Two Birds and One Stone

In New Hampshire it may soon be punishable by death to kill someone before, while, or after you break into their home. Breaking and entering, theft, and murder combined into one charge and given the power of the ultimate punishment. This law would put into effect a new maxim, "Thou shalt not steal and thou shalt not kill, but especially not at the same time."

I recently asked my girlfriend if she thought it was acceptable to have a gun in the home. While we don't live together I think that it is a very important question for everyone to answer. How many murders have happened because a burglar broke into a house and wasn't expecting anyone to be home and panicked? Fortunately, the NH legislature is looking to make this punishable by death.

I think that every person should have some means of defense in their home. From knives to baseball bats to guns, each person should have a reasonable weapon with which they can protect themselves and their family from invasion.

If burglars knew that going into a home could very reasonably end in injury or death, I would expect there to be fewer break-ins. And that would help me sleep better at night.

A Day of Remembrance

I'm going to go ahead and admit something personal. I'm a Christian. We have a lot of holidays. We remember a lot of things. As a country, Americans have a lot of different occasions to look back and remember that there were times we were great and have cause to celebrate those times.

Unfortunately, both groups tend to stop there. (That's really about the end of the religious segment of this post) It is not enough to remember that a group of people stood together under the leadership of a great man and rallied around the cause of equal rights. Are there not still people in our country who are being treated unfairly?

It is not enough to remember that a great man was killed on the path towards his dream, of which he so eloquently spoke. Have we fulfilled the goals for which he lived and died?

What can we accomplish before the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday comes again next year? We even have an opportunity to help the people of Haiti in front of us. We have equal pay for equal work for women waiting desperately for our attention. I think this blog has posted plenty of articles about equal marital (or union) rights for homosexual couples.

Passing a decent law almost 50 years ago was not the end of the fight, it was the beginning of a job. We must always be on the lookout for the disadvantaged, the mistreated, and those crying in desperation for help.

If the man whose birthday we are remembering were to stand in front of you and ask you what you've done, would you be able to answer him proudly? If he asked if you had continued the work that had been cut short for him, could you say yes?

Nobody is perfect, especially not this author, but can you say you have tried to help everyone you have seen around you, even the ones you don't like?

Have you loved your neighbor?