Reflections.

 

The national tragedies of gun violence in Buffalo, California, and in Texas reflects not only the extremist rhetoric of some who worship guns as deities. It also involves a powerful lobby of the NRA and other far-right extremists who believe in a lie that nothing can be done. Nothing can be done are words used by extremists who want inaction instead of real action to confront gun violence. The deaths of elementary school kids and teachers in a Texas elementary is beyond just about mental health matters. It's about evil. It is about the evils of complacency, being neutral, the glorification of military weapons of war being used by unstable human beings, and being politically correct on the matter of gun violence. Reasonable gun control measures have nothing to do with infringing on the 2nd Amendment. There are limitations on freedoms. You can't slander a person, and you can't murder anyone. Therefore, we need background checks, the targeting of the illegal, underground gun market, and investments made in conflict resolutions. Also, we need more gun control laws to save human lives. The murderer shot his own grandmother. Also, we have to address economic inequality that has grown for decades in America. Justice not only is about words. It's about change in policies that go against the agenda of the obstinate few who want the status quo. Now, President Joe Biden is signing an executive order on policing (to require new use of force rules for federal law enforcement and encourage local police departments to make similar changes). The order will make a new database to record officers who were fired for misconduct, require the use of body cameras by federal officers, and have restrictions on federal transfers of military-grade equipment to local police.

The GOP response to the epidemic of gun violence is basically wanting nothing to happen. The lie is that we must do nothing. If we can bring humans to the Moon, we can certainly create solutions to gun violence. There are tons of things that people can do. We should have federal background checks, we should ban disturbed people from owning military weapons of war, we should more gun restrictions to make sure that qualified, law-abiding people own guns, and we should treat this gun violence epidemic as a national emergency. This gun violence doesn't discriminate. It has harmed my people (black people), Asian people, Christians, Muslims, Jewish people, Hispanic people, white people, Jain, and people of every background in the world. People are researching how some police responded to the tragedy. Also, the Uvalde community certainly wants answers. The gunman was out for an hour in the area before legal authorities can into the elementary school building.

There is news about Beto O'Rourke confronting Texas political leaders over the issue of gun violence in Texas. Beto just told the Governor, the Lt. Governor, and others on the panel that something must be done to address the epidemic of gun violence in American society. O'Rourke told them that they have done nothing so far in trying to end the bloodshed. One person got angry and cursed Beto O'Rourke out, but Beto stood his grown to use his free speech rights to make sure that solutions must be enacted. Beto left peacefully and told the crowd outside that action is a necessity. We won't be compromising on making sure that federal background checks and other gun regulations are passed. We have many in the Senate who have refused to do the right thing for political reasons. That ought to end. This issue is a political and moral issue. Either we care for human lives or not. One of the many great ways to care for human lives is to use legitimate regulations to make sure that lives are saved for real.

There is a global monkeypox outbreak in the world. Some want to exploit this illness to promote bigotry and hysteria. We won't. We will stick by the facts. A major case was found in the UK on May 7, 2022. Many cases have climbed into the hundreds in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Oceania. No deaths have existed in this new epidemic. The monkeypox virus was first reported in a human infection back in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. There is a low mortality rate in this virus as found in its DNA. Some believe that the complete lifting of all social restrictions (used to stop the spread of COVID-19) contributed to the spread of the monkeypox outbreak. That is why we realize that humans, animals, and climate have importance. We have to stop cutting down forests, invest in public health, deal with climate change, and use more progressive farming in the world.

We will never forget about George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. During these times, suffering people have every right to show their emotions of grief, anger, and reflection. Many centuries ago, my ancestors were brought into America in chains. They were given no pay, they were abused, they have split apart from their families, and they were treated less than animals. Yet, my ancestors resisted the injustice of slavery and racism to fight back against evil. Many of my ancestors are farmers, black Union soldiers, WWII veterans, and other heroes who made tons of contributions in the world society. Black people represent one large part of the cultural and intellectual lifeblood of America. America always had the contradictions of claiming to be for liberty, but many of the people in America suffered violations of their own liberties. That is why we have to confront the evil in America to make sure that justice for all is not just saying. We want to make that precept into a glorious reality. Both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor were working-class black people who wanted the best for their families and friends. They were unjustly murdered by brutish cowards. After their deaths, we witnessed activism that sparked the largest anti-racism, and anti-police brutality marches in human history. Such protests didn't just exist in America. They were found in Africa, London, Paris, Asia, Australia, and other places worldwide. The protesters were black people and people of every creed, color, and background too. In spite of these developments, there has not been massive federal legislation to confront anti-black racism, police brutality, or the epidemic of gun violence (just primarily executive orders). That is why voting matters, grassroots activism matters, Black Lives Matter, and speaking your minds matters. One person isn't going to solve this problem. We have to be part of the solution using positive, constructive methods.

By Timothy