What ‘The Hunger Games’ Trilogy and the Sandy Hook School Tragedy Have in Common

What does the author of one of America’s best-selling novels about children killing each other for sport and the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting have in common? The answer is both of them claim Newtown, Conn., as their residence. Suzanne Collins, the award winning best-selling author of The Hunger Games trilogy, lives with her family and writes in the quaint Northeast community of Newtown. She shares her picturesque town with the 27 victims who were murdered – 20 of whom were children – in the tragic massacre that took place there on Dec. 14. Before I go any further or before anyone jumps to a baseless conclusion, let me be clear about something. I am not blaming the Sandy Hook shootings on Suzanne Collins. I’m sure she is grieving for those who lost their lives just like the rest of the nation; maybe more because she might have known or socialized with some of the parents whose children died. However, I am going to question why Hollywood, book publishers and the entertainment industry as a whole, write and produce scripts where people, including children, randomly and with no emotion, callously murder others with “assault” weapons and then wonder why like scenarios [...]

By |2012-12-23T14:26:17-06:00December 23rd, 2012|My Blog Post|2 Comments

Gun Control and Mental Illness; How We Should Handle Both

Since the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy last week, news and blog sites have consistently published articles and posts - some even well written and thought out – on the topics of if we need more restrictions on guns and can we stop mentally ill people from committing heinous crimes. I believe the answer to both is no. In the interest of full disclosure, I am a former state legislator who earned and maintained an A plus NRA rating, meaning I opposed restrictions on guns and supported the concept of allowing responsible citizens to defend themselves from irresponsible criminals. I grew up hunting but no longer go because I would rather spend my leisure time playing tennis or watching my kids grow up, but do occasionally like to venture into the woods behind my home for target practice. And I have a valid handgun carry permit. In my personal and political experience, the major problem with liberals who want to make possession of any gun illegal is one, they don’t own guns themselves and two, their motivation centers more around weakening the political power of conservatives and gun rights activist than is does on addressing why people are committing crimes in [...]

By |2012-12-19T22:02:24-06:00December 19th, 2012|My Blog Post|Comments Off on Gun Control and Mental Illness; How We Should Handle Both

After Another Shooting Tragedy, Let’s Talk About Mental Health

The article below was written by Shannon Royce, who deals with this issue every day. She has a child with a mental illness. It's right on point on why we must address mental health now. You can read more of Susan's writing at http://chosenfamilies.org   Like the rest of the nation, I watched in horror as the tragedy of the Newtown, Connecticut massacre broke on Friday.   The unthinkable, the unspeakable had happened.  Again. Like the tragedy in Arizona in January, 2011, the tragedy in Colorado in July, 2012, we now have another loss of devastating impact.  The innocents of Newtown, 20 beautiful children, will never flower.  We will never see the doctor, teacher or athlete who could have been.  And six adults lost their lives seeking to protect them and their classmates. The loss is unimaginable.  We grieve from a distance.  The families and community grieve intimately. And then it begins.  The same discussion of gun control we saw in the aftermath of Arizona and Colorado.  Those who would make political hay out of this tragedy.  An opportunity for them to press their perspective with new fervor. And then I saw this article of a Mom in crisis rolling around [...]

By |2012-12-17T08:37:29-06:00December 17th, 2012|My Blog Post|2 Comments

Sandy Hook School Shooting Sparks Call From Liberals for Gun Control Laws

An horrendous shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. today that killed 20 children and eight adults has prompted an immediate outcry for gun control laws from leading liberals, especially on assault weapons such as the one used in Friday's tragic shooting. The shooting is one of the worst in U.S. history and immediately sparked memories of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, and the Virginia Tech rampage in 2007. There is little doubt supporters of gun control will square off against those who support the right to keep and bear arms in the coming days, however, White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters that today was not the time to discuss gun laws. "I think that day will come, but today's not that day, especially as we are awaiting more information about the situation," he said. The Very Rev. Gary Hall, Dean of Washington National Cathedral - which considers its mission to be a spiritual home for the nation - has released a statement in response to the Sandy Hook tragedy today. "The horrific shooting of children and adults in Newtown, Connecticut, is a tragedy that elicits both our grief and our moral outrage on behalf [...]

By |2012-12-15T10:57:42-06:00December 15th, 2012|My Blog Post|Comments Off on Sandy Hook School Shooting Sparks Call From Liberals for Gun Control Laws

Elimination of Mortgage, Charitable Deductions May Harm Middle Class

A suggestion by some Democrats that eliminating tax deductions for mortgage interest and charitable contributions could be part of a fiscal cliff deal is raising the specter of significant harm for the middle class, according to some experts. And they are saying the church is at risk as well. Some believe that President Obama may support eliminating these deductions despite repeated assertions during his campaign that he plans to protect the middle class. The Tax Policy Center argues that households earning more than $250,000 (defined as wealthy by the Obama administration) realize an annual tax savings of around $5,460 from taking advantage of their mortgage deduction. Compare that with the approximate $91 annual tax savings for households making less than $40,000 annually. Experts also argue that earners making $250,000 per year will get hurt more than low-income earners. Arnold Ahlert, a former advertising executive turned columnist for Jewish World Review and FrontPageMag.com, sees the conversation about changing the mortgage deduction as just another way to pander to the Democratic base, especially those who don't own homes. He addresses many of those issues in a recent column titled "The Deduction Cap Trap." "In my opinion, populism is the reason behind all [...]

By |2012-12-03T15:37:46-06:00December 3rd, 2012|My Blog Post|Comments Off on Elimination of Mortgage, Charitable Deductions May Harm Middle Class
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