One
1. America has many problems, but we can solve most of them if we had the political will and moral courage to take them on, but we do not… as least the @GOP does not. Look at their voting records. They routinely vote against the best interests of their own supporters and in favor of the interests of the corporate oligarchs who pull their leashes. They voted “no”on cheaper insulin and “no”on easing the baby formula shortage. They vote no on almost everything that would benefit all Americans and not just a few select Americans, the “real Americans” of the GOP’s imagination. A “no” vote makes them look tough to their base, who only seems to care about winning and beating the liberals at any cost. It’s no longer about the public good, it’s now down to “What’s in it for me?” and “If black people get it too, then nobody is going to get it.” The American right is selfish and self-centered. Full stop.
Two
2. I’m going to link this BBC article here but I’m going to highlight some things that stand out to me. According to the article, between 1968 – 2017 (Most of my life btw) 1,500,000 people have died because of a firearm. That’s more deaths than in every conflict the United States has been in since our founding. “In 2020 alone, more than 45,000 Americans died at the end of a barrel of a gun, whether by homicide or suicide, more than any other year on record. The figure represents a 25% increase from five years prior, and a 43% increase from 2010.” They show that there are about 120.5 firearms per 100 residents. We are pushing 400,000,000 guns in the United States. We possess almost 50% of the privately owned firearms worldwide, despite making up only 4.25% of the worldwide population (US population according to worldometer.) America has a gun problem, and it’s only getting worse. 400,000,000 guns adds fuel to the fire of national disunion that’s already burning.
Three
3. I will not teach while armed, nor will I teach with an armed collegue in the next room. Teachers should not be armed. Period.
Four
4. There have been calls for “hardening” schools since Columbine. These surface after each school shooting like wildflowers after a rain in the desert. America is full of “soft targets”. Are we going to harden them all? Shall we all live in underground bunkers surrounded by sandbags and machine guns? How many guns are enough guns to stop gun violence? See, that’s what the “Gun Rights” folks never seem to mention. They call for more guns to stop guns, but they never tell you what the magic number is. Will gun violence drop after 80% of us are armed? 90%? See, the reality is not about making America safer, it’s about keeping their guns, making money off of gun sales, and promoting their version of what America should be, an armed camp. Their weapons will embolden them in their drive to force the rest of their worldview on all of us.
Five
5. There should be something fun in a typical Friday 5, but it’s hard to smile and laugh when there is so much bloodshed.