Social Chat

This week’s ARTICLE focuses on Wisconsin lawmakers consideration of new OWI laws. Specifically the permanent revoking of one’s license after their 4 OWI offense. Yes, I said PERMANENTLY losing one’s right to drive after their 4th OWI offense. The House passed the bill unanimously and it is now headed to the Senate.

Yes, 4 times drunk driving is very serious. But the permanent loss of one’s license? Hmm, I’ll have to think about this one for a bit. Thoughts?

In Buddhism, the term “Middle Way” refers to the Buddha’s “…conclusion that an individual who seeks enlightenment in his pursuit of Nirvana needs to avoid both- sensual self-indulgence as well as self-mortification.”* This idea of living one’s life in the middle (and not the extremes) might be good advice for the US regarding mass shootings/gun control. Maybe we could gain some ground by leaving the partisan politics at the door and working together on an answer for this issue?

What are some ideas about how republicans and democrats can work together in reducing mass shootings? Put another way, is there a middle ground we can pursue to help reduce mass shootings?

*https://www.zen-buddhism.net/buddhist-principles/middle-way.html

This week’s STORY focuses on love, loss, community, intolerance and maybe tolerance. I know it’s a bit longer than most of the stories we’ll read this semester, but it’s worth it. Multiple layers exist here and I’m wondering which part stood out to you the most? Let me know.

This week’s article/recording focuses on California’s recent vote to legalize recreational use of marijuana. Many of you were probably aware of this, but the more interesting (for me) was the San Francisco District Attorney’s announcement that “…his office will expunge or reduce convictions for possession and recreational use going back to 1975.” Now you may asking, “What is expungement?” You can click HERE to learn more about this term, but briefly it is the legally deleting one’s criminal conviction. Currently individuals can petition for expungement/reduction of her/his sentence, but apparently this process is complex and convoluted. As a result, the DA is proactively doing this or at least making the process much easier. So check out the sound recording of the interview as well as read over the article.

QUESTION: What do you think of this and why?