Boom Boom Boom

This is the 4^th of July. We celebrate a lot of things on this date. Independence of our nation from England at that time, but also independence of spirit so each individual can achieve the best of which they are capable. Equality is celebrated, too. “All people are created equal with inalienable rights” is what the Declaration of Independence declares. And why are those rights granted? “To pursue life, liberty and happiness.” This again from our Declaration of Independence.

This declaration does not say that we are all free to lord our lives over others’ lives. We are not free to be all powerful to be whatever we can be over the global community, or our neighbors.  No, we have responsibilities to exercise in order to have the freedoms the Declaration espouses.

Somewhere along the way we have lost our way. There are many people who feel their freedoms are to be expressed and lived so that others will join them in their beliefs. Whether political, social or religious, the minority demands the majority follow their demands.

Where is choice? Where is the freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness?

Think of the minority pressing for elimination of abortion. Think of women being denied their choice in making major life decisions, especially those surrounding their reproductive rights.

Think also of those who have the right to bear arms taking life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness away from everyone else? The right to bear arms was to enable the nation to defend itself from foreign aggressors. Not each other! Or for sport, yet guns in the 1770’s were needed to hunt and gather food for the household. Today that is sport, and guns are OK for that, as long as they do not impinge on the freedoms of others, you know, to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

To that point is this anonymous quote found on the internet the other day:

            “Dear pro-gun activists,

Understand this and understand it well.  My right – and the right of my children – to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will always trump your gun fetish and treasonous desire to prepare for war with your own government.  And if that bothers you, well, I’ll see you at the polls in November.”

The threat, of course, is that the rest of us can control this disagreement at the polls. Trouble is too few vote. Too few leave these important matters up to others, and that’s what the nuts in our country stake their strategy on.

President Obama has this to say about the gun culture:

“My biggest frustration so far is the fact that this society has not been willing to take some basic steps to keep guns out of the hands of people who can do just unbelievable damage…This is becoming the norm. We should be ashamed.”

I, for one, am ashamed of our nation on this issue. If you want your gun, fine. Just don’t force it on me and my household. And, of course, please take responsibility for owning that gun. If it is used irresponsibly, then it is your life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that is in jeopardy. You allow a kid to access your gun? Then  you go to prison for that error in judgment. If your right allows a private militia to form and imperil the liberty of the rest of us without any representation at all, then that militia is a mob bent on treason and needs to be corralled and imprisoned so the rest of us are safe.

Elected lawmakers, whether in the several states or Congress, should be held to a standard that protects life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not blank gun rights that lead to death, maiming, injury and mayhem. Those lawmakers who allow such travesty to exist in their name, should automatically be disbarred from their elected position.

Honestly, 3 million NRA members have bought most of the lawmakers? Those lawmakers think that the other 200 million of us voters won’t remember this? Why don’t the ballot boxes at every election demonstrate this power?

It’s a cockeyed world – and nation!  What a shame. On all of us!

Boom Boom Boom indeed!

Jon Stewart shared this thought with the public a while back:

“Here’s what disgusts me. We as a country were able to ship 300,000 troops halfway across the world in just a few months to fight a war that cost us $2 trillion…but it takes longer than that to get someone hurt in that war needed medical care or reimbursement.”

You bet, Jon! And that’s not the half of it. Republican controlled congress refuses to fund the Veterans Administration properly to fulfill their mission, and the Congressional VA oversight committees failed to seek administrative standards on veteran medical care, yet declaim the VA medical care problems a black eye on the current White House.  A classic case of the monster naming the wrong enemy.

In our ratings inspired media these days, that’s good fodder for circulation, so the republicans get away with this nonsense.

America is strong enough to support our beliefs and moral convictions as much as we wish. Supporting the needs of our veterans is a no brainer. They gave their lives, they risked their lives, for the rest of us to make our nation secure. We owe them big time for their sacrifices.

As President Obama said a few weeks ago:

“Whenever the world makes you cynical, whenever you doubt that courage and goodness is possible – stop and think of these men.”

                        ~President Obama on the 70^th anniversary of D-Day.

Boom Boom Boom. Again!

Finally, in view of the Hobby Lobby freedom of religion Supreme Court Decision this week, let us consider this quote:

            “If all religions teach peace, then why can’t all religions achieve peace?” - Anonymous

Boom.  Are the world religions too busy making war among themselves? Or are they really serious about this peace thing?  Thousands of years later we still face the same thing.

Boom Boom Boom. Indeed!

Happy 4^th of July and the anniversary of your freedoms. What are you doing to insure that others have the same freedoms?  And liberty? And pursuit of happiness?

Really?

Boom boom to you!

July 4, 2014