Some Thoughts On Guns

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Compassion, Conspiracies, Emotional Intelligence, Guns, Hate, Memorial, Middle Way, Open mind, Patriotism, Politics

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I wrote the following essay one year ago yesterday…

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Some thoughts on guns. (It’s not what you think)

I grew up in a home with guns, and I was taught respect for them. That respect was extended from the real ones to the fake one. Those who grew up in a responsible gun home know what those rules are, my job is not to go into them right now. Nevertheless, they are essential.

And so, I had set of snazzy cap guns. I also had a little Daisy single pump BB gun. When we went shooting with my father we would use a .22 mostly. And as we proved our ability to be trusted, and to physically handle larger caliber weapons, we were allowed to do so while under supervision. I’m pretty sure I still have a bruise from the first time I was allowed to shoot a muzzle loader.

When I finally reached the age at which I was allowed to go hunting with my father, I got myself all oranged up, I was handed a 16 gauge shotgun and other essentials, and off we went.

At some point during that day it hit me what I was doing. I was only around 12 years old, I was carrying a powerful weapon and I was trying to kill something. It was an epiphany of sorts for me. I still love venison, but I never went hunting again.

I also didn’t write off guns. I had been brought up around them in such a way that I accepted that they were simply something that was in this world. Just like pencils and shovels. They are simply tools.

I do not like or dislike gun owners, nor do I feel either way about those who dislike guns. Everyone is entitled to their own position and feelings. As long as it’s theirs and theirs alone. But that’s where the problem starts.

What I do not like are organizations like the NRA who hide behind laws, assume a rigid public position, obfuscate the truth, and subtly dictate public opinion.

Here is a prime example: There is a saying the NRA are quite fond of that goes like this: “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people!” At its essence this saying is true. The insinuation being that a person bent on killing could just as easily do so with a shovel to the head, or a pencil in the jugular. The intent comes from the individual, the tool is inanimate without the person. People do the killing.

But there’s another saying that the NRA is fond of, and it’s somewhat different. This one says: “Guns save lives!”

Do you see the problem yet?

Guns can’t be credited with saving lives, but absolved of killing people at the same time. They are still just a tool. If someone with a gun saves a life, then that person just saved a life… they just happened to use a gun to do it. They could just have well done it with a can of pepper spray, or a well aimed Moe Howard poke to the eyes.

And so the truth is that people kill people. And it is also true that people save lives.

So what’s the real problem? It’s not the guns. It’s not the mental health system. It’s not the anti-gun movement. It’s not religious nuts. It’s money, and its politics. It’s fear, and it’s organizations like the NRA.

Gun sales skyrocket not by slick marketing campaigns like cars and snack foods do, they rise in relation to national fear. Notice what happens anytime a liberal gets in a seat of power… Rumors begin to circulate that they’re coming for your guns. This kind of campaign works particularly well via social media where it’s easy to hit the “Forward” button without having to check the facts. Look at what happened to gun sales when Barack Obama was elected President, there was an explosion in weapon and ammo sales! And yet, the president never said a word about guns or gun control for years. Yet social media was full of insinuations and rumors that this socialist black Muslim dictator was going to take your guns, your rights, and your freedom.

And the fear rose, as did the gun sales. All the while the Second Amendment remained untouched and unchallenged. And hunters and housewives could still get an AK-47.

If you mix that kind of fear and paranoia with firearms, things begin to get dangerous. And if you add in the lack of respect, education, and basic safety for those same weapons, well then you get a perfect storm for destruction. There’s only one component left for detonation.

The media. The media is the secret ingredient to America’s gun violence.

It’s the media that starts AND causes the chain reaction in a multitude of ways. It’s no secret that they judge a story’s level of importance with the saying “If it bleeds, it leads!” When a mass shooting occurs, it’s the media who race each other to be the first to air a retrospective on the killer: Name, Religion, Family, Upbringing… Make sure to zoom in on a sepia-tone shot of the killer with a look of defiance or hate on his face.

The focus on ratings has so blinded the entire industry that they now have to actually avoid the direct correlation between their “in depth” coverage of the killers and the rising tide of victims.

And so the problem starts with the money and gun sales. It gestates with the lobbying power that the NRA wields. Dripping in cash, they swat at naysayers with a rolled up copy of the Second Amendment. The problem, then gets fed and nurtured with the fiction and lies of social media. Only to emerge, fully formed, in all its complexities, as a single deadly act. Each facet of which is so unique and overwhelming that they alone are capable of producing and sustaining entire conversations, each one distracting the public in a thousand different directions.

All the while we struggle, argue, cry and fight, looking for the circle’s beginning that we’re sure is there somewhere.

Srinivas Kuchibhotla

26 Sunday Feb 2017

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Compassion, Ego, Hate, Human, Memorial, Middle Way, Patriotism, Politics, Race, Terrorism, Trump-Hole

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When Srinivas Kuchibhotla was shot the other day, it was by an angry, drunken American man, screaming “Get out of my Country!” While this story has been in the news somewhat, it’s not a headline. Trump skipping the Correspondence Dinner is, but not a white guy murdering an immigrant. But, let me ask you this, do you honestly think if the roles were reversed that it wouldn’t be a HUGE headline?

Apparently Mr. Kuchibhotl’s wife was concerned about staying in America too, because of the surge in violence lately. But he assured her by saying “Good thing happen in America!” By most definitions, this sounds like the kind of immigrant you want coming in your country, even by conservative standards.

In fact, Donald Trump has repeatedly talked about attracting these very kinds of immigrants! “People that love us and want to love our country and will end up loving our country are allowed in.”, Trump croons. It seems like Srinivas Kuchibhotla was exactly this kind of guy Trump asked for. And he was murdered for it.

And now, the very same President won’t call this a hate crime. He won’t even consider the possibility that his own stance on immigration contributed to the killing at all.

Death of The Colossus

28 Saturday Jan 2017

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Change, Hate, Indivisible, Islam, Memorial, Middle Way, Politics, Race, Terrorism, Trump-Hole

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There once was a country so universally admired for its freedom and openness that they were given a gift of a symbolic colossal sculpture. The statue was erected on an island is a busy harbor for all incoming refugees to see.

At the base of the massive structure were two notable items. One, a set of broken shackles, meant to symbolize freedom from oppression and tyranny. The other, a plaque containing a poem entitled The New Colossus. It read: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

130 years after the dedication of this symbol of worldwide hope and freedom, the following headline appeared, marking the end of an era:

Day 1, Amendment 1

22 Sunday Jan 2017

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Conspiracies, Dingleberries, First Amendment, Indivisible, Memorial, Middle Way, Patriotism, Politics, Trump-Hole

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A little over a month ago I wrote a post called “The First Amendment – A Demogogue’s Impediment” because there was at least one thing that was becoming obvious to me about Donald Trump, he detests The First Amendment!

About a week ago I made another small post called “What First Amendment?“, because there’s a possibility that the new administration will be removing the press from the White House under the guise of remodeling the briefing room. Taken out of context, this would be no big deal, but viewed under the lens of Trump’s overt feelings about the media, and its downright ominous.

Trump has always been able to do what he wants in his life. He’s had the money to entertain his whims and his appetites. His businesses have always remained in private hands, and there’s every indication that he’s done so purposely. His name is his brand, and recognition is his highest goal. While he may seem like the King of Materialism, his love of money is secondary to his need to feel important. He’s said as much when asked about his personal worth: “My net worth fluctuates, and it goes up and down with the markets and with attitudes and with feelings, even my own feelings…”

But, you see, because his businesses are private, and his persona is public, there has always been attempts by the media to get an idea as to how much Trump is definitively worth. Incidentally, he’s not as wealthy as he would have you think. In his haste to sue anyone and everyone for defamation of character, he has had to release financial information during the discovery process of some of these lawsuits. Luckily for us, people like Tim O’Brien have been willing to share what they’ve gleaned from this process.

Meanwhile, Donald has always subscribed to the belief that the truth is really all about perception. Maybe that’s why, back in 1991, he would call around to news outlets pretending to be his own publicist in order to get people talking about places Mr. Trump was going to appear. A fact that, when recently rediscovered during his presidential campaign, brought his denouncements of “the lying media” to the surface once again.

You see, Donald Trump has always seen his job as manipulating the public conversation in favor of himself and his business dealings. And anyone who dares to not take him at his word is to him, by default, a liar. And since it’s the job of the press to report to the people about their government representatives, and because of this, the very same press is naturally going to be in conflict with Trump’s perception of himself if it doesn’t dovetail with the verifiable facts.

All of this would be a joke if not for the case he has been building against the media to the American people since his campaign launched. Add to that the scant press briefings and rumored removal of any media from the current location in the White House, and it gets downright alarming.

That brings us to the present. Or more specifically, January 21, 2017, Trump’s first full day in office. It was on this day that he stood in front of the CIA Memorial Wall for people who have died in the line of duty and proceeded to bicker about the false coverage the attendance at his inauguration received from the media, calling them “…among the most dishonest human beings on Earth.” Aside from how disrespectful it is to complain about your popularity while standing in front of a symbol erected for those who have given their lives to a higher purpose, it also was just plain wrong. There is ample evidence about everything to do with any inauguration, people don’t need to make things up when the public can just look it up themselves. Donald, however, trusts that his supporters won’t do so. As long as he adds “believe me” at the end of his sentences, it should be good enough for them. Then there’s the fact that he has been loading his appearances with his own cheerleaders who are tasked with whooping, hollering, and jeering when necessary… you can see how he continues to shape the reality he wants.

Trump wanted power, and he wanted admiration. He assumed that one came with the other, and has shown he is willing to do whatever it takes to get both. But he never thought his plan through.

Trump’s desire to be the most powerful man in the world has placed him smack-dab in the middle of the most conspicuous and scrutinized place in the world, the seat of the American Presidency. He distaste for the media will get worse by the day because his lust for power has ultimately backfired, and he now finds himself surrounded by laws he can no longer neatly evade, and that require the American people and our media to question and verify every word he utters from now on. It is our civic duty to question him, and all politicians for that matter. Remember, Donald Trump works for us now.

A Piece-Full Transition

28 Wednesday Dec 2016

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Change, Conspiracies, Dingleberries, Memorial, Middle Way, Patriotism, Politics, Terrorism, Trump-Hole

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This morning Donald Trump tweeted his disappointment about the transition between President Obama and himself. It was the (as usual) knee-jerk reaction from a comment made by President Obama that he felt he would have won a third term against Donald Trump if he’d been allowed to run again.

As is becoming painfully obvious, Donald Trump is unable to bear even the smallest slight against his reputation, and since the President had the audacity to make this comment on the record, there is little or no chance that Trump will be able to forget this disparaging remark anytime soon. Of course, Trump has proven that he won’t let something like this slide, but he has also proven that he sees these kinds of comments as an opportunity to advance his own agenda.

It’s almost as if Trump has begun laying the groundwork for how the transition of power was eventually botched to make him look bad, or to undermine his ability to govern. But why?

If you look back at the election he did the same thing regarding the validity of the election system, casting doubt in an obvious attempt to explain what looked like a pending loss. His numbers were in the toilet and he needed to begin the misinformation campaign to explain a loss were it to occur.

Now, as Trump prepares to head to the White House his favorability numbers are among the lowest of any President-elect in a long time, 43% at last glance (compare that to Obama’s 68% when he was entering office in 2009). Meanwhile, Barack Obama’s favorability ratings on the way out the door are hovering around 54%, a full 11% higher than the Mr. Trump (Note that at this point George W. Bush’s numbers were at an all-time low of 22%). In other words, Trump is already running at a deficit in public opinion, and that has to be someone’s fault!

Traditionally Presidents have gone out of their way to maintain a peaceful transition of power, no matter who their replacement or predecessor. They also have refrained from badmouthing their predecessor, since it’s understood that with the office comes many inherited difficulties, sometimes going back generations. It’s a job with a lot of power, a very wide scope, and a ton of problems. So what happens when a man who cannot accept fault in any way, and who consistently makes sure that to pass the buck rather accepting the responsibility for it, inherits all of those responsibilities and problems?

I guess that remains to be seen, but I’d like to make a few predictions.

First, I would guess this is likely the end to peaceful transitions of power in The White House. Partially because he has already made his first shot across the bow of Obama’s departing ship, and partly because if we get a chance to replace him in future election, I cannot see him ever going quietly.

Next, it is now possible that Donald Trump could very well be the last President we ever have. That may sound hyperbolic, but I mean it. He could be the last President of the United States for any number of reasons. He may find the need to manipulate the system so that all free elections are indefinitely suspended in some way, allowing him to remain in power for as long as he can or to pass it along to his progeny. Or he could simply get us all killed in a nuclear conflict because he does not know how to back down or deescalate anything, obliterating the United States as we know it and its political framework. Or he may simply get to preside over the next American Civil War, during which he would likely invoke untold amounts of wartime protections for his beloved executive power.

The point is that I simply don’t see a scenario where Donald Trump will allow any further free and fair election to dethrone him. Once he is in power he is going to do whatever he can to retain it. There is little doubt that the American landscape has forever changed already. How much, remains to be seen.

50

31 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Ego, Emotional Intelligence, Human, Memorial, Middle Way, Open mind, Spirituality

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“We opened a crack in the wall and let in more light. Now it’s up to you to widen that crack. Wake them up. And once awake, keep them awake, use your skills as performer, wizard, magician, raconteur, teacher. Get up out of the chair, on your feet, get to work. Help other people out. Raise your consciousness. Respect all others. Be kind. Humor works all the time. When the housewife was asked why she volunteered to work in the high school cafeteria, she replied, ‘Youth must be served.'”

Ken Kesey

Acid Test Graduation

Halloween, 1966

15 years gone

11 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Change, Memorial, Middle Way, Patriotism, Terrorism

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I want to write a poignant post about where I was on September 11, 2001 and what I was doing. But instead I’d like to take a minute to tell you about a woman I grew up with.

Her name was Madeline Amy Sweeney and she was a flight attendant on Flight 11, the first flight to hit the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

When the hijackers took over the flight, she was able to get on the phone and relate valuable information about the hijackers to her supervisor before the impact. The moment of her death literally marks the beginning of this horrible nightmare that has been echoing ever since.

I grew up with her and her brother in a neighborhood that was ironically right next to air traffic control for the Boston area, and a sweeter person you could never meet.

The weirdest things stay on your mind in these situations. It was actually on September 11 that I found out that her real first name was Madeline and not Amy, which everyone called her. Why that has always stuck with me, I have no idea, but it has.

In the last moments of her life Amy took actions that were incredibly selfless and courageous even without considering the threat she was facing. And if you consider what she was facing it is almost inconceivable. So many of us will never have to make that kind of choice to know if we could take the same kind of actions.

I could work to help other the rest of my life and not make a fraction of the sacrifice that Amy and her family gave that day. I wanted to make sure that she is not forgotten today, 15 years later. But maybe we can each take a piece of that and help a stranger each day for as long as we can. Maybe then we can slowly begin to move this world back toward peace one small act at a time.

Boom Boom

30 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by themiddlewaythrough in Human, Memorial, Middle Way, Music, Quantum, Spirituality

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No matter what, music helps. Today I needed a John Lee Hooker break. Check him out doing Boom Boom from the movie The Blues Brothers. Make sure to turn it up really loud!

I was lucky enough to see John Lee once during the summer of 1999 at Suffolk Downs in Boston at a festival called The Guinness Fleadh, before he finally moved on to the great gig in the sky.

It was a music lover’s dream of a festival with names like Van Morrison, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson and John Lee Hooker and a ton more! The running joke days before the concert was whether or not Van Morrison would show, as he is known for just not playing when it doesn’t feel like it. True to form, he didn’t show. But for me, I couldn’t wait to see John Lee anyway. And as he was pushing 80 years of age I likely wouldn’t have another chance.

My friend Tom and I got right up front for his set so that when he came out we could see both of his teeth perfectly! He played great and it was worth every penny. Everyone in range of hearing the music was moving with the blues. He’s was a musician the likes of which we don’t see much anymore.

One thing that sticks in my mind from that day is that word had it that he was supposed to be introduced by legendary Boston DJ Charles Laquidara (a.k.a Dwayne Glasscock), but some promoter decided to screw Laquidara out of this once in a lifetime chance. It’s too bad to think that some yutz like me was able to be closer to that old legend than he was.

Anyway, take a minute to check out the video. I don’t think it’s possible to do so and not to move with the music. It’ll shoot you right down, knock you off of your feet… A-HOW HOW HOW HOW!