Thursday, August 16, 2012

I Can't Stands No More!!

"There's something wrong with the world today, there's something wrong with our eyes. We're seeing things in a different way and God knows it ain't his, it sure ain't no surprise..."
~Aerosmith~
Ladies & Gentlemen, what is really going on?! I know I'm not alone here when I say this, but this crazy violence has got me coming loose. And not in a shoot-up-the-nearest-public-place kinda way, but rather in a there-seems-to-be-no-bleepin-end-to-it kinda way. I'm aware that psychopaths have existed in society since the dawn of mankind and that our constitutional right to bear arms is well, constitutional, but enough is bloody enough. (Literally.)

I understand that when the constitution was drafted (by that small group of white men squatting living in a predominantly indigenously brown nation over 200 years ago), one's right to constant armed protection might have been essential for the times, but in today's society, the need to consistently arm oneself from the threat of in-home military combat and/or wild American wildebeast attacks has strongly diminished since the 1800's.
A candle light vigil held at the Sikh temple in Walnut, CA on 8/7/12 to
honor the victims of the Wisconsin temple shooting. However, I honor
 all the victims of senseless gun violence this year from Trayvon Martin
to the victims of the Toronto, Colorado and Gurdwara shootings..

And while the overall level of destruction to which society and its weapons are now capable of carrying out has grown increasingly sophisticated over the last two centuries, the actual tactical domestic need for such weaponry among each and every citizen of this country is no longer as strong as it was over 200 years ago. It may be argued that the country is far more populated now and that society's moral structure has eroded considerably to the point of outright decay,  yet it still doesn't attest for the need for every single person to be strapped. Especially now that there are more people than ever before.

What's that you say? "But, once upon a time someone robbed my house or held me up at the bank and took all I had, so it's my right to protect myself"!! Ok. I understand the overwhelming need to have protection for next time and as a clinical psychology major, I know PTSD can be a bitch, but think about what that "eye-for-an-eye" notion can potentially mean. So, the next time some degenerate tries to make a move on what's yours you're just going to point, shoot and take someone's life? No matter what, every time? Think about it. Taking someone's life is just that -- taking someone's life.  And just like words you wish you'd never said, you can't take that back. Ever.
So, with that I will just conclude that while the above is my stance on the issue, I really don't know that tighter gun laws are going to stop those who aready own guns and have a mind to kill from going out and comitting murder, however, perhaps heightened limiting/monitering of gun sales nationwide might prevent future tragedies. Maybe if they started making psychologoical evaluations a mandatory prerequisite to owning a gun or limited the amount of guns people can have per household that might make a difference, but who's to say? The "war" on drugs hasn't stopped people from OD'ing year after year, but yet, certain laws seem to want to "work" when it suits the election year right.

For instance, right now the law says that gays can't get married, so guess what? Gay people still can't get married in most parts of the US. The law also says that the sale of foie gras in the state of Calabama California is now illegal, so guess what? I have to travel across state lines to get my fill of fatty duck liver scrumptiousness when the need it. You see? Laws can be upheld when the intent is there, and if marrying someone of the same sex, smoking and joint and eating foie gras are all against the law in my home State, then so should being able to go into a gun shop and registering/getting a gun in a matter of weeks. It's way too easy and we're just now starting to talk it about. I hope we continue to talk about it.