A Reaction

My reaction to this article and the entire Elmo incident:

We've been told to shut up and that "I'll give you something to complain about" for so long that many of us have. We've been admonished to be silent and strong and just take it. Repeatedly. However, somewhere along the way, there are too many complaints we can't ignore anymore. At some point, one more time being told to shut up about the injustices and inequities happening to and around us is one time too many.

And we break.

Hopefully, we break and have a long cry. Maybe we break and go to therapy. Some of us break and self-medicate or hole up away from everyone. A few of us break and attempt or commit suicide. And a very small number of us break and decide to attack and kill those around us who caused the problems.

Making Your Voice Heard

If you really want to end gun violence and institute sensible gun laws, you have to do it from the ground up. You have to make this a primary issue of local elections and you have to hold those whom you elect responsible for making it happen. If they don't propose those laws, vote them out in the next election. Or, if they do and the laws aren't voted in, vote out those who voted against the law and vote in more officials who will take it seriously.

I am a gun owner who moved from the US to Canada. In order to have my firearms in Canada, I had to take a firearms course, become licensed, and register the weapons. I can tell you from first-hand experience that the gun laws and instructions here are sensible. They don't really impede anyone from owning the firearms they want (within reason), and those who want to target practice or hunt have all the options they could need to do either. While there is political back and forth every now and then about certain semi-automatic weapons being available, there is debate and discussion about it each time and every side listens.

Why isn't this happening in America?

The politicians are afraid of the gun lobby. But, here's the thing: The best estimates of the membership of NRA (National Rifle Association) show it to have about 5 million members. That's about 0.015 percent of the population. And, since 2018, that number has declined. The revenue it generates is down by over $100 million and continues to fall. How do we let such a small number of radicals set gun policy for an entire nation?

Next, of course, you have firearm manufacturers. They are a small, but financially powerful group of lobbyists who contribute in the tens of thousands to, primarily, Republican lawmakers each election cycle. Anywhere between $40,000 and $100,000 is donated to each lawmaker to ensure they are pro-firearm and pro-Second Amendment. What's funny is that these amounts are really not significant to each individual elected official, yet their voice is outsized after each and every gun-related tragedy.

So, in order to enact common sense gun laws, we need to make these payments public, we need to question those who take those donation publically, and we need to ask sensible questions about why politicians are giving outsized voice to such a tiny minority of people in America.

Lastly, America thinks it always has to reinvent the wheel. It can't look at literally every other industrialized nation on the planet and cherry-pick the best, most sensible, common-sense laws and programs from countries that have already gone through this process, it must create its own system from scratch with as many loopholes and bootlicking of industry and lobbies as possible. As I noted above, the Canadian system is reasonable. So, too, are systems from many other nations around the world. Use that knowledge, call in their experts and politicians who went through this process, and figure out what will work for the majority of Americans.

But it all starts from local elections. Make common-sense gun laws a priority. Every single town meeting, Q&A, and interview they need to be asked about this topic. They need to be held accountable for this issue once in office. They need to be voted in or out based on what they do or do not do on this topic. This is true for Judges, elected police/sherrif officials, mayors, district attorneys, etc. And then, do the same for higher offices (county and state). And then, press onward and make it a primary talking point at every single Presidential and Congressional election rally, interview, and town-hall meeting. You can find conservative and liberal politicians who will agree that this is an issue and would be willing to back common-sense laws if the people press them to.

It's up to YOU to do this, though. You have to be willing to make this an issue that is important, visible, and sustained. You have to hold your elected officials accountable if they don't do anything about it by not re-electing them. And you have to be in it for the long haul; it's not something that can be fixed after one election cycle. It could take a decade or more. But isn't the safety of our children, our coworkers, our friends, and our family worth it?

Taking Your Entitlements

I've read a lot of articles and watched many programs concerning the quest to cut Social Security (and Medicare). One question I have never seen answered is: Who gets the money? 

• Are they going to cancel it and then send each of us a check for all of the money we've put into SS? Somehow, I doubt it. 

• Are they going to provide us compounded interest for the years, possibly decades, they've had our money? I'm confident this won't happen. 

• Are they saying they want to cancel it and keep the money? This seems all too likely, to me. 

I will grant that Social Security was created a bit awkwardly. It is dependent on the next generation paying enough into it to afford the services for the previous generation (and that previous generation's payments created the nest egg for the entire program). This means that, as the Baby Boomers retire, the burden will be greater on the remaining workers (a smaller number of people). However, Boomers are working longer and dying quicker than other generations, so the end results likely won't be as ominous as some predict. And, once that bubble of people is through the system, it will go back to working as intended. We don't have to cancel the entire thing in order to survive the Boomer Bulge in SS.

Also, why do people allow certain politicians to make the word "entitlement" sound like a bad word without pushing back at them I mean, the term stems from the fact you paid into a program and are *entitled* to the benefits that the program provides. How is that a bad thing? We have plenty of other areas where we pay people in advance and then are entitled to services. For example, after paying every year into your insurance coverage, you are entitled to repairs on your car if you are in a collision. If you buy tickets in advance for a concert, movie, or play, you are entitled to a seat at the show when you arrive.

I'm not sure why certain people are okay with the threat of a few taking away access to things that everyone is entitled to, should they need it. Yes, you might not need child care, food stamps, or other forms of assistance now, but should that change, they are there for you because you (and millions of others) paid into thos programs. It's a "Just In Case" situation, with most. Social Security is not a JIC program, however; everyone is entitled to thier share based on how much they paid in and for how long. It is meant to supplement whatever retirement you have from your job, your 401k, your pension, or your savings.

I think we all need to ask ourselves, why do some politicians want to cancel these successful programs? What do they gain? Who really benefits from these actions?

The Strain of It All

Sometimes, it takes something unusual to let you know that you are hurting or in need.

My last paycheck was in January 2020. I decided to take some time off and then start looking for my next job. I had just started sending resumes out when the world shut down due to the pandemic. And then, just as things were starting to turn around, I severely reinjured my back and knee and started rehabbing that.

Next, the at-home frustrations began, with the clothes dryer, dishwasher, and Melissa's car all crapping out bang, bang, bang. This was followed by an absolute failure of mine to get Melissa Christmas gifts (which I showed her, and she understood and was fine with, but still made me feel like a heel). The jaw abscess (and possible oral surgery), being diagnosed with sleep apnea, yet another lockdown, and having to adjust to new RA meds have been trying.

Through all of this, I've tried to remain as stout, strong, reasonable, and steady as possible. You know, my "usual self." A couple of weeks ago, however, a commercial got to me (not even one of those tear-jerker ones enticing you to send in money; it was about a girl with allergies whose dad switched detergents!). And then, Melissa and I were watching a show and I felt wet cheeks without even realizing I had teared up. This morning, listening to my music, Olivia Newton-John's "I Honestly Love You" came on and I outright cried. Now, it's a good song and few people had/have as good a voice as she did in the 70s and early 80s, but I don't usually *cry* when I hear her songs.

I think that the fear, stress, pain, and uncertainty have caught up with me. It built up slowly, over a lot of issues and time, but that final feather, that last grain of sand finally weighed me down. Just writing this is making me tear up again, which shows that my emotions are bubbling just below the surface and are ready to come out at a moment's notice.

I'm lucky because I have a great support system. Starting with my wife, and including my family (both born to and married into) and many friends, I know I can call on any of them whenever I need and they will help in whatever capacity may be necessary. Not everyone has that. So, so lucky.

I guess this is a long-winded way of saying that you should listen to yourself. Pay attention when you find yourself overly emotional when you aren't normally. Note when you are passive, withdrawn, and unable to cope. See the signs and seek help. Write someone. Pull a friend aside. Talk to your significant other. Find a professional. Call a hotline. Don't try to be the rock that can weather any storm... sooner or later the wind, the rain, or the ice will crack you. Share the burden, even if for a short time.

Is it an Xmas Movie?

I think, in order for a movie to be truly called an Xmas movie, Xmas needs to be a plot driver of some sort, and not just happen to take place at Xmastime. For example, Die Hard takes place at Xmas but the holiday also drives the plot. John wouldn't be visiting, the company wouldn't be by itself in the building, and there wouldn't be a party where the "terrorists" could get to Takagi without it being Xmas. While you could set the movie during a different time or come up with other reasons for those plot drivers, Xmas makes for a good excuse for all of it, together.

Lethal Weapon, on the other hand, takes place at Xmas but the holiday doesn't drive the plot. Very little of what goes on is *because* it is Xmas; Xmas is just a set design for some scenes. Riggs doesn't become Murtaugh's partner because it is Xmas. The bad guys aren't killing people or bringing in "product" because it is Xmas. Even Xmas-related scenes, like Riggs arresting the crooks in an Xmas tree lot could easily be placed elsewhere without affecting the sequence at all. It could be a used car dealership. It could be a standard nursery. Doesn't matter-- the scene would play out identically without it being Xmas.

Batman Returns is on the edge. Xmas scenes are throughout and some of these scenes drive the plot forward but many others could be set at different times and would play out the same. But the bookend scenes of Batman/Catwoman and Bruce/Selina sharing the "mistletoe can be deadly if you eat/a kiss can be deadlier if you mean" lines would have to be totally changed if you moved the movie to be non-Xmas time. The tree lighting ceremony is a good excuse to get people together, outside, for Shreck and Penguin to frame Batman for murder. Could these scenes be rewritten? Yes. But Xmas makes for a good reason for all of them. It could go either way.

So, in the end, any movie you want to be can be considered an Xmas movie. However, I think if the plot is driven by elements of it being Xmas it qualifies more firmly than if Xmas is just the time that the movie takes place and the fact it is Xmas doesn't drive any of the plot forward.

The Bible-literate Should Promote Masks and Vaccines

I find an odd dichotomy in those who fervently claim that (Christian) religion must be used and upheld in America to make laws (while ignoring the separation of church and state) while also claiming that their individual freedoms are being impugned by mask and vaccination laws. Now, I read the Bible quite a long time ago, but hearing and seeing people proclaiming these two disparate resolutions made me think, "Didn't the Bible have something about the common good and welfare of many? Wasn't Jesus wholly on the side of the greater good?" A small sampling of what I found:

Isaiah 56:1 

God's Message: "Guard my common good: Do what's right and do it in the right way, For salvation is just around the corner, my setting-things-right is about to go into action. 

Jeremiah 29:7

Seek the welfare of the city ... for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Philippians 2:3-4

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Romans 12:5

So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another

Matthew 25:31-46

The entire parable of the Sheep and the Goats is all about doing for the common good. Jesus specifically teaches that those who feed, clothe, and administer to the sick (et al) in His name will reach Heaven and those who do not will be cast down to Hell.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many.

There are a wealth more quotes. I mean, the New Testament portion of the Bible seems to me to be primarily about working for the greater, common good and against selfishness. It seems to me like the people who profess their abiding Christianity should be promoting mask-wearing and vaccination for the good of the many. Of course, those who are using faith-based attacks on masks and vaccines seem to also have a hard time remembering any parts of the Bible when asked. Maybe there is a correlation?

'Rona and the magical, mystical vaccine

The coronavirus can only go where it is allowed to go. With the introduction of vaccines, that means it has fewer sources of infection and will condense in areas where people are not vaccinated, for whatever reason.

A certain segment of the US/North American population is resistant or, at least, very hesitant to get the vaccine. As its ability to infect anyone, anywhere is diminished, the virus will attack those it still can infect... the anti-vaxxers. This is why you see prominent celebrities, politicians, and others in this population admitting that they are getting COVID-19 and getting sick.

Soon, those people will be the only population that the virus can easily infect and those will be the people who will be infecting their friends and family, getting long-haul results, and dying from this pandemic. I'm sure they will come up with more ludicrous reasons as to why they have been "targeted" by some group, but the rest of us will know the real reason; if you're an idiot and don't believe in science when something like this happens, you are sacrificing yourself for the greater good.

While I know this hope is unfounded, I continue to hope that this will wake people up and get them understanding that, while they do, indeed, have individual rights, sometimes you have to sacrifice your rights for the greater good. Sometimes the whole has to be more important than some of its parts. Sometimes the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few (or the one).

When I read that Ted Nugent (and others) has contracted the 'Rona, I can't help but say, "Good!" I hope he has infected all of his fellow anti-vaxxers. I hope that many of them get sick. I hope that many of them get long-haul issues. And, if that doesn't drive home the fact that this virus is real and the need to get the vaccine is just as real, I hope a few of them die. That sounds harsh, even cruel, I know. If they won't learn from literally worldwide results, nor will they learn from the infection and death rates in their country/state/county/city, they need to learn the lesson somehow, and getting the disease, suffering through it, or even dying from it may be the only way to teach these willfully ignorant people the lesson. So they have chosen, so let it be.