Katherine Graham, anti-gun proponent, dies

**Mike Irwin** · July 17, 2001, 12:36 PM

Graham was head of the Washington Post from the 1960s to the 1990s and was an outspoken proponent for stricted gun control, as was her newspaper.

Katherine Graham dies

jimpeel · July 17, 2001, 01:23 PM

Uh, oh. Looks like concrete sidewalks are in jeopardy now.

Oatka · July 17, 2001, 01:36 PM

As someone here once commented when Chaffee of Rhode Island died -- Ding Dong, the witch is dead . . .

CarbineKid · July 17, 2001, 01:45 PM

Wouldn't it be funny, if they had a 21 gun salute

Gator · July 17, 2001, 01:58 PM

Mrs. Graham took the anti-gun stance quite to heart. Her only true love in life, her husband, took his own life with a handgun.

She never quite got over it. Can't say I blame her. It's a life long hurt she went through.

Gator

Mr. James · July 17, 2001, 02:03 PM

"stricter gun control" is being charitable. The Post consistently flogs its readership with calls for an outright "general ban" on the manufacture, sale or private ownership of handguns - and uses every tragedy as an excuse to give page A-1 coverage to the anti-freedom cause. See Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield, Columbine, Wakefield, etc., etc., etc.

Along with its anti-gun stance, the paper is solidly anti-life, anti-family, anti-Christian (actually, anti-any organized faith), pro-homosexual (Good Heavens, see the coverage of the Salvation Army "discrimination" this past week), and anti-military.

Now, of course, the First Amendment is a different matter. That one is sacrosanct, for journalists, that is; ordinary citizens need not apply - especially when it comes to groups seeking to influence the electoral process. The Second? An annoying anachronism - a throwback to our atavistic and brutal past - and besides, it clearly pertains to the National Guard.

Too bad the dear lady's passing will have not one scintilla of effect on its editorial policies.

Gator · July 17, 2001, 02:27 PM

Mr. James,

You must work in the news industry. That comes pretty close to what I've seen over the last 12 years. Heck, I went to the same college as Mrs. Graham's late husband did...and I could have held a meeting of the College Republicans or Libertarians in one small broom closet

It's almost a coffin nail in the industry to even mention you might lean a little to the right, let alone confress to being, a conservative minded person.

Gator

**Mike Irwin** · July 17, 2001, 02:47 PM

Gator,

Nope, I know for a fact that Mr. James doesn't work in the media industry. He's a friend and shooting buddy of mine.

I'll leave him to say what he does, if he so chooses.

But I will say that I've always found him to be extremely perceptive and an acute observationalist, quickly cutting through the BS to the heart of the matter on many things.

I just wish his lovely wife were as gun-friendly as he is. But at least he's raising his son correctly.

1031 · July 17, 2001, 02:55 PM

bummer

Gator · July 17, 2001, 03:03 PM

Mike,

Some how it always seems the best and brightest find other places for their talents. Mr. James’ comments on the industry are very perceptive.

With few exceptions newspapers are a lot like any other organization. They are influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of the people who make the organization work. Unfortunately, there is a true lack of moderation (objectivity) on the part of most journalists. (Oh the stories I could tell about working “the desk” on election night of 2000! Objectivity? Perhaps when it came to ordering dinner.)

After all, if they were not out to right the wrongs of the world they would have probably majored in business or engineering while in college.

That being said…one has to agree the great journalist H.L. Minkein had a point when he said, “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the roll.” Of course, he was a raving maniacal right-winger by today’s standards.

Gator

dischord · July 17, 2001, 03:14 PM

She never quite got over it. Can't say I blame her. It's a life long hurt she went through.

Eh? Cigarettes killed my dad, but I'm not a raving anti-cigarette lunatic. Breast cancer killed my mom, but I'm not demanding more government funding for research.

In fact, as a Libertarian, by the standard that a person must become an activist against whatever kills a loved one, I'm a downright traitor to my mom and dad.

Graham was a smart person. She was capable of looking at this with logic.

But the antis do have a ghoulish tendency to decend on the survivors of violence to try to turn them into activists. This is what happened with Sarah, and now Sarah is doing the same to others. Hmm? Sounds to me like the abused abusing others.

Gator · July 17, 2001, 03:46 PM

dischord,

It does sound like the abused exploiting the abused. The news industry has a terrible tendency to do that when airplanes crash, things explode or earthquakes strike. “If it bleeds it leads,” or so goes the old journalism expression.

I'm certain Mrs. Graham’s anguish is what helped make her make those choices in life. I can understand her plight. The victims of suicide are not the people who kill themselves so much as the people who left behind.

But unlike the rest of us she had lots of ink and paper to print on and she chose to make her voice heard.

Good point about the Brady's. It's almost sick to see what the anti-gun-nuts are doing to him. I honestly think they are exploiting him. It reduces his value to that of an object and not a survivor.

Gator

dischord · July 17, 2001, 04:18 PM

I'm certain Mrs. Graham’s anguish is what helped make her make those choices in life. I can understand her plight. The victims of suicide are not the people who kill themselves so much as the people who left behind.

Gator,

I understand her anguish too, but I'm still standing behind my assessment (not that your really disputing it). If her husband had killed himself with carbon monoxide in the garage, would you have the same understanding if she called for car bans?

Angel Shamaya over at KABA has a good take on this. Like Graham, he had a family member commit suicide with a gun. https://www.keepandbeararms.com/info...em.asp?id=1617

As for the anti's abuse of victims, I see it like this. If you turn them into activists, they remain in the anger stage of mourning. By doing that you inhibit their ability to heal -- essentially, you keep poking at the wounds.

KSFreeman · July 17, 2001, 05:13 PM

She was a socialist and beyond reason. Freedom is safer now.

Ban concret mix--for the children.

echo3mike · July 17, 2001, 08:46 PM

And the D.C. gov. had the audacity to require every flag in the city, including the stars and stripes, be flown at half mast.

My condolences to the family, but I'm not sorry that a ranking member of the liberal elite is no more.

David Wile · July 17, 2001, 09:19 PM

Hey folks,

I have read your opinions, and I will add mine. There are any number of things that I may not have agreed with Ms. Graham, but there have been many other things that I would personally stand right beside her. I never personally knew her, but I suspect that I would have enjoyed her company. Unlike Ms. Brady, Ms. Graham was a multi-faceted personality with a wealth of knowledge about many things. Ms. Brady has one note to blow. Compared to her, Ms. Graham is a "Rapsody In Blue." I, for one, will consider her passing a loss to humanity.

Best wishes,
Dave Wile

July 17, 2001, 12:36 PM	#1
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 21,162	Katherine Graham, anti-gun proponent, dies Graham was head of the Washington Post from the 1960s to the 1990s and was an outspoken proponent for stricted gun control, as was her newspaper. Katherine Graham dies __________________ Coworkers. A convenient source of food in a post apocalyptic world.

July 17, 2001, 01:23 PM	#2
jimpeel Senior Member Join Date: October 11, 1999 Location: Longmont, CO, USA Posts: 3,799	Uh, oh. Looks like concrete sidewalks are in jeopardy now. __________________ Gun Control: The premise that a woman found in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is morally superior to allowing that same woman to defend her life with a firearm. "Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house." - Jules Henri Poincare "Three thousand people died on Sept. 11 because eight pilots were killed" -- former Northwest Airlines pilot Stephen Luckey

July 17, 2001, 01:58 PM	#5
Gator Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Location: Gainesville Posts: 140	Mrs. Graham took the anti-gun stance quite to heart. Her only true love in life, her husband, took his own life with a handgun. She never quite got over it. Can't say I blame her. It's a life long hurt she went through. Gator __________________ Nolite me glubere!

July 17, 2001, 02:03 PM	#6
Mr. James Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2001 Location: The Old Dominion Posts: 1,081	"stricter gun control" is being charitable. The Post consistently flogs its readership with calls for an outright "general ban" on the manufacture, sale or private ownership of handguns - and uses every tragedy as an excuse to give page A-1 coverage to the anti-freedom cause. See Pearl, Edinboro, Springfield, Columbine, Wakefield, etc., etc., etc. Along with its anti-gun stance, the paper is solidly anti-life, anti-family, anti-Christian (actually, anti-any organized faith), pro-homosexual (Good Heavens, see the coverage of the Salvation Army "discrimination" this past week), and anti-military. Now, of course, the First Amendment is a different matter. That one is sacrosanct, for journalists, that is; ordinary citizens need not apply - especially when it comes to groups seeking to influence the electoral process. The Second? An annoying anachronism - a throwback to our atavistic and brutal past - and besides, it clearly pertains to the National Guard. Too bad the dear lady's passing will have not one scintilla of effect on its editorial policies. __________________ "...A humble and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." Ps. li "When law and morality contradict each other, the citizen has the cruel alternative of either losing his moral sense or losing his respect for the law." —Frederic Bastiat

July 17, 2001, 02:27 PM	#7
Gator Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Location: Gainesville Posts: 140	Mr. James, You must work in the news industry. That comes pretty close to what I've seen over the last 12 years. Heck, I went to the same college as Mrs. Graham's late husband did...and I could have held a meeting of the College Republicans or Libertarians in one small broom closet It's almost a coffin nail in the industry to even mention you might lean a little to the right, let alone confress to being, a conservative minded person. Gator __________________ Nolite me glubere!

July 17, 2001, 01:36 PM	#3
Oatka Senior Member Join Date: February 28, 1999 Location: Nevada Posts: 3,119	As someone here once commented when Chaffee of Rhode Island died -- Ding Dong, the witch is dead . . .

July 17, 2001, 01:45 PM	#4
CarbineKid Senior Member Join Date: March 10, 2001 Posts: 249	Wouldn't it be funny, if they had a 21 gun salute

July 17, 2001, 02:47 PM	#8
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 13, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 21,162	Gator, Nope, I know for a fact that Mr. James doesn't work in the media industry. He's a friend and shooting buddy of mine. I'll leave him to say what he does, if he so chooses. But I will say that I've always found him to be extremely perceptive and an acute observationalist, quickly cutting through the BS to the heart of the matter on many things. I just wish his lovely wife were as gun-friendly as he is. But at least he's raising his son correctly. __________________ Coworkers. A convenient source of food in a post apocalyptic world.

July 17, 2001, 02:55 PM	#9
1031 Senior Member Join Date: July 15, 2001 Location: SW USA Posts: 165	bummer

July 17, 2001, 03:03 PM	#10
Gator Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Location: Gainesville Posts: 140	Mike, Some how it always seems the best and brightest find other places for their talents. Mr. James’ comments on the industry are very perceptive. With few exceptions newspapers are a lot like any other organization. They are influenced by the thoughts and beliefs of the people who make the organization work. Unfortunately, there is a true lack of moderation (objectivity) on the part of most journalists. (Oh the stories I could tell about working “the desk” on election night of 2000! Objectivity? Perhaps when it came to ordering dinner.) After all, if they were not out to right the wrongs of the world they would have probably majored in business or engineering while in college. That being said…one has to agree the great journalist H.L. Minkein had a point when he said, “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel and paper by the roll.” Of course, he was a raving maniacal right-winger by today’s standards. Gator __________________ Nolite me glubere!

July 17, 2001, 03:14 PM	#11
dischord Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2000 Location: Virginia Posts: 945	*She never quite got over it. Can't say I blame her. It's a life long hurt she went through.* Eh? Cigarettes killed my dad, but I'm not a raving anti-cigarette lunatic. Breast cancer killed my mom, but I'm not demanding more government funding for research. In fact, as a Libertarian, by the standard that a person must become an activist against whatever kills a loved one, I'm a downright traitor to my mom and dad. Graham was a smart person. She was capable of looking at this with logic. But the antis do have a ghoulish tendency to decend on the survivors of violence to try to turn them into activists. This is what happened with Sarah, and now Sarah is doing the same to others. Hmm? Sounds to me like the abused abusing others. __________________ Another member of the TFL diaspora

July 17, 2001, 03:46 PM	#12
Gator Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2001 Location: Gainesville Posts: 140	dischord, It does sound like the abused exploiting the abused. The news industry has a terrible tendency to do that when airplanes crash, things explode or earthquakes strike. “If it bleeds it leads,” or so goes the old journalism expression. I'm certain Mrs. Graham’s anguish is what helped make her make those choices in life. I can understand her plight. The victims of suicide are not the people who kill themselves so much as the people who left behind. But unlike the rest of us she had lots of ink and paper to print on and she chose to make her voice heard. Good point about the Brady's. It's almost sick to see what the anti-gun-nuts are doing to him. I honestly think they are exploiting him. It reduces his value to that of an object and not a survivor. Gator __________________ Nolite me glubere!

July 17, 2001, 04:18 PM	#13
dischord Senior Member Join Date: October 1, 2000 Location: Virginia Posts: 945	I'm certain Mrs. Graham’s anguish is what helped make her make those choices in life. I can understand her plight. The victims of suicide are not the people who kill themselves so much as the people who left behind. Gator, I understand her anguish too, but I'm still standing behind my assessment (not that your really disputing it). If her husband had killed himself with carbon monoxide in the garage, would you have the same understanding if she called for car bans? Angel Shamaya over at KABA has a good take on this. Like Graham, he had a family member commit suicide with a gun. https://www.keepandbeararms.com/info...em.asp?id=1617 As for the anti's abuse of victims, I see it like this. If you turn them into activists, they remain in the anger stage of mourning. By doing that you inhibit their ability to heal -- essentially, you keep poking at the wounds. __________________ Another member of the TFL diaspora

July 17, 2001, 05:13 PM	#14
KSFreeman Senior Member Join Date: June 9, 2001 Location: Lafayette, Indiana--American-occupied America Posts: 5,389	She was a socialist and beyond reason. Freedom is safer now. Ban concret mix--for the children.

July 17, 2001, 08:46 PM	#15
echo3mike Senior Member Join Date: September 12, 2000 Location: Chantilly, VA...Just barely behind the lines! Posts: 491	And the D.C. gov. had the audacity to require every flag in the city, including the stars and stripes, be flown at half mast. My condolences to the family, but I'm not sorry that a ranking member of the liberal elite is no more. __________________ God, Country, Corps! "Only Accurate Rifles Are Interesting" Col. Townsend Whelen Por Libertate Patriae TFL Alumni

July 17, 2001, 09:19 PM	#16
David Wile Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg, PA Posts: 373	Hey folks, I have read your opinions, and I will add mine. There are any number of things that I may not have agreed with Ms. Graham, but there have been many other things that I would personally stand right beside her. I never personally knew her, but I suspect that I would have enjoyed her company. Unlike Ms. Brady, Ms. Graham was a multi-faceted personality with a wealth of knowledge about many things. Ms. Brady has one note to blow. Compared to her, Ms. Graham is a "Rapsody In Blue." I, for one, will consider her passing a loss to humanity. Best wishes, Dave Wile