ClydeStyle

Category: Blame

  • History repeats, and we still miss the message

    This is blog 3 of 5 in the history series, and the question today is how you feel about it.

    So, a few weeks back, we had another mass shooting of sorts, his time on a military base in Georgia. As of July 31, 2025, there have been 268 mass shootings in the United States, resulting in 262 fatalities and 1,161 injuries. Several daily newspapers are keeping count.

    Clearly, the media is not reporting all of them, I would imagine, because they don’t want to scare the public.

    The worst part of the shootings over than the deaths would be the lack of action taken by Congress to produce laws to make us safer.

    During the organized crime epidemic of the 1920s and 30s, we not only had mass shootings, but the police had a difficult time dealing with criminals with Tommy guns.

    So, in 1934, the National Firearms Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This act put a huge tax on civilian ownership, which discouraged sales.

    With so many mass shootings now and the fact that automatic weapons are being used in most cases, we need stricter gun laws. However, the gun lobby has deep pockets, and America’s greed has allowed its votes to be bought for the right price.

    This all means that we have had the answer of what o do about gun violence since 1934. We’re not doing it because our lawmakers have sold their souls for profit and purchased a one-way ticket to hell!

    Can you imagine saying to the parents of the Uvalde, TX school shooting, “Sorry, but the lobbyists gave me a six-figure check for my vote.”

    Clearly, we now have the wrong people in government, and they have completely violated our trust. Voting won’t ever fix this mess because both political parties are guilty. We desperately need an intervention that doesn’t destroy our land.

  • Immigration isn’t everybody’s issue

    If you looked up, fear mongering in the dictionary, you would see a picture of old Uncle Sam because America’s preferred use of getting a reaction from its citizens is always fear. Politicians and talking heads often want to inform the general public what they are afraid of, and lately immigration is high on the list.

    It seems that the “powers that be” like to use the “magic” approach to politics. They like to distract you with the right hand while stealing from you with the left. Today, that right hand wants us to be concerned about border security. Why?

    We are told that migrant crime is high. It is not. We are told that they will take all of the good jobs. False. Mexico is dumping its prisoners on us. There are far more women and children coming over.

    There are always going to be poverty crimes because you have poor people. So, it makes sense that poor migrants will commit petty crimes at times. The jobs that they work are definitely jobs that Americans would not take. You can tell that our government doesn’t really want to fix this problem based on the amount of help wanted signs at the border. You could leave Mexico on the right day at the right time and have a job in the US within 48 hours.

    But why is this such a big issue or better, what are we avoiding by spending the time talking about this? Well, nothing has been done about the criminal justice system. We still have people in prison for cannabis in places where it is now legal. Nothing has been done about voter suppression. There have been attempts to dump student loan debt, but nothing concrete. And let’s not even begin the conversation on reparations.

    The more we talk about immigration, the less we spend on issues that really matter. If Congress was paid based on the work they completed, our Congress would go broke.

    We must not let what matters to us die on someone’s desk in Washington. We need to make a statement with our voting and even seek even greater ways to get our positions heard.

  • Leave your bitterness behind

    Some things need to be left in last year. The “newness” of the New Year is preserved in our excitement to go forward with great anticipation.

    Bitterness tends to start slow and stay very long. It slips up on you and haunts you. From moment to moment, bitterness can creep in and change your mood, make you irritable, and steal your joy.

    Bitterness is when you suffer a disappointing experience or you have been treated unfairly. Bitterness is the feeling you get as you continue to be angry about it.

    Many people are living with their bitterness. America gives you a lot to be better about. There are some who believe that certain politicians are making laws against them. Some believe the government is giving away the good jobs to immigrants. Some believe in multiple conspiracies that will negatively affect their life. Some believe the criminal justice system is unfair. Others believe there is systemic racism that has greatly affected their growth. Still, others believe religion has harmed them, and you can’t trust the police.

    Whether these things are true for you or not doesn’t matter, the point here is that all of these things would cause bitterness. So the following are three steps to help with your bitterness.

    1) Put a price on your time and energy. It is extremely unproductive to continue repeating what has happened or sharing it with folks who haven’t heard. This doesn’t change the experience, it only keeps you married to it.

    2) Confront to source. If someone has wronged you, it may be time to tell them how you feel about what happened.

    3) Ask yourself why. You need to know why this is important to you. Why you can’t get past it. And why didn’t you see this coming.

  • Politics as usual: They don’t really care about us

    Things are ramping up for the 2024 elections, and in every election year, politicians attempt to tell us what really is important. Their talking points start off with, “The American people want this…” Make no mistake, the elections are never for the American people. In a democracy, elections are used to make the people believe they have a say or control of what is happening in their country.

    Talking points work like worms against a fish. Politicians debate and talk about topics that interest the general population, but never are these things changeable. For example, President Joe Biden, who is the architect of the 94′ crimes bill responsible for putting millions of minorities in prison, went on the radio show The Breakfast Club and said if Black people did not vote for him, they weren’t Black. He talked about police shooting unarmed Black people was a problem; he talked about voting rights being a priority; he talked about the criminal justice system being a problem, but they didn’t make his radar once he was elected.

    What Biden did is what every Democrat does: Their interest is not in helping minorities but in helping the base. Republicans are the same with favoring their base. The problem is the majority of the people in both bases are white!

    So then brown people continue to struggle with immigration and black people struggle with everything else. Doing things for the masses or serving you base doesn’t scratch the surface of the people for minorities.

    When I say minorities, I am talking about people in America who make under 80k per year. The best part of America is the ability to earn money. A sample of all races is earning money in America, but the overwhelming majority of Americans are struggling. I am specifically saying that there is not much being done to help their situations. Some temporary Covid protocols made a difference for a short while, but these benefits don’t compare to the benefits given to citizens in other countries.

    So after each election, politicians prove to the masses that they don’t care about us. We should begin hearing about the “big scare” that the democrats do every election year to cause fear among the people of the dangers of not voting democrat. The Republicans do they same thing on their side, and while the fear is increased, the benefits for the poor decrease. Don’t think this is a racial divide because it isn’t. This divides us by class.

    The greatest vote you can make to a politician is to contribute money to their campaign because that’s who will be satisfied with the win. Imagine if you are a politician and one constituent gives you $50, and another gives you $1000 per month. Who would you listen to?

    Until this system changes, the common man will always get the shaft during the elections.

  • The art of making sense

    We seem to have a problem in our country with making sense, and it has nothing to do, per se, with not knowing. It I wrapped in the choices we make.

    You have to actually work harder to not make sense. Making sense entails processing truth in a way that demonstrates you understand it. Then, you can actualize with it or apply that truth to life. There are several things that hinder this process. Jealousy, envy, bias, hatred, prejudice, misunderstanding, revenge, and strife are some of the catalysts that prevent us from making sense.

    In recent years, we have struggled to make sense of the “me too” movement. Although it was horrible how women have been treated in our country and how they have been used as sex symbols, in pornography and in other ways to pleasure men, we took no responsibility for that. In a time when many women gave in and used sex to get what they wanted, men could not tell them a part from their counterparts who had were not will to play. Then, men decided that it was just easier to drug the woman and get what you wanted from her.

    It said that in this country, women were still treated like chattel, and many allowed themselves to be. It’s as if women liberation hadn’t existed. Women’s lib made the same mistake the Civil Rights Movement did, and the Gay Rights Movement is making. All three should have not been asking for equality, but a seat at the table. They needed to get on the ground floor of decision-making so that their interest could be guaranteed. All they did was trust that their oppressors would start “acting right” because of the movements — senseless.

    So all three groups are still fighting for the promise of equality they are already supposed to have. Had they gotten a seat at the table – meaning then needed representation in government. And they would have to be placed there because a biased country wouldn’t vote them there. We may have even had to expand Congress to 535 members, but those spots could have been reserved for these interests groups. Clearly, it makes know sense to trust your oppressor with fairness. If that were in them, they would have stopped on their own.

    Trust needs to make sense. Do you trust a rabid dog? Do you trust a fox not bother any eggs while he’s hanging out in the hen house? Would you let a pedophile watch you kids? Would you let a stranger hold your purse or wallet?

    Can you see and understand the truth when it comes your way? Water is always wet. Boulders will always be heavy. Fresh coffee is hot. Humans are flawed. Greed greatly hinders many good things in America from happening.

    Am I making sense?

  • What’s up with the fresh fruit in the US?

    We are being grossly short-changed in our fruit consumption. We pay more for produce than any other nation in the world. Much like healthcare, we are charged the highest price possible, and the purchase is nowhere near the quality.

    We are told that fresh produce costs more to farm than processed foods. So for that reason we are paying a little more for our fresh produce. The problem with this is that 70 percent of our produce comes from California. Arizona and Washington are second and third, respectively, but why? There is a huge difference in living in the South than the North when it comes to produce.

    Although some produce is imported, most of the in-season fruit is grown in the South but not shared across the country. South Carolina and Florida grow very nice watermelon, but if you live in Michigan, you can only get what is shipped from Mexico. You have to really search the farmer’s markets to get something more fresh, but all the commercial grocers have horrible fruit.

    When fruit ripens, the sugar to liquid ratio increases, which is what makes it sweet. Because our government has chosen to ship our fruit from overseas, our fruit has to be picked well before it ripens so that it is more solid and hard so it can make the trip over here. By the time you are washing it off at home, all you have is some strawberry imposter that can’t get any sweeter.

    This placebo effect for produce does not have the nutrients, taste, smell, or vibrance that it had in the 70s.

    You really don’t know how bad this is until you travel outside of the country. Jamaica has more than 30 fruits grown there. Some I had never heard of, but all were absolutely delicious! Not only was the taste amazing but the cost was ridiculous! On welfare, I would be able to afford a bounty of it all.

    In totalitarian regimes, people eat what they are told they can eat. In a democracy, “we the people” are supposed to decide what they consume. I don’t know what to call what we have in America – I just not that it is worse than the other two.

  • El Paso shooter gets 90 consecutive life sentences. For what?

    One of the many mass shooters in America recently went through sentencing for shooting up a Walmart, killing 20 plus people and wounding many others. We were outraged when we heard about it, and the usual things were said, like, is the shooter dead? Did they identify the dead? What type of weapon was used? Was he a formal employee of Walmart?

    Prayers and thoughts were sent out by millions who heard about the deaths and conversations began around the country regarding whether the death penalty should be brought back and when we would get stiffer gun laws.

    Chatter, then begins to die down until the next shooting kindles it back up. Finally, the El Paso shooter gets sentenced, and it took multiple days to do it. Our country is so juvenile when it comes to things like this. Although his court days are far from over, he was sentenced to 90 consecutive life sentences. Why? It’s almost like each sentence was a shot to his head, and the person with the trigger just kept pulling it to the tune of 90 consecutive life sentences.

    What is the purpose of this? It won’t bring anyone back to life. It is not even equal punishment. And rehabilitation is definitely not an agenda item here. We’ll just toss out life sentences like coupons and hope that they satisfy the families of the deceased.

    This is madness. Of course, we need tougher gun laws. In fact, we need to eliminate guns from our society, but that won’t happen because there is money to be made selling guns.

    Until we begin to look at our crimes as a mirror and see who we truly are instead of acting as if those criminals are just “bad apples,” we will continue to lack the compassion it takes to heal and rehabilitate the under belly of our society. These shooters did not plan to be mass shooters in kindergarten. It’s not an excuse, but circumstances happened, and we could trace back through the lives of the shooters and find the points of trouble.

    Stricter penalties like death have proven to be abusive, and many die who are innocent, especially those of color. We need to change the narrative in America by acknowledging our sins and fighting injustice where it occurs. If not, eventually, we will all be killed in a mass shooter attack or be in jail for 90 consecutive life sentences as the shooter.

  • Judges Thomas and Alito are just the tip of the iceberg

    Life constantly proves that we are flawed. As a part of our moral development, we should seek to excel in integrity, goodness, truth, and character, but we have lost our way.

    If we can no longer expect our Supreme Court justices to be honest, how can we expect it in other courts? It seems that there is always a problem when people don’t speak out against injustice. We made that a habit in our country, and it still hinders us today.

    The only thing needed to start a revolution after slavery ended would have been for whites to stand up and acknowledge wrongdoing. If some would have just called it as they saw it because never is it ok to make people property.

    During the Civil Rights movement, our legislative, judicial, and executive branches had a golden opportunity to move our country light years ahead by simply speaking up for what is right! Today, there are horrible police practices that many police, if they were not guilty themselves, could denounce as evil, but they stand silent. Some of the districts that our children are supposed to be educated in are failing. Some of that failure is “teacher failure,” but no one is saying that. Prison conditions in America are deplorable, and very little is being done to change it. Veterans still don’t have all of their promised benefits, but again, we are quiet.

    It’s hard to name an area of interest that isn’t corrupt. Pastors in churches are taking advantage, and some are even getting paid to sell a bad version of hope. And even in the presidency — from Trump to Biden — there are major struggles with integrity and truthfulness.

    Sadly, it seems that we declared independence from the wrong things. Where we should have set ourselves free from lies, laziness, selfishness, and bigotry, we embraced these and would go on to forsake fairness, honor, moral virtue, and serving others. Our freedoms are not for the better but the worse in America. We are free to dishonor our constitution and look out for number one — self!

    There are more justices guilty. We will see more police brutality, bad teachers, and corrupt politicians. And unless there is accountability being enforced, America will implode from within. We won’t have to worry about foreign enemies destroying us. We’re killing ourselves.

  • Have gun, will travel

    This phrase from the 50s is all about being ready to do anything. There was even a show about it back then, but the makers of this show would have never imagined that their callous attitude about the use of guns would be trumped by the views held currently about gun use.

    I wonder how many folks believe the founding fathers were thinking of automatic weapons when they wrote in the constitution for us to have the right to bear arms?

    What is more scary is that in recent months, there have been some really senseless shootings. There have been people shot for going to the wrong house, getting in the wrong car, standing around doing nothing, and going to a sweet 16 party. It seems as though the school shootings, church shootings, and other mass shootings are old news.

    Have we gotten bored with shootings?

    And then, Congress can’t seem to find the courage to solve this very simple problem. The answer is not as easy as changing gun laws or even outlawing certain guns because there are too many guns available.

    If we take the position that we all have to die of something or you feel that as long as it is not your kid getting shot, then who cares? It is easy to see how votes can be purchased for a price, and the NRA has deep pockets. Their average spending is around 3.2 million per year, buying the votes of senators and other law makers.

    The level of hypocrisy has to stop. Clearly, the answer will not come on a federal level. It has to take place state by state. Local organizing is the answer, and the time to do it is now. Have political power, will travel!

  • We have problems we don’t want to be fixed

    Last month Tyre Nichols was funeralized in the usual fashion of a victim of police violence. Al Sharpton did the Eulogy. Various dignitaries spoke out against police violence including Vice President Kamala Harris. We always talk a good game when these things happen but history has shown that when a problem can easily be fixed and we don’t take the steps to correct the problem, then the truth is we don’t want to fix the problem.

    America rules the world in violence and in creating weapons for violence. One of the many lessons we should have learned from our civil war is that we were not mature enough and do not value life enough to use weapons. We should have learned that our nation is not stable and we will always turn these weapons against ourselves.

    When the drugs that our government poured into urban areas back in the 80s got out of hand (which was the plan), we created the war on drugs and we put many Black and Brown men in prison. Even though cocaine was heavily used in the suburbs by whites, they could possess 280 grams of cocaine and a Black person could have the same amount of crack cocaine (or any drug), and the person of color would automatically get 10 years in prison even if that was their first offense. The reason? Mandatory minimums. This is a rule by Congress to stop the trafficking of certain drugs in urban areas and a judge had no choice but to enforce the mandatory minimum.

    With guns and policing this principle of mandatory minimums would deter crimes if they are enforced. What if you were a gun owner and your son took one of your guns and shot up his school? If the gun owner would suffer a mandatory minimum of 10 years, I would bet his son would never get near his guns. Or what if the seller of the gun was held accountable? There would be no shortcuts in background checks then.

    What if police officers got mandatory minimums for lying on their reports? Ten years for falsified documents, 3 years for not turning on your body camera, and 5 years for witnessing any wrongdoing by an officer and not reporting it or intervening to stop it. Shooting an unarmed suspect when you should have used any number of non-lethal options like pepper spray, tasers, and nightsticks should be a mandatory 20 years. There would instantly be a great decrease in police shootings and school shootings if this plan was implemented.

    Of course, the best plan would be to get rid of handguns and automatic weapons for good. The police would not need to carry them and they could adopt the same plan Japan has. In 1989 they had their last mass shooting by banning weapons for civilians. Their police force carries no weapons but they all have been trained in martial arts. When will our government feel that we are too civilized for weapons?

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