Better Be Seen to Be Believed

No, this blog posting isn't about the Russians invading Ukraine (and a week after the homophobic, dog killing Olympics!) although that's pretty depressing and on my mind. This is simply a posting about random weirdness. Like the above photo.
I have been enjoying re-photographing (Appropriation! Oh my!) things that I have (unfortunately) seen on the Internet. All kinds of stuff is out there; I don't even want to know. Take this photo- please.
We see a dog that looks for all the world like a Muppet, sitting in a bathtub surrounded by mirrors and a lady with a child... and PINK assault weapon of some sort??!?!? No, just tell me where these people live so that Bob and I never accidentally move in near them. But once you've seen something like this, it's very hard to un-see.
Suffice it to say that I'm at work on an artist's book entitled, "Better Guns and Gardens". One of my favorite things about a new project is immersing myself in disturbing and bizarre worlds. Like when I was working on my "A Salty Psalter", I got to purchase strange pornography to illustrate my work.  I had to visit back rooms at magazine shops, where I ineffectively tried to convince the proprietor that I was an artist doing research... no, really! My friend John T. helped out with a hefty donation (Thank you John) of his gently used collection of gay magazines. But for the world of guns, I'm on my own.
It was therefore a bit astonishing that I didn't even need to visit a specialty store to purchase copies of titillating titles like "Power Guns Monthly" and "Your Magnum Force". I simply went to the magazine section of my local Stop and Shop, and believe me, there were several selections to chose from. Does this strike anyone else as a problem?
Of course, this is one of the reasons I'm doing this project. I am trying to come to terms with our nation's fascination with guns. After Sandy Hook and the ineffectual inability of "lawmakers" to pass meaningful legislation on banning assault weapons, setting up gun registry lists or more stringent background checks, I despair. Somehow, Second Amendment wackos (who don't think they're mentally ill; I KNOW they are!) trump common sense and we are left with no real protections. I suspect it's easier to buy a gun than to adopt a dog from a rescue group. Those people run all kinds of investigations on you and visit your home, not to mention you have to fill out piles of paperwork and explain why you want a pet. And they won't give you one the first time you walk into a shelter. But a gun? It's your friggin' constitutional right!