When our most irresponsible political right wing proponents speak out calling for taking back America, they are speaking to a varied contingent. One similarity all those listeners have, though, is the ability to purchase and carry firearms never intended for public safety.

This outgrowth from our feeling of empowerment is one that came up yesterday as we discussed the treasures of the ancient world that appear in our museums, ‘collected’ or looted from the world at large as we in the west ramble about taking whatever pops up. Like the Taliban exploding statues of the Buddha that graced Afghanistan for aeons, we take ownership of treasures that aren’t ours, and our world diminishes around us.