Bernie Sanders: Hillary's Anchor

With Bernie Sanders entering into the Democratic Primary, there's a lot of talk about how he won't make it through the primary. That's kind of the point. He's a self declared socialist, and I would agree, plus he has openly declared he will not accept funding from big money for his campaign. This is a breath of fresh air in the toxic, money filled world of Washington. His liberal ideology will also be critical in pulling Hillary away from the center, to a brand of liberalism needed in the 21st century.
Since Bill Clinton the Democratic Party has arguably lost its flame, running on being less crazy then their far right opponents. What the Democrats need is a solid platform that will really excite the base. Bernie Sanders might just be able to help solidify the Democrats in a more modern position that will get millenials and minorities excited to vote not just having them half heartedly choose to vote because its better than the republicans.
I really hope to see a few exciting debates between Bernie and Hillary, and I really hope to see a more Liberal Hillary coming out of the primary.

An Argument for Gun Control

Throughout the world, America is seen as a country full of crazy gun nuts. This is deeply saddening as a person who is disgusted by the lax gun laws, and loathes the very existence of the NRA. Now, I respect the 2nd amendment, just as any other person who enjoys constitutional law, but the American obsession with guns has reached a point of extreme overkill to the point where people won't leave their house without their gun, and people are armed at a level comparable to a U.S. Infantryman.
The Founders had no clue the eventual mass advancement in Weapons Technology, to the point where tens to hundred can be slaughtered in less time than the duration of reloading a musket (which can take some time). People complain about the governments attempts to ban assault rifles, claiming it a breach in the 2nd amendment. Yet we cannot own a grenade launcher, suppressed weapon, or automatic weapons, even though the 2nd amendment calls for a well regulated militia. This is because we were sensible about what the typical person should be allowed to own. You can't own a fighter jet, even though the 2nd amendment calls for a well regulated militia because a. This is insensible, and b. There is no need for a public, well regulated militia anymore, especially not with that kind of power in the hands of gun loving nuts.
Today, there is not real need for people to be armed for warfare. Thanks to police, homeland security, FBI, CIA, and the national guard, there is little fear for national or local security outside of criminals. Other people who own guns. Still, a handgun can kill from quite a distance and fires 12-15 rounds semi-automatic. This should be sufficient enough for self-defense, and if not then I believe you really shouldn't be able to own a gun because you can't even handle the simple task of properly aiming and shooting a god damn handgun.
Overall, mass shooting have become more common, guns laws are becoming looser, people in other countries think we sell guns in vending machines. This is just shameful. I hate living in a country labelled a warmongering, gun obsessed, selfish menace to world peace. People who say these things aren't wrong either, and I hope others are just as disgusted by this fact as I am.

Enough is Enough: A Call for Peace & Justice

The travesty of the riots in Baltimore is a great example of how not to protest. The most successful protests in history involved nonviolence, as well as great perseverance, from Martin Luther King's bus boycott or march on Selma, to Ghandi's hunger strikes, all were nonviolent. The media attention on catastrophe and sensationalism is atrocious, and extremely shameful. They focus on the cities when they're burning, but forget once its done. The homeless, and impoverished all deal with the inequality everyday, while the media acts as though the only thing that occurs within the city is riots from police violence. Enough is seriously enough. To ignore the real problems in these neighborhoods is to deny the fact that these protests and riots have salient meaning outside of another black person dead.
These neighborhoods are susceptible to this violence because of terrible conditions people face everyday. This is what needs to be stopped. The peaceful protests are trying to raise this awareness, to let people know that there is a real reason behind all that is going on in cities like Cleveland, Ferguson, New York, and Baltimore. There is habitual police brutality bordering on what one would imagine seeing in oppresive communism regimes. Beyond the police violence, gang violence strikes deep into the core of inner city life. There are more inner city kids per capita who have PTSD than soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. This is a huge problem, these kids suffering from PTSD tend to lack proper learning skills, and cannot focus in school. This causes students to leave school, as the graduation rates are on average below 50%. This epidemic is by far the leading cause of increased gang violence. In response the police work more by abusing the offenders, while ignoring the possible victims of this terrible epidemic.
What needs to be done is determined by the community, as each affected area has its own individual problem that needs to be handled by the people who live there. There also needs to be that awareness raised about the troubles of the inner city. All of this, along with cooperation by the local police departments maybe a change can happen. Unfortunately, I fear that our nation will soon forget the tragedy, and move on to the next sensationalized news story, while cities rot from the core.