Tuesday, December 18, 2012

The irony of Newtown is who is now seen as the criminals.

The real irony in my opinion, is that America has gone from a time where we once isolated and institutionalized the mentally diseased and the mentally non functional, to a point where the recommended answer for the results of those failures of societal responsibility, is to seek to isolate legislate and punish and institutionalize the sane, the rational and law abiding citizens of this country. The law abiding are targeted for the crimes of those who should have been removed from society long ago.

We as a nation have decided to punish the producers and the law abiding and to reward those who are socially defiant, or mentally defective and those who provide absolutely no contributions to society.  

What is wrong with America? We have our moral values, our moral judgements and our individual accountability and responsibility to ourselves and our neighbors, completely back asswards.The egalitarian principle of blame someone else personified.

The following blog by a concerned mother is very insightful as to what is wrong and why and her insight clearly demonstrates how a beast like Adam Lanza in allowed to flourish unabated until he matures as a beast and wreaks havoc on innocent children. As she clearly points out, there are more Adam Lanzas still out there.

Thinking the Unthinkable

Michael holding a butterfly
In the wake of another horrific national tragedy, it’s easy to talk about guns. But it’s time to talk about mental illness.

Three days before 20 year-old Adam Lanza killed his mother, then opened fire on a classroom full of Connecticut kindergartners, my 13-year old son Michael (name changed) missed his bus because he was wearing the wrong color pants.

“I can wear these pants,” he said, his tone increasingly belligerent, the black-hole pupils of his eyes swallowing the blue irises.

“They are navy blue,” I told him. “Your school’s dress code says black or khaki pants only.”

“They told me I could wear these,” he insisted. “You’re a stupid bitch. I can wear whatever pants I want to. This is America. I have rights!”

“You can’t wear whatever pants you want to,” I said, my tone affable, reasonable. “And you definitely cannot call me a stupid bitch. You’re grounded from electronics for the rest of the day. Now get in the car, and I will take you to school.”

I live with a son who is mentally ill. I love my son. But he terrifies me.

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