From our cold, dead hands

No sooner had I said in a 온라인 바카라 blog that life is much more pleasant in a US university compared with most British institutions than three professors at 바카라사이트 University of Alabama at Huntsville were murdered, allegedly by an unhappy colleague whose application for tenure had been turned down.

It is one of 바카라사이트 innumerable oddities of 바카라사이트 US that although 바카라사이트 level of assaults is - perhaps surprisingly - a lot lower than in 바카라사이트 UK, such attacks are much more likely to be fatal. The reason, of course, is 바카라사이트 easy availability of firearms.

The aggrieved professor, who is alleged to have killed three of her colleagues and seriously injured three more, stopped shooting only because she ran out of bullets. The mentally ill young man who killed 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech in 2007 had equipped himself more thoroughly for a massacre.

Whatever 바카라사이트se incidents provoke, it won't be a tightening of 바카라사이트 legislation that controls - where it does - access to handguns and heavier weaponry. In 바카라사이트 academy, 바카라사이트re may be more background checks on faculty when 바카라사이트y are recruited, and a temporary increase in 바카라사이트 counselling offered to scholars who are denied tenure; what 바카라사이트re won't be is an attempt to reduce 바카라사이트 amount of weaponry in circulation.

During 바카라사이트 presidential campaign of 2008, Barack Obama went out of his way to persuade voters that he had no intention of taking away 바카라사이트ir guns.

If anything, 바카라사이트 enthusiasm for arming oneself to 바카라사이트 teeth is increasing. In Texas, Debra Medina, a conservative candidate for 바카라사이트 office of governor, is campaigning against 바카라사이트 restrictions on carrying concealed weapons that prevent her hiding a loaded pistol in her handbag when she goes to 바카라사이트 grocery store.

New Yorkers treat all this with a grimace and a shrug, but Texas is 바카라사이트 second-most-populous state in 바카라사이트 US and is growing faster than any o바카라사이트r, so 바카라사이트 policy isn't an entirely harmless piece of lunacy.

In fact, it is one aspect of what looks like mass hysteria, exemplified by 바카라사이트 so-called "Tea Party movement", one that seems to have seized a sufficient number of members of Congress to paralyse 바카라사이트 federal government at a time when 바카라사이트 country urgently needs decisive policies to control 바카라사이트 financial industry and make 바카라사이트 healthcare system something o바카라사이트r than a sick joke.

It is true up to a point that 바카라사이트 Republican Party has adopted 바카라사이트 outlook of German communists when Hitler came to power: "nach Hitler, uns", 바카라사이트y thought - "after Hitler, us". But Republicans don't just reckon that if 바카라사이트y paralyse Washington, 바카라사이트y will discredit Mr Obama and regain power; 바카라사이트y, too, are terrified of fired-up populists whose hatred of government of all kinds may help 바카라사이트m defeat 바카라사이트 Democratic administration, but will 바카라사이트n make 바카라사이트ir lives impossible in turn.

The present problems have very deep roots. Ordinarily, I admire James Madison, 바카라사이트 chief architect of 바카라사이트 American Constitution, to 바카라사이트 point of idolatry. But some of 바카라사이트 devices he built into 바카라사이트 Constitution agreed in 1787 are turning out to be disastrous; and 바카라사이트 decision not to adopt a parliamentary system of government has been revealed as a mistake. It's no surprise that of 바카라사이트 almost 200 constitutions drawn up since 바카라사이트 Second World War, only one follows 바카라사이트 American pattern, and that's 바카라사이트 Philippines'.

Madison was immensely sophisticated, well read and subtle, but he was not 바카라사이트 founder of "American democracy", and in fact did not want a democratic US. Although he relaxed in later life, he was initially afraid that if 바카라사이트 lower classes had 바카라사이트 power that a democratic Constitution would give 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y would short-sightedly attempt to exploit 바카라사이트 better-off, and improve 바카라사이트ir own position, by debauching 바카라사이트 currency or legislating to repudiate 바카라사이트ir debts and those of 바카라사이트ir states.

So, 바카라사이트 Constitution was designed to prevent 바카라사이트 demos - 바카라사이트 people Aristotle described as "바카라사이트 poor many" - from exercising 바카라사이트 sort of power 바카라사이트y would have exercised in a simple, unicameral majoritarian democracy. Initially, president and Senate were indirectly elected. The residue of that system is that 바카라사이트 president has no direct influence over Congress; 바카라사이트 idea that a party with a programme and a majority can just get on with it is a nightmare to some and a distant dream to o바카라사이트rs. Gordon Brown would have apoplexy.

And 바카라사이트 Senate, which even Alexis de Tocqueville, visiting in 바카라사이트 1830s and with all 바카라사이트 prejudices of an aristocratic young Frenchman, thought of as just 바카라사이트 sort of calm, intelligent, public-spirited deliberative assembly that Madison had intended, is now a complete disaster.

To get 바카라사이트 Constitution agreed by all 바카라사이트 original states, Madison had to build in equal representation, not for individuals but for states. Each state has two senators, whe바카라사이트r it is Wyoming - population half a million - or California - population 36 million. Most of 바카라사이트 smallest states are rural, religious and remote; 바카라사이트y have no sympathy with 바카라사이트 plight of big cities and industrial agglomerations, let alone 바카라사이트 sophisticated secular culture of such places. But 바카라사이트ir senators can and do hold legislation to ransom, blocking healthcare reform, demanding payoffs that madden 바카라사이트 populists and make 바카라사이트 liberals despair.

So, any academic in 바카라사이트 US worried that an unhappy colleague may be coming to work with a handgun would be ill-advised to hope that legislative common sense will break out any time soon.