There is a classic holiday song that says "Christmas won't be the same this year" and never has that been more true for me. This will be the first Christmas since my mother passed away. The holidays are a difficult time for those who have lost loved ones. That had never been so true for the family members of those slain in Newtown, CT. I remember my mother struggling to enjoy the holidays after losing her own parents. It was a difficult reminder for her as this upcoming Christmas will be for me and my family. I remember telling her that she still has us (her children) and the rest of the family and that Grandma would not like to see her sad. Eventually she adjusted and got right back into it being the matriarch of the family. This time is for family, no matter who we have lost. Despite losses of loved ones, one must consider the reason for the season.
I'm not going to begin a historical and philosophical debate on when Jesus Christ was born etc. What I do know is that December 25th is the world wide accepted day we celebrate his birth. For all those who are not believers its a holiday to them as well about the exact same principles christians share (just minus the birth of The Lord and Savior) and thus the majority of the world celebrates. Life continues to move on when our loved ones pass as a result so must we. That fact does not make it any easier as I personally know all too well.
For all those who find themselves struggling to find the Christmas spirit consider the other family members and loved ones in your life. It was hard on me watching my mother deal with her struggle. In my mind I am thinking what about me? For all of us out there who have their struggles never forget the reason or your remaining friends and family. I know my mother would want me (and her mother before her) to carry on a loving and celebratory tradition. Despite our losses lets never forget to be thankful and appreciative of being here and all those we still have. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
The Grand Absurd Party
Before I begin this lambasting let it be known that I am a registered Independent. I side with each party depending on the issue at hand. I do not believe in painting across all issues with a broad brush (following the views of one party), each is delicate and deserves its own opinions and responses. That being said The Republican "Grand Old Party" is losing its grip on credibility. They are struggling with the blow of a second term by President Obama, and are tasked with negotiating a myriad of financial issues to prevent the infamous "fiscal cliff". It is known that Republicans oppose tax hikes for Americans, especially wealthy Americans.
President Obama wants to raise taxes on families earning $250,000 or more annually. That's a quarter million dollars of annual income or more. He also wants to extend existing taxes cuts for all those who make less than $250,000. The Democrats want to separate the vote for each action (obviously The Republicans would not dare say no to extending cuts for those earning less) , Republicans however want to put it all together either extending cuts for all or none at all in order to protect the wealthier citizens.
Let it be known there is nothing wrong with making money and one day I intend to fall in that higher bracket. That being said if there was a vote clearly (due to sheer numbers) the majority of Americans support this idea. Republican Speaker Boehner crafted a compromise that raised taxes for those making more than $1,000,000 (that's right 1 million). His own party backed out on him leaving him looking foolish and the whole GOP looking awful.
There are so many Republicans who have taken pledges not to raise taxes and this failure to compromise is proof. In order to create a balanced budget there must be reductions in spending (cuts) and revenue increases (taxes). If that is a fact how can Republicans negotiate in good faith when they refuse to raise taxes. That's like saying I'm here to negotiate but let it be known this is how its gonna be. It's insanity. Their failure to compromise and meet halfway for the well being of the majority of America (because you can't make everyone happy) should cost all of them their jobs.
I honestly believe that the notion of both parties should fall so that people vote how they really feel on each issue and not just what their party says. Until then we have this political warfare being played with American lives being impacted. One side has come to the table to play, it's time for the GOP to stop looking crazy and compromise. If this fiscal cliff actually happens then all Republicans should be voted out of office for failure to lead toward compromise. They are the ones who took pledges. They are the ones who refuse to budge. They believe in holding fast to principle and pledges to Grover Norquist over what's best for the country as a whole. It's time for them to come and propose a compromise that they can support otherwise it should be them that suffers rising unemployment and that's my Profound Perspective.
President Obama wants to raise taxes on families earning $250,000 or more annually. That's a quarter million dollars of annual income or more. He also wants to extend existing taxes cuts for all those who make less than $250,000. The Democrats want to separate the vote for each action (obviously The Republicans would not dare say no to extending cuts for those earning less) , Republicans however want to put it all together either extending cuts for all or none at all in order to protect the wealthier citizens.
Let it be known there is nothing wrong with making money and one day I intend to fall in that higher bracket. That being said if there was a vote clearly (due to sheer numbers) the majority of Americans support this idea. Republican Speaker Boehner crafted a compromise that raised taxes for those making more than $1,000,000 (that's right 1 million). His own party backed out on him leaving him looking foolish and the whole GOP looking awful.
There are so many Republicans who have taken pledges not to raise taxes and this failure to compromise is proof. In order to create a balanced budget there must be reductions in spending (cuts) and revenue increases (taxes). If that is a fact how can Republicans negotiate in good faith when they refuse to raise taxes. That's like saying I'm here to negotiate but let it be known this is how its gonna be. It's insanity. Their failure to compromise and meet halfway for the well being of the majority of America (because you can't make everyone happy) should cost all of them their jobs.
I honestly believe that the notion of both parties should fall so that people vote how they really feel on each issue and not just what their party says. Until then we have this political warfare being played with American lives being impacted. One side has come to the table to play, it's time for the GOP to stop looking crazy and compromise. If this fiscal cliff actually happens then all Republicans should be voted out of office for failure to lead toward compromise. They are the ones who took pledges. They are the ones who refuse to budge. They believe in holding fast to principle and pledges to Grover Norquist over what's best for the country as a whole. It's time for them to come and propose a compromise that they can support otherwise it should be them that suffers rising unemployment and that's my Profound Perspective.
SHES Aftermath Pt 2: Mental Health
The second major issue following the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy is mental health in America. My focus in this post is not on the various types of mental health but on how it is treated and handled in America. When I first heard of this atrocious crime I asked myself what kind of sick monster would do such a thing. Eventually as the proper details have come out it turns out the gunman was in fact sick. The alleged gunman in this travesty was diagnosed with Autism and Aspegers Syndrome. Before I continue on let it be known I had two family members with varying degrees of Autusm. I do not believe that having these disorders makes you dangerous but lack of proper care and treatment can.
The alleged gunman's mental disorders gave him a reduced ability to feel empathy and emotion. Which unfortunately allowed him to commit heinous acts without his conscience. Dealing with an autistic child is frustrating, as a result his mother has been documented as frequenting a gun range (with the shooter in question) to connect with her son. That decision was as negligent and poor as it gets. The mother holds responsibility (in my humble opinion) for these crimes alongside the gunman himself. In what may have been a good hearted (yet undeniably negligent) attempt at connecting with her child she introduced a dangerous activity to someone with known mental health issues. I love my autistic family members but I know that they have no business at a gun range let alone handling one.
In this country I believe there are millions of people living with mental health disorders and have never been diagnosed. People tend to think of mental health problems in the extreme (I.e. severe autism and mental retardation, schizophrenia etc) when there are so many common yet complex issues that every day "normal on the outside" people struggle with. These issues range from depression, bi-polar disorder, attention deficit, hyperactive, and Obsessive compulsive all the way up to the major life inhibiting disorders. Half the battle is being able to accept and identify them. People avoid talking about or checking for them due to the negative connotations associated with them. By identifying these issues you can change ones life for the better with simple treatment or therapy or even the strong support of aware loved ones.
I am not one to claim to know what the gunman's mother was going through or what pushed her toward the idea that playing with guns was good for her and her child. It can be increasingly disheartening to deal with a debilitating mental disorder. It's hard enough to have a relationship with someone who may be bi-polar or depressed let alone something like autism. We as a society must continue to bring light to mental health in order to promote and identify mental well being for the sake of all society.
On any given day a "normal" person can be driven off of the "deep end" so another thing we must consider is how we deal with and interact with strangers and especially our loved ones. You never know what a person is going through when they are having a bad day, make a mistake or even lash out themselves in anger. You never want to be the person who sets someone off. We will never know what pushed this gunman with known mental health problems into this atrocity, but what we can see is that he was mishandled by his care takers. Please do not confuse mishandle with abuse because I am sure that his mother most likely loved him very much and only wanted for his well being however mistakes were made.
A series of unfortunate events pushed a mentally challenged person into this monstrous act that had changed lives and ultimately America. We as a society must raise awareness of mental health issues to the forefront of everyone so people can be identified and treated. In doing so we must be careful however to not begin witch hunts especially with our youth. When I was in middle school I had an incident where I could hardly remember what another classmate had done to anger me. I remember walking out into the hallway to calm down, when followed by the teacher she asked me to return to class. I told her I needed a minute, when she asked why my response was "they keep pissing me off, makes me wanna kill somebody". This poor choice of words prompted multiple interviews with school officials and my mother. I couldn't imagine the response such words would have in today's world, needless to say I continued on just fine after some uncomfortable conversations due to my figure of speech.
School children will forever be mean, inappropriate and cruel to each other. Some will ignore and forget and some (especially those with mental health issues) harbor and internalize in unhealthy ways. People of all ages must learn to love and care for each other properly. Mental health awareness and support is the first step toward helping a rising problem in this country. Treating each other with respect and dignity on a daily basis is the next. School children are immature but the adults have no excuse. We should be teaching our children to set examples and never be the bulky or the clown who makes fun. We as adults need to practice such behavior in public ourselves. I believe that simple kindness and simple awareness of health issues can help make the world a better place, and possibly prevent the next tragedy and that is my Profound Perspective.
The alleged gunman's mental disorders gave him a reduced ability to feel empathy and emotion. Which unfortunately allowed him to commit heinous acts without his conscience. Dealing with an autistic child is frustrating, as a result his mother has been documented as frequenting a gun range (with the shooter in question) to connect with her son. That decision was as negligent and poor as it gets. The mother holds responsibility (in my humble opinion) for these crimes alongside the gunman himself. In what may have been a good hearted (yet undeniably negligent) attempt at connecting with her child she introduced a dangerous activity to someone with known mental health issues. I love my autistic family members but I know that they have no business at a gun range let alone handling one.
In this country I believe there are millions of people living with mental health disorders and have never been diagnosed. People tend to think of mental health problems in the extreme (I.e. severe autism and mental retardation, schizophrenia etc) when there are so many common yet complex issues that every day "normal on the outside" people struggle with. These issues range from depression, bi-polar disorder, attention deficit, hyperactive, and Obsessive compulsive all the way up to the major life inhibiting disorders. Half the battle is being able to accept and identify them. People avoid talking about or checking for them due to the negative connotations associated with them. By identifying these issues you can change ones life for the better with simple treatment or therapy or even the strong support of aware loved ones.
I am not one to claim to know what the gunman's mother was going through or what pushed her toward the idea that playing with guns was good for her and her child. It can be increasingly disheartening to deal with a debilitating mental disorder. It's hard enough to have a relationship with someone who may be bi-polar or depressed let alone something like autism. We as a society must continue to bring light to mental health in order to promote and identify mental well being for the sake of all society.
On any given day a "normal" person can be driven off of the "deep end" so another thing we must consider is how we deal with and interact with strangers and especially our loved ones. You never know what a person is going through when they are having a bad day, make a mistake or even lash out themselves in anger. You never want to be the person who sets someone off. We will never know what pushed this gunman with known mental health problems into this atrocity, but what we can see is that he was mishandled by his care takers. Please do not confuse mishandle with abuse because I am sure that his mother most likely loved him very much and only wanted for his well being however mistakes were made.
A series of unfortunate events pushed a mentally challenged person into this monstrous act that had changed lives and ultimately America. We as a society must raise awareness of mental health issues to the forefront of everyone so people can be identified and treated. In doing so we must be careful however to not begin witch hunts especially with our youth. When I was in middle school I had an incident where I could hardly remember what another classmate had done to anger me. I remember walking out into the hallway to calm down, when followed by the teacher she asked me to return to class. I told her I needed a minute, when she asked why my response was "they keep pissing me off, makes me wanna kill somebody". This poor choice of words prompted multiple interviews with school officials and my mother. I couldn't imagine the response such words would have in today's world, needless to say I continued on just fine after some uncomfortable conversations due to my figure of speech.
School children will forever be mean, inappropriate and cruel to each other. Some will ignore and forget and some (especially those with mental health issues) harbor and internalize in unhealthy ways. People of all ages must learn to love and care for each other properly. Mental health awareness and support is the first step toward helping a rising problem in this country. Treating each other with respect and dignity on a daily basis is the next. School children are immature but the adults have no excuse. We should be teaching our children to set examples and never be the bulky or the clown who makes fun. We as adults need to practice such behavior in public ourselves. I believe that simple kindness and simple awareness of health issues can help make the world a better place, and possibly prevent the next tragedy and that is my Profound Perspective.
Friday, December 21, 2012
SHES Aftermath Pt 1: Gun Control
The Sandy Hook Elementary School Tragedy has once again sparked the debate for gun control legislation. After each unfortunate mass shooting in America there is a discussion for gun control. It has been pushed back to prevent a knee jerk reaction many times before however I feel as though now is the time it will not be ignored.
Many times people have called for an all out ban on guns, I do not believe this is a reasonable response as it would punish law abiding citizens. Furthermore the last time I checked criminals do not make legal gun purchases anyways. I am split on parts of this issue. I believe in the right to carry handguns (concealed carry as well) and to own all weapons for reasonable self defense and hunting. What I do not believe in is the right to own fully automatic rifles with 100 round drums .
There is a limit to the weapons we are allowed to own. I can't own a nuke or a fully armed F-22 or Tank if I could afford it (extreme examples of course) so where do we draw this line? Fully automatic Uzis and high powered fully automatic rifles have no place in self defense or hunting. These are war machines capable of cutting down large crowds.
Let it be known that most of the killing done in Newtown, CT and Aurora, CO were done with handguns and shotguns, weapons that I support having. These weapons were tools used by the deranged to cause carnage. I believe in the right to bear arms. I also believe it has reasonable limitations as well just like the first amendment. I cannot yell fire in a crowded place and hide behind free speech. Therefore one should not be able to own impractical war machines and say its my second amendment right.
There must be reasonable concessions on both sides. There are too many states that make it nearly impossible to own and carry firearms. Nobody has to justify having a right to free speech and neither should I have to justify my right to carry a firearm. There are certain places where the average joe shouldn't be able to carry (but police still can) such as private business who decided they do not welcome guns (no different than declining someone who has no shirt shoes, etc) and places where there is a security risk (government facilities, courthouses, etc). The NRA came out with a poorly worded response to the tragedy and its aftermath. They may have meant well but they came off as right wing maniacs. I actually support having armed officers and guards in schools. As a matter of a fact recent studies have shown that 1 in 3 schools already have armed personnel (mostly high schools). Now I am not going as far as requiring armed teachers and administrators however children are precious cargo and they should be given reasonable protection to guard against the unthinkable.
Timothy McVeigh used household ingredients to kill 168 people and injure over 800. More children died that day than in Newtown a week ago. I say that not to compare atrocities but to site that the deranged will always find ways to harm. The tools are not to blame and banning guns wont stop madmen from killing. This country is a violent culture than can be negotiated just fine for all those mentally healthy. Violence in media is not the cause of societies problems. I find it more alarming to kill a large animal then butcher it for food (which has gone on for centuries) than it is to watch a fictional gunfight. The true underlying problem with these killings is what leads me into my next post. The true problem with these mass killings is Mental Health in America.
Many times people have called for an all out ban on guns, I do not believe this is a reasonable response as it would punish law abiding citizens. Furthermore the last time I checked criminals do not make legal gun purchases anyways. I am split on parts of this issue. I believe in the right to carry handguns (concealed carry as well) and to own all weapons for reasonable self defense and hunting. What I do not believe in is the right to own fully automatic rifles with 100 round drums .
There is a limit to the weapons we are allowed to own. I can't own a nuke or a fully armed F-22 or Tank if I could afford it (extreme examples of course) so where do we draw this line? Fully automatic Uzis and high powered fully automatic rifles have no place in self defense or hunting. These are war machines capable of cutting down large crowds.
Let it be known that most of the killing done in Newtown, CT and Aurora, CO were done with handguns and shotguns, weapons that I support having. These weapons were tools used by the deranged to cause carnage. I believe in the right to bear arms. I also believe it has reasonable limitations as well just like the first amendment. I cannot yell fire in a crowded place and hide behind free speech. Therefore one should not be able to own impractical war machines and say its my second amendment right.
There must be reasonable concessions on both sides. There are too many states that make it nearly impossible to own and carry firearms. Nobody has to justify having a right to free speech and neither should I have to justify my right to carry a firearm. There are certain places where the average joe shouldn't be able to carry (but police still can) such as private business who decided they do not welcome guns (no different than declining someone who has no shirt shoes, etc) and places where there is a security risk (government facilities, courthouses, etc). The NRA came out with a poorly worded response to the tragedy and its aftermath. They may have meant well but they came off as right wing maniacs. I actually support having armed officers and guards in schools. As a matter of a fact recent studies have shown that 1 in 3 schools already have armed personnel (mostly high schools). Now I am not going as far as requiring armed teachers and administrators however children are precious cargo and they should be given reasonable protection to guard against the unthinkable.
Timothy McVeigh used household ingredients to kill 168 people and injure over 800. More children died that day than in Newtown a week ago. I say that not to compare atrocities but to site that the deranged will always find ways to harm. The tools are not to blame and banning guns wont stop madmen from killing. This country is a violent culture than can be negotiated just fine for all those mentally healthy. Violence in media is not the cause of societies problems. I find it more alarming to kill a large animal then butcher it for food (which has gone on for centuries) than it is to watch a fictional gunfight. The true underlying problem with these killings is what leads me into my next post. The true problem with these mass killings is Mental Health in America.
Responding To A Tragedy
The tragedy of Newtown is a tragedy for all of America. A world where 1st graders are not safe in school is a sign of the times. A microcosm for the ills of America. I am not capable of writing words to express the heartbreaking sorrow for all the families affected. My heart truly goes out to them.
In the wake of this event there has been much discussion about addressing some key issues in America which I will address in two separate posts. Each post will cover the topics of Gun Control and Mental Health. Please read, stay open minded and add to the discussion of my Profound Perspective.
In the wake of this event there has been much discussion about addressing some key issues in America which I will address in two separate posts. Each post will cover the topics of Gun Control and Mental Health. Please read, stay open minded and add to the discussion of my Profound Perspective.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
The Art of Manliness
I had to share this blog because it is a great and interesting bank of knowledge for all men and even the women who want some info and insight. Check it out:
http://artofmanliness.com/
http://artofmanliness.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)