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Politically Speaking — The Insider’s News and Picks

The Rant Edition!

I have often said that I can tell when our writers are simply writing for therapy. Mind you, the articles they generate are still high quality, but it’s the underlying emotions that I pick up on. This week has been an exceptional example of this.

It’s like a great sadness came over Politically Speaking writers as they grappled with the turmoil that is our society and its addiction to guns.

I have always hesitated to weigh in on the topic of gun control. The furthest that I may have ever gone publicly was to say that I cannot understand why the citizenry is allowed to have weapons more powerful than those chosen to protect us. It just doesn’t make sense.

Look, let’s face the reality. There is no way that most gun owners are going to give up their guns. So getting rid of guns is out of the question. Banning assault-style rifles sounds good, but in practice, it would just open a black market for these weapons, while making them more desirable to own. Why? Because someone told someone that they couldn’t own one. Americans never seem to do what is good for themselves. Masks, guns, education, healthcare, vaccines…get my drift?

Some of you noted that Americans own more guns than there are people in America. Again, doesn’t make sense, but that’s the estimate. Some of you noted that other countries look at us with disdain given America’s seeming affection for guns. I can almost hear the NRA and its supporters telling those countries where to go and how to get there. America doesn’t give a crap about what other countries think, right? Right! Why should we? We have freedoms and liberties and the right to bear arms!

You know what we don’t have a right to do? We don’t have the right to snatch away the life of an innocent human being because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time! We don’t have the right to kill children! We don’t have the right to murder our spouses, coworkers, friends, and relatives! We don’t have the right to force people to live in fear of going outside, or to the store, or to have an evening out with our friends! We don’t have the right to spray bullets because we feel alone, jilted, offended, or even feel outcast!

I don’t give a rat’s ass that the 2nd Amendment gives you the right to bear arms — you do not have the right to cause fear, terror, panic, and death!

So what the hell is wrong with this country that it allows for this to continue? Why is it that we are not standing up and saying that enough is enough??

Here it comes…

Because we have been made to feel powerless in the face of money and power. Because we feel that gun control is so out of control that there isn’t anything we can do about it except to express those god-forsaken thoughts and prayers!

Or maybe it’s because we don’t care. Maybe we are so self-absorbed in Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter that gaining followers is more important than protecting our lives and the lives of those we care about. Maybe we are so worried about putting food on the table and paying our bills that we just don’t have the time to care. Maybe we are too busy working 2–3 jobs to make ends meet that we just can’t put out the energy to even say one word…enough. Maybe we just don’t care what the churches and the synagogues and the temples and mosques preach to us.

Or maybe…maybe…maybe it’s this simple truth…

We just don’t value human life here in America.

Maybe there’s something here…think about it for a moment. We have a healthcare system based on profits, not health. Doctors are paid (reimbursed) based on how many patients they can cram in to a day, not how many are healthy. Big Pharma may care about human life because only human beings who are alive can take drugs…but that makes them profits. Go ahead…add that to the list of things Big Pharma has asked you to ask your doctor about.

Politicians don’t care about preserving life except when it garners them more votes. Pro-life? Vote for Candidate A! Politicians will talk about gun legislation, police reform, and background checks until they can’t breathe anymore. Then, when they get a taste of the power that the NRA and police unions have, they turn the other cheek and walk away…destined to offer more thoughts and prayers down the road.

But wait, Scott! That’s a bunch of fingerpointing and blaming…aren’t those just symptoms? YES! You are right!

So then here is the really uncomfortable truth!

We have no one else to blame but ourselves! Our society is a direct reflection of how we have chosen to live. Guns are as ubiquitous as cell phones. Why? Because we made it that way! Do we teach our children the value of a human life in school or at home? No! And don’t tell me that religious teachings teach the value of a life. “Thou Shalt Not Kill.” Yeah, right.

If we valued human life, wouldn’t we teach our children how valuable life is and what it means to friends and families when someone dies?

Wouldn’t we want to support a universal healthcare system that many developed countries already have?

Wouldn’t we improve our education system so that every child gets a quality education that prepares them to contribute to the world they live in?

Wouldn’t we promote equality and equity because each life means something and everyone should have an equal chance at success to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?

Wouldn’t we hold corporations accountable for contributing to the betterment of our society rather than the benefit of their shareholders? Heck, if that were the case, we would have already all been driving electric cars by now.

Wouldn’t we pay our teachers a salary commensurate with the impact that they can have on our children?

Wouldn’t we wear the masks, get the vaccines, and stop believing lies from fringe groups bent on making money and gaining notoriety? Isn’t that all part of valuing human life?

Oh, the arguments can go on and on and there is no way that I am proposing that I know how to solve the problem…at least, I know that I can’t do it by myself.

So I leave you with this: For as much freedom as we say we have, we have fallen under the spell and control of those who would divide us for their own purposes. That means that we are being controlled by people and organizations who are not acting in our best interests. It means that we are giving up our fundamental right to independence by following, like lemmings, these forces who are willfully manipulating us to their own advantage.

This is not a conspiracy theory. Think about it. Politicians spin and we hear what we want to. The media tells us how to think about what we see. Our friends “unfriend” us if we disagree with them. Value human life? Now who is controlling that conversation?

If you’ve made it this far, I challenge each of you to figure out the value of human life.

Bet you can’t….

Thank You to Our Contributors

I publish this list to encourage you, both writers and readers, to explore other writers here. Pick one or two names from the list and read one of their articles. You may find that you want to follow that contributor!

Politically Speaking would like to thank the following people for contributing to our publication this past week:

Lucy M., Richard Xu, John Werth, D J B, Caren White, John Dean, Kevin Breidenbach, Rowan Pike, Francesco Rizzuto, Christopher Holdroyd, Brian Kean, TJ Larson, Fay Wylde, Brooke Ramey Nelson, Arvind AR, Sana Hashmi, Gal Mux, Jeff Marzick, Shankar Narayan, Trip Jensen, Richard Turcotte, Jose Luis Ontanon Nunez, Dave Volek, Conor Kelly, Ramona Grigg, George Bohan, Joseph N Abraham MD, Andrew Falastin, Noah Nelson

Many thanks to these contributors — without them, we wouldn’t have a publication!

The Insider’s Picks

Oh boy, was there a lot to choose from this week! Before we move to the hot button topics, I thought it important to highlight an article from Richard Xu, reminding us that while gun violence is the topic of the day, we must not be short-sighted when it comes to rebuilding our infrastructure. President after president has kicked this can down the road. With the ambitious Biden plan on the table, does America’s politicians have the good sense to make it happen now?

Gun violence has always been in the background, but with mass shootings on the rise, we are experiencing yet another wave of terror mixed with sadness and outrage. Francesco Rizzuto lives overseas, but is very much attuned to what is happening and what it looks like from the perspective of someone living in another culture. Take a look at his proposals and let him know what you think!

Cancel culture or accountability? Brian Kean takes a look at the differences with an eye towards the not so distant past, and reminds us of the actions of former Solicitor General Ken Starr…yeah, I got chills too. Take a look at Brian’s article — I have to agree. There is a difference between cancelling and holding people accountable. What do you think?

We watched another week of the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin as he faced a jury of his peers in the death of George Floyd. Two weeks for the prosecution to present its case; two days for the defense to present its rebuttal. Not only were the families of Chauvin and Floyd directly affected by this senselessness, but also those bystanders who witnessed the death of a man in front of them. Sana Hashmi takes us through what those bystanders experienced and how their witness testimony may play out in this case. This is powerful!

With gun violence so pervasive and the news cycle moving at the speed of light, it is easy to forget the past. I’m guilty. Sometimes it’s just too much. But Brooke Ramey Nelson reminds us of a life lost in 2007 when a shooter took the lives of 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech. Yes folks, it’s been 14 years…and what do we have to show for it? I think that may be what Francesco Rizzuto was saying in his article noted above. Brooke’s article is a touching tribute to a lost life due to gun violence. Please remember with me…

Bonus Pick — When I first joined Medium, Ramona Grigg was someone who I followed and read often. She has an engaging style that pulls you in to her articles. I share this particular article with you because in Ramona’s own style, she grapples with the pain and discomfort of the real fears that we all have been feeling as we witness the sad events of the world around us. Give her a read and let her know what your thoughts are.

The Last Word

I have taken up too much of your time today. Thank you for indulging me. I am grateful for the community we have and for what are building.

Go forth and read!

The Insider, Scott Tarlo