Where Does It All Stop

It has been a little over a week since one of the darkest days in the history of American senseless violence occurred in Newtown, Connecticut.  26 people, children and educators lost their lives.  That is the darkest day since the last senseless slaughter of innocents occurred in Oregon just a day or two before that.  Then there was the shootings in Aurora, Colorado, the near assination of Representative Gabby Giffords and the loss of human life in on that day in Arizona.  One thing is for sure, this type of gun violence occurs frequently in this country.  Since 1980 there have been 61 mass shootings in the United States.

Pathetically this type of thing is now happening all too often in America.  Gun rights advocates say that a the time of these senseless incident is not the right time to discuss laws to control gun sales.  But at this point, with the frequency of these shootings, that  means by definition you can never discuss the subject.  But when it does come up you get someone like Wayne LaPierre, Executive Director for the National Rifle Association saying that armed guards should be placed at every school in the United States.  What about shopping malls? What about movie theatres?  What about post offices?  Why don't we just post an armed guard at the entrance to every public venue like parks and businesses?  This should take care of the problem.

For a long time we heard that "guns don't kill people, people kill people."  These same gun advocates say that cars kill thousands of people every year and ask, "are we going to ban cars too? " My response to that is simple.  Over the years cars have actually become safer.  For years safety glass is now required on all vehicles.  Seat belts which at one time were optional on all cars are now standard on all vehicles as is a supplemental restraint system (airbags).  Developments in automotive technology like anti-lock breaks and traction control are also features that make cars even safer than they once were.  One could rattle on about all the safety features added to the automobile in the past 50 years and they were not always popular with the driving public or the manufacturer.  But people still get to drive cars and it is not even a right, but a privilege.

So what about guns?  Have they become safer?  I am no gun expert but the proliferation of fire arm incidents in this country has exploded (pardon the pun).  Of the last 11 mass shooting in the US, 5 of them have occurred since 2007.   Over 15,000 murders occurred in the US in 2011.  Why in a country like the United Kingdom were there only 619 murders in the same year? 

At this point let me make a disclaimer: I have nothing against gun ownership...if you need a gun or even reasonably want a gun. If you are a hunter, target shooter or even a collector of firearms have at it. I used to shoot trap and owned a shot gun. I don't anymore. The second amendment of The US Constitution allows for fire arm ownership in the United States. I respect that.

So what can be done?  We as a society have to ask whether or not any gun is available for sale?  What do we need guns for that shoot multiple automatic rounds?  Why should someone be allowed to purchase automatic weapons?  We need to ask ourselves whether or not the lives of innocent non-armed people are less valuable than some one's right to purchase a high powered weapon?  We need to better understand why criminals are often better armed than law enforcement? 

If you use the car analogy, why can't guns be sold with mandatory gun locks?  Why can't a purchaser of a fire arm be required to prove that they have a safe method for storage of that fire arm?  What about a background check and waiting period?  Would this not be an evolutionary improvement on this tool just as an automobile is used as a tool?

This country is looking at an overall solution to violence.  Video games, music lyrics, those that should not own weapon, media images and violent TV shows should all be on the table as debatable solutions to reducing violence of any kind in this country.

Maybe it is time to start looking at weapons and fire arms from a different point of view.  Rather than either for or against, it is time to be rational and reasonable about owning a gun or guns.  We need to take a more pragmatic rather than dogmatic approach.  In our Constitutional Republic we have always compromised as a means to make for a more perfect nation.  While for some compromise has become a dirty word in the past few years, compromise is what is needed to solve this very divisive issue.  No one is for what is happening now.  One surprising fact:  gun ownership in the US is at an all time low.  You would not know it by all the destruction they cause.  It is time to change that.

No Lessons Learned From The Last Election...Reality Check

Just received this from a right wing friend. 

' "A Lesson in Irony. The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing this year the greatest amount of free Meals and Food Stamps ever, to 46 million people.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us "Please Do Not Feed the Animals."

Their stated reason for the policy is because "The animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves."

Thus ends today's lesson in irony' "

 

OK Now For Some Reality

 

First of all do you think the government is really “proud” to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever?

Secondly, last I looked there was no shortage of jobs in the forest due to a real estate meltdown, two un-funded wars, tax breaks for the wealthy and their work is not being outsourced to the lowest bidder. They also don’t have to deal with deregulated banks, Wall Street bandits and a do nothing obstructionist Congress in the woods. There is plenty of food in the forest for the animals.

Finally, real wages have not gone up significantly for workers in 30 years. The working class has had to work harder becoming the most productive workforce in the world with little increase in pay while US corporate executive pay has skyrocketed 728% between 1978 and 2011. Worker pay has risen just 5.7% in the same period according to the Economic Policy Institute. What do you think is going to happen? This has led to a lower standard of living. I guess the working class should just buck up? Most of us are workers. Be careful, you could be on food stamps too one day.

Thus ends today’s lesson in telling the real story.