Monday, May 07, 2018

Gun Pain, in Part, Comes from a Lack of Imagination

We have to commit to limiting guns and elevating opportunity for positive living and learning in our country.

Even one death by guns is too many and we have an obligation to work to eliminate all kinds of violent crime.

I am thinking of this as I ache due to a number of violent deaths in the state where I live this weekend.

Why is this happening?

What can we do?

Who cares?

It's obvious that so many of our lawmakers, people who earn mighty salaries paid for by our hard earned tax dollars, don't care. Most are not doing what's necessary to limit gun purchases and ownership particularly from those who are young, irresponsible, or mentally unfit to own a gun. This has to stop! Too many lives have been sacrificed for the greed of many who continue to support and take money from the NRA--a group that shows No Regard for Anyone. This has to stop!

President Trump continually demonstrates care for raising the wealth of himself, his family, and his cronies--he panders to the NRA at his angry mob-like rallies where he demeans almost every cultural, religious, and ideological group. He has plenty of security guards so he's not too concerned about safety for anyone but himself. He simply doesn't care much about many and this is one reason why gun deaths and violent crimes continue--we have a leader who doesn't care about human dignity or human lives unless it's his own life, his family or cronies.

The GOP legislature also shows no regard for American safety and lives--they ignore these violent deaths and continue to welcome money from the NRA. In my opinion, the unnecessary deaths of so many can be blamed on these lawmakers and we should not re-elect them. We should only elect lawmakers who care about all Americans and work for equitable, safe, dignified, and fair opportunity for all.

What can we do?

We have to open lines of communication so good citizens know who to call and where to turn when they know of those who own guns and who are a danger to the public.

We have to have laws that restrict gun ownership greatly so that it's possible to take guns away from people who pose a threat to themselves, their loved ones, or the community. Many unnecessary gun deaths are suicides--rather than support more guns, let's support more and better mental health care as well as more welcoming communities that elevate the experience of life for all.

We have to eliminate organizations like the NRA that show No Regard for Anyone and put all their energy into elevating their wealth and power all over the world.

We have to find ways to replace destructive behaviors, weapons, lifestyle choices, and replace those with more positive, humane, and uplifting ways and tools of living. Look at what the best communities in the country look like and replicate that in communities all over the country. Add gardens, parks, bike trails, libraries, business districts, nice homes, healthy food shops and gardens, and more to make sure that people have safe, welcoming, and inspiring communities to live in.

I think that many Americans are afraid to imagine and work towards those dreams. It seems like many cower in corners supporting guns, discriminatory processes, and less support rather than imagining how we can truly uplift and elevate life for ourselves and others. We shouldn't let fear and those who use fear to lead like Trump to lead us, but instead let our imaginations, creativity, and positivity lead us forward towards better ways to support one another and support our country which holds tremendous potential for good living. We can do this by supporting lawmakers and leaders who do the following:

  • Fund fair and equitable schools that teach all children well
  • Look for ways to increase opportunity for positive jobs and good salaries for all Americans
  • Better communities all over the country with parks, bike trails, environmental-friendly policies and products, useful infrastructure, great architecture, gardens, business districts, and more. 
  • Work with countries all over the world to better living for all using the lens of what's best for children to guide that work.
  • Increasing transform our military from those who focus on fighting to those who focus on improvement of living.
  • Better our laws so that those who cheat and lead for greed are not able to use tax money, time, and power to cheat the American people.
  • Tax fairly and make sure that those who have lots of money, pay their fair share to improve living for all Americans. Because you have more money should not mean that you have more power over public policy and the public good--every American needs to pay their fair share and then inclusive public bodies can decide how to spend that money for the public good.
I'm rambling, but as I teach today, I'll be thinking of what I can do to do my part in this betterment process. With that in mind, I'll do the following:
  • Prepare students well for this week's math tests
  • Encourage students to do their best, and remind them that they are all capable of successful learning and living
  • Make good time for children's play at recess
  • Work with colleagues to review the new social studies standards and the ways we'll prepare to teach those standards next year
  • Prepare for greater advocacy to support just and fair laws for peaceful, positive living--laws that help us to preserve and forward the good lives in the USA rather than waste lives on senseless gun violence, greedy policy, and self-serving leaders.
What will you do?

What more can we imagine and work towards to make life better for many?

Everyone's voice, learning, and actions matter--to stay silent is to demonstrate a lack of concern or promise for the days ahead.