Sante Fe School Shooting

It's been awhile. No, not awhile since we had a school shooting. I wish that were true, but sadly it's not. What I mean is it's been awhile since I blogged anything. Partly because I've just been very busy running my company, but mostly because I needed a break from social media. There's been so much hate and vitriol being spilled in every corner of the internet, it was just too much. I didn't want to lose myself in all the negative energy.

In the wake of another school shooting, all the usual arguments are at play. On one side are the people screaming for gun control, and on the other side you have people screaming for more guns.

Personally, I find myself in the middle of the debate. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll tell you that I own guns. I live in Texas. I am not a member of the NRA, nor do I own an assault rifle. I wouldn't mind having one, but I just haven't needed one or wanted to spend the money on one. I'll probably buy one at some point, just for the collector aspect.  Bottom line, I support gun rights and the 2nd Ammendment. That being said, if you're still reading, here's where I break away from the typical gun rights crowd...Where were the parents?

This wasn't an assault weapon. This was a kid who took his dad's shotgun and revolver. An assault ban wouldn't have stopped him. A background check wouldn't have atopped him. You know what would have? Attentive parents who knew they had a mentally unwell child, and a responsible gun owner who had his weapons secured and accounted for. The kid definitely needs to be held to account, but so does the father. He allowed his weapons to get into the hands of his child. I don't want to dismiss the fact that I know he probably feels horrible, but his regret doesn't make it right and it won't ease the pain of the parents who lost their children. He was criminally negligent. Some states have laws about this, some don't, and they are all over the place. I'm sure this wouldn't stop these types of shootings 100%, but it would be a step in the right direction. And who else would be most likely to spot a troubled child if not the parents? They are the first line of defense, and the first who should be accountable. Evil never sleeps.

Donald Trump Protests

Some of the people protesting are nothing but rabble-rousers. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some Muslims want to do harm to our nation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the BLM movement are actually racists themselves and want to stir racial tensions. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the MOGAI people do not just want equality, but submission by all who do not share the same orientation. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some immigrants came here in defiance of our laws and only seek to exploit our nation's riches and generosity. I'm not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message. Some of the women in the feminist movement also do not want equality, but dominance and segregation from men. I am not speaking to you. Go away. To the rest of you, I have a message.

To all of you who are legitimately afraid of what may happen now that Donald Trump has been elected, I have a message. I'm speaking directly to you. I'm speaking to the Muslim woman who is afraid to cover her head in public. I'm speaking to the young black man who has to drive a broken down car across town for a minimum wage job, struggling to better himself, who trembles in fear when a police officer pulls him over for a broken tail light. I'm speaking to the young Asian boy in a rural high school who is thinking about cutting his wrists because he gets called a fag. I'm speaking to the elderly Latino man working three jobs to send money back home to take care of his sick daughter. I'm speaking to the middle aged overweight lady who has no sense of self worth because of the men who abused her. To anyone who I haven't specifically mentioned but has the same sense of trepidation, I'm speaking to you.

I'm a white, Christian male, over 40, who voted for Trump. I'm the picture perfect demographic of what you probably are angry at right now. I'm an old white guy. (Wish I could say rich, but I'm not.) And do you know what? I'm afraid too. I'm afraid of what my vote for Trump may turn into. It may turn into regret. But do you know what it is right now? It's hope. I truly hope he makes America great again. And do you know what else? If he fails to deliver, if his policies harm us, and by us I mean ALL of us, including you, I will oppose him also. I will stand with you in protest. Why? Because I love you. You are my fellow Americans. You want what I want. You want a life where we are free to pursue our American Dream, in whatever flavor it may be served. I am with you. 

Now here comes the hard truth. The problems we have right now, aren't Donald Trump's fault. They aren't Obama's fault. They aren't George Bush's fault. They aren't the fault of any one president or administration. Look it the mirror. It's our fault. We've been duped. We've bought into a narrative fed to us via an education system and a media machine, and we've been consumed by it. 

Donald Trump isn't going to make America great again. He can't. It starts with us. We have to change. We have to change our hearts. We have to start loving each other again as Americans and we have to grasp onto what it was that made us great in the first place. Remember 9/11? Remember how we united after that? It sucks, it really sucks that we've gotten so far off track from that. But we don't have to be. We can come together again. So now we had 11/9. And for a lot of us, it was just as traumatic. But my message is to you that I love you, and I stand with you. Donald Trump is a catalyst. It can be for evil, or for good, but the choice is going to be up to each and every one of us. 

#ItStartsWithTheHeart 

I hope you will help me share this message of love and respect all through our land. Especially to your friends who are protesting. Talk to those who have an open mind and will listen. Share my message. Share this hash tag. Be the light in the darkness. We are better than this. We are smarter than this. 

Let's make this happen for the good of our nation, and the prosperity of each of us. 

I love you all, my beautiful and broken fellow Americans.