Christmas is over and everyone is fat. We've stuffed ourselves and over-indulged in just about everything we can.
Next month's credit card statements will make us shudder at our excessive spending. For you see we live life very much like our government. We try to please by giving what we haven't got to give and we talk about things that need to be done and yet manage to so easily forget...
A couple of articles came to my attention the last few days but I thought I would wait until the holiday was over before throwing a wet blanket on your festivities.
I am hoping that we won't forget that we really need to address guns in our nation. And not in the way the NRA is suggesting by arming teachers and school personnel and continuing to convinced the public at large, that the "good guys" need these weapons to protect us. Utah and Arizona wants to start training school personnel in the use of guns. Just writing this makes me almost sick to my stomach as I put the words to paper.
Los Angeles took a slightly different approach with a gun buy-back program, offering up to $200 per gun in credit for groceries. I don't think it solves the problem but it is certainly a step in the right direction to get a reduction in available guns off the street, but it is far from being enough.
More civilians are armed in the United States than anywhere else in the world. Gun support runs far deeper than politics and The dark presence of Guns are two eye-opening articles you should read.
My gut tells me this issue will go the way of all of our past short-lived outrage. Another few days and the issues will be gone and forgotten... until we have another tragic mass shooting... and we will.
I was just thinking this morning that I wouldn't send my child to a school where someone was stationed with a gun. And certainly not if the entire staff was carrying. You just know they're going to end up shooting innocent kids by "accident". The accident is bringing the damn gun to school.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe the majority of Americans support this action. It just shows the power of the NRA.
ReplyDeleteThe NRA hasn't had time yet to exercise their power in any meaningful way, Annie. They haven't had time to lobby congress or to advertise. But they sent their message out with their blanket statement and it was loud and clear. I personally didn't think most Americans had a very high opinion of them but they claim to have gotten 8,000 apps for new membership in the 2 days following the Newtown tragedy.
ReplyDeleteMy ex was a huge supporter of the NRA but he was the mildest mannered gentleman you'd ever have met. His position was that the gun laws already on the book need to be enforced and he was for in-depth background checks and firearm training before someone could purchase a gun. If that was an arm of the NRA, and it still exists, we sure haven't heard from THEM, have we? (sigh)
I haven't been able yet to formulate a plan of action I could suggest in good conscience. More guns certainly seems to be the worst thing we could do. I would like to hear some viable suggestions, and they aren't going to come from the gun lobby, nor are they going to come from the anti-gun lobby. I have to give this even more serious thought.
Thanks for stopping by and for making your comment. Oh, the NRA constantly uses and exercises their power, but I agree not in a meaningful way. For starters if they just isolated assault weapons (or long guns as the NRA likes to refer to them) as a topic to address it would be a good start.
ReplyDeleteI hope more people join you in serious thought... it is a worthy project. We shall see....