Firearms Friday: Time To Ban Trucks!

During what should have been a joyous Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, the horrors of terrorism were front and center as 84 people were killed and dozens injuries when a truck plowed through the crowd of revelers. Now the second deadliest act of terrorism in the country’s history, this puts, front and center, the real issue that we have in the world and it has nothing to do with firearms. In fact, it was the police on hand that ended the rampage when the 31 year old Tunisian immigrant was shot and killed before he could continue blazing his deadly trail. Of course, that won’t stop some from making that nonexistent connection.

This is a tragedy and we should all mourn the loss of innocent lives but many should also consider this a wake up call as to the real dangers that lurk in this world. Terrorism as well as radicalized and mentally unstable individuals are the cause of these killings. They have nothing to do with the law abiding people in these countries. In saying this I refer to those of the Muslim faith who denounce these acts of rage as well as those law abiding gun owners whose stomachs turn when they hear of such killings. Two very different groups that seem to be shouldered with the blame of these mass murders.

Mental health is lacking in this country in particular and around the world in general. Additionally, politically correct security measures are putting us all in harm’s way. Finally, in the United States, the pervasiveness of a false sense of security (i.e. gun free zones) is doing nothing but leaving people ill equipped to protect themselves and, in fact, is offering those with evil intentions the opportunity to fulfill their twisted objectives. We need to empower people to speak up and stand up for themselves without the false accusations of racism or fanaticism.

The United States needs to wake up and the world needs to face reality. Guns are not the problem. Islam is not the problem. People are the problem. People on both sides of this equation… those who commit these acts and those who refuse to address the real cause of their actions. We cannot strip people of their rights, we cannot ban firearms, we cannot ban knives, we cannot ban trucks, and we cannot put a halt to immigration. Unless we change the distorted perspectives that have infected millions of people, these horrific events will continue to plague us. We must empower the law abiding people of this country and this world and learn to fear knee jerk political and social castration as much as we do the actions of deranged individuals.  

Committees And Headlines

At the beginning of the year the lodge basically conducted an overhaul of the building committee with some help from the District Deputy Grand Master. More than anything else, it was done as a means to both streamline the process and add some additional transparency to the decisions being made and options explored. It is an undertaking to say the least and I am grateful to the brothers that are making this happen and getting things in line for the improvements that need to be made to the building.

This past week was the first meeting of this relaunched committee and given the fact that I haven’t heard anything over the past few days, I am glad that this process is under way. But, this new endeavor brings to light an important lesson for the lodge as a whole. Each and every one of us needs to be involved on some level. Some will be officers, committee members, and mentors while others need to be involved by just showing up. It all begins with the stated and extra meetings of course but we also need brothers to be present at committee meetings such as the one that was just held.

And we also need to take things a step further and simply communicate with one another. The lodge needs to communicate with members and members should talk with one another. Not just about the business at hand but also enjoy the company and fellowship offered to you by your brothers. We are a fraternal family and we should take a vested interest in our fellow brothers, help them, work with them (inside the lodge and professionally), support them always, and, when needed, protect one another.

The recently thwarted attack in Milwaukee is something of which we should all be aware. A radical Muslim man was planning on attacking the Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center believing that he would be doing G-d’s work. And the sad thing is that there are many in this world that believe that they would be doing G-d’s work should they cause harm to freemasonry. While not as extreme as this recent threat, there are many groups, predominantly “Christian”, that wish to see the demise of freemasonry. It is odd to me not just because of the venomous nature of their words and planned actions but because we, as brothers, welcome all faiths with the common bond of a belief in a Supreme Being, a belief in G-d.

But, rest assured, there is more light in a single lodge than darkness in this world spewing hate in our direction. And, for me, I can promise that I will defend my faith, my family, my fraternity, and myself against such evil not with violence but by continuing to make good men better including myself. By supporting one another, the lodge, our fraternity, and the community as a whole we can ensure our success and that the light of freemasonry remains bright in this word. This is how we win.