This is a tough one to talk about here because there are some many opinions about who is to blame, what it means, etc. So this is me offering some kind of reasoning on the situation.
On Friday, November 27, one day after people gathered with their families to celebrate Thanksgiving, Robert Lewis Dear walked into a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, CO, remarked “no more baby parts” and opened fire, killing three people.
Folks on all sides have their thoughts about why Dear committed this crime. From people on Twitter pretty much saying, “that’s what they get for killing babies” to others citing mental health issues as the core of the incident; the truth is, there are several things that have aided and continue to aid in these kinds of situations. In this article, I will point out the two I deem most important.
America has become a country of mass shootings. I cannot tell you how many times I walk into a public place and subconsciously plan my escape route in the event of a shooting. The higher ups don’t like to hear it because it means that they are not doing their jobs, but the ability for a person to walk into any communal area, open fire and kill innocent people is a form of domestic terrorism and those who say otherwise, please, explain to me why so.
This incident is an example of just that and represents the sad truth of two very important musts in our society- the need for gun control and the need for truth in talking about issues.
This is a gun control issue and an issue that is hard for me to be honest. I believe that people should have the right to bear arms, but the system in place right now makes it too dangerous for people to bear arms. Does that mean that we take away that right? Hell no! But without a doubt something has got to be done on a state and federal level to properly regulate the selling, possession, etc. of firearms. I don’t know what it is holding up-regulation. Sometimes I feel like incidents happen on purpose so that we can have the conversation again. The conversation has had a significant effect on people, and there is an overwhelming majority that wants something to be done about it, not at the expense of our freedoms but certainly not at the expense of lives either. You cannot tell me that there isn’t a solution because humans are too smart, too clever, and too advanced not to find a way to solve this issue. It just comes down to wanting to at this point.
Secondly, the Planned Parenthood shooting is a truth issue, meaning a call for people like Republicans and other influencers to stop their rhetoric must be made and acted upon. This man is quoted as mentioning baby body parts, and that is something that we have heard a lot of from the Republican camp. It’s propaganda people, and the folks who are running for office understand it better than anyone. They know that if they can get us to see their framed opinion on an issue their way we will carry out their will, the way in which they want.
I do believe that in certain situations and on certain topics, the media’s influence shapes public opinion for a passive demographic of people so much that it becomes truth for them. This is disheartening because too many times truth is the last thing present in what politicians, leaders, influencers and the media say. Too many times what they say inspire action that is ill informed and downright unjustified. I do believe that people, especially folks like Republicans, need to take into consideration the contents of their agendas and subsequent messages because they may end up vehemently pushing to their followers something from which none of us can recover.
As much as people want to paint this as s Planned Parenthood issue, I do not believe that it is. I don’t believe that this is all a part of a bigger plan to take out other PP facilities in an attempt to show the world their “ugly realities.” This comes down to what people believe and what they are willing to do for what they believe.
These occurrences have become a commonplace in the everyday lives of Americans. Now is the time that we look at these things as acts of violence against one’s own country and label it as such. I mean hell, we do it to other cultures that we feel pose threats to our national safety. I was once not allowed to check-in online for a flight, or at the outside kiosk of an airline because the combination of my name raised a red flag and put me on a kind of no-fly list. What if we did that based on the “mental state” of these domestic terrorists that the media tries to paint as the reason they commit these acts? Will that help the situation?
Let’s look past the hype and the agenda setting and get to the heart of the matter.