Saturday, July 21, 2012
Where have I heard that before?
Friday, July 20, 2012
Gunman kills 12 in Colorado movie theater - CNN.com
Gunman kills 12 in Colorado movie theater - CNN.com
Following last night's shooting at a movie theater in Colorado we're bound to hear from the NRA and other gun supporters that guns don't people, people kill people.
We'll hear about the Second Amendment, which protects our right to bear arms.
We've heard the argument before and the rhetoric won't change.
What we haven't heard enough of is the interpretation of that amendment back when it was adopted in 1791. Did our forefathers predict that almost 100 years after signing the Constitution the automatic weapon would be introduced?
Back in 1791 our soldiers were firing weapons at a rate of about three shots per minute. The Colorado shooter reportedly carried with him an AK47, a weapon that fires about 600 rounds per minute.
I'm not simply an "anti-gun wuss."
I served in the military and fired many types of weapons. I even served as my unit's Armorer (small weapons repairman).
Today, I don't own weapons. I don't hunt, I don't target shoot and I don't ever want to see my children injured because they were playing with a weapon they found in the house.
I'm all for a person's right to bear arms...but let's use some common sense. We aren't hunting turkeys with an AK47.
Following last night's shooting at a movie theater in Colorado we're bound to hear from the NRA and other gun supporters that guns don't people, people kill people.
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| The Flintlock Pistol |
We've heard the argument before and the rhetoric won't change.
What we haven't heard enough of is the interpretation of that amendment back when it was adopted in 1791. Did our forefathers predict that almost 100 years after signing the Constitution the automatic weapon would be introduced?
Back in 1791 our soldiers were firing weapons at a rate of about three shots per minute. The Colorado shooter reportedly carried with him an AK47, a weapon that fires about 600 rounds per minute.
I'm not simply an "anti-gun wuss."
I served in the military and fired many types of weapons. I even served as my unit's Armorer (small weapons repairman).
Today, I don't own weapons. I don't hunt, I don't target shoot and I don't ever want to see my children injured because they were playing with a weapon they found in the house.
I'm all for a person's right to bear arms...but let's use some common sense. We aren't hunting turkeys with an AK47.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Overwhelmed by guilt
I love to read, although I'm guilty of neglecting that passion far too often.
Back in 2009 when I was going through chemotherapy I had plenty of time to sit and turn the pages. Often I found myself reading about the struggles of others. The topic wasn't always about a person that battled Cancer, but struggles are struggles.
Something I read during that time has remained with me. I can't remember the book's title but I'll never forget the words.
The author stated he sometimes felt guilty for surviving Cancer while so many others weren't as fortunate.
Should I feel guilty for being here today almost three and a half years after being diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a disease that has a 50-percent survival rate over five years?
Of course I shouldn't, but, as the author wrote, it's sometimes hard to reconcile my survival with the loss of so many others.
That guilty feeling really hit home today when my aunt told me her friend's young son is terminal. He's been fighting MDS a long, long time and today she reported his last transfusion failed and his time is short.
I don't know the little boy or his parents but the news tore a hole in my heart.
Back in 2009 when I was going through chemotherapy I had plenty of time to sit and turn the pages. Often I found myself reading about the struggles of others. The topic wasn't always about a person that battled Cancer, but struggles are struggles.
Something I read during that time has remained with me. I can't remember the book's title but I'll never forget the words.
The author stated he sometimes felt guilty for surviving Cancer while so many others weren't as fortunate.
Should I feel guilty for being here today almost three and a half years after being diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a disease that has a 50-percent survival rate over five years?
Of course I shouldn't, but, as the author wrote, it's sometimes hard to reconcile my survival with the loss of so many others.
That guilty feeling really hit home today when my aunt told me her friend's young son is terminal. He's been fighting MDS a long, long time and today she reported his last transfusion failed and his time is short.
I don't know the little boy or his parents but the news tore a hole in my heart.
"Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal."
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