Some Tough Words about US Mass Shootings
[thoughts from ~burning woman~ by Sha’Tara]
The San Bernardino mass shooting is the second today, December 2nd, 2015, and the 355th this year.
~ The Washington Post
First of all, can I say something totally appropriate for the occasion? Sure… God Bless ‘Marrika!
Judging by recent happenings, is has become clear to me that what Americans need to protect themselves from this growing incidence of terrorism is more guns. The NRA was right all along: the more guns people own and pack, the safer everybody will be. Of course, that only works in America (and maybe in Syria) but that’s because God blesses America above all other nations because America is a Christian country that endorses good old family values based upon the teachings of the Buy Bull… Amen!
Guns don’t kill people, it’s people without guns who get killed. Get smart, get guns and go on the offensive. The technology exists now to mount assault rifles on wheelchairs, bicycles and baby carriages. But, since you can’t always have a gun pointing at someone – let there be a federal law passed to ensure every American over the age of one year wears camo gear and body armour at all times. I wonder if Prada makes army boots? Anyway, you can never be too safe and who knows, you could be next.
Also that law must make it mandatory that the next generation of cars and pickups be bullet-proof, but that’s just common sense. When you live in the home of the brave and the land of the free, you have to protect that freedom at all cost, including of course the freedom to get shot at. Think about it. Look at those stupid Canucks without guns: what a chicken, lily-livered bunch. No wonder they don’t get shot.
Seriously, I think Americans are now totally held in thrall by the non-stop hypnotic verbal diarrhoea of stochastic terrorists, especially of the Repugnican variety vying for top spot in the 2016 Presidential Play-offs. It’ll be interesting to find out whose views are represented by this latest mass shooting in San Bernardino (at least, last as of the time of writing this, not holding my breath here).
Fascinating to watch the empire imploding, if sad for the individual lives caught in the aftershock.
Now for a glimpse of history, the denied part, the one not in American history books; the one not on the roster of American public school education; the one so cleverly misinterpreted and misrepresented by US mass media:
For over one hundred years the USA have invaded neutral, independent nations, toppled democratically elected governments and replaced them with tinpot despots answerable only to Washington and American-based resource-extracting mega corporations. To maintain its globally imposed capitalistic imperialism, America armed and trained “contras” i.e., terrorists, to keep the people from fostering successful revolutions. Well, they did lose Cuba and Vietnam, but otherwise a pretty tight control with a lot of non news-worthy bloodshed involved. I, for one, will always remember El Salvador, Nicaragua and Grenada; the terrorism; the tortures, the thousands of deaths at the hands of Reagan’s contras and the US military.
Predictably, as history insists on demonstrating, the wave of terror begun at the behest of Washington and cheeringly, happily and/or ignorantly approved and supported by the vast majority of the American voting public, having swept over and around the planet, has landed back on the shores that launched it. Poetic justice, though it will probably be many years yet before Americans realize the lesson of history, if they live long enough to belatedly learn that lesson, that is.
Know this, America: I, and most of the people of this world who have suffered your passage, will not shed a single tear for thee. I, and millions of others, have waited a long time to see you suffer some of what you have imposed upon those helpless to stop you. Stop and ponder that, if you can, if only for a moment. Then go back to doing what you do best: feeling self-righteous, posturing and flaunting your Christian values, preferably from a missile-equipped drone in some foreign land you couldn’t locate with both hands on any world map.
http://shatara46.wordpress.com/
Peace,
Dayvid
I applaud you for your thoughtfulness in exposing some of our greatest flaws that we hide from ourselves. Satire is a two edge sword. While it reveals that the King has no clothes, the ignorant will always think of it as blasphemy. They may need an interpreter to reveal the truth. So I will defend your right under our Constitution to free speech and to write and post whatever you like.
Many years ago a term was developed for Americans abroad: The Ugly American. When I traveled around the world I stayed in homes and observed the people, trying not to offend their cultures, but to learn from them. Still, I was told by my host in Thailand that I was disrespectful because I refused some of the food and bottled water that I was offered (I only drank tea and coffee in those days and still don't drink bottled water). The biggest mistake we make as citizens of the United States abroad, is to think that we are superior when in fact we are just like everyone else.
We are facing turbulent times as a result of our consumerism, the flow of wealth to the very rich, ideological divide as illustrated by the responses to your article, overpopulation, environmental degradation leading to mass extinction, and, perhaps worst of all, global warming resulting in climate change. Terroristic acts are the least of our problems.
However, most young people are not as divisive as the older people who responded to your article here. They are not set in their ways and I have every faith they will deal with these problems and fix them one by one. As a citizen of this earth, I want to do what is best for everyone and stop all of the stupid wars over ideas that basically boil down to greed and possessiveness.
Once again, I commend you for writing a brilliant exposé.
Ron
Couldn't get passed the first few lines.......
William
Prejudice comes in many forms. Lumping any folks together and saying that they like this or that is very unfair and extremely dangerous. It also hurts folks who are innocent bystanders. I am a Christian and I do NOT own a gun! The majority of my Christian friends do not pack a piece neither. We do have things (like steel bats and long knives) to protect ourselves in self defense in case the need arises. So who will outlaw knives or steel bats? The simple truth is PEOPLE kill PEOPLE and they will do it with whatever they have in their possession. California has one of the STRICTEST gun control laws in the USA but that will never stop a thief or a murder from getting one on the black market.
Now all of this CRAP about the Americans being tyrants is such bull shit that it makes me want to puke!!!
I was in Hiroshima in 1990 walking through Peace Park when I bumped into a Japanese couple and I said, "I am so sorry for what happened" The father said, "Why are you sorry for?" I said, "I am sorry that Americans dropped the bomb and caused so much destruction." He looked at me puzzled and said, "It was NOT America's fault." I was dumbfounded. I said, "Who's fault is it?" He graciously replied, "It was our Emperors fault because he lied to us!" I did not understand what he meant until I interviewed a WWII Veteran who told me that he could not sleep at night. I asked him why. He said, "When my ship was entering the harbor in Okinawa, Japan all I could see was dead bodies floating. What horrified me was it was all women and children. When we walked to the dock we saw many Japanese women frightened of us. All we did was give them blankets, canned soup and chocolate bars. They were stunned that we were so friendly!!" I asked him why were they so afraid and he said, "Word got out from their Emperor that the Americans will rape your women and kill your children. So many Japanese threw themselves off a cliff rather that be brutally killed by Americans." My friend could not believe how many killed themselves because of that lie. In fact most of what their Emperor told them was lies. Then I was in Hawaii talking to a Japanese sailor. He was sad about what happened in Pearl Harbor. I told him that was a corrupt government who made the people believe that Americans were the aggressors. He said he loves to help Americans who come to his country because he owes a dept that he can never repay. I asked him "What are you talking about?" He said "When General MacArthur took over and Japan was occupied his family lost everything. But then you Americans helped to rebuild our country and gave me back all the land my father owned. I was a wealthy man overnight." I was very touched by his story. I asked him what does he think about what happened to Hawaii in Pearl Harbor. He replied, "That's just it. If the Japanese took over and continued to bomb Hawaii we might have won. However, we would not have been so gracious. If we won in the Pacific we would have kept everything especially Hawaii. So I don't understand why America is so generous but I will always be eternally grateful to all of you."
No that Regis is REAL people talking to real people who lived in much more turbulent times than today. America has had it share of faults but so has France, Great Britain and Spain. Some Muslims can be moderate others are friendly but still some are extremist.
We cannot simply LUMP them all together because if the were all bad, this world would really be hurting. So for the few lousy terrorist that are insane we must not point fingers at ourselves. If we do, we will all perish.
Pray for Peace as love always conquers hate.
Amen!
Brother John
IT MUST BE NICE TO KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS. TO BE SO PERFECT.
THE ABILITY TO CRAFTILY WEAVE A FEW FACTS, A BIT OF CONJECTURE,
ALONG WITH A MULTITUDE OF PERSONAL OPINION INTO A TALE OF
VEHEMENCE AND POISON...
WHILE I HAVE READ MANY OF YOUR SO-CALLED "PEARLS OF WISDOM" IN THE PAST,
MAINLY BECAUSE REG POSTED THEM, I RARELY COMMENTED. MOST OF YOUR
"RAVINGS" AGAINST "EARTHLINGS" WERE USUALLY OVER-FLOWING WITH OBVIOUS DISDAIN. MORE LIKE A SUPERIOR "ALIEN" WHO JUST KNEW ALL THE ANSWERS.
THIS ONE HOWEVER, STRUCK A NERVE... NO COMPASSION FOR THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES... NO SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF GUN CONTROL...
BO REMORSE FOR ANYTHING WHATSOMEVER... SUCH CALLOUSNESS !
I AM SORRY THAT I TOOK THE TIME TO READ IT... MY BEST GUESS IS RHAT MAYBE YOU ARE A CANADUAN RESIDENT WITH SOME KIND OF AXE TO GRIND, OR SOME HIDDEN PERSONAL MORIVE ???
LIKE THE BOLL WEEVIL SAID TO THE FARMER:
"I WISH YOU WELL!"
Love ya!
Jane