The nine innocent human beings who died in the massacre ranged in age from 18 to 67 are: Lucero Alcaraz, 19; Treven Taylor Anspach, 20; Rebecka Ann Carnes, 18; Quinn Glen Cooper, 18; Kim Saltmarsh Dietz, 59; Lucas Eibel, 18; Jason Dale Johnson, 34; Lawrence Levine, 67; and Sarena Dawn Moore, 44.
There are countless additional wounded victims as well shout by this monster.
The familiar usual arguments for and against gun control laws, hand wringing by politicians, endless, now ritualistic blood feasting by the media, buzzing social media arguments, vigils, and soon the funerals.
The media response is routine.
Whoever is the President gives the same speech,
The politicians tweet their condolences,
The Nation feels helpless, very numb after so many similar mass killings.
Politicians give the same answers because the debate hasn't changed in all these years. It's politicians who blame the guns, versus politicians who blame everything but the guns.
We the people agree it's a terrible thing, we all send our thoughts and prayers, and we all salute the ordinary people who step up and who become heroes.
Truthfully, most of us should be ashamed that when we first saw the latest initial news on this shooting, we didn't have the sense of shock that all of us used to have.
I felt sadness, but no surprise. Even worse, and I hate admitting this too, I couldn't feel outrage. Because what's the point of raging against what always turns out to be some form of lunacy and is now a "normal" occurrence.
Social media is filled with intellectual arguments, rhetoric, and the usual meaningless words.
Feelings, sure many people have feelings about what happens, but this is a Country where 20 Kindergarten and First grade children, plus 6 adult staff members were murdered in their classrooms at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut, on December 14, 2012, then left in a pile of bodies, and NOTHING has changed in the way we as a Nation refuse facing up to the epidemic of senseless killings, culminating in eventual indifference to this and each and every murder afterwards.
Politicizing these killings to further agendas of pro and anti gun laws that polarize will not stop the killings. I am not sure what will reduce the carnage but the shooters do not live in a vacuum, they are visible.
I do know that their visibility seen by friends, family, neighbors of the person who snaps can, if recognized, and confronted can potentially stop these massacres. They have to connect the dots, the anger, the rants, online postings, the collecting of weapons and then do something.
I do know that their visibility seen by friends, family, neighbors of the person who snaps can, if recognized, and confronted can potentially stop these massacres. They have to connect the dots, the anger, the rants, online postings, the collecting of weapons and then do something.
Otherwise, all that's left is to say to ourselves, "Well, at least it isn't my family or someone I know."
Just like we said a few weeks ago, and a few weeks before that, and it's what we will say a few weeks from now.
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