By now it's all over the news... Gun violence TRAGEDY strikes again. And now you will see things like this:
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So I ask you- What is your opinion? Because you know I'm going to give you mine. Here goes (haters gonna hate, but whatever):
#1- There are victims. They are PEOPLE. They are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, friends, lovers, men, women, gay, straight, white, black, Latino, unknown ethnicity. They are PEOPLE. They were there at a place that should be a judgement free safe-heaven. It was labeled as supportive of a certain sector. They went there without fear, without hate. And Hate and Fear found them.... This is a HATE CRIME and the reason for it is FEAR. Fear of something different that results in hate, hate and fear because someone doesn't understand (or doesn't want to). Hate and Fear invokes violence in people. Hate and Fear influences people. Other factors are (almost) irrelevant to the case.
#2- They keep saying to pray. Prayer is a powerful thing. But it's not as powerful as doing. Ever seen Boondock saints? "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."
No matter why the terrorist targeted that club, one thing is clear. He wasn’t sent by God.
So some will say pray, but I say DO. DO SOMETHING. Speak out. Speak to your representatives. Those people who have the power to do something. Speak to your social media contacts if you have a large audience. Do something. Defend someone you see being harrassed- Don't hide, don't say "not my problem". Hate is everyone's problem. Do something. Teach your kids to value human life, teach them to value LIFE IN GENERAL. Teach them it's OK to be different. Teach them to let people live their own lives. Teach them to love everyone (even if they don't like them) because love and respect go hand in hand. Raise children that that will stand up for others, that will build each other up instead of tearing humanity to shreds. Help them be able to draw into awareness the emotional ramifications of all of their actions. Show them that when they make a mistake, they should be humble enough to admit when they are wrong. Guide them to not be judgmental, to mind their own business if they don't agree (if what the other person is doing is not HURTING anyone else) and to keep their heads down and their noses clean. These are old-school ideals that we have lost because we are "entitled to our opinions". We are. And we are entitled to freedom of speech. We are not entitled to persecute and hurt other people who are doing us no harm.
#3- Identify the (REAL) problem. There are so many gun owners out there who don't just shoot people up because they have a gun. Gun owners who would punch a guy before shooting him. Gun owners who have stopped tragedy in its tracks by starring down the barrel of their own gun at a villain and saying "I will not allow this to happen" or "Over my dead body" and sparred innocent lives. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. they could use a rock, a knife, a jagged piece of glass. A gun is a tool- we are the users. We choose to where to aim, when to pull the trigger, and what are target is. Banning the guns will not protect us. I want a gun, even if I never load that chamber- but if someone threatens me I want to be able to show them I'm not messing around. People aren't afraid of much these days. But just flashing that steel is enough to send people running in terror. I'm small, I'm weak, I'm vulnerable. But I need to be able to protect myself. Working out and knowing some moves won't mean a thing if someone points a gun at me.
#4- We cannot live in fear. Things will happen. They'll happen anywhere. They'll happen if you are gay or straight, male or female (or "transgender"), black or white or yellow or purple... regardless of race, religion. ethnicity, creed, morals. Bad things will happen. To good people, to bad people, to praying people, to Godless people. They will happen. You have to keep living as if each day could be your last. As if everyone is both your friend and your enemy. You cannot live in fear of what MAY happen.
#5-
#7- When people are in pain, we should to resist the urge to speak too much. Uncomfortable silence is better than false platitudes- "If you have nothing nice to say (or don't know what to say) say nothing at all. It’s time for compassion and love without agenda. I don’t care what side of the moral, religious, political, ethnic or sexual fence you’re on right now. In the face of massive loss of life and love due to horrifying evil, we need to concentrate on our common humanity. Evil has no reason. It is anti-reason. And anti-love. “I don’t know why this happened, but I’m crying with you” is a far better answer to someone who has lost a loved one than something like “God must have wanted another angel.” God does not WANT people to die. He wants to them to live- live forever even. Someone took this life and it wasn't God. But God has given you an opportunity to comfort, to grieve, to show compassion, to show strength, to be HUMAN. And sometimes there's no words for any of that....
or or orSo I ask you- What is your opinion? Because you know I'm going to give you mine. Here goes (haters gonna hate, but whatever):
#1- There are victims. They are PEOPLE. They are brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, friends, lovers, men, women, gay, straight, white, black, Latino, unknown ethnicity. They are PEOPLE. They were there at a place that should be a judgement free safe-heaven. It was labeled as supportive of a certain sector. They went there without fear, without hate. And Hate and Fear found them.... This is a HATE CRIME and the reason for it is FEAR. Fear of something different that results in hate, hate and fear because someone doesn't understand (or doesn't want to). Hate and Fear invokes violence in people. Hate and Fear influences people. Other factors are (almost) irrelevant to the case.
#2- They keep saying to pray. Prayer is a powerful thing. But it's not as powerful as doing. Ever seen Boondock saints? "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."No matter why the terrorist targeted that club, one thing is clear. He wasn’t sent by God.
So some will say pray, but I say DO. DO SOMETHING. Speak out. Speak to your representatives. Those people who have the power to do something. Speak to your social media contacts if you have a large audience. Do something. Defend someone you see being harrassed- Don't hide, don't say "not my problem". Hate is everyone's problem. Do something. Teach your kids to value human life, teach them to value LIFE IN GENERAL. Teach them it's OK to be different. Teach them to let people live their own lives. Teach them to love everyone (even if they don't like them) because love and respect go hand in hand. Raise children that that will stand up for others, that will build each other up instead of tearing humanity to shreds. Help them be able to draw into awareness the emotional ramifications of all of their actions. Show them that when they make a mistake, they should be humble enough to admit when they are wrong. Guide them to not be judgmental, to mind their own business if they don't agree (if what the other person is doing is not HURTING anyone else) and to keep their heads down and their noses clean. These are old-school ideals that we have lost because we are "entitled to our opinions". We are. And we are entitled to freedom of speech. We are not entitled to persecute and hurt other people who are doing us no harm.
#3- Identify the (REAL) problem. There are so many gun owners out there who don't just shoot people up because they have a gun. Gun owners who would punch a guy before shooting him. Gun owners who have stopped tragedy in its tracks by starring down the barrel of their own gun at a villain and saying "I will not allow this to happen" or "Over my dead body" and sparred innocent lives. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. they could use a rock, a knife, a jagged piece of glass. A gun is a tool- we are the users. We choose to where to aim, when to pull the trigger, and what are target is. Banning the guns will not protect us. I want a gun, even if I never load that chamber- but if someone threatens me I want to be able to show them I'm not messing around. People aren't afraid of much these days. But just flashing that steel is enough to send people running in terror. I'm small, I'm weak, I'm vulnerable. But I need to be able to protect myself. Working out and knowing some moves won't mean a thing if someone points a gun at me.
#4- We cannot live in fear. Things will happen. They'll happen anywhere. They'll happen if you are gay or straight, male or female (or "transgender"), black or white or yellow or purple... regardless of race, religion. ethnicity, creed, morals. Bad things will happen. To good people, to bad people, to praying people, to Godless people. They will happen. You have to keep living as if each day could be your last. As if everyone is both your friend and your enemy. You cannot live in fear of what MAY happen.
#5-
He used a Sig Sauer AR-15-style assault rifle and a Glock handgun. ASSAULT WEAPONS... The name makes it seem like they have a specific purpose. Whether they are automatic, semi automatic, burst shooting, single shot, WHATEVER. The name of the object has ASSAULT in it. They were made with military use in mind, for war-zones. Why can the common person purchase one? "They are fun" "Why not?" "They are more exciting" "They give more of an adrenaline rush". They are named and classifies as "assault weapons" capable of "assaulting". here are the definitions of "assault":
verb
noun
- 2.a concerted attempt to do something demanding.
#6- If the news said just that "50 people shot and killed", how would you react? If you take GAY out of it, would there be the same sympathy and outrage? If you take away the description of the shooter, would there be the same outrage? If it were just random people killing people ... would it be as big a deal? Why aren't all people equally mourned? When do celebrities get parades and tributes that are televised for Nations to see, what will these regular everyday people get? How long will we talk about them and their lives and their accomplishments and all they have done for people? Will there be riots because gays were killed? Will there be military action against terrorists? Will we see big coverage of the lives lost? WILL THEY HAVE DIED IN VAIN?
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