Take the Money and Run

Take the Money and Run

Michael Cannata

           I read an interesting article that made me wonder just how seriously Donalf Trump is thinking about running for reelection in 2020. Since his election, Trump has been running around the country holding rallies as though the 2020 campaign had already begun.

          He still loves to get his supporters fired up with chants of “Lock her up!” He still has them convinced that Mexico is going to pay for his wall. He's still making pie-in-the-sky promises and insulting anyone he chooses with vicious invective.

          During his run for president, Donald Trump made a lot of promises about how much he was going to cut taxes. And, true to his word, with the help of the greediest GOP Congress in history, he pushed a tax cut through. He pounded his chest and his supporters pointed to the accomplishment as proof positive that he was a man of his word.

          The only problem is, since getting his tax bill passed, a lot of people did get huge tax cuts... just not people like me or most all of his supporters. People like me, average working class Americans, they might get a tax cut that will give them an extra tank of gas or a trip to the movies every month.

          But billionaires, people like Trump, they are going to be showered with money, Money they don't need nearly as much as the average tax payer. And by all accounts, Trump is perfectly happy with the result. Despite a number of published reports from several agencies whose job it is to track the effects of such legislation. Reports that say that the national debt is going to to increase bigly, Trump doesn't seem to care.

         According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office the deficit will reach a trillion dollars by 2020. You know... the year Trump is supposed to be running for reelection.. the year this enormous bill is going to be due. The year when, if the numbers are correct, America's economy will go in the tank. We are supposed to believe Trump will ask his supporters to vote for him again

          But I think Trump has unwittingly revealed his true plan. Trump is an ignorant, uncouth, small minded, spiteful, greedy, narcissistic egomaniac... but he isn't stupid. His goal was to reap the bounty of his position for as much personal gain and then cut his losses.

          When his aides tried to show him just how bad the national debt was going to be by 2020 using a graph that looked similar to a hockey stick, a long uphill slope that suddenly shoots upward, he waved them off. According to sources and acknowledging that it would happen he stated blithely,

          “Yeah, but I won't be here.”

          In 2020, Trump won't be running for office... he'll just be taking the money and running.

Do We Have Ten Good Men Left?

Do We Have Ten Good Men Left?

Michael Cannata

            This week has seen some historical events unfold that could bring about the downfall of Donald Trump's presidency. His long time lawyer and "fixer," Michael Cohen, has declared in court that Trump directed him to pay hush money to Stormy Daniels in an attempt to influence the 2016 election. He has been branded a criminal co-conspirator in campaign finance violations by a man who is in a position to know.

            His former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was found guilty on 8 counts of tax evasion and bank fraud, barely escaping guilty verdicts on 10 other charges thanks to a lone holdout on the jury. Several members of his administration have been charged and have pleaded guilty to a variety of crimes in the course of their duties.

            However, the members of congress, the GOP in particular, still seem reluctant to pursue impeachment as a means to remove Trump from office and try to salvage what little respect people might hold for those in office and for our government in general.

            There's an old saying that "the fish rots from the head down." However, the fish that is the GOP has been rotting away long before Trump came on the scene. Trump has just accelerated that rotting the way the hot sun would while burning down on the carcass.

            Yet, even as our country is being torn apart by the hate, racism, bigotry and misogyny he spews on a daily basis, the GOP still turns a blind eye to his sick and twisted sense of governance. They are unable or, worse, afraid to oppose his attacks on almost every social and ethnic group; Unwilling to challenge him as he insults and denigrates the character of greater men for reasons that are petty, personal and vindictive. Men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving their country,

            While his party has control of both houses of congress and the White House, he has continued to blame the democrats for his failure to accomplish any meaningful changes that would benefit the American people. Instead he has attacked and attempted to take away many of their vital social services such as health care, education, food stamps and financial aid.

            He has raped the nation's coffers to enrich those who need it the least while denying aid to those that need it the most. He has spurned and insulted long time historical allies and has kowtowed to fanatical despots and dictators around the globe. He has accepted the denials of Vladimir Putin at face value while condemning our own national intelligence agencies for insisting that Russian meddling in our elections is real and dangerous.

            It's become clear that Donald Trump lives to serve only one man, himself. He demands loyalty from all but shows loyalty to none, no matter how long they work or sacrifice for him. He accepts, no, he usurps all credit for any success those around him achieve. Yet, he blames everyone around him for his personal failures as a businessman and politician.

            He lives in an alternate reality, filled with alternate facts where "truth isn't truth." He has boldly lied with impunity on a scale unparalleled in modern history.

            He has attacked our greatest institution, the free press, and declared them the "enemy of the people!" He mounted a full assault on our right to free speech. I have never heard more insane and dangerous invective spoken by a member of our government.

            The members of both parties are part of the problem. But the GOP has all the chips in this game. It's time they come together with the democrats and realize they have a common enemy in Trump.

            Surely there must be a lot... ok, many... well, some... a few?... members of the GOP party willing to put their names on the line and stand up to this lunatic posing as the American president; Leaders who are willing to join with their democrat counterparts and impeach this dangerous charlatan before our country is damaged beyond repair.

            The American people are in desperate need of GOP leaders who will challenge their base and show, not just Americans, but the global community, that America doesn't need to be made great again. It has been and always will be the greatest nation on Earth. And we are not going to let Donald Trump tear us down while he tries to prop himself up.

            When push comes to shove... and I believe we have reached that point, I can't believe that all the republicans will put their own country in peril and allow Trump to wreak havoc on all that America has stood for. I don't believe the members of the GOP will choose their party over their people. I don't believe they will sacrifice their personal integrity and honor as elected leaders, just to protect a corrupt, unprincipled, ego-maniacal man who would destroy this country and destroy them rather than resign.

            I fear for our country now more than ever. We The People are at the point where we just might collapse as a country. Trump seems determined to divide us against ourselves and bring our United States down in a show of fire and fury of our own making. We have become a nation where evil; corruption, criminal conduct, greed and avarice in our elected leaders are almost seen as positive characteristics. Like Rome we are a grand Empire just before its fall. Or maybe we are closer to one of those famous cities that were destroyed by an angry God.

            I don't often use biblical stories to get a point across but this seems to be the right time. I'm paraphrasing here:

            When God sent his angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah they were met by Abraham and they told him they were there to destroy the cities because they had become corrupt with evil. Abraham asked God if he would spare the cities if he could find at least 10 good men among those who lived there. God agreed.

            However, after saving Lot and his family, the angels scoured the city and couldn't even find 10 good men. We all know what happened after that.

            If his angels were to show up in Washington D.C. today looking for 10 good men, we would be in deep doo-doo.

When Doing the Wrong Thing is the Right Thing to Do.

When Doing the Wrong Thing is the Right Thing to Do

Michael Cannata

            In 2016, for only the second time in my 66 years, I registered to vote. I was inspired because of Bernie Sanders' decision to enter the presidential race. Sanders is a man that I had come to admire as an example of a man who had served his country honorably. Over his entire career he has been one of only two independent Senators in our Congress.

            I truly felt he was the only man capable of bringing the two parties together. He has a history of being able to support the best side of an issue regardless of what side of the aisle it came from. He had the respect of virtually all the members of Congress. While I was disappointed that he dropped his independent status and joined the Democratic field, I still felt he had a good chance of winning. And he did, until his own party sabotaged his efforts and backed Hillary Clinton. I knew his cause was lost, long before the Democratic Convention.

            I have always taken politics very seriously. So seriously, that I realized early on that our country has never been interested in what I or people like me think. I believe it should be a law that people must go to the polls and vote. Conversely, until we give them the options to express their opinions on the candidates, people have no choice but to stay home. Almost 50% of the eligible voter never went to the polls in 2016. I believe, as I always have, that our election system is not designed with people like me in mind. I am in the majority in that sense.

            A good friend declared that, unless we vote, we lose our right to complain. He said, if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

            I don't believe that by failing to vote one loses their right to complain. My major complaint has always been that, unless you are willing to support a candidate from the two major parties, our elected officials would prefer that you stay home. And please don't give me that "you can write in any name you want" argument.

            As long as we are given the same old problems (candidates) there is no solution.

            There is nothing "silent" about the voice of the almost 50% of eligible voters that boycotted the election. The problem lies in the country's refusal to register those votes in a category where they can be counted and have their voice be heard.

            Suggesting that people vote for people from alternative parties just because they are on the ballot is just as much a way of saying your vote is wasted. In recent years so many politicians who have won office with a bare 25% of eligible voters have declared that they have a "mandate" to their credit; which, of course, is far from the truth.

            When it comes time for our congressmen and senators to vote on a bill or issue before them, members have the right to abstain. They basically remain neutral on an issue and don't cast a vote. These moves are counted but they have no part in deciding the issue being voted on.

            In Nevada, they have the right to choose "None of the above." Voters should have the right to do the same and have their opinions counted. If we want voters to use their voice, give them the proper platform. Voting for candidates from alternative parties with no realistic chance of winning is like asking people to talk with a pillow over their face. It's pointless to use your voice when it will never be heard.

            Voting for fringe candidates who have no chance of winning is a wasted vote and a silent voice. These are candidates who aren't even allowed the opportunity to stand with those from the two major parties onstage in nationally televised debates. A vote for them is akin to betting on a horse that's been scratched before the race even starts. It is a waste of money.

            I had intended to vote in the November elections, but after talking with my friend I have reconsidered. I don't want to vote for a candidate because he is the other party's candidate and thus is opposed to Trump. Voting against the lesser evil isn't something I can do. If I don't believe in a candidate in a personal way, if I don't believe that they are the best person for the job, I can't in good conscience vote for them.

            The one thing Trump has been right about is that the elections are rigged. I think the majority of Americans who stay away from the polls believe it too.

            To imagine that half of the country just doesn't care, that they have become too apathetic, is to disregard a lot of people who feel they are not fairly represented by either party. It isn't apathy when you stop caring about people who don't care about you. Perhaps it is our country that doesn't care about them... unless they are part of their rigged two party election system.

            And right now the system gives them no incentive and no means to express their true opinion about the candidates. They are given no means of voting against a candidate. Nevada does and it has served them well. As far as I know "None of the above" has won over the candidates on the ballot. The candidate who got the most votes still won the election But, at least, by official count, they knew for sure that the majority of voters didn't want either of them.

            Americans across the country should be able to do the same. Sometimes saying "None of the above" is the only way a citizen can voice their opinion. And that is a choice our country should offer them if we really want to bring people to the polls.

            They're called polling places for a reason. They're not just for registering votes...  they are meant to poll the citizens on their opinions.

            Votes matter. Opinions matter as well. Just because people don't vote, that doesn't mean they have no right to their opinion.

Finite Gods

Finite Gods

Michael Cannata

            In my search for truth and the meaning of Life, I sometimes turn off the TV and think about things. I know, it's a scary thing to do, but if you’re a serious student of Life like I am, you have to look at it once in a while. Maybe read a book about it. On a really desperate day I might even join in on Life. Not my own life necessarily, but someone's… or something's.

            The problem I have with getting in touch with the way I feel about Life and its meaning is that, when I do, I always start feeling like I've lost something. Or that something is missing. I begin to feel aimless. I already suffer from terminal forgetfulness anyway, and thinking about Life just makes it worse. All in all, it makes me feel that my life is just time to be spent searching for what I've lost; my faith… my youth… the remote... whatever.

            I've searched in vain for many of the things that other men have searched for and have never found any of them. I've searched for truth, for justice, I've searched for loose, easy women. All are hard to find.

            The hardest thing to find for me anywhere has been God. I have lots of questions that I would like to ask that only God, if there is such a guy, can answer. But God is harder to find than a mouse in a cat house.  

            I don't believe in gods in general, but I think they are fascinating creatures. And, having been raised as a catholic, (through no choice of my own, mind you) I find The GOD of the greatest interest. Once I heard of him and learned that he didn’t live in my neighborhood I started looking for him too.

            Now I admit that I’ve only covered the New England area and bits and pieces of other states. I’ve been to Las Vegas a lot but I’ve never looked for him there. I figured that Sin City is the last place he would hang around. But God, who is supposed to be every where, is nowhere to be found in my neck of the woods.

            I used to jokingly ask people if they have seen him around, but too many people took me seriously and started telling me, often in a not nice fashion, where to go to find him. Usually I was told to look in a place I am not flexible enough to see, let alone check. And I don’t think my head would fit anyway. But I still have questions that I would like answers for.

            I sometimes ask people if they can name something that they have that God can never have, or something they know that God doesn't know.  Some give me thoughtful and considered answers, some give me a slap on the head. The most unreliable answers come from the folks who say they've seen him, or work for him.

            Most of my questions are silly, but some are not.  Does God have a best friend... or a playroom? Has he ever known the embrace of a mother's arms? Has he known the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat? When he made the earth, what did he plan to do with it? If he made us, why doesn’t he hang around with us instead of hiding all the time?

            Mostly what I want to ask is what is it like to be a God? And more to the point, why does he want to be one? I've fantasized about what it would be like to be a Supreme Being and I have a pretty good imagination. Honestly, I have to tell you, to me, it doesn't sound so great. If you look at it, it must be a lonely thing to be a Supreme Being. To be bigger, better, smarter and just all around superior to everyone that exists. I mean, who would he hang around with? What mortal would be able to relate to God the way they do a friend who comes from their neighborhood or went to the same school with them.? It’s like being the BMOC at a college with one student.

            If you can never experience things like winning and losing, laughing or crying, succeeding after trying for so long you were really beginning to feel stupid in a serious way... if gods don't feel things like that... what’s so cool about being one? Suffering the irretrievable loss of someone you love, or feeling the prideful glow of personal achievement is something human that God can't experience.

            If you can create a universe and everything in it; if you have complete dominion over its very existence, once you've done that, what's left to do? What is the next reason for being once you're done? That's it! Go home! You win every game; you can beat up everybody in the world. You can do everything better than every body. Where do you go from there? If nobody has a chance of beating you or winning any games, eventually nobody will want to play with you anymore.

            I haven't found “The God” or any of the lesser gods yet. However, in my long and intense searching, I have found the answers to many of the other Mysteries of Life. After a rather lengthy and meandering quest I have found out where to find human conscience. And I am sure there is life after death; although it's nothing at all like heaven, and I'm pretty sure I can prove it. And not just to the O.J. jury.

            I can also prove that the following popular myths are quite true.

·         U.F.O.'s are real.

·         There are such things as ghosts.

·         There is magic.

·         The end of the world is not only coming, it's a lot closer than you think.

·         Dreams can come true.

·         Re-incarnation is both true and mandatory.

·         There are such things as psychics, little green men, monsters, heroes and Irish people who don't have an "O" in front of their last name.

            I think that I can explain just about every sort of phenomena that you can name. All of the dreams, visions, hallucinations and illusions that have been experienced by specific people and mankind in general have a single source. Many have brought inspirations that produced wondrous achievements. Some have served as portent for even more spectacular tragedies. And God had nothing to do with them.

            Man does not need to believe in God to make it through life but man seems to like the idea of there being one just in case. We give him credit for all the wonderful things that happen in life, but we also have him to blame when things suck. We made him the biggest, strongest, smartest and most powerful being ever. He’s one of a kind. No one comes close… and that’s the problem. Being the one and only means he is alone and lonely.

            We don’t need gods. We can exist with or without them. But gods need us. God can’t exist unless we believe in him. God did not create life, Life created us all, including Gods. Gods are not superior and people are not all equal. If gods have any power over our lives it’s only the power we give them. Gods are pretty special, but so are we. They have all the power, but we have all the fun.

            I think that, if they are real, gods need a way to play. They need us so they can know how to feel. They need us to help them experience what they have created. Gods are really rather pitiful and deserving of our sympathy. They are infinite entities who long for the finite. Immortals that can conceive all things possible but cannot experience any of the possibilities. They can imagine but never suffer the joys and terrors of the mortals that they created. We and all the things that live are life in all its infinite incarnations. We are what gods need to play.

            While we feel as humans, that we should strive to be as our gods; in reality, it is those gods that dwell in the realms of omniscience who envy us as we are. While we aspire to join gods and rise to heavens, I think that the gods wish they could join us. They are beings who can never know how it is to be. They create life but they can not know what it is to live.

            Creating life may be a God’s job; but getting a life is his goal.

Your Vote, Your Voice

 Your Vote, Your Voice

Michael Cannata

            There's a lot of talk going on about voter suppression. The impression is that states are purging their voter lists in an attempt to prevent people, especially poor people, read democrats, from voting.

            There may be some truth to the rumor. Maybe there are some local districts, maybe even entire states, where the effort to remove names from voter rolls is a blatant attempt by one party or the other to tilt the numbers of voters in their favor.

            In the interest of fairness, I just thought I'd offer my two cents.

            One of the most important elections in our country's history is fast approaching this November. The very future of America's political landscape is at stake. The voice of every voter must be heard.

            Keeping the voter rolls updated and accurate is an important task. Removing people that have died or moved away helps make maintaining them much easier. There are a lot of honest reasons why a voter's name may be deleted from the rolls. Public officials have a responsibility to make sure the information on their voters is current.

            So.... maybe it's a nefarious political plot... or maybe it's the result of over-zealous election officials that want to dot their I's and cross all their T's before the upcoming elections in November; With all the suspicions and accusation of voter fraud and Russian meddling, I really can't blame anyone for doing their best to make sure that anyone who votes, votes legally.

            There is no question that, come Election Day, some people who are properly registered may well find themselves prevented from voting, or find that they are in the wrong line, wrong district or that they are considered dead.

            I have a lot of ideas about how we can resolve a lot of the problems related to registering, tracking and identifying people when it comes time to vote on Election Day; Starting with the concept of "Election Day" itself.

            When it comes to federal elections that involve millions of people from every corner of the country we can't be in a hurry. We need to have an "Election Weekend."

            Stretching voting in a state or federal election over a few days would allow for the time needed to ensure that things go as smoothly as possible. It would allow time for everyone to find the time to make it to the polls. It would give a voter time to correct a mistake at the polls.

            Voters would have the time to obtain proper documentation and re-establish their right to vote and determine, in the case of an address change, where to vote if needed. More time to correct mistakes, regardless of who made them, would take a lot of pressure off of all involved. Most importantly it would give us the time to make sure the votes cast are counted correctly.

            I do believe a picture ID should be the preferred form of ID in order to vote in person at a polling station. For those who do not have a drivers license, picture ID's should be issued free of cost at any DMV, city or town hall, civic offices or post office.

            People confined to places like nursing homes and hospitals that are unable to physically go to a polling station should be given access to absentee ballots. Assistance in the process of properly identifying the voter and filing them should be the responsibility of the administrators of the facility.

            To help people stay in good standing everyone should be automatically re-registered whenever they renew their driver's license. Even if I don't vote for 10 years, Filing a tax return should serve as a notice of address and retain my right to vote. A recent tax return should serve as proof of current address.

            To remove the stigma of being targeted because you are a registered democrat or republican, election officials should not be allowed to ask for your party preference when registering.

            People should not be required to register as a member of any political party. Voter rolls should not identify a voter as a member of the democrat, republican or any other political party. IMO, everyone should be considered an independent when they enter the voting booth.  Who you vote for or what party you align with is a personal choice that you are free to reveal if you choose, but it doesn't need to be posted next to your name on the list of voters.

            Election officials have a civic responsibility to keep their voter information as current and accurate as possible. Voters have the same obligation.

            If you haven't voted in a long time... if you've moved to a new address, county or state, you need to go and make sure that the officials know who you are, where you are and that you are still alive.

            States may be purging names from their lists for whatever reason they see fit. Regardless, just because your name was removed, that doesn't mean you can't put it right back where it belongs.

            Voters need to understand one thing. Voting is one of those inalienable rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Most importantly, it is a right you need to exercise to be sure it isn't abused. No matter if they purged your name or you just let it go long enough that you may have been removed. Go to your local office and register or re-register now.

            There are 4 months until November. More than enough time for anyone who is serious about voting and wants to be sure their name is still on the rolls and the information is correct to make things right.

            Your vote is your voice. Don't be silenced by their actions or your inaction.

False Facts and True Lies.

    False Facts and True Lies
       

             I grew up in a time where there was one black and white TV in the living room that received four stations.  My parents controlled everything that we watched except on Saturday mornings. That was when we kids got to watch an entire morning of cartoons. For the most part, TV programs, especially news programs, were geared for the adults.

            As a result of that dynamic, as a kid I was a serious reader. I read every book I could find. I read cereal boxes. I read every sign on a bus. My eyes sought out words the way a thirsty man seeks water. If I couldn't read, I listened. At night in my bed when the lights were out, I used a small crystal radio to listen to the music that I could tune in until I fell asleep with my earphone in my ear. I even read the bible when they gave me one in my first year of Sunday school… all of it. And that was when I realized just how important it was to heed the old adage, don't believe everything you read

.

            I considered everything I read, every song I heard, every program or movie I watched as a means of gaining knowledge. It was input that helped me understand how life and people worked. I had a vivid and active imagination and enjoyed stories and books that contained fantasy, science fiction and mystery. Works of fiction and poetry brought visions of wonder and possible worlds that could, should or would be. However, as much as I enjoyed works of fiction, what I ultimately preferred was learning facts.

            When they gave me the bible I read it with great interest. I found it fascinating; it raised many serious questions about life and creation. Curiously, when I asked the questions of those I thought would know, the nuns and priests, they seemed be at a loss when it came to providing any answers that made sense. After failing to satisfy my curiosity they always seemed to fall back on a reply that left my questions unanswered. Some questions only God could answer. If I just believed now, then God would explain later.

            I was seeking to learn everything I could about everything I could learn. I didn't want to just "Believe"… I wanted to KNOW! I hated it when I came across something that required Faith and Belief. I wanted to know the Truth. I wanted facts. I wanted to know to the best possible degree how the Earth and the human race came to be. Were we created or did we just evolve?

            I read science books. I read my school books. I read encyclopedias with the same interest that comic books would demand of a kid my age. I spent countless hours at the library, even in the adult section when I could slip in. I loved reading anything that explained the world around me. Most of all I enjoyed reading and listening to news reports.

            Newspapers were my favorite go-to sources when it came to knowing what was happening in the world. I read both of the daily newspapers in my city almost daily. Time, Newsweek and Life magazine were always must reads for me. I watched the evening news reports with my parents whenever possible. While the local stations covered the events in my city and state, it was men like, Walter Cronkite, Chet Huntley and David Brinkley, Robert MacNeil and Jim Lehrer who brought me the news from my country and from all corners of the world. I trusted them. If they reported on an event, I felt that I knew the facts.

            I also understood the difference between a news REPORT and an editorial. Reports gave me the facts; editorials gave me the opinions of those who reported the facts. Opinions can be right or wrong. But facts were facts.

            The voices I listened to were well known, the sources of information were well established, and there were far less people to listen to when it came to learning the facts and forming an opinion of my own. I felt that the First Amendment that established the Free Press along with free speech was our nation's greatest asset.

            But that was then.

            Today we live in a world where we have no one we can trust anymore. Facts are tossed aside and there is always a source that can be found to dispute anything. Conspiracy theories are ubiquitous and no official explanation is ever accepted as true. Politics has become a contact sport where the good of the party is more important than the good of the people. Lying has become an art form.

            In today's world, the world of the internet, we are trapped in a world wide web of diverse and differing groups. It is a platform that carries the voices of millions of people who claim to know the REAL truth to my door. The main stream media is reviled and attacked by many of our political leaders. Finding the facts, sifting through the endless "reports" and finding the grain of truth is a daunting task.

            Any reports that provide facts that support an opposing view are decried as "Fake news." Actual facts are replaced by "alternative facts." Religious beliefs are beginning to replace science fact as a source of accepted truth.

            People no longer think in terms of "We." The world has taken sides and each has adopted a dogma of us or them. If you're not with us, you are against us. There is no room for compromise. No middle ground. Moderates, independent thinkers who look at both sides of an issue are a dying breed.

            Everyone has right to their opinion, but that doesn't make their opinion right. Lies should never replace the truth. Falsehoods should never trump facts. And truth and facts should always form the basis for any conclusion.

            It has been a long accepted scientific fact that the Earth is round. But even today, despite all the proven scientific evidence, there is a small group of believers in what is known as The Flat Earth Society who do not accept the fact that the Earth is round. Creationists, putting their religious beliefs above scientific fact, insist that the Earth is only 5,000 years old and that evolution is a fraudulent theory. Nothing, no facts, will change their minds.

            I don't believe everything I read. But when it comes to making the right decision and supporting the side of any issue, I always try to decide first if what I learn is fact. Even if an issue goes against my personal belief, if it rings true then I have to support it. I don't support abortion, but I support the right of a woman to chose. I don't agree with many of the ideas espoused by groups that promote hate and racist ideology, but I believe they should be allowed to have a voice. But I KNOW the Earth is round and that it is billions of years old.

            WE THE PEOPLE should be allowed to decide what is true and what is false. To do that we need access to reports that contain actual facts so we can make educated decisions. Unfortunately, knowing who to trust when it comes to the source of the facts isn't easy anymore.  In today's world, for too many people, nothing is true unless it supports what they believe. Facts no longer matter. We have become a nation filled with groups that cling to their version of a flat earth.

            And that scares me.

Walking Out Is Better Than Running Out.

      Walking Out is Better Than Running Out

By Michael Cannata      

            I was reading a post I came across on Facebook that caught my attention. Especially since a few of the friends I respect the most had commented on it.

            You can find it at this link: http://www.ktsa.com/open-letter-teacher-students-walking/

            It had to do with an open letter written by an unidentified teacher. It was addressed to the students who are planning a school walk out protest. He made a lot of good points when making suggestions as to just how, instead of holding a walk-out, which he said is easy, the students can do a lot more to help prevent other shootings by helping those "loner" students that may be the next shooter; Those kids that seem to be the ones that we can all easily identify after they're done shooting.

            I felt a sense of insult for the teens he was addressing. By suggesting at the very start that he needed to explain that he was writing a LETTER and not a tweet, as though they didn't know the difference, he started by talking down to them.

            While his suggestion that, by reaching out to those kids that seem to be standing on the fringe, just waiting for an invitation to become part of the main stream, may change their life, he over-simplifies the deep troubles and emotional issues many "loners" have.

            Superficial gestures of inclusion that don't extend beyond the school walls won't help much and may just reinforce their sense of insecurity. Loners are often pretty good at picking up on false or forced displays of sincerity. Asking the students to adopt those "loner" students who have often rejected inclusion for years before getting to high school is asking too much. They are high school students, not mental health professionals.

            I can appreciate the author's good intentions in encouraging the students to do more to reach out and include those kids that seem to lack the social skills they need to feel surer of themselves. But making friends isn't easy for such kids. If they are open to such overtures, the kids reaching out had better be prepared to follow through.  BEING a friend once the introductions are over is even harder. Being a false friend can do more damage than good.

            His first suggestion, "put down your stupid phone," disregards the one tool that brings this generation of young people together in a way that has never been possible. Asking them to put it aside is foolish. It gives them a power and a voice that can be felt and heard around the world. Where they have a will to organize, their social technology gives them a way.

            For all his good advice, I found his casual dismissal of the proposed walkout disappointing. As a 65 year old man who lived through an era where student protests were common and effective I would welcome seeing that energy in today's youth. 

             My generation used protest and civil disobedience to protest against the Vietnam War, against civil discrimination... we held demonstrations where students gave their lives for what they believed in and changed the world. I think that a national student demonstration in the form of a walkout is one of the most powerful ways for this generation of students, students under fire and fighting for their lives, will have a major impact on the national discussions surrounding gun control and school safety.

            When the students walk out, together, across the country, in a mass demonstration, it will be a show of power and solidarity that we the people, the parents and the politicians will no longer be able to ignore. They have the opportunity and the time is ripe. They should use their skills and the technology their "stupid phones" give them to rally together from distant places and turn all their voices into one.

            They need to be sure their parents finally hear their children crying for their help. They need to be sure that the politicians will hear them over the political prattle that they spout in Washington and make them realize that many of the millions of HS students protesting this year, will be voting next year.

            Their technology and social applications will give them a voice that will shout out to the country... indeed, the world... that they are serious and are not just asking, but demanding that we help them defend themselves.

            I am excited at the prospect of seeing what, until now, has seemed to be an aimless and impersonal young generation, take one issue personally and take aim at finding a solution. I would love to hear them stop talking about "Me" and start taking about "Us."

            I would encourage ALL students everywhere to support their classmates, their friends and their peers and support the protest. Take action... be part of something that history will remember and that you as a student, standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow students, will never forget.

            Walking out of your school in defense of your life is better than running out of your school in fear of it.

Is The Problem Gun Control... Or Self Control?

I just had to lend my two cents to the national conversation about the recent school shooting in Florida. A pretty smart guy I know posted on a thread on Facebook about what he thinks happened and why. A lot of what he says is true. However he starts his post with two comments I think are wrong.

"All gun control does is take legal firearms out of the hands of legal citizens." 

No form of gun control I know of prevents legal citizens from buying and owning a gun. If effective, gun control laws should make the process more thorough and rigorous. Longer waits and tougher requirements should not be seen as too much to ask for from any responsible and legal American citizen who wants to own a firearm.

I believe in the 2nd Amendment and a person's right to own a gun. But with that right comes the responsibility and willingness to see that guns are distributed only after strict background checks are done as completely as possible. They should be willing to subject themselves to background checks. Not just for criminal records but one that includes screenings for mental health and emotional stability.

Another comment my smart friend made was,"Gun Control does nothing to stop thugs from getting guns."

I think he's wrong again. New York's once ridiculously high murder rate is plunging to historic lows, largely in part because of strict gun control. It seems to be working there. There are no gun stores or background check loopholes in Chicago. Yet their murder rate is off the charts. But the number of guns in the city has nothing to do with their gun control laws.

Just a short drive over the Indiana border, where they have some of the weakest gun control laws in the country, and it is easy for "thugs" in Chicago to go and buy all the guns they want. Studies show that most of the illegal guns confiscated in Chicago come from there.

Other than that, my friend is correct. All the gun control laws we can enact will not "limit or even eradicate these kind of shootings." Mental health issues can't be seen by the next door neighbor. No matter how bizarre or peculiar a persons actions may seem, that does not constitute reason for action on the part of law enforcement. As my friend said, a lot can be done as far as "school security, mental health, making our instant background check system better."

Another friend said..."But there was no credible threat. He didn't say he was going to do it.. Just said what career he wanted and while it probably should have raised flags you can't arrest someone for a statement like that." She's right, with few exceptions, "you can't arrest someone for a statement."

Unless a person has sought out or was treated some way by professional medical people, where a record of their psychological state could be tracked and would show up on a background check, law enforcement would have no way of knowing what a person who purchases a gun intends to do with it.

And yet another who posted said it best.

"A psychopath doesn’t think they have a problem ... nor does a narcissist. So they are hardly likely to seek help and if they are smart enough they will do nothing that flags them .. until it is too late." 

But I'm just sayin'

What happened in Florida has nothing to do with gun control. It has more to do with population control. It has to do with the way Americans deal with perceived threats. It has to do with mental health, emotional instability and the triggers that can turn a kid, riddled with angst, into a mass murderer. An action easily aided by the ready availability of a gun. 

Killing is a traditional American solution people in this country take to when they feel threatened. The average kid has seen over 18,000 murders on TV and in the movies by the time they are 18. Often the people doing the killings are portrayed as heroes, wreaking the justice that the legal system seems unable or unwilling to provide.

In the end there is only one solution to reducing the problem. It has nothing to do with changing gun laws. It has to do with changing ourselves as a people. In order to reduce and prevent such events we have to take a deep look at ourselves as a people. We have to change the way we and our children learn to think.

Sure, we could use less guns. We could do better at controlling them. But as long there is one gun, the possibility of another mass shooting exists. What we really need to do is get our hate under control. We can do more to control guns... but we really need to learn to control ourselves. 

Guns are not the problem, we are.