I don’t know how we got here, but our country is now is such a toxic place that whenever President Obama comments on anything there are two immediate responses:
#1 He is the best thing since sliced bread. Everything he says is just what I was thinking and I love him more than I love my own mother.
#2 He’s the Antichrist. Burn him with fire.
Never has this been more apparent than in his recent remarks on gun violence. Before he’d even completed the speech there was a flurry of memes comparing him to Hitler and various primates. I personally find comparisons to Hitler funny because he was a right wing extremist and not left wing at all so the folks posting those kinds of things look really really dumb, but I digress.
President Obama had the audacity to suggest that we should make it harder for people with violent pasts to purchase guns. Any sane human being should agree that is a good thing. Are there currently laws on the books to prohibit this? Yes, but there are loopholes in them. Two enormous ones are gun shows and online sales. Closing these loopholes would make everyone safer. But, since the President suggested it millions of people immediately came up with a wide variety of nonsensical reasons why this suggestion was akin to suggesting we all murder a veteran for Satan.
This sort of thing just makes me sick. Whatever happened to common sense? Whatever happened to agreeing to disagree? Whatever happened to common respect and decency? And more importantly, is there any way we can get this back?
Great work. It is ok to think. I am amazed at the lack of thinking and willingness to consider other thoughts and alternatives. Keep writing!
Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement!
And yes, I am saddened how divided we are as a nation.
You asked “Whatever happened to common sense?” Unfortunately, wisdom and politics rarely share common ground.
We won’t find answers to community/country/world problems in politicians. Our elected leaders can certainly provide essential direction, but they frequently fail miserably. Laws have been in place for years, restricting access to weapons. Additional laws may simply make it much more difficult/impossible for a law-abiding citizen to defend themselves in an attack.
Which newspaper headlines would you prefer?
A. Attackers with stolen weapons. Woman didn’t survive.
B. Attackers with stolen weapons. Woman thwarts attack when she displayed a larger weapon.
Finally, you mentioned people being hypercritical of Obama. The President is a skilled orator and very able to defend himself. There is an abundance of rhetoric aimed at others too. Comedian George Lopez has stated, “F**k (George W.) Bush”, and during time, while referring to G.W. Bush, “F**k that P**o (derogatory Spanish term for male prostitute)”. Need to see it for yourself? Search Youtube. It should not matter that he is a comedian, George Lopez is supported by his audience and broadcast on TV. Imagine if George Lopez had replaced G.W. Bush with the name Obama! Why isn’t there a public outcry over Lopez’s attacks on G.W. Bush?
My intent was not to state that President Obama is subject to more or less criticism than anyone else who has held the highest office in the land. My intent was two fold:
#1 To lament on how we’ve gotten to a place as a nation where the President could say “The sky is blue” and thousands of folks would have the knee jerk reaction to disagree.
#2 To point out to those folks that NO ONE in their right mind should want it to be easy for violent persons to get access to guns. I wish I didn’t have to go ask at the pharmacy counter for my Allegra D, but I do even though I’ve never used it to make meth. Why do I have to do it? Because others have. A few people ruin it for everyone, just like when we were in grade school.
Which newspaper headline would you prefer?
A. Attackers with stolen weapons. Woman didn’t survive.
B. Attackers with stolen weapons. Woman thwarts attack when she displayed a larger weapon.
Government isn’t the answer. Personal responsibility is.