The Change in Our Pockets
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Dear Leader (that means us),
Experiences we have are a part of who we become and we are always evolving. Just like a child learns fire is hot and causes pain before he understands the reasons to not play with it, these experiences whether good, bad, or ugly are important in learning about life and how we move forward.
Who we become can vary in relation to how we learn from and deal with any given experience. If we lived in a Utopia all would be sunshine and roses (without the thorns), but I have never seen this Utopia in my lifetime and I have seen suffering. I myself have suffered. You have suffered.
Across our country most of us are suffering with the families of those who were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary, just as we suffered with and for those killed and injured in a theater in Aurora, Colorado; as we do with all of the other people in all of the other places we once thought were safe. Our suffering has the power to create positive change, but only if we allow the suffering to teach us something and it’s trying to. I’m just not sure who is truly listening vs. who is mirroring.
As a blogger recently and so profoundly said,
“We are far more likely to unknowingly seek to confirm our biases than we are to challenge our opinions.” ~ Callum Hackett
I would add, many of us are also far more likely to confirm our biases knowingly based on our own (or others) interpretations of things like the Bible and the Constitution.
As Americans, the change we want is in our pockets. In other words, it is within our reach. While many of us unceremoniously empty our pockets (read voice opinions) without thought,
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we instead have the opportunity to gather it together, sort it into stacks that make sense, roll it up manageably, and then cash it in. What we then invest in depends on what we collectively value. It would be my hope that above all, we value life.
This change is currently jangling around; on the internet, our work places, our homes, and in our minds. Can you hear it? Right now we are overflowing with change yet our moral bank accounts are over-drawn. Everyone has their two cents, but without a collection plate and a plan we will remain in the blood red deficit of insufficient funds.
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Or, we can toss it into the deep well of our collective sorrow and anger and merely make a wish, but do wishes without action really come true?
I am tired of wishing. There are things we can do and we should do. These things start with an honest and civil conversation, not a debate. Debates are for those who merely want to win. If we cannot come together and talk rationally then we cannot do anything at all.
We have some serious problems in America. I’d like to point out a few that I believe are detrimental to humanity and it starts with each and every one of us.
The language we use with one another is un-called for (mostly). We argue and demean one another over just about everything.
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I have said before, the internet – although a tremendous tool for connecting and sharing, is also a weapon of war. The war we have been waging with one another. I do not think our Forefathers meant for Freedom of Speech to be a weapon used against each other just because we can based on our mood of the moment. Additionally, the language we use in our homes is language we teach our children. Hate should not be America’s second language, sadly, it is.
The entertainment we buy into is disgusting. The entertainment and media industries will tell you if we didn’t want more and more we wouldn’t buy it, view it, listen to it, watch it, or play it.
So why do we? Why do we allow our kids to?
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We cannot confront them without first confronting ourselves and America’s unhealthy desire for blood and gore in our entertainment. We can no longer deny the studies that media uses to sell us more and more and we cannot continue to think we have not been sold. Just like the saying, “you are what you eat” consumption is consumption and America needs to go on an “entertainment” diet.
Politics are also sold. They are also bought. In February, 2012 I interviewed former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and asked why all of the so-called reforms he’s proposed since being released from Federal prison seem like little more than a scratch on the surface and are clearly nothing but more (to use his words) “work-arounds”.
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I asked why it’s ok for PACS and Super PACS and Lobbyists to “donate” so much money to campaigns and politicians, stating it’s still “special interest” dollars; it’s still bribery, no matter how he wants to frame it. I ended the question asking how then does the 99% compete with the 1% in being heard and represented when they are broke and do not have thousands of dollars to give. Sadly his response was, “We can’t all eat steak.” So much for a reformed Casino Jack.
It still boils down to buying the votes that make the laws; whether they are for a person or an issue. Gun (NRA), BigPharma (Baxtor/Novartis), and Agriculture (Monsanto) lobbyists are the biggest campaign contributors in our country. Few seem to ask why; even less seems to care; some never take the time to know. What are these groups really buying? What’s in it for us as citizens?
Health care in our country is abhorrent. Even more so when it comes to mental health. Mental challenges are looked at with disdain and disgust instead of with care and compassion. It’s the embarrassing secret we rarely discuss.
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Physicians influenced by BigPharma are happy to prescribe a never ending assortment of chemicals based on their individual diagnosis (and they often disagree with one another) or even the under-the-table kick-backs some doctors receive for choosing one medication over another. Don’t even say, “get a second opinion” because most of us cannot even afford the first one.
According to CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta – in a recent on-air interview in relation to the Sandy Hook murders, 1 in 4 Americans have a mental health problem. Are there really that many insane among us? Or, are we stressed out and sick over endless Wars, talk of terrorism, and propaganda; a failing economy, job losses and imbalanced pay; sicknesses we cannot treat; the constant rapid fire technology firing away at our senses; the pharmacopeia haze of medication and processed foods we have been led to believe is good for us? What’s in your medicine cabinet and kitchen cupboards? Who told you it was OK to be there? Why?
I have not opined much on guns since this last round of violence. Instead I have mostly sat back and listened. I have tried to get a clear view of what American’s are thinking and feeling. I have to say I am appalled at what I see. When does a person’s “right to bear arms” trump a person’s “right to live”? A man was just shot twice at a Little Caesars pizza place because he complained about how long it was taking. The man behind him didn’t want to hear it and when the argument and shoving match ensued he pulled out a legally concealed weapon and shot the guy. Luckily no one died, but the shooter immediately claimed it was his right to “stand his ground”. Are you serious? Is this really what we want?
The 2nd Amendment is open to interpretation just like the Bible. Wars are fought over these interpretations. As American’s we now have the opportunity to truly define what these things mean.
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I have seen countless people making veiled threats (and some not so veiled) about what they will do or what will happen if President Obama (or Congress) touches the current gun laws. I have seen countless arguments over whether a Bushmaster rifle is any worse than a handgun. How can anyone make that argument in good conscience?
I am saddened and sickened by the society we have created and keep fighting against each other to protect. Our society needs to take it’s change and bring it together. The common ground we stand on is called America and she is sick. Let us gather this change in our pockets and cash in to a better country instead of it and its greed motivated leaders cashing in on us. We are the leaders, so let us lead.
Updates since publishing:
- MPAA signals readiness to talk about gun violence
- NRA calls for armed police officer in every school
- NRA offensive exposes deep U.S. divisions on guns
- Fact-Checking the NRA Press Conference
- Does the Bible Make Americans More Violent?
Related articles
- Gun Lobbyist Ready to Give Up (thetruthaboutguns.com)
- At Public Citizen, Jack Abramoff Calls for End of the Revolving Door (pogoblog.typepad.com)
- Why Do We Get Riled Up About Gun Rights, and Not Rights to Health Care and Education? (alternet.org)
Cheri Speak 
I wish you would have broken this into 3 pieces, because there are so many points I’m glad you brought up. It needed to be this long because it’s all here. It’s perfect as it is.
To tell you that this was *well-written* would be superficial. It’s obviously done well, but more important is the amount of substance in it.
You’re absolutely right. This place is sick, and ignorance is what feeds it. That’s the reason why I write. I’ve been so tired of it for as long as I can remember.
I think we’re finally reaching the boil-over point in this country. People are becoming aware of all of the points you bring up here. I strongly believe that. Too many people are talking about really important things right now for it NOT to be considered *a tipping point*. The major events of the past 10+ years have contributed to the waking up going on in not just this country, but the world.
This is so true: “I’m just not sure who is truly listening vs. who is mirroring.”
Facebook posts? Spare me. What about the stupid fucking, unsympathetic, money-grubbing, dirt bag media whores — and the people that continue to support the news? Turn off the fucking news. Now. You are paying these assholes by continuing to watch it. It’s not news anymore. It’s entertainment. It’s garbage. It’s also feeding the sickness.
*Yes* to this: “Are there really that many insane among us? Or, are we stressed out and sick over endless Wars, talk of terrorism, and propaganda; a failing economy, job losses and imbalanced pay; sicknesses we cannot treat; the constant rapid fire technology firing away at our senses; the pharmacopeia haze of medication and processed foods we have been led to believe is good for us?”
We’re very much on the same page about *false sickness*. It’s an industry. The tobacco industry could care less if you get sick and croak. They make their money off of addicts — long term addicts. It’s careless, and it’s socially irresponsible in many ways.
I was just talking about this yesterday: “These things start with an honest and civil conversation, not a debate. Debates are for those who merely want to win. If we cannot come together and talk rationally then we cannot do anything at all.”
Excellent point. That’s all this is about. It’s about egos and agendas. Nobody with a valid point needs to shout. We need to employ a *talking stick* concept. If you’re not familiar with what it is, look it up. That’s another big problem. Everyone just wants their opinion to take down someone else’s. “See, I told you so!” Democrats vs. Republicans is a good example. Both groups are completely mindless and irresponsible. They uphold values for what? I still don’t get it…
Great post, again C.R. I’m going to send it to @freshly_pressed on Twitter. I think it should be considered!
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Thank you very much for such a thoughtful response. I have been a somewhat prominet “activist” for more than a decade and since last weeks violence I have been pressured by many to make a statement and take a stand…this was it.
The language I see everywhere it scarier than anything I have experienced in my life. I do not fear a lone gunman, I fear the ignorant gang mentality. People think everything needs to be debated. How wrong they do not know they are. People think a “conversation” is a FB post or a Tweet. It isn’t. Those are little more than drive-by shootings of the mouth. Sad? Disheartening? Discouraging? ALL of the above.
We look to and blame so-called “leaders”, even I have been guilyt, but the truth is, WE are the leaders stuck in the traffic jam of our own egos so we can’t move forward.
Maybe where is we right now is what the Mayans were “predicting”. I don’t know. I have nearly 5000 FB “friends” over 1500 LinkedIn “connections” Nearly 200 “followers” here, “followers” on Twitter and countless readers on OEN and elsewhere and I am afraid from what I am seeing. We very realistically could experience a not-so-civil war in this country.
I have “unfriend” and “unfollowed” so many just in the past days. I choke on the bitter bile that is constantly at the back of my throat now. Do I pray? Sure. Do I hope? Yes? Do I run and hide? Where??? Do I write? YES!!! That is all I can do. I am truly happy to have met you and appreciate this budding friendship. Sincerely. Thank you Adam for “getting it”. and if you do Tweet to freshly pressed, thanks for that too.
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Thank *you*. You’re welcome, and I hope they read it. I’m sure their up to their ears right now. Lots of people are talking about similar stuff. This is the best I’ve read so far.
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My heart’s in every word.
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Cheri, your words need to be on every American’s door step. This was so well written with clear and conscious opinions that are very real and valid. I kept trying to respond but didn’t know how since you’ve presented everything so well here. I share the same beliefs as you.
what struck me the most though was how American’s “morale bank” is empty. It’s SO very true. Sad it is true. But true nonetheless. I think if each person works on themselves to “fill” their moral bank the world and society would start to align up right and it would be a much better place with a mass improvement for humanity. I am a firm believer if we want to inflict change in the world we have to start with ourselves and if we help another person for the better than that will be all the difference in the end.. because then that person will further chance and evolve and hopefully go o to help and inflict growth in another person. Pay it forward, one person at a time.
Because of the tragedy of Sandy Hook everyone is up in arms about gun laws…and thats great… but i wish there was a more adult conversation and mature steps into going down that path. It takes more than outlawing something to correct the underlying problem.
Which brings me to your mental health point. I was sitting here squealing “OMG YES ” because it’s like a dirty little secret into today’s world.
It’s sad, but again true, we can barely afford a first opinion. It’s ridiculous how much getting proper care costs and i’m offended by it. I have health insurance under my mother, but i can’t afford to USE it. It’s a 30 dollar co-payment for a regular doctor and a 50 dollar co-payment for a specialist( and you have to go to a regular doctor for a referral to the specialist). Any medications I have to pay an out of pocket fee which is usually 15 dollars and it was as much as 98 dollars. This was for basic chronic cough medicine too cause the over the counter stuff wasnt working i needed stronger dosages. But some of my hubby’s bills with his cancer? 5,000 for one mri and in the beginning he was having one every month…when he first got sick he had 7 in the first week! The chemo pills he used? 14000 per prescription ( which equated for one cycle) . Thankfully, he was approved for Medicaid and most of the bills were covered and we were applied for grants and programs that covered mostly everything else. We even got a grant from the hospital to pay for half of the transportation for the course of his treatment. But these grants and programs were NOT state or federal… they were mostly hospital related or otherwise private. We had to jump through loops just to get social security disability which he more than qualified for. It’s sad how this country treat their people.
Great, thought provoking post!
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Thank you SO much. I think I speak for a lot of people; both those who are too afraid and those who simply don’t know the right words. As I said to another reader, my heart is in every word and I can only hope/pray my words touch as many people as possible and let them know they are not crazy and that there are others that feel the same and know these things to be true. I hope that each who reads shares it as vastly as they are able. Again…thank you. I am humbled.
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Reblogged this on Rolandrjs's Blog.
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