On the Indian Sexual Assault and America

I have just returned from a group meeting for Davidson's chapter of Half the Sky, where we discussed the gang rape of a 23-year-old student which has gotten a lot of media attention recently. The discussion was both thoughtful and one which has opened my eyes.

A little bit of background first:

The Indian girl was with a male friend of hers after a movie. She and her friend boarded a bus to go home. The bus had been taken over by six young males. The couple knew something was wrong when the driver took a wrong turn and wouldn't let the two off of the bus. The six males then proceeded to rape the woman and beat the man. The woman was impaled with a pole and eviscerated. When medics found her, the great majority of her intestines were outside of her body. She was taken to a New Delhi hospital, where she stayed for ten days before being taken to a Singapore hospital, where she died three days later.

Her rape and eventual death have ignited massive protests all over India, and has attracted international attention.

There are hundreds of different lenses and analyses to see through or conclude from the horrific acts, the following protest, and the rhetoric being used by a number of different actors in the month following her rape and eventual death.

I'm an American male, so I will offer my perspective as one, and provide analysis particularly interested in American action/policy.

An Update on Guns and Policy

If you haven't heard yet, Mr Obama signed presidential orders for measures to reduce gun violence this week. Mr Biden and Mr Obama made their statements live on PBS Newshour, which was streamed live and then put on YouTube, which you can view here. (There are a few glitches from the recording, so be prepared for odd noises in the first 7 minutes or so.)

President Obama effectively shifted the responsibility to Congress on a number of initiatives, offering his arguments for them. A few things he hopes for:  more extensive universal background checks, 10-round limit on clips, mental healthcare reform, and an assault weapons ban.

Mr Obama cites Reagan, who wrote to Congress asking them to "listen to the American public and to the law enforcement community and to support a ban on the manufacture of military-style assault weapons."

Obama understands our right to bear arms, and supports that. He believes we can keep this right while ensuring the safety of our children and fellow Americans. With rights come responsibilities, and we are obligated to allow others their right to life as we allow ourselves.

All peachy-keen, right?

On Guns in Schools

Consider this half-way a response to Rep. Phil Lowe's recent opinion piece featured in the Greenville News, located here. 

Honestly, when I first heard an argument for arming the teachers in schools I thought the person was joking. A chuckle to myself and a few replies later and I realized the opposite. It's so shocking to me that arming teachers in schools is now becoming something many representatives are considering supporting through legislation.

I have maintained relative silence about control and gun rights (though my Twitter and Facebook have sometimes indicated the opposite), but I strongly believe that it would be foolish for us to arm our teachers.

On My Decision to Take a Fifth Course

It is very likely that I will be committing Davidson suicide this semester in deciding to take five classes instead of the normal four.

As it so turns out, a class I wanted to take in the future will probably not be offered at Davidson following this semester. In the interest of learning so much the back of my head explodes from all the brain I've developed, I've decided I need to take this fifth course to ensure I get everything in.