On Today's Mass Shooting and The Predictable Narrative

(Mr. Jones is a fictional father of a slain relative in a mass shooting). Mr. Jones, if we could reduce the number and seriousness of shootings in America would you be in favor of the most stringent governmental monitoring of ALL people, regardless of cause? Would you be in favor of new gun control laws so that everyone that already owns any gun would have to pass a test and house searched? Would you allow your phone to always be recorded, even if you are not suspected of any crime? Would you be in favor of requiring the media to submit articles to the government prior the publication for approval?

As ridiculous and unlikely as those questions would be, how many parents of slain children would say Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes?

Probably ALL of them.

So is it fair and is it helpful to politicize their grief?

No.

CNN's Brooke Baldwin wrote today Furious this has happened again. Furious that nothing seems to be stopping it.

Brooke, what would you do?

Which proposed gun control law would have prevented today's tragedy if it turns out these folks passed legal background checks?

How about Sandy Hook, same question?

The only way I know would be to strip all citizens of all guns and outlaw the sale of all guns to all people, WORLDWIDE. Let's look at that for a minute - of course that's not going to happen, fortunately for innocent citizens. But if it did, how do you collect the guns out there now, for the next 50 years? Any legislative action would take years to make any impact. Of course your intuitive side would have to make room for the reality that the killings would continue.

What would President Obama say on the heels of a mass murder one year after the most stringent gun control law be passed?  hmm... I'm sure there would be something or someone to blame, but not his administration. We really need him to address this issue and look for real, non-political and high impact solutions.

Let's further the hypothetical to the extreme: Let's say you could snap your fingers and instantly ALL guns vanish. All of a sudden good people, bad people, and good people about to go bad have no gun whatsoever. In today's attack there are likely terrorism ties - if this proves out do you honestly think there would not have been an attack with a different weapon? Running a buss off a cliff with another vehicle? Or how about an explosive? Hasty gun control legislation may make us feel good, like we're doing something and it helps our frustration, but it's highly unlikely to make any dent whatsoever - can the LEFT just give us a smidgen of intellect-ion?

Some people ask why is the NRA against background checks in private gun sales?. Personally, I wouldn't necessarily be against a law like that, but how do you enforce it and how would that prevent murderers obtaining weapons? That won't work, seriously. The NRA pushes back so hard because the "solutions" proposed have nothing to do with true prevention and would only take away freedom. If the left were to have that proven to them it's likely they would demand the law anyway, don't you think?

Well then, maybe we should pass that law, but put a five year timer on it - and if the frequency and number of mass attack deaths are not reduced then it automatically reverts. In other words, prove it does nothing and then get on with finding a solution. Of course we could never agree to that because the law would never be revoked in our political climate.

Could I propose a new name for gun control advocates? How about "Anti-Mass murder advocates"? Heck I'd join in, and probably 90% of all Americans too. Can we come up with REAL solutions?

President Obama, instead of saying we need gun control laws because you're not coming up with any real solution, why don't you say my administration has failed, and with the failure of MY FBI to detect the two murderers who had contact with terrorists I will see to it that we find solutions to fix that!?

A common man's view of the Israeli - Palestinian problem

I was listening to Michael Smerconish interview an Italian-Israeli journalist named Rula Jebreal on XM Potus the other day. Initially I had to appreciate that she was at least trying to get both sides of the Israeli – Palestinian story out. Most of us in the US can only make up our mind by the material provided by the biased media. They were congratulating each other that they were getting both sides out, while in my view both of them missed the bigger point. There’s no use in trying to correct the record on who did what to who, and when. While there are many causes to the current dispute more importantly there is a root cause for the inability solve the conflict and move forward. I propose we throw out the problem of the day and insist on disclosing the real cause of ongoing conflict.

The real root cause of the ongoing conflict is that the Palestinian representation framework is flawed. You can't have more than one representative representing you. The reason why there can never be peace between Israel and the Palestinians is because the conflict isn't “Israel vs. Palestine”, the conflict is between the following:

• ·         Israel vs. Palestinian Authority (PA) – the official representative government
• ·         Israel vs. Hamas
• ·         Israel vs. Palestinian Islamic Jihad
• ·         Israel vs. Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
• ·         Israel vs. Palestine Liberation Front
• ·         Israel vs. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
• ·         Israel vs. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command
• ·         Israel vs. Popular Resistance Committees
• ·         Israel vs. Black September Organization‎
• ·         Israel vs. Fatah‎
• ·         Israel vs. Palestine Liberation Organization‎

Honestly, I will just have to admit I know nothing about most of these, and frankly I just found the list on the net. So, while somebody could easily debate why one Palestinian group shouldn't be labelled terrorist is just missing the point. I’m just a regular guy pointing out what to me should be really obvious.

The point is, there are a bunch of different Palestinian organizations on the list, and each one has to agree to any terms for peace. Israel has ONE government. Israel has politicians who dispute internally, but the final terms from Israel comes from ONE voice, the Israeli government. Palestine continues to lob rockets or dig tunnels even if the majority of the people are happy with terms for peace, why? Because they allow minority splinter groups to keep the battle alive just because they don't get what they want.

Here’s a question to you, the reader, regardless of how you come out on the dispute. Can you honestly say that there would ever be hope for an agreement if Israel is only 1/12^th of the decision?  Meaning, if 12 participants have to be pleased with the proposed solution does it make sense to you that this would EVER happen?  Doesn’t Israel have a right to be 50% represented? Reasonable thinking people know that there is only ONE possible hope for peace between Israel and the many faces of the “Palestinians”, and that is when the People of Palestine truly self-select their representation.

Clearly that has to come first. To be clear, “self-select” doesn’t just mean declaring the victor, it means that the people of Palestine have to do whatever they can to force the will of the people in their land. The Palestinians have to elect their leaders and when the leaders vote on a position then the Palestinian Government dully elected MUST forcibly eject any organization that is not representing the will of the people. How can this be hard to understand? I’m sure and I know there is a big blame game going on, but the current scenario is not the problem, the problem is that Palestine allows itself to be represented by more than one entity – this has to stop or Israel will never be able to negotiate, and they will never stop their blockade.

It is important that the international community put 100% of their focus in solving the problem of splintered Palestinian leadership – that is the long term strategy for peace.

#MichaelSmerconish  #RulaJebreal #XMPOTUS