Why?

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST IS A RESULT OF MY RIGHT WING, FASCIST FAMILY AND AN EMAIL I RECEIVED THIS MORNING. REPUBLICANS BE WARNED.

Fucking goddamn right wing extremists. I’ve shot guns. Grew up shooting weapons, as a matter of fact. My dad thought it was necessary. I never got a thrill from it, it never made me feel like I was someone ‘big’. It was just loud and violent. As an adult, I’ve never had occasion to need a gun…though had I had one, it may have been pulled a few times and who knows? Maybe I would have killed someone with it. It sure as fuck wasn’t necessary in my life. It will never BE necessary in my life. I don’t need something that makes killing easier. I don’t want to kill an innocent animal. I don’t want to kill any person (though I WOULD be tempted).

And I’ve never understood people like my brother or my uncle, who are so hard right that they fully believe the ‘you can take my gun out of my cold dead hands’ motto. Do you fanatics really think that a hand gun, a shot gun, or even a semi-automatic is gonna make any difference? Honey, those soldiers aren’t gonna show up on your door. They’ll send a drone to bomb you. You’ll never see a face to shoot at. So what the fuck?

You think you’re safe with a gun? You’re not. You’re far more likely to be killed by that weapon than be saved by it.

Let me tear down a few lies here. ‘Cause I was told that the in Europe no one could own a gun. In Europe, the army roamed the streets in full combat gear with machine guns. In Europe, people were helpless if anything should ever happen.

Plenty of people own guns here, and most are farmers. Each country should know; guns are registered. And once in a while – even here in sleepy Holland – a civilian gets shot and killed. The numbers are way low in comparison to the states. I believe that’s due to the difference of how easy and available weapons are in Europe vs the states. There isn’t a gun shop on every corner, in every town, with a huge selection of weapons. Truth is, I don’t know where a person would buy a gun – and I’m so fucking happy about that. There’s no corner store I can point to and say ‘yes, I’m pissed off; let’s buy a gun’. I’m sure there are illegal ways to get a gun; there always are. But there’s no easy access, no walking out of a bank after opening an account with a new rifle. I think that makes a HUGE difference, and baby, I’m living it. I am not afraid here of someone pulling a gun on me. I can’t say that in the states.

As for that passing by fully weaponized police or army on every street corner, I’ve heard the states is far closer to that right now than here. Of course I’ve seen authority figures with weapons. Of course I’ve seen some army guys with guns. The Netherlands hasn’t been hit by any big horror, but we’ve had one or two scares. But guys with helmets and machine guns are NOT standing on every street corner. And even if they did stand on every corner, I’d bet my last buck that I’d still be able to approach and speak to them and get a civil answer. I wouldn’t have to hold my hands up and say ‘don’t shoot’.

While I can’t condone anything that’s been going on in Turkey, I can say this: the civilians there pulled the army out of TANKS – without weapons. They just did it en masse. They had hands, and planks of wood, and stones. I didn’t see anyone walking around with a gun, pointing it at this person or that person. People were killed. Weapons were fired. But the coup failed because citizens just said no. It didn’t take guns to do that. Yes, I know forces loyal to the current regime were a major player in some of the skirmishes. Not all. And the video of the people stopping the tanks and overtaking them – that’s powerful. Very powerful. I didn’t see one fucking gun in any of those shots. Not one (other than the tank itself). Obviously, you don’t need weapons to stop a tank.

What is it about America and violence? The puritan paranoia from old? Why are there so many people who commit their lives to violence – not just in deed, but in thought and in word? Why are there so few negotiators and peace makers?

As an expat, I can tell you this: Americans are brain washed. America has this way of closing off borders without needing walls. Maps stop at Canada and Mexico (hell, WEATHER doesn’t even exist outside the good ol’ US). I’ve seen those US news reports; grew up with them. The spin they put on things. The subtle messaging, day in and day out. It took me at least 5 years to crack the box my head was put in by American propaganda. To learn the TRUTH.

The United States sucks. I’m not talking about the basic principles laid out in the Constitution or Bill of Rights, I’m talking about the daily execution of those ‘principles’. Everyone gets stuck on certain aspects; freedom of religion, free speech, right to bear arms. And oh, goddess! Why are you treating these old pieces of paper like holy relics? They’re badly written. ‘Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness’. What the fuck is THAT supposed to mean? That it’s okay for a serial killer to do his thing ’cause that’s what makes him HAPPY?

Can you imagine living in a place where most of the population is happy and satisfied with life? I can; I’m here. Why isn’t the world looking to Malta, one tiny place with a very happy populace? Or Denmark? Or even here, in the Netherlands?

Why do we lead with violence and hate?

And why do we make it so damned easy to kill each other?