Our Self-Inflicted Wounds

This weekend we witnessed yet another mass shooting in the United States.  We also witnessed yet another example of the racist divide in our nation.  We continue to do this to ourselves, and we have yet to have the courage to stop it.  We CAN stop it, but we choose not to.

Every time this happens, I will take to this blog and be a voice for those who distain the violence.  I've decided now that no one event will cause this country to change its mind about the role of guns in our society.  Columbine didn't change anything, Las Vegas didn't, Orlando didn't, and saddest of all...Sandy Hook Elementary didn't.  Some in our society manage to make the issue about something else, like mental health, for the sole purpose of protecting their sacred gun rights.  To them, dead children or a few innocent dead black people in a supermarket is an acceptable price to pay.  They won't ADMIT that out loud, but it is 100% true.  If they gave a shit they wouldn't argue about registering guns, background checks, or capacity limitations.  They don't want any regulations, and if that means innocent people die, so be it.

Racism is also to blame.  We, as Americans, spend our time thumping our chests about how we are the greatest nation on earth, while at the same time continuing to be a nation run by old white men.  When Obama was elected President, gun sales rose in historic numbers because of the fear of a black uprising (whatever that means).  Gun sales then declined as dramatically once the the black uprising didn't happen.  Today we use the Trump rhetoric to thinly vail racist principles.  "Make America Great Again" equates to "Make America White Male Again".  Trust me, I hear vailed racism every single day.  Anyone using the term "those people" when talking about any non-white group is a screaming racist behind closed doors.  Try a little social experiment...consider the percentages of whites, blacks, and Latinos living in our country....now count the same groups at a Trump rally.  See if the percentages are the same.

Organized religion is also to blame.  Let's be completely honest, none of the religious leaders will talk about gun violence.  Period.  Gun rights are a conservative talking point and they would never bite the hand that feeds them regardless of the lives being lost.  Abortion?  Oh you bet they will throw their hat into that ring.  The "sanctity of life" is on a sliding scale politically.  Prior to the children at Sandy Hook being born, the evangelical right would have been more than happy to pass legislation to protect them.  Once they found themselves at the end of an assault rifle....meh....not so much.  

Until people begin to CARE...nothing will change.  And I don't see that changing any time soon.  We are in a "me" culture.  I'm not talking about the kids....I'm referring to the adults.  A teacher I know explained to me that the school children were very compliant when asked to wear a mask during COVID, but the parents were horrible.  We saw signs on some of our neighbor's lawns accusing schools of taking away the freedom of our children (even though a million people have now been killed by COVID).  As a society we are not only entitled, but ignorant.  That is a hopeless combination.

The hate has to stop.  The gun violence has to stop.  The racism has to stop.  Our turning our heads because of political allegiance has to stop.  Left and Right has to stop and turn into RIGHT and WRONG again.  There used to be values that didn't hinge on political ideology.  We respected the law, our church, our leaders, and doing right by others.  That's been replaced by Jan 6, Trump, walls, guns, and hate crimes.  

Meanwhile there are 10 dead Americans, minding their own business at a grocery store, gunned down because somebody didn't like their skin color.  And not enough people give a damn.