10 August 2023 Alternate Universe

August 10, 2023August 10, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Movies, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), space, Spirituality and Religion, Television, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Describe your life in an alternate universe.

Hello to you. How are you? I’m just back from my weekly prayer group and getting my blood drawn to check my Depakote levels. It was nice to be able to just drive up the road to get the blood work done instead of going all the way to Boise. Looking forward to this afternoon and helping out with a hotdog event for the church at Middle Creek Elementary School. I will be helping to serve the hot dogs.

Todays prompt provokes thoughts of a lot of “what if’s.” What if my birth mother had not taken her life- would I even be writing to you right now? I would not have met my stepmother and all her family. I wouldn’t of probably been as close to my Grandparents. Would I have ever been in the Mental Health system at all? So much of an alternate universe for me depends on the very beginning of my life and the subsequent choices I made growing up. In an alternate universe I’m pretty sure I would of had at least one child. I would probably still be married because I wouldn’t have the Bipolar diagnosis going on or if I did it would be under control.

I envision alternate universe where there would be no hunger, no poverty, clean affordable food and water for everyone, affordable shelter, clean affordable and sustainable energy to meet all our needs, flying cars with auto pilot functions, everyone would be healthier but if you did get sick, you would have access to affordable and trustworthy medical care. I think of so many science fiction movies and television shows that have healing chambers or hand held healing devices. In an alternate universe where the needs of the people were put before arms and war making – life would be great! I feel like we should be much further along in our development as a country – as a world.

Where is the Med-Bay from the movie Elysian?

Medical tricoder from Star Trek Next Generation

I still have hope in living to see the world I envision manifest into reality! Jesus was the divine physician.

Matthew 8:1-4New International Version

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ²A man with leprosy^[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy.⁴Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

8 August 2023 Days Like These

August 8, 2023 by saymber, posted in Animal Rights, animals, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Money, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Social media, Spirituality and Religion, trust, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. It’s Tuesday and another lovely day. We got some much needed rain again yesterday – I even took a walk in it! No scary dreams last night just something about paying out money to family to include my parents lol. What strange movies the brain makes!

The title of my blog today is me being in observer mode and seeing a pattern with the world. We’ve had dark days before and come through but will we come through these? There is a lot of stuff on social media I’m seeing that is painting a dark confusing picture. This is nothing new really. These are the worst of times. These are the best of times. These are confusing times – which way to go?! Everything is put on us all at once- thank you internet! We have major cities being taken over by homeless who are on drugs, AI and robots taking over the world, inflation, an election coming up, increased veterinary fees, no access or little access to decent medical care, war, weird stuff going on with the beings living in the oceans and seas and now aliens…on and on! No wonder the average American is burned out and doesn’t care! Most people just tune it all out and don’t pay attention unless what’s happening directly affects them. So many people are in survivor mode!

As Christian’s and children of God we must keep our lights on even as hard as it can be. Earth school is definitely in session! I’m glad I’ve chosen team Jesus. There is hope in him and his promises.

Psalm 18:28New International Version

²⁸You, Lord, keep my lamp burning;
my God turns my darkness into light.

A couple areas of interest I pay attention to is animals and robotics. Both categories don’t have a very good track record with regards to rights:

Euthanized animal statistics – we’ve got to do better!

On average, 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized every year in the United States. Shelters around the country euthanize an estimated 670,000 dogs and 860,000 cats each year. 45% of all cats who enter shelters are eventually euthanized.Jul 11, 2023

https://youtu.be/MS-m3UWw-To – more pets abandoned with rising cost of post pandemic

https://amp.sacbee.com/news/local/article276077491.html – Sacramento shelters surge with abandoned animals in past year after COVID slowdown

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/food-delivery-robots-under-attack-from-vandals-thieves-local-businesses-starting-to-be-affected/amp/ – what would happen if humanoid robots like Sophia or Ameca were attacked?

30 July 2023 Perspective

July 30, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, In the News, Mental Health, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you! How has your weekend been? I’m just back from church – there was a good message and a good turnout. Pastor Jason emphasized perspective about life. He had a good way of sharing it. He had a spool of twine he wound through all of us and that symbolized our connection to the eternity of being in heaven with Jesus. He cut off a tiny sliver that symbolizes our individual life and he blew it away. Our lives are short compared to eternity! He also talked about us not really having control over what happens to us but we can control how we react to what happens. Old wisdom for current times! What I know about perspective is we are biologically incapable of all perceiving this world in the exact same way.

I’ve been processing more about the latest news about aliens. I was over at my Aunt and Uncles yesterday to spend some time with them and my cousin Laura. My Aunt is healing from her shoulder surgery. We all agreed that this news doesn’t change much for the average American. They were relieved to hear me say that as my blogs were pretty full of excitement about it lol. They were a little worried about me. I haven’t lost my perspective! What frustrates me and other UFO enthusiasts is when people say the extraterrestrials are demons. I don’t believe that. I believe they are of Gods making too. It’s all his design. My Aunt and Uncle don’t think they are here to help – they think we are like ants to them – observing.

My Aunt is doing well and enjoyed having my cousin and I over to visit. The boys went to see Oppenheimer – 3 hour movie! She wanted to watch Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga so we watched different performances of them together on YouTube. It’s funny how much of a bridge was built by those two with genres of music.

https://youtu.be/PcbJt0GqJJ4 – 60 minutes Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett

One the psalms we read today:

Psalm 37^{[a] NIV}

Of David.

¹Do not fret because of those who are evil
or be envious of those who do wrong;
²for like the grass they will soon wither,
like green plants they will soon die away.

³Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

⁵Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him and he will do this:
⁶He will make your righteous rewardshine like the dawn,
your vindication like the noonday sun.

⁷Be still before the Lord
and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.

⁸Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹For those who are evil will be destroyed,
but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

¹⁰A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹But the meek will inherit the land
and enjoy peace and prosperity.

¹²The wicked plot against the righteous
and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
for he knows their day is coming.

¹⁴The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken.

¹⁶Better the little that the righteous have
than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷for the power of the wicked will be broken,
but the Lord upholds the righteous.

¹⁸The blameless spend their days under the Lord’s care,
and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹In times of disaster they will not wither;
in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

²⁰But the wicked will perish:
Though the Lord’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,
they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

²¹The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
²²those the Lord blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.

²³The Lord makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

²⁵I was young and now I am old,
    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
    or their children begging bread.
²⁶They are always generous and lend freely;
    their children will be a blessing.^[b]

²⁷Turn from evil and do good;
then you will dwell in the land forever.
²⁸For the Lord loves the just
and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed^[c];
the offspring of the wicked will perish.
²⁹The righteous will inherit the land
and dwell in it forever.

³⁰The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,
and their tongues speak what is just.
³¹The law of their God is in their hearts;
their feet do not slip.

³²The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,
intent on putting them to death;
³³but the Lord will not leave them in the power of the wicked
or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

³⁴Hope in the Lord
and keep his way.
He will exalt you to inherit the land;
when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

³⁵I have seen a wicked and ruthless man
flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,
³⁶but he soon passed away and was no more;
though I looked for him, he could not be found.

³⁷Consider the blameless, observe the upright;
a future awaits those who seek peace.^[d]
³⁸But all sinners will be destroyed;
there will be no future^[e] for the wicked.

³⁹The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
⁴⁰The Lord helps them and delivers them;
he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,
because they take refuge in him.

29 July 2023 Now What?

July 29, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Mental Health, Movies, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Social media, Spirituality and Religion, technology, Television, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you – how are you? I’m sitting out on my porch with Link right now. It’s nice and cool out. I’ve been waking up earlier the past couple mornings. I am no longer taking the olanzapine (zyprexa) and taking abilify instead. I am paying close attention to how I feel – being vigilant about mania. I have been sleeping so that’s good. When I have had mania in the past sleep was an issue.

Good morning! It’s another day! Now What?

So yesterday I wrote a lot about what we found out about aliens and through the day I watched several posts on Tik Tok to see what other peoples reactions were. A lot of them were the same. Clips of the highlights and this common thread – now what?! I still have to go to work, pay off student loans, inflation is through the roof for everything we need to live and our government wants us to think about aliens! How does this news change anything for the average American? Other posters brought up that our finding this out probably means there is bad news coming. For Christians we are seeing the end times playing out. The shit is hitting the fan all over the world environmentally – the oceans are hotter than ever before. What I saw in the responses yesterday is if it doesn’t affect their immediate life they don’t really care. Ironically all this IS affecting their immediate life. What isn’t being acknowledged is perhaps having help from extraterrestrials would affect their immediate life if we really reached out and were open minded. I believe they might have answers to help solve our day to day lives – especially the environment. It can’t be just about the military and national security that they are making themselves more and more visible.

I can remember watching movies like Close Encounters and the wonder I felt if meeting them would go that way – seeking to communicate peacefully. Then there are movies in recent times about scary alien encounters like Aliens, Thing, Predator movies and Prometheus where the first encounters are terrifying. Remember the television series V where the aliens wanted to eat us?! War of the Worlds where aliens wanted to take over the planet?! I personally want to see Gene Roddenberry Star Trek kind of world – a world where we evolve past what struggles we face today and have a world of peace. A world where we have peace treaties with species from other worlds.

Anyhew – it’s baby steps for now. It’s disappointing that the direction being taken is what’s happening is a threat and not an opportunity.

Luke 21:25 NIV

²⁵“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. ²⁶People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. ²⁷At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. ²⁸When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

28 July 2023 “We are here to help”

July 28, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, Art and Poetry, Bipolar life, drawing, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Politics and Government, Science (Keshe Foundation and other innovations), Spirituality and Religion, technology, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. Hope you are doing well. Yesterday was a busy and good day for me. As I mentioned in my blog yesterday I had the prayer group and then later I participated in an online craft class through the VA which was fun and good for me. We wove a basket. In the later part of the day I found out they are finally letting the American people and the world know that extraterrestrials are real and not just the stuff of conspiracy theorists and tinfoil hat wearing people. FINALLY! I think it’s interesting this is happening during the hottest Julys in world history. It’s going to take technology, much more advanced than what we currently have, to reverse this trend. We need it fast and we need it now and I think it’s going to take a collaboration with these beings milling about observing and interacting with us to get it done. My hat is off to the whistle blowers that have the courage to come forward and give us the truth – to give the people in Congress the harsh truth. I told my Aunt that during my last episode there was a night I stood looking out my window into the night sky crying. I was praying and begging for Jesus to return. I visualized the entire sky filled with ships and he was in one of them. I know that sounds nuts but my logic behind it was that if Jesus would come back he would come back with reinforcements! Go big to come home! It’s interesting how Jesus is taking over Hollywood right now through Angel Studios! There are things in the Bible that seem like encounters with aliens – they described them in the terms they had for their times. Things are doing things! Usually anyone proclaiming to be Jesus gets locked up and drugged in a mental ward!

https://www.foxnews.com/media/ufo-whistleblower-praises-historic-congressional-hearing-non-human-craft-inflection-point

A little basket weaving project – great place for change

Anyhew, I have been interested in aliens most of my life. I had an experience during one of my hospital stays in Texas that involved two gray aliens. In the span of a short dream-like state I was with two grays and I asked them what they were doing to my face and then I saw an image of my face being half gray and half human. Then I was shown a picture of my dog Spot barking at things I couldn’t see. It was so real! I woke up and felt a bump on my nose. I told the staff about it as I was concerned about the bump and they said something cryptic like “let’s just leave it there.” The bump eventually went away. This was all in the span of a short nap that this happened – it was like a real encounter not a dream! Was it medication or something else going on? When I got home Spot and Link both were barking at stuff Kyle and I couldn’t see and more than normal – like something was at the windows they could see but we couldn’t. In the stuff I have heard and read, there are many ways these beings can communicate with us. A lot of strange things happened to me living in Texas and that was by far the strangest.

I am interested to see what comes of these hearings – especially that they have recovered actual bodies. Have they got any still alive? Has there been contact? Are they already helping? There isn’t a moment to lose! I am wondering if they have aliens currently in captivity. How long can aliens live in our atmosphere? I think one of two things is going on either they want to help or they want to take over. I want to believe the best case scenario – they want to help but have to overcome our superstitions and fears. They don’t look cute and cuddly and communicate differently which can be scary. We have a lot of people in our country like “preppers” that might take news like this as what they have been waiting for. A lot of fear – shoot first and ask questions later. I think, as do many, that it’s arrogant to think God only made us. There are so many life sustaining galaxies and planets! They have been saying for most of my life that there is no way other beings could get here – it would take too long. I think with the things we are finally being allowed to see, there are ways to travel that don’t take so long – we just haven’t got the technology or know how to figure it out. Some of the travel being discussed is inter-dimensional.

So anyways – I’m excited as are many people like me, to see and know more. I was happy to share this news with my Aunt and she actually looked into it herself! I really feel with what we are seeing happen around the earth it’s time to acknowledge we need help. What’s happening is happening in faster and faster cycles. We as a species have disrupted the entire cycles of our planet in just a short time!

Matthew 24:30 NIV

³⁰“Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth^[c] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.^[d] ³¹And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

1 June 2023 Job

June 1, 2023 by saymber, posted in animals, history, Leading Life by Example, Nature, photography, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

What jobs have you had?

Hello to you. How is your week going? Can you believe it’s June already? This year is flying by.

So todays question is what jobs have you had. The only job I had was for 16 years active duty in the United States Air Force. I was a Personnelist or a secretary. I worked in the MPF (Military Personnel Flight) at the bases I was stationed at. Personnelist were responsible for taking care of other military members on base – their careers, evaluation reports, retention contracts, training, retraining, assignments and more.

When I worked in Customer Service I would have to do Identification Cards for widows and widowers. It was such a sensitive thing I would cry after they left. I was a very sensitive person! My favorite job was Personnel Systems Management- working with computers and really fun guys was way better than Personnel. It was short-lived bliss though as they outsourced our jobs to civilians shortly after I retrained into the job! Being the highly sensitive person that I was, I just wasn’t cut out for military life; I didn’t make it to a full retirement. I got so attached to people, places and things that when it was time to say good-bye it was just so hard each time. The people you work with you grow to love like family! I hate good-byes!

My first duty assignment was a Travis AFB California and that’s were I met and married my first husband. Our second assignment was in Germany at Bitburg ABS I really loved being in Europe – didn’t want to leave! Our third assignment was in Colorado. I was stationed at Falcon AFB and my husband Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs. I was at Falcon then HQ Air Force Space Command and then the MPF at Peterson. I loved Colorado because I got to see my Grandma and my Uncle Bill more often, she lived in Ft. Collins and he was living in Golden and was a CEO at Coors. The natural beauty of Colorado was amazing. My first husband loved to fish and I would go with him. I loved falling asleep on the shore of a lake on Pikes Peak – the quaking Aspens would lull me to sleep. My last assignment was at Patrick AFB. I had my breakdown there and was medically retired. I was doing some really unhealthy things trying to cope with my failing marriage and too much work. I liked Florida but missed Colorado! Living in a beach type world is definitely a different lifestyle.

Link doesn’t make it far before we have to stop

Colossians 3:23-24 says: “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

17 April 2023 Dreams

April 17, 2023 by saymber, posted in dreams, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Politics and Government, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? Today my thoughts turn to dreams. Not the kind when you sleep but the kind you have when your awake. Like having dreams for your life – your future. The reason I am thinking about this is because we had another tragic mass shooting at a teenagers birthday party. Four young people who had dreams and goals for their future were killed. When I have spoken of shootings before I mention that time is taken from first responders. What is taken from the victims and their families is dreams…goals…hope for the future. Phil Dowdell was one of the victims in the Dadeville Alabama shooting. He had dreams of persuing a football career – he had a scholarship. In the passion of one moment – poof! Gone! He was only 18 years old. All that promise, hope and plans for the future erased. My thoughts and prayers go out to the community of Dadeville. I hope those critically wounded and others that were wounded at the party make a full recovery. I hope they will have resources for grief counseling.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65298018

Isaiah 40:31New International Version

³¹but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

6 April 2023 Community

April 6, 2023 by saymber, posted in history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Money, Politics and Government, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

How would you improve your community?

Hello to you. The prompt for today is a good one. How would I improve my community would be mainly doing a better job with growth planning. Our state is experiencing extreme growth and is scrambling to keep up with it. There are so many new houses being built and the infrastructure is tough to keep up with it – primarily roads. Traffic at certain times of the day is horrendous! We have a lot of people who moved here from California and they left behind traffic jams hoping it would be different here and it’s not. Where you go there you are! You may have left California but you brought who you were when you lived there with you to Idaho.

I can’t really complain too much as I moved here from Texas. Texas was experiencing a lot of growth before I left and that continues since I’ve been gone. People can’t afford to retire in places like California or Colorado so they move to places with lower cost of living. The sad thing is like for here all those people coming here have priced out natives trying to retire or get their first home. The new transplants have made it almost impossible for people to afford a home here with current wages not keeping up with the cost of living. So they are building lots of apartments that the average Idahoan can barely afford to live in. I was looking for a place to rent but couldn’t afford it so I was fortunate to find the tiny home I’ve got.

29 March 2023 God the Gentleman (free will quandry)

March 29, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Politics and Government, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How is your today going? I am doing ok. My thoughts are on my quandry about God and free will. I brought this up last night with the ladies in my Bible study. The answers that came from them were all similar. God didn’t make us to be mindless drones and followers of his word. God is a gentleman who gives us choice – to choose to believe in him or not. Nothing is forced. Emily, the leader of the study gave me a good example. She said imagine you have this friend who every time they go out they do the same thing. Like getting drunk and being miserable for it. You know this about them and suggest they not do it but ultimately it’s their choice. Emily was kind of tackling the all knowing God in her example. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are going to do and can put other options and choices – better choices- before us but ultimately we make the final call. When I think of the times I’ve been through with my mental health I got myself in a tunnel. I couldn’t see the better choices because I lost control of my ability to see them. In the Christian community they might say the enemy had hold of me.

I read this morning that the Nashville shooter had been suffering. When we are suffering and don’t have faith and trust in God and the enemy is “driving the car” we make, in her case, fatal choices despite what God wants for us.

I am still struggling with the issue of God allowing mass shootings to go on. I feel like there is a lesson we are supposed to be learning and we are not learning it. For example there is no red flag law in Tennessee to prevent troubled people from purchasing weapons or keeping current guns in their possession. May be this case is another example that lawmakers need to make better choices too. Something like red flag laws should be federal law not just up to each state. That’s just my opinion of course. There is just too much inconsistency when it comes to guns in America.

So I’m glad I was able to talk to Emily and the other ladies in Bible study last night about Gods Grace when it comes to tragedy. There have been all kinds lately to include weather related. The people in Mississippi who lost their lives and or homes to tornados. I wonder what God wants us to learn about that or is it beyond God and a combination of man -made factors – climate change for example. I don’t think anybody is completely ready for something like a tornado. I know when we had one when we lived in Texas it took us by surprise even with the weather service warnings! We were grateful for our lives being spared and minimal damage to our property. It’s got to be hard to have everything destroyed like happened to the already poor in Mississippi. What is Gods plan for these unfortunates? I know after the tornado we had it pulled all of us neighbors closer together.

At the bottom of all tragedy, no matter what kind it is, what good can come from it? What can we learn about God and ourselves? We can choose to crumble or learn and rise above it wiser. It really helped me to hear fellow believers explain God as being a gentleman. We are given a choice and we don’t have to wait for tragedy, reaching our bottom in life, to choose Gods will for us. With these tragedies we are seeing the perpetrators are self will run riot. In cases like these mass shootings, fatally so. Passion takes over reason. I wonder if that shooter knew she was unconditionally loved by God if she still would have gone through with her plans.

28 March 2023 It Happened Again – Why?!

March 28, 2023 by saymber, posted in Bipolar life, Health, history, Home, human rights, In the News, Leading Life by Example, Mental Health, Politics and Government, Social media, Spirituality and Religion, Veteran Affairs, Writing and blogging

Hello to you. How are you? I am feeling a little overwhelmed by seeing yet another tragedy play out with the school shooting in Nashville Tennessee. No place seems to be sacred. I ask myself why God keeps allowing these to happen even in places of worship. People always retort the same answer, “free will.” If God knows everything, whatever is going to happen before it happens, how can there be free will? Why doesn’t God intervene somehow. The other answer I hear a lot is this is a fallen world we live in to which I ask why did Jesus die again? The answer is usually not everyone accepts Jesus as their savior and so they do things like what happened in Nashville and so many other places. I say access to guns, like this emotionally disturbed person had, makes it so easy for the disturbed and fallen to carry out these violent acts of free will. I ask God often why he allowed guns to be made at all! My life began with my mother ending her life with a gun. They always say if there wasn’t a gun they will find something else. At least the something else gives first responders more time. Time is what is lost with guns used by troubled people.

I like what the woman that asked the media if they are tired of covering school shooting stories. She asked a compelling question, “Why is this still happening” and said it’s just going to keep happening unless something is done. I read how easy it was for this troubled young woman to get her guns and hide them in her parents house.

America is sick with a gun culture. There are many responsible gun owners, I know several to include family and friends. I myself don’t own a gun nor should I with my history of mental health. I hate guns but for some it’s like collecting or buying something to support a hobby. A lot of people like to use guns to support their hunting hobby. Other people are buying guns out of self defense. The other day I saw a man open carrying a hand gun and I found myself feeling a bit unsettled. It would be so easy for somebody like that to turn such a weapon on people in the store. That’s what I thought when I saw it!

The argument that bugs me a lot is regarding good guys versus bad guys having guns. All it takes is one moment of passion to change a good guy to a bad guy. We are seeing it with cops a lot these days.

Something needs to be done from the federal level so that we get some consistency from place to place. Emotionally disturbed people should be a red flag at any place such a person could buy a gun. You shouldn’t be able to sell guns to the public without having the ability to run a background check. I think there needs to be an international database connected from mental health care providers and law enforcement that all places selling weapons would be required to check before selling someone a weapon. There is so much inconsistency in the process from one state to another – one store to another. So many troubled people fall through the cracks of our current systems. So many people with mental health issues are unable to get care and fly under accountabilities radar. I keep thinking of the sniper Chris Kyle who made the fatal decision of thinking taking a troubled vet with PTSD to a gun range was a good idea.

I have to wonder how much more bloodshed the American people are willing to accept? Idaho just signed into law that firing squads are ok to execute prisoners on death row! Seeing such actions make our country seem so barbaric. What I am concerned about is when innocent people are put up for execution.

So when all is said and done, with the system both divine and worldly as it is, I am praying for meaningful change not more empty rhetoric.