12.16.2012

Sense or Cents



"The world is a dangerous place and horrible things happen. There is no bad time or good time for atrocity – the vile nature of humanity may visit us in our homes, schools and places of worship whenever and where-ever – reason is not a prerequisite- this is a fact of life. So when I look at what happened at Sandyhook Elementary I am saddened but I am not defeated because a gun didn’t kill those kids – a person did. Guns had nothing to do with it.  Say we banned guns – then this guy would have walked into that school with a book of post-it notes and paper-cut 27 people to death. It’s obvious that guns had nothing to do with anything - it was this guy, and this guy alone.  Seriously folks, c’mon now.  Have you ever gone hunting? I have. I hunt for food – I mean, I eat what I kill, so you know I mean what I say, when I say “I hunt with my semi-automatic and fill that buck full of lead, “ it’s because I need to. Have you tasted venison riddled with shot? No? It’s amazing! Chomping down on a piece of metal with every bite - it’s euphoric.  It’s the way God intended. So when I hear that a 6 year-old has a hole in her head the size of a grape fruit all I can think is she shoulda’ been packing. Had she had her own 9mm straight shot, hair trigger, smooth bore, we wouldn’t even be hearing this story. I’ll go you one more.  Say little Susie didn't have a gun to defend herself she probably would been just fine if the Bible was there. If Susie could pray and be taught in the way of Jesus – God would have been there - he’d lay down an impenetrable shield of evil repellent like a quilt of kevlar righteousness! If we had prayer in school then I'd imagine those folks would have found the strength to resist the penetrating thrust of black powder and lead through Jesus. I weep for those kids, I do, but guns had nothing to do with what those folks experienced. It was the lack of GOD. All those folk who took Jesus away from these innocent lambs sacrificed them upon the altar of science. You can’t tell me guns and God are the problem – they’re not –it’s because Jesus wasn’t in that classroom and 6 year-olds can’t carry guns. No other reason. Some folks might say that that shooter had a chemical imbalance in his head screwin’ with his cognitive functions but you know what I say? My guns don’t lie – and neither does Jesus. I don’t need to hear no nonsense about mental instability or accessibility to firearms – it’s all lies. Guns ain’t never hurt nobody. It’s people."  

                            - overheard at Sloppy Molly's Bar and Grill

        
 - The events of the past week are deplorable and traumatic. We must remember that in the swirl of media coverage and political nonsense real people and children are dead.  Lives have been lost at the hands of an unstable individual. We will hear many things in the following weeks – most of them outrageous and absurd – so I would implore you to use your better judgment when listening to, or watching the news. And then I would ask you to remember that if you did not lose your child on Friday, that though you may be grieving, you are in a unique position to take action and make a change. I do not think mass shootings - as a perennial occurrence - should become an American staple (sadly the truth is, this might be so). Too much nonsense is spread around events like these - what matters are the people, the friends, the parents and siblings who survived but more often than not our attention is focused on the shooter. The trumped up politics around the issues of gun violence are just that - inflated rating fueled nonsense. The suggestion that certain things cannot be talked about because it isn't the right time is a lazy excuse used by folks with even lazier brains.  Every issue must be on the table, and by deconstructing and examining them - as rational adults - then, maybe, we can see a change in the culture. 

12.11.2012

WWJB or (The motivations of House Plants)





Dear Lil' Guy,

The Universe is trying to kill you. Don't be scared - she's not mean or specific (she's not even aiming at you) - but you're in the crosshairs. When I say Universe, capital U, I'm not speaking of the cosmos, stardust, nebulae or cosmic particles - I mean to say existence - your Universe Of Being. And in that U.o.B. EVERYTHING is trying to kill you. Don't be scared. It's alright. Everything you know plans on your death - has designs on your demise. This is the truth. Even Jesus wants you dead - and most folk think of him as a nice guy. But your death has nothing to do with being nice or mean - the U.o.B. has no personality, it doesn't care about you. You're here absorbing material and secreting waste all over the cradle and enjoying everything you can. Who blames you? Existence is short and death is long. Take what you can get and don't look back. I'm with you. I live in a place where I can pull myself up by the shoelaces and job create - and when I've achieved a certain kind of freedom I have the option of buying whatever flavor enlightenment I care to taste. It's a good thing. If I can leave you with one thought (blame your parents for naming me Godfather), it is this: The plants in the room want to eat you alive – move faster boy.
Love,
Your bitter elder.