Equally terrifying is the response. There are no Senate and Congress meetings and hearings trying to address this enormous problem. President Obama is not pushing an agenda to end mass shootings. There is acceptance on an active level. Do the people in the States think that mass shootings are normal? Because they are not…not in the least.
Killing nine people in a Bible study is not normal.
The shooting in an African Methodist Episcopal Church Bible study (Charleston, SC) brings up many questions that need answers…and I, at least, know the answers even if the pundits or politicians do not. So here they are….1. Is racism an issue? Yes, it is.
2. Is our mental health system addressing the vast growing needs of the mentally ill? No, it is not.
3. Do we need gun control? Yes, we do.
A day when racism is no longer an issue seem eons away, which is why the government, the judicial system, the law enforcers, and those who believe that there really is a God of love…HAVE to PROTECT those of darker skins…not shoot them. Not imprison them. Not take away their voting rights. And for the believers…NOT BE QUIET any longer. Silence is killing our darker skinned brothers and sisters.
Several who know the young man reported to be the shooter say he has Black friends…they also say he has a problem with drugs and, reading the bits that I have, he seems obviously unstable…which leads to question #2…
Mental illness is not being sufficiently diagnosed or treated in the States. Funding care for people who are ill has been routinely cut. If someone is – by miracle – diagnosed and given medication, there is no assurance that they will stay on the medication. We are learning so much about the brain today and maybe in 20 years we will be able to treat more permanently, but until that time, funding for diagnosis, funding for treatment, and a plan to help people stay on their medication is critical. Equally important is not allowing people who cannot decipher reality from fantasy the implements to blow holes in other people, which leads to…
One of the most controversial topics in the States – the hated gun control.
“What about our 2nd amendment?” People ask, without understanding the amendment at all. The second amendment was designed to protect the nation…not individuals. It was designed to give the populace a method for defending the nation against intruders and against tyranny within the government…or in other words, the ability to overthrow the nation.
If we truly hold to those principles, then we belong with those living in the hills of Idaho waiting to overthrow the government. If we truly believe the amendment should not be changed, then we should be allowed not only guns but also bombs, tanks, etc., because in today’s time the only way to protect against an enemy nation invading or against the U.S. military is having weapons no one in their right mind would consider having…well, no one who *I think* is in their right mind.
So let’s quit quoting the 2nd amendment and let’s look at realities. Guns are dangerous. You'd have to be really well-trained to be able to knife multiple people to death within seconds. The young man arrested for the AME Church shootings had gotten the gun as a birthday gift from his father in April. Guns lead to deaths in matters of rage…
Compare that with what happened to me and Joseph, our son, in the street in Managua. A truck ran a bus into a median and…talk about road rage! The bus helper came out swinging and the truck helper came out with a pipe. More people from each vehicle joined the melee. I laid down on my horn and pedestrians came from all over to intercede. The fight broke up. People got back in their vehicles, and we went on. But what could have happened if guns were legal in Nicaragua? Some of the fighters, pedestrians or even Joseph or I could be dead or injured in a hospital.
I look at the States from afar and I feel a huge dread in the pit of my stomach…the violence that is accepted seems to be growing. People are not shocked as they used to be. People are more content to be yelling than problem-solving…including our own federal government. Those of us who do not live in the States are more and more shocked by the complacency we see in the people who live there. People from other countries - Nicaragua included - are completely baffled.
This level of violence is not normal…and if it becomes normal, then the whole of society needs to do an abrupt turn and change “normal.” -Kathleen
