The State of Today's Society

Now, I'm not trying to come off like I know everything so bare with me in this note.

Yesterday, a senseless crime took place on an elementary school grounds leaving twenty little children dead along with six adults plus the gunman himself.  Before this, there was Columbine; Gabby Gifford, A federal Judge and a young child attending a outing among others;then we have a open fire in a Movie theater, we have Virgina Tech, then we have the Mall shooting.  Everyone is screaming GUN CONTROL!  But I must ask you to take a step back and think.

Our founding fathers who laid out our Constitutional Amendments and the Bills of Rights did not intent for guns to be used in such a senseless way.  Now, we all know that the second is "The right to bear arms"- it was intended for military use, sports, hunting and protection.  Now, I think the "protection" part is the part where I feel some has abused it more than the other reasons intended for the rights to bear arms.  Now, I'm not a big fan of guns being on the streets, in the hands of homeowners or family households.  Now my reason is if your home get burglarized and you are not home, you have weapons locked up, its almost a guarantee that weapon will be used for all the wrong reasons and against what the constitutional rights stand for.  If you are a family household, know that if your child or children know you have a weapon in the house, they are not going to fully grasp the consequences of using a gun to solve issues which could easily be talked out.  Know that we live in a society today where issues that go unnoticed or not talked about, people will go for the quickest solution they feel is "right" in their minds without any means of justifications involved.  Hence, this is where Mental Health becomes a question of a person's reasoning, judgement and logic.  This also throws a lot of gun owners under the bus because they follow the law and they use their weapons for recreational uses.  The reality is this, the Constitution and its Rights are being abused, so the question is how do you stop the abuse of our basis ground work for this country that is apparently unwilling to even communicate on what's best for the people? It's either no, I'm right or you're wrong.  There is no compromise happening and I believe I read someone's comment saying, "We are screwed!" I believe we are experiencing a break down in communications and have been in the recent years.

I think people need a reminder of the sacrifices of our military men and women who put their lives on the line.  And for what? Freedom? Money? They come home to only face a more violent society, a trigger-ready society where no one speaks nor one gets to sit down and rationalize.  A society where many are struggling with mental health issues and yet Americans asks, "Aren't there help for these individuals?"  My answer is, the mental health industry does not get the funding nor the attention they need to help people sort through their own personal issues in most areas.  Plus, taxpayers money will be needed to increase the awareness of mental health issues, to develop housing and programs geared towards those who are struggling with issues they cannot seem to cope well with. Society talks about how we lack in education, jobs and job trainings and when those with issues have to face a reality that looks bleak, what do you expect from their reactions?  Suicide is usually the only answer for some, for some it becomes a focus of who started their issues to be killed and then to suddenly realize it doesn't take away the pain nor the issues they still face so it becomes murder/suicide.  Now, I missed the days when we all knew our neighbors and we would watch out for each other, we were the listening ears and the advice to those who felt like they could not face their issues on their own.  We were at one point helping others help themselves and helping them understand that they are not alone and will not be judged.  We accept them for who they are and we recognize that we were all human beings and no we cannot face this world alone.  So what happened?

Look at it this way, we have become a materialistic society, we took the Pledge of Alliance out of our schools, we eliminate God from everything and yet our land and our Constitution was based off of the Bible.  Yes, we are a nation, but the Pledge of Alliance  "...One nation under God...For liberty and justice for all..."  I would like to see peace for all.  I stood up to say the pledge and I saw nothing wrong with it at all.  When people started interpretation the separation of Church and State, even in my law classes I have taken,  I just could not grasp the logic or reasons behind such interpretations.  I grew up in church, I grew up in a strict household, but I was taught that no matter what God is everywhere regardless to naysayers.  Now, people looking around saying to pray for those who have lost their lives in all these senseless acts, yet I can't help but wonder, why pray if many stood up to remove God from the public and now in time of need, everyone realizes you need God in everything especially when innocent little lives are lost.  Why think you will be okay without him?  There is a sense of confusion and no one is sure of everything that is happening.  Its a sad day for this country.  Our forefathers founded this nation under God.  Why undo it?

Back in the day, many who are well over 30 years of age, they did not experience any of this in their school years.  The most they were probably exposed to were fist fights, maybe a stabbing here and there but they never experienced gun violence or had to worry about it.  Now I can't say that this applies to everyone because in the most poverty stricken areas or areas where crime was present, you never knew who was capable of what, many were on "guard."

Now, when I was going to school, I always heard of fights breaking out at the middle school or high school, it was either gang related or personal.  It wasn't until 1999, my freshman year in high school when Columbine happened and following that terrible day many schools across the country experienced bomb scares, gun threats causing many students to fear for their own lives, those who were old enough to comprehend what was going on and happening.  I remember it was around that time when the Pledge was starting to fade out of the schools and parents, whom I may never understand why they were so set against a morning Pledge which was also a prayer.  But wow, after witnessing all the shootings that have occurred over the years, I can't help but wonder what kind of world are we leaving our children to?  We want them to be happy and safe, we want them to know God will always protect them, but wait, there are some who don't believe there is a God, so what do you say to little innocent children when they are away from home and something bad happens?  You have no choice but to say there is a God and for some that is swallowing some hard pride.  I am glad to have grown up in church and participated in church services,  without that I don't think I would have been here today because man life can chew you up and spit you out and leave you for dead.

I understand many are hurt by this senseless act, many are trying to call out their politicians in office to take action.  People, please realized we have the power to vote in politicians and the power to remove them if we feel that they are unreasonable and incapable of compromising on important issues.  We have seen one party trying to put a restriction or apply rules where it would leave many unable to vote because they knew they could not have their way if the American people voted for the other parties.  Look at the actions that took place this past election, look at how our voting rights are being attacked and pay attention to the party who does so.  We have become so focus on the economy and trying to reduce the debt, but while many Americans agree that they are willing to raise the taxes on the wealthy, I feel the republicans favor helping the wealthy keep more and contribute less.  Now I understand many business owners are also worried and if you are a small business, I believe small businesses should be protected from tax increases until they grow into a bigger business that rakes in enough money to afford to pay more in taxes.  For corporates, who are big I see no reason for not paying more in taxes if they ship jobs overseas.  For corporations that keep jobs in the states, maybe they can pay more but less than the corporations that ship jobs overseas.  For the wealthy Americans, you can afford to pay more and the way I see it, its all about maintaining a lifestyle that requires more and more money.  Middle class is shrinking and more are falling into poverty because of cuts and lay-offs and they are struggling to put food on the table and give children a better shot at life.  So, for all stop trying to live a lifestyle that will only cost more, your status in society is materialistic not humane.   For those who fear of losing perks for standing up for the wealthy and corporate in government, realize the perks you get is enough to fund housing developments, mental health, and a better quality life for all Americans.  So stop being greedy and ungraceful.

There are children in other countries dying everyday in war torn countries because of a power hungry leader who wants total control.  There are women in other countries who don't have the opportunities the women have here in America.  There are women who are forced into rape and forced to go through a pregnancy and force to do things that many of us women in the US don't have to go through because our ancestors who fought for women's rights gave us the choice to choose what was best for us.  There are children who are working at young ages and die on the job still in some countries, yet the global fight continues to give children and women a better shot at a better life.  There are folks who never experienced Disneyland or Disney World, they never experienced traveling outside of their town or city.  They never read the newspaper either because they can't read or there's limited access to such medias or both.  Here in the US, yes, we do have some serious issues and yes, we should be graceful for what we do have.  However, we need to wake up and realized that our neighbor or family member or friend or even a stranger are not dealing well with something and they are struggling to make sense out of what is happening to them and why.

I don't think our government was prepared enough to deal with a rapid pace increase in the population overall.  With the issues of immigration reforms and other population controls, it's tough.  This is the land of the free to many who escape their own country from harsh laws and what not.  But are we truly free?  I don't think we are anymore.  The more violence we experience, the more of the very freedom our forefathers fought for get's eliminated.  I wouldn't say stupidity of people, but rather the lack of understanding of our history, what this country stood for, and why this country was built.  I feel that some people are still living in another time where to talk of race and minorities is so outdated to me.  Yes, discrimination still takes place, but understand the laws for that.  Understand the reasoning behind those laws.  Understand how this country works.  Encourage children to understand their history, teach them what you were taught in school because a few years ago history books started to change what really happened.  Don't be angered by the past, but learn from it and respect what all ancestors achieved to make this country the country it is today.

All I ask is for everyone to really think about how this all came to be.  All I ask is to think about the kind of world we are creating for our children.  All I ask is to simply be kind and polite even if you get told off.  All I ask is to understand, that this country is in serious need of help socially and culturally wise.  Remember pride can also destroy humanity in more than one way.

There are a lot of issues to be discussed about, the question is who is willing to LISTEN!?  From someone who is functionally deaf, LISTENING IS VERY IMPORTANT!  But listen with an OPEN MIND!  Don't criticize or punish someone for being honest but respect them for their opinions....Another thing is this country has lost sight of RESPECT as well.  I would not blame anyone for wanting to relocate to a country that takes care of its citizens better than the US.  But seriously, think about it and open your eyes and minds to what you have not experienced or to what you are not aware of, because maybe you'll see something that would make you feel even more blessed than those you see or the things you see first hand.  Not everything is all sunshine and smiles.  I would like to see a peaceful world, where status and class don't matter.  Where acquiring materialistic things don't define who you are or who others are. Where people can put their differences to the side and say, "Okay, what do we do and how do we go about this?"   There is no right or wrong answer here, when it comes to people.  It comes down to how can we better provide people with opportunities especially those who are heavily discourage.

Like I said, there are issues that tie into other issues and the chain continues from how I see it.  So America, what are you going to do about it?  Do nothing - it will only get worse.  Politicians will abuse and continue to abuse their positions - which they are doing now.  It is worth your tax dollars to fix a broken government? A broken society?  How would you like your tax dollars to be used? What would you like to see happen besides better schools, more jobs and training?  Think about this, think about those who were saving up for a house and were looking to become homeowners who would have contributed to a town's or city's property tax, school tax payments but they couldn't because the economy had a devastating effect on those who were looking to become paying tax citizens put them right back to square one, starting from scratch and having to rely on the government for just the basis needs again and some landing in places never imagined.  So think before you speak and think before forming an opinion or to criticize one for lack of understanding, instead educated each other and maybe everyone will earn the respect that has been missing from the discussion table and board.

My heart goes out to all the families who lost their love ones especially around a time where its the joy of laughter and smiles. May God be with them all.