanding. There were

in factnooutrag ed street protestsagainst thereform; no frantic, last-minutedashesfor booze.

TheUS hadalready been“dry”for th eprevious six monthsthankstothe 1918 WartimeProhibition

Act. And evenbefore that,32ofthe 48 states hadalready enacted theirownalcohol bans. Farfrom

representingaradicalfringe, the temperancemovementhad enjo yed long-standingpopularsupport.

Among thosewho backed Prohibitionwere Frederick Douglass and Theodore Roosevelt. What

botheredreform erswas notjustthe socialills causedbyalcohol, but thethou ghtofpeople making

money from this. Saloon-keeperswere seen as “parasites”, enriching themselvesoff the back of the

feckless poor.Alcoholwas theearly 20th century’sopioid crisis. If todayyouobjecttot he

“predatory capitalism” of“big ph arma”,thenit’smorethanlikely that youwould, 10 0years ago,

havebeenamong the“vast majorityof Americanscalling forthe prohibitionof liquo rtraffic”.

Why America

supported

Prohibition

Mark Lawrence Schrad

The New York Times

“The irony is that these gun-toting people are scared”

The Virginia gun rally: “terrorism” on US soil?