So a lot has happened within just this last week - shootings, a rape case (with others popping up), and political Twitter fights/Facebook posts. I never thought I'd see the day where all three of these things would cause our country to divide in several different ways. What happened to the days when we were little and everyone got along and nothing really offended us? Well, we all grew up and suddenly formed our own opinions.
Within the past few years, we've seen history erased and changed, sometimes for the better, but still not everyone has been in favor of it. Now we're also stuck picking between two candidates that, personally, I don't think any of us really want to have in office. We have one that deletes essential things and one that wants to "make America great again." And you have two that decided that Twitter was the best place to have at each other's throats - turning it into something that you see when "shade is thrown" and people know what that "subtweet" is about. Will we be able to trust someone like Hillary? And will Donald really make America great again? Time will tell and it will be up to us, as We The People of the United States, will have to decide through voting. If you want to see a change in our nation and society, than get out there and vote, make sure that that change happens.
Within the first year of college, these days, we hear various rumors, of someone accusing another of raping them, but never having it go anywhere - until now. On January 18th, 2015, Brock Turner raped someone. That someone was an unconscious, 22 year old woman. Turner was found guilty of three various, sexual assaults and faced a maximum time of 14 years in jail, but only has to do six months now and even that has been shortened. During the court trial, the victim stated that "You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me..." I don't know about you, but this just isn't okay. Rape is not okay. Sexual assault is not okay. And not having consent from a sober, conscious human being is not okay. This isn't the first time that we have heard of a rape case getting this much attention, but since it is, We the People, are giving it hell and making sure that something is going to come from this. If you want something to be done about it, then do something, whatever you see fit, but make sure that it gets done the right way. There is something to be said about the fact that we are just now hearing about this, well over a year that it originally took place.
In the Bill of Rights, our forefathers wrote that "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." I personally still believe in this and that it shouldn't be taken away, BUT I do believe that there should be some regulation over it. (Disclaimer: I will be using "gun regulation" over "gun control" because if you personally own a gun and practice your Second Amendment rights, than you control it, you have control over using, shooting, and storing it). Gun regulation should involve asking people a series of questions. Questions like: Have you ever served jail time, Have you ever committed any minor or major crimes, Would you be willing to take a drug test and have an official background check on you? These are questions that should be asked before anyone purchases their own personal gun. These are questions that should have been asked to the man who killed, "The Voice" contestant Christina Grimmie, and the man who shot and killed at least 50 people in nightclub (making it the largest mass shooting since the one on Virginia Tech's campus in April 2007). Neither of these shootings, or any that have happened before and after now, should take place. Something needs to be done about it - including who can own and purchase guns.
I know that these are three very touchy topics, but these are topics that need to be said, shared, and spoken about. We can't ignore them for very much longer or we are going to find ourselves in a very deep hole. My one piece of advice for this week is that instead of looking to see what is on social media first and seeing what our friends are tweeting or posting about, we all need to take a few steps back, look at the information ourselves, and see the bigger picture. Lets all form our own thoughts and opinions and work together to find something that will make us all better as a whole.
As a final thought, remember the wise words of our 35th president, John F. Kennedy, "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us no seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility of the future." (Just let that sink in).
