Politically, candidates don't have to embrace Ron Paul or his offspring in order to understand the growth of Civil Liberties in the USA Post Bush/Cheney.
A very good exercise of Minority Speaker Pelosi and her Democrats would be to bring a real discussion regarding Civil Liberties in relation to the level of fear in the USA that actually brings in the discussion of police misconduct and the militarization of the police force.
The misguided truth underlying the gun culture in the USA is the idea 'the citizen' is at the heart of protecting our democracy. Where Rand Paul derives his strength, primarily in Purple states like North Carolina and blatant Red States is the fact police are dangerous through militarization and the huge decrease in Mental Health Beds in these states.
The danger is real. The misuse of Swat Teams, the increased dangers to the average citizen by mistakes by police and blatant lies to enhance their value to their police department, quotas and basically overreaching by domestic police ideology is driving justification of the gun culture in the USA. The flip side is that police die while in service. So, there is the chronic tug of war to the PRACTICE of policing in the USA that is becoming an increasing impingement of Civil Rights, including "No Knock Raids." A Congressional delegation of the Democrats to begin the investigation of this phenomena that has swept the nation is in order. This is not futile exercise.
National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily Recap 08-15-13 (click here)
August 16, 2013 @ 11:32 AMThen there is the issue of Gun Laws that seek to include the idea that mental health is the problem. While widespread gun violence grips the USA with over 30,000 gun deaths per year there are varying reasons for that death rate. The excuses for inadequate gun laws in the USA including background checks frequently begins with 'citizens alone' are the one and FINAL source of defense of their USA Constitution. That is widely over rated and not in context to a reasonable outcome. The citizens in the USA even with highly militarized content in their weapons will not be able to defeat an actual military assault against them. It is a hubris that needs sincere dispelling.
There is not a family in this country facing the death, either actual or potential, of members that do not reflect on the issue of mental health and the lack of services. Families across the USA carry the burden of policing their own family members to save them from PTSD, suicide ideation, gang affiliation, drug addiction, alcoholism and other mental health problems WITHOUT the benefit of mental health beds and significant mental health outpatient treatment. That has to stop. Many of the deadly trends in the USA can be traced to the lack of a STRONG mental health standard in every state across this country.
The Affordable Care Act is coming of age today and we need to have strong support from Congress for an effective Mental Health Standard that enhances relief from these issues. This standard has to include the eroding of the number of mental health beds in our States. In that understanding is ending the practice of placing the insane in prison. Waiting until the insane actually carry out violent crime or crime itself is a failure of our government and governance.
There needs to be Congressional Hearings by both the Senate and House to bring an understanding of the research and information regarding this problem. There has to be a baseline of knowledge, including call for public comment and citizen and police witness statements, to create effective legislation to bring about a better national standard.
The objections to gun laws needs to ends and it begins by dispelling the myths that support those objections.
Civil Liberties are important. It is the core of our understanding of freedom, but, there are limits to them. It is the idea there are no limits anymore to facilitate protections of life and home that screams of the LACK of effective governing. Civil Libertarians in the year 2013 are basically anarchists. Wealthy anarchists. If they can afford to purchase the weapons in gun shops these days they are wealthy or their priorities of quality of life is so out of sync with reality is ridiculous. Civil Libertarians in the year 2013 are not interested in their country so much as they are anti-government and taxes.
That is the point. The point is there are profound problems with gun violence in the USA and there are reasons for it. There are aspects of policing that are out of control and citizens rather defend their own lives and homes rather than calling the police. There is also criminality in our economy, including the idea that drug economies exist and have to be regarded as a deadly reality of our cities. That is nonsense. There is no one impoverished today that would rather have a good paying job with a living wage, dare we hope for disposable income. And there are problems with mental health CARE in the USA. Falling numbers of mental health beds is a mistake in the USA.
The Democratic House has a mission and it is to harness the definition of Civil Rights and insure them while removing the level of fear of each other in the USA. The hideous racist content of our jails and prisons also reflects the reality of poverty in the USA. There is much to be done to remove the stigmas of hatred in the USA, the fear of each other and bring QUALITY OF LIFE to those in need of mental health. Now is the time.
I think the Democrats will be pleasantly surprised at the facts regarding the gun violence in the USA. They will find out their policies based in supporting a strong Middle Class aligns very nicely with these problems.
