An Awful Waste of Space

Just shy of four hours from now, people all over the country will be marching to change the policies that have shaped - and in some cases destroyed - so many lives. The era of gun violence is due in part to legislation that allows people to purchase weapons and then modify them, for a use that would otherwise be illegal.

This march is about the epidemic of gun violence which is almost a uniquely American issue. These ‘kids’ are taking to the streets to show the politicians and lobbyists which have had such a lockdown on our democracy that either they will change their minds, or we will vote them out of office. It’s as simple as that. We are getting tired of the excuses that nothing can be done, so nothing’s done. It’s as if someone gets caught in quicksand and says ‘oh well, it’s over, I should just give up.’ But this isn’t quicksand, this is a voluntary decision to maintain the status quo - one that has to change.

This march isn’t about taking away all the guns, it’s about reminding America what ‘common sense’ is, something that seems lost. It’s about reminding people that children’s lives - everyone’s lives - are at stake. It’s about reminding people that anyone, anywhere can be affected. It’s about making life more important than money or power...for once.

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

3-14-18

"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up."

You are amazing poeple!

To every student that worries if they will be punished - there is a whole LIST of colleges that have said if it’s on your school transcript, you go to the front of the admissions line! 

To all the parents that worry what the school board is going to do - as long as you have your kid’s back in the fight, school boards can’t do what they threaten to!

To the teachers who are supporting their students right to walk out - you are one of the reasons they’re doing this, you’ve helped shape them into people of conscience!

To the school boards supporting the rights of students - Thank you for your help! Your support means the world to these kids.

To the school boards suppressing the students - You should be ashamed to tell your students through their whole school career to learn critical thinking, then THREATEN them when they do!

To the politicians supporting the gun lobby - Their LIVES matter more than your money, you can bet these students will be taking your JOBS soon enough!

3-5-18

“Everybody is a Genius. But If You Judge a Fish by Its Ability to Climb a Tree, It Will Live Its Whole Life Believing that It is Stupid “

-Albert Einstein

3-4-18

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has

Saturday, the Florida state Senate did three things in “rapid” succession - they voted down an assault weapons ban, they gave a 17 second long moment of silence to the students that lost their lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and then they voted down a measure to make teachers arming themselves optional.

So, to recap

“Less guns” - Failed

Thoughts and Prayers - Check

More guns - Check

State Senator Kelli Stargel said a ban could lead to a slippery slope - “Would fertilizer, used in the 1995 bombing of an Oklahoma City federal building, be banned? Or pressure cookers, used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings?”

But, we DO track large purchases of chemical fertilizers, now don’t we? We DO track previous bomb threats of people - in part that’s got a whole Task Force assigned to it. People say it’s a slippery slope, but here’s the deal - we don’t let our citizens buy the Abrams tank, or F-16′s or Predator drones, we don’t even let them buy grenades or tear gas. 

Why? Because those have been banned. But WHY? Why would you ban those things, if they are just tools?

Or how about the other side of the coin - the law idea - if we ban guns for law-abiding citizens, then only criminals would have them.

IF that argument holds any kind of validity then it’s an argument for no laws at all. If only law-abiding citizens follow then, and criminals don’t, then why have any laws, period...not just gun laws, but laws on everything from jaywalking to genocide?

Back to the Senate in Florida, “Thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that’s going to stop the evil from within the individual that is taking up their arms to do this type of massacre,” Stargel said. 

People pray every day, we pray for everything from winning the lottery to getting the girl to like us, getting that promotion at work, people who are sick, people who need help. The fact is that prayer is a good thing. Aside from all the religious arguments, prayer makes the brain release a minor level of endorphins, feels good if you let it drugs, makes you want to do more good in the world.

Prayer alone isn’t enough, thoughts should lead to action, not inaction.

Kelli Stargel is given an A+ rating by the NRA, according to https://votesmart.org/interest-group/1225/rating/5578#.Wpvw3OjwaUM where you can also check out a whole list of other FL politicians and their ratings, so please do.

While you’re at it, let’s do something else.

Let’s ask a question, if everyone that reads this hopes and prays for Marco Rubio and Kelli Stargel run over by a truck that’s carrying a load of NRA sponsored assault rifles to be sold at a gun show - and it Happens, then could we all be charged with accessory to vehicular manslaughter? No.

3-1-18

Do. Or, Do Not. There is no “Try” 

2-28-18

“Only people blinded by ideology fall into the trap of believing in their own infallibility.”

2-27-18

It always seems impossible, until its done.

There is a rally going on in front of the legislature in Tallahassee today so I wanted to live post this, unfolding on CNN just moments ago, history in the making!

Senator Gary Farmer, speaking in Tallahassee - "They are trying to pivot your attention...away from assault weapons as mass killing devices."

"Arming teachers is about the worst idea I've ever heard...increased safety measures will be almost a non-factor if they don't do away with high (capacity) magazines"

I completely agree with this, putting weapons in the hands of someone who has just recently qualified to use them and hasn’t had hours of practice to train themselves on what to do in a live fire moment makes a situation MORE dangerous, not LESS !!! Common sense.

Then we go on to see Women’s March organizers quote Marjory Stoneman Douglas herself, saying “Be a nuisance where it counts” and going on to spread some of the wisdom of the Parkland school’s namesake.

She also goes on to say “"If you are a Broward (county) Legislator and you take money from the NRA, you will not be in office come November!”

"NEVER AGAIN!! We refuse to leave in a world where our children have to do active shooting drills!"

"When our political process stops resembling the people it represents, democrats and republicans need to come together to vote them out"

A few minutes later, the group disperses, and regroups inside the building, going to talk to the legislators themselves, the cameras don’t go inside. Instead, the President is on, speaking to Governors about addressing the problems in the country.

In the moments afterwards, when he was supposed to be talking about the NRA, and talking about "turning our grief into action"