Orlando and Beyond

I don't really know what to say at this point. A friend posted on facebook that he was surprised that more people weren't commenting on the Orlando murders and my response was simply I have no more words. I've posted on Facebook and written on my blog about gun violence in the US. And those in agreement with me, chime in with the same impassioned desire to see gun control reform in the US and those opposed ramp up the rhetoric on arming everyone so the bad guys can be stopped. Sometimes I feel like the US is the wild west where human decency and common sense have run amok.
Of course, my thoughts and prayers are with those involved, but this tweet sums things up for me.

I can't really add to the conversation that is raging around us. You know how I feel. 1. Get rid of assault rifles. They are intended for one thing and one thing alone: Assaulting human life. There is no reason why this weapon needs to be available for purchase. 2. Close glaring loopholes that allow anyone and everyone to buy a gun, regardless of stability or background. 3. Address the US thirst for violence. It's there in our sports, our games, our media. We like violence and the fruit of our cavalier attitude toward violence is a lack of respect for humanity and a carelessness about killing and wounding others. And the list goes one.
I will repeat what I've said before: The most major shift for me in moving back to the US after living in Europe for 18 or so years is feeling and fearing that getting shot is a real possibility. I feel nervous about the gun violence and know that at anytime I could get caught up in the crossfires of a situation gone off the rails. I do not want to "get a gun in order to make myself feel safer." I have no interest in killing another human being, even one who is threatening my well being. I would rather be shot than shoot but that's because I've actually considered what it might be like to have to live with perpetuating violence rather than trying to end it. I'm not a hero. I just know that I have no desire to carry a weapon with me at all times and I know that using it would be nearly impossible. I hate feeling this way. I never once in all of the time I lived in Sweden and even the year in London felt nervous about getting shot. And now, it crosses my mind whenever I'm in a crowded place, when the heat starts to get on people's nerves, when I'm stopped buying gas, etc. Sad state of affairs.
Finally, on Orlando in particular and to make clear my support for the LGTBQ community, I am horrified that a gay nightclub is the latest target. Again, the dehumanizing rhetoric around people who find themselves part of this community is very disheartening to me. Someone I love posted on Facebook a comic that showed a Dr. holding a new born and the commentary was, "Parent: What is it, a boy or a girl? Dr.: We'll have to wait a few years to let them decide." I found it so offensive and lacking in compassion and understanding for the folks for whom this is real. We have to stop dehumanizing people in order to truly value and embrace all of God's beloved creation. The pro life movement needs to move beyond the womb and into the living and begin to cultivate a whole life movement.
So to end, I feel it's important for me to state my position. I stand in full support of the LGTBQ community.

I support gay marriage. I believe that transgender people are genuinely struggling to live into an identity that doesn't match their genitals. I know the pain that this community has suffered at the hands of a church that claims to love to God but can't love them. I have many gay friends and my heart is aching for them right now because Orlando is such a blatant attack on their personhood. I love them dearly and feel their pain deeply. And I will speak out against attitudes and commentary that dehumanize these dear folks because life is hard enough without having to face proving whether or not you are deserving of one's respect, dignity and care.
It's time to stop the rhetoric about gun violence, about gay rights, about what it means to create a more moral society and instead value human life, respect each person that inhabits the earth and make changes for the good of society instead of clinging to interpretations of laws that are no longer relevant for the society in which we live.
To my gay brothers and sisters...I love you dearly and am so sorry for the lack of safety, compassion, and care you are likely feeling in the aftermath of this violent incident.

(NO) Gun Control

Yesterday was a very sad day for most Americans.  The US senate voted down a measure that would close a dangerous loophole and require stricter background checks for all ways to purchase a gun.  I have no doubt that most of the nation wants this and yet our senators, alleged representatives of the people, couldn't muster the courage to take a positive step towards creating a more safe society while still allowing the average citizen to own a gun.  This failure by the senate proves to me that our democracy is really not for the people by the people anymore...it's more for the people who BUY the people.  The NRA's financial backing and political pressure has reared its ugly head in a profound manner in regards to this issue.  There was a time when the NRA supported broad background checks. Now they are just digging in their heels in pure rebellion against this administration.  And they do not care what the majority of average Americans want.  And it is very troubling to me that it's all about money and political pressure from special interest groups, many who have no special interest in what I happen to think.
So here are some my struggles as they relate to this issue.  The favorite line of the gun advocate is "Guns don't kill people.  People kill people."  OK.  So, if that is the truth, (which in my mind is logic that defies reason), then why aren't gun advocates willing to encourage background checks on PEOPLE?
Additionally, when another tragic event occurs because of gun violence, in addition to the above (il)logic, the attention often turns to the mentally ill and how we as a society must do a better job of identifying the mentally ill.  So again, why aren't gun advocates concerned with ensuring that a background check would help to identify those who are mentally ill thus denying them the right to carry a gun?  If we really believe that it is often the mentally unstable who wreck havoc in our communities through violent use of guns, then why would we not want to do everything we can to keep guns out of their hands?
You cannot have it both ways...You cannot say that guns don't kill, people kill and then not take measures to protect the people, both the mentally unstable and criminally minded as well those who fall victim to those who unsafely gain access to guns.
So to the US Senate, members of the NRA, gun advocates and others who are content with the current gun laws in the US, help me understand what yesterday's vote accomplished in any positive, helpful way for the American people.  You all are so afraid that your freedoms are going to be infringed upon.  Well, guess what?  The freedom that I desire to live in a non-violent, non-gun packing society has been totally undermined in the United States.
How do we return to a US Senate that honors the will of the people and finds the courage to stand up to big money and big pressure when it is clearly not in the interest of the general public to support it?  I hope we will all take a look at who we have voted for and be courageous enough to make a change next time around.  We have the power as the people. We just have to realize it.

My Husband's Keen Insight on Guns

Doug wrote this great article in the wake of the Newton, CT shootings.  He was pretty deeply disturbed by the discourse and I am so proud of him for these thoughts.  They are appearing on Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed Blog which you can get to by clicking the link below.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/2012/12/21/confessions-of-a-former-gun-enthusiast/

Please take the time to read his thoughts.  They are so honest and insightful.  I love him all the more for this perspective.

More Guns Not the Answer

I am amazed at the number of people who are saying that the only way to combat gun violence in the US is to arm every citizen to the teeth so that we can protect ourselves. Numerous voices have spoken out for a greater gun presence in our society not a reduced one. They argue that a reduced gun presence only protects those wishing to do harm not the innocents who get hurt in these shooting sprees as we saw in Aurora. Many have stated that if more people had been armed in the theater, then the shooter would not have been able to harm as many people as he did. I am stunned at this logic. Has anyone considered what it would be like to live in a society where the presence of weapons is everywhere and where armed citizens are taking issues into their hands? I will never understand why anyone thinks that a shooting spree could be avoided by another shooter. Violence begets violence and we will never find our way to a truly free and peaceful society if we perpetuate this mentality.

I personally do want to live in a country where everyone I encounter is armed. I lived in a violent, heavily armed city for two years of my life: Medellin, Colombia. I was there from 1986-1988 and in 1987 Time Magazine ran a cover story entitled 'Medellin, Colombia: The Most Dangerous City in the World.' The presence of armed guards was palpable throughout the city. Machine gun armed guards stood outside of my apartment building and other public areas. And guess what? Medellin was not a safe place to live. Bombings, kidnappings, and shootings were all part of my life while I lived there. Two men were gunned down on a motorcycle on the next street over from where I lived. I stumbled on the scene one morning while out walking. One afternoon my entire apartment building was shaken to its foundation because a bomb had gone off in my backyard. After two years of living in such a violent country, I began to have nightmares. Violent nightmares with people getting killed and lives being threatened. The presence of bloody, violent scenes being played out in my dream life night after night led to quite an anxious way of life. The toll of being surrounded by a violent presence was overwhelming at points. The presence of rifles and guns in my every day life did not make me feel safer.  The violence presence of weapons that surrounded me eventually manifested itself in ugly, disturbing ways in my psyche. And never once did I think that the solution to all this was to go get a gun.

So if we are going to promote the ideology that further arming the American public is the way to stop the crazies from shooting innocent people we have to understand what the fall out from this will be. Are you prepared to ask yourself, “Do I have my keys, lipstick and revolver” as you get ready for a night on the town? Are you really prepared to be the one who steps in and stops the violence that may unfold before your very eyes, knowing that you have killed another human being, no matter the circumstance? People very non-nonchalantly make the comment that if one other person in that theater had had a gun, the guy would not have been able to gun down the others in the theater. OK, maybe true, but what about that guy who steps up to gun down the shooter? You think he sleeps well after that? And the odds that innocent people get hurt in a shoot out are pretty high.  Most gun owners do have highly specialized training in killing another being or being able to perform well under great stress.  That is why this line of thinking will lead us to being a more nervous, traumatized, unable to sleep well at night culture. Promoting violent responses to violence will not lead to a more peaceful and free society. In fact, it enslaves us to fear and wondering. It creates a climate where people feel on edge and inevitably, accidents will happen. It foments an attitude that shooting another human being is OK if you feel your rights are being infringed upon or you fear that the other party will hurt you first. I cannot see myself enjoying living in a place where I have to wonder about the presence of a gun in every pocket. Yes, it is a great tragedy that people who are evil, mentally unstable, or simply enjoy inflicting harm on others have guns and will use them in in appropriate ways to hurt innocent people. But I will never believe that further arming the American public is the solution to the gun violence in America. Tighter regulation of who can obtain a firearm, where it can stored, how it can be used, and the type of guns made available are steps in the right direction. How we deal with the flood of weapons that are already out there on the street is a mystery that I have no answer to. But I know getting more weapons out there will not help us to create a more peaceful and free society. It undermines our freedom to think that the more heavily armed we all are, the better off we'll all be. In the end it all points us back to our culture and the type of environment we want to create for our citizens. The right to bear arms in our nation has become a ticket to do harm for many and it's time we changed that mentality. It's not just limiting access to guns that will do this. We need a total change of heart. A fresh look at the type of world we want to live in. A clearer understanding of the intention of the law makers when they wrote the 2^nd amendment.  I do not understand why the church is not speaking out more clearly on the issue of gun violence and how the presence of guns in our society has created a culture of violence that is ruining any semblance to being one nation under God. How does the perpetration of violence through a mentality of increased weapon presence support our ability to be a loving and gracious presence in our society? I'm just not understanding why Christians aren't on the front lines seeking to clarify how we can maintain our 2^nd amendment rights but protect the rights of those who wish to live in a more free and peaceful society. There must be a middle ground here somewhere. Perhaps the Christian community can find it and forge the way ahead.