Wrong Way, America

With bold statements and just reasons, this editorial from USA Today truly shocked me with the news of Congress killing a bill to have stricter gun control for individuals with a mental illness. Although I believe the author is communicating and reaching out to all Americans about the issue of permitting guns to be sold to people with mental disorders and disabilities, the intended audience appears to be aimed at any individuals with a mental illness. The peice reiterates the point that the bill is not intended to “wrongly stigmatize everyone who suffers from mental illness”, but points out the facts that several, if not most gun violence has been associated with people who suffer from a mental illness. The editorial I read did not have a specific author, but The Editorial Board is credited from USA Today. USA Today is a reliable news source with more than capable staff on The Editorial Board. For example, Bill Sternberg, an editor for several years has covered some of the most well-known stories in the past decade including the Clinton impeachment scandal, September 11 terrorist attacks and the 2000 election recount. Sternberg and his editorial team state that people with a mental disability should not be able to access guns, being that many shootings in America have been a result of easy purchases of firearms while living with a mental illness and that the “definition of insanity is making guns more accessible to disturbed individuals”.  I agree with the logic that although people with mental sicknesses have just the same amount of rights as any other being, safety is vital and it should be more difficult for those individuals to purchase a gun. I am a supporter of the second amendment, yet I believe in strengthening the control of the sales and permits involved with firearms. This editorial piece was very constructive and thorough in identifying all claims made by backing up statements with evidence and speaking on refuting perspectives. 

DAPL-ease No

A topic that certainly is an emotional roller-coaster has begun to spiral downward during the recent construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, expected to be finished within three months after “Donald Trump formally backed the [DAPL] project last month in one of his first acts as US president” (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38915797). Although this construction is interfering with private land, an easement has been received, permitting companies to work on the private land. Native American Tribes have united after feuding for several years to protest the installation due to possible contamination of water and infringing on sacred land that belongs to the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe. BBC’s coverage on the Dakota Access Pipeline is easy to follow and engages readers emotionally and of course, politically. I encourage everyone to keep up with the story to be well informed of this issue.