I hate violence. I hate hatred for that matter, but I’d rather not get into that vicious circle right now, if you don’t mind.
As you may have heard, a member of the US Congress was shot, along with many other people, at a rally in Arizona. The congresswoman, though shot in the head, is expected to live. Others, including a nine year old girl—nine damn years old—did not. That little girl was a member of her student council and a neighbor thought she might like to see a member of our government in action. And now she is dead because some jerk called "unstable" by people who knew him was able to get his hands on a gun.
I hate guns. I respect the second amendment and its intention to empower people who were, at the time, forbidden from taking up arms lest they pose a danger to the government. But I still hate guns and wish for stronger gun control. There are many gun owners out there who are responsible and respect the weapon and only want one for its intended purpose of defense. Honestly, those people do not scare me at all and I have no desire to forbid them the use of a gun. I just can’t tell them apart from the people who keep their rage stifled under a smile or bundled up in their subconscious. Or the people who were careless enough to give an eight year old boy an Uzi and let him fire it, the power of the recoil causing him to lose his grip on the weapon and shoot himself in the head.
Cars are dangerous, too. In order to drive one (legally), you need a license, which you obtain by passing an exam to prove you know how to handle it. I also took Driver’s Ed and lessons with a teacher. Despite all this, I once got into an accident that, thankfully, didn’t hurt anyone but the car. It was caused by bad weather and inexperience (mine). But the fact that a gun, an instrument just as deadly in inexperienced hands, is so much easier to obtain is frightening.
Sorry for getting all political. But sometimes, I just have to say something in order to sleep at night.
I loathe the fact that the Westboro Baptist Church is allowed to protest Christina Greene's funeral (for whatever insane reason that they think it needs to be protested). Unfortunately, I can't think of a good way to preserve the 1st Amendment and prevent them from being able to do that.
ReplyDeleteThey're actually going to do that? Phelps is one of those people who seems to continue to exist solely on his own bitterness.
ReplyDeleteThe events in Arizona in recent days have sickened me, saddened me... and in the middle of all of it, there are still those moments that we can look to that are positive. People who stopped this man from killing even more then he did.
They've said they are. I haven't looked at whatever bizarre and rambling rant daddy Phelps has posted explaining why a nine year old girl's death is somehow punishment for the United States not recognizing his "wisdom", but they supposedly plan to be there. Just another example of the WBC's media whorish ways.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I read they say they are too. It infuriates me as nothing can. Even if they are practicing their first amendment right, that doesn't make it okay to infringe on the rights of others. They're disturbing the peace, harassing people...all of those are arrestable offenses.
ReplyDeleteWhat they're doing is not printing a news letter, writing a letter to the editor and they're certainly not assembling peaceably. They are antagonizing people in pain. I don't understand why this is permitted.
As a Canadian, I am in favor of gun control. It amazes me that Americans feel so strongly about their right to access guns, which is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Perhaps - just a suggestion - it's time to re-think this. People have *the right* to live, too.
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