Living with fear

 

Growing up in Chicago’s Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood, I lived in what was euphemistically called a “changing neighborhood (it has since changed for the better).” That meant there was a lot of crime close to us and it infiltrated into our bastion of safety. I was not allowed outside alone after dark, even to go to the neighbors house. Our neighbor was mugged in front of her house—we laughed, but nervously, that the attacker got her Bible and not her purse. I went to a high school with about 5,000 other students, and fights were common. One of the first cautions I heard was never to stop to watch  fight between two black girls because they would turn on a white girl. But there were no guns in those fights—occasionally a knife, but to my knowledge, no one died. I was close to twenty before I stayed home alone at night.

For years, Texas has been a relief. My safe place. I have always locked my doors when leaving the house untended or at night. But recently, after Jordan expressed worry about our “night walkers,” I started setting the alarm system. And more recently, I started locking the doors when I nap. (This has resulted in occasionally locking Jordan out, much to her frustration!) I am a little bit edgy all the time.

A fatal shooting near the local high school, witnessed by a friend and almost by my grandson, brings crime home to my neighborhood and larger community. While I am deeply saddened by the death of the young man—he sounds like a good kid from reports I’ve read—I am appalled by what the tragedy has revealed about gun culture in teens. And I know the local school is not an exception. (I am also upset about what it has revealed about teen pregnancy, but that’s another story.) When I said we’d be amazed to know the number of backpacks at Paschal that hid guns every day, my grandson just said, “Yeah.”

Take it beyond our local community. When I read the daily news briefs that our local paper chooses for my information, there are always two or three shootings, many domestic. And then there are mass shooting--in the twenty-four days of 2023, there have been thirty-nine mass shootings, many more than one a day and three in one recent day. We are killing our children, our families, our neighbors. And too many of us seem unable to transfer the horrifying statistics into compassion for the victims and their families, whose lives are forever disrupted.

Why and how this situation developed has been studied and studied. Seems to me there are two factors behind it: misinterpretation of the second amendment which pairs with that illogical, defensive flap about our “Freehdoms” that conservatives (read “the base”) like to rave about. The second root cause is greed—on the part of weapons manufacturers, the NRA, and federal and state legislators who take “campaign contributions.” Have you ever checked how much your senator or representative accepted from the NRA? But identifying causes is not going to fix the problem. What to do?

I doubt giving grammar lessons to most gun owners is going to be effective, no matter that a grammatically correct (and logical) reading of the second amendment as written clearly does not authorize personal possession of firearms. Yes, education helps—about proper use and storage of guns, but effective gun control has to come from our government—federal and state. Strict law that are strictly enforced—it’s a big challenge, but it could be done. Look at gun death statistics in the US and compare to those in other “civilized” countries. We need to stop throwing up our hands in despair, saying, “It will never work in the United States,” and sending our kids off to school where they might well be slaughtered. We can make it happen, but each of us must press our representatives on the state and national level.

To start with, instead of banning books and robbing women of control over their own bodies, at risk to their health and very lives, Greg Abbott might well address the problem of gun violence in his state. He seems to ignore it’s a problem, even after Uvalde. We, his constituents, know better. It comes home to our communities.

Gun control doesn't mean taking everyone's guns away. Sport hunters can relax. But it means getting guns out of the wrong hands--and there are many of those, from teens with uncontrollable tempers to the mentally disturbed who kill for who knows why? It’s simplistic, but as a friend of mine said, “If you don’t have a gun, you find another way to solve a disagreement.”

 

Some Arguments I’m Really Tired of Hearing

Someone’s paying those marchers – if that were true, I know a lot of people who are still waiting for their checks. The survivors of the Parkland massacre are tough, sharp kids who have had enough. They have been well-trained by their school for leadership positions. It’s just that nobody thought this was the direction that leadership would take. They are nobody’s tools and nobody’s fools. And yes, they had help-because they knew how to use the system, to start a Go Fund Me campaign, to publicize their movement, enlist others. Give them credit, and for God’s sake, stop the personal attacks.

Guns don’t kill; people do. If people didn’t have access to rapid-fire weapons with bullets that can dissolve organs and bones, they would not be able to kill at the rate that mass shootings have established. People shoot the guns but the guns do the killing. Something like 3400 school children since Columbine. Appalled? I am.

The Second Amendment protects my right to own a gun: As legal scholars and past members of the Supreme Court have said, that’s a gross misinterpretation. When the second amendment was written, guns were single-shot, muzzle loading weapons. Our Founding Fathers could never have imagined the weapons of today. But the key is the wording, a “well-regulated militia.” That meant a militia with training sessions, an order of leadership, practices, etc. Want that in your life? Enlist in the armed services or join the National Guard. It clearly does not mean a lot of people running loose with guns in their hands.

I need my guns for protection. From what? You fear a military takeover? What chance would you have against military forces? You want to shoot an intruder? Do you know the statistics of deaths to a family member, particularly children, when there are guns in the house? They go up astronomically.

Nobody’s going to take my guns. I got my rights. Nobody is coming for all your guns. This movement is about sane but strict regulations. Hunters should certainly keep their guns (but you really don’t need an AR-15, even for wild hogs.) And within limits citizens should have them for protection. But we need much better laws, and we need to enforce them.

Thanks for listening to the rant. Now, on a lighter note, you know what life is like when the high point of the day is having your passport photo taken. Regulations—and costs—are much stricter these days. My passport expired last year, which means I got it in 2007. If I recall I paid $60 for it. Today, it’s $189 plus you must have it in hand six months before your return date, and it takes six to eight months to process, which means Jordan and I paid an extra fee to something called RushMyPassport.

For the picture, you must not smile, you must not cover your ears with your hair (Jordan had to take off her earrings). The resulting picture is what you expected—pretty grim. All this in preparation for our Great Lakes Cruise next fall—we fly into Toronto and leave from there, but you need a passport these days to go to Canada.

What a world we live in!

Orlando--as if enough hasn't already been said

A few years ago a relative came to town to visit with one request: she wanted to go to a gay bar. So two or three of my girls took her—and I can’t remember if they took some guys with them or not. Was I worried? Yes, I was. Not about someone hitting on them-they’re big girls and can handle that. But about violence breaking out at the bar—the fisticuffs kind of violence. I never thought of the horror we saw in Orlando last night. But this was a small bar, not a sprawling nightclub.

So much has been said, so much of it spot on, that I am hesitant to add anything. But two points stick out in my mind: one was expressed on Facebook earlier today when someone posted that she hated to see this referred to as the record mass shooting, for fear that someone with hate or anger would think, “I can do better than that. I’ll show them.”

The other thought on my mind is sort of a “Here we go again.” After each of these mass shootings, Americans are outraged and vow to do something to prevent such atrocities. But time goes on and headlines fade, and nothing changes. I’m not sure what it will take to wake Americans to the fact that their chance to change things comes this November—Vote Out the NRA. So many have said today that there is no reason for assault weapons to be in the hands of anyone but the military, and I truly believe that’s where we must start.

In Texas, my two senators are wildly conservative and opposed to any gun legislation, so I feel stymied. But I will find a way to make my voice heard. I have seven grandchildren in school, from high school to elementary, and yes I worry about each of them every day. Nobody thought about gun violence when my kids were in school—it just didn’t exist. But we have had 988 mass shootings since Newton—and what has been accomplished to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally incompetent and others who shouldn’t have them? Not much.

I could argue until I was blue in the face about the weaknesses of the Second Amendment for today’s world, but I won’t even go there. Getting AR-15s and other assault weapons out of the hands of citizens seems more important.

Ask a family member left behind by the Orlando shootings.

No, this wasn’t a terrorist attack; it was not Muslim inspired. The shooter was a deranged man who hated LGBT folks. But why are we letting people like that have such easy access to assault weapons?

Jesus weeps tonight—and many of us join him.

 

Elves and the Day of Infamy

 

Jacob has Elf on the Shelf at home, but at my house he has Dinglebell, a deviant elf who was bequeathed to him by the friend who lived in the guest house a couple of years ago. Lately, Dinglebell has been back in the cottage with Chandry, but Chandry has moved to her new house, and Dinglebell flew himself back into the main house. Last night he got himself into a real predicament—flew into Sophie’s crate and locked it. Jacob found him this morning and was afraid Sophie would hurt him, but she had no interest.

I finally got started on wrapping presents today and did nine—which leaves a lot to go. Meant to do more tonight, but I am too tired. Did other household chores and found the more I am moving about the better my hip feels—but then when I’m on my feet much, my low back hurts. Went back to wearing the brace and am proud of what I accomplished today.

It strikes me as sad that on this day of infamy which FDR predicted would live in history we have heard little about Pearl Harbor and the valor of our soldiers in the Pacific during WWII. Instead we’ve heard a lot about Donald Trump and his idea of banning all Muslims from entering the country and Ted Cruz whose ideas are so crazy I can’t call one to mind. I guess my mind just cancelled them out. And I saw what’s-his-name LaPierre repeating his mantra is that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to give a good guy a gun.  It doesn’t seem to occur to him that the good guy might not win, and a bloodbath would probably occur.

How has our country gotten to this point? We seem to have lost all the values of our heritage, the courage of the armed forces of WWI and WWII. Instead of people who are willing to lay down their lives for their country, we have people who mock and bash our president. When we need to pull together as a country, which we do now in the face of terrorism abroad and at home (including mass shootings by apparently unstable Americans), we have people who stoke the fires of hatred and animosity. Congress is surely no help in unifying the country, but instead working hard to separate us into classes.

Congress voted to cut off funding for Planned Parenthood ostensibly because of their opposition to abortion. Don’t they even know their own laws? PP has not been allowed to use Federal funds for abortions for years—what Congress cut off funds for were vital programs such as cancer screening and contraceptive counseling.

Or then there’s Justice Scalia who dismissed the line in the Second Amendment about a well-regulated militia, calling it just a prologue. Justice Warren Burger, perhaps our greatest chief justice, wrote years ago that the gun lobby’s distortion of the Second Amendment was the worst piece of fraud perpetrated on the American people that he’d seen in his lifetime.

There, I did it—got on a rant again. But I am so concerned, so afraid for future generations, so heartbroken, that I weep for our country. And I understand the cartoons of a weeping Statue of Liberty.

Pistol packin' and open carry

This week's open-carry demonstration at the Texas State Capitol was pretty frightening, and one legislator deserves a shout-out for ordering armed protestors out of his office. I am really tired of this battle over who can or should carry a gun, and I am sick to death of the argument, "Read the Second Amendment." People! The second amendment, written in the time of muzzle-loading rifles, called for people to be armed as an orderly militia should the need arise. The framers of that document could not foresee a society where every third person wants to carry an AK-16 or whatever it is.
People crow about their individual rights--the "guv'mint" can't take those away. I believe it was John Stuart Mill who wrote that we are free to do as we please as long as our actions do not endanger the common good.
I'm not against guns, especially for hunting. If you want to keep a gun in your home for protection, God bless you. I hope you're among the few who are truly responsible. The statistics about home guns, children, and fatal accidents are truly appalling. I don't own a gun, wouldn't if I could. I'm not sure, even with training, that I could bring myself to shoot another person, unless to protect my children or grandchildren. Even then, my aim would probably be off because of nerves, and I'd only make a bad situation worse.
I do think it's mandatory that we have much better control over arms--no sales at gun shows or on the Internet, strict background checks that are enforced. It's not a cure-all, but those would be steps in the right direction.
But what disturbs me most is the attitude manifest by a gun-carrying society. If you feel so in danger you have to carry a weapon, concealed or otherwise, it indicates, to me, a hostile attitude toward your fellow man. An armed society is almost bound to be an angry society that cannot live in peace. An atmosphere of hate and distrust would prevail. Those open-carry protestors yesterday were angry, rude, frightening. Is that the kind of world we want to live in?
I am also disturbed that somehow there is a link between Christianity, at least fundamental Christianity, and the right to carry. It brings up that phrase so popular a few years ago: WWJD. Do you really think Jesus (or Mohammed) would walk around with a loaded assault rifle?
I promise not to respond to any hateful, angry comments on this subject. If you'd like to express an opinion with an open-minded, let's talk.

The agony of losing a child

I had nothing on my mind tonight to post except that I've had a case of the lazies today big time. Did manage to do my yoga, run one errand, and mostly fiddle the morning away until it was time to meet a friend for lunch--the one who forgot our date yesterday. Guess what? I sat in Carshon's half an hour before I came home and ate my own good leftovers. A bit more fiddling, a nap. and then it was time for Jacob. We went to the Grill early tonight, ran into good friends and had a fine time. But that was my day, nothing remarkable.
Until I frittered away an hour tonight on Facebook. I saw more times than I could bear the agony of Richard Martinez, whose son died in the shootings at Santa Barbara. It was palpable agony, on the surface, with no attempt to hide it. And I heard his plea, "Not one more." I can't even begin to think about how this grieving man will move on with his life, and yet he had the courage to air his grief publicly, to make his plea in person and on the air. Much as I hurt for this man, I like and admire him.
And then I saw where Joe the Plumber said callously, "Your dead kid doesn't trump my right to carry a gun." Someone said he's either making a grandstand bid for attention or he's an a-hole. I think it must be both. But how can he? What happened to him to make him so insensitive? I cannot even begin to imagine.
And, finally, I saw where the open-carry folks, with their assault rifles over their shoulders, had invaded another restaurant, trying to intimidate a meeting of a small group of Moms for Gun Control. Once again, I am stymied, amazed by the stupidity of people. To those who argue Second Amendment I want to assure them that although I am no constitutional scholar, I know that is not what our Founding Fathers had in mind. No one seems to recall what to me are some sensible interpretations of the Second Amendment--it calls for an armed, "well-governed" militia--that does not mean crazies walking around with assault rifles. And that amendment was written in the day of muskets--you fired, then you stopped and re-loaded (a complicated and not quick process). No one envisioned today's assault rifles.
What scares me most is that I think (and this is pure prejudice on my part) that those who flaunt these weapons of mass destruction (hey, isn't that what we went to war for in Iraq, even if in error?) are the least stable portion of our population. They're the ones most likely to shoot on mad impulse. A friend, a teacher, wrote that one of her most responsible students posted decrying these open-carry demonstrations and another, much less stable student replied, "Hey, I'm with those guys. I have an assault rifle." Point taken.
Our country has made so much progress in civil rights, we're moving ahead in marriage equality, we're changing with the times as we should. I think gun control is the next big thing on the agenda--but how many people will have to die first? If Sandy Hook didn't move hearts--and the NRA--Santa Barbara isn't going to do it.
I have a friend who decries the fact that people are afraid the government is coming for their guns. They're not, people. Even the president has said so. We just want controls on who has access to guns and maybe what types of guns. If you don't think it's needed, read a bit about the mental history of the Santa Barbara shooter.
PS Dating myself, but open carry to me still means the right to carry a bottle of liquor or a drink. Oh, dear, I'm a hopeless old fogy.
Yeah, this ended up being a rant. But at least now I have some energy. Lazies gone.