[American Violence]
America is addicted to violence.
It is a centuries
old addiction. The addict is in denial. Like any true addict, this country makes
empty promises about getting clean obsessing only on the next fix. Resistance
to gun control marks the depth of America’s addiction to violence.
Without
intervention, there will be no recovery.
Twenty-six lives were taken at the Sandy Hook Elementary
School with a weapon meant for war. A weapon purchased legally, used for pleasure,
which ended the owner’s life while she slept. Yet, the NRA response is "more
guns, not less."
They, like most Americans, are hooked on violence.
Violence is in America’s blood. America was a child
of violence-addicted parents. She rose out of the ashes of Revolutionary War, having
committed patricide.
There has been relatively little peace since then. War of
1812. Civil War. World War I. World War II. Korean War. Vietnam War. Grenada.
Iraq I and II. Afghanistan.
And, there has been genocide practiced against Native
Americans. Lynching of African-Americans. Threat of Atomic War. Cuban Missile
Crisis. 100 years of race riots. Mob killings. Pearl Harbor. Iran hostages. Then,
9/11.
America’s violence addiction is complex. This long history
of violence leads to its normalization. Addiction has become a way of life. Just
like a functioning alcoholic, America functions well, most of the time, despite
her violence addiction. However, the addiction is no longer manageable. It is
interfering with business, family, and pleasure. Movie theaters, schools,
parks, restaurants, offices, and malls are no longer safe. Sandy Hook, and the murders
of 2012, revealed the addict in sharp relief.
This country is in denial. America believes
it is powerful enough to control its addiction by shear will. An addiction is a
compulsive need characterized by a high tolerance
