Will Logical Thinkers Please Stand Up, Please Stand Up
First and foremost my heart breaks for the victims and their families. More unique lives taken. There will never be another with their genetic makeup and personality. Their potential is lost to the hopes and dreams of their parents and those who knew them best.
Guns can be dangerous. So can alcohol, tobacco, and explosives; hence, why we have an entire government bureau dedicated to the safe use, selling, and managing of those items. We also have an FDA for the regulation of drugs; yet, when an individual is rumored or known to be taking psychotropics commits an atrocity, the silence is deafening from the medical field and MSM. How about we start the conversation.
" in 15-24 year-olds there was a distinct increase - of 43 percent - in their risk of committing violent crime while on the medication." The rest of the story can be found here.
Now I'm not berating antidepressants. They play a huge role in helping individuals live wholesome, quality lives. I also do not think mental illness should immediately preclude persons from procuring the things they want in life to help increase their happiness. And guess what, the ACLU feels the same way. That is why for a rare occurence in history, the ACLU and NRA agreed on the repeal of the Obama era gun rule that kept people suffering from a mental illness from purchasing weapons. That regulation, if left intact, would NOT have stopped Nikolaus Cruz from obtaining his weapon of mass murder. More on the rule here. The rule wasn't entirely bad, but did need some tweaking in regards to due process and that is why it was repealed.
So Mr. Know it all, what do we need...?
Well, I'm glad you asked! Role models, let my say it again, "ROLE MODELS!" I'll even spell it out for ya, R-O-L-E [space] M-O-D-E-L-S. When TV hosts are snarky and backbiting, Facebook is snarky and backbiting, Twitter is snarky and backbiting, ESPN is snarky and backbiting... I think you get the picture. Where are these kids supposed to go? Who do they ask about the feelings they're having? When will they see the example that hate is WRONG so what they're thinking can't be right?
Now you're salivating, you want those answers don't ya?
The answers are me, you, us. We need to find the anwers together and yes, there is a difference between laying blame and figuring out reasons. We need to find the reasons so we can mitigage the pain. Just as an alcoholic starts his/her 12-step program, we need to start using the "Neck-up" program. Sit, listen, and use our brains. Parroting straw man arguments for superiority in an online debate is not going to help us improve the lives of our most vulnerable. Shutting our pie holes and opening our ear holes will.
Guns can be dangerous. So can alcohol, tobacco, and explosives; hence, why we have an entire government bureau dedicated to the safe use, selling, and managing of those items. We also have an FDA for the regulation of drugs; yet, when an individual is rumored or known to be taking psychotropics commits an atrocity, the silence is deafening from the medical field and MSM. How about we start the conversation.
" in 15-24 year-olds there was a distinct increase - of 43 percent - in their risk of committing violent crime while on the medication." The rest of the story can be found here.
Now I'm not berating antidepressants. They play a huge role in helping individuals live wholesome, quality lives. I also do not think mental illness should immediately preclude persons from procuring the things they want in life to help increase their happiness. And guess what, the ACLU feels the same way. That is why for a rare occurence in history, the ACLU and NRA agreed on the repeal of the Obama era gun rule that kept people suffering from a mental illness from purchasing weapons. That regulation, if left intact, would NOT have stopped Nikolaus Cruz from obtaining his weapon of mass murder. More on the rule here. The rule wasn't entirely bad, but did need some tweaking in regards to due process and that is why it was repealed.
So Mr. Know it all, what do we need...?
Well, I'm glad you asked! Role models, let my say it again, "ROLE MODELS!" I'll even spell it out for ya, R-O-L-E [space] M-O-D-E-L-S. When TV hosts are snarky and backbiting, Facebook is snarky and backbiting, Twitter is snarky and backbiting, ESPN is snarky and backbiting... I think you get the picture. Where are these kids supposed to go? Who do they ask about the feelings they're having? When will they see the example that hate is WRONG so what they're thinking can't be right?
Now you're salivating, you want those answers don't ya?
The answers are me, you, us. We need to find the anwers together and yes, there is a difference between laying blame and figuring out reasons. We need to find the reasons so we can mitigage the pain. Just as an alcoholic starts his/her 12-step program, we need to start using the "Neck-up" program. Sit, listen, and use our brains. Parroting straw man arguments for superiority in an online debate is not going to help us improve the lives of our most vulnerable. Shutting our pie holes and opening our ear holes will.
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