To be completely honest with you, I've been avoiding the news as much as possibly lately. It just too much, it's too sad to think of those kids and those teachers. But, I don't live under a rock, I am not a starfish. And I have Facebook. There are a million things I could say about what happened.
We NEED to stop ignoring mental health issues. We don't need to start talking about the idea of maybe thinking about creating a committee for mental health issues. We need to just stop pretending like they don't exist. We need to focus on helping people more, and supporting people more. But I think this is beating a dead horse and everyone has their opinion on it anyways.
I could talk about guns. But I've said my piece. I will never understand why people think assault rifles should not be banned, since the entire purpose of an Assault Rifle is to ASSAULT people. But whatever, I am out of words to say on the guns issue.
No, my issue is this prayers in schools thing. First, why use such a horrible event to push such a ridiculous agenda? Second, prayer IS allowed in school, just not prayer of one religion administrated by to teachers. And third, the last time I check, God is there whether or not you are praying.
Here is how God works. (or at least the God I was taught to believe in). Also, might I add, this is how many of the people claiming this happened because prayer isn't allowed in schools say that God works also. God loves everyone. God loves people that believe, and people that don't believe. God protects. God does not only protect people that believe. God does not love conditionally, based upon whether or not you are praying. God does not even stop loving if you are sinning (so even if prayers SHOULD be allowed to be forced by teachers, thus not allowing it is a sin, God still loves the people not allowing it). God doesn't disappear when you stop praying and reappear when you start praying again. God does not force anybody to believe in Him, he simply waits patiently. God does not hate (I think the Westboro Baptist Church missed this memo). God doesn't stop loving people, it's just not a thing.
So to say that if there had been more prayer, and more God, and more christianity in that school this wouldn't have happened is just one big insult to the families, the lives lost, christians, God, and really, America. Look instead at all the moments that God (and/or the higher power/protector/Allah/Yahweh/etc) WAS there. Look at how many loves WEREN'T lost. Look at what those teachers did to save the lives of their students, seriously, that doesn't show you that God was there? That a 20-something from an evidently selfish generation could care so deeply for children who weren't hers that she would only know for a year, that she would take a bullet for them, if all you can see from that is that there isn't enough God is the world, you need new glasses.
To take away from the heroic acts of the people in Connecticut that God wasn't there, would be like taking away from Jesus dying on the cross that God wasn't there. Oh, don't get offended, it's true. I mean, what a terrible event to have this innocent man who was only trying to bring good to the world, who was the King of the Jews be crucified, where was God? Did this happen because Jesus and his disciples didn't pray enough? No, of course not that is a dumb thing to say.
Neither Jesus, nor God would ever force themselves upon someone. So why should you force them upon someone? Why should you speak for God and say he wasn't there, when clearly he was, because he always is. I can't explain why those tiny lives were lost, and I don't wish to because it's so horrible that they were. But I'm pretty sure God doesn't just sit back and watch things like that happen. At least not the one that I was taught to believe in.
16.12.12
guns
There is not really an effective way to explain the number of thoughts that went through my mind on Friday afternoon. I was standing in the courthouse, watching the trial of the murder of my aunt wear down on my family, listening to people talk about the new law allowing guns to be taken into new places especially schools (this was the place we all were the most concerned about). None of us had our cell phones because they aren't allowed in the courthouse, there are no TVs in the courthouse. There is no way to know what is happening in the outside world. Maybe this was for the best, did we really need to see all that news flashing on the screens while the jury was deliberating?
As we head to leave because the jury hadn't made a decision the deputy stops us and informs us of the horrible events of Friday afternoon. I pretty much stopped listening after "first grade classroom."
Like I said, there is no effective way to possibly explain the thoughts that went through my head in the moment. The first was that my very best friend in the first grade teacher, so I should make sure she's ok. But she lives in Colorado, so that was a fleeting thought. The second was those poor poor children. Those poor parents. That teacher. And my very next thought was, guns ruin everything.
Now, I realize that maybe in your lifetime you have enjoyed killing a Bambi or two. And when I say that my dad points out that I eat Betsy the cow, but hey, if you're killing in order to feed society go for it, and besides, this isn't a debate about hunting and vegetarianism. But in my lifetime, the only things guns have done is destroy lives.
Guns are the reason that I grew up, from the day before (June 18th, 1989) I was 20 months old, in a state of tragedy. Guns are the reason that my brothers 4th birthday party probably sucked and was basically just happening (so I've been told, I don't remember). Guns are the reason that my mom lost one of her sisters, and that 3 of my cousins grew up without a mom.
Guns are the reason all those kids died in Columbine. And the reason all those people died in Virginia Tech. Guns are the reason a teenage boy died in an Ann Arbor high school, he was playing with his dad's gun when his friend accidentally pulled the trigger. Guns are the reason for the lives lost in Aurora. And the lives lost in NYC, Detroit, Chicago, LA and every other urban city every single day.
The prosectur in my aunt's trial used one of my least favorite phrases to make a really good point. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Gross. I hate that. But somebody has to have the gun. Somebody has to have the gun to use to to kill somebody on accident, on purpose, planned or unplanned. If you don't have a gun, you can't shoot somebody.
If now is not the time to talk about gun control. If now is not the time to talk about how to save those lives. If now is not the time to make sure those kids did not die in vain, then when is the time?
People don't want to talk about it because it sucks to talk about death. And they know that it will require them giving up some of their guns. If it will require admitting that the second amendment doesn't actually mean you just get to have AK-47's laying around the house.
As we head to leave because the jury hadn't made a decision the deputy stops us and informs us of the horrible events of Friday afternoon. I pretty much stopped listening after "first grade classroom."
Like I said, there is no effective way to possibly explain the thoughts that went through my head in the moment. The first was that my very best friend in the first grade teacher, so I should make sure she's ok. But she lives in Colorado, so that was a fleeting thought. The second was those poor poor children. Those poor parents. That teacher. And my very next thought was, guns ruin everything.
Now, I realize that maybe in your lifetime you have enjoyed killing a Bambi or two. And when I say that my dad points out that I eat Betsy the cow, but hey, if you're killing in order to feed society go for it, and besides, this isn't a debate about hunting and vegetarianism. But in my lifetime, the only things guns have done is destroy lives.
Guns are the reason that I grew up, from the day before (June 18th, 1989) I was 20 months old, in a state of tragedy. Guns are the reason that my brothers 4th birthday party probably sucked and was basically just happening (so I've been told, I don't remember). Guns are the reason that my mom lost one of her sisters, and that 3 of my cousins grew up without a mom.
Guns are the reason all those kids died in Columbine. And the reason all those people died in Virginia Tech. Guns are the reason a teenage boy died in an Ann Arbor high school, he was playing with his dad's gun when his friend accidentally pulled the trigger. Guns are the reason for the lives lost in Aurora. And the lives lost in NYC, Detroit, Chicago, LA and every other urban city every single day.
The prosectur in my aunt's trial used one of my least favorite phrases to make a really good point. Guns don't kill people, people kill people. Gross. I hate that. But somebody has to have the gun. Somebody has to have the gun to use to to kill somebody on accident, on purpose, planned or unplanned. If you don't have a gun, you can't shoot somebody.
If now is not the time to talk about gun control. If now is not the time to talk about how to save those lives. If now is not the time to make sure those kids did not die in vain, then when is the time?
People don't want to talk about it because it sucks to talk about death. And they know that it will require them giving up some of their guns. If it will require admitting that the second amendment doesn't actually mean you just get to have AK-47's laying around the house.
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