While drinking my coffee this morning, I looked at the news. Big mistake! The very first two stories were about shootings. More shootings. It seems like an everyday occurrence. I am still reeling from the news of the absolute devastation caused by the Las Vegas shootings. Incidentally, there is very little news anymore concerning the investigation surrounding that story. How easily we seem to forget about important stuff like mass shootings, but can go on for weeks arguing abut the color of a dress or a pair of shoes. And now there is more shootings? We hear of the shooting down in Texas, in a church no less, a place considered to be safe, a sanctuary – but then no place seems to be safe anymore. And then, much to my horror, I see there has been a shooting in Fresno, which is just a bit too close for comfort. What the heck?
I wonder when this is all going to stop. Does no one in power care about the fact innocent people are dying on almost a daily basis at the hands of crazed gunmen, with hidden, twisted agendas? Does President Trump care, or is he too busy overfeeding Koi fish in Japan. Are we, the common people, without body guards, or Secret Service protection just sitting ducks, cows in a slaughterhouse, trapped, with no escape?
And why hasn’t anything been done? I understand we have a right to bear arms, per the United States Constitution, but didn’t pertain to the members of a militia carrying guns to protect themselves, in a manner of defense. Not to go around psychotically shooting large groups of people just because their lives suck and they want to leave some warped legacy.
So, do we all need to carry guns? Do we all need to be armed, and would we just revert to a Wild West mentality where there are shoot outs on the main drag in every town? Do I need to arm my children, and carry a loaded gun when I go to the grocery store, the bank or the movie theater? And with us all armed, would Black Friday shopping become a potentially life-threatening situation, when fighting over a ridiculously low-priced television, or the latest and greatest kid’s toy every parent is vying for to have under the Christmas Tree. Would road rage incidents become even more deadly, if we were all armed with guns? I bet the NRA would feel an incredible sense of accomplishment if that occurred- us all becoming gun-wielding citizens.
One of the ladies I work with, is taking an English class. Her assignment last week was to write a persuasive argument. She chose to write about how schools and teachers can protect themselves against gun-toting lunatics who threaten their students. She had to come up with solutions, and asked for her co-worker’s thoughts on what was the best way to do this. One thought, was to arm the teachers. This did not seem like a viable solution, because most parents wouldn’t be very comfortable with the thought of having their children taught by a heavily armed teacher. Another idea was to have all the children wear Kevlar vests and crash helmets. I can’t imagine that would be a healthy thing for the students’ psyche. I thought a lockdown system, controlled by a button, where all the classroom doors locked, and huge bullet-proof shields rolled down over the windows (kind of like the house security system in the movie “The Purge”) might be the answer. But then what if the gunman was locked in a room full of students? All the students in other classrooms would be safe, but the students shut in a room with the gunman would be trapped with no way out.
There seems to be no simple answer.
And while I am typing all of this, I am thinking about when I went to Squadron Officer School in the Air Force. We learned about terrorism. The definition of terrorism is to frighten people, and coerce them. But I remember the Instructor of this particular class saying the ultimate goal of terrorism is to change the way people behave and lead their lives. Well, our own countrymen are doing a really bang-up job of terrorizing the rest of us, because I suspect we are all having conversations like the one at work last week and hopefully becoming a little more wary of our surroundings. I bet these terrorist groups are just sitting back and watching the mayhem, because our fellow Americans are basically doing their job for them.
That’s why I am becoming agoraphobic. I don’t want to go anywhere or doing anything, where I might become a target. No concerts, no crowded arenas, no theaters, I will just stay at home and watch Netflix and do my shopping on line and hopefully I will remain relatively safe. Am I the only feeling this way? And thanks to our government, who is doing a really stand-up of being proactive and caring for the safety of their constituents, I applaud you. NOT!!!
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