A Tale of Two Guns

This week there was another horrific school shooting, this time in Florida, with seventeen people killed and numerous injured. Those killed were sons and daughters, friends and co-workers. They were going about their lives with no inkling that they would be cut short at the hands of someone with a gun. They were in a school, an environment that should have been safe. Now they are gone, with their families and friends left to continue on with only memories.  

We hear on the news that the FBI was given a tip about the shooter back in January, but failed to follow up. Apparently a mistake was made, something they will have to deal with. But this is not the central issue here. It is the gun and who possessed it. We cannot use the FBI as a scapegoat or as some kind of political cover. The second amendment to our Constitution gives people the right to “bear arms”. However, it does not go into how we are to determine whether or not someone has the capability, mental stability or maturity of judgment to handle a gun. We have been left with a system that seems to base the right to possess a gun only on whether or not the person is breathing.

The mass shootings garner much of the news attention, which is understandable, given the trauma to so many people. But there are other cases out here that are worthy of notice, not just because of those who are hurt, but because they show what happens when you put a gun in the hands of someone who may, or may not, act with good judgment. These are shootings by ordinary people. People who just stumble into events that morph into situations that end in tragedy.

The first one occurred in January in Rochester, Minnesota.

Rochester Teen Shot after Traffic Accident

No incident is all black or white.  There are obviously details that we may not know.  But did he deserve to die? Over a traffic accident? One witness to the incident said there was no pushing or hitting by the victim. It sounds like a conflict between two immature people, one of whom may have been on some substance and one of whom had a gun. The whole situation got out of hand and now a person is dead. As his father said, killed in one of the safest cities in the world.

The second incident occurred just this past week. Also as a result of a traffic accident.

Man shot after wielding a knife

In this case the shooter was hailed as a hero. As one of the drivers in the accident said, who on earth thinks that a drive on the way home from work will end in being attacked with a knife after a traffic accident? But even here there is tragedy, both for the victim's family and friends and for the shooter himself, an ordinary person who will have to live with having taken a life.

Both of these incidents involved handguns. The mass shootings involve semi-automatics. But the pain for those involved is the same. Someone has died needlessly.

And just to add another wrinkle.

There are these guys:

They throw a whole new curve into the mix when they start making their own guns.  So what is to be done?  

Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

The stock market here in the United States recently took a small dive.  According to some it is fear of rising interest rates.  I don't know if that is really the case, it seems that for some time it has not been tied in any way to reality.   But perhaps that is actually the case for much of our financial system.  I ran across a video from 2017 which discusses in depth the workings of this system.

Bubbles come in different forms.  Sweden has a housing bubble, I feel we have a stock market bubble.  But if the people in this video are correct the whole world is in a bubble that could cause massive pain if, or when, it bursts.

Wearing the Purple

I admit it, I am a fair weather fan. I haven't been watching the Vikings that often over the past few years. But this season is different. Like everyone else in Minnesota I have been drawn in by the rush of having a winning team.

But this isn't about me. It's about a group of guys who never quit. Whether or not they win in Philly they have shown a never give up persistence and teamwork that should be a lesson to others in my country. For them I'm wearing the purple.

Go Vikings!

Update:

The Eagles took the Vikings 38 - 7 in a blowout victory.  My hat's off to the Eagles, they were on their game.  I will be rooting for them in the Super /Bowl.  But I also want to tip my hat to the Vikings for giving their fans an exciting season.  There's always next year...:)

Poor in America

This is a Frontline Special that aired in November of last year.  Back in 2012 they interviewed three families, focusing on the children and how their family's economic situations affected them.  Then they returned in 2017 to see how their lives had changed, or not.  When governments enact policies these are the people whose lives are impacted the most.  Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican these are the people for whom you need to provide support and help in times of need.  We cannot ever be considered prosperous or successful as long as the neediest among us have no future.

So when you consider policy choices make sure that first you do no harm.

The video is just shy of an hour long.

Poor Kids

A Christmas Wish

The original poem actually has two more verses, but I couldn't find a musical rendition of it, so I will place it here.  

It came upon the midnight clear,

That glorious song of old,

From angels bending near the earth,

To touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,¹

From heaven's all-gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

To hear the angels sing.

Still through the cloven skies they come,

With peaceful wings unfurled,

And still their heavenly music floats

O'er all the weary world;

Above its sad and lowly plains,

They bend on hovering wing,

And ever o'er its babel sounds

The blessèd angels sing.

Yet with the woes of sin and strife

The world has suffered long;

Beneath the angel-strain have rolled²

Two thousand years of wrong;

And man, at war with man, hears not³

The love-song which they bring;⁴

O hush the noise, ye men of strife,⁵

And hear the angels sing.

And ye, beneath life's crushing load,⁶

Whose forms are bending low,

Who toil along the climbing way

With painful steps and slow,

Look now! for glad and golden hours

come swiftly on the wing.

O rest beside the weary road,

And hear the angels sing!

For lo!, the days are hastening on,

By prophet bards foretold,⁷

When with the ever-circling years

Comes round the age of gold⁸

When peace shall over all the earth

Its ancient splendors fling,⁹

And the whole world give back the song¹⁰

Which now the angels sing.

— Original five-stanza hymn by Edmund Sears

Merry Christmas to all!

The Gap

We've been discussing the tax reform that the Republican controlled legislature and President have been pushing.  It is a bill that is in reality geared toward the richest in our country.  Yes, there are tax cuts for the lower income levels, but they "sunset" or expire after eight years.  The tax cuts for the wealthiest do not.  This bill will add to our debt, which will either rob our children of their future or force cuts to spending that will hit the neediest in our country.  It will exacerbate the growing gap between rich and poor. 

I ran across this documentary, which helps to illustrate the positions many people are in, from the wealthy to the not so wealthy.  It covers both the United States and the UK.  I have only watched the first half so far, but I recommend it highly.  The second half follows on the first.

Sweet Home Alabama

In a few days the people of Alabama will go to the polls to select a new senator to represent their state. To vote is probably the highest civic responsibility in our country. It is not something to be taken lightly, especially in today's era of politics. Our current president has come out in support of Roy Moore, the Republican candidate, which in the normal course of events would be understandable. But there have been some questions raised as to Moore's past behavior with regard to sexual conduct towards minors.

At some point in time we are all faced with choices that will test our ethics, our core beliefs, our values. The test now is being posed to the people of Alabama who have the duty to try to pick the best candidate to maintain our democracy and uphold this country's core values. It is a test of what those values really are.

Maybe a voice of experience could remind us. Yes, I know, but Alabama is a Republican state, so the voice should be Republican. :) And it was a good speech, so I had to resurrect him.

And maybe I'll give a plug for his book, as the proceeds are going to a good cause. At least he is doing something with his free time to help others.  It was also a rather amusing interview.  Something we could all use right about now.

Update:

Doug Jones, the Democratic candidate for senator of Alabama, has been projected the winner of the special election.