Oh, I thought . . .

Another one.

 

20 killed. But that was changed.

More died, the next (and next) reports said*.

 

A church.

Which is different than Las Vegas.

Which is not.

 

The murderer of a child of 5 and a 70-something adult

Was

Not

A

Terrorist. (He didn’t have a funny last name, ya know.)

 

Except he was.

When you point a gun at

Others

With the intent to

Kill

Terror and terrorist are sadly true descriptions of

The evil that unfolds. (Ask anyone who survived Vegas.)

 

We should arm people in churches.

And at country music concerts

And in elementary schools

Oh, in theaters and homes and shopping centers too?

 

No! We should take every gun away . . . really, we should.

What would be a better world,

Do you think,

One with millions and millions of guns.

Or none?

 

We have an epidemic.

Worse than cancer.

We have an enemy.

Worse than ISIS.

We have met the enemy, as Pogo the cartoon character once

Said . . .

. . . and it is us. Me. You. And our complacency.

 

We will need a century or more to “cure” this illness

Of

Guns.

 

Congress passing real laws, stronger than our driver’s license requirements

And stronger than the seatbelt restrictions.

Really, lots stronger.

Don’t forget dramatically improving social services

Real and meaningful support for mental health

Is more important than another

Weapons system.

(Which won’t stop hateful people with box cutters anyway.)

And please, Mr. President, stop your tweet insults

And stop your petty anger

And stop your casual way of hurting others.

Have we ever had a more negative President?

 

And never, (this is for you and me)

Say anything bad to anyone

(On social media)

Or face-to-face.

Stop bullying.

Start seeing and talking to

Strangers.

People “different” than

You are the same as

You.

Communicating is hard work.

Do the work.

 

Do the work of love, for this “illness” of bullets

Will take a long time to “cure.”

Stop worshipping the second amendment.

Start honoring life.

All of it.

 

I hate that I’m used to headlines about children

Being

Killed

By military weapons

Everywhere.

++++++++++++++++++

*On the same day as the grim, horrific killings in Texas, here in Fresno a man went to a local church and . . . three killed. Two homicides. One suicide. Guns . . .