More Innocent Lives Taken From Us

Tragedy once again hits America in the form of a school shooting; as if we didn't already have enough of those.

According to an article on xfinity.com, a middle school student opened fire on a tranquil classroom in a school in Sparks, Nevada, hitting two students; one in the shoulder and the other in the abdomen, and killing the math teacher, Afghanistan war veteran Michael Landsberry. As of currently, the police have not determined the motive behind the middle school student's sudden and deadly action; according to Reno police chief Tom Robinson, it is unclear whether it was planned or indiscriminate.

In the wake of the devastating Sandy Hook school shootings that occurred in December of 2012, this recent atrocity adds more grief to a troubled America. Now, the pro-gun control supporters will have another banner to rally under, discussions on whether teachers should arm themselves will be frequent, and the government will decide on legislation to pass in regards to gun control.

First of all, how the child shooter obtained that gun should be scrutinized in the investigation. Obviously, the kid knew where it was and was able to retrieve it. On that inference, it's given that the gun wasn't hidden properly. You know those dangerous products with the "keep out of reach of children" messages on it? Parents can do that for shampoo or a box of matches, but they can't do it for a lethal weapon? Give me a break.

Gun control should not be the issue. As a right outlined in the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution (which many in Congress should really pick up and actually look at, it's a good read), it states that American citizens have the "right to bear arms." Couldn't say that any more clearer than it is. Guns should be used for defense; defense of the family, defense of the home and, most importantly, for defense of this country. Remember the famous adage: "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." 

The gun, an inanimate contraption in and of itself, should not be regulated. People should be regulated. Criminals should be regulated. Run background checks on a customer before they are allowed to purchase a gun. Make sure citizens are properly trained to use guns only in the event that they are threatened with death or gross physical harm. And for the sake of humanity, please make freakin' sure that kids can't get to them!! If that were the case, we would have two healthy, unharmed kids and a beloved teacher and community man would still be alive today to tend to his family.

The Hipster the Internet Now Loves to Hate

I'm going to focus today's article on a very recent discovery I made; it deals with a creative young man that the Internet has now chosen to revile. What was the crime, you may ask?

Well, according to the online scumbags; to them, the young man looks like a hipster. To today's mainstream culture, the hipsters are the outsiders, the undesirables, the so-called "cork boards" upon which the problems and grudges of society are pinned. They are the rebels; those who question authority and try to find new answers for life.

Personally, for me, the hipsters are quite artsy folk and I enjoy their talents and what they have to offer for the world. Truthfully, I could use more hipster friends.

Anyway, the young man I've referenced here is Christopher "C.D." Hermelin (you can check out his web page or follow him on Twitter). He currently is involved in a project he has dubbed the "roving typist". He started out sitting in parks or public areas with a $10 typewriter and personally wrote handcrafted stories that he would sell to customers at any price they saw fit. The experiment proved to be a smashing success; so successful, in fact, that C.D. had to put people on hold because the demand for his stories were so great it was hard to keep up with. I, for one, think this idea amounts to a stroke of pure genius. Being a creative writer myself, I share in Christopher's passion of writing from the imagination.

You think to yourself; what could possibly go wrong here?

Well, this is where the trolls from the darkest nether-regions of the Internet decided to prey upon its latest star.

An unidentified person snapped a picture of C.D. at work and posted it to the forum website Reddit; the angle that the photo was taken at removed some crucial context of the scene. To many who saw the image, C.D. was just another example of a "greedy hipster" trying to draw attention to himself by using an outdated piece of technology. The trolls got to work; soon the image went viral as an internet meme, with captions such as this one:

The comments that followed were vitriolic, even with one user, named Illmatic707, replying with the following message: I have never wanted to fist fight someone so badly in my entire life.

I must say myself, I have never seen a more pathetic expression of irrational violent thought in my entire lifetime. Why do you wish to fist fight C.D., Illmatic, what has he done to you? Seems to me like you just wanna blow off steam or sound like a tough guy. Good luck with that illusion of yours.

Naturally, C.D. was and even now isn't going to let the Internet infamy slow him down. He still has quite a popular fanbase that's still growing. You can read his first hand account of reacting to the hipster hatred for yourself. Also, you can check out a secondhand account from PolicyMic.com.

What I can say is this: the Internet is a dangerous place, and no matter where you go, there will always be hungry trolls standing by waiting to screw with the most naïve of Internet users. It all stems back to the age-old problem of bullying. Sadly, there are terrible people in this world who derive their pleasure from the suffering of others. I know; I was the brunt of bullying during my elementary school years. I felt shunned in my high school years.

But I rose up from it all and moved on. Now, I've never been happier in my life, and I've learned to not let the haters damper your dreams. If you can face bullies in person, why shy away from a faceless nobody over the Internet? Why should their pitiful, empty words mean anything?

I would say the same to C.D., although it looks like he has it covered: don't listen to the trolls and the haters. If they call you a hipster, wear that label with pride. Keep using the typewriter, keep writing stories for people, keep standing out. Brave and creative men and women like you add some needed variety to this world.

What are your comments about the situation? Please respond in the comments below at your leisure.

Day 1 of the Government Shutdown; Obama's Address Blames the Republicans

I woke up this morning to find my Twitter abuzz with news about the shutdown of the federal government. I thought, "They're kidding, right?" I had read an article on CNN.com last Monday [now it's been updated] about a supposed shutdown, but didn't seriously think it would get this far.

Well, dear readers, today, October 1, 2013, the government has shut down.

A majority of the American people are up in arms about the "pathetic" action of closing the government, with the average approval ratings showing that 10% of the people approve of the shutdown, while 87% disapprove.

I've been keeping up with the coverage today in the news, and President Obama has made his response to the crisis, which was broadcast live on CNN.

"At midnight last night, for the first time in seventeen years, the Republicans chose to shut down the federal government. Let me be more specific: one faction in one House of Congress in one branch of government shut down major parts of the government, all because they didn't like one law. This Republican shutdown did not have to happen, but I want every American to understand why it did happen."

Alright, please tell us.

"Republicans in the House of Representatives refuse to fund the government unless we defunded, or dismantled, the Affordable Care Act. They've shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable heath insurance to millions of Americans. In other words, they demanded ransom just for doing their jobs."

I can't put my finger on it, but something tells me the Prez isn't happy with the GOP. Do you agree? (sarcasm)

"Many representatives, including an increasing number of Republicans, have made it clear that had they been allowed by speaker Boehner to take a simple up-or-down vote on keeping the government open, with no partisan strings attached, enough votes from both parties would've kept the American people's government open and operating."

The American people's government? According to the sentiments of "the people" in today's day and age, many might disagree with you on who actually has power and a voice in the government, Mr. President. Take that into account, why don't you.

"We may not know the full impact of this Republican shutdown for some time, it will depend on how long it lasts, but we do know a couple things. We know that the last time Republicans shut down the government in 1996, it hurt our economy. And unlike 1996, our economy is still recovering from the worst recession in generations. We know that certain services and benefits that America's seniors and veterans and business owners depend on must be put on hold. Certain offices, along with every national park and monument must be closed. And while last night I signed legislation to make sure our 1.4 million active duty military are paid through the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of civilian workers, many still on the job, many forced to stay home, aren't being paid, even if they have families to support and local businesses that rely on them. And we know that the longer this shutdown continues the worse the effects will be. More families will be hurt, more businesses will be harmed."

So, what do you suggest, Mr. President?

"So once again I urge House Republicans to re-open the government!" 

And basically he goes on to say the Republicans should not "hold the economy hostage" over "ideologies". He also went on to say how the shutdown will not stop the unstoppable juggernaut of Obamacare; in fact, it's "here to stay." He finished up his address by listing the benefits the healthcare plan will have on certain unfortunate Americans, evidenced by a few stories he told to the press crowd. Health insurance is now available to register for on the national healthcare.gov website or people can register through a given telephone hotline.

So, from the major gist of Obama's address, at least what I interpreted, is that the fault of the hurtful government shutdown and the tiring opposition to Obamacare lies squarely on the ridiculous "ideological battles" of the Republican party. Yet there are still a great majority of Americans, regardless of party, who are still against this legislature which is being considered "socialist."

Personally, I still have yet to develop a strong political base to accurately voice my opinion on this matter, but what I can say is this: to the members of Congress and in both parties: quit the bickering and get back to work! Put aside all these petty differences and figure out a compromise or a solution to overcome this problem and think of the American people! You're getting paid to work and do your job, so do your job!

My question is, what do you, as the public with a voice, believe about the fiasco of this day; this day that will surely go down in current history? Please, share your thoughts on this matter; remember, you as an American citizen have a voice and are allowed and encouraged to be heard.