Tragedy at Virginia Tech and Gun Laws

April 19, 2007

First and foremost, I want to express my deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the Virginia Tech students who so senselessly lost their lives. How unlucky. And how wrong.

In the midst of grappling with pointless loss, I have been wrestling with other issues that have emerged from this tragedy: the seriousness of mental illness, safety on school campuses, privacy rights and, most noteably for me, gun laws.

I believe in a person's right to protect him or herself. I believe that citizens have the right to protect themselves against unjust government. But I do not believe that a 23 year old kid has the right to buy two semiautomatic weapons with enough ammunition to last a year with such ease.

It just seems like common sense to me. Why is it easier to buy a gun than it is to volunteer? Seriously. Most volunteer programs have an application, a background check, and training. Some even require interviews and letters of recommendation. If I have to do that to serve people soup, I should definitely have to do that if I want to own a gun. Actually, I should have to do that to own a gun no matter what! Newsflash: Guns are really dangerous! Having an interview with a trained mental health professional and taking a safety course with a law enforcement professional before one can obtain a firearm seems like a good idea to me.

But maybe I don't even think people need semiautomatic or automatic weaponry to defend themselves. I know the argument that you can't stop the good guys (sane, ordinary citizens) from having guns becuase the bad guys (insane murderers/criminals) will still have them. But aren't there other means for defense?

There are lots of other facets to this issue and I am curious what you think. Let me know.

Also, for interesting facts and figures check out: http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=59
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

Big Opening - Marriage

April 13, 2007

Today I launch Culturize. My hope is to create a portal for rich discussion on the world around us. Basically, what I think about people and stuff and what you all think about people and stuff.

I hope it will be fun!

Today's topic will be Marriage, in honor of my mom and dad's 32nd anniversary. What does it take for a marriage to last and not be completely miserable? Obviously, there are many factors that vary between couples, but what are the fundamental requirements? Here's my guess (I am not married):

1. Luck
2. Optimism
3. Committment
3. Respect
4. Responsibility
5. Affection

What do you think?