First the good news...the Pens won extending their winning streak to 11 games. I know they will lose at some point, but it's so exciting watching them. Crosby is amazing. I know there are those in the rest of the country who do not like him, but he is truly amazing and I am so glad he plays for the Penguins.
Ummm, let's see. Other good news. Hmmm, the weather...NOT. BUT it can't last forever, right? Come to Phipps and see the beautiful spring show.
Now, onto things that I cannot let go without comment.
A baby being shot in the face while in their stroller.
Our police chief being indicted by a federal grand jury.
A man disconnecting his gas stove line and causing an explosion that put at risk everyone in the building.
There are many things in our city of which we can be proud.
The Pittsburgh Symphony
The Pittsburgh Ballet
Our wonderful neighborhoods
Our beautiful skyline
Mario Lemauix
Charlie Batch
And then the politics. Our mayor who uses city funds to pay for a bodyguard on St. Patrick's day while he drinks in a bar. Way to go, Luke. And I'm sure there will be more to hear about our mayor in weeks to come.
A police chief forced to retire because of his theft
And can I just say how appalled I am about this poor baby? Who shoots a baby in a stroller? Who does that?
I care about a baby who has no chance, who depends on a mother who was shot and had to watch her baby die.
I am trying to focus on the good. It is hard.
I posted this on my facebook page in January. For those of you who have already read it, please be patient.
I have been thinking a lot about this gun control issue and I have a few things I would like to say about it for those of you who care what I think (and this will be the last post I make about this.)... that said this will be long so be warned. here goes. Guns are controversial... always have been. Probably always will be. I am not willing, as so many are, to invoke the founding fathers support for gun ownership to address the current issues at hand. While it is true that (almost universally) the founding fathers supported a well armed population this has to be viewed in context. Please bear with me. I do not make the argument that the founders only meant militia, nor do I believe that, like many liberals have stated, the founders couldn't have anticipated the weaponry available in modern times. Weapons technology was advancing long before the time of the US revolution and I have to imagine that our founding fathers expected further advancement. What I do believe is that at the time of the 2nd amendment there was a fear that our government could revert to one of tyrannical tendencies A well armed populace was seen as a deterrent to this. This was the reality of their time. What they also understood was that times, worries, and cultures change. Thus they (not without debate) included an avenue for change within the constitution in the amendment process.
or not we need to be protected from our own government. (for those of you who believe we need to be armed with assault weapons to actually protect ourselves from our own government I don't know what to say... I believe that is paranoid at best, and I"m sure you believe me to be naive... we will have to agree to disagree. Today we face questions of how to deal with the mentally ill, what weapons should and shouldn't be permitted within the civilian population, and how do we stem the tide of the seeming endless mass shootings we experience in this country. The knee jerk reaction from the left is ban guns in one way or another, the knee jerk reaction from the right has been to arm school employees or place armed guards in Schools ( a strange reaction from a group often concerned with spending and government overreach... Armed government employees in every school?? Really?) The truth is somewhere in between here and we need to be willing to have this discussion somehow because obviously stripping everyone of all their guns is not feasible, nor is armed school guards... I for one think that civilian access to semi-automatic weapons is senseless. If we, as a society, every get to the point where we need this as a true defense we have already lost the battle... but I think it is long past time we got over the rhetoric, man up, and sat at the table to have this discussion. All the name calling and idealistic stalemates make us all look damn foolish.
Forgive the rant...or not. It's been a day of news that makes me ill. I never intended my posts to be political or anything other than something to make you smile.
But, I cannot smile when this kind of craziness goes on and it is ignored.
Tomorrow brings hope that the world will be better for all of us.
Peace.
11 comments:
great post, Mia. I don't know what else to say. I totally agree with you. And although I don't live in your city, politics is a dirty world. As for that baby, my prayers go to the mother of that child who watched her baby get shot in the face.
I live in the city and am embarassed to say that. Always thought Chief was a stand up guy, and I think he was. The temptation was great and he fell. I have to wonder what Ravenstahl's part in all of this was...happened on his watch.
And why is this country so paranoid about guns? What is the harm in looking at the problem and coming up with a sensible solution?
Hearing about that baby just made me incredibly sad. I cannot imagine what would make someone do that. There has to be some solution to all these guns. My family has lots of hunter in it, people who respect guns and use them safely. We have discussed this as a family and all agree, something has to be changed. And I agree with Ben, what is all the paranoia about?
You police chief made our news. I don't think it is unique to Pittsburgh, but it does make one wonder...why does power corrupt?
Yes, this world has become a terrifying place with guns and nuts running around with guns. That poor mother will live with the picture of her baby being shot all of her life .
As for politicians, they are a breed of their own ans I don't know if that will ever change. We vote them in and hope for the best.
I guess with my "name" you can guess where I stand. I don't know what can be done about guns. I don't want to take guns away from people who enjoy hunting, who want to protect their home, although...I must say, I have never lived anywhere in my life where I have felt a need to have a gun to protect myself in my home. In our city shootings have become a nightly past time. Sad, but true. Teens, who have no concept of mortality, pull a gun and shoot without qualms. And now they have shot a baby in a stroller, a defensless child.
As for politicians, I agree with Ginger, we vote them in and hope for the best. Generally, we don't get it. Sometimes we do, and rather than keep them, they opt to leave because they can't fight the system.
On a happier note, I am glad you are posting again, Mia. Please keep it up!
We have the same problems here. I think all we can do is teach and educate. Teach children to respect others and educate by having a dialog.
Don't have much faith in political figures, I gave up voting in the last election and I don't know if I'll vote in the next one. Money buys the politicians, and I think it is all about money and power. I don't know what happened with your police chief, but it doesn't surprise me that he got a little too greedy either by money, power or both.
It is a sad day in Pittsburgh, with much to follow I think. On a happier note, the Pens play tonight..let's see if they can make it 12 in a row!
After the gun massacre in Newtown I have thought about this whole gun control thing. I agree, Mia, there are the crazies on both sides of the fence. And those crazies are the ones who are preventing a logical discussion. I have spoken to people who have gun collections, I have spokent to people who have never held a gun. Perhaps it is the people with whom I associate. EVERYONE is saying this issue has to be addressed. We have to come up with a logical solution. Can we just agree that rapid fire assault guns with large magazines have no place in our society? Probably not. But you can't use them for hunting, you don't need them for protection...what is the point?
That's all.
And yes, Bill, those Penguins are on a streak!
As one who has children, let me just say, I cannot imagine the horror that the mother is going through. And the teens, I believe, either were hopped up on drugs..well, I can think of no other explanation. And where did they even get the guns? Tragic, truly tragic.
Take away all the semi-automatic weapons, the magazines that have more then 10 rounds. Is the gun a symbol for something else in men? Men who brag about their gun collection...is this where they get their sense of power? And what does the power mean to them?
I am a hunter, Steve, but I agree with you. I hear men brag about their collection of guns because it is a hobby. And they say, bigger is better, faster is better, I need to have these guns to protect my family. Really? Sad. I have guns. They will never be accessed by my children...NEVER. I use them to hunt..I don't need a semi-automatic to kill a deer or to protect my family.
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