Protesting to Stop Gun Violence: The Solution is Closer to Home/Book Review: Crashing The Parties

Apparently there are dozens of "anti-gun" protests happening all over America this weekend (March 24/25 2018) under the banner of 'March For Our Lives". Literally hundreds of thousands of individuals, most of them junior and high school age as well many who are in college, are showing up in towns, cities, and even the cesspool known as Washington DC to protest gun violence. I wouldn't be surprised to the final count is well over 1 or 2 million.

Being a child of the 1960's and 70"s, it brings warm cockles of my heart to see so many people take to the streets to protest for something they believe in. I grew up watch the Civil Rights marches; the anti-war protests, and later on, marches against gender discrimination. Most of the those marches were peaceful, or at least started out as peaceful, but ended up becoming violent when they clashed with the police or occasionally, the National Guard. Thus far, these protests against gun violence has been peaceful, which they should be quite proud of.

Nevertheless, my main concern over the marches is the issue itself and the proposed solutions being tossed around. There is no question that gun related violence is on the increase, especially with regards to attacks in schools. Many (if not all) of the attacks have come from a fellow student (or students). From all that I've read, these individuals were usually marginalized by their fellow classmates; treated as "odd" or "weirdoes" or whatever. They tended to be excluded from normal school events and functions. They had little positive interaction with their teachers too. They, in effect, went through school largely unnoticed, and when noticed, it was almost always in some negative way.

It's not uncommon for schools, and society in general to treat these individuals as being "mentally ill", which they're not; not really. They are simply different. Perhaps if this "difference" was channeled in another direction, these same would-be mass murders who, instead, become artists, designers, or even writers. Instead, they're drugged in order to control their behavior when in reality, it's simply so their parents or teachers don't have to deal with them.

Speaking of parents, another thing these kids have in common is that they tend to come from middle class or upper middle class families and are often left on their own. In fact, it's the parent who are often most surprised to see their child's picture and/or name of the TV screen as being the prime suspect, and their first remarks often include phrases like "we gave them everything", "we gave him his own space", and so forth. What, in reality, they are saying is that they were so focused on their own lives or those of their other children, those who needed their attention the most were ignored.

Many of these kids look elsewhere for some form of validation. They tend to embrace the negativity of which they're accused. A few emerge themselves into a "Gothic" persona. Some dive headfirst into the darker aspects of Heavy Metal or go the into a completely different direction such as fantasy, role-play. Hopefully, this will be limited to concerts or "Cosplay" events where they interact with like minded individuals who are often a marginalized. While this isn't ideal, it does help create some personal bonds and relationships which is much better than being alone and feeling like an outcast. I can't think of many things worse than being a teenager, and all that involves, and having no one of your own age to talk to. The lonesomeness and isolation would be crushing.

A few of these same kids also look to history (I believe the demonic duo at Columbine High School were guilty of this). The kids (and they really are still "kids") look to people like Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Stalin, or some other demented individual like Jeffery Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, or some fictional characters like "Jason" or "Freddie Kruger" for inspiration. As crazy as it sounds to us, it makes perfect sense from their perspective. After all, most of the people were outcasts themselves. They were misfits; marginalized or ignored, yet they went on to command the world's attention.

The "how" aspect doesn't really matter to them, nor does the "why"; not really. All that matters is the results (and as we all know, mostly from personal experience, teenagers and even young adults don't always think things through to a logical conclusion). This really isn't about revenge, although I'm sure that comes into play if the opportunity represents itself. For a brief moment, they can garner the respect (or fear, it's the same thing to them) they've longed for, even if it means they must die in the accomplishment of it. I suppose them old adage than "any attention, even bad attention, is better than no attention" holds true here.

So, while I applaud the hundreds of thousands to young men and women taking to the streets to oppose gun violence, especially in schools, I don't think banning guns is the answer, although I agree that the system has to often failed to do proper background checks. So instead of demanding tighter controls on gun purchases, how about enforcing the ones already on the books? Also, instead of trying to regulate what kind of firearms someone has, how about focusing on requiring gun safety training so they know how to properly use them? Besides, we all know that even if guns suddenly were outlawed tomorrow, criminals would still have them and we'd look like a flock of sheep to a bunch of hungry wolves. Of course, the government would see us the same way!

I think the solution to gun violence in schools lies much closer to home; it lays in the way they treat their fellow students. It lies in the way that bullying---physical, psychological, and cyber--- is still allowed to happen without recourse. Yes, it's "illegal" but so what? So is stealing but it happens anyway, and no amount of signs is going to change that. The worse tolerance of bullying still comes from the kids themselves who allow it among themselves. They know who is doing it, yet they say nothing and do nothing, and then pretend to be so surprised when someone commits suicide...or shoots up the school.

Sometimes a solution is so simple it's overlooked. People, usually in desperation, tend to "paint with a wide brush" when a small one would do just as well or better. Stop the bullying and intimidation in schools, especially the cyber-bullying. Don't accept cliquish behavior; don't be a part of it. Don't ignore "gangbangers". Report them. Call the police if necessary. These are the purveyors of violence in society. They have no place in school or anywhere near schools, playgrounds, parks, or kids in general.

Lastly, don't tolerate attacks on teachers by some loser of a student, and don't allow them to interrupt the class. If they don't want to learn and want to remain woefully ignorant, so be it, but let them do it elsewhere. Students have a powerful voice in stopping this behavior. Teachers and parents need to take an active interest in everyone as much as possible. Don't assume drugging your child, even if a teacher or counselor, recommends it, at least not without a second or even third opinion; and be open to alternatives.

Let's start demanding that federal, state, and local officials in charge of reviewing gun applications actually do their jobs, and that means having the resources and proper training to do their jobs. Too many of these incidents are the result of someone in the chain dropping the ball. Lastly, taking personal responsibility to ensure their firearms are properly secured. Also, let's make sure those who own firearms are properly trained in their usage, including maintaining and cleaning them as well as gun safety. I think these steps will go a long way to cutting back on gun violence, be it in the schools or in general.

BOOK REVIEW
Crashing The Parties: A Proposal for a Populist Centrist Party That Can Break The Left-Right Divide and Save America
By M.D. Couturier

As many of you all know, one of the perks of this job is getting to review books, usually on current events, history, theology, and naturally, on politics. I've reviewed hundreds of books over the years on behalf of various publishing companies, as well as a few on my own. Some have been pretty good; a few were quite enlightening, and some not so much. Regardless, I try to make sure you get an honest assessment.

I was asked to take a look as Mr. Couturier's book, "Crashing The Parties"; a populist and centrist oriented booklet. I had the distinct advantage of long being a proponent of Centrism (and perhaps the best known Centrist activist and writer in Kentucky), so I was keenly interested in Mr. Couturier's booklet, which is only about 15 pages long. The book itself is very well written and obviously a quick read. Mr. Couturier does an excellent job in addressing a wide variety of topics in short but concise statements. The booklet starts off listing and then defining the three main tenets of American Populist Centrism, which includes the nation, the government, and the American People. He then delves into some well thought out tenants comprising his alternative to the antiquated Left/Right paradigm that we face today.

These include controversial topics such as immigration, jobs and the economy, and education. I am particularly pleased to see Mr. Couturier, a native of South Korea and now a US Citizen, address the issue of illegal immigration and once again re-embrace the concept of America as a "melting pot", and the need to make English our official national language. Mr. Couturier also addresses the need for election reform (such as ending gerrymandering) as well as national security and ending the role of permanent alliances, perpetual wars, and America as the world's policeman. He goes on to address many other hot issues, such as abortion, the role of prayer in schools, gun control, healthcare, the economy, taxes, and the need to revitalized labor unions in order to breathe life back into what's left of the middle and working classes. For all of these, Mr. Couturier should be applauded, but his treatise goes much further. I can't say that I completely agree with everything Mr. Couturier says (nor would I expect to), but he provides does provide for some well reasoned perspectives.

For anyone interested in current events from a fresh perspective, I encourage you to read Mr. Couturier's "Crashing The Parties". The read will be short, but the takeaway will be immense, especially if you're tired of the old retread ideologies of the corporate owned Democrats and Republicans or the bankrupt Left/Right paradigm. I think you will enjoy his ideas and his writing style, which are clear and to the point and more in line with the majority of Americans. I know I did.

"Crashing The Parties: A Proposal for a Populist Centrist Party That Can Break The Left-Right Divide and Save America" by M.D. Couturier is available from Goodreads and Amazon.

Ending School Violence By Changing Attitudes

What do you think about the recent student "walkout" over gun violence, particularly in schools? Its seems that few things fail to attract kids these days like a good issue (or excuse) to protest or riot. Donald Trump's election, and later, his inauguration, are two quick examples. Young adults and students, which comprised both Millennials and the up and coming "Generation Z" ,were quick to jump on the anti-Trump bandwagon, whipped up by the devastated Hillary camp who couldn't believe she was denied her coronation after doing so much to...I mean "for"...America , that the Left went on a rampage which has yet to let up.

The corporate media was also pretty fast to jump into the fray. After all, they had been trying to swing the election to Hillary for over a year, and then....on national TV for all the world to see...was made a fool of by the American People (who obviously don't know what's good for them). Heck, "if" it really had to be someone other than Hillary, surely the American People would chose one of the pre-selected and pre-approved Republican candidates, but nope! The American People had to go and pick someone who was an actual outsider and not someone who claimed to be in one of the sound bites. For shame America. For shame on you for thinking for yourselves.

I remember growing up in the 1960's and 1970's. We had protests a plenty! If you had a cause, we had your protest lined up and waiting! Seriously though, we did have our protests, and riots. Most of the protests were over the war in Vietnam (as well as the expansion of the war into Laos and Cambodia with the possibly at one point of even stretching into Thailand where Americans bombers were flying out of). America had come to see not just that the war was unwinnable as it was being fought (with politicians playing general), but also with the knowledge (especially after the 1968 Tet Offensive) that the military and government had been lying to us all along. Few saw any sense in going off to war to die for lies, or corporate profits for that matter as our eternal "War on Terror" now bears witness.

We also had our protests over issues such as voting rights, worker rights and job safety, equality in pay, fairness in hiring, the environment, Native American rights, forced busing, and gay rights. The riots were more the result of civil rights and "police brutality" as it was called then. However, these protests and riots were based on widespread social issues, and regardless of your opinion on any of these individual issues, freedom of expression was always at the forefront. Something else which was at the forefront was the belief in individualism. By that I mean the expansion and protection of the individual from the government. People believed the government was one of many tools to make life better. We valued individual responsibility and the expansion of personal rights and responsibility.

At some point (I'm not quite sure when or where) that all started to change. We began to think that government was "the" tool to needed to solve all our problems. Instead of organizing at the grassroots level to get things done, we demanded government do it for us. If there was a problem, government had to provide the fix. Of course, the more we've come to rely on government, the more dependent we become on it and the more unwilling or resistant we became to acting or thinking for ourselves. We, in effect, forged our own chains. Our servant has now become our master.

Meanwhile, the bond between government and corporatism has become stronger, to the point where it's almost indistinguishable where government leaves off and corporate control begins. Of course, there has always been a revolving door between the corporate world and government, but with the passage of "Citizens United", the revolving door has been removed and replaced with a breezeway. Corporations are now "people" with not just all the rights of an individual, but more so, especially when it comes to free speech.

Free speech---the 1st Amendment--was something that was greatly cherish by our Founding Fathers. They understood what it meant for the people to be denied a voice. Well, somehow, money---and it possession of it---has been determined to be "free speech" except that ordinary flesh and blood types like you and I are restricted in the amount of "free speech" we can donate to the candidate of our choice, but not so the corporate "Frankensteins", who are free to donate whatever they like. Corporate lobbyists now even help write the bills that legislators vote on. At the very least, they provide the research and they read the countless and voluminous bills on behalf of the legislators; they even provide a summary and recommendation as to how to vote. Awfully kind of them don't you think?

Political campaigns, especially at the federal level, has become far too expensive for ordinary Americans. Congress and the Presidency are a multi-millionaire's club. The last Presidential election cost approximately $2.6 billion dollars. The total cost for those running in 2016 election cycle for federal offices was $6.8 billion dollars. Given that, while the salaries are pretty good, as are the benefits, there's simply no way ordinary Americans can run for these offices. In fact, those running and being elected are simply those with the most money in what's become a popularity contest rather than a race about issues.

These individuals have little in common with us. They live in a completely different world. I'm surprised they even breath the same air. They don't understand what the average American goes through daily just to get by. They are exempt from many of the same laws they pass. They even function under a different set of laws. Washington politicians have become a de facto separate class; a political class beholding to their financial sponsors. Let's face it friends, we---the American People---are not represented in Washington. We get the illusion of choice while Wallstreet and "K" Street lobbyists decide what's good for us.

I really can't blame them, at least entirely. Nature...and politics...abhors a void. We've been content to watch TV, play video games, play on our "Smart" phones, and so forth. Very few of us are involved in our schools or neighborhoods. We tend to vote party line instead of actually trying to understand the issues (and letting the politicians decide what the issues are). Then too, who can blame us? We struggle through work; worry about keeping our jobs or benefits (if we even have any). We're too tired or frustrated by the time we get home to listen to all the hateful chaos on the news. We have to deal with traffic, crime, rising gas and food prices with little or no hope of a raise, and then government, cable, and utilities are always trying to find ways to gouge more money out of us (without our input I might add...as if it would actually matter). It seems it never ends doesn't it?

Of course, this is changing. The majority of Americans are now registered Independent (43%) while the Democrats and Republicans are left fighting over a shrinking piece of the stale pie. The corporate owned media, which functions more like the propaganda ministry of Hitler or Stalin continues to lose their audience, acts as if Indies and third parties (which are also growing) don't exist. Meanwhile, government seems to continue to spiral out of control as we become ever increasingly a police and surveillance state with fewer and fewer rights or choices...all for our own good naturally. Such is life in an Oligarchy.

One key issue, as I've previously written several times, has been gun control. It seems we are experiencing more and more crime, especially gun related crime, be it from a hotel window connected to a casino, shopping malls, churches, or schools. Then, when (or "if") we're provided with explanations from officials, we tend to rarely believe them; such has become our distrust of authority. But of all of these, which are equally terrible, it's the schools that get to us the most. I suppose that's because we expect our kids to be safe in school, so when guns show up, we become scared and angry.

Yet, while school is no place for guns, the fact is that our children haven't really been safe in school for a long time now have they? Schools have long had metal detectors due to the invasion of our schools by those carrying knives, guns, and weapons. Then too, we've seen an infestation of our schools with gang bangers and bullies. In truth, between the wannabe "Al Capones", it's the common bully who is the biggest problem, be it face-to-face or cyber bullying. Obviously signs saying "no guns" or laws against bullying doesn't work. Frankly, it was only a matter of time before some kid got sick and tired of it and takes matter into their own hands.

So, when we see these students marching out of school demanding that guns be banned from school (they already are) or some draconian law to revoke the 2nd Amendment, I have to wonder where the walkouts were to get rid of the bullies? Where were they when they saw or heard about some kid getting verbally or physically assaulted by another student? What did they do? Watch? Nothing? It's the same thing when they see a fellow student disrespect or attack a teacher. Most whip out their cell phones to videotaped the unfolding tragedy just to post it online (and usually you can hear other students egging the punk on; cheering and laughing). Where were these same "moralistic" kids then; the ones demanding further gun control?

Government intervention is not always the answer. In fact, it's rarely the answer. Personal responsibility should be the first step taken to correct any problem. I applaud these students for at least putting their "Smart phones" down long enough and look up and see the world as it is; the real world. Their more militant grandparents would be proud of them for that at least. Ending violence is a worthy cause. However, punishing the majority for the acts of a tiny few is rarely, if ever, the right decision. These students need to reexamine the root cause for the violence in school which is bullying and allowing fellow students to feel alienated. This includes not taking steps to end attacks on teachers, fellow students, and permitting gangbangers in their schools. This is called taking responsibility, and it's through taking responsibility that we can not only take our schools back, but our government too.





Election 2016's price tag: $6.8 billion



NCES: Bullying Fast Facts



Bullying Statistics



Thousands of students walk out of school in nationwide gun violence protests