June 26, 2011

Wow. Yay. Great. Another success for marriage equality. New York state grants gays and lesbians the basic human right – to marry. Of course a particular religion does not have to grant this right. But the state grants it. Remember: separation of church and state in the U.S. Marriage is, first, a legal contract. Marriage is secular. Then celebrate it in your religion if you wish.

I believe in gun control. I’m disgusted by the pandering to the NRA. Don’t tell me “People kill. Guns don’t.” When a gun is easily accessible, people use it. Don’t tell me it’s in the constitution. I suspect that referred to rebelling against a bad government. Gun control… Sure, you can still go hunting with a hunting gun.

But the kinds of guns we have on the street. That’s nuts. And look at what we’re doing to Mexico. They import our guns for drug wars.

So Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says that gun control needs to move front and center in this country. He said that access to guns – and what that does to our urban centers and our youth and mostly our Black youth – is racism. I agree. Racism (and sexism, too) are socialized. They permeate our systems and our policies and our unthinking attitudes. Help wake up this country, Mr. McCarthy!

Filed under: Social Commentary

About Simone Joyaux

A consultant specializing in fund development, strategic planning, and board development, Simone P. Joyaux works with all types and sizes of nonprofits, speaks at conferences worldwide, and teaches in the graduate program for philanthropy at Saint Mary’s University, MN. Her books, Keep Your Donors and Strategic Fund Development, are standards in the field.

Get non-profit resources in your inbox