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New York Takes The Lead on Gun Control

Posted: January 15, 2013 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Progress Report, Social Activism
Tags: activism, government, gun control, politics and leadership, proper decisions

The shooting at Sandy Hook that took 20 children and six adults was a tragedy that should never have happened. But thankfully, it seems that something good may be coming out of the tragedy: today, New York leaders passed the first new gun control laws since the tragedy in early December. The bill was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Republican who has embraced gun control and made it a central part of his agenda, saying “At what point do we say, ‘No more loss of innocent life’?”

Frankly I agree, so I’m glad that the new law comes with so many provisions meant to protect our citizens (not take away guns as 2nd Amendment fundamentalists believe). In addition to an assault weapons ban that prohibits the further sales of any guns with one military feature and the registration of those already in private ownership, the law requires immediate background checks, bars assault weapon sales over the Internet, and, because of the shooting of firefighters in Webster last month, lengthens the sentence of those convicted of shooting first responders.

Plus, the number of rounds in a magazine has been decreased from 10 to 7, put tougher restrictions on the sales of ammunitions and guns and, in what I see as a very good move, requires therapists to notify authorities if they feel a patient made a credible threat to use a gun illegally would be required by law to report it to the authorities.

That last part I see as the basis for a new episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

As other states are considering bills with new gun control measures, I hope they follow New York in example. I’m talking to you, Ohio Governor Jon Kasich. Seriously, you signed a bill that allows firearms in the garage of the statehouse. Do you want to play a video game or reenact a movie scene in the statehouse garage with actual guns? Are you insane?

However, not everyone seems to be thrilled with the new spirit of gun control. Representative Steve Stockman, a Republican from Texas whose last term of office was in the 1990s, says that he’s willing to go as far as filing articles of impeachment if President Obama threatens his Second Amendment rights with new gun control legislation. Hate to break it to you, Mr. Representative, but the last time you were in term, there was an assault weapons ban, and the world did not end and the 2nd Amendment did not die during the ten years it existed. If anything, it came out stronger after the law expired.

Oh well. Here’s to a safer country and less lunatics running around trying to kill us or arm us all.

And I Heard Something Dumber Than What Huckabee Said

Posted: December 17, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections
Tags: government, gun control, politics and leadership, proper decisions

During the election, I got incensed when politicians and media personalities said idiotic crap about women’s bodies. Now, I have plenty of material on politicians and gun control! For example, Mike Huckabee said that “systematically removing God” from public schools was the reason behind the massacre, and that he “wasn’t surprised” that the shooting happened. He tried to clarify his views later by saying that he meant “God’s name is only invoked after the tragedy”. That’s sometimes true, but we all understood what you meant the first time you said it.

However, I just heard something worse: Representative Dennis Richardson of Oregon said that teachers should be allowed to carry guns on campus and in the classroom, and if he’d been a teacher, he’d have shot Adam Lanza. Yes, he is a Republican, and no, I have no idea if he’s had psychological testing.

Still, I have to ask: WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING?! DID YOU GO UPSTATE FOR SOME WEED THIS WEEKEND?

If you didn’t get that last question, you haven’t been paying attention to the drugs debate enough and you need to brush up on your US geography.

But seriously, what the heck are you suggesting? That teachers have guns? That’s a stupid idea. A tattoo or a piercing is okay, it may be a little garish or obscene to some people, but tattoos or piercings don’t have negative effects on children, they don’t harm children. Guns though, can harm children. And even if you lock the guns up, there’s always the one kid, even in kindergarten, who can get into places they shouldn’t. And every time a gun gets in a school, it always causes chaos, as this past weekend demonstrated well enough. How does putting guns in school for the teachers supposed to protect anyone?

I really don’t understand how giving people more access to weapons of death and destruction is supposed to protect others and stop the killing that comes from these same weapons. It’s counterintuitive, if you ask me, and I also think Representative Richardson is not going to be reelected because of this comment. If anything, we need less guns, especially the powerful assault rifles. Like Senator Feinstein from California said, those guns aren’t for hunting deer, they’re for hunting people!

Looks Like Someone Got The Message

Posted: December 16, 2012 in Living and Life, Politics and Leadership, Progress Report, Reflections, Social Activism
Tags: activism, government, gun control, politics and leadership, proper decisions

This morning I wrote a post calling for everyone reading this blog to contact every politician they can think of and ask them to work for stricter measures against gun violence. Afterwards I saw an article on HuffPost.com on how a man in Indiana threatened to kill his wife and then go into a local elementary school and shoot them up. Thankfully yesterday he was arrested and is being held on felony intimidation charges, but it still had me spooked. I mean, it’s enough to make you think this coming Friday really is the end of the world!

But when I got back home from my meditation class, I saw an article that said on the first day of the new Congress, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California plans to introduce a bill that’ll stop the sale of assault weapons to civilians. As she said on her campaign website, “Who needs these military-style assault weapons? Who needs an ammunition feeding device capable of holding 100 rounds? These weapons are not for hunting deer — they’re for hunting people.”

So true, Senator Feinstein. So true.

So at least someone in Washington has the guts to step up and speak out on the gun problem in the United States. I hope soon we can see some progress, and I wish Senator Feinstein the best of luck in getting this bill through Congress.

However this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep emailing our elected officials. On the contrary, we should email them more, because if a bill like this is going to get through Congress, it’s going to need all the popular support it can get, and I’m hoping you’ll help support it. So email away; I’ve got to email the senator herself and thank her for saying she’ll introduce this bill, because as you can tell it means a lot to me.

Have We Gotten The Message Yet?

Posted: December 16, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections, Social Activism
Tags: activism, government, gun control, politics and leadership, proper decisions

I open up my computer and what do I find? Two more stories about shootings or attempted shootings in the United States! Yes, I know, it’s unbelievable, right? The first happened in California in the parking lot of a mall (yes, another mall). A man apparently opened fire into the air and ground 50 shots before local police took him down. Thankfully no one was hurt. The second was a teenager in Oklahoma who was conspiring to shoot up and blow up his high school and was trying to get other kids in his school to help him. Thankfully he was caught before anything could happen.

But guess what? This all happened on Friday, December 14th, 2012! The same day as the Newtown massacre. Three separate shootings and attempted shootings, all in one bloody day! Am I the only one who’s getting the picture here? We’ve got a problem with guns, with people having machine guns, with people with obvious pyschological problems getting machine guns, and with people refusing to admit we have a problem and refusing to take care of it.

Now, I don’t believe God is trying to send us a message like Mike Huckabee does. For one thing, God usually sends a bona fide prophet who performs a few cool miracles before He does any sort of punishing, and usually that’s with a plague. But if He were to send a message, it would probably be something along the lines of, “You’ve got a problem with people using weapons to destroy the lives I’ve put on this Earth! Go and fix it now!” I think that’s a message we can all take to heart, right?

So I call on everyone reading this blog and living in America to contact your representative, your senator, your governor, hell, contact the President, just tell them they need to stop all this gun-toting craziness! This isn’t Rambo or The Terminator, where everything’s make-believe! It’s real-life, and there’s no Bruce Willis going to come swinging in and save us all! We have to do this ourselves, maybe by banning assault weapons in private homes or by changing confidentiality laws so that if a doctor/therapist fears a patient may commit a crime, they are obligated to report it.

We could also have special presentations in school on healthy ways to relieve yourself of stress and other problems, or assemblies to talk about mental illness and how to recognize the signs of it. Either one of these would be great strides to stopping gun violence. And like I always believe, a better education makes one less likely to commit a deadly crime, so if we fund education more and the Army less, it’d be a real help.

Thanks for reading, let’s get to work!

Oh, Now It’s Gotten Worse!

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections
Tags: government, gun control, politics and leadership, proper decisions

Yesterday I was quiet and remorseful, not my usual abrasive, combative self when it comes to gun issues. I felt that was what was needed for this tragedy, where a majority of the victims were children. They didn’t need someone to be angry and yelling on the Internet. What we needed was quiet reflection and prayer.

Not today, folks. Because let me tell you, I am pissed. Why, you ask? Well, here’s why: first, Mike Huckabee of FOX News said that the shooting in Newtown, Conneticut was the result of “systematically removing God” from the school system and that it wasn’t a surprise to him that the shooting occurred. First off Mr. Huckabee, authorities are now saying the shooter Adam Lanza probably suffered from a personality disorder. Personality disorders are the result of biology and genetics along with environmental, cultural, and social factors. Pointing to a lack of God in the public school system as the sole cause is counterproductive and just shows you’re trying to advance your evangelical/political point of view while using the death of children as a political tool. Unless you’re saying that God put the personality disorder in Lanza and/or told him to shoot up the school his mother worked at? Then you’re just evil, sir.

Also, there was a shooting at an Alabama hospital today. Let me repeat that: there was a shooting at an Alabama hospital today. Three people died. I know this’ll probably be eclipsed by the Newtown shooting, but I think the fact that three shootings in a week signals that we’re actually having problems and that guns play a large factor in it.

I mean, look at all the shootings that have happened in the United States this year alone:

Canton, Ohio
Aurora, Colorado
The Sikh temple in Wisconsin
The Empire State Building
Texas A&M
Chicago suburbs
The Oregon Mall
Newtown, Conneticut
The Alabama Hospital

Are we starting to get the picture here? That’s nine shootings, one of them in my state! I had a friend who comes from Canton, she knew the victims! Are we still going to say that there’s no gun problem here in the USA? Are we going to say that no new legislation should be put forth? Are we going to say these are isolated incidents?

HELL NO!

And pardon my French, but I’m angry right now. So now, more than ever, we need to sit down and talk about this ongoing problem and fix what’s wrong with our nation without the usual political bull and NRA grandstanding! As much as you may hate to admit it, there’s something wrong with this nation, and it needs fixing.

So get to work Congress! Do something about this!

Nothing Can Be Done For Them

Posted: December 14, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Reflections, Social Activism
Tags: activism, government, gun control, politics and leadership

Nothing can be done for the 20 children at Sandy Hook Elemeentary School in Newtown, Conneticut.

They are dead, taken from this world too early by senseless violence. As President Obama said, “They had their entire lives ahead of them — birthdays, graduations, weddings, kids of their own”, and now they’ll never have them. We cannot imagine how their parents must feel, or how friends and loved ones must feel. This day, the flags are at half-staff for a damn good reason. These children are now lost, and their parents will never hold them in their arms again. Just thinking about it, I want to tear up and cry. Up until this point, I thought nothing could hurt me more than Aurora and Wisconsin, but I was so wrong, and I wish I didn’t have to find that out the hard way.

I wish there was something I could say that could make this all better. I wish I could erase the pain we all are feeling now because we lost these, bright, innocent young lives. I wish I could cast a spell and bring them back to us like in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where the only worry about bringing back the dead may come from some odd side effects. I can’t. I wish I could, but I can’t.

I only hope now people stop bitching about second amendment rights vs. gun control and see we really do have a serious problem with gun violence in our country. I don’t know if that problem stems from just overabundance of firearms or from damaged psyches or both. I do know that what happened is horrible, and I don’t want anything like it to happen again in my lifetime, in my country.

Aren’t we tired of arguing while families bury loved ones that won’t grow up? Can’t we just sit down and talk and work something out? Is that too much to ask for? Is it too much.

Nothing can be done for those kids. Plenty can be done for those still alive. Let’s remember that as we proceed this week, and keeps these poor children in our thoughts and prayers. Thank you.

Is This A Good Time To Start An Overdue Conversation?

Posted: December 11, 2012 in Politics and Leadership
Tags: government, politics and leadership, proper decisions

I was watching the latest NCIS episode when there was a breaking update. Apparently there was a shooting at a mall in Oregon today. Yes, while kids were jumping up and down as they waited in line to see Santa and mall cops were worried about an increase in shoplifting that always comes with sales and holdiays, some guy shot and murdered two people before getting killed himself. Also, the guy had a hunting rifle, which, if I remember correctly, you can take home with you the same day you buy it, no questions asked. Not even a background search.

Also, this is the fourth major shooting in the past five months! Aurora; Wisconsin; New York City; and now Oregon. All involve guns, all probably could have been avoided. AQnd yet how many state or national gun laws have been passed since this meshuggas started? That’d be none. And how many people have tried to start a discussion? Plenty of politicians, civilians, and one sports newscaster. And how many times have those discussions been shot down by opponents of gun control? Every time!

Seriously, I’m getting tired of ranting on this subject. so can we do something to stop the gun epidemic. Something that actually helps, something that actually doesn’t involve bickering along party lines. And come on, the election is over by a month and five days. It’s a good time right now to talk about safe, proactive ways to cut down on the amount of gun violence. And don’t say “less restrictions, leave them as are”; and don’t say we should allow the right to carry concealed arms, that’s what the police are for.

SeriouslyCongress, I’m telling you to do something about this, or be called inept senior citizens. Heck, the Supreme Court is beating you to gay marriage, might want to show you guys can actually function.

Solving the fiscal cliff problem might fix the bad image you guys have too, but gun control might also help your image.

Seriously, let’s talk. I’m on this blog and near the phone. It shouldn’t be hard to find the latter. You’re Washington DC, after all.

My Favorite Obama Speech Yet

Posted: November 8, 2012 in Politics and Leadership, Social Activism
Tags: activism, government, politics and leadership

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know I’m a fan of the President, and that I think very highly of him. I’ve watched a few speeches by him, seen him address politicians and regular people. I’ve heard him sing, I’ve heard him laugh. I’ve watched him do well and do poorly in debates. I’ve seen him be a leader and a husband and father to Michelle Obama and Sasha and Malia Obama. I been to see him speak live during both his campaigns, and I had the distinct honor of voting for him this past election. I even danced Gangnam Style with some friends of mine when we found out he won the election.

Yet this video here is the best speech I’ve seen him give yet. Obama speaks to some of the organizers for his campaign–most of them young, fresh out of college, on their way to amazing things–and he thanks them from the bottom of his heart. He tells how they look up to him as an example, yet when he was their age, he didn’t have a clue what he was doing, even though he was supposed to be trying to help organize churches on Chicago’s South Side to better the community. And about four minutes in, President Obama starts tearing up, telling the crowd how proud he is of his organizers and thanking them for sticking with him.

It truly is a moving speech, but it teaches us something important: great leaders are only as great as the people willing to follow him. I think we see how these youths are the essence of the Obama campagin, and how, even if they were drawn to the man himself by his charisma, intellect, and leadership, they are the ones who put him back in the White House. And the President is aware of this fact, and shows his gratitude to them.

It is the best speech I’ve seen any politician give, and I’ll be hard-pressed to find one I’ll like better in the future. Thank you, Mr. President.

Rami Ungar The Writer

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Archive for the ‘Politics and Leadership’ Category

And I Heard Something Dumber Than What Huckabee Said

Oh, Now It’s Gotten Worse!

Is This A Good Time To Start An Overdue Conversation?