Violence

I have always considered myself to be a person who can listen to the news of the day without bias, but some of the things that have happened over the course of the last couple weeks has got me thinking...Is violence the way folks are reacting to problems in their lives?

A worker who was terminated for stealing in New Hampshire opened fire on his former co-workers and killed many of them. The shooter cited "racism in the workplace as his motivation for the carnage. Whether or not his reasoning was real or imagined...did his violent act solve any problems?

Two women were brutally murdered here in Cleveland recently. No one can say what drove their murderers to act, we can only see that it was a violent reaction to some real or imagined problem. Is it becoming easier to kill one another? Does the media glorify violence in film, videos, music and print? Do the viloent video games that kids play set them up to be assassins, dope dealers, pimps and car thieves? I say all of the above contribute to the attitude that violent reactions are "ok".

The world has really changed since I was a kid. When we had a beef with someone..it might result in fisticuffs, but nowdays kids will arm themselves with guns, knives or someother deadly weapon. The stringent security measures at schools today is testament to that fact. School administrators, faculty and parents are afraid of the students. This is nuts! Violence in the schools is running rampant.

I know that it is a different world today...with different challenges, but is the answer more violence? Violence begats violence.

On a personal note...my niece was witness to a violent car-jacking just last night. She was in her car one block from a police station, when an old jeep came out of nowhere and cut the mercedes benz in front of her off. A hooded thug ran out of a doorway with a gun and told the driver of the benz to "give it up!", which he did. My niece was quick to call 911... after being transferred to three different dispatchers she reported the incident. The inefficiency of the 911 system here in Cleveland is legendary...but that's a whole other blog!

I tell you this story just to further talk about violence in the streets. It is everywhere...and I for one am sick of it. I used to say.."Oh, it's not as bad as people say", but it actually is worse. No more bleeding heart for me. If you do the deed...then let the punishment fit the crime. AN EYE FOR AN EYE...A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH..NUFF SAID...