Well said, Charlie.
Even as I write this response, the politicians, our elected "leaders",
are waffling and calling for caution in our demands for gun control.
"The time is not right", is a favorite phrase. Make no mistake, it
means, "Let things cool down and we'll go about business as usual".
And what about our President? He has expressed his own grief over the
murder of 50 Americans, and the wounding of over 50 others. But why
is he simply challenging us to decide what sort of society we want to
live in? What about telling us what sort of society he wants to live
in, and raise his children in? What if president Obama provided us
real leadership and demanded that our state governors gather and begin
drafting legislation that would put teeth in the background checks, an
in the types of weapons private citizens could own. No, he merely
moans out his concern, offers up a prayer for the dead and their
grieving families and friends, and leaves it up to...to whom? To the
NRA? To the hateful far right wing super patriotic white racists, Gay
bashers?
Personally, I am of the opinion that far too many Americans are too
immature to have these weapons of mass destruction. After all, they
already have their pickup trucks and the double bit axe. But I would
at least go with the sort of legislation passed by the states in
Australia, cutting their violent deaths by guns in half. 50% fewer
murders in the Land Down Under, where Macho is a way of life.
We can at least do that much.
And don't, please don't tell me the old excuse that criminals will
always find a way to possess guns. Of course they will. They also
drive without a license, drive drunk, steal vehicles and get involved
in hit and runs. But most of us abide by the laws governing our use
of automobiles, and the rules of the road. These laws are in place
to help the law abiding folks, understanding that they will not
prevent criminals and law violators from breaking them
It's time we got real and set in place strict gun controls. At least
then we would only have the violators to worry about, rather than some
mentally ill person having access to weapons that no law abiding
person should own.
If our Republican Senate majority can't look out for the well being of
Americans, then let's take the job and assign it to the Governors.
Whatever it takes. And then let's get some new folks in congress.
Carl Jarvis
On 6/13/16, Charles Crawford <ccrawford@xxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi fellow Blind Democracy folks,
I sent this out yesterday and thought I would share it with you.
Charlie.
They are dead. No words can bring them back. Our sympathies to their
friends and relatives may provide solace, but do not erase the pain that is
too excruciating as to defy reality.
Like you, I am caught between disbelief and an anger that can only be
described as fury. They were murdered for the sin of being human and
wanting to live out their humanity. There is no justification for this in
any measure. There is only intellectualized theories as to what might have
been and what may have happened to bring on the horror. Here is what I
think and I really don't give a damn about all the people who urge caution
and reasonability in the face of this despicable act.
The list continues to grow from little children being slaughtered, to
religious fanatics killing innocent people to make some point to folks they
don't even know, from killing people in church because they are not white,
to shooting up people in a movie theater for some reason I am sure even the
shooter does not know, and finally to the mass killing of LGBTQ people
simply because they have a different sexual orientation than others!
Already the President condemns it and there will be calls for gun control
and of course the same old tired arguments from the NRA will be made and we
will all be made sick by the inaction and hand wringing.
Enough! Enough I say! The second amendment to the Constitution had its
purpose, but it is for damn sure it was not to make sure innocent people get
killed because someone else does not like what they stand for. We don't
need more discussion, we need gun control now and we need especially to rid
ourselves of assault weapons. I know we have heard this before, but it is
time we wrote our congressional representatives and Senators demanding that
they pass reasonable gun control and do it now. No more pretty words that
mean nothing in the face of the body counts. No more high sounding speeches
about the constitution as we witness our people being slaughtered by
mingless violence.
We are a nation of laws and we need to observe them. Most important, we
need to insure the safety and wellbeing of our people and not allow the
tools of killing to prevail.
As I started out. They are dead and no words can bring them back and I
grieve for them and their loved ones. I will write my Congressman and
Senators tomorrow to ask their immediate attention to this and let them know
if they don't show me real action to deal with this, then I will show them
real action by either not voting for them and voting for someone who will do
what needs to be done or I will simply not vote. I have voted in every
election since I was eligible to vote and I want to continue to exercise
that franchise, but voting for the status quo is no longer viable.
Charlie Crawford.
