Probably Not A Popular Post

*I wrote this post a few weeks ago, but I was so emotionally charged I wanted to wait until I could re-read it with a calm mind.  Nothing in my opinion has changed, so I'm posting it.

Guns.  Gun control.  Joe Biden.  Barack Hussein Obama.  I am SO disgusted by our "Commander In Chief."

Before I continue, let me make one thing very clear:  what happened at Sandy Hook was the most tragic, devastating event that could possibly happen at an elementary school.  Anywhere for that matter.  I grieve with the parents, sisters, brothers, and friends of the people who lost their lives there.  It was horrific. There is NOTHING I wouldn't do to be able to change what happened.

Wednesday, Obama held a press conference regarding the Sandy Hook tragedy and gun control.  In the audience were parents and family members of some of the victims.  On STAGE were 4 children who had written letters to the president about "wanting to be safe" and  being "worried about their siblings in school." (Which I think is both precious and gut-wrenching at the same time.)

As he quoted each child's letter, he asked them to wave.  Each child was a different ethnicity.  And after he mentioned all these darling children, and their letters, he said that it was "our number one priority to ensure the safety of our children."

Really.  This from a man who said about his own children: "I have two precious daughters - they are miracles... Look, I got two daughters - 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, {not sure how you can teach something you don't understand...} but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby. I don't want them punished with an STD at age 16, so it doesn't make sense to not give them information." {stuff in brackets, mine}
http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/President/US/Barack_Obama/Views/Abortion/ (emphasis mine)

This same website had this information:  "On January 22, 2012, the White House issued a press statement noting the 39th anniversary of the Roe vs Wade decision. That statement asserts that abortion is a "fundamental constitutional right", and abortion is a private family matter, and that we must ensure that our daughters have the same rights, freedoms, and opportunities as our sons to fulfill their dreams. These statements were heavily criticized by pro-life groups as similar to previous remarks in which a baby was seen as punishment." (emphasis mine)

So he means the safety of children that are OUTSIDE the womb.  M'kay.  Just wanted to clarify.  Since he clearly stated that America's NUMBER ONE priority was the safety of our children.

And then he went on to talk about guns.  I just couldn't help but feel that this was just a dog and pony show.  It was SO staged, SO dramatic, SO "politically correct."  I about wanted to puke.  All the media had to do was put the "halo" lens on.

How dare he use such a horrific incident to make himself look good?!?!  Disgusting!  And I'm surprised I'm the only person calling him on the carpet for it!

Gun control will always be a hot button issue.  People are either for or against, and they probably won't switch sides.  But you know what?  Guns don't kill people.  Sick people kill people.

Instead of all this talk of gun control, how about raising awareness of mental illness?  How about parents actually paying attention the the signs their children are exhibiting?  If Johnny starts wearing all black, buys a trench coat and starts talking about blowing up his school, maybe we ought to take him seriously!   Or at least ask a few questions.  If you look at all the people who have committed past mass shootings, I guarantee 90% or more have or have had some altered mental status.  Normal people do not go into public places and blast people away.

I know this probably will tick a few people off, and I'm okay with that.  I mean, think about it:  How many crimes are committed with guns registered to the offender?  According to Jeffrey A. Roth, criminologist and associate director for research at the University of Pennsylvania's Jerry Lee Center of Criminology. "According to the latest available data, those who use guns in violent crimes rarely purchase them directly from licensed dealers; most guns used in crime have been stolen or transferred between individuals after the original purchase."

So how is "gun control" going to do anything but take guns away from honest citizens who use them to defend themselves?

I guess all I'm saying is that there's so much more to violent crime than the weapon used.  

And that the president should be ashamed of himself for using something as heinous as Sandy Hook to try to make himself look good.  

What Part Does The Media Play

My husband and I were having a conversation at dinner tonight.  He brought up a very good point.  Why does the media need to cover tragedies like the Connecticut school shooting to the degree in which they do?  Why do they make these killers famous?

Everyone knows the names of the kids that shot up Columbine, and the guy who shot up the movie theatre, and the Amish school...why can't the media just leave it alone?  These killers are mentally unstable.  Most of them are suicidal as well... Don't you think that all the hype about "undestanding the motive of the killings" and almost glamorizing the tragedies makes these people think, "I might as well go out with a bang??"

And ENOUGH about the gun debates.  Good heavens people!!  That has about as much to do with this as talking about the price of tea in China.  What about MENTAL ILLNESS???  Does anyone but me recognize that ALL these people were messed up in the head?  And most probably showed signs all their lives.

But they did not get the help they needed, and therefore, their lives ended the way they did.

I would like to see the news just do the news, and then stop.  Leave these people to grieve in peace.  And get to the REAL bottom of the issues.  Mental illness affects SO many people in this country.  And many of them are either homeless or in prison.  And they certainly aren't getting any help there.

Mental illness has such a stigma attached to it, that's why we don't talk about it.  We try to assign blame, and figure out whose fault it is that Johnny has uncontrollable rage, and no one will help the single mom raising him.

Wake up America.  It's not about bullets.  It's about brains.