Could we stop shouting slogans from the NRA talking points and
really look seriously at this issue . . .
it deserves—no, it demands a focus on the goal of
decreasing violence of all kinds, everywhere.
BOTTOM LINE: let’s talk, not yell . . .
let’s listen – let’s discuss
• proper use of weapons,
• response training,
• effective protection approaches
along with
• the “right way” to resolve disagreements
• anger management
• respecting each other and all human life
At the founding of the United States of America, the Constitution stated:
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect UNION,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
It is NOT about my “right” to carry a military-style weapon,
it was and is about coming together to create and maintain certain ideals:
domestic tranquility, common defense, general welfare . . .
let’s discuss and let’s listen to each other,
let’s work out the best way to pursue these ideals for me and you–
the thoughtful and respectful exchange of ideas
can guide us through stormy times to a more peaceful world
away from the teenage-back alley-bully dramas
currently blocking adult interactions.
Is there an answer? I think there is . . .
barbarajhicks
Jeanne
Jeanne H Barnett's Blog 
Sadly, this is a testament to how powerful the gun lobbyists are, and the amount of money they have to control and bribe the government. This is interesting because I just saw a documentary on YouTube entitled ‘Who Controls America’.
It dealt with who controlled America. By the end of the documentary, the general consensus was the lobbyists are the ones in control. The fact that they use their wealth to bribe those in office. The documentary used the word ‘bribe’ that’s essentially what they are! Bribes. It’s not ‘we the people’ anymore.
Good insights! I do think that it is still “we the people” but we have joined the loud voices shouting at the flaws in a government that we continue to support by sending representatives who fall under the influence of money (lobbyists) and power and then we do not hold them accountable to standards of common decency. “Heart conditions” are the root of our challenges in the world today and, until each of us takes the time to look honestly at ourselves and our standards (not in a harsh, judgemental way), stop judging others, and stop shouting long enough to discover what standards we really want to “rule” in our country, we cannot move forward. WE are the government and until we accept that responsibility for what we continue to elect, we will avoid changing anything. We need to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, and search our own hearts and listen to the hearts of others.