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And Again, Or, Saturday Morning at 7:48am

There no way to sit down and write this morning without thinking of yesterday’s killings. A young man shot 20 children in an elementary school in Connecticut. So much has and will be said. You all are intelligent, compassionate people who will have those feelings and thoughts that need to be had. All that’s left is a moment of silence.

27 Responses

  2. It has been hard for me to digest it. It is too horrible to be real. I cannot imagine being a first responder and showing up to what they saw. We need to keep the entire community in our thoughts and prayers.

  5. When something like this happens, the shock is immense amongst all of us.
    The killings in Norway is something we can´t ever understand.
    And these things keep going on, over and over..
    What can we do, what can I do, to end this all. This has to have to end.

  8. This has happened so many times this year (hey who even remembers the two guys from Circus Contraption who were shot in Seattle in spring?) that I feel like it ought to crystallize in our heads somehow, and we ought to move past silence and into activism.

    People working together can be louder than money.

  9. What I posted on my FB page:

    I’m heartbroken at the news from Connecticut.

    I’m horrified that this is the EIGHTH time in 2012 that a mass shooting has taken place. At least 140 innocent people killed and injured.

    Just think about that for a moment. Then hold those victims, their families, and their communities in your hearts, and ask yourselves what you’re willing to do to make it stop.

  12. My frustration and anger at the culture of violence and guns in this country knows no bounds. I lay a lot of the blame on those reckless creeps of the NRA and the spineless cowards in congress who won’t do the right thing and stand up to the NRA and make guns as difficult to get in this country as a car, where one must be tested, licensed, insured, and subject to annual inspections. We can never be rid of the sickos in this world, certainly, but we should at least make their carnage as near as impossible to accomplish as humanly possible. Thank you for this post. Reggie

    1. Exactly. And let’s add banning automatic and semi-automatic weapons entirely, except for the military and law enforcement. I’m all for interpreting the 2d Amendment as allowing for guns, as long as it’s limited to muskets.

    2. I agree completely. But what’s so crazy in this case, is that his mother taught him to shoot, she was a gun collector, and all 5 guns were legally obtained by her. Insane that she can purchase guns designed for the military however.
      The second amendment has been used by the gun lobbies and taken entirely out of context. As I understand and interpret it, it was meant that the “right to bear arms” had more to do with the right to raise a militia and defend our country.
      This problem should be addressed as quickly as the Homeland Security was put into place after 9/11.

    3. I’m not sure all the things we did in response to 9/11 were actually good things – or even keep us safer. I understand the impulse, in the face of such horror, to want to try to stop it from ever happening again. But I wonder if we really can. And we need to make sure any changes are actually the *right* changes. Rushing through with emotional decisions rarely produces a good result.

      Re 9/11 Homeland Security: Last fall, I was waiting in line at the DFW aiport for my TSA screening, which required that I take off a lot of clothing, move thought a rapiscan screening and have the luggage x-rayed. While waiting, an airport employee walked through the line, with an extra large handbad (a large tote, really) only showing her badge – her handbag wasn’t check. Hmmm.

      Also, I also know they load uncheck, unscreened cargo right below your feet on those fights (its too expensive to screen all the cargo – so they don’t). We put ourselves though all of this – but it wouldn’t be too hard to get around the security if you’re determined enough. But we’ve lost many rights (and many hours) at aiports and are treated like …cattle…criminals?

  14. Our schools will become fortresses.
    How could a person this disturbed NOT be noticed, how could he go without medical help? I ask this every time one of these incidents happen. Do none of us notice a human who is totally dysfunctional, or is it just politically correct to ignore? Is it guns? Or is it the sickest people among us who get access to guns?

    1. He had had serious altercations with 4 adults at the school previously. 3 of the 4 were killed in the shooting, the other was home sick. There often are “warnings” (not always) but not taken seriously enough.

  18. And the teachers. Bless those teachers, especially those who died or were wounded while trying to keep the little ones safe. My baby brother is a public elementary school teacher, and I know he would do the same for any of the children in his class or at his school, a thought that both terrifies me and fills me with love and respect.

  19. Yes, there is clearly something broken here, but it’s not just one thing, like gun control or the mental health system or school security. It’s a lot of brokenness. It’s going to be difficult to fix and it’s going to take a long time.

    So, what can I do today? Today I can pray for the families of the victims, the first responders, and the survivors. Today I can contact my government representatives and urge them to work to find the correct solutions to the problems. Today I can hug my children, tell them that I love them, and watch in pride as they fearlessly walk into their school building. Today I can work to make my tiny corner of the planet a better place.

  20. Thank you, Lisa, for providing this space for people to express their thoughts and grief, without name calling and finger pointing.

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