Now, I am Scared
We Really Need to Talk and Listen
One of the questions, most often put before me, when I was younger and interaction with Cuba was much more restricted, was why did the Cuban people, not fight Fidel Castro, when he declared the Revolution to be communist and completely abandoned every ideal he had said he was fighting to implement.
It was a good question; especially given the Cuban character and our history of fighting oppression.
I went to my expert, my Father, to find an answer. He told me that after years of fighting, away from their families and for so many, unable to continue to manage their financial affairs, when the Revolution was over, Fidel told the warriors that in order to be paid for their services they would have to turn in their guns. It was a brilliantly diabolic move; the people with the most experience and willingness to actively fight for what they believed in were suddenly unarmed. I remember reading an article about how even the soldiers / police who stood post, when Fidel appeared in public, carried guns without ammunition, because he did not trust that one of people would not turn against him and given the opportunity – shoot!
Undoubtedly we need to have a meaningful discussion, in our nation, regarding gun violence. People should be able to go to school, church, movie theaters, concerts, nightclubs, work . . . without having to worry if they are going to be shot or blown up by an evil person who does not have the ability to address their own issues or who chooses to kill instead of engage in a meaningful dialogue to find a solution to whatever it is that ails them. However, as citizens of a nation born in sacrifice and the blood shed of true patriots, we need to not lose sight of the stakes on the table.
Our nation could well be at a precipice, from which there will be no return; we must engage in a rational conversation, which means not only are we speaking but listening. This should not be a conversation about winning or losing, but rather about all of our best interest.
I am not okay with a former Supreme Court Justice calling for the repeal of the Second Amendment – that is not the solution. I believe in the right to bear arms and I believe in the right to defend my loved ones, myself, my home, and my nation; however, I do not believe that people who we do not think are mature enough to drink alcohol should be able to buy lethal weapons. I am not threatened by background checks, I do not think sociopaths should own guns; and I do not know why anyone needs a machine gun. Folks we need to find more than a few compromises, because at the end of the day, we all want to be safe!
