Sunday, December 6, 2015

On Our World: Reflections As A New Week Dawns (#Guns & #Refugees & #Hope)

It has been quite a few days in our World.    It was of note as our team came down firmly in support of the Front Page Editorial in the New York Times.     

I saw the Erick Erickson stunt yesterday and my first reaction was:  Get a life dude!!!   If you have that much time to pick up your gun and shoot up a newspaper article, you really don't have a life.   Beyond that, though, the disturing nature of his email really was of profound concern--and he's still one of the more mainstream elements within the conservative movement.   I have not visited oathkeepers or the Gun Owners of America to see what their views are, yet.   

I caught a glimpse of the debate on this as CBS interviewed Donald Trump.    What was so disturbing about Trump's views was that he basically said the entire 3 Million Estimated Muslims in the United States must be subject to "tracking"--something I am very pleased that more mainstream Republicans have condemned.  What is striking is how he continues to be leading the polls.    He was also "gung ho" on the 2nd Amendment (never mind he was for Gun Control before he was against it) and talked about if folks were armed in Paris the carnage would not have occured.   The culture of "every person for himself" is quite problematic to say the least.

I was shocked by this I saw on the Guardian of London that I released to my personal Grid within the past hour--but not too shocked as I stepped back to think about Erick Erickson's stunt and then a report that Iowa is beginning to issue Gun Permits to the legally Blind:   
Ben Jennings 7.12.2015



This the perception that the World has--America can do better than this. What I find problematic is how facts and reality seem not to matter in the current political narrative that is before us.    #Outsiders has been an attemp to work to change the narrative one notation at a time--whether we can do it in light of the profound noise is a struggle.

As I was supporting #Outsiders throughout the day, I took a little time to catch Gandhi.   There is a scene it as he decides on the next phase of the campaign that led to the indepedence of India and he reflects on a song at his temple and reflected upon this, "...He bows to all and despises none...".   It was a lesson to be remebered by us all.

I continue to remain hopeful though beyond words.   I was witness to the geneorsity of spirit this past Saturday as I along with the youth of Aliso Niguel High School was at The @Second Harvest Bank of Orange County to plant, prepare field and thereafter join the Adopt-A-Pantry sponsored by the Indian Southern California Basketball League assisting with serving some 249 Families with their weekly meals.    It is such that continues to give me hope that we can and will overcome this level of "noise" as a dose of reality was again noted by Nicholas Kristoff earlier today: 

"785,000 refugees have been admitted to the United States since 9/11 and not one has been convicted of killing a person...
Posted by The New York Times on Sunday, December 6, 2015




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