If I had one wish this Christmas

[rbrnmw]

it would be that gun nuts would stfu and just try to put themselves in the shoes of a family member who has lost a loved one to gun violence I am so sick of these selfish people who think their rights trump all other persons rights

[ComplimentarySwine]

1. I think that that is why a lot of them own guns

They want a fighting chance if someone decides that they are a target.

[rbrnmw]

2. spare me the nra talking points

[cynatnite]

3. They live in a constant state of fear and a gun means control for them.

That's what it's all about for them.

[BainsBane]

9. I have yet to figure out why they are so afraid

I'm a middle-aged woman living alone in the inner city. I handle myself perfectly well without weapons. I follow a few basic precautions. I never carry much cash. I don't hassle anyone. And I don't act like I am afraid because truthfully I'm not. So why are these gun owners -- most of them men far stronger than I-- afraid all the time?

[flvegan]

4. "Selfish" is a funny word

that you shouldn't use unless you want it shined right back on you.

But then it's all about you according to the post, so you know, whatever.

[rbrnmw]

5. What is selfish about wanting to end gun violence

or violence period?

[BainsBane]

10. Selfish must mean thinking that children's lives

Mean more than his ability to stockpile an arsenal.

[rbrnmw]

6. you really hurt my feelings by accussing me of being selfish

you don't know me or anything I have been witness to in my life and my post isn't about me

[hfojvt]

7. I'd wish that precious little Stevie had never been born!

err, I mean for a kinder world.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_I_Had_One_Wish

That's a kids book really, but one of my favorite books of all time.

The movie really sucks though. They totally hashed the book instead of following it.

The book's plot is that a teenaged boy helps a homeless woman at the mall, and she gives him a coin and says it will grant him one wish. He's kinda estranged from his father who at the same time dotes on his little brother who often annoys his older brother as well as gets him in trouble. So after a big fight that ends up with him grounded for a weekend when he had planned to go skiing, he wishes that his little brother - Stevie, had never been born.

And it comes true.

Much to his shock and regret.

Somewhat similar to "It's a Wonderful life" he finds that the world has changed because his little brother wasn't born. His mother now has a high-powered career. His dad now drives a porsche and they have their own ski cabin.

Admittedly Alec, the main character, loves those things. He gets all excited about the porsche and then thinks "What can I say, I traded my little brother for a porsche." But he also finds his new family to be colder. His parents fight, his father drinks and no longer cares about his kids' sporting activities.

As Alec tries to track the homeless woman down, so he can undo his wish, his eyes are opened to the many homeless people in his city.

With the help of a pretty older girl, Abbey, he finds the homeless woman right before she dies. She tells him she is a wanderer, and that a wanderer lives on the kindness of strangers, and says "Your world is not kind to strangers." She also says, tearfully, that the wish can NOT be undone.

As he heads home, Alec stops by the house of his friend and sees his friend fighting with his little sisters. He thinks about his own little brother. He sadly notes "Kind to strangers? We aren't even kind to the people we love."

Well, I will not give away the ending, but I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages, from one to 92.

I should even log in to wiki and see if I can put this review there.

[rbrnmw]

8. it's a great review and I now want to read the book

"It's a Wonderful Life" is one of my favorite stories/movies