The American 'Gun-Law Reforms' Drama -- Congress At Logger Heads While Lives Are Lost With Each Passing Day!

Despite the challenges of: Climate Change, terrorism, drought/ famine, civil unrest, epidemic outbreaks, racism and others numerous to mention, currently besieging International frontiers; the United States, sure has its hands full with Internal issues.  Chief, of which is the popular debates on 'gun-law' reforms.  

Photo: Matt Bors

                                         
Debates in the '90s', on the availability of firearms and gun violence in the United States, saw two major opposing groups canvassing for the responsibility of the government, to meet the needs of the citizens; to prevent crime and death on one hand, and the right to bear arms, as seen in the second amendment of the constitution. Thus gun control and gun right groups have lobbied the Congress, for decades, to enact legislation in favour of the respective views.

In 2008, the U.S Apex Court, in a case District of Columbia v. Heller, the Court ruled that the Constitution protects an individual’s right to own a gun, for personal use. However, the 5-4 decision failed to address local and state laws, as it applied only to  'Federal Laws'. To clear the air on this, the Supreme Court in July 2012, ruled that the Federal right to bear arms, equally applies at the State and Local levels, thereby lifting an almost 30-year-old Chicago Gun-ban.

Addressing this burning issue right after the Colorado theater, and the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting in 2012, Michael Shank, an adjunct Professor at George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution - Washington Boulevard, suggested that "while the US protects freedom of speech for self-proclaimed skinheads and white supremacists such as Army veteran Wade Michael Page, it must also protect the public from any 9/11 and war-induced post-traumatic stress disorder that turns violent".  

Mass-shooting in the United States continues to snowball since the 18th century, as individuals, either motivated by some extreme groups ideologies, or frustrated, and needing psychiatric evaluation, go on shooting rampage, and 'copycats' tend to replicate these shootings in some other parts of the country. The ugly part of this trend, is the alarming increase in the pace and age grade of perpetrators, who turn out to be mostly youngsters. From the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, to the Colorado theater shooting, the 2014 mass killing at the University of California - Santa Barbara, the Amnicola Chattanooga, the Tennessee mass shooting, the Philip Barbour high school in Philippi - West Virginia,  the Hallwood Drive in northern St. Louis County - Missouri, the Virginia T.V journalists shooting, and the list goes on and on. 

The United states President, Barack Obama, has been pushing for tougher gun Laws, this efforts, along side those of other well- meaning U.S citizens, seemed to meet brick-walls, as the Congress is obviously divided in views, and appear more interested in politicizing the issue.  Answering audience questions about gun violence during a campaign event in Las Vegas, Democratic Presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton, stated that she supports stronger, more balanced gun control laws. 

In the face of this crisis, how long will it take, till all stake-holders put aside their differences and pride, and realize that lives are being snuffed out of human beings on a daily basis, that this situation requires urgent implementation of effective measures to address it. This reminds me of the popular saying about Empro Niro, who was purported to have been: 'playing his lyre while Rome burned". 

All we see on the Media are heated debates, and campaigns in favor or against gun-law reforms, thereafter victims' relatives are pulled in to bolster these campaigns. Nothing concrete is done. Before you knew it, another shooter gets hold of a gun, and goes on a more heinous rampage. 


Obianuju Mbanusi writes.

Aylan Kurdi's Drowning, Britain To Accept "More And More" Migrants!

Going against his insistence on Wednesday August 2, that Britain would not accept “more and more” migrants, British Prime Minister, David Cameron is expected to announce that Britain will accept thousands more Syrian asylum seekers. 

Information revealed that the government is preparing plans to resettle the refugees fleeing Isil jihadists and conflict in the region in an attempt to fulfill what it termed its “moral obligation”.

Cameron's insistence on not accepting more migrants into the United Kingdom came as the crisis showed no sign of ceasing. Hours after the decision, images emerged of the lifeless body a three-year-old boy later identified as Aylan Kurdi, a Syrian refuge, lying lifeless on Bodrum beach in Turkey. Aylan drowned alongside his mother Rehen and elder brother Galip, while trying to flee war ravaged Syria. 

Aylan and Galip with their father Abdullah Kurdi

The picture, which embodies the "human cost of the crisis" went viral on the Internet, prompting debates over whether Britain was accepting its "fair share" of refugees.

Cameron, it was gathered spent much of Thursday, August 3, in talks with his closest advisers on how to respond to the changing public mood.

Three People Killed In Ojuelegba - Bridge Accident!

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency confirmed that three people died Wednesday August 2, between 4.45 and 5 pm, when an unlatched articulated vehicle carrying a 40-foot container fell off the ever busy Ojuelegba bridge, landing on a white colored salon car and an SUV in Lagos. 

See Photos below: 

Lifeless Body Of A PHCN Official Electrocuted On A Pole At Ikeja!

Photo of the lifeless body of an electrocuted PHCN Official hanging on a pole at Ikeja area of Lagos state, as seen in the morning hours of August 3. 

Identity Of Syrian Child Whose Lifeless Body Was Found On Turkish Beach Revealed!

The child whose lifeless body was found Wednesday, August 2, on  the beach in the Turkish resort of Bodrum has been identified as Aylan Kurdi.



Authorities said two boats carrying what was believed to be Syrian refugees sank off the Bodrum's coast en route Greece, at least 11 people died in the mishap.  Information equally revealed that thousands of migrants have been follwoing the same route in search of a better life in Europe.

H.e.a.r.t. B.r.e.a.k.i.n.g Picture Of A Dead Syrian Boy, Washed Up On A Turkish Beach!

The picture below is that of a dead Syrian child washed up on a Turkish beach on Wednesday morning, 2nd September.



How many more innocents have to die in this state, for the prolonged war to end????

Uniport Student's Death, What Lessons Can Be Learnt From It?

The recent death of Kelechi Precious, a Theater Art and Film study, student of the University of Port Harcourt, on Monday August 3, at the University Teaching Hospital (UPTH), was a sad incident that could have been avoided.  

Miss  Precious was said to have collapsed at her hostel bathroom while having her bath around 5 am Monday, and was taken to the University Teaching Hospital's Accident and Emergency Ward by fellow students, where she was reportedly rejected for lack of space. The  students pleaded that the hospital make use of the car with which they took her to the hospital, as her bed, but that plea was turned down.

On the refusal to attend to the deceased at the Teaching Hospital, the students took her to Fountain Hospital at Ozuoba area of Port- Harcourt, on getting there, the doctor asked the students to go fetch Precious's relatives, thereafter directed them to take her back to the Teaching Hospital.

The students told the doctor at Fountain Hospital that they just left the Teaching Hospital, they were then directed to another hospital,  Ebonyi Hospital where the doctor on duty confirmed that there was no life left in Precious. Not giving up that easily on their own, the students further took the deceased to the Military Hospital, where she was confirmed dead. They were advised to make an entry at any police station around. After making an entry at Choba Police Station, they took the corpse back to the University Teaching Hospital mortuary, where ironically, it was accepted. There is enough space to accept corpses in the Teaching Hospital, but not enough bed space to admit and attend to ailing citizens.



Following the frustrations their efforts met while trying to save the life of the late Kelechi Precious, the students, led by the Student Union Government (SUG) of the university took to the streets, to protest against  the inability of the Teaching Hospital to save the young lady's life. 

This is not the first time an incident like this has occurred, not just at the Rivers State University teaching Hospital, but in so many teaching hospitals across the country. 

For an incident of this magnitude to occur in Port- Harcourt, the capital city of the oil rich Rivers State, one can not help but cry 'foul'. The resource 'curse' omen must have been at play, or how else can one describe a situation where a city supposed to be blessed with the black gold, lack 'enough' basic facility like 'beds' in its Teaching Hospital, while the stake holders busied them selves with endless combats and allegations of 'who's after whose life', instead of hiding their heads in shame. And shame....that seems to be just what we lack.

What is the State House of Assembly doing about this unfortunate incident, the management of the teaching hospital should have been summoned concerning this development. It will not be surprising if this too passed, and is forgotten, like the 'Aluu Four' killing.

This piece might pass as any other rant, as these stake holders are obviously not bothered. How can they be affected, when they and all theirs, are flown abroad at the slightest head-ache, while the masses, whom they pledged and claimed responsibility for, are the worse hit of every administration's irresponsible activities. A situation where avoidable deaths happen in our hospitals is totally unacceptable.

This should be a wake-up call for us all, though we can not change the past,  we can not bring back the many lives lost due to government's inability to produce basic facilites in our hospitals, but we can all decide today to start setting things right. 

• It begins with the government utilizing state funds in the channels they were meant to be use on, instead of cutting corners to enrich themselves. 

• It begins with government officials disbursing funds without asking for 80% or any % cuts what so ever, before they will release 'contract' funds to contractors. 

• It begins with these contractors getting jobs they were paid for, done, with the best quality materials and skilled workers there is. 

Let us bear in mind that we can only reap what we have sown, corruption can only bred decadence, apart from the biblical miracle of Jesus, raising dead Lazarus, and Ezekiel's prophesy to dead bones, which raised and turned dead soldiers into a great legion, I have not come across a situation where a decayed object was redeemed. 

The frustration and bitterness towards authority, being sowed into so many young lives, when the realization that they are indeed 'on their own', due to the actions of some government representatives, dawn on them, can only breed hostility and non-nonchalancy; I leave you to figure out what kind of broken leaders these 'victims' can turn into in the near future.