GUN CONTROL

The issue of gun control will always be in our discuss; but most often we forget about the issue till one psycho goes on a shooting spree and killing people in the process. Just then, we all start to talk about it again; only to let the issue fade away. There are arguments to be made on both sides of the issue, but I want to believe that we can all agree that not everyone should have access to a gun. A while back when the gun issue was hot in the news, a commentator on air who is a strong advocate for gun said, “gun don’t kill people, people kill people….”. I immediately jumped from my sit and yelled at my TV saying "I guess cocaine or bad drugs don’t kill either".

When we say “guns don’t kill, is people who kill people” is just like saying a poising drink don’t kill. If the argument is that gun on its own can't kill,  then all the stuff people get arrested  and jailed for, such as: cocaine, heroin, marijuana, high speed car (going far above speed limit) don’t kill either or can't harm you. The issue here is “GUN CONTROL”.  When this issue of control is raised, those who oppose gun control quickly change the subject to “the government wants to take away your gun”. Gun control simply mean what it means: to control guns so that psychos don’t have easy access to it.  My argument is this:  the speedometer in a car, on the average reads about 180 miles to 200 miles per hour. How come we are not allowed by law, to use our God given freedom to drive at any speed that we like? 

In the constitution of the United States, the second amendment talks about the right to bear arms. What kind of arms was the constitution referring to? Arms could be: musket, hand gun, AK 47, grenade, pitch fork, kitchen knife or any thing we might consider a weapon of choice. If I have a military tank does that qualify as my right to bear arms?

The right to bear arms is not a God given right, as most religious people claim in America. I don’t remember seeing that right in the scripture (bible) which I am familiar with. Instead we are warned in the scripture not to trust in chariots in the book of Isaiah chapter 31 verse 1; the book of Psalm chapter 44 verse 6 to 8 talks about not putting our trust in bow or sword. If man still says he wants to buy a gun to protect his wife and kids I will not judge that man. As a matter of fact, most people will understand; especially if he lives in a bad neighborhood or a place that is prone to crimes,such as murder. Those who love to protect their families with gun, would not be silent if we say it is OK for an ex-convict who is a rapist or a murder be allowed to own a gun; especially if the person is your neighbor. Neither will they be silent if someone with a questionable past of mental health be allowed to own a gun. So why is gun control such a controversial issue? Why can’t religious leader speak out, why can’t the politician speak out? As individuals, are we speaking out, or we believe God gave us the right to own a gun?. Maybe it is the fear of the NRA (National Rifle Association).

In America gun control is already taking place, and the amazing thing nobody is challenging the control. It is funny that the Supreme Court, which has upheld case in favor of gun owners, does not allow guns in court. If it is our right, why can we express that right in the court of law? Guns are not allowed in congress, I wonder why!! Elementary, High school and colleges does not allow gun in school, I wonder why!  All these measures are form of gun control, so why is it OK for a civilian to own an AK 47 in this present day or be allowed to carry a gun that can shoot over 50 bullets in one round? How many more killing will take place in schools, Public Park, private establishment before America wakes up? I guess we are waiting till a close family member dies, as a result of a gun before we act. Your child or a close family member can be killed in a school, at the movie theater, or by just walking on the street by a senseless gunman. What is wrong with a society that claims to the home of the brave, yet we are not brave enough to say enough is a enough? What will it take for the United State to talk about control? The assassination of President Lincoln did not, so was the assassination of Kennedy, the attempted assassination of Reagan, what about the congress woman, what about the helpless kids in Columbine, and the helpless people in the movie theater in Colorado. The failure of imagination was attributed to not preventing 9/11 attack, said Richard Clark, a former National Coordinator for Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Counter-terrorism for the United States.

Before the Mumbai attack, I imagined an attack like that and I express my option in class, I was laughed at.  I still have that imagination; the worst is yet to happen with regards to gun violence in America if we do not put a sensible measures in place.

Please share your view and opinion, please let’s keep it civil

The American Dream

In these tough economic time, is the American dream still achievable? Many immigrant left families and close friend in their native land, just to come to America to achieve the American Dream. They have heard stories of people who came to America with nothing, and have achieved what seems impossible. We have seen and heard stories of people with humble beginning; they worked hard and achieved that dream. What is the American Dream? The American dream: if you are willing to work, and you work hard, you will be able to buy a car and own a house. As a matter of fact the sky is the limit on whatever you want to achieve. In present day America, the American dream is literally what it is, a dream, a mirage, and a pleasant imagination which seldom happened to hard working Americans. The American dream is under attack; some say it is slipping away, while for most it has already slipped.  

A recent report from the CBO shows that in the last three decades the top 1% have seen their income rise over 275%, while that of the middle class rose only 40%. At this rate, it will be easier for a horse to pass through the eye of a needle that for an average American to attain that dream of owning their own home. If this situation is not class warfare, then we need to know what is. The present system is gamed to favor the very top and the well connected. No wonder most America cannot live within their budget, their pay has been stagnant. In America today, it takes two incomes just to get by; credit card is the order of the day. Most people carry at least two credit cards, and more and more people are stuck with just making minimum payment. People end up living from pay check to pay check, as time goes by they soon realize the American dream is indeed a dream. Most Americans hate their job. It is hard to walk away from a job; to be between jobs is a major risk. There are bills you cannot afford to miss. Investment in education use to be one of the gateways to achieving that dream; right now you can’t bet on that and say with confident that you will achieve that dream. The average debt for most college graduate is about $30,000 and you enter into a market that wants you to work more for less. What a way to start life.

We live in a country where elected officials do not represent the interest of the people who elected them; rather they are in the pocket of big business. Laws are made to favor those who made big contribution to their campaigns, while the electorates are practically on their own. One party thinks government have a role to play in the market, while the other thinks the government is actually the stumbling block. In the past, government has helped to equalize society by the use of the progressive tax. They have used element of socialism to give us elementary and high school education. Government invested money in the space program, which gave us the GPS you and I use. The interstate highway we drive on, the government provided that. The 911 services we use when in distress the government runs it. The government in the United States also gives financial aid to students who have financial challenges. There are times government works and there are times they have failed; the private sectors such: as Enron, Tyco, and Arthur Anderson are example of private sector that have failed. My point is that, it is not only the government that fails.  

There is a popular saying “to whom much is giving, much is expected”. We all have a role to play in our government, because whether we believe it or not we “the people” are the government. As big money and chronic capitalism take over our democracy, that is a recipe for killing the American dream. Some will probably ask: “how does that kill the American dream?” All I ask is listen to the news of how the banks foreclose on people, how they nickel and dime ordinary folks on excessive bank fee. Insurance companies increase your premium when you make legitimate claims. Credit card companies jack up their interest rate with impunity. The system is really for the wealthy and the corrupt, some have the nerve to say if you are not rich blame yourself. This is no dream, this is a reality and it is a nightmare.

As humans we are supposed to lend a helping hand to a fellow being anyway we can. What happened to “do unto others as you would have them do to you”? It is sad to know that even religious people have remained quite in these situations of 1% against 99%.  Getting rich by any means necessary is the order of the day; right now playing the lottery is not a bad idea. What is your story about the American dream? Share your story

ABORTION: Prolife, Prochoic or both

The issue of when life begins is still a debate among some here in the United State, especially between those who are pro-life and pro-choice. When does life begin? People who are pro-life say that life begins at conception (when the ovum is fertilized by a sperm). Some have even gone further, as saying that a male masturbation that leads to the ejaculation is a destruction of life.  Those who are pro-choice believe individual have the right to take a decision in regards to what occur within their body and the termination of pregnancy.   

In America freedom is one of those thing people are proud of; no wonder America is called the land of the free and the home of the brave. Pro-life and pro-choice both agree we have individual freedom, but they differ is on the issue of abortion. Abortion as we all know is termination of a pregnancy before coming to full term. When a woman wants to terminate a pregnancy, I want to believe it is not an easy decision.  I do not think a woman wakes up and say “I want to get pregnant so that I can abort the pregnancy”. This is any issue men do not have authority on. Some people say a woman doesn’t have the right to terminate her pregnancy. If we live in a society that talk about individual right, at what point does that right cease to exist? People say they do not want government in their personal life, only to say government should intervene in a very personal decision such as abortion.

Those who are pro-life usually say they are concern about the life of child, and the right of an unborn child. We have seen so often that when a child is born, those who say that they are pro life cease to care about that child. There are babies who have no parents, and are in special homes waiting for someone to adopt them. I do not see people who are pro-life going ahead with the campaign, to see to it that the life of a new born is well catered for. It seems they only care for life only when it is in the womb, when that child is born they are on their own. If you are pro-life, you should be concerned about life all the way. The welfare of a child should be everyone’s concern, and those who claim they are pro life should even be more concern about a child’s well-being whether they have parents or not. If you are pro-life, when was the last time you paid a visit to a home for babies who are motherless? What have you done to support babies and kids struggling with serious life threatening health care issue? What program have the pro-life group put in place to make sure that women don’t get to the stage of considering terminating a pregnancy?

If people are pro-life or pro-choice we can all avoid the fight about abortion, both groups can take steps well ahead of time to prevent women from getting to the stage of considering terminating a pregnancy.  Let’s walk our way back, before abortion is considered a pregnancy must have occurred, before a pregnancy occurs sex must have occurred between a man and woman. Why not be proactive and nip things in the bud, and act to prevent woman from getting pregnant especially those who are not planning to. What happened to the campaign of save sex and the use of condom and other contraceptive use? If you think people should not be engaging in sex before marriage why not roll out a campaign for abstinence or against fornication? When was the last time you heard a message about fornication in a religious institution?

We can be against abortion or for abortion, but we cannot make decision for people that involve what happened in their personal life. You can only plead for people to do the right thing and present a life that will make other listen or pay attention to you. If we believe in individual freedom, we should respect that freedom. We should also note that we exercise our right to certain issues, and not everyone is pleased with what we consider as our right. In America today, abortion is legal. That law can be rendered useless if, we all make an effort to try to communicate to women on how to avoid unwanted pregnancy.

Is there a God?

The debate of the existence of God has become a front burner issue over time; due to the fact that the world is changing. People have come to acknowledge that the only constant thing is change; it is inevitable. The question of whether there is a super natural being or an intelligent design is even more prominent now, in this ever chaos world of: war, terrorism, economic meltdown and racism. If we have to add the frequent occurrence of natural disaster such as: tsunami, earthquake, drought, hurricane, tornado etc. I hope you can understand why people will ask, does God exist! If there is a God, who we have been told is all powerful and merciful and is in full control of this earth, why do bad things happen especially to the innocent.

There are two questions in our heart that we still seek answers to, that is how did man come into existence and what happens to man when he dies. These questions seem to have two answers based on religion and science. There is the story of the big bang follow by evolution from science and the story of the Garden of Eden from religion. The story of man existence is a topic on its own, but the question now is God out there or up there.

Some wonder if God exist where was he an hour, a day, a month or even a year before he created the world. I can hear a voice asking, is the almighty a man. Where did we get the notion of God from? Where is the resident of God? Is he white, black or mixed? What language does God speak? Those who question the existence of God want answers to these questions and much more. However, those who believe say he has to exist; how do you explain the image of man. Who created the first man? Science says that every cell comes from a preexisting cell, if that is true, then God created the first cell. There was a time it was said that it was impossible for a man to fly, but today we see that man can fly. Just because we cannot see or comprehend something that does not mean we can say it does not exist.

While we question if there is God, we do not question the fact that the world has good people and bad people. I guess what we see we believe. Do you believe in love? Do you believe that there is an air we breathe? Some will definitely say yes; have you seen love or air can your describe love or air or what it looks like.

Why is man on this planet and not in other planet? What are we here for? What is the purpose of life on earth?  All those we have lost, are we ever going to see them again? We want answers and it hurts when you can find answers. May be we are all supposed to live by faith. That is another question, what do you believe?