Yeah, that was a terrible day yesterday. Five people dead. Because of crazy people. Or guns. Or liberal policies. Or whatever.
Oh. Sorry. You meant those five people. I was thinking about those five people. You know, where the sheriff told the reporter,
“This is everyday USA behind me,” Scott said Sunday as he stood in front of the family’s home. “Something snapped, something went terribly wrong. And we’ll never know the answer to why.”
Of course, I could have been talking about this young man, where I live. Or these people in Chicago. Or this man in Michigan.
Or these 19 people back home in New Orleans last weekend.
Or the nine thousand or so last year. Good news, that. It's only nine thousand. Hey, things are really looking up. That's a couple thousand less than 20 years ago, they tell me, so life's getting better, right?
No. It's really not.
The shots ring out pretty regularly 'round my way. Probably 'round yours, too. And, even when it's quiet outside, there's always the news.
And it's always "We'll never know why" and "There's nothing we can do about it" and "Don't blame the guns" and "It's about mental health" and "It's about liberals" and "It's because of conservatives" and "Our hands are tied."
I don't care. Find out the answer. Solve the problem. If it's about mental health, then fund mental health services. If it's people with illegal guns, increase the penalties and arrest them. If it's "not enough good guys with guns," require mental and moral screening along with criminal checks. Hell, require criminal checks, huh? Or do people go to gun shows to see guns sing and dance and tell jokes? I don't think that's how that works.
I'm just tired of it.
Scientists at the University of Utah just released a study positing that our species evolved the facial structure we've got to make it easier to survive a punch in the face. Apparently, that's how we've been settling our beefs for four or five million years now.
Not pretty, no, but it'll have to do.
Because I doubt we're going to evolve to survive taking a bullet to the face anytime soon.
Do something.