The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been ongoing since the inception of the independent nation of Israel. Israel, the worlds only Jewish state, is surrounded by all sides by predominantly Islamic countries. Both sides of this conflict have stakes in the land on which Israel is based- Israel considers it a holy land, and their ancestral home; whereas Palestine believes the land to be theirs by right, as they lived there for the 2000 year interrim between the Jewish peoples last presence & their return after World War I. During World War I Britain stated it's intention to create an independent Jewish homeland and was mandated the region. In the interrim between WW1 and WW2, antisemitism began spreading throughout Europe, fueled by Germany in particular but also other nations, and Jews being persecuted across the continent began migrating to the region fast enough that Britain was forced to restrict them (though an underground movement to bring Jews into the land began after WW2's beginning, increasing the Jewish population further). After World War II, however, the Jewish community had disputes with British rule, and sought independence from them and all other nations. To quell an uprising, Britain agreed to divide the land and create 2 nations- a Palestinian, a Jewish state, and the city of Jerusalem to be under "an International Trusteeship System". Though the Palestinian government rejected this compromise, Israel announced it's independence the day before the British mandate expired, laying claim to the land before terms had been officially reached. Since this announcement, there has been discord between the two neighbors, as Palestine believes its rights have been infringed on and land has been taken unjustly.  The West Bank is under the sway of the moderate Fatah Party, while the Gaza strip region is ruled by the militant (and potentially terrorist) Hamas party. The two Palestinian territories in Israel are under Israeli occupation and control, effectively giving them the power to restrict supplies and aid going into Gaza.
Many look towards the tragedies suffered by the Jews in WW2 to justify Israel's continued presence and fight for land. While those were abominable, it does not excuse the Israeli domination of the region with the help of more powerful governments. When the region was founded over 250,000 Palestinians were forced out of their homes into the neighboring regions, and then 20 years later during the Six Day War, further land was taken forcing more. While Israel may have pure motivations in having a land to call it's own, that land came at the cost of the Palestinian state, justifying the anger felt by the Palestinian citizens of the Gaza strip and the West Bank. While claims that Palestine is assaulting Israel are not without merit, the scale in these assaults must be noted. Gazan attacks hit the region directly surrounding the Gaza strip, thanks to the inability to acquire larger artillery to hit further targets caused by Israel's blocking the region from getting said weaponry. Israeli assaults, on the other hand, typically hit civilians and military citizens alike due to the dense population in the city. While Gaza and it's Palestinian citizens act out against a force populating their city & infringing on their rights, Israel responds by violently and openly assaulting innocent civilians. Others say that Palestine being run by the terrorist group Hamas proves that they are the aggressors in the situations, to which it must be noted that Hamas has only been in power for roughly 20 years, and was elected by a majority of people who felt so disenfranchised by Israeli rule over their lands that they believe that terrorist governance was the only way to retain their livelihoods. Unfortunately Hamas and Gaza are unable to create their own standing army and are thus relegated to the status of "terrorist" due to the methods to which they resort. The violence only escalates with time, and when there is a military strength such as that of Israel (with the backing of other major nations) versus a small group led by a group perceived as terrorists, it only makes sense that the escalation would be blamed on Hamas.
The Jewish belief that they are entitled to a holy land, specifically the land disputed, is one based purely in biblical lore. The Roman's may have thrown the Jews out of Jerusalem after 1000 years of residence, but it was twice that time before they returned. In that time, it was not Roman or Italian powers that were pushed out and deprived of their land, it was Arab and Islamic powers that were forced from their homes for the sake of someone else's religion. It's all well and good to want a nation that is peaceful and amenable to western allies, but that coming at the expense of a people who've just as much right is both unfair and unwise. Palestine being an Islamic citizenship within a Jewish nation in an Islamic region is, at best, courting further instability. Israel's unwillingness to compromise also points to their status as the instigator of much of this violence, as they refuse to budge on land that was technically never granted to them officially on top of forming a country before any compromise could be officially made. Formation under such circumstance is bound to raise the suspicion of the people who are forced to accept such rule. Israel's formation on what was once Palestinian soil must have come across as an injustice to those that were displaced, and seeing them displace more and more of their fellow citizens is what lets such enmity take root.

Gun Violence

The United States is the country with the most guns in the world, and as a result the country with the most gun violence in the world. Every year in the United States, more than 100,000 people are the victims of gun violence, according to The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Guns cost roughly $75 in many states, and are eligible to be sold in stores as common as Walmart! While OFFICIALLY guns are required to be registered and the Federal Gov't maintains a 3 day background check, there are loopholes to this system that allow anyone with access to a gun show or a "salesman" can purchase one independently without any intervention from said government. Of 63 Mass Shootings in the US between 1982 and 2012, 49 of the killers acquired their weapons legally. The US Constitution & Bill of Rights were written over 200 years ago, when weapons were slow and required manual reloading. Today, we have weapons that can fire hundreds of bullets a minute and with clips that can contain that number, a future that the founding fathers of our nation neither mentioned nor could presumably fathom. Weapons of that calibre, 200 years ago would've been relegated to fantasy, not something they would specifically note conditions for should they arise. The 2nd Amendment grants citizens the right to bear arms, a right that I believe is worth protecting, but not at the expense of innocent men and women and children.


(Not a reputable firearms dealer!)

Many among the far Right seem to have the idea that the solution to this problem is MORE guns. They contend that if citizens present at the time of any of the myriad tragedies caused by gun violence had access to firearms, they could've prevented more carnage- to which it must be asked, how much more? Must elementary school security guards be armed? With weapons enough to take down a man with fully automatic handguns and rifles? Firearms are readily accessible in today's society, and yet the people in these situations weren't carrying the weapons that COULD have protected them, but definitely actually DID harm them. These men and women believe guns to be the solution to any security concern- even when guns ARE the security concern. Stymying progress in favor of their ill defined (by design) right to bear some kind of weapon, left undescribed, and indeed, undescribable, the founding fathers having OBVIOUSLY been aware of advancing technology. The 2nd Amendment doesn't specifically preclude weapons that these men and women are desperate to protect, because these weapons did not exist at the time of it's writing.


(http://www.justplainpolitics.com/showthread.php?47848-NRA-s-2nd-Amendment)

I believe that gun rights are currently too lax on citizens. US citizens should be allowed to defend their homes and persons, but carrying weapons, some concealed, is more of a threat than it is security. Firearms should be restricted to the home or to those with the proper training to use them, they're far too dangerous to be used in public for anyone to have. Weaponry such as this should be relegated to those who would use it for it's original intent- trained defense. Allowing laymen to have it is a dangerous tempatation that has proven too much for the citizenry.

http://www.bradycampaign.org/xshare/Facts/Gun_Death_and_Injury_Stat_Sheet_3-Year_Average_FINAL.pdf
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/16/16547690-just-the-facts-gun-violence-in-america?lite