Free2Live – Politically Correct
This was initially written in 2015, sadly, it is just as applicable today after the assassination of Charlie Kirk. The Statistic section has been updated, although it wasn't significantly different from what was originally posted in 2015.
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After some of the uneducated, agenda pushing, unthoughtful, unfactual comments following the shooting in California, I just can’t help it. Seriously. Are we really people who can be swayed by how someone chose to title themselves? So if I tell you I am a Republican or Democrat, and it matches up with what you are, will you blindly follow me? Really? Please, I hope you are smarter than that. I really hope that you don’t agree with everything I say just because of what group I choose to affiliate with.
Of course, I guess we do it all the time don’t we? We stand unswayed beside our old alma maters whether they win or loose. We shell out hundreds of dollars to support loosing teams, just because we live in, were raised in, or like the colors of a specific sports team. Why? What is it within our human nature that causes us to do this? Of course, in this circumstance we are called fans. In the other circumstance, we are called “Constituents.”
In my humble opinion, which is all this is, an opinion, it seems like the United States would be so much better off if everyone would decide, on their own, what they believe. Take some time to really look at issues and decide within yourself what you believe. Then, ignore what someone labels themselves and support the person who supports you. Did you see that? Our politicians are there to support US – WE don’t support them! When did that change? Have you looked up what the definition of ‘constituent’ is? Take a look at some of the definitions we find:
one who authorizes another to act as agent
having the power to create a government or frame or amend a constitution
someone or something that is necessary in making something else whole
Please people – do not blindly follow a person just because of a party affiliation. Take a good hard look at EVERYTHING they say, especially the things they said before they knew everyone was looking.
Take a look at everything they do – especially the things they did before anyone was looking.
Take time to review facts, true hard facts, before deciding on an issue. Pretend every issue is going to affect your family personally. Don’t make a blanket decision about something just because you belong to a certain group of people – you belonged to your family before anything else.
For example. Right now there is all this talk about “gun violence.” First off, it isn’t ‘gun’ violence – it’s people violence. A gun has never, ever, and never will, kill someone on it’s own. A gun can not be violent. Can we agree on that? And other classified it as “another hate crime.” Really? Do you think so? What do we call the crimes which aren’t hateful?
I’m not going to provide it here, we either want truth and seek it out so it can set us free, or we don’t. Take some time to look up statistics in countries with strict gun laws. Does it work? How much, a little or a lot? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t – you decide.
Here is a quote from someone in regards to the California shootings. I’m not going to say who – if you don’t know who and I tell you, that could sway your stance on the quote. I want you to read the quote, digest it, decide how you feel about it with no regard to who said it:
“We have a pattern now of mass shootings in this country that has no parallel anywhere else in the world.”
How do you feel about that? You may, given the last few years in America, feel it is a true statement. It sure feels that way. But what if you took time to know more about the subject. Would facts change the way you feel?
Now, I challenge you to see where the United States stands in rankings of firearm homicides. Let me help you out, take a look at the UNODC site. This is information every party has available to them, and so do we! When the US ranks high on any of the charts, the listing shows as “The Americas,” which includes Central and South America and all the little islands around us. Take a quick look at pages 21.
The global average homicide rate stands at 6.2 per 100,000 population, but Southern Africa and Central America have rates over four times higher
than that … – UNODC 2014 Global Homicide Book
Take a look at this graphic which shows the Mechanism of Homicides – I think you may be just a little shocked. Based on this, not only does the world have ‘gun violence’ (40%), we have a pretty large percentage of ‘sharp object violence’ (22%) as well. We aren’t safe anywhere – *holds up sign* NO MORE KITCHEN KNIVES! NO MORE PENCILS! Oh wait, we have almost gotten rid of the pencils – hopeful the sharp object violence will go down a little bit now.
Europe has significantly stricter guns laws - so what happened? Homicides by Firearm-12% - some would say YAY! But then keep reading: Sharp Object-30%, Other-28%, Unknown-30%. Initially, they were seeing a decrease in homicides. However, rates have increased by 1.5% in the last few years.
If you read this report, you will see a very large number of people committing the crimes are under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. And many times, the victim as well. An overwhelming number are committed by "intimate partner/family related". They even have proof homicides go down during the alcohol restricted hours in some of the more violent countries. Hmmm, think on this for a moment or two.
Ok people, I am not trying to sway you one way or the other. If I have a family member killed by a firearm – I may be against firearms. If I had a family member saved because someone else had a conceal to carry and saved my family member, I will be for it. But at least these are much better reasons to stand for something rather than which party I have affiliated myself with – isn’t it?
It’s time to change the meaning of being “politically correct.” It’s time for us to become politically correct – where we, ourselves, decide what we stand for and what we oppose. It’s time for our politicians to support us, and not the other way around. We are not fans, we are constituents. It’s time for us to use the internet to seek out the truth, instead of spreading more falsehoods.
It would be nice if more laws would be the easy answers. But don’t we already have a major law about killing people? Is one more law going to really make the bad guys less bad? Do we really think by looking at them and saying, you can’t have a gun, they will listen?
You know what … for me personally … I don’t care what the mechanism was for killing 20+ people. I only care that they have family members who will have an empty seat at their table this Christmas and New Years. I care that there were hurting, sick people using whatever mechanism they used to create that empty seat. Maybe, just maybe, if we concentrated on helping those sick people, the killing rate would go down. Maybe if we concentrated on those who are hurting because they lost loved ones we could make a real difference in someone’s life.
I can’t help but wonder, what if we did profiles on each and every victim and never mentioned the perpetrator or mechanism? Is it possible one person might make a different choice later? Could one person be changed enough to where they won’t pick up a gun and walk into a school, movie theater, bus station? What if the victims had names, faces, and lives stolen from them instead of the perpetrator?
What if our politicians were really working for you, yes YOU, YOU personally? How would things be different? Let’s all become Free2Live – Politically Correct as Constituents and not Fans. Become the change we want to see in this world.
For those of us who call our selves Christians, there is a scripture to consider in times like these:
2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions (specific requests), prayers, intercessions (prayers for others) and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all people,2 for [a] kings and all who are in [positions of] high authority, so that we may live a peaceful and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.3 This [kind of praying] is good and acceptable and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,4 who [b] wishes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge and recognition of the [divine] truth.5 For there is [only] one God, and [only] one Mediator between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus,6 who gave Himself as a ransom [a substitutionary sacrifice to atone] for all, the testimony given at the right and proper time.7 And for this matter I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying [when I say this]—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without anger and disputing or quarreling or doubt [in their mind]. 1 Timothy 2 (AMP)
Prayers and heart felt thoughts going out to all those lives touched by this tragic event. Prayers going up for all our politicians as they do their best to navigate these times. Prayers going up for those who will cast their votes, let them be for issues and topics and not for people. Pleadings going out to God to continue to keep His hand on this nation.