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What is going on?

There has been so much notable news in the last few days I have to post about it. The Congressmen shootings, The Dispatch about individuals passing out in public places due to overdoses, and women being cut off or outshouted at even Congressional hearings. What is going on in our culture?

In the April 24 issue of The New York Times, the headline read,

Road Rage Cases With Guns More Than Double in 3 Years, Report Says

“There were at least 1,319 road rage episodes involving firearms during the three-year period examined, with at least 354 people wounded and 136 killed, The Trace reported.” (The Trace is the organization that did the study.)

We all know that we feel safe as our bodies are surrounded in the metal, plastic, and cloth of our cars. We all know that the gun laws have been relaxed in the last few years.  The most ridiculous one here in Ohio is you can carry a gun into a bar as long as you don’t drink. Sorry, I digress. But there is also a feeling, a mood shift.  The individual congressmen interviewed on CNN this morning were all asking for a “dialing down of the rhetoric from their peers and the news media.” But I have to ask. Why does it take such an extraordinary event to understand that citizens of all walks of life are swayed by what our public officials and media do?

Bullying

How many schools do you think have anti-bullying, no weapons, no tolerance policies? We have a wonderful group at our school called One Leg at a Time created by a fellow teacher Lori Povisil. Stressing an anti-bullying message they do so much good for our student population. I’m sure we are not the only school. So, what happens when young people go out into the world and become adults? Do they morph and forget the lessons? Are they overtly influenced by our elected officials? The news media?  Each other? Their workplace experiences?

Heroin Epidemic in Ohio (or everywhere)

It is generally accepted that teens do not have a complete capability to make solid decisions. Some individuals never quite grow into this capability. But here in Ohio, we seem to have a rash of individuals who do not make wise decisions in relation to drugs.

>http://www.dispatch.com/news/20170611/passed-out-addicts-show-up-in-theaters-restaurants-schools

Now I do have to say after I broke my ankle and the following surgery, I understood more why people after injuries become addicted to pain medication. After three months, I still feel pain. I will readily admit I am afraid of opiates.  I decided as soon as I could, I would not take pain meds.  Aleve is as heavy as I feel comfortable taking. When you are young, you feel immortal. I understand how students want to try, take risks. Adults want relief from stress or need excitement.  They both chase the “high”.  A former student was on Sixty Minutes a few years ago explaining her reasons and her journey with heroin and her recover. A few of my media students interviewed her so she could speak to our students specifically. Hanna’s best lesson she gave was “It will get you.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV55A0uK2_A&t=6s

No wonder women have issues

Now to my last point and the reason for this website,why is it still okay that men feel it is acceptable to silence women? History.com informs us the start of women suffrage started in 1848 with the first women’s right convention.  In July, it will be the ninety-second anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. But still, it took from 1848 to 1920 to pass the amendment by one vote. From there, the first woman to be elected to the Senate came in 1932. Twelve years. Ophelia Wyatt Caraway, was seated following the death of her husband and then gained the seat by election.
Following the death of a spouse soon became the classic way for a woman to be elected.

Just a few years ago, Congress finally showed some semblance of being used to the idea of a female presence when in 2011,a female restroom was installed near the House floor. Before this, the women of the House had to walk to the Senate side to visit the two-stall women’s restroom,  which was installed in 1992. (It has been enlarged now to four stalls.)

Okay, all that aside. Respect has to be granted to women everywhere. When Senator Elizabeth Warren (doesn’t matter what you think of her) tried to read into record the letter of Coretta Scott King where King mentions issues with then Senator, now Attorney General Jeff Sessions, she was silenced by a vote. Later, however, Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Jeff Merkley of Oregon were allowed to read the very same letter into the record.

The latest public incident was this week when Senator Kamala Harris was interviewing Attorney General Jeff Sessions concerning the hearings on Russian interference in our 2016 election. I’ll let you read that one for yourself.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/06/14/prosecutor-kamala-harris-doggedness-was-praised-senator-she-deemed-hysterical/fmGGu870osoeQHkLL4NVDN/story.html?event=event25?event=event25

Have you ever had the experience of being talked over?

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