Thoughts For Thursday

 We challenge the culture of violence when we ourselves act in the certainty that violence is no longer acceptable, that it's tired and outdated no matter how many cling to it in the stubborn belief that it still works and that it's still valid. ~Gerard Vanderhaar

  1stClassLadies wouldn't be us if we didn't also update you on this summer's more serious issues all of the television. No doubt about it one of the biggest problems at hand is the high level of gun violencethat we have seen this summer. What makes this situation more traumatic is alot of this victims that lost their lives or were injured due to gun violence were not older then the age of twenty one. What a tragedy it is to know that we can't take our kids to the park in broad daylight without fearing there is a chance they won't be home for dinner that night. To know that we could send our kid to the store for milk and there is a chance he or she won't make it home to drink it. What has the world come to??? Not to mention that alot of the time the person behind the trigger is still a baby themselves. Out there in a world were it's every man for themself and if some one does "have their back" its definetly the wrong people guiding them. Leading them down a path that will only place them in jail or grant them the very same fate in which there "enemy" has met.

Gun violence is not just happening in small neighborhoods either. Just as recent as last week a disgruntle former employee arrived at his former job and opened fired in front of the empire state building killing his former employer. Cops arrived on the scene striking and killing the man however nine people were caught in the cross fire. Though none of them lost their life, it is still all the same to much gun violence. What would take this man to the breaking point were he felt he had no other way out but killing his former employer and taking on officers he knew he couldn't out beat? It's not just the victims we cry for. Sometimes we have to cry for the person behind the weapon. We have to question what would take them there? Why would they feel this is the only way? Who was looking out for them and taught them this is how problems are handled? When you have the wrong person teaching the innocent who do you blame?

Now the question is what are WE as the people doing to make sure this doesn't continue? What responsibilities are we taking on to decrease gun violence and increase positive outlooks on life for our youth? 1stClassLadies can NOT say it enough- WE HAVE TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST GUN VIOLENCE!! If not for yourself do it for the next generation. We want our kids to have a fighting chance not take a chance fighting for their lives. We  can only imagine the sorrow some of these parents had to face this summer. NO PARENT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO BURY THEIR CHILD!!