Wednesday, February 28, 2018

America - A Failed State

When seventeen children were gunned down in a school in Florida this month, for many around the world, it was least bit startling. It was just another day in America. Much like women and children are routinely killed in Syria, girls in Nigeria are abducted by Boko Haram and the young in other impoverished lands succumb to deadly diseases and malnutrition, it was much too familiar and predictable a sight. This is what has become emblematic of this rich nation of many wonders. With all its military might, unsurpassed security apparatus and unchallenged power, America is proving to be powerless again and again in protecting its most vulnerable from terror and murder. When a nation cannot protect its children from bullets, it is but a "failed state".

The aftermath of a school shooting, is always followed by a vigorous debate. And the center of it is a farcical argument - are guns the problem or is it people with guns the issue. For those who have seen their loved ones brutally murdered in school hallways and classrooms by a powerful weapon the answer is a "no brainier". For the politicians who have taken money from the NRA (National Rifle Association) and those who hold the 2nd Amendment supreme in all its anachronistic absurdity, the answer is the opposite. It is "bad guys" with "mental health" problems that kill people and not guns.

This debate has gone on for much too long and every side of it has been parsed to its logical conclusion. What does not change is that the killing of children continues unabated. School shootings keep occuring like clockwork and there is very little political will to do anything concrete about it, even as a stop gap measure. A symptom of a "failed state".

When America was attacked from outside, the response was swift, immediate and overwhelming. A whole new agency called the TSA (Transportation Safety Authority) was created to keep our airplanes safe. Wars were initiated and life as we knew it was altered forever, under the guise of keeping America safe.

But in the case of an internal threat and terror, that breeds without any constraints, nothing has been done. 30,000 people on average die from gun related violence in America every year. There is no concerted effort from the government even to launch a study to find out why that is so.

Observing the current administration's actions, there is a resounding affirmation that nothing will change in the near future. As we heard a president who was shockingly incapable of exuding an iota of empathy for the survivors and traumatized families of the victims, there is little hope that he will act against the will of gun lobbies who prop him. Initially he sighted "mental health" being a primary cause for school shootings. Then he soon reversed his position and signed a bill that killed an Obama era regulalaton that made it harder for mentally ill people to procure guns.

Making absurd claims that he as an outstanding citizen would have run into the building to stop the Florida shooter and arming teachers with guns as the answer to mass shootings, Donald Trump showed his true colors. Consistent with his support for the NRA, on whose platform he campaigned successfully garnering the support of their five million members - a delectable voting block for any Republican candidate - Donald Trump made his intentions unambiguous.

From the cursory "listening session" held with the survivors of this recent shooting spree, it was glaringly evident that the establishment would do nothing to address this scourge. So the next best option was to see if the corporations would take a stand in good conscience against the NRA. Many companies did step up to the plate by cancelling some discounts that they had offered unbeknownst to many, but it seemed like it was only a token gesture. Not enough to make any significant dent in the clout that they wield over politicians who do their bidding.

The NRA and those who strongly believe that any kind of infringement on a person's right to bear arms, goes against the constitution, freedom and the "American Way", are delusional at best. They conveniently negate the fact that the 2nd Amendment was drafted at a time when people carried muskets and the law was meant to help slave owners exert fear over uprisings, with superior fire power. The prevailing belief that it was drafted to provide the ability for its citizenry to form a "well regulated militia" in case a revolution was needed against a tyrannical government, is not only illogical and ludicrous, but misplaced. The government has always been and always will be more powerful than its citizenry, well regulated or not. Since the passing of the 2nd Amendment the government has only become more powerful and militarized under the pretext of protecting its citizenry. One could not possibly expect to win with an army of AR15s against a drone arsenal, if the government were to unleash its tyranny over its people.

So there is no sane argument that can hold water for the ownership of any guns of any sort, especially a weapon of war such as the AR15, which is a firearm of choice for most mass killers.

The three main reasons I have found, why gun owners are passionate and feel it is legitimate for them to own weapons are as follows.

1. Hunting and Sport - If the idea behind hunting is to be in touch with nature and feel one with the wild, then killing an animal from a distance with a bullet is not just barbaric, but defeats the purpose of being equal.

2. Self Defense - This notion that there are too many bad people out there who are waiting to invade your home to rob you of your wealth and family, is a myth largely peddled by the media and movie industry, creating a paranoid society on edge. "Bad Guys" are out there and we need our guns to protect ourselves from them, is a scenario widely sold and bought by many Americans, while it fuels a multi-billion dollar industry of alarm systems, security firms and guns, whose marketing campaigns feed on fear. There is no doubt there is crime in America, but statistics show that it is not citizens with guns who stem it. Crime subsides when there is a better spread of wealth and trust among people and in the police. Globally, nations with less guns have less crime.

3. Empowerment - People feel empowered when they possess guns. I once had a conversation with a gun owner from Las Vegas on an airplane, who proposed I should buy guns for my daughters and take them to a shooting range as it would make them stronger and make them feel more empowered. I asked in dismay, what about the danger in that? What if my daughter accidentally shot herself or someone else? To that his response was, "well you need to teach them how to use firearms safely and responsibly". I was perturbed by this response, as I know statistically once you own a gun the chances of you or a loved one getting shot by it exponentially increases. The machismo that is associated with gun ownership is not only a big draw for many but is also a family tradition in many parts of this country, that is as firm as one's belief in god and religion.

As Donald Trump acknowledged, it is true there is a serious mental health problem surrounding gun ownership and use in America. It begins with denial, delusion and outright absurdity in relation to the present world we live in, and ends with someone shooting innocent people out of hatred, self loathing, bad parenting and a state of psychotic monstrosity fueled by the consumption of copious amounts of media violence and psychotropic pharmaceuticals.

So, for those multitudes who feel defeated, exasperated, resigned and frustrated by the status quo, all is not lost. Change is always incremental and comes with consistent and uncompromising struggle and perseverance. Through out history many ills in society did not eradicate themselves overnight in a referendum. Half of America wanted slavery and segregation to continue into posterity, no matter how heinous and immoral it was. We again stand on the cusp of change in relation to this barbarism that plagues America. It is for us to decide which side of history we want to be on, when it all comes crashing down.

It is what it is.

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