An Open Letter to State Rep. Themis Klarides Concerning Gun Control
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 12/19/2012 - 12:22Rep. Klarides,
I don't recall the issue of gun control having come up during our debates in the last election cycle. There were many other issues that seemed much more important at the time, but with the recent shootings in Sandy Hook, I feel it is important for us to talk about this issue.
My father is a member of the NRA. I grew up shooting guns. My father was a black powder enthusiast. He had beautiful hand made black powder pistols. We made our own bullets and laboriously loaded the pistols. We would shoot in our backyard at tin cans not that far from where we stood. Most of these black powder pistols don't have great accuracy. These were the sort of arms that our founding fathers were acquainted with. Yet even with this, my father had a special license to purchase black powder.
We've come a long way since those days, and today's 'modern sporting rifles' are capable of firing hundreds of shots per minute from large magazine clips with considerable accuracy. These weapons are being used too often against our own people and we need to find better ways to control this.
My friends and relatives were among first responders who have had to deal with the horror in Sandy Hook. Others have lost loved ones, and many of my coworkers are helping people cope with the trauma. We need to make the most dangerous guns and their high capacity magazine clips harder for criminals to obtain.
Some will say that criminals will always have access to guns and making guns illegal will not prevent criminals from using them. To a certain extent this is true. However, thieves also break into locked houses, but that does not prevent people from locking their doors. We are unlikely to completely prevent criminals from getting guns, but we can, and should, make it harder for them.
Others point out to Israel as a country that allows gun ownership without having the same sort of gun violence that the United States has. However, I don't think the United States is ready for gun control on the level that Israel has.
Nonetheless, we do need better gun control, like was proposed in Sen. Gary LeBeau's bill SB-1094 in 2011 which would have prohibited the possession of certain ammunition feeding devices that accept more than ten rounds which did not make it out of the Judiciary Committee which you serve on.
In addition, I strongly encourage you to resign from the American Legislative Exchange Council and their Public Safety and Elections Task Force, which has pushed model legislation, like "Stand Your Ground" and the "Gun Owners' Privacy and Access to Health Care Act".
For our families, friends and neighbors, for those who are first responders, friends of victims, and who care for the traumatized, I urge you to take a strong stance in strengthening gun control in our state and to resign from the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Sandy Hook Zettel
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Wed, 12/19/2012 - 07:44It has been a long week, with lots of thoughts, feelings, and ideas waiting to be written down. Many should be blog posts of their own, but I just don't have time, so I'm writing Sandy Hook Zettel. I take the word Zettel from Ludwig Wittengenstien.
Last night, I had another dream about being lost. This time, I was in visiting China, I think it was. I couldn't find my password, or any guidebooks. I set out from my hotel to explore and soon was lost. It was all the more difficult because I didn't speak Chinese. Eventually, I ended up on an elevated train platform with some Christian Bible Study group, with whom I could establish rudimentary communications.
I woke up, and the chant from Sunday's litany at Church went through my mind, "Oh Lord, hear my prayer…"
Last Thursday, I got home from work to find a "Dammit Doll" that had been sent to me. It came from a blogging friend that lives near Sandy Hook. She wanted me to review it on my blog. I had to rescue it from the dog who thought it was a chew toy for him. I brought it to work to show my co-workers and I've thought about Dammit Doll on the bar as a response to Elf on a Shelf.
In the evening, I sat up and watched the Geminids. I think I managed to get a picture of one. I need to get it off the camera and post it.
At work, I read the first reports of the shooting at Sandy Hook. As the horror started to become apparent, I wrote this:
"It's the most wonderful time of the year" blares from the loudspeaker outside my office. On my computer screen is a picture of some old guy with a vest, ten gallon hat and grey mustache with the caption, "You actually think that criminals will obey gun control laws? You're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?"
I had been thinking of posting a response, something to the effect, that even though burglars break into houses with locked doors, I still lock my doors in an effort to prevent crime.
I've been getting into lots of discussions about gun control and mental health online. Gun advocates have argued for arming more people, and suggested that we should follow Israel's gun control laws, but as I read things, Israel appears to have very strict gun control laws.
I've always been opposed to regulation of video games. On the other hand, most of the video games I've played have been pretty benign. I have played some first person shooter games, and didn't really like the way I felt afterwards. I have been focused on my media diet and these days watch almost no television. I even avoid good science fiction that has too much violence in it for me.
One meme that has been getting a lot of play online has been Mr. Rogers' "Look for the helpers". I think that is a great meme and one that I'm interested in expending. Be a helper. Spread the word about helpers.
On Saturday, I stopped at the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department for Santa's Visit. I spoke with Santa. He was very sad. He said his heart wasn't into it and he couldn't be jolly. He wanted to cancel, but his wife reminded him of the children that were counting on him. It felt like it came right out of a 1960's Hallmark Holiday Special. The Children were asking that Santa do something special for the children of Newtown. We talked about the first responders. Then ones in Sandy Hook need special prayers.
I work with some great helpers. Yet they are struggling too. Half the building I work in was out sick yesterday. Mostly respiratory illnesses. I don't think they were somatic, but I do believe that everyone is so run down that colds can easily spread. Take care of yourself.
Dicks' sporting goods is changing its policies on the guns it sells. A hedge fund is divesting its investment in the manufacturer of the gun used in the shooting. Both seem to be small positive steps. The question remains, is the NRA the association of regular moms and dads that happen to like guns, or are they the association of the gun sellers, people whipping up fear to sell their drug of choice.
And now, we are approaching the Mayan Apocalypse. It will start with a moment of silence for the victim of the shooting. The NRA will hold a press conference, and it is the longest night of the year. In Middletown, there will be a memorial service for homeless people that have died.
The next day, there will be a re-birthday party at the Buttonwood Tree. This fits nicely with the old story of what the caterpillar views as the end of the world, the butterfly sees as the beginning, and I believe it is closer to Mayan thought about human kind not coming to an end, but taking a quantum leap. Let us pray that it will be a leap to greater compassion.
Yes, Sandy, There is a Santa
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 12/15/2012 - 07:20My mother died in a car accident during Hurricane Sandy. We lost power at our house, and gathered with our community to get through the difficult time. It was right before Halloween and the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department had a special gathering for the community to come together.
Today, a different Sandy is on our minds, the shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School. Many of us have friends from Sandy Hook. Many of us are parents trying to find ways to talk with our kids about the horrible shooting that took place there. Many of us are struggling with our own grief, trying to be strong for our loved ones.
Yesterday, at work, I shared thoughts from our chief behavioral health officer on how to talk with children about what happened at Sandy Hook. He said to reassure our children that they are safe and to review safety plans with them. He said to limit exposure to TV and other media. He said to talk with other adults about our own reactions.
So, my daughter spent last night with her papa, a retired Bethany Volunteer Fireman. He had been watching too much news and was grieving for the people of Sandy Hook. My wife urged them to watch 'Elf'. Towards the end of the movie, singing Christmas carols and believing in Santa is what saves the day.
Perhaps we need a little bit of that right about now. Today, at the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department, Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit. There will also be a clinic on car seat safety. Then, Sunday afternoon at the First Congregational Church there will be carol singing.
So, for the victims of Hurricane Sandy and of shooting at Sandy Hook, I'll paraphrase the great editorial from years ago…
Yes, Sandy, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Sandys. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.
A gunman in Sandy Hook took the lives of some of its children, but the eternal light with which childhood fills the world has not been extinguished. It shines in the bravery and kindness of the Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department. It shines in the carols that members of First Church will sing Sunday afternoon. It shines in the light of candles on the menorahs and advent wreaths across Woodbridge.
Yes, Sandy, there is a Santa
Advent, the Longest Night and the Mayan-Mormon Niribu-Kobol DeathStar
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 12/09/2012 - 15:30How, when the aged are reverently, passionately waiting
For the miraculous birth, there always must be
Children who did not specially want it to happen, skating
On a pond at the edge of the wood
I am sitting in a pew in an Episcopal Church in Hamden, CT, having just sung a few versus of "O Come O Come Emmanuel". For Anglican's, this is the period of Advent, a period of reverently, passionately waiting for the miraculous birth. It is a solemn time of reflection, it is not the skating on a pond at the edge of the wood, or crowds at the shopping malls listening to over produced Christmas Carols.
Recently, my mind wandered to science fiction meeting pop culture. As my Anglican friends await the celebration of the miraculous birth, others are awaiting the apocalypse. For some, it is the Zombie apocalypse. For others, it is the Mayan apocalypse, or perhaps a dyslexic Mayan apocalypse on 12-12-12.
While we all know that the end of the Mayan calendar simply means it is time to get a new calendar, just as the end of the various yearly calendars that we buy at the mall mean its time to go shopping and buy a new calendar, there are others awaiting an apocalypse.
There are always people awaiting an apocalypse. They await the end of the world, or perhaps more accurately, the end of the human race. More likely, each one of us will meet our personal apocalypses at the appropriate time.
It also is interesting to note that those looking towards an apocalypse usually look at it in terms of some external event. The planet or astroid crashing into our own, a cataclysmic earthquake or volcano. The closest anyone ever comes to an apocalypse generated by humans is some sort of nuclear war, nuclear melt down, or a storm caused by climate change, yet it seems as if these human generated apocalypses are more likely.
So, on 12-21-2012, the longest night of the year, an evening where some churches will go singing carols and others will hold memorial services for homeless people that have died over the past year, some people await the end.
One popular theory is that it will be from some planet passing close enough to earth either crash into the earth, or at least disrupt the orbit enough to destroy mankind. That planet is sometimes called Planet X and other times called Niribu. The problem with this theory is that one would expect Niribu to be visible already from its approach. As I thought about this planet, my mind wandered to other planets. Could Niribu simply be the Zetan name for the planet Kolob, as found in the Book of Abraham as translated for Mormon believers by Joseph Smith? Is there some great Mayan-Mormon conspiracy, perhaps related to the failure of Mitt Romney to get elected and the lack of a solid immigration policy by the Republicans for Mayans wishing come to the United States.
As my mind continued to wander, I wondered how a planet could sudden appear. Perhaps it has some sort of cloaking device, or folks at NASA are conspiring to hide its approach. Yet as I thought about it, it seemed more reasonable that Niribu-Kolob is actually a death star sent by the galactic empire now that Leia Organa has been captured and turned into a Disney Princess.
It seems like too often, this is the outcome of my attempts at solemn reflection. Yet perhaps, that also indicates why I need to spend more time in solemn reflection. I might come up with some other good stories.
Because You Are Great, You Are Awesome
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 12/08/2012 - 07:43I got home last night, exhausted. It has been a stressful couple of months. This week, adding to my concerns was Kim's health. She has been struggling with the effects of Lyme Disease since 2006. She's often in pain and when a cold comes around, she gets a bad case of it. Currently, she's fighting off an upper respiratory infection.
She had called me during the day to see if I wanted to take Fiona to a play at the local high school with some of our neighbors. Initially, I said yes, but as the day dragged on and my energy lagged, I forgot about it and when I got home, thinking about the day I have today, I decided not to go, and headed off to bed early. I knew that Saturday would be another dreaded long day.
Yet this morning, I woke up dreaming about today. Yes, I am heading back into work today. However, it will be a different day, a special day. Today is International Help-Portrait Day.
"In December, photographers around the world will be grabbing their cameras, finding people in need and taking their picture. When the prints are ready, the photographs get delivered."
That is what we are doing at CHC. We will be taking photographs of people in need and giving them the pictures. It is part of an underlying message that we tell people in need. Too many people in need are told they are worthless. They are a burden on society. They are using our tax dollars to get by. That is not our message, and it is not the message of this holiday season.
We are telling the people we serve, through providing health care, and through taking photographs, "You are great, you are awesome." These are words of healing that all of us need to hear. The greater our other needs, the greater our need to hear this.
I lifted these words from the wonderful video, Validation.
Please, validate someone today.
