WTF Community

March for Our Lives

General Discussion
#1

Several survivors of the Parkland FL shooting are calling for a national march on March 24 to demand action from lawmakers. I applaud these kids. To have such presence at age 16 and to have the courage to speak out and the willingness and leadership to organize a massive undertaking like this leaves me more hopeful for the future. But I also can’t help but feel that we have failed our children. We have been unable to make them feel safe in our world which, I believe is an important role of a parent. Their need to to take action is a condemnation of the adults in this country and our inability to rise above partisan politics and do something about this senseless killing. I for one am feeling depressed and guilty this weekend. I have the deepest respect and admiration for these kids and nothing but disgust and loathing but those who keep standing in the way of taking action. And I guess there’s some self-loathing as well, but I…we…should have done better. All this crap about when life begins occupies so much time and energy and what does it matter if we’re not going to respect those lives and nurture them and protect them and give them opportunities to learn and grow in a safe place? We’ve failed our children. Here are links that provide background info.


Twitter: @March4OurLives
Facebook: @MarchForOurLives
Hashtag: #MarchForOurLives

Matt - sorry for not using the etherpad but I just couldn’t hold back on this until tomorrow; it’s deeply affecting me and this is a safe community in which to express myself and share information.
Thank you for that!

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#2

I applaud the initiative that American students are taking to stand up for their lives. If I were living in the USA I would be home-schooling my kids now. So many kids have died and your politicians are doing nothing, it seems. Every time I hear someone say “now is not the time to talk about gun control” I hear: “I am supported by the NRA”. Every time I hear “guns don’t kill, people do”, I hear: “my fondness for my guns is more important to me than America’s children”.
People who think they can defend themselves by keeping a gun in their purse or glove-compartment don’t understand that the bad guy always shoots first.
Do these folks also think they should be putting hand guns into their kids’ school bags so they can defend themselves at school? Is this the mark if a civil society?
There is no justification for assault rifles being in the hands of the general public. They are not hunting weapons, they are for killing people.
The second amendment was devised for the purpose of organising militia when required, manned by members of the general public. This was so that the new nation of America would not need to pay for a standing army. Clearly, things have changed since then.
The time to start talking about gun control was 20 years ago. It should have been achieved by now.
But while your electoral process is delivering you leaders like Trump, and your media and your politicians are influenced by the NRA (and the oil industry, and the Russians), the only thing you can do is protest.
I hope that the spectacle of having children march to the Whitehouse will shame some of your leaders into opening their ears and eyes to what is really important.

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#4

Yes - sorry I realise I’m preaching to the choir. I just had to get it out. I promise I won’t mention it again :slight_smile:

#7

This is how (and this influence-buying needs to be illegal & terminated); notice the difference between all the Republicans on the take from the NRA, & the scarcity of Democrats…& notice the amounts!

Many NRA members actually have no problem with background checks & some other “common sense” measures, but the NRA itself is also getting some support from Russia, not because they believe THEIR citizens should own guns (LOL) but because they love what it’s doing to OUR society…they seek to stir discord in our society to show the folly of democracy so their own subjugated people will stop longing for what they don’t have & just give up. ALSO, the NRA has some wealthy Americans who make BIG money off arms trade (etc) and they too prop up the NRA’s radical agenda. It always seems to come down to “follow the money”. :unamused:

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#9

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Historically the Republican party stood for “law & order” & conservative values: none of that’s true any longer (instead of opposing big government, they pushed thru giant tax cuts for the RICHEST & no longer oppose the enormous financial deficit they’re adding to) & many citizens are willing drink their Cool-Aid, some are more of an “end justifies the means” thing in the fog of their religious beliefs (many are racist, &/or are determined to roll back the rights of women with an anti-birth control/anti-abortion stance, also anti-science, etc). It’s truly mind-boggling what greed & the hunger for power does to some people. Just look at our fake president! The election was complicated, with some voting for trump because they’ve always identified as “conservative- Republican” and in spite of not liking all his rhetoric…some say they thought he’d “become presidential” once in office. :roll_eyes: Then when you figure in the Russian meddling, well, here we are.

#10

Those kids in south Florida are the new American heroes. “We call BS”, indeed. They give me hope (and will very soon be voters themselves).

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#11

Yes indeed they are. And they need all the support then can get from people like us to make sure that what they are starting keeps going.

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#12

Don’t forget that until recently (2008), the Second Amendment was not interpreted by the courts to mean that anyone had unlimited access to firearms. Before that, the qualification about militias was taken seriously. The current interpretation was bought and paid for by the NRA and their minions.

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#13

As recent as that? Thanks, I had forgotten, and we sure went downhill quickly. I feel like our government is being run by monkeys on crack.

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#14

Sign up for March 24 here:

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#15

I didn’t know that. That was a giant leap backwards.

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#16

The decision was District of Columbia v. Heller.

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#17

Monkeys on crack would be easier to deal with. What you have is government of the people by the rich and influential for the rich and influential.

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#18

I’m not convinced it happened that quickly. I think our lack of faith in the government started with Viet Nam. The idealistic youths of that time vowed they would create change and they did. But instead of uniting everybody, I think we wound up with a very fragmented society.

Those who escaped the draft or managed to come out of it intact became stronger, smarter, more successful and very protective of their rights, and their wealth. An entitled mindset took over and as they moved into leadership positions, they were motivated by maintaining the status quo. And then there were those who returned damaged or resolute in their desire to institute change, to ensure rights for all. Many of them were equally successful but more generous, more aware of social responsibility and more forward/ progressive thinking. But some of them have also lost that momentum and have become somewhat entitled and they’ve stalled things.

I keep wondering whether these high schoolers who are becoming activists will become a catalyst for change and if successful, will they sustain their momentum or will they realize what they have to give up to get what they want is just took much? Will they become cynical, selfish and hang tight to the status quo? And who are their parents and what kind of values have they been taught? At 18, it’s easy to be idealistic and optimistic. But real life requires compromise and if you have to compromise too many times, you get tired and cynical by the time you hit 40. By 60, you just want to kick back and enjoy the fruits of your labor and do whatever you damn please even if that means somebody else’s rights may be trampled on. I would guess that’s the mindset of many Republicans and the men with the money in the NRA.

So it might seem like it all happened swiftly but I think we’ve been evolving to where we are now over many decades.

#19

I think some complacency sneaks in there too, when things are basically going well…it’s very easy to take government by & for the people for granted & not be (or stay) involved. When good people look away, others that aren’t so good may grab the opportunity with a very different agenda.

#21

@AlPennG Please don’t use all caps, it stifles the conversation.

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#23

@AlPennG I apologize, I didn’t know. Thank you for your service.

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#25

@AlPennG I agree, when the Right talk about identity politics, what they’re really talking about is the issues of the people. They don’t believe in intersectionality. My liberty depends on you being free too.

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#26

It’s not really necessary to refer to people who have opposing views as idiots. The majority of people who are active on this forum are well read, knowledgeable and give considerable thought and rationale for their beliefs. I understand your frustration. But I take issue with the name calling. Nobody deserves to be disrespected, least of all these kids. Or us.

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#28

I think there is a middle ground when it comes to weapons: I am a vet & was even the site armorer for a year during my service, but never owned a gun until I had a stalker (in civilian life). I still have that handgun, many years later. We can all protect ourselves just fine without ever owning assault rifles, high capacity magazines, bump-stocks, flame-throwers, grenades or any other weapons of war. Far too many such things end up in the wrong hands. Our constitution was written LONG ago: our country has changed, the weapons have changed…there was no way they could foresee what we have to deal with now, (including a much larger population) when it was written…it can & must be changed. We need to register guns & keep them out of the hands of abusive-types or those with other mental problems…we should NOT be walking around with them (no open-carry) as many cannot even control their tempers when driving, never mind if they happen to be armed. We need to close gun-show or private-sale loop-holes. We need to notify authorities when & if people are stock-piling weapons so it can be looked into. (an exception would obviously be for antique weapons) And most of all, assault weapons should be banned in all private hands. They aren’t for self-defense or hunting…they are for killing people, lots of people, quickly, and they are used for criminal purposes. They are also used for showing off, often by those who feel inadequate in other areas…that’s not a good reason to own them, and sooner or later, their use is escalated against others. We have to think about our society as a whole, and we cannot keep making excuses about “gun rights” when school children & others are being gunned down. This is just nuts! This doesn’t go on in other countries & it’s time we stopped it here & now. And the reason the “GOP” supports “gun rights” has nothing to do with citizens defending themselves against known or unknown threats, it’s because some are making lots of money off of this, and nearly ALL Republican congressmen/women are on the take from the NRA, so as usual, “follow the money”!

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