No Words of Comfort: An Illogical Rant
If you trying to find words of comfort in this reading about the tragedy of what happened Sunday night in Las Vegas at the Highway 91 concert, you will not find them here. I ask for forgiveness of any reader wanting that right now. It is a horror that I really have a loss for words. I have no words of comfort. No comfort for myself, my sons or anyone that I love. It is a tragedy that has become all too common throughout the years. All the words have been said time and time again. There is nothing left to say. The only action that I can take is to discuss the wars, gun control and our society in general, these are the issues that come up time and time again. I am not sure we will find an answer but we should try, because for me, I take comfort in examining issues to ease my hurt for those families who lost loved ones that terrible night.
There is nothing to say about your own countrymen committing mass murder. Whatever reasons they want to blame none can explain any of it. I am tired of this. I am tired of seeing family members crying and mourning the ones they have lost due to senseless violence. I am tired of seeing “thoughts and prayers” from the politicians. These words are empty to me. I can no longer go on my local news without a body count provided over the weekend in the City of Chicago, and the surrounding suburbs/cities, including my own.
What makes anyone get up in the morning and think: “I am going to kill someone or a lot of people today?” It does not matter if it’s a neighborhood young man deciding to prove how tough he is or someone just trying to reach some kind of sick notoriety. I don’t care if it’s in the name of any religion, political ideology or sick societal perception. I am tired of it. How many other Americans are also tired of these type of massacres happening? Since it keeps happening and nothing is done in the aftermath, I am going to guess not many. As someone stated on social media, if the massacre of 21 children did not change our attitude on violence and guns, nothing will ever be done. Murder seems to be our number one pastime.
Again, what does anyone expect when we are a nation of never-ending wars? We argue if one of our protectors it’s justified to gun down armed American citizens? America land of the free or home of the brave? Really? Where our people can go to a concert, movie theater or send our children to school without fear of them being slaughtered? Or a young kid can’t walk to go get skittles and a can of tea without being dead minutes later? Or about a young girl taking shelter from the rain with her friends at a public park only to be met with gunfire and being shot down? Or a 10-year old child being gun down by a police officer with no warning? Hell, even if there was a warning, I never will see the justification for this. What about the last mass shooting in Orlando that killed 49 people? When do we admit that our American society is just sick? When do we admit that we are the monsters and evil empire? When do we say enough is enough?
In this ranting, I will say that the answer is not to ban all guns. I am a believer of the second amendment with reasonable limitations, but I really don’t think there is any justification to own weapons of war. Really? How is this justified? Why is it justified? What’s next, is the NRA going to convince their supporters that a “tank” or rocket launcher is covered under the 2nd? Would those supporters really listen to the loud mouths over the radio, TV and internet that “owning a tank is our God given constitutional right?” Is that what is next? Actually, I just found out today that the U.S. House of Representatives will be voting a bill that allows silencers. What’s the purpose of a silencer exactly? So a person can kill without being heard. Let me guess, it’s because you want to sneak up on a deer when you hunt and not bother the other hunters. Or when you defend yourself from a home invader you can shoot them without disturbing the neighbors? Someone give me an answer or an excuse that I haven’t heard before. Give me a reason for the libertarian view on the 2nd Amendment. I know you all are out there. And don’t regurgitate the reasons of the NRA and similar groups. I really am looking for answers.
As a supporter of the U.S. Constitution, when it comes to the 2nd Amendment, I think a regulated industry with limitations on what a private citizen can or cannot buy seems fair to me. When the 2nd was written, all that existed was bayonets, muskets, and pistols. Not to be facetious, but I really don’t think they had cannons in mind when they wrote, "a right to bear arms". I don’t think any of the forefathers could have guessed someone would create a weapon that could slaughter 59 people as quickly as the evil person did Sunday night. Simple logic should prevail, not fear when it comes to gun owning rights and regulations. Very few Americans, even when tragedies like what happened Sunday night, would advocate for the banning of all guns. Logic would dictate that if that was even tried, we would end up in a situation like the drug market, everything would be underground. Then again, this could be true when it comes to guns intended for war. I am not sure what the answer for this type of violence to end. Maybe it’s just us. Every situation to a final answer seems to involve a gun. We glamorize them. We have had a love affair long before movies ever existed. Guns are not our problem, not always, it has to be our society.
Not to be cold or callous, I don’t want hear about prayers either, especially from our politicians who are in the pocket of the NRA. Please know that I am not “anti-faith/religion,” and I understand a lot of people turn to their faiths when evil like this happens. But many of those calling others to prayers over times like this help promote political leaders that advocate the loosening of what little gun regulations there are right now. The thinking that prayer will solve our problems (as long as it’s the same god or same way that you pray to) is not going to improve our situation. Whether you meditate or pray, let it provide comfort to you and others. But it should clear your mind not fog it with hate. It should motivate you to action for what is just, and compassionate. For me, most faiths have the underlying message that one should do right by other humans, other livings things, and the planet we live on. But many times, the religious want to find their answers where there are none. I would think that if there is a god, he or she gave us the will and strength to do something about evils such as this. I know people of all faiths that do not support the murder of fellow human beings regardless of being different. (And just for those who are anti-choice, do not provide the predictable comment about the “murder” of the unborn. I do not understand how other human beings feel so passionate about the unborn when so many born children are being killed every day, both domestically and internationally with our guns and bombs, so please spare me your “pro-life” bullshit. See Yemen.) Unfortunately, there are a few, and sometimes powerful, follower or leaders that will take twist even the most positive messages.
Humans have the capability to take a simple message and make it more complicated than it should be…the motivation could be for power, greed, control or all three. The problem lies on when these faiths are in disagreement with one another and cannot be human enough to agree to disagree. So we kill each other over all types of ideology. But if those of faith asked themselves, are you really spreading betterment or love with your faith? Or is your faith serving as a weapon for control, hate, fear or greed? And why? I am not a person of faith, unless it means that I hope for love and truth. Love and truth should be everyone’s religion. But that is a naive sentiment.
What about the wars we have started all over the world? Surely, many of us can agree that this has had some negative effect on all of us? It seems we’ve been at war for the last 60 years in some capacity. This American culture we have created that highlights our thirst for war has contributed to our sick obsession with violence and guns. We do nothing to stop them anymore. The protests have been ignored, a call to end wars. Actually, when was the last time we demanded our soldiers home? Why do we send them to places across the world and for what? We just increased our military budget to $700 Billion, for more guns and war. Why? Are we so afraid of the foreign terrorist from Syria that you do not want to allow them in the country? What about the terrorist from Sunday night? The white American male that lives next door to you should be your biggest fear. I wonder what the statistics are when it comes to whose hand you are more likely to die from? I have heard that a person is more likely to be killed by someone they know than a stranger. I think this is true of Americans in general. I am more likely to be killed by another American than someone from a Middle Eastern country.
Finally, I have no answers as you can see, only more questions. I am not able to come with a word of comfort because right now, I have no hope that anything will change, not now. We can try to persuade others for reasonable gun regulations, but as always it will be met with a powerful and greedy resistance. We can all pray and hope things will get better, but without action nothing will change. We need to move forward as a nation, by atoning for our sins of the past. We need to stop being the scourge of the world with our military force spread thin and its budget bloated beyond anything. We need our troops home. We do not need to start more wars, when there are always peaceful solutions. I think we've lost enough soldiers and killed enough civilians. We really need to take a look at ourselves from the outside. But I am not sure if that is even possible. Until we do make some real changes as a nation, I'm afraid there will continue to be these kind of tragedies and the body count will continue to grow.
