WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama vowed to use the bully pulpit for the remainder of his term to draw attention to gun violence following Thursday’s mass shooting on a college campus in Oregon. Mr. Obama, speaking during a news conference on Friday, appeared resigned to getting no traction on gun-control legislation before he leaves office. Instead, he said his primary strategy going forward would be to mount a public campaign. “I’m going to talk about this on a regular basis, and I’m going to politicize it,” Mr. Obama said. “Because our inaction is a political decision that we are making.” …… [Wall Street Journal opening news release of president’s news conference, Friday October 2, 2015]
It happened again with a mass shooting event at a college in Oregon. Before taking his own life the killer took the lives of 9 persons and wounded a number of others. And as could be expected the mainstream media jumped on this more quickly than a cat pouncing on a mouse and continued to keep the pot stirred in a myriad of ways in days following. Constant theme during times such as these is the screaming for more gun control which when translated literally to the bottom line means to confiscate and get rid of all firearms!
Once in a while someone does raise the question as to why we are experiencing more gun violence, especially those happenings that result in the killing of a number of individuals when someone goes on a rampage with more than one or two weapons in hand at the time.
Alright, it is now time to do some common sense thinking for a while. For a few decades now we have been programming our young folk with constant exposure to violence! Electronic games, movies and television have been saturated with themes that are portrayed in violent expressions! Most of this garbage shows the killing of persons or at the very least extensive physical injuries inflicted. With highly developed technology the viewer is treated to slow motion splattering of blood, guts and brains all over the place! There is an endless parade of this junk available at all times.
The young with constant exposure to this kind of “entertainment” are brainwashed and ushered into a state of mind and attitude that when some frustrating moment confronts them – someone has done something or said something that angers them, then the way to settle that issue is to resort to acts of violence. In a milder form it takes place in the form of bullying but when it has reached full bloom then an act of violence is the way to settle it against those guilty of the offence! The gun is the object that gets the most publicity but other objects can be used such as knives or even a ball bat! A recent news report told of a person who, using a cast iron pipe wrench, hit another person on the head, causing severe injury!
Another bitter “fruit” of this process is the increase in what are described as “road rage” incidents. Violent acts have taken place because someone did something in traffic that highly offended another driver. At times this resulted in a shooting incident because the offended person happened to have a firearm with him in his vehicle!
An additional aspect of this problem is the fact that growing numbers are getting hooked on illegal drugs. The brain gets badly messed up and desperation sets in due to the need for drugs each day and the way one is going to get the money to feed the deadly habit. Guns often become involved in this activity and again it is not uncommon that killing takes place. Big city “missionaries” come into the small towns and rural areas peddling the stuff and there are many willing to traffic in it at any time! It can be expected that gun violence will be a side “benefit” of the illegal drug business throughout the “land of the free and the home of the brave!”
Can this be turned around? That is highly unlikely because now we like our violence and because of money involved the pressure would be to continue as we are down the road of increased violence in our entertainment and gaming industries! In this sense we are very much like the Roman Empire centuries ago – its entertainment was mild and rather non-violent at first but then the lust for more violence crept in as time passed. Finally they reached the point of where it was great to see two gladiators go at it until one was defeated – if not killed by his opponent, the loser was prostate on the ground writhing in his pain from wounds and all eyes were on the emperor to see his reaction – if emperor gave a thumbs up, it meant the defeated one had put up a good fight and so deserved to live. But if the emperor considered the battle rather dull and the defeated one had not really fought valiantly, then thumbs down and the victor ran the loser through with his sword! Seems there were more thumbs down conclusions than thumbs up in these contests. Equally, if not more exciting, was watching the Christians being thrown to extremely hungry lions in the Coliseum. That was entertainment par excellence! And if it came to a vote in present day U.S.A. there likely would be some votes to have the lions vs. the Christians thing repeated once more in the 21st Century! With the growing hostility against Christianity it would be entertainment that would be financially profitable, wouldn’t you say?
What you have just read will be vehemently denied by the majority. Constant exposure to violence from the time they can look at a screen, either held in their hands, or sitting on a desk, or in a theater seating a few hundred people has absolutely no effect on our young people and will not influence them in any way when they become adults! Or will it?
This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [2 Timothy 3:1-5(KJV)].
