Who is to blame for this week carnage??? This past weekend we have seen a mass shooting in, my home town of, El Paso, Texas, along with shootings in Dayton, Ohio and on the West Side of Chicago. The El Paso shooting brought out the insensitive politicians. These politicians, within minutes of the shooting were making statements and blaming President Donald Trump. They were also blaming gun violence and demanded stronger gun bills and the confiscation of some guns and blaming mental illness.
These same politicians are relishing in the fact that the El Paso shooter was “home grown”. They are not giving the El Paso Police Department, FBI, ATF, etc. time to finish their investigations and issue a report before spreading lies, rumors and innuendos. These lies, rumors and innuendos are being picked up by the news media and spread not only throughout the state of Texas and the rest of the United States but also throughout the world. These lies rumors and innuendos are also driving a wedge between people and families.
Donald Trump –
Donald Trump may not be the most eloquent speaker, but you know what he is thinking, and you know where he stands on the issues. You know he believes:
- that the United States of America has laws on the books that are not being enforced,
- that the citizens of the United States of America should come first and that we should take care of our own before we take care of others,
- that business should remain in the United States and not taken elsewhere,
- that if a person is able to work then they should work and not live off the system,
- that the system is being abused not only by the citizens but also by the politicians who put the systems in place, and
- that a wall needs to be built on our southern boarder to keep illegal aliens from entering our country and depleting our resources that are meant for citizens in need.
Guns –
I grew up in a time where little boys played Cowboys and Indians and had cap guns. They then grew into BB Guns and their mother’s warned them about shooting their eyes out. By the time they were in high school their Ford and Chevy pickups had a gun rack over the window in the cab and there was usually a rifle or two in the rack, even when they went to school. There were no “Gun Free Zones”.
Now we have cities that have such strict gun laws they could be considered “Gun Free Cities” where guns belong to the criminals and the police. The major problem is the criminals have more and better fire power than the police department and they don’t care about the laws of the city, state or country. In some cities gun violence has become the norm, look at the shooting that happened in Chicago this past weekend, there was almost no national news about it.
Mental Illness –
Mental Illness is such a touchy topic… Have we always had this large a number of people suffering from mental illness and just didn’t know about them or has the number of people grown over the years due to nature and nurturer? 50 years ago no one wanted to admit that their was someone in their family who had a mental illness, now-a-days it is almost like a badge of honor to have a family member with a mental illness. 50 years ago if you had a sever mental illness you were sent to a sanitarium where some of the times the person remained for the rest of their life, now-a-days you live in our neighborhoods and roam our streets.
ADHD Diagnosis –
During the past 40 years the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and then prescribed medication is alarming. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-V (DSM-V)2, six of the following symptoms must be present to warrant a diagnosis of ADHD, Primarily Inattentive Type:
- Often fails to give close attention to details, or makes careless mistakes
- Often has difficulty sustaining attention
- Often does not seem to listen when spoken to
- Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish projects
- Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities
- Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort
- Often loses things necessary for tasks/activities
- Is often easily distracted
- Is often forgetful in daily activities
If you would ask my mother she would probably tell you that I exhibited most if not all of these symptoms throughout my childhood and teen years. If I made careless mistakes I had to redo the work, if I had difficulty sustaining attention I wasn’t allowed to distract others, if I wasn’t listening when spoken to I got disciplined, if I failed to finish a project I didn’t get to participate in fun activities, if I didn’t engage in mental activities I didn’t get to engage in fun activities, if I lost something necessary to complete a task I had to go find it, if I was distracted I still had to finish my project or task, if I was forgetful in daily activities I was taught to make a list and review it throughout the day.
My son, now 37, exhibited most or all of the above symptoms at one time or another. Instead of labeling him as having a disorder and putting him on drugs I took my mother’s lead and taught him that he was responsible for his actions and that his actions or lack thereof came with consequences
We now have young adults who have been on prescription drugs for most of their lives. Those that have taken drugs for ADHD were taking mood altering drugs, what do these drugs do to people long term? Are we now seeing the results of these drugs? Since you cannot access someone medical records it is hard to know.
My Opinion –
Now, my opinion is probably going to piss off a lot of people because I think blame should be placed at the home front first and foremost.
Parents raising their children –
Our children’s life and behavior start at home – parent’s raising their children…. unfortunately most parents are no longer raising their children they are being raised by day cares and nannies….
Growing up in my family, we may not have had a lot of possessions, but we had a mom who stayed at home. She made sure we had:
- a good breakfast before we ran out the door to go to school or even to go outside and play,
- a good lunch, usually sandwiches and a piece of fruit for lunch,
- a time and place to do our homework and my mom checked it when we said we were done,
- dinner sitting around the dinning room table and discussing what we did that day,
- a set bed time which was more like 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. not 10:00 o’clock.
- time to spend outside and play with our friends and move around and breathe deeply.
Children now-a-days –
Most kids now-a-days are woken up an hour before my generation was; because they need to be dropped off at day care before even going to school begins. Then they don’t get home until after 6:00 p.m. Children who are in school then need to do their homework and get ready for the next day. Most children no longer have structure in their lives.
Our mother knew all of our little quirks. She could tell if something was bothering you before you realized it. Our mother knew when we were struggling at school and made sure that the issues were addressed, usually by telling us that we needed to work harder, concentrate more. She made that when we were doing our homework there was not a lot of distractions, like the television. All of these things are good for kids. Eating right, getting a good night’s sleep, playing/exercising outside and structure are things that are good for children.
We now have children “being raised” in McMansions, wearing designer clothing, going to high priced day cares. They also have the latest and greatest toy or computer and spending weeks at camp during the summer. Where are the parents? They are not at home raising their children. They are at work, working 40 or more hours a week. If you were to ask your child what they wanted more than likely, they would tell you that they wanted you at home.
Is it nurture or nature? –
If you ask the question – is it nurture or nature that makes a person a killer? I would have to answer by saying; in today’s society where children are raised on violent video games, violent television shows and violent movies; the lack of adult supervision and the lack of structure, then it is the lack of nurture that creates a killer.