When the new law on gun control was passed almost two months ago making Florida the fourth state to allow guns at the workplace, I had mixed feelings about the new legislation. According to the new law, if my employer is not a hospital, prison, power plant or school, I can take my handgun to work as long as I have a concealed weapons permit and the gun is locked inside my vehicle. Is this good or bad news?
In the gun control article “showdown,” it states that Florida has more concealed weapons permits than any other state in the nation. The article also indicates the new law is good news for some Floridians and bad news for others.
What was the true intent of the United States Constitution with regards to the rights of citizens to bear arms?
What is the point in bringing a gun to work? Think a bout it, how often are people robbed or shot at during work hours? Speaking from the point of view of a person who works a normal forty-hour work week and considers himself to be a law-abiding citizen, I have never found myself in a threatening work situation where I felt the need to physically defend myself, let alone pull out a gun.
The people I work with who have dishonorable intentions or criminal minds probably already bring their guns to work, and up until now, I have never felt intimidated by them. I feel intimidated because I do not know who they are, but now that this law has been passed that legally allows guns to be brought to work, it makes me feel that I may be at a disadvantage.
I could be the only one at work unarmed which , in turn, makes me suspicious and fearful of everyone. I think that this new legislation would only put everyone on edge and create a more hostile work environment.
Everyone is already aware of the reputation of the United States Postal Service with regards to workplace violence. As a postal employee, now I know that everyone can legally bring their guns to work. This does not make me feel like I am working in a safer work environment.
In fact, taking into consideration some of the strange people that I work with, it makes me feel just the opposite I am sure that law makers that passed this law had good intentions, but I feel that they failed to make it clear to the public how this law is to be interpreted.
Saying that it is now legal to bring a gun to work is too broad of a statement. Where do you draw the line with the interpretation of this law? What are the limitations?
When I go to a place such as Disney World, am I to assume that it is a strong possibility that Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck could have access to a weapon?
When I take my six-year old son to school, or my two-year old daughter to daycare, it doesn’t give me an added since of assurance for their safety knowing that it is a possibility that their teachers may have a gun a work.
When I go to church, knowing that it is a possibility that the pastor, the deacons, ushers or even the secretary may have access to a gun does not make me feel safer either.
Everything has its place and unless you work at a job where you are required to carry a weapon, the work place is certainly no place for a gun. The gun laws are too lax and need to be stricter.
I do not think we as citizens will ever know the true intent of the United States Constitution with regards to who should bear arms. The Second Amendment states: A well regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms should not be infringed.
What was the original intent of the Second Amendment? Defining the intent of the Second Amendment has created a great deal of controversy. Many think that the word “people” does not mean individuals but a collective group.
However, there are others who think that the Second Amendment means the militia has the only right to bear arms, not individuals. “The original intent and purpose of the Second Amendment was to preserve and guarantee , not grant, the pre-existing right of individuals to bear arms” (GunCite).
What do the presidential nominees think about gun control? John McCain believes that the right of law abiding citizens to keep and bear arms is a fundamental, individual Constitutional right. We have a responsibility to ensure that criminals who violate the law are prosecuted to the fullest, rather than restricting the rights of law abiding citizens.
Gun control is a proven failure in fighting crime. Law abiding citizens should not be asked to give up their rights because of criminals--criminals who ignore gun control laws anyway.
Barack Obama thinks we have two conflicting traditions in this country. He stated, “I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of handgun ownership and gun ownership generally. And a lot of law-abiding citizens use it for hunting, for sportsmanship, and for protecting their families.
We also have a violence on the streets that is the result of illegal handgun usage. And so I think there is nothing wrong with a community saying we are going to take those illegal handguns off the streets.
And cracking down on the various loopholes that exist in terms of background checks for children, the mentally ill. We can have reasonable, thoughtful gun control measure that I think respect the Second Amendment and people's traditions.” (On the Issues).
So, both McCain and Obama believe the Second Amendment was written to give individuals the fundamental right to bear arms. However, both also think that guns should not be easily be accessible to the hands of criminals.
References
Barack Obama on Gun Control. “On the Issues.” Barack Obama on Gun Control
15 July 2008. 16 August 2008. < http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/Barack_
Obama_Gun_Control.htm >
Gun Control. “Original Intent and Purpose of the Second Amendment.”
9 September 2007. 16 August 2008. <>
“Gun Control Showdown.” Pennsylvania Firearm Owners Association. 3 July 2008.
16 August 2008. < http://www.economist.com/world/United States
displaystory.cfm?story_id=11670740 >
John McCain on Gun Control. “On the Issues.” John McCain on Gun Control
15 July 2008. 16 August 2008. < http://www.ontheissues.org/2008/John_
McCain_Gun_Control.htm
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
Jesus or Santa Clause? Which Do You Celebrate?
Christmas, is it a religious holiday or an opportunity for retailers to capitalize on society's overwhelming passion of feeling the need to shop?
The time has come to accept the fact that Christmas is no longer only celebrated as a religious holiday, but it is also celebrated and viewed as a business opportunity.
Go to any city in the United States and ask any kid what does Christmas mean. I would be willing to bet a year's salary that between 90-95% of them will respond with an answer that revolves around receiving and/or exchanging gifts.
Today, as a forty-two year old man, I can remember when there once was a time when the true meaning of Christmas was celebrated. Maybe, it was that people back then put forth more of an effort to pretend as though they were celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.
I can recall attending church every Sunday leading up to Christmas. Receiving my Christmas speech from my Sunday school teacher and going home practicing it over and over so that I would not make a mistake during the Christmas program.
I remember seeing nativity scenes throughout the city in recognition of Jesus. Some where along the way, the commercialization of Christmas began to take over.
Nativity scenes were replaced with sales signs reading 30-40% off. Christmas speeches were replaced with Christmas lists. It seems that the image of Jesus has been kidnapped and held hostage and replaced with Santa Clause.
What does an imaginary fat man in a bright red suit riding around in a sleigh being pulled around by magically flying reindeer have to do with the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
It started decades ago when kids became more and more concerned about being out of school for two weeks for the Christmas holidays than celebrating Christ.
Waking up Christmas morning, and opening gifts to see if they had received the items that were on their list became their main purpose for waking up that morning. Before long, those kids became adults, and it began a vicious cycle of selfishness and American greed.
Clearly, their intentions were to try and buy the biggest and best of everything. The more expensive it was the better.
Retailers realizing this began catering to the consumers' desire to spend more and more money. They began capitalizing on the eagerness of parents to buy their children all of the latest high tech toys such as X-boxes, play stations, MP3s and more.
Since the kids were getting their toys, parents did not want to be left out either. Dads wanted their new 50 inch HDTV, and moms wanted their new necklace or coach purse.
As I reflect back over the topics that we have blogged about during this class, I notice that most of them all seem to have one element in common, GREED!
It is no wonder that greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins. Some may have viewed our topics as American greed while others may have viewed it as just greed by way of human nature.
So, in answering the question that was asked in the documentary "What Would Jesus Buy?", if He was human, and especially if He was an American, He would probably jump into His big SUV and drive down to the nearest mall and max out His credit card. He would first upgrade his wardrobe and then begin buying all of the latest high tech electronics.
But, I would like to think that my Jesus would like to somehow buy enough food to feed the hungry, purchase homes for the homeless, and find world peace between all nations or at least put it on lay-a-way.
The time has come to accept the fact that Christmas is no longer only celebrated as a religious holiday, but it is also celebrated and viewed as a business opportunity.
Go to any city in the United States and ask any kid what does Christmas mean. I would be willing to bet a year's salary that between 90-95% of them will respond with an answer that revolves around receiving and/or exchanging gifts.
Today, as a forty-two year old man, I can remember when there once was a time when the true meaning of Christmas was celebrated. Maybe, it was that people back then put forth more of an effort to pretend as though they were celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.
I can recall attending church every Sunday leading up to Christmas. Receiving my Christmas speech from my Sunday school teacher and going home practicing it over and over so that I would not make a mistake during the Christmas program.
I remember seeing nativity scenes throughout the city in recognition of Jesus. Some where along the way, the commercialization of Christmas began to take over.
Nativity scenes were replaced with sales signs reading 30-40% off. Christmas speeches were replaced with Christmas lists. It seems that the image of Jesus has been kidnapped and held hostage and replaced with Santa Clause.
What does an imaginary fat man in a bright red suit riding around in a sleigh being pulled around by magically flying reindeer have to do with the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
It started decades ago when kids became more and more concerned about being out of school for two weeks for the Christmas holidays than celebrating Christ.
Waking up Christmas morning, and opening gifts to see if they had received the items that were on their list became their main purpose for waking up that morning. Before long, those kids became adults, and it began a vicious cycle of selfishness and American greed.
Clearly, their intentions were to try and buy the biggest and best of everything. The more expensive it was the better.
Retailers realizing this began catering to the consumers' desire to spend more and more money. They began capitalizing on the eagerness of parents to buy their children all of the latest high tech toys such as X-boxes, play stations, MP3s and more.
Since the kids were getting their toys, parents did not want to be left out either. Dads wanted their new 50 inch HDTV, and moms wanted their new necklace or coach purse.
As I reflect back over the topics that we have blogged about during this class, I notice that most of them all seem to have one element in common, GREED!
It is no wonder that greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins. Some may have viewed our topics as American greed while others may have viewed it as just greed by way of human nature.
So, in answering the question that was asked in the documentary "What Would Jesus Buy?", if He was human, and especially if He was an American, He would probably jump into His big SUV and drive down to the nearest mall and max out His credit card. He would first upgrade his wardrobe and then begin buying all of the latest high tech electronics.
But, I would like to think that my Jesus would like to somehow buy enough food to feed the hungry, purchase homes for the homeless, and find world peace between all nations or at least put it on lay-a-way.
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