Tragedy Times Two

Over the course of the past two days, November 5th and 6th, two mass shooting tragedies have taken place. At Fort Hood in Texas and again at a high riseoffice building in Orlando, Florida, two lone gunmen blasted their ways into our national news headlines. Along with every other person I know of, I am saddened by the two events and prayerful for those who have been killed and those who have been wounded.
Much will be written, broadcast and speculated about these happenings over the next days and weeks. Very much.
I do not know what the motives of the two shooters were. I do not in any way excuse the evil they have visited on innocent persons. But I do once again wonder at why it continues to be so easy and so acceptable for persons to purchase and own and carry firearms in this country.
Most likley individuals who seek to do harm to others would find alternative ways to do that harm if guns were not so readily accessible, but because guns are so readily accessible doing harm is that much more readily accessible, as well.

Long Season Down to a Handful of Games

The professional baseball season began back in very early April (following a month or so of spring training and games in Florida and Arizona). Some of the early games were postponed due to snow, in places like Denver and Minnesota and Cleveland. Now, late in the season, at least one of the playoff games was rescheduled because of snow in Denver. Some of the playoff games in New York have been played in temperatures in the upper thirties. Its a long 6 month, one hundred sixty-two game season.
Now the playoffs are over in the National League and the Yankees need to win only one more game for the American League playoffs to come to a close. And then, the World Series starts! Its probably only at this time of year that baseball is still "the national pastime."
I can still remember listening to the World Series games on a transistor radio during study hall back in my high school days. I remember the time the principal of our high school had several television sets set up in the gym so that we could watch the Chicago White Sox (his team) play the Los Angeles Dodgers. Some of my best kidhood memories of baseball involve following the World Series games, usually between the Yankees and a sacrificial team from the National League.
So, bring on the games! Let's "Play Ball!"
I predict the Yankees in six games.

THE COMMON GOOD

Let's return to the current health-care/health-insurance reform debate. I found the following interesting in an article by Daniel Callahan, titled "America's Blind Spot, Health Care & the Common Good":
"Suffering, disease, and death are our common lot. They ought to be dealt with as our common problem."
And then, in a blog response to the article, LaVonne Neff (who describes herself as "an amateur theologian...constant reader, and Christian contrarian.")writes, "Callahan expertly diagnosis our problem, but he does not offer a solution. National revival comes to mind, but America already has a much higher percentage of church-going Christians than the countries that take care of all their poor and suffering. Maybe we won't really care about the common good until more of us Americans experience poverty and suffering first hand."
Framing this debate in the term "common good" may offer room for good conversation that has not yet been allowed to take place.
I hope so.
Also, I want to become a "Christian contrarian" someday!

Eight Years and Counting...

We (the armed forces of the USA) have been in Afghanistan for eight years! I am aware that our stated reason for going to Afghanistan was to seek out and capture or kill those responsible for the attacks of 9/11. I am aware that many military strategists then and now have argued that we diluted our efforts in Afghanistan by also going to war in Iraq (for some very flimsy reasons!)
What I am not so much aware of is why we would want to continue a military presence in Afghanistan. There will be many casualties...of American soldiers and Afghan citizens if we continue our efforts. What are the reasonably expected results of our staying? What current reason are we offering for our continued presence in this country?
I hope we decide to bring our men and women home. I do not expect that this will be the case.

The Wisdom of Other People

There are times, fewer and fewer as I hopefully age to a more graceful human being, when I get to thinking that what I think, what I believe, what I say, and what I preach on Sunday mornings is real wisdom. Good wisdom. The best wisdom. The wisest wisdom-stuff that could be thought, believed, spoken or preached.
My wisdom is better than your wisdom. Mine is wisdom, yours is foolishness. How crazy is that? Very crazy. And very wrong.
I was this morning contemplating some posts on FaceBook and wondered how some of my FB friends could be so un-wise in their thinking, believing and posting.
And then I took a break to check out a great blog-site that a friend electronically pens rather regularly. (You should check it out at burningheretic.wordpress.com.) My friend's blog contained some real wisdom...sprinkled in with ample doses of sarcasm and humor. So there is at least one other person out there who has some wisdom to share. And if I were to look around a bit longer and wider I would no doubt find many, many others who have wisdom to share...even with me.
I remember hearing a program speaker say some years ago: "Everyone knows something you don't know...and their voice must be heard." That woman was a wise speaker.

Not Exactly a Twenty-One Gun Salute

Recent gatherings (Town Hall meetings and others) where the President has spoken have drawn gun-toting individuals! The most recent incident I am aware of took place in Arizona where a fellow showed up with a semi-automatic military rifle slung over his shoulder...the gun was loaded. Here's something amazing, at least to me, there is no law against such in Arizona! Evidently in that southwestern state there is a recognized need to carry such a weapon to fend off...what: rampaging wild buffalo, large groupings of attack rattlesnakes, persons massed to take over the Grand Canyon?
I am very aware of people who make the claim that carrying guns to political gatherings is their constitutional (if not God-given)right. But, my goodness, this is, to my thinking, either silliness or taunting. I believe it could be the latter.
I continue to think that ugly racism is behind much of the reaction to our current President.
Its an embarrassment.

August Angst

The August congressional recess is on and if the reputable news sources are to be believed, many elected officials returning to their districts are likely to face some fairly rowdy folks. These folks are rowdy over the proposed health-care reform that is making its way through both the House and Senate in various forms. Again, if reputable news sources are to be believed, most Americans want some health-care reform to become the law of the land.
The rowdy folks appear to be supported and encouraged ("directed" may be too strong a word, but maybe not) by the segments of the current health-care system who figure to suffer the most financially if reform is passed.
I don't have all the necessary facts to make a clear call here, but I do hope that calmer voices prevail and more rational debate can take place so that necessary reform can be legislated. This great country ought to be able and willing to extend health-care to all its citizens.