Operation C.R.U.S.H.

Did Carrie Underwood Strain Her Nerves Without a Crack in Her Voice?

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Theme:– Operation C.R.U.S.H. Against Gun Violence, Bias and Clouded Vision

The Country Music Awards was ready for another year of Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley. The duo co-hosted the show the sixth year in a row. They used the show’s monologue to poke fun at celebs like “you know who.” Did Underwood have to strain her nerves without showing a crack in her voice?

She’s a good ol’ OKC country girl who’s come a long way from American Idol. She may not have grown up around the kind violence that’s been popping-up lately from coast to coast. This week saw a NJ Mall shooting that had people on edge. The 20-year old suspect fired-off a few rounds before taking his life.

Police say he made every effort not to harm anyone. With what appears to be some kind of suicide note, authorities believe he wanted to “die by cop.” These kinds of shootings suggest that while everything evil is bad, not everything bad is evil. Sometimes it’s just a matter of people looking for answers.

Underwood might relate when she looks back over her career. At five she was gung-ho about her singing dreams. At 16 she lost-out on a recording contract. At 18 she gave up on her dream to be a recording artist. But her appearance on American Idol helped to elevate a sense of purpose and meaning.

Simon Cowell said Underwood would become the biggest Idol artist. She’s now the top Idol earner with a slew of music industry awards. While public policy efforts on background checks and a review of ‘Stand Your Ground’ laws are important, nothing beats having something to live for before having to die for.

Footnote: Public policy efforts can produce important laws, but a shared sense of purpose offers the kinds of answers to gun violence that give people something to live for before having to die for.

Sabrina Fulton is Standing Her Ground Against The ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law

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Theme:– Operation C.R.U.S.H. Against Gun Violence, Bias and Clouded Vision

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings recently to continue the gun reform debate. Even with the shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, there hasn’t been much movement. Sabrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mom, stopped by to say she’s standing her ground against the ‘Stand Your Ground’ law.

This law is a “legal problem step-child” of the Castle Doctrine & Second Amendment. The Castle Doctrine says someone has the right to shoot if they feel their home/life is threatened. Since many of the Founding Fathers were slave owners, the Second Amendment was in part a way to manage/suppress revolts.

This helped to make guns a growing fixture in early American life. As the nation went from one war to the next the fascination for guns grew. Some veterans brought back guns upon returning home. So America’s gun climate has been fueled in part by slavery, wars, gun shows and other societal effects.

We saw more firearm-related activism with groups rallying for gun-rights. There was a spike in purchases by hobbyists, hunters and for ‘hood protection. So maybe reform policies are hard to pass in Congress because some prefer an ideological boxing match rather than dealing with the sociological miss-match.

Fulton believes ‘Stand Your Ground’ is a big reason for her son’s untimely death. She can’t fathom how such a law remains in place across many states. For Fulton it’s personal even though it’s not about taking personal issue with gun owners. That might be the message anti-violence advocates hope is received.

Footnote: To be anti-violence doesn’t make you anti Second Amendment, just like to be for Civil Rights doesn’t mean you hate Government or its leaders.

Mark Zuckerberg Never Saw This Coming, or Did He?

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Theme:– Operation C.R.U.S.H. Against Gun Violence, Bias and Clouded Vision

It seems Facebook is going through some changes. They recently reversed their policy on the posting of violent videos to the site. They’re now allowed even though sexually explicit content remains banned. Many say Facebook use by teens is on the decline. Mark Zuckerberg never saw that coming, or did he?

More tween and teen users are moving to other less mainstream social sites. That doesn’t mean Facebook’s days are numbered. But it might say something about what’s happening in the social media underground. The experts warn of sites where bullying and online bashing are a frequent occurrence.

Authorities arrested two Florida girls recently whose alleged bullying resulted in another girl committing suicide. Within days an Illinois boy took his life for the same reason. When stories like these and others of school shootings hit the news there’s a tendency to focus more on the senselessness of the incidents.

Maybe our efforts should instead be more focused on offering kids a sense of purpose. This doesn’t have to be religious-based or “Tony Robbins light.” It just has to point kids to the “cool in them” based on their natural gifting. Their natural gifting might be in academics, athletics or some prodigy-in-the-making ability.

Recently, two Boys Scout leaders were seen destroying a historic rock formation at a Utah State Park. They had the nerve to post it on Facebook. Some kids are lost in online chat while others in video games. At the end of the day we’re not dealing with bad kids but maybe kid’s who’re becoming lost on purpose.

Footnote: Adding a sense of purpose to conversations on gun violence, bias and mental illness is important because the message our culture sends can often drown-out the message coming from home.