Decision 2008

Prior to now I had little interest in politics but since there is the possibilty of history being made, I've been trying as best as possible to follow it to the letter which is difficult seeing that I'm a full-time student in school.

I've listened to the different media personnel giving their views on who is might win and have heard people say who either has a better chance of winning the election, or who they would prefer to win the election. I must add that I found it amazing that people, both black and white, and even so most of them white have been speaking in favor of Barack Obama who happens to be a black man. What does this mean for America? Are we finally getting past the disease of racism that has been for many years been a cancer in our society? Or are we still going to make the issue of the color of someone's skin a factor as to who is best suited to sit in the White House and take care of the nations business? That should mean that we also should not let the hyper of putting someone in the White House just because he's black and because of trying to create the notion of black pride as some people might be using this to do. One should listen to his stance on issues that may affect us and let those be the judge of whether this person is fit to be our President. The same goes for John McCain. If you think how he stands on issues will adversely affect your life as well as if you think this will be beneficial to America, vote for him. If agree with Barack Obama's stance on issues you agree with and you think will be beneficial to this land of ours, then vote for him. Don't let the issue of race be the decidong factor of this election. Let it be that which ever candidate wins is there because he can get the job done.

Let us also remember that the eyes of the world will be on us as we conduct our election especially since this election could be the defining moment in history. If it is ever discovered or thought that race has played a part in whoever wins the election, it will not paint a pretty picture of us in the eyes of the world and we need the friendships of other nations if we are going to survive especially that we are facing a crisis now.

Gun Control

Different arguments have been raised about the issue of gun control. And these arguments have surfaced even more since those horrific events at Virginia Tech where someone with mental issues was allowed to buy not only one but two guns which he used to slaughter his 32 victims including himself! Gun control opponents have argued that more gun control would infringe upon the rights of law abiding citizens to bear arms. The argument is that the Second Amendment which states that law abiding citizens have the right to bear arms would be infringed. They have also argued that gun control would not reduce crime, in particular those which involve guns. They have even said that having easy access to a gun could actually save a life or prevent a crime. An example was an incident in West Seattle in 2002 where a man used his roommate’s gun to end a violent assault by an intruder who had broken into his home. This was taken from a news article from the Seattle Post, January 16, 2006.
Gun control advocates however have argued that gun control is needed, saying that the United States has more lenient gun laws and as a result has a higher murder rate in comparison to countries with stricter gun laws, namely Canada, Britain, and Japan. A section of an article entitled, Guns – Myths, Facts, and Statistics noted that the introduction of gun control in Washington DC, Kansas City, Canada, and Massachusetts, the Bartley – Fox Amendment, and the Brady Law shows that the murder rate does fall. Statistics used show how the murder rate per 100,000 increases as does the fire arm sales between 1985 and 1993. Other statistics show that guns were the weapon of choice mainly used to commit murder.
Based on the statistics and evidence there seems to be no easy solution to the issue of gun control. Some feel that gun control would infringe their rights to bear arms while others feel it should come with guidelines and restrictions. More studies and research need to be done on this issue. Perhaps the 2nd Amendment needs to be redefined because some people don’t really understand the provisions in it. What is your take on this sensitive issue? Are you all in favor or stricter gun laws or should the present laws remain the same?


















Works Cited
Castro, Hector. “The Fight against Firearms.” Seattle Post – Intelligencer 3 May, 2006
Guns – Facts and Myths 7 Feb, 2007
http:// pearlyabraham.triped.com/htmls/myth-guns2html
Guppy, Paul. “Additional Gun Control Laws will do nothing to Stop Violence.” (Final Edition) Seattle Post – Intelligencer 16, Jan, 2007
Ruoca, James. Just Facts. 1999. 10 June, 1999
http:// justfacts.com/gun-control.html