May 14, 2020 | Being Black, Gun Violence, Something. To. Say.
It’s Still Racist America
Hello Everybody. I have something to say about the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
Since we’ve all been staying home to escape the coronavirus, we have been lulled into a stupor thinking about little but the impact of the virus. But recently there was a rude awakening when the news media started covering the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery.
The unarmed black man was shot and killed by two heavily armed white men back in February in Brunswick, Georgia. But it wasn’t covered by national news. It finally came to light recently when a phone video was released that showed the awful, cold-blooded and senseless shooting. Arbery had just been jogging when he was gunned down.
This was a new one for black men in America—jogging while black. We’ve heard about driving while black, walking and shopping while black. But jogging? And the white men who are now charged with doing the shooting were still walking around, no serious investigation, no arrests, no prosecution.
But national outrage forced local authorities to arrest the men and make pronouncements that justice will prevail.
I pray that will be true. For a short period of time, we forgot that this was still America…that racism persists…and black men can be killed for nothing. Pandemic or not.
See you next time.
Sep 8, 2019 | Gun Violence, Something. To. Say. |
The Right to Bear Arms? Maybe Not
Hello everybody. I have something to say about the right to bear arms.
The American people are nearly unanimous in wanting something done to stop the gun violence and mass shootings which have shattered the nation’s domestic tranquility. Yet nothing has been done. Not by the President; not by Congress. The Second Amendment to the Constitution is one of the biggest obstacles. And I believe it’s because it has been misinterpreted. Yes, even by the Supreme Court. Do you know what it says? It reads, and I quote:
“A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”
The National Rifle Association and gun advocates have conveniently lopped off the first words of the Amendment and use just the last words: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Bet you probably haven’t even heard the whole sentence.
The Founding Fathers write first about a state militia in which citizens can keep arms to protect their state from the federal government or other entities that would do them harm.
Do you really think they intended for Americans in 2019 to own nearly 400 million guns to protect themselves? No. They could never have imagined the deadly guns available today. They were talking about muskets, not AK-47s. And they were talking about state National Guards, not Bonnie and Clyde.
Since a conservative Supreme Court has interpreted the Second Amendment to protect gun owners, Americans will continue to take license to buy guns. But there is nothing in the Constitution that would prevent our government from placing limits on what kinds of guns people can buy and what kinds of people can buy them. Fellow citizens, can’t we at least do that?
Until next time.
Aug 12, 2019 | Congress, Gun Violence, Something. To. Say., Trump |
Fear and Loathing in America
Hello Everybody. I have something to say about “fear and loathing,” in all of America. The 255 mass shootings so far this year have freaked us out. The white nationalist expressions of racial hatred and anti-Semitism have made us afraid to go work, shopping, church, school, movies and doing things outdoors. We don’t feel safe anywhere. And to make things even more scary is the fact that most Americans have no confidence that the government will take the actions or pass the laws that would calm our fears and keep us safe.
The most visible of fear was the video taken in Times Square when a motorcycle back-fired and hundreds of tourists ran for their lives because they thought somebody was shooting a gun at them.
When Trump gave his inaugural address, he spoke of “American carnage.” That struck me. It was an odd description. Now I wonder if he were talking about the past or predicting the future? Because we are definitely seeing the carnage.
President Franklin Delano Roosevelt told Americans when we entered World War Two, that the only thing they had to fear, was fear itself. With apologies to FDR…today we have to fear young white men with tiny little brains and great big guns.
Until next time.
Jun 3, 2019 | Being Black, Gun Violence, Something. To. Say. |
Hello: I have something to say about the Chicago shootings and murders.
I grew up on the southside of Chicago, just like Michelle Obama. But now, some of the streets I walked as a child have been dripping with blood. My kind of town is the murder capital among America’s big cities. Every weekend we can hear shocking statistics on the number of shootings and killings, which will get undoubtedly get worse during the warm weather.
The murder rate has gone down over the past two years, but last year there were still 555 people shot dead. The Chicago police say the violence is due to gang warfare. But a study by the University of Illinois says the high number of homicides is due to race and poverty
You can visit Chicago and see all the sights and conduct business and never see or hear anything related to the murders. That’s because the crimes are confined to a few scattered neighborhoods on the southside and westside of the city. The residents are mostly black and mostly poor. The shootings are not happening on the Gold Coast, or the enclaves of luxury condos and expensive shopping, or the quiet white ethnic neighborhoods on the northside.
Do I believe that if the victims were white, more would have been done to stop the killing? Yes, I do. Do I believe the problem persists because 75 percent of the victims are black? Yes, I believe that too. It seems black lives still don’t matter that much in Chicago.
Until next time.
Jan 26, 2011 | Gun Violence |
You missed the boat Mr. President. Big Time. You gave a great State of the Union Address, but you shrank from leadership when it came to one of the critical issues plaguing the country: every year tens of thousands of deaths by firearms.
The National Rifle Association and many members of Congress favor easy access to guns, any kind of gun. There are little ones that can be hidden in a purse or a pocket. Big ones can fit neatly in a briefcase or duffle bag. How stupid is America to allow any nutcase to purchase a 9 mm glock in Tucson with a magazine that can fire off 30 death-dealing bullets in seconds?
President Obama, why didn’t you say something about getting rid of guns in your State of the Union speech? Couldn’t you have even called for putting more restrictions on the purchase of guns and ammunition? Does the NRA have you running scared like so many other politicians it pays off, uh, rather, contributes millions of dollars to their campaigns?
During your speech, Mr. President, you couldn’t miss every member of Congress wearing white ribbons in honor of the victims of the murderous rampage in Tucson, Arizona. (Probably, it was merely lapel-service.) And right in front of you in the public gallery above the House floor were people you invited to the speech: the parents and brother of murdered Christina Green; Daniel Hernandez, the intern who tried to stop the bleeding from the bullet wound in Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’ head; and a doctor and nurse who have been taking care of her. You couldn’t miss Giffords’ empty seat in the middle of the Arizona delegation. But you said nothing, not one word, about gun control.
I believe, Mr. President, that you spoke about the issues I think the American people wanted you to address at this difficult time in our history. Your delivery was flawless. You looked and sounded presidential. Just like most members of Congress I heartily applauded when you said, “We need to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world.” I heard in my head, “USA, USA, USA!!” Our “Sputnik moment,” you called it. It was a rallying cry for the American people to be optimistic and dismiss fears that, under the first black President, America would end up a bankrupt, humiliated, second-rate nation.
I especially appreciated the portion of your speech devoted to better education for our children, and higher pay and more respect for teachers. How can we have a competitive global economy if our people lag behind those in other nations in academic achievement? I was glad to hear about job creation, energy efficiency, making things in the USA again, repairing our infrastructure. Our troops will start coming home this year from the Middle East, thank God. The foreign policy plans sounded good. As I said before it was an eloquent speech promoting unity and cooperation and an end to national divisions.
You like, sir, to refer to the progress you’ve made on your presidential campaign promises: health care reform; “don’t ask don’t tell;” and a myriad of less ambitious programs that you persuaded Congress to pass. All good legislation.
But Mr. President, on the campaign trail you also called for restoring a ban on the sale of assault weapons, which Congress let expire in 2004. You have not moved an inch on that campaign promise. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about your position on guns after the speech and he is quoted as saying: “I wouldn’t rule out that at some point the president talks about the issues surrounding gun violence.” Oh, puh-leeze. I don’t think I’ll hold my breath.
President Obama, I hope you are not neglecting the safety of the American people because you’ve got your eye on your 2012 re-election campaign. God forbid you mount a fight with Congress for gun control. But if you don’t, we can expect the blood of more innocents to be spilled by some sociopath, who can pick up the gun and ammo of his choice at the local Walmart.
Jan 15, 2011 | Gun Violence, Men, Mental Health |
Those fanatical eyes. That twisted face. The Joker smile. The bald head. I avert my eyes every time I see photos of Jared Loughner, the 22-year-old being held in connection with the shooting deaths of six innocent people, and the wounding of 13 others. Among them, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the main target of his bloody rampage that warm Saturday morning in the parking lot of a suburban Tucson Safeway. The supermarket, whose name I always found comforting, was anything but safe from a disturbed young man with a grudge.
Everything that could be said has been said about the Tucson massacre. Over the past week the incident has been dissected, analyzed, denounced and memorialized from every point of view: the victims, the heroes, the medical skill, the senseless violence, the easy access to guns and the suspect, a frightening specter of a human being. When the funerals end, and the wounded are released from the hospital to continue their recuperation and when Congresswoman Giffords, I pray, returns somewhat to her former self in mobility and intellect, Loughner will receive the subject of most public attention. Is that what he wanted all along?
We know every one is innocent in America until proven guilty, but isn’t it a little silly to call Loughner “the alleged murderer” when in the midst of his killing spree he was tackled and held to the ground by courageous older citizens who were determined that this guy would not get away. Before Loughner could reload his gun, a woman in her 70’s snatched the magazine of bullets. He did it, okay.
But why does his mug shot give me nightmares? He must have practiced his fearful look. It was recently revealed by authorities that he did video blogs and took photos of himself. He dropped off a roll of film at the Walgreen’s next to the Safeway the day before his bloody rampage. Walgreen’s notified law enforcement officials about the photos developed. Oh, this so creepy. There was a picture of him naked, except for a red G-string, holding his 9 mm glock handgun across his groin area. There’s been no word yet on what other images were developed from the film. I cringe at the thought.
If you watch the contributors on cable news, Loughner is dismissed as “crazy,” a “lunatic,” a “wacko.” The psychologists have more sophisticated language for him. They say he is mentally ill, the victim of a nervous breakdown, a paranoid schizophrenic, a psychopath, a sociopath.
I think of another mass murderer, Timothy McVeigh convicted of parking a truck loaded with explosives and detonating it in front of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people. I don’t remember people calling him crazy. He was an Iraqi War veteran who hated the U.S. government. He had a goal and a plan and he achieved them with detailed precision. And so did Jared Loughner.
So why are people so quick to call him a crazy. Because he looks like one? He sure looks like one, but is he “crazy” like a fox? I hope we find out, but until we do, I don’t want to look at his photos. They give me nightmares.
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