What is Washboard Express?

Washboard Express is a way for me to express my own opinions, to be a provocative gadfly, by writing a "letter a day" to the President. I may miss a day here and there, because sometimes my family with be my first priority, but my goal is to write a total of 365 letters, representing one full year. To say I have opinions about most things would be to understate the obvious. Those of you that know me, know this is true, those who don't know me, will learn that it's true. The Washboard is a reference to going back to basics and "keeping it clean," so if you would like me to post your comments or opinions on this blog, I only ask that you be respectful. So go ahead, express yourself, and I look forward to an exchange of ideas and opinions.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Letter #163... Dear Mr. President... The Whole World is Watching


Dear Mr. President,

The whole world will be watching… they will be watching to see what you do about common sense gun control, they will be watching to see what you do when the NRA tries to say you’re trying to circumvent the 2nd amendment, and they will be watching to see if you have the real strength of leadership to buck the GOP.

Purpose of Assault Weapons... to KILL people
People say everything happens for a reason, but I don’t believe that… some things defy reason, and are beyond reason, like the senseless slaughter of 20 innocent babies and 6 innocent adults. Like the shooting in the head of an innocent girl in Afghanistan for wanting an education for herself and other girls, and like the brutal rape of a young woman in India… yes, Mr. President, some things are beyond reason.

Reason is something you can calculate, something that is justified, like you are our President because more people voted for you than Mitt Romney… that’s the reason. Or, more people are murdered in this country because we have more guns than any other country… that’s the reason.

It’s not because our people are angrier, or more evil than people in other countries, because that’s just not the case, we are a caring, loving, compassionate people (for the most part), we give more aid after disasters anywhere in the world, than any other country, and when disaster strikes here at home, people come out of the woodwork to help and pull together. Even people with very little money of their own, often donate what they can, when people are hurt or suffering.

So the problem in this country is not the people, it’s the guns. There is no “reason” or justification for ordinary citizens to own assault weapons, the only “reason” for a person to have an assault weapon is to KILL people. The only “reason” for a person to possess clips that carry multiple rounds, is to KILL multiple people at the same time, and there is NO “reason” or justification for this unless you are in the military and under attack.

Mr. President, the whole world will be watching.
I’ve heard many critics that say you are just another “corporate” politician, that you are just as beholden to the interests of big business and Wall Street as any other politician, but I refuse to believe that. I refuse to believe that you are unwilling, or unable to stand up to the NRA and the manufacturers of assault weapons used for non-military reasons. I refuse to believe that because I saw the look on your face, the tears in your eyes, and heard the catch in your voice when you responded to the horrific slaughter of those babies at Sandy Hook.

The whole world will be watching, and waiting to see what kind of a leader you really are, and they will be judging you by how you handle this issue above all others. I implore you to be the kind of a leader we need… one that puts the lives of OUR CHILDREN above the “bogus” hue and cry over the infringement rights of the 2nd Amendment. 

The time has come… our “children” are our “reason” to act now.

Most Respectfully,

Marcia Reimers, 
Your Gadfly Granny

2 comments:

  1. Marcia, as brutally articulate as this topic warrants. I hope Obama hears your voice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope so too... thanks for your comment.

    ReplyDelete