Tag: trump

Not that

John Corrigan

There is a lot of gun violence in the United States. It is the middle of October and as of September there were over 500 mass shootings in the United States. If by a miracle there were no more mass shootings in the United States this year there have already been more mass shootings in the United States then there have been days in the year. For one reason or another more people than I have ever imagined commit some pretty awful crimes against life and it is very temnpting to simply “write off” these people and call them monsters but that are not monsters are they?

I think it was Oprah Winfrey who did an interview with the father of Jeffery Dahmer. Jeffery Dahmer was a serial killer who, killed seventeen men and then ate the bodies of the men. There is a Netflix documentary about Jeffery Dahmer called Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, I actually have not watched it yet but plan to. Even in the name of documentary/ miniseries the word monster is used but I remember when Oprah was interviewing Lionel (Jeffs dad) thinking that this is a son who did these monstrous things.

See to “write off” monstrous actions from members of a society does society and all its members an injustice and does not provide a good path forward as a species. In the Oprah interview Lionel mentions how he wishes of course that he had paid more attention to Jefferies development and how he failed to see what are now considered to be red flags when Jeffery was as young as 4 years old.

Jeffery Dahmer died in prison. Prison is a quick answer for the people that a society “writes off” as monsters and usually does not involve research understanding or growth for a society.

Generally speaking, punishment makes men hard and cold; it concentrates; it sharpens the feeling of alienation; it strengthens the power of resistance

 Friedrich Nietzsche, On the Genealogy of Morals / Ecce Homo

Here in the United States we love to lock people up and hurt them especially when we have deemed them monsters. Here in the United States we also love to call people monsters.

I no doubt agree that the actions of Jeffery Dahmer and other criminals are monstrous however I cannot agree that Jeffery Dahmer and other criminals are monsters because they are not they are people. It is far to easy and destructive to call a criminal a monster throw them and jail and go on about our lives like this is ok it is not. Human beings have to work together somehow (especially in the United States) or the species will not survive and we are not working together when one group has no issue with calling another group monsters and locking up or killing them by the thousands.

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Election season seems to never stop in the United States something you may wish to look for when participating in that election season is a politician that at least gives some lip service to rehabilitation and reform in the justice system.

Out of the storm

John Corrigan

2008 – 2009 was a pretty tumultuous year for the financial world. The housing market bubble burst, many were homeless and jobless. The United Stats government had to step in and bailout the major banks with billions of dollars.

It was the beginning of the great recession. Since 1948 there have been 11 economic recessions. A recession is an era of economic decline A recession requires to consecutive quarters of decline if there is only one quarter of decline it is just a contraction. Most economies experience contractions and recessions.

Recessions are more notable in the history of an economy because, of the damage and unemployment that comes with recessions.

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Employment provides much for the employer. Through employment people find, a salary to use money to feed their family, health benefits (at least in the United States), purpose and social interactions. To loose in one fell swoop money, health benefits, purpose and social interactions is jarring and traumatic and I think this is why comparing a recession to a storm is apt. Recessions are bleak and can lead to depression, during most recessions suicide rates rise! How can we weather these storms.

It is possible to not only survive recessions but some have come out of recessions even stronger, Microsoft, Electronic Arts, iRobot, Airbnb, Slack, WhatsAp, Square, Uber, Instagram and Pinterest were all founded during recessions.

The recession storms are not good but, if you can find a way to get money, health benefits, social interactions and purpose outside of your workplace you may discover that, surviving or even thriving during a recession is more likely what happens.

Most people spend forty hours a week at work, and it can be tempting and easy to use work to develop our social structures. When this is done however we run the risk of the storm taking away everything. It can be exhausting but rewarding now and in the future. Building a robust and fulfilling social life is and should be a big part of our mental health. Brunch with friends and rotary meetings are more than just alcohol breakfast and gossip sessions they are mental health work outs.

It takes all of Us

John Corrigan

For as long as I can remember I have been a comic book fan. I love the stories, the art, the heroes and the villain’s. In a good comic book it all comes together for an enjoyable read. A real treat.

Most comic books feature a main protagonist, their name is usually plastered on the front of the magazine. The worlds our heroes protect and villain’s terrorize are mythical landscapes some are dystopian style and others are more balanced but in almost every comic book the villain is awful in their deeds. Some comic books have taken strides in humanizing their villains’ through back stories but still the actions of the villain’s are big. What the villains do gives the protagonist a mountain to climb and provides drama that propels the story forward. In the new comic book from DC Superman:Son of Kal-El. Jon Kent son of superman and Louis Lane does take on some real life villains like climate change, as well as a pretty bogus villain that was just introduced this month, and in the Marvel property The Black Panther, our heroes take on racism’s as well as the heinous villains. In the comic book Superman Lex Luthor the CEO of Lexcorp ran for and became president of the United States. Lex Luthor Divested from his company and made Talia Al Ghul the president of Lexcorp. Donald Trump never divested from his company while he was president, so the writers could not even imagine a world where someone would be as awful a president as Donald Trump was.

In the comic books good always wins, this is also true for the real world however in most comic books our protagonists defeat good on their own or with a partner, this is not how it works in the real world. To defeat evil or bad things we all have to work together. We can’t strap on a cap and eradicate diseases, poverty, climate change or crime.

Right now the world is experiencing a health pandemic with Covid 19. The last case of Polio in the United states was recorded in 1979. The scientists worked together with the doctors to craft a vaccination against Polio. The hospitals worked with communities to administer the vaccine and the citizens took the vaccine. Right now scientists and hospitals have done their part now it is time to step up and do ours. We have to get vaccinated. Herd immunity is essentially a myth. The mythical nature of herd immunity is being proven with the Delta variant of Covid 19. We have proof in nations that have not embraced the Polio vaccine like the United States that without a majority of citizens doing the right thing through vaccination we will never beat this villain. Afghanistan and Pakistan have been vaccine hesitant with the Polio vaccine and Polio still exists there unfortunately it seems that the children suffer the most.

There was just another story this morning on the news about a healthy college student Freshman that would not get vaccinated who died from Covid 19. If you love your children, grandchildren, family and neighbors it seems like you would jump at the chance to be a hero.

If you have already been vaccinated I salute you and thank you for doing your part you are a hero. If you haven’t been vaccinated I implore you to be brave. Joshua 1:9 Tells us to be brave and of good courage. Roll up your selves and get the jab.

This link will give you more information on where and how to get vaccinated.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/How-Do-I-Get-a-COVID-19-Vaccine.html?s_cid=10518:%2Bwhere%20%2Bcan%20%2BI%20%2Bget%20%2Bthe%20%2Bcovid%20%2Bvaccine:sem.b:p:RG:GM:gen:PTN:FY21

Its free and pretty quick. It is a small step for man but a leap for humanity. Be a hero get vaccinated