One evening years ago - when I was fairly new to Los Angeles and running all over town teaching yoga classes from morning ‘til night - I pulled into a Whole Foods on Fairfax and grabbed some sushi for dinner.
A huge YES to everything here and especially this: “Your politics are your philosophy in action”!!!
We are living in such a terrifying time and I feel like I vacillate between intense rage and just utter disbelief about the state of the world and especially US politics.
I’m also having flashbacks to being 7 years old and living in Iran during the Islamic revolution and my western educated family saying “this isn’t possible, a bunch of religious fanatics and clerics can’t take over the country” and here we are, over 4 decades later, the theocratic government is still going strong. So yes, sadly everything is possible, and the US does seem to be rushing towards religious fundamentalism which is truly terrifying.
Honestly I hold my head at least once a day because it is so hard to understand how we don’t learn from history! It’s one thing if you don’t KNOW what happens when you go in this direction, but we do know. It breaks my heart to see this happening and it astounds me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your insight. It really does help to know there are so many of us feeling this way. I hope we can turn the ship in a better direction, and soon 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Lots of love to you xx
So terrifying. And so true, sadly. "This isn't possible, a bunch of extreme outliers can't take over the country" my German forebearers famously said... Why do so many people find comfort in rigidity and totalitarianism? It boggles the mind.
Thank you for this, it went down like a cool glass of water. I have felt so out of control emotionally of late…it’s so maddening to process all of the insanity and then go out in the world and act like everything is ok. This is not an “agree to disagree” scenario. It’s a violent circus powered by fear and hatred.
I’m glad you’re here being honest. It helps us all to feel less crazy.
Thanks so much Eileen. I had so much anxiety writing this. So much of my time is spent trying to bring people together but I could not agree with you more - sometimes you just have to call a thing what it is, and what we are seeing is not okay. It’s not even sane. And I appreciate you sharing and letting me know you’re feeling this way, too. I’m just holding onto hope that there are a lot of us and that it’s going to be okay 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
So grateful for your writings, your honesty, and your heart. Thank you for creating a safe space for the like-minded to vent and feel less alone.
Two quotes come to mind (imperfectly remembered):
'My desire to stay informed is currently at odds with my desire to stay sane.' (New Yorker cartoon?)
'The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral uncertainty, preserve their neutrality' (not Dante, maybe JFK? still good).
Staying vulnerable is the only way to remain human.
I love both of these quotes and couldn’t agree more. I want to know what’s happening, but I do have to watch my intake of horrendous news and pace myself. I have gotten pretty good at recognizing when I need to step away, I can sort of feel my “despair tipping point” and I’m grateful. And yeah, I wouldn’t know how to be quiet about all this right now, I think I’d implode. And at the very least, I want to know I tried as hard as I could in every way I could to push the needle in the right direction. I saw a meme the other day that said something like, I’m tired of living through history - and I thought yeah, me too. It would be nice to have a few peaceful years, or at least a few that don’t feel batshit insane. So grateful for all of you who meet me here. It’s keeping me sane and hopeful 🤍🤍🤍
Ah I’m sorry you got food poisoning. The image of a teacher projectile vomiting exorcist style into an LA Pilates class may actually be a fairly apt metaphor for how a lot of us feel about the state of politics in this current day and age. Tbh I can’t stomach watching much news anymore. Last winter whenever I’d open the news feed, I’d literally get nauseous and almost throw up (I’m an anxious person.) I don’t want to be that person who’s screaming incoherently at my phone screen like I’ve lost it. Of course I still check headlines, but I have to limit access to the 24/7 postmodern madness of the tv news, which seems to sensationalize ultraviolence as spectacle. (back in December something bad happened to me, and I’m more sensitive to violent imagery these days.) it’s not that I don’t care, but it hurts to see so much suffering. Btw your writing doesn’t sound too fueled by rage, rather it reads to me like justified anger at witnessing a world of pain and expressing a sense of frustration at the loss of our basic human rights. (Plus the cute fluffy dog and yoga photos make me think you’re a kind hearted person.) I’m with you. Idk what to do or what to say. I know that there are a lot of us who feel similarly about the terrifying rise of far right authoritarianism and the rightwing normalization of violence against vulnerable people. maybe there’s enough people to start to make a change soon? I hope. Anyhow thank you for writing about different styles of vulnerability and thank you for writing with heart.
Thank you so much, Jessica. I am also unable to handle the onslaught of awful news 24/7. I read and stay caught up every day, but limit the amount of time and definitely am careful about where I get my info. Today I took my kids to the beach and just let myself soak it up. Being by the ocean is always so soothing to me and I really needed it. I’m so sorry for whatever you went through in December. I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself and your nervous system. None of us are wired for this kind of intense longterm stress, violence and vitriol. Just shaking my head over here but yes, I do think there are a lot of people who feel as we do and I am just hoping with everything I have that there are enough of us. Sending you lots of love 🤍
Thank you so much for sharing yourself in such vivid and brilliant prose. So grateful I got to meet you several years ago for yoga with you in Santa Monica or I might never have been drawn to your writing. All I can do is thank you and encourage you to carry on and never give up.
Thank you so much! You inspire so many and have for years! I guess my gift is to show what is possible even as you age and there is always opportunities to go further (even if you never do). I feel myself slowing down and I have to admit that is a little discouraging. I’m like an old cat that sleeps more and more.
Hi Ally, I almost started my response to your new essay without reading it (because I had a few thoughts on my mind and I thought I'd write them down).
What I wanted to share was that company I work for does a project ambulances for Ukraine and boss of my boss, as shared in meeting yesterday, drove one personally from Wales almost all the way to Ukraine. And he also mentioned how Ukrainian director of our regional branch there had to go to raid shelter 3 times last night.
When I recalled how upset I was in the morning from an upcoming headache I felt a bit snowflakey. (Yes, headaches are awful but war is on whole another level of awful and so is easy access to semi automatic guns!)
Now, to the essay.
I remember a few weeks ago I was walking home with my daughter from Tesco and I had to shit. Omg I was so nervous and rushing her, but we also had fun, me and her were making sarcastic remarks on what might happen if I don't get home on time.
Just the idea of shitting my pants was making me very uncomfortable and I had same thoughts when I was going to run a half marathon in Romania, but my sister told me that she saw in real time TV event how a runner shat himself and whilst it's insanely embarrassing, one should not die from it.
I think this goes to tell us that sooner or later we might truly happen to us and probably I also could lose a grip there.
And last weekend Anneke's dog vomited in car when our friend was giving us a ride and poor child she felt guilty and upset, but luckily Cathy is one of my crew and whilst it wasn't nice view, we all managed to just deal with it.
I totally agree with you here.
One of the reasons I don't believe in God as his presented to us is my inability to grasp how could he create humans with such a poor navigation system where we are completely unable to work together and time and time again it's confirmed we're just violent species and it's almost as Darwin said "survival of the fittest". Now to me that's undeserved privilege right there. If I was born somewhere in Africa I wouldn't be typing this on my mobile enjoying morning before work. I would probably be mining precious metal to build said phone. How is that fair?
I don't claim I'd know how to create much better world but even looking at myself and how my sensory systems work and allow me to navigate this world, I know it's not the best system lol.
On the other hand though, I know people like you, my friend Cathy, my daughter, writers, artists that really make me accept life as gift. It's hard still, but I must say that at least now, after many years I'm beginning to appreciate life, even if we ultimately live in a fundamentally broken world. And there is tiny possibility that all is as it must be (even if I have absolutely no idea why that would be the case) so I try to plod along like every reasonable adult. Not that it excites me, but if I wouldn't do that, the only other option seem to clock out, because on some days I just can't see the point, but then I just get over it. It's tiring and boring, but it does the job of keeping me alive.
Anyway, I went off at a tangent.
I really should have just said thank you for being here.
Thanks for the essay and yeah, I feel you. Two days ago my daughter was showing me a new bowtie in hear hair and it was just a nice moment of simple pleasure of seeing someone you love smile from something so small. Maybe the path ahead is through the tiny moments of joy hidden in every day battles.
The topic of disarmament followed by government violence is complex and controversial, often invoked in discussions about gun control and the right to bear arms. Historical instances cited in this context typically include:
1. **China**:
- **Mao Zedong's Regime (1949-1976)**: After the Chinese Civil War, the Communist government implemented strict gun control laws. During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), millions of people were persecuted and killed. However, the direct causation between disarmament and mass killings is debated.
2. **Soviet Union**:
- **Joseph Stalin's Regime (1920s-1953)**: The Soviet government enforced stringent gun control laws. During Stalin's purges, millions of people were executed or sent to labor camps. Disarmament was part of broader efforts to consolidate power.
3. **Nazi Germany**:
- **Adolf Hitler's Regime (1933-1945)**: The Nazi regime imposed strict gun control laws, particularly targeting Jews and political opponents. The Holocaust and other acts of genocide followed, although the connection to disarmament is part of a broader narrative of totalitarian control.
4. **Ottoman Empire**:
- **Armenian Genocide (1915-1917)**: The Ottoman government disarmed the Armenian population before the mass deportations and killings that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.
5. **Rwanda**:
- **Rwandan Genocide (1994)**: Leading up to the genocide, the Hutu-majority government and militias disarmed the Tutsi population. This disarmament was a prelude to the mass killings where an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.
These cases are often used in debates to illustrate the potential dangers of disarmament, suggesting that an armed populace can act as a deterrent against government oppression and genocide. However, the historical and political contexts are complex, and disarmament is usually one of many factors contributing to such tragic events.
The number of abortions can vary significantly by country and is often reported through different health agencies and research organizations. For the most accurate and specific data on abortions, particularly regarding the number of children aborted in the last five years, one would typically refer to reports from entities like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Guttmacher Institute, or national health departments.
However, I can provide a general overview based on global estimates. According to the Guttmacher Institute, around 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year. Breaking it down year by year for the past five years would look roughly like this:
1. **2019**: Approximately 73 million
2. **2020**: Approximately 73 million
3. **2021**: Approximately 73 million
4. **2022**: Approximately 73 million
5. **2023**: Approximately 73 million
These are rough estimates, and the exact numbers can vary due to reporting differences, changes in policies, and access to healthcare services. For precise numbers, especially specific to individual countries, one would need to refer to national health statistics or specific reports by international health organizations.
When the people do not have the right to bear arms then the government will take control and kill the people that disagree with them this has been repeated many times
Also we need to protect our families and may have to hunt for food many do if things break down we may have to start again so please do not take away others rights because a small percentage abuse the privlage
Hey Marc ... I am pretty sure no one is hunting with assault weapons! I'm not a hunter and I've never been hunting, but I would imagine if you were hunting for a deer or, I dunno, a grouse or something, you probably wouldn't want to use an AR-15, because there wouldn't be much left of that deer or grouse to eat. I'm not here to argue about the Second Amendment. I know there are people who have handguns in their homes because it makes them feel safer (I know some), or people who grow up in different parts of the country and hunt for food (I know some). But I am 100% over mass shootings and children dying at school, or any of us dying in movie theaters, night clubs, the grocery store and on and on. It's the assault weapons for me. I also wholeheartedly believe people ought to be able to love who they want to love freely and safely, and that everyone should have bodily autonomy and the dignity and respect to live however they want to live unless they're hurting other people, or infringing on someone else's rights. And I think there are far too many people living on the fringes of society who are being wholly overlooked and abandoned, and that you can always tell how sick or healthy a society is by the way it treats its most vulnerable members (paraphrasing Pearl Buck and Hubert Humphrey there). We have a lot of work to do, and I hope we're moving in the right direction. Peace and all the best to you, Marc!
A semiautomatic centerfire firearm that is not a rifle, pistol, or shotgun, that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
I see you’ve left a few comments and that this is clearly a concerning issue for you. I really don’t want to argue the 2nd Amendment here, but I can tell you how horrific it is as a parent with two school-age kids to watch school shooting after school shooting for years on end and watch our country do nothing to make our kids safer. Along with all the other people who’ve been the victims of mass shootings. You initially said you thought people should be able to hunt and also protect their families. No one needs a military-style weapon to do that. Now you’re talking about freedom and defending yourself against the government. It seems you’re using the assassination attempt on TFG as an example of what happens when civilians can’t protect themselves against the government, but it was just another 20-year-old kid with a gun. Anyway, we have different ideas about this. I don’t want to see another Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde, Las Vegas, Pulse Night Club and on and on and on. I’d like to see some sane gun control laws and a ban on military-style assault weapons for civilians, but that’s me. I’m gonna leave it at that. We don’t have to agree. I wish you well, Marc, truly.
Thank you Ally, been following you for over ten years and love your writings they speak to me on a soul level. Better for me not to talk politics today they’re so devicive
Anyway the left and the right wing
Are a part of the same bird they have these elections every four years so we think we have a choice . The winner has already been bought and paid for
A huge YES to everything here and especially this: “Your politics are your philosophy in action”!!!
We are living in such a terrifying time and I feel like I vacillate between intense rage and just utter disbelief about the state of the world and especially US politics.
I’m also having flashbacks to being 7 years old and living in Iran during the Islamic revolution and my western educated family saying “this isn’t possible, a bunch of religious fanatics and clerics can’t take over the country” and here we are, over 4 decades later, the theocratic government is still going strong. So yes, sadly everything is possible, and the US does seem to be rushing towards religious fundamentalism which is truly terrifying.
Honestly I hold my head at least once a day because it is so hard to understand how we don’t learn from history! It’s one thing if you don’t KNOW what happens when you go in this direction, but we do know. It breaks my heart to see this happening and it astounds me. Thank you so much for sharing your experience and your insight. It really does help to know there are so many of us feeling this way. I hope we can turn the ship in a better direction, and soon 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 Lots of love to you xx
So terrifying. And so true, sadly. "This isn't possible, a bunch of extreme outliers can't take over the country" my German forebearers famously said... Why do so many people find comfort in rigidity and totalitarianism? It boggles the mind.
It really does boggle the mind and insult the heart. Shockingly sad.
Thank you for this, it went down like a cool glass of water. I have felt so out of control emotionally of late…it’s so maddening to process all of the insanity and then go out in the world and act like everything is ok. This is not an “agree to disagree” scenario. It’s a violent circus powered by fear and hatred.
I’m glad you’re here being honest. It helps us all to feel less crazy.
Thanks so much Eileen. I had so much anxiety writing this. So much of my time is spent trying to bring people together but I could not agree with you more - sometimes you just have to call a thing what it is, and what we are seeing is not okay. It’s not even sane. And I appreciate you sharing and letting me know you’re feeling this way, too. I’m just holding onto hope that there are a lot of us and that it’s going to be okay 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
So grateful for your writings, your honesty, and your heart. Thank you for creating a safe space for the like-minded to vent and feel less alone.
Two quotes come to mind (imperfectly remembered):
'My desire to stay informed is currently at odds with my desire to stay sane.' (New Yorker cartoon?)
'The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral uncertainty, preserve their neutrality' (not Dante, maybe JFK? still good).
Staying vulnerable is the only way to remain human.
I love both of these quotes and couldn’t agree more. I want to know what’s happening, but I do have to watch my intake of horrendous news and pace myself. I have gotten pretty good at recognizing when I need to step away, I can sort of feel my “despair tipping point” and I’m grateful. And yeah, I wouldn’t know how to be quiet about all this right now, I think I’d implode. And at the very least, I want to know I tried as hard as I could in every way I could to push the needle in the right direction. I saw a meme the other day that said something like, I’m tired of living through history - and I thought yeah, me too. It would be nice to have a few peaceful years, or at least a few that don’t feel batshit insane. So grateful for all of you who meet me here. It’s keeping me sane and hopeful 🤍🤍🤍
today felt like a good day for history, for once!
Yes!! Hope feels good!!!
Ah I’m sorry you got food poisoning. The image of a teacher projectile vomiting exorcist style into an LA Pilates class may actually be a fairly apt metaphor for how a lot of us feel about the state of politics in this current day and age. Tbh I can’t stomach watching much news anymore. Last winter whenever I’d open the news feed, I’d literally get nauseous and almost throw up (I’m an anxious person.) I don’t want to be that person who’s screaming incoherently at my phone screen like I’ve lost it. Of course I still check headlines, but I have to limit access to the 24/7 postmodern madness of the tv news, which seems to sensationalize ultraviolence as spectacle. (back in December something bad happened to me, and I’m more sensitive to violent imagery these days.) it’s not that I don’t care, but it hurts to see so much suffering. Btw your writing doesn’t sound too fueled by rage, rather it reads to me like justified anger at witnessing a world of pain and expressing a sense of frustration at the loss of our basic human rights. (Plus the cute fluffy dog and yoga photos make me think you’re a kind hearted person.) I’m with you. Idk what to do or what to say. I know that there are a lot of us who feel similarly about the terrifying rise of far right authoritarianism and the rightwing normalization of violence against vulnerable people. maybe there’s enough people to start to make a change soon? I hope. Anyhow thank you for writing about different styles of vulnerability and thank you for writing with heart.
Thank you so much, Jessica. I am also unable to handle the onslaught of awful news 24/7. I read and stay caught up every day, but limit the amount of time and definitely am careful about where I get my info. Today I took my kids to the beach and just let myself soak it up. Being by the ocean is always so soothing to me and I really needed it. I’m so sorry for whatever you went through in December. I’m glad you’re taking care of yourself and your nervous system. None of us are wired for this kind of intense longterm stress, violence and vitriol. Just shaking my head over here but yes, I do think there are a lot of people who feel as we do and I am just hoping with everything I have that there are enough of us. Sending you lots of love 🤍
Thank you so much for sharing yourself in such vivid and brilliant prose. So grateful I got to meet you several years ago for yoga with you in Santa Monica or I might never have been drawn to your writing. All I can do is thank you and encourage you to carry on and never give up.
Oh Gordon, I’m so grateful, too. You’re a keeper and a real one and I’m so glad you’re here!! Thanks so much.
Thank you so much! You inspire so many and have for years! I guess my gift is to show what is possible even as you age and there is always opportunities to go further (even if you never do). I feel myself slowing down and I have to admit that is a little discouraging. I’m like an old cat that sleeps more and more.
Hi Ally, I almost started my response to your new essay without reading it (because I had a few thoughts on my mind and I thought I'd write them down).
What I wanted to share was that company I work for does a project ambulances for Ukraine and boss of my boss, as shared in meeting yesterday, drove one personally from Wales almost all the way to Ukraine. And he also mentioned how Ukrainian director of our regional branch there had to go to raid shelter 3 times last night.
When I recalled how upset I was in the morning from an upcoming headache I felt a bit snowflakey. (Yes, headaches are awful but war is on whole another level of awful and so is easy access to semi automatic guns!)
Now, to the essay.
I remember a few weeks ago I was walking home with my daughter from Tesco and I had to shit. Omg I was so nervous and rushing her, but we also had fun, me and her were making sarcastic remarks on what might happen if I don't get home on time.
Just the idea of shitting my pants was making me very uncomfortable and I had same thoughts when I was going to run a half marathon in Romania, but my sister told me that she saw in real time TV event how a runner shat himself and whilst it's insanely embarrassing, one should not die from it.
I think this goes to tell us that sooner or later we might truly happen to us and probably I also could lose a grip there.
And last weekend Anneke's dog vomited in car when our friend was giving us a ride and poor child she felt guilty and upset, but luckily Cathy is one of my crew and whilst it wasn't nice view, we all managed to just deal with it.
I totally agree with you here.
One of the reasons I don't believe in God as his presented to us is my inability to grasp how could he create humans with such a poor navigation system where we are completely unable to work together and time and time again it's confirmed we're just violent species and it's almost as Darwin said "survival of the fittest". Now to me that's undeserved privilege right there. If I was born somewhere in Africa I wouldn't be typing this on my mobile enjoying morning before work. I would probably be mining precious metal to build said phone. How is that fair?
I don't claim I'd know how to create much better world but even looking at myself and how my sensory systems work and allow me to navigate this world, I know it's not the best system lol.
On the other hand though, I know people like you, my friend Cathy, my daughter, writers, artists that really make me accept life as gift. It's hard still, but I must say that at least now, after many years I'm beginning to appreciate life, even if we ultimately live in a fundamentally broken world. And there is tiny possibility that all is as it must be (even if I have absolutely no idea why that would be the case) so I try to plod along like every reasonable adult. Not that it excites me, but if I wouldn't do that, the only other option seem to clock out, because on some days I just can't see the point, but then I just get over it. It's tiring and boring, but it does the job of keeping me alive.
Anyway, I went off at a tangent.
I really should have just said thank you for being here.
Thanks for the essay and yeah, I feel you. Two days ago my daughter was showing me a new bowtie in hear hair and it was just a nice moment of simple pleasure of seeing someone you love smile from something so small. Maybe the path ahead is through the tiny moments of joy hidden in every day battles.
Peace and love to you and your family. Always.
🙏
The topic of disarmament followed by government violence is complex and controversial, often invoked in discussions about gun control and the right to bear arms. Historical instances cited in this context typically include:
1. **China**:
- **Mao Zedong's Regime (1949-1976)**: After the Chinese Civil War, the Communist government implemented strict gun control laws. During the Great Leap Forward (1958-1962) and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), millions of people were persecuted and killed. However, the direct causation between disarmament and mass killings is debated.
2. **Soviet Union**:
- **Joseph Stalin's Regime (1920s-1953)**: The Soviet government enforced stringent gun control laws. During Stalin's purges, millions of people were executed or sent to labor camps. Disarmament was part of broader efforts to consolidate power.
3. **Nazi Germany**:
- **Adolf Hitler's Regime (1933-1945)**: The Nazi regime imposed strict gun control laws, particularly targeting Jews and political opponents. The Holocaust and other acts of genocide followed, although the connection to disarmament is part of a broader narrative of totalitarian control.
4. **Ottoman Empire**:
- **Armenian Genocide (1915-1917)**: The Ottoman government disarmed the Armenian population before the mass deportations and killings that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.
5. **Rwanda**:
- **Rwandan Genocide (1994)**: Leading up to the genocide, the Hutu-majority government and militias disarmed the Tutsi population. This disarmament was a prelude to the mass killings where an estimated 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.
These cases are often used in debates to illustrate the potential dangers of disarmament, suggesting that an armed populace can act as a deterrent against government oppression and genocide. However, the historical and political contexts are complex, and disarmament is usually one of many factors contributing to such tragic events.
The number of abortions can vary significantly by country and is often reported through different health agencies and research organizations. For the most accurate and specific data on abortions, particularly regarding the number of children aborted in the last five years, one would typically refer to reports from entities like the World Health Organization (WHO), the Guttmacher Institute, or national health departments.
However, I can provide a general overview based on global estimates. According to the Guttmacher Institute, around 73 million induced abortions occur worldwide each year. Breaking it down year by year for the past five years would look roughly like this:
1. **2019**: Approximately 73 million
2. **2020**: Approximately 73 million
3. **2021**: Approximately 73 million
4. **2022**: Approximately 73 million
5. **2023**: Approximately 73 million
These are rough estimates, and the exact numbers can vary due to reporting differences, changes in policies, and access to healthcare services. For precise numbers, especially specific to individual countries, one would need to refer to national health statistics or specific reports by international health organizations.
When people lose the right to own guns then freedom is soon to fallow
When they make owning guns illegal then only criminals and politicians and the military will have guns and I do not trust them to keep me safe do you.
History shows us when the people lose their right to own guns then governments kill those they disagree with. Look what almost happened to Trump
When the people do not have the right to bear arms then the government will take control and kill the people that disagree with them this has been repeated many times
Also we need to protect our families and may have to hunt for food many do if things break down we may have to start again so please do not take away others rights because a small percentage abuse the privlage
Thanks Ally
Marc
Hey Marc ... I am pretty sure no one is hunting with assault weapons! I'm not a hunter and I've never been hunting, but I would imagine if you were hunting for a deer or, I dunno, a grouse or something, you probably wouldn't want to use an AR-15, because there wouldn't be much left of that deer or grouse to eat. I'm not here to argue about the Second Amendment. I know there are people who have handguns in their homes because it makes them feel safer (I know some), or people who grow up in different parts of the country and hunt for food (I know some). But I am 100% over mass shootings and children dying at school, or any of us dying in movie theaters, night clubs, the grocery store and on and on. It's the assault weapons for me. I also wholeheartedly believe people ought to be able to love who they want to love freely and safely, and that everyone should have bodily autonomy and the dignity and respect to live however they want to live unless they're hurting other people, or infringing on someone else's rights. And I think there are far too many people living on the fringes of society who are being wholly overlooked and abandoned, and that you can always tell how sick or healthy a society is by the way it treats its most vulnerable members (paraphrasing Pearl Buck and Hubert Humphrey there). We have a lot of work to do, and I hope we're moving in the right direction. Peace and all the best to you, Marc!
Do you know what an assault weapon is? Anything that holds more than one round and can be fired by pulling the trigger.
I was working with the ATF definition -
A semiautomatic centerfire firearm that is not a rifle, pistol, or shotgun, that has a fixed magazine with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds.
I see you’ve left a few comments and that this is clearly a concerning issue for you. I really don’t want to argue the 2nd Amendment here, but I can tell you how horrific it is as a parent with two school-age kids to watch school shooting after school shooting for years on end and watch our country do nothing to make our kids safer. Along with all the other people who’ve been the victims of mass shootings. You initially said you thought people should be able to hunt and also protect their families. No one needs a military-style weapon to do that. Now you’re talking about freedom and defending yourself against the government. It seems you’re using the assassination attempt on TFG as an example of what happens when civilians can’t protect themselves against the government, but it was just another 20-year-old kid with a gun. Anyway, we have different ideas about this. I don’t want to see another Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Uvalde, Las Vegas, Pulse Night Club and on and on and on. I’d like to see some sane gun control laws and a ban on military-style assault weapons for civilians, but that’s me. I’m gonna leave it at that. We don’t have to agree. I wish you well, Marc, truly.
Thank you Ally, been following you for over ten years and love your writings they speak to me on a soul level. Better for me not to talk politics today they’re so devicive
Anyway the left and the right wing
Are a part of the same bird they have these elections every four years so we think we have a choice . The winner has already been bought and paid for
Aloha from Hawaii
Marc