USA AND GUNS PART TWO (2)

A few months ago I wrote about “USA AND GUNS”. Many became fussy, many thought I was meddling into their sovereign country’s affairs and many were not pleased by my article on my blog while a few praised my intellect on the same. The many who fussed and complained said, ”American needs guns.” My question therefore, was, “What do Americans need guns for?”

The Newtown, in an Elementary School, Connecticut heart-wrenching shooting comes after a few months of such irrational shooting that took place during the “Dark Knight Rises” movie in Aurora.

But I want to continue to reiterate that USA needs to enact some tough gun control laws.

And if I could meet president Barack Hussein Obama face to face, I would tell him not to fear the politics in the gun regulations but to bulldoze states (this might sound African but it’s what needs to be done) with the gun regulation tough laws and it should be done now and for all so that we, yes we, don’t continue to lose innocent lives to such heinous behaviour.

Something rattles me. Whenever there is such mass shooting, it is always blamed on the mental illness/mental health problems/mental instability! This to me is an excuse to continuing to own guns. By the way if the people involved in such shooting were said to me mentally unstable, why then do they go ahead and kill themselves after killing the mass? Where do they get the reasoning to kill themselves to avoid facing the wrath of the law after the act? They know better!! Do the mentally ill fear the rule of law, do they reason that way??

As an African who has met and worked with many from America and other parts of Europe in my homeland in the name of helping alleviate poverty, disease and illiteracy, I also want to offer myself together with other like-minded Africans as well as Americans to sit down and champion for some tough gun regulation laws and say why it’s important to have them.

I can’t continue being quiet over this issue while innocent lives are being robbed away by unscrupulous dysfunctional folks in the society.

I am therefore asking whoever is willing to join me blow this trumpet notify me.

I have a special place preserved in my heart for the American people. I also have very fond memories about the same and I do value every mankind’s precious life and nobody, and I mean nobody even one with mental problem should be allowed to take such lives.

Please, let our voices be heard at least on this.

I am sorry if this blog wouldn't ogre well with any of my readers and followers

God bless

"SAD AND TRAGIC DAY FOR OUR NATION"

I read the below article from a website and I thought it could help to post it on my blog for my follower.  i hope it resonates well with you. I can't wait to read your comments.Coming from Kenya in Africa makes me see a lot of good stuff in US that the people who live there can see and thus, "SEEING U.S.A FROM AN AFRICAN EYE."

Presidential Election:

by JO on NOVEMBER 7, 2012

After hearing that President Barack Obama had just been reelected to a second four-year-term as our nation’s president I turned to my laptop and watched as Facebook suddenly became a blur of emotions, with months of political discourse coming to a head and clashing in a sea of  insults and joyous celebration.

For perspective, I posted this on my timeline:

“In 1981, my parents fled Poland two weeks before Martial law. I was 4, my sister was 8 months old. They left the only home they ever knew and came to America, because they knew it was filled with promise and opportunity rather than riddled with the side effects of Communism, like crappy health care and 5 hour long lines for stale bread. Some are elated tonight, and some are downright depressed, but know this: we get to pick again in 4 years. Before you bad mouth our country, try living somewhere else, where there is No choice and truly No hope. Count your blessings America, because there are many.”

I awoke this morning knowing our country continued to be greatly divided and that emotions were running high and I checked in on my favorite social media sites to see how everyone was faring.

But my fascination quickly turned to disgust when I kept seeing the same status popping up over and over again:

“A sad and tragic day for our nation.”

Disappointing? Sure, if your guy didn’t win, I’m sure you’re feeling disappointed.

Frustrated? Nervous? Deflated? If you were counting on a different outcome, then of course you’re likely to feel these things.

But to exclaim that this is a tragic day for our nation?

Really?

To those who truly believe the Presidential election results are tragic, let me refresh your memory of what tragic really looks like, because it seems so many have clearly forgotten:

This is what TRAGIC looks like. Photo courtesy 9/11 Photos via Flickr

Again. This is what tragic looks like. Photo courtesy 9/11 Photos via Flickr

If I sound like I’m scolding some of you, it’s because I am. Get it together people and gain some perspective. Because this country will go to hell in a hand basket not because of a single man, but because we allow ourselves to forget just how amazing and resilient and FREE our nation truly is.

Maybe you woke up this morning feeling frightened about your future because you were counting on the other guy to make things better. But you also woke up in the same country where you are Free to express your religious beliefs, Free to speak your mind, Free to choose where you want to live, and Free to think idiotic things such as “this is a tragic day for our nation.”

I urge you to find a way today to remind yourself just how good we have it, even if you’re facing economic strife or some sort of adversity. I can tell you this much: as a mom of a special needs child, there’s nowhere else in the world I’d rather be because I know that even though we have a long way to go in the way of awareness, accessibility, and acceptance, we are light years ahead of so many other countries in the world.

Today I un-friended the first person since the Presidential campaigns began. She threw a tantrum on Facebook and compared our President and those who voted for him to terrorists.

I draw the line there. Those photos above? That’s the handiwork of terrorists.

So if you’re feeling a bit down in the dumps today because Mitt Romney won’t be moving into the White House come January, remember that we live in a nation where you get to do this all over again in four years.

In the meantime, empower others by getting involved in your community somehow. Do something kind for someone. Be someone’s hero. Spread kindness and tolerance. Teach your children that diversity is the cornerstone of this country and show them that not only is it possible to lose with dignity and respect, it’s imperative if we’re to move forward as nation.

Then meet up with your coworkers at the water cooler or your friends at the bar, and talk about what an idiot you think Obama is.

Because you can.

LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE BEEN HELPED BY THIS ARTICLE

WHY I WOULD HAVE VOTED FOR PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!

Having lived in America for some time, I got to understand that politics and religion were some of the sensitive topics that nobody would dare talk about in public or in a group unless one got to understand really what kind of people were around them. So I most of the times shunned and have continued to avoid these thorny topics.

One thing that has really really made me to shun from meddling into this topic of politics even after being home from North America at a time when Americans were at the apex of making decision to elect their next president for the next four years was that, not many of my friends in the US supported Obama’s candidature! I would say that 1 out of 10 only did support my “uncle”.

I have struggled balancing between friendship and opinion by not contributing to this discussion for a long time on social media. Many are the times I would get hit really hard when I read many of my friends post many negative and derogatory things about Barack Obama and to maintain friendships, I felt bad and avoided the discussion because I value relationships! That’s my confession. Thank God this campaign and voting stuff is said and done.

Why I could have still voted for Barack Obama even if it meant losing with him, not because he’s my uncle, not because he’s coming from the same village where my mother came from and not because our ears and noses look alike but because of the following:

·    He was consistent all through his campaigns and never changed goal posts.

·         He admitted that things had been tough for the last four years he had been in the office. And I know many Americans blamed him for so many things during this time.

·         He always had the ideas and he laid the clear-cut plans on how he was going to accomplish them.

·         He was always very realistic even with tax deductions and stuck with it. He has been confident in himself and in what Americans are capable of doing.

·         During his tenure in Office, he managed to make sure that the Al-Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden was hunted down and killed. Terrorism has been a thorn in the flesh for many countries around the world and we even felt the wrath of Al-Qaeda here in Kenya when US Embassy was bombed in August, 1998.

·         He has always gone slow with immigrants since many of the them have contributed to Americans development to where she is today.

·         He moved me when he admitted that he was taking full responsibility as the president when the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked and US ambassador together with other three American citizens were killed.

·         When the superstorm/Hurricane Sandy ravaged most parts of the East Coast of US, he demonstrated leadership and did what a good president who cares about his people should do and he stood with people during such hard times.

·         He’s a people’s person, humble, social, articulate, jovial, etc.

·         In his ancestral background in Kogelo, many have felt his presence due to the many infrastructural development that our Kenyan government has taken over there in terms of roads, water, electricity, security has also improved. It’s turned to be a tourist destination for many and this has helped to facelift the region’s image and create jobs for many as well. Meaning, his leadership has trickled down to the small village in Kogelo.

N/B: The above, together with many other things could have made me to vote for my uncle even if just in case I did not like him as a person. I know many American voters would have had different reasons to vote him or to vote for the GOP’s candidate ranging from Tax cuts; employment and education, abortions, same sex marriages, pot/marijuana smoking, Medicare, foreign policies, immigration to personal attributes, etc.

But I am still glad that he WON.  

I loved it when Barack Obama said the below statement.

I think bo is his dog!!

"We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you. -bo"

The above is just my opinion, not meant to brush with anybody in whatsoever way. Since this is a very sensitive topic, I will agree to take constructive criticism, corrections and comments. Apologies to any who might have felt that his/her right has been infringed on in any way or the other.

GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS KENYA

UNITED STATES AND GUNS

I tried to study US and I have continued to do so even after I returned home. For one, USA takes pride in so many things one being the established infrastructure they have had and continues to sophisticate since the discovery of USA by Christopher Columbus, anyway, where and what was USA then before its discovery???

Another thing that USA continues to boast about is the “proliferation” of guns, the freedom they continue to enjoy up to date be it owning shoguns, hunting guns, etc. Some guns are even inherited by the descendants in a family line. I tend to think that once one dies, a gun should be returned or just sold back to the dealer.

Owning guns in the US hasn’t done them any good at all but rather has brought more harm than good to the citizens by many indulging in irrational gunshots here and there with the recent ones being the at Middle Town close to Empire State Building, a very prominent place for tourists visit where a gunman stealthily followed a former workmate-his boss and shot him dead-Jeffrey Johnson is his name, two shot dead, him being one and the victim and 9 others got injured.

Another case was the mass shooting during a new Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises” at Aurora where 12 people were shot dead and 58 others wounded by a PhD student from the University of Colorado and the Wisconsin Sikh August 2012 hate shooting (domestic terrorim) where 6 were killed on the spot leaving 4 with injuries.

The above hasn’t been the only cases of irrational gun shootings; I have only managed to quote just but a few of the recent ones. There have been several others in the past in the major cities like NYC, Philadelphia, Chicago, in schools, homesteads, other social gatherings, etc. But did you know that James E. Holmes, the 24 year old PhD student at the University of Colorado bought a gun, tactic gear, vest, magazine pouch and other ammunition with your own hard earned taxes? He used to get a federal scholarship of $26,000 per year for his education!!

The following questions continues to linger and puzzle me and many others around the developing countries around the globe and the US citizens and residents;

1.       How can one just get to a shop and buy guns and ammunition like he is buying groceries and nobody seems to question what they are going to do with the same??
2.       How many of such irrational killings will it take US to get serious about gun control?

I know one thing for sure that none of my friends in the US is feeling safe when walking/strolling around their towns/cities, neither is none feeling safe attending a movie nor is any feeling safe attending a church/temple service. And for this reason, as a layman and as a non-US citizen/resident, I want to say that it’s high time the Religious sectors, Human Rights institutions, Corporate bodies, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) engage the US government in serious gun regulation/control policies.

EXCLUSIVE

What do you think of Dr. Dinesh D’Souza’s Obama’s America 2016 video trailer?

I have the following observations to make regarding Mitt Romney’s campaign conference in Florida;

1.        While addressing the attendants, Mrs. Anne Romney did not touch any issue regarding Mr. Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” something that I expected her to at least talk about.
2.        She seemed to talk about more of their love, without becoming sensitive of how many women in that same conference doesn't have husbands to love neither is some interested in any!

Please, I would like to hear your comments, criticisms, corrections and your sincere opinions on this.

THANKS

"MISSION TOURISM"

Growing up, I could read about Missionaries and meet some from the developed world coming pretty much to help spread the Good News in our developing world. These servants of the Lord, helped spread the Good News of the Lord by planting churches, they promoted education by building schools, promoted primary health care by constructing health amenities, fought against human sufferings by forming human rights societies, people who supported destitute children with all their strength and heart and never became “Orphanage Tourists”, etc. Generally, they did a very good job, very reputable and people loved them and from the articles and books I read about them, I grew up knowing Missionaries were up for some good causes in life and people loved them! I think I am one of the Missionaries’ products from their hard work they did while they first arrived in Kenya. But gone are the days when Missionaries were Missionaries! Today, I see a lot of people calling themselves Missionaries not really living a life that the Missionaries I read about and met lived. The old days Missionaries lived a very humble life, very meek people and may God bless them wherever they are. People who truly dedicated their services to the Lord, people who were really out to help good causes and people who made sure they did what brought/took them to their places of service, very humble and dedicated people they were, people who minimized their travels abroad to help support a good cause. What I see today are people who call them Missionaries but are out to tour the world, people whom I sometimes call, “Religious Tourists”. People who just volunteer to go round the world to make money and joyride in the name of missions, people who are out to do business, enjoy good services and finally decline to go back to their original countries and eventually buying houses in their host countries and ending up staying. I have happened to interacted with a few, many who come from North America. People who have either consciously or subconsciously explicitly showed racial/ social/political hatred. Some who have come to my place of work and asked,” And who is this?” People who have come to my place of work and after ushering them into the office, ignored to greet me and others. People who have conspicuously portrayed clear indifference between us and them by enjoying services that the hosts they claim to support should have. I will leave it at that point,you are welcome to criticize,comment and correct and respect my opinion.I would be for sure so happy to hear from you.

WHY THE THIRD WORLD AND NOT THE DEVELOPED WORLD??!!

Between 2010 - 2011, I got a chance to participate in a very lovely International Volunteer Exchange Program for one of the leading North American NGO. This is a one neat program that helped me widen my horizons to a very higher notch and changed my way of thinking to a great deal, a program that draws a quite a significant number of participants from all over the world as well. The program’s main objectives were; 1. Broaden horizons; 2. Correct Stereotypes and misconceptions about other people; 3. Promote international peace building and reconciliation; 4. Vocational training, etc. The Program had other sister programs called; Serving And Learning Together and Young Anabaptists Mennonite Network. Before participating in the International Volunteer Exchange Program and Young Anabaptists Mennonite Network, every participant is warned /told not to think about staying longer in North America or about going back to North America before two years elapses upon return to their original countries or not to totally think about relocating to North America in the long run claiming the program’s objective isn’t to help participants to immigrate to North America. But let’s get things right here, there is a sister program for the same NGO I volunteered for close to a year in North America that does send volunteers from North America to different parts of the world, Africa included. These people have a choice to extend their terms of service upon completion of the first year whenever they want to and even get back to their previous areas of service. Some get back to the countries of previous service before even six (6) months elapses. I am saying this because I know a couple of acquaintances who have flown back from North America to their prior countries of service, not one, not two people. What intrigues me is why put the restriction for the developing world participants and not the developed world’s?! North America is full of goodies and everybody desires to live and earn a living there and in return give back home! I will leave it at that point!!! This blogpost is a bit controversial but you are welcome to comment,correct,criticize,etc

RE-ENTRY

THE BIG QUESTION! WHY IS IT SO HARD COMING FROM THE WEST AND TRYING TO RE-ESTABLISH IN HOME COUNTRY???