49 people are dead.
We don’t yet quite know why, yet there is no shortage of
internet barking. Bombast abounds. “Ban the guns!”, “We need more guns!”, “Gay Lives Matter!”, “You
reap what you sow!”, “Obama is to blame!”, “WWTD? What would Trump do?!”
49 people are dead.
49 lives extinguished. Most
young. Many Latino. Most American. Not all gay. Not that any of
this matters. There are 49 people dead
and, instead of coming together as a people to find a way to stop this new
normal, instead of doing something,
we instead splinter into our little groups, and take pot shots at the “other
side”, even when the position of the other side isn’t necessarily in direct opposition
to our own. (Is it not possible to want
to stop the threat of ISIS, while still being in favor of common-sense gun
regulations? Can we not be in favor of
equal rights for all people, while
simultaneously holding disparate political views?)
49 people are dead.
Were any of you in the least bit surprised when you heard the news? Did it even phase you? 20 children.
30 adults – no 50 – wait, one guy made it. 49. What
number makes it horrible? Of course we
all say one. But what number really
shocks us? In this post-September 11th
world, does such a number exist? Will it
ever again? Or are we going to lie down
like so many of our dead countrymen, and let the worst amongst us speak on our behalf?
49 people are dead and we can’t even wait for the dead to be
buried before we start fighting with one another, because, most-assuredly, popping
out a clever meme to blast Obama or the NRA is way more important than taking
the time to mourn the loss of 49 of our fellow human beings. And it’s sure as hell easier than thinking of
solutions and working toward them.
49 people are dead and common sense says there are myriad
reasons. Simply pointing to ISIS, or to
anti-gay sentiment, or lax gun control, or to too many Liberals/Conservatives
trying to “fix” things/force their agenda down our throats, is a panacea. Just as each of us is comprised of millions
of ideas and feelings that make us who we are, so was the shooter. So was what drove him to do what he did. Early reports have him pledging allegiance to
ISIS before the shooting – despite ISIS appearing to have no idea who the guy
was. We are also hearing that he was a
hothead who liked to abuse women. The
most-recent reports have him frequenting Pulse “for years”, lending a potential
American Beauty Garage Scene element
to what transpired.
49 people are dead and we should all just shut up, stop trying to prove a point, and listen before we speak – unless it is to pray
for the dead, their survivors, and each-other.
If we do so, we just may learn something from one another.
49 people are dead, and they’re not the only ones. Just since the turn of this century, over 300
people have been slain in mass shootings on US soil. They’ve been killed in red states. They’ve been killed in blue states. They’ve died in states with minimal gun
regulations, and in states where gun sales are heavily restricted. Shootings have transpired in schools and
movie theaters, post offices and on military installations. Shooters have killed in the name of Allah and
Jesus; they’ve killed over the loss of a job, and unrequited love. Each of these shootings have one thing in
common: after the requisite displays of mourning and sorrow, followed by the
all-too-familiar fight to be the loudest voice in the room, both our
politicians and society as a whole get distracted by the next shiny thing in
the 24-hour news cycle and nothing happens.
Until the next time.
300+ dead human beings are represented in the list below, and
your eyes are going to be tempted to gloss over and just get to the end. And that’s kind of emblematic of our world
today. Why do the hard work of looking
at things, when we can just “get to the end” of it, and react. Look at this list. Absorb it.
26 Dec 2000 – Wakefield, MA.
7 dead
05 Mar 2001 – Santee, CA.
2 dead, 13 injured
28 Oct 2002 – Tucson, AZ.
3 dead
08 Jul 2003 – Meridian, MS.
5 dead, 9 injured
21 Mar 2005 – Red Lake Indian Reservation, MN. 9 dead, 7 injured
30 Jan 2006 – Goleta, CA.
6 dead
02 Oct 2006 – Nickel Mines, PA. 5 dead, 5 injured
12 Feb 2007 – Salt Lake City, UT. 5 dead, 4 injured
16 Apr 2007 – Virginia Technical University – 32 dead, 17
injured
05 Dec 2007 – Omaha, NE.
8 dead, 4 injured
14 Feb 2008 – DeKalb, IL.
5 dead, 16 injured
03 Apr 2009 – Binghamton, NY. 13 dead, 4 injured
05 Nov 2009 – Ft. Hood, TX.
13 dead, 32 injured
12 Feb 2010 – Huntsville, AL. 3 dead, 3 injured
03 Aug 2010 – Manchester, CT. 8 dead, 2 injured
08 Jan 2011 – Tucson, AZ.
6 dead, 11 injured
12 Oct 2011 – Seal Beach, CA. 8 dead, 1 injured
02 Apr 2012 – Oakland, CA.
7 dead, 3 injured
20 Jul 2012 – Aurora, CO.
12 dead, 58 injured
05 Aug 2012 – 6 dead, 3 injured
28 Sep 2012 – Minneapolis, MN. 6 dead, 2 injured
21 Oct 2012 – Brookfield, WI. 3 dead, 4 injured
14 Dec 2012 – Sandy Hook Elementary School, CT. 27 dead, 1 injured
07 Jun 2013 – Santa Monica, CA. 5 dead
16 Sep 2013 – Washington, DC. 12 dead, 3 injured
02 Apr 2014 – Ft, Hood, TX.
3 dead, 16 injured
23 May 2014 – Isla Vista, CA. 6 dead, 7 injured
18 Jun 2015 – Charleston, SC. 9 dead
16 Jul 2015 – Chattanooga, TN. 5 dead, 3 injured
01 Oct 2015 – Roseburg OR.
9 dead, 9 injured
29 Nov 2015 – Colorado Springs, CO. 3 dead, 9 injured
02 Dec 2015 – San Bernardino, CA. 14 dead, 22 injured
12 Jun 2016 – Orlando, FL.
49 dead, 53 injured
49 people are dead.
What are we going to do this time?
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