Beyond the Gun-Control Debate

Once again we open the newspapers and find ourselves shocked by the random killings of innocent victims. This time, however, it seems to shock us a bit more. Possibly because of the number of victims or the fact that it happened in a school... Again. But most likely because of the 26 dead 20 were 6 or 7 years old. 8 boys and 12 girls according to official reports.

Again a shooting. Another in a long tragic and painful chain of school shootings in the USA. Once again the gun control debate reopens throughout the country as both sides get their argumentative ammunition ready. We´ll hear again about people´s right to bear arms, and about statistics. Some will remind us that this has happened in other places (Google: Oslo Massacre 2011) and that it has happened as well where people have had no access to guns (Google: China Knife Attacks 2010). Statistics will be fired in every direction: percentage of gun crimes carried out with legally obtained weapons, number of these weapons that end up in the wrong hands, gun crimes in the USA vs countries where access to firearms is limited, number of criminals who claim they would not have killed if they had known for a fact that there were other armed people among their potential victims, and so on. More than anything, people will adopt a position somewhere around the Second Amendment of the US Constitution. 

The Second Amendment is the part of the Constitution´s Bill of Rights that defends the people´s right to "keep and bear arms." The Bill of Rights is the term applied to the first 10 amendments to the Constitution in order to guarantee basic rights (such as freedom of speech and a fair trial) to all Americans, as well as to limit the powers of Government. Viewed from a 21st century point of view, especially from outside the US, the fact that having firearms is considered a basic right seems crazy to say the least. We should consider things within their context though, and the 2nd Amendment´s context was very different from anything we deem normal nowadays. The 13 Colonies had just earned their independence, war had just ended, and newly declared American people understood that if they wanted to protect their lives, property, families, and freedom they had to do it themselves. After decades of being abused by the British Crown, it was only understandable that they wanted the right to protect themselves and rebel against an unfair rule guaranteed in writing. In present day people debate whether the guarantees established by the second amendment are still necessary.

As I have said before, every time there is intense debate over anything we must stop and wonder what the other side is seeing that we are not. Thus I am willing to accept some of the reasons told by people who use the self-defense argument as logical. For example that those who legally buy weapons are NOT the ones that commit gun crimes, or that states that are more permissive with guns are NOT the ones with the highest gun crime rates.  However it is not easy for me to understand that people defend the right to have assault weapons. I personally don´t understand, but I don´t judge either, those who want to have hunting guns. I certainly don´t share the idea of having a revolver for self-protection at home, but I can sometimes understand it. But I most definitely can´t accept that we allow anyone to have guns that were specifically designed to kill people. Accurately. Multiple people at a time. Who can seriously claim that people who buy this kind of weapon have self-defense in mind? Self-defense against what? An army of mercenaries? 

As President Obama said, "the complex causes of gun crime can´t be an excuse for inaction" and something has to be done. Some US politicians have already promised they will propose a nation-wide ban on assault weapons (which I applaud, but is not enough), and everyone throughout the country is urging people to reflect on what needs to be changed to prevent another massacre like the one in Newton, Conn. It is hard to say. I certainly have no answer. It breaks my heart to think of the families who sent their little ones to school just another Friday morning and never saw them return. I can´t begin to imagine the pain they must be going through as I type these words. The thought that there is something deeply wrong with a country that produces the kind of monster who would perpetrate such an act is only slightly alleviated by the idea that the overwhelming majority of us are NOT like that. Most of us wish to change something. Most of us send our condolences and prayers to the families of the victims. But nothing we do or say will bring them back.

Breakfast Who is Who

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. However, the idea of what a good breakfast is can greatly differ depending on where you live. In the USA, as in most of the Americas and Northern Europe, people tend to eat hearty, strong and complete breakfasts. These are usually high-protein and include items such as eggs, bacon, potatoes, veggies, and pancakes. For people here in Mediterranean Europe American breakfast items usually seem too heavy. They find it difficult to believe a person can actually feel like eating that much, especially that early in the morning! Mediterraneans usually have significantly smaller breakfasts that consist of coffee and milk and a slice of toast with butter and jam for those who like it sweet, and oil and tomato for those who don´t.

In general breakfast habits are only a matter of taste, except when it comes to the fact of actually having some breakfast. Researchers seem to agree that the worst possible breakfast is no breakfast at all, especially for children and teenagers. Many studies suggest a strong correlation between academic achievement and having breakfast, which is why many states in the US began their breakfast-at-school programs.

So, if we consider breakfast necessary, how can we choose wisely what to have? According to several medical studies, the most important nutrients to include in a complete breakfast are fiber, protein, and vitamins, especially vitamin C (more so in the wintertime when our immune system needs a little boost). Given this information, the best breakfast may be a combination of American and Mediterranean ingredients. American breakfast items are high in animal protein, but also in saturated fats, whereas Mediterranean breakfast is high in fiber but often lacks protein and vitamin C. The ideal breakfast should definitely include some dairy products, fruit, and bread. The way you mix and match these is entirely up to you and your schedules, but remember... NEVER SKIP BREAKFAST AGAIN!

Homeschooling

     There is a lot in the news lately about whether children can be home-schooled or not in Spain. Apparently it´s not clear here if homeschooling is constitutional. Most of the debate centers around the ambiguity of the Spanish Constitution on the issue of free and mandatory education. People who want to home-school their children claim that the document establishes the right and obligation of all children to receive an education, but never stating WHERE. In other words, that as long as they are educated they do not need to attend school.

     In the United States about 2.9 percent of children are home-schooled. Depending on the state, the laws that regulate homeschooling range from virtually no regulation at all (not even notification of homeschooling) to very strict controls by the state of the curriculum taught, the parent/home teacher qualifications, official evaluation, and home visits. The picture on the right shows the degree of regulation and its distribution by state, according to the Home-School Legal Defense Association.

     The reasons parents decide not to send their children to school are very diverse, with morals and disagreement with the school system behind most of them. These are the top ten reasons given by American parents to home-school their children according to the National Center for Education Statistics:

Reason for homeschooling	Number of homeschooled students	Percent	s.e.
Can give child better education at home	415,000	48.9	3.79
Religious reason	327,000	38.4	4.44
Poor learning environment at school	218,000	25.6	3.44
Family reasons	143,000	16.8	2.79
To develop character/morality	128,000	15.1	3.39
Object to what school teaches	103,000	12.1	2.11
School does not challenge child	98,000	11.6	2.39
Other problems with available schools	76,000	9.0	2.40
Child has special needs/disability	69,000	8.2	1.89
Transportation/convenience	23,000	2.7	1.48

     According to several studies home-schooled students on an average outperform their schooled peers in all subjects. However those who oppose homeschooling claim that it severely hampers the social and civic development of children. Controversial issues would not be so if there weren´t good reasons to both sides and this is no exception. If we dig a little we can find tons of evidence both in favor and against homeschooling. The important thing is to keep an open mind and make informed decisions weighing advantages and disadvantages and reading as much information as there is around, especially when we are dealing with such an important issue. Now that Spain is staring to consider homeschooling as an option, Spanish people should take advantage of the vast experience the US has with it and use the information available there to form a more complete opinion.