Dying for Action
The one thing these current times will not be remembered as is the “Age of Reason.” I have spent most of the last three decades watching the loss of reason disintegrate our nation. I watched as the “Moral Majority” claimed to represent the views of the majority. I watched and felt helpless as critical thinking crumbled and reasonable debate turned into talking points and shouting matches.
The United States seems to have lost its ability for civil discourse and compromise. Listening has become a lost art. And we have now become that nation Lincoln warned us about on June 16, 1858, in the Illinois State Capitol before he became president: “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Forget standing. We are in free fall!
When a nation sends its children off to schools where they are not safe, where they may be shot and killed, we, as a nation, have lost our moral compass. Columbine, most notable, on April 20, 1999. Twelve students and one teacher: DEAD. Perpetrated by two white students.
Since that event that stunned the world 23 years ago, we have come to learn that Columbine, though unprecedented at the time, would come to be known as the first symptom of the madness that was gripping our country. There have been 27 mass shootings this year alone.
We have seen these mass shootings spread out from schools. Columbine, Parkland, Sandy Hook. These names instantly catapult heartbreaking images to our brains. As the violence in America escalates, not just schools, but shopping centers, nail salons, concerts, bars, and churches have all become targets. Most recently Uvalde, Texas, at Robb ELEMENTARY school, where 19 children, no more than babies, and two of their teachers were murdered.
And the horror isn’t just in the hands of these misguided misfits. We’ve seen a steady rise in the number of unjustified killings by police of the people they are sworn to protect.
Following is an excerpt from Dr. Roy Guerrero’s description of what he encountered at the hospital after the Uvalde massacre:
“I had heard from some of the nurses there were two dead children who had been moved to the surgical area of the hospital. As I made my way there I prayed that I wouldn’t find her.
I didn’t find Alaina but I did find something no prayer will ever relieve. Two children whose bodies had been pulverized by bullets fired at them decapitated, whose flesh had been ripped apart, that the only clue of their identities was the blood-spattered cartoon clothes clinging to them, clinging for life and finding none.”
An 11-year-old had to have the moxie to spread her dead friend’s blood on herself and play dead to try to escape the shooter’s attention. Picture that, if you can. An 11-year-old should only be familiar with the blood from a skinned knee from roller skating or bicycle riding.
Dr. Guerrero testified he attended Robb Elementary School—that same school—as a child. His memories were playing with his friends between classes and the smells of the cafeteria on Hamburger Thursdays.
What smells will these children remember?
(Watch his full statement at youtube.com/watch?v=RCwwoHRTIMk)
The United States has a problem with SHOOTING. It isn’t bombing, shelling, or anything else (except for George Floyd) but death at the barrel of a gun. Children, Jewish worshipers, Asian nail specialists, public figures, and random students walking on campus as in Kent State. It isn’t the weather. It isn’t the architecture. It isn’t race. It isn’t the day of the week. It isn’t all mental illness. It IS the guns!
It’s gun manufacturers who invest in the development of violent video games. An article said the US has more guns than people in the US…393 million civilian-owned guns with a population of 326 million. That’s one gun per person, with 67 million guns left over. (2018 Figure.)
What is wrong with the USA? Why doesn’t its moral outrage and thoughts and prayers lead to congressional action? Recent polls suggest that 63-95% of citizens say they agree with more gun control. Depending on which poll you wish to cite, the majority of US citizens support gun control. Isn’t it time—past time!—for our elected officials to bow to the will of the people they serve rather than the gun lobbyists?
Look at other countries. They have schools with two doors. They have children with the same sorts of issues. But they have either stricter gun control or no guns. When Australia had a mass shooting, they eliminated the guns, with the citizens’ approval. They have had no problems since. Sure, there is a black market there. The US black market gun sells for about $1,000. That same gun in Australia is $34,000, significantly reducing easy access.
Most of the shooters have been male and white and, of course, all with guns. Let’s stop with the red herrings. Stop with the finger pointing. Mass shooting events went up when the Brady Bill was allowed to expire, in 2004.
Where is our nation going to go to regain its moral compass and sense of morality?
What we have going on now is pure insanity, and the public continues to die waiting.
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