But, to know if what I just said is racist, we must go to work in a country that has anything but English for a language but, where all the other variables are the same, like being overworked and under the gun.
Category: Legal
The American Prison System
The Prison System In America When it comes to the prison system in this country, there is no doubt that many would agree that it is a big problem. As it goes to show, the prison population in America is growing by exponential numbers every single day, and there is no signs of it stopping anytime soon. According to the website www.prospect.org, in the year 1992, there were 1.3 million inmates in America, and just one decade later,an increase of one million more. That means, by the year 2011, there was a prison population in America of 7 million people,, a number which is astronomical and very alarming . So the question remains, why is the prison population in this country escalating so much?, and, Is there anything that we can do to stop it once and for all? Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut answers to these important questions, and most of the reasons given by experts about why the prison population is growing at such high amounts are both varied and extremely convoluted. Some experts claim that the reason for the increase in inmates in this country, especially during the past decade, is due to the laxity on important laws that should be even harder, while other experts out there claim that the reason for the increasing prison population in this country is due to the dire and harsh upbringings of many Americans, especially those who happened to grow up in rural and poverty-stricken communities. Additionally, there are other experts that speak on the war on drugs as being one of the main reasons for the rise in inmates in this country, as well as the fact that we, as a society, are full of violence, crime, and poverty. And sadly, there seems to be no consensus, there is no real concrete evidence or answers explaining why the prison population in this country seems to just be growing and growing by the day. But, with that being said, the reality is that there should be a way to control these rising inmate numbers, or else dire consequences will start to surface even more, such as rising tax rates for the public, broken families of the inmates themselves, poverty-stricken communities due to released inmates not being able to find a job, and much, much more. Thankfully, there is a silver lining to all of these rising inmate numbers in this country, and that is that there has been a strong decline in crime within the past decade. Statistics have shown that crime rates were at their highest during the mid 1990’s, and have dropped ever since. And, this decline comes after the rise in crime that was clear for the previous three decades, before the peak ever occurred during the 1990’s. Consequently, there are a few reasons why people think that crime is declining. Some say that it is because of stricter and more policing rules, as well as less crack use and sales in this country, and even due to lower lead levels in the environment that once were much more prevalent. But of course, all of this is pure speculation. No one really knows why crime rates have fallen in the past decade, but whatever the reason is, crime rates have indeed declined, which is good news for the country in this new century. Another important fact-and something that we shouldn’t be proud of in this country- is that we carry the number one spot for housing inmates-and that’s based on the population for the entire world! What this means is that we incarcerate more people in America than any other country does on planet Earth, which is astounding! According to the numbers put forth, in America, we incarcerate 15 times as many people as Japan, 10 times as many people as Switzerland, 7 times as many people as France, 11 times as many people as the Netherlands, and 17 times as many people as Iceland. And, the only country that even comes close to how often we incarcerate people is Russia, but we still beat their incarceration rates to a great degree. We also have a bigger prison population than Rwanda, Belize, and Chile, which each have extremely high incarceration rates for their respective countries. So that means, in this country, we incarcerate more of our citizens than anywhere else in the entire world, which doesn’t bode very well for our reputation. Furthermore, there is something else to take into consideration when discussing these extremely high prison population numbers in this country; Not all the states in America are the same when it comes to incarceration rates. This country is extremely varied in numbers, based on exactly where you look. It is shown that the state of Louisiana leads the incarceration rates in America, and seven of the ten states that have the highest incarceration rates are actually in the South. So, place is a big factor when speaking of incarceration rates in America. So, aside from looking at each individual state in this country, including what state has more offenders, you might want to ask yourself, what are the most prevalent offenses that many of these offenders did? For instance, what makes the citizens in our country so bad and immoral as to be incarcerated for such long periods of time? .., and so often? And, the answers might surprise you. According to many statistics, drug offenses accounted for 52% of the federal prison population in the year 2010, and this percentage was followed by other crimes at 35% of offenses, and then finally, violent and property crimes at 8% and 5% respectively. What this means is that drugs are the biggest problem in this country, not necessarily the prison population, and how many people are incarcerated. But, drugs as a general prison offense, that only seems to be growing more than anything else. So, when you think of higher than average prison rates in this country, only 8% of offenders in prison are imprisoned for violent offenses, and 5% are for property offenses. Over half of those in prison are there because of drug offenses. Now, just let that sink in for a while. And, politicians are not innocuous in this situation. While there are some politicians that stay away from the growing prison issue in this country, there are many other politicians, especially as of late, that are discussing the prison population problem in detail, creating effective mandates, and trying to do something to fix it all. According to the Economist website, Barack Obama tried to cut the number of absurdly long prison sentences in America. His attorney-general, Eric Holder, told prosecutors to avoid seeking the maximum penalties for non-violent drug offenders. And surprisingly enough, this did cause somewhat of a decline in the prison population for a few years. But now things are different. Current president, Donald Trump’s attorney-general, Jeff Sessions, has just changed this earlier mandate started by Barack Obama, and overturned it completely. Jeff Sessions is now looking to instill the harshest punishments for all drug offending prisoners, and he even has a new crusade beginning that is intent on getting rid of all drug dealers once and for all. With that being said, this new mandate initiated by attorney-general Jeff Sessions might possibly overturn everything that Barack Obama tried to do, and make everything even worse for the growing prison population in America. But conversely, it could potentially have the opposite effect, and make things surprisingly better. And, the reason for this is because no one really knows how the future will pan out, or how each individual law and mandate will affect matters concerning the prison system in the long run. All that we know is that only time will tell as to how effective this new mandate will be in affecting the prison population in America, and there is no doubt that many people in this country are waiting with bated breath as to what the results will be. (especially the media if it’s bad! -Editor.) As it goes to show, one reason mass incarceration is such a big problem in this country is because it breaks up families, as well as many other negative things, such as increasing the poverty rate to a great degree. When an inmate is released, it is very hard for them to get a job, and this is where the rising poverty rates come in. And of course, the high cost of incarcerating people is just the icing on the cake. According to statistics, not only do American taxpayers pay an exuberantly high amount of taxes to house prisoners, but this amount is even higher than what is now allocated for education, and sadly, American taxpayers don’t really have much of a choice in the matter. Some experts insist that instead of locking prisoners up, they should force them to wear GPS-enabled ankle bracelets, which would bring down prison-related costs exponentially. Another option for bringing down prison costs is tagging. Tagging is essentially a prison without walls, and many people think that it would actually be much more effective than prison is for mild offenders, such as drug offenders. The reason for this is that prisoners who are tagged are much less likely to re-offend than prisoners who get released from prison after their sentence has been complete. This is because they are able to immediately reintegrate back into society, which essentially forces them to behave, so to speak. And, what about rehabilitation? There are many top officials who strongly believe in rehabilitation for low-risk prisoners, which would bring down prison costs to a large degree. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one type of rehabilitation program for low-risk prisoners, which actually reduces recidivism rates by 10-30%. It is perfect for younger offenders, who usually get pressured by their peers to “act out” and commit crimes. And, it saves a lot of money over traditional prison sentences. Sadly, only 5% of prisoners are currently receiving cognitive behavioral therapy, and that is one of the biggest problems with the prison systems today. Not enough is being done to not only save money on prison sentences, but to make society a better place, both for the country as a whole. There are some experts out there that attribute the decreased prison rates in other countries to their systematic approach to the prison system and prisoners. The country of Norway, for instance, has incarcerated offenders start an outside job 18 months before they even get released from prison. This is extremely helpful for both reintegrating prisoners into everyday society once they get released, but also, for organizing a way for newly-released prisoners to not increase poverty levels in their respective areas. And, as statistics show, Norway has a lower recidivism rate than America does. According to www.CNN.com, even Newt Gingrich and Van Jones believe that the prison system is failing America. They said, “It would be hard to overstate the scale of this tragedy. For a nation that loves freedom and cherishes our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the situation should be intolerable. It is destroying lives and communities”. The truth is that more needs to be done to make things better for the prison system in the country, and someone needs to step up and make the right decisions to stop this problem. Prisoners needs to be rehabilitated, less money needs to be spent on housing prisoners, and different laws need to be put into effect that make drug offenses much less serious. There are many ways to overcome the prison problem that we have in this country, but it takes a good amount of organization and effective mandates to be initiated for any real change to take place. Hopefully, politicians and high-level officials will make the necessary changes, before the prison problem becomes even worse, and to the point of no return.
The Controversial New York Times Op-Ed.
Q: What does treason look like? September 9, 2018 (updated from editor A response to anonymous Op-Ed by anonymous. Naturally, everyone wants to know what was said on the Op-Ed. It’s absolutely insidious, and the side-commentary by the Times is insidious. I think the people of this country should really think, not only about free speech, but who will be speaking it when it’s taken away. Well, let me cut to the narrow for you; It will be the Times. They love their free speech, and only their free speech, especially when we are hit with a piece that they obviously wrote and are trying to pin it on the administration to get them pointing at one another. As I said; insidious. I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration I would really, really hope this is not the work of someone within the administration, because if it is, there are childish larks about in the oval office. I work for the president but like-minded colleagues and I have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. So far, I have to ask why would the Times even give this a hair’s thread of legitimacy? The Times is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure. We believe publishing this essay anonymously is the only way to deliver an important perspective to our readers. We invite you to submit a question about the essay or our vetting process here. Okay, here’s my question: The better judgement of the writer and the publisher would mean that neither have any credibility whatsoever. Should we call the authorities and alert them one of the city’s largest offices is occupied by adolescents? President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader. How stupid could this possibly sound? It’s not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump’s leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall. The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations. To do that, is to put yourself above both President and voters. It is TREASON, and it is absolutely insane. I would know. I am one of them. You are so brave. About what, I don’t know. To be clear, ours is not the popular “resistance” of the left. We want the administration to succeed and think that many of its policies have already made America safer and more prosperous. To be clear? Obama doesn’t work for the administration. Does he? No, no. President Trump wouldn’t hire an avowed Communist. But we believe our first duty is to this country, and the president continues to act in a manner that is detrimental to the health of our republic. It’s clear someone is acting against the will of the President and voters. That is why many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office TREASONOUS STATEMENT. The root of the problem is the president’s amorality. Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making. So, you go to a rag that tarnishes an entire people’s religion, (the Christian religion), They regularly print garish, vulgar statements and print gross, perverted portraits, and mock these people with laughter while they want them to be so happy about all these other religious lest they be racist. What kind of person would this be working for the President? I wouldn’t want the person to be a low-level janitor. Although he was elected as a Republican, the president shows little affinity for ideals long espoused by conservatives: free minds, free markets and free people. At best, he has invoked these ideals in scripted settings. At worst, he has attacked them outright. Okay, now we are hitting low-level delusional scum. This person wouldn’t have the faintest idea about being a conservative. In addition to his mass-marketing of the notion that the press is the “enemy of the people,” President Trump’s impulses are generally anti-trade and anti-democratic. Reading what you just wrote, and to the Times, President Trump, unfortunately, is 110% correct. Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: effective deregulation, historic tax reform, a more robust military and more. A Communist statement meant to rouse the overwhelming amount of NON-citizens of our country. But these successes have come despite — not because of — the president’s leadership style, which is impetuous, adversarial, petty and ineffective Why did you work for him? You thought he was Obama? From the White House to executive branch departments and agencies, senior officials will privately admit their daily disbelief at the commander in chief’s comments and actions. Most are working to insulate their operations from his whims. A senior official who doesn’t know how to write “Commander-In-Chief.” Meetings with him veer off topic and off the rails, he engages in repetitive rants, and his impulsiveness results in half-baked, ill-informed and occasionally reckless decisions that have to be walked back. You mean like tightening the border up? “There is literally no telling whether he might change his mind from one minute to the next,” a top official complained to me recently, exasperated by an Oval Office meeting at which the president flip-flopped on a major policy decision he’d made only a week earlier. I would say that about the media and the Demagogues, I mean Democrats(?). If ever the words “gone fishing,” had meaning. They brought it. Fishing for one fish and catching everything else but a good reputation. The erratic behavior would be more concerning if it weren’t for unsung heroes in and around the White House. Some of his aides have been cast as villains by the media. But in private, they have gone to great lengths to keep bad decisions contained to the West Wing, though they are clearly not always successful. It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room. We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t. The result is a two-track presidency. Please quit. Please. Take foreign policy: In public and in private, President Trump shows a preference for autocrats and dictators, such as President Vladimir Putin of Russia and North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and displays little genuine appreciation for the ties that bind us to allied, like-minded nations. Astute observers have noted, though, that the rest of the administration is operating on another track, one where countries like Russia are called out for meddling and punished accordingly, and where allies around the world are engaged as peers rather than ridiculed as rivals. Astute observers would also recognize that citizens have come to their senses all over Europe and are now electing people who pledge to protect their sovereignty. On Russia, for instance, the president was reluctant to expel so many of Mr. Putin’s spies as punishment for the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. He complained for weeks about senior staff members letting him get boxed into further confrontation with Russia, and he expressed frustration that the United States continued to impose sanctions on the country for its malign behavior. But his national security team knew better — such actions had to be taken, to hold Moscow accountable. This isn’t the work of the so-called deep state. It’s the work of the steady state. It’s the work of a rogue state that doesn’t care about the will of the people or votes or the Constitution. It’s a vile portion of the state. Given the instability many witnessed, there were early whispers within the cabinet of invoking the 25th Amendment, which would start a complex process for removing the president. But no one wanted to precipitate a constitutional crisis. So we will do what we can to steer the administration in the right direction until — one way or another — it’s over. TREASON. You should be arrested for TREASON. The bigger concern is not what Mr. Trump has done to the presidency but rather what we as a nation have allowed him to do to us. We have sunk low with him and allowed our discourse to be stripped of civility. The media and you have made little of the murders committed by illegals and refugees and the people you have riled up to murder police officers ,riot in the streets, throwing rocks, starting fires and committing multiple assaults. But, you must think we are all stupid, you know like we didn’t see it. Senator John McCain put it best in his farewell letter. All Americans should heed his words and break free of the tribalism trap, with the high aim of uniting through our shared values and love of this great nation. The hypocrite rarely sees that they are the embodiment of what they hate. There is a quiet resistance within the administration of people choosing to put country first. But the real difference will be made by everyday citizens rising above politics, reaching across the aisle and resolving to shed the labels in favor of a single one: Americans. The writer is a senior official in the Trump administration. Who are you working for? That’s the question. I think the New York Times is a Communist Subversive magazine. We don’t have to gather evidence. They are giving it to us. We don’t have to seize the records. They are giving it us. Part 2 of this post will be much shorter, as we will have it in posted facts. In it, we will show the dangerous hypocrisy and double standards of the left’s take on “free speech.”
The Criminal Justice System
When it comes to the criminal justice system in this country, I think we can all agree that there is a big problem. Not only are the jails and prisons filled to the brim with “criminals”, but there is also a large disconnect between crimes that get committed, the people who get caught, and the people who are set free. At the end of the day, the criminal justice system in this country is hard to understand and truly define. Crime in this country has gotten out of control, but in a roundabout, circular type of way. There are countless citizens running around shooting people in schools, at concerts, and in other public, seemingly safe, places. Then, there are people who are at the top, like business owners and CEOs of large companies who are engaging in criminal acts such as tax evasion, insider trading, and more. Lastly, there are street criminals that are engaging in drug dealing, burglary, theft, murder, rape, etc. At the end of the day, it is confusing to define what a crime in this country actually is, and why there are certain criminals who get put in jail, and others who are set free. LAWS This country is made up of many laws. Some of these laws work and some of them don’t. And, while some of these laws might not seem to make sense, there is no doubt that they are enforced and must be followed. Day in and day out, laws are constantly being enforced upon the citizens in this country by police officers. And, the purpose of these laws are to keep the citizens in this country in line, and to also, ensure a safe and secure place for us all to live in together. But, if that is true, then why are there still so many crimes being committed today? Why, with all these laws we have in our country, are there are so many heinous crimes that involve violence and hatred still occurring? Crimes such as school shootings, murder, and child abuse. Are these laws that we have today even doing us any good? It is true that many of the laws in this country were put into place for a reason. There are many laws in place that do make this country better, and there to stop people from doing things that they should not be doing. But on the other hand, there are also many laws in this country that are not rooted in any type of reality, and are not important in any sense of the word. Who Created The Laws You might ask yourself, who even created these laws that we live under today? And the truth is that some of the laws in this country were put in place by lawmakers who were attempting to make positive change. The problem is that sometimes, the intended change they were attempting to make never occurred, but the laws still stayed in tact. In a sense, a lot of the laws that we have today are not relevant to the society that we live in. And many of the laws that we have today don’t even begin to touch upon the real and actual problems that we all face on a day to day basis. Now, I am not here to advocate for more laws, but I am here to tell you that many of the laws that we all follow are not relevant to our daily lives, and that is where the problems really start to creep in. For instance, a few years ago, it was illegal to buy, sell, or use marijuana. There were cases where people were caught using marijuana by the police, and they were put in jail for years. There have also been many cases of people buying marijuana and being charged and put in jail. Now, if you are in favor of marijuana legalization or not, that is not the point here. The point is that marijuana is now legal in the state of California. That means that everyone who was previously put in jail for marijuana use is now in jail for a reason that is invalid. Did the people who are in jail for marijuana possession or use actually commit a crime if there is no law pertaining to the “crime” they committed? There is truly a disconnect between laws and our reality. RIGHT & WRONG You might want to ask, why would a law ever be put into place that would later be changed or altered? And, if laws are based on right and wrong and what is just and unjust, then why would a law ever change? Here’s an example of what I am referring to, if it is wrong to torture a child today, then why would it be okay to torture a child tomorrow, and vice versa? Alas, there is a reasoning behind all of this, and it is not as fair in any sense. The laws change for two reasons. The first reason is based on the lawmakers themselves. Based on what the lawmakers of the current time want and prefer, the laws will reflect those notions. This preference for certain laws over others also pertains to what politicians want and what big business owners want. Each of these group of people determine the laws for that period of time. Another reason why laws change is because laws are created and made based on what makes money and a bigger profit. In the case of marijuana legalization, there was no way to tax marijuana in the past, which is why it was illegal. Now, there are ways to tax marijuana and sell it in the marketplace, which is why you will now be seeing more and more states legalize marijuana. It’s really just as simple and clear cut as that. The Damage Of The Criminal Justice System Let’s change gears and discuss the mental and emotional damage of the criminal justice system. Aside from the fact that the entire system is unfair in a lot of ways, there is another side of the coin that many people fail to recognize, and that pertains to what happens to the people who have been incarcerated and then get out. Now, this is a very important topic to think about because it affects every single one of us. With the criminal justice system working the way that it does today, it seems that more and more people are being put in jail or prison. What this means is that one day, these people will get out and be let out on the streets. Now, will these people be able to get jobs after they have been set free? And, how mentally stable are these people once they get out of jail or prison? You must remember that many of these people do not have families waiting for them once they get out, or a cushy job and warm home to go to. A lot of these people have no choice but to go straight to the streets once they are set free. They will then have to find a place to live, a job, and a support system along the way. It’s truly a struggle, to say the least. It is said that the recidivism rate is extremely high in this country. The recidivism rate is the rate in which newly released prisoners go back to jail or prison. In all actuality, it’s no wonder that this rate is so high in this country, how is anyone supposed to get back on their feet with nothing to their name, and not even a place to call home? Something needs to change, and it needs to change fast. FALSELY CONVICTED There are also other factors to take into consideration within the criminal justice system, and one of these factors include people being put in jail under false pretenses, as well as people running free that committed serious crimes. The truth is that there is no question that certain juries might not convict the right person. And, if someone has enough money, they can hire a great lawyer and get a much lighter sentence than someone who is only able to afford a public defender. So, you might want to ask yourself, if someone cannot afford an amazing lawyer, should they be punished? If you think about that question for longer than two seconds, the answer is no, everyone should be treated the same, but that is unfortunately not the case with the justice system in this country. Those who are able to hire great lawyers get less time, and those who are able to come to court in a nice suit get less time, etc. The unfair discrepancies based on income and wealth go hand in hand. THE GLORIFICATION OF CRIME There are some people who believe the reason we have so many criminals in jail and prison at the moment is because of the glorified criminal lifestyle in this country. Everywhere you look these days, all you see is people breaking the law and being glorified for it. Whether you watch a movie, a television show, go on the internet, check social media, or read the newspaper, it seems that crime is being glorified. While this might not seem completely obvious to the naked eye, it is a fact, and it happens every single day. Take music videos for instance, the majority of music videos, especially pop, rap, and rock music videos completely and wholeheartedly glorify crime. Some of the crimes that these music videos glorify include fighting, drugs, underage drinking, and even rape and prostitution. A lot of these music videos make illegal activities look fun, interesting, and cool. And in a way, it’s no wonder why so many young people are committing crimes, they are just doing what they see on their screens. Crimes Being Shown On Television And In Movies Crimes being shown and glorified is true across the board. How many modern top grossing movies don’t have any violence in them? The answer is, not many. And if you don’t think that fighting glorifies crime, you are wrong. Fighting is not only illegal, but is damaging to society in a lot of ways. Fighting ruins relationships between people and breeds negativity. Moreover, there are countless highly-rated television shows focusing on murder and insanity, such as the popular television show Dexter. You also have extremely well-acclaimed shows such as Game Of Thrones constantly showing fighting, violence, murder, and even incest. THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM IS BROKEN When all is said and done, yes, the criminal justice system in this country is broken. There are more people in jail and in prison now than there ever were before. Not only are there people committing horrible crimes, but there are also people being released from jail and not having anywhere to go. There are laws being enforced that are not relevant to the life in which we live today, as well as dangerous criminals running free, because they have the money and resources to do so. The sad fact is that there is not much that we can do except stay especially vigilant, aware, and educated, as well as follow the laws that have been set forth, no matter how ridiculous they may seem. The more that we educate ourselves and our children to what is really going on in this country, the better off we will all be.
Texas Shooting & California Fires
Recent Issues The Texas Shooting & Fires in California In these ever-changing current times, it seems that there are more and more tragic events occurring. Shootings, fires, and hurricanes seem the norm nowadays, and life as we know it has changed drastically in the past few years. We might pray, hope for the best, and strive to achieve peace. But the question remains, what’s the reasoning behind all of this? Why are there so many more tragic events that are occurring now, and what can we do to stop it, or at least decrease these events from happening in the future? We all must ask ourselves, ‘Do we even have enough power as individuals to do something to end these tragic events?’ Beginning with the terrible fires that occurred in California several weeks ago, the reality is that many people who lived in the area had their homes destroyed and their lives changed forever. According to published reports, rampant fires burst through the areas of Sonoma and Napa counties, essentially, California wine country which is located in Northern California. These quick-burning and powerful fires then migrated all the way down to the Southern California area, which included the cities of Anaheim Hills, Orange, and Corona. For a while, it started to seem that these terrible fires would never end. Definitely, a frightful thought. Thankfully, the fires were put out after some time. But, not without damage to numerous acres of land and people’s homes and properties. But the question still remains, ‘What can we do to prevent this from happening again?’ What can we do as citizens to make this world a better and more peaceful place? Sadly, we still don’t know why the fires started in the first place. Some reports proclaim that the fires started due to the harsh wind in the area coupled with the dry climate, while other reports mention that these terrible fires could have been started by an individual, either by accident or on purpose. Either way, the outcome of these fires is very sad, to say the least, and extremely heartbreaking. Dozens of people died, animals perished, and life for many people changed in just an instant. The sadness of this event has affected some of these families for years and years to come. As quoted in New Yorker magazine, the fires “charred nearly a quarter of a million acres of land, destroyed an estimated fifty-seven hundred structures, and killed more than forty people.” Calling this event a tragedy would be an understatement. Next, the recent shooting in Texas was disturbing, brutal, and devastating. A gunman with a history of mental health issues entered a small church on November 5th 2017 in Sutherland Springs, Texas and killed 25 people with a rifle. The gunman’s name was Devin Kelley. As stated in several news reports, Devin Kelley committed the deadliest mass shooting in Texas in recent history. According to CNN, Devin had previously escaped from a mental health facility in 2012. He also had previous domestic violence charges from when he abused his first wife, as well as several sexual assault accusations noted on his record. Additionally, he was accused of having an obsession with guns and mass shootings, posting photos of his beloved guns on social media. He was also known for sending threatening text messages to several people, including his mother-in-law, and even engaged in animal cruelty. All in all, Devin Kelley was not the type of man to mess with, and definitely not a stable or safe individual. As police noted, there were two handguns found in Devin Kelley’s car, and reports claim that Devin Kelley was denied a gun license previously. This heartless man was described by co-workers at one of his previous jobs, where he was working as a security guard, as a quiet, but polite man. And when co-workers that Devin worked with in the past learned of this terrible news, they were absolutely stunned. According to The Washington Post, Devin Kelley “targeted the small church outside San Antonio with a purpose and a mission.” It was reported that he shot at churchgoers who were trying to leave, and then shot at those who were cowering on the floor. He was described as cold, heartless, and psychopathic by many of those close to him. There was no empathy, emotion, or feeling in Devin Kelley’s heart that day. It is still unclear how many shots Devin Kelley fired that day, or how long he was in the church firing away. Many details pertaining to this tragic event are still yet unknown to detectives. And, some say that he must have emptied at least 15 different magazines, and reloaded several times, which would have resulted in hundreds of shots. All in all, this event was incredibly tragic and heartbreaking. With all of these recent events occurring, some individuals might become incredibly disheartened. It’s too easy to become fearful, and even hateful with all these events. The world is changing rapidly, and people are starting to realize that we are in a time of chaos. But, what can we do? Firstly, we must stay diligent, but positive. We must remember to stay empathetic, loving, and kind. And, we must not let these events dictate how we treat one another, or make us hardened to the world. We must show love to the people around us, and stay aware of the evil, hate, and chaos that is occurring in the world today. This country has seen many changes as of late, and none of us know what will happen next.. That is why we must stay positive, but stay smart.