The Susan Sequel

I was all set yesterday to write a silly, Valentine’s Day post. I had a few funny anecdotes that I wanted to share & I had outlined the post clearly in my mind. However, at approximately 2:30pm, the unimaginable happened and, at that precise moment, it seemed that nothing would ever be funny again. Stoneman Douglas High School is about 15 minutes from my home; I’ve passed it a million times driving around, my father in-law was a teacher there for many years until his retirement, both my children have friends who currently attend the school, it’s part of our local community. There have been too many school shootings and I have been affected by them all, but this… this one was a little too close for comfort.

By now, the airwaves and social media have been flooded with images and writings about the tragedy from every inch of our nation. There is nothing that I can add that hasn’t already been said; however, I still feel compelled to say something. The overwhelming sense of sadness and fear resulting from the last 24 hours is not dissipating and I am literally sitting patiently at home, waiting for my son to arrive safely from school (a high school eerily similar to Douglas in demographics, size and education). It could have been his school, it could have been my friends’ kids’ schools, it could have been the schools where a few of my friends teach. It wasn’t and for that, I am selfishly so, so, very thankful. But for the families suffering, I want them to know that they are in our hearts and in our thoughts; despite knowing that nothing we say or feel can make this any better for them.

If one more politician sends their prayers and condolences to the Douglas families, I’m likely to lose my mind. Unless these prayers and condolences are made from Kevlar or some other bulletproof material, we no longer have a want or need for their meaningless words. And unless Elon Musk has found some space age method for protecting our children, it is imperative that we immediately find another way to do so. I am a firm believer in the Constitution of the United States and that, as a civilized society, we abide by the laws, whether we always agree with them or not. I personally do not like guns and have no need for them; however, I respect the 2^nd Amendment, including the right to bear arms. You want to own a musket like they did in 1791 when the Bill of Rights was ratified, knock yourself out. You want to own a handgun or pistol to protect you and yours, knock yourself out. You want a hunting rifle for some weekend shooting, knock yourself out (although this is an abhorrent sport). You want a semi-automatic rifle, high-capacity magazine or bump stock, screw you! No civilian needs or deserves this type of military grade weaponry. Period, the end.

Based on all the school shootings and the fact that there have been 18 in 2018 already (its only February 15^th after all), you would think that enough would be enough. However, in a society where money controls government, our politicians refuse to do anything that might offend the NRA, one of their biggest donors and powerful lobbying agency. Funny how Donald Trump, who doesn’t have the empathy to profess real sentiment about the tragedy and had to read a prepared, cliché speech off a teleprompter, failed to even use the word gun in his speech about a mass shooting (his presidential campaign received over $30 million from the NRA). And spineless, Florida Senator Marco Rubio tweeted yesterday, upon hearing about the tragedy, that “today is that terrible day you pray never comes”. (Rubio received approximately $3.3 million from the NRA in the last campaign cycle). Rubio is praying this day never comes? What does that even mean? He is a United States Senator… he, more than anyone, can take affirmative steps to ensure that this day never comes; it just takes the courage and determination to do so (both of which he severely lacks).

The Declaration of Independence entitles us to the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. LIFE, first and foremost. Before the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were drafted, our founding fathers wanted us to have LIFE. I cannot imagine that killing children in our schools was anything that the founders could have envisioned (even if muskets were still the weapon of choice). To all our politicians, STOP PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH OUR CHILDREN’S LIVES. No one should have to send a child to school and hope or pray that they make it home alive.  Protect them, save them, secure them… it’s your job and it’s your duty.

My personal thoughts are with those in the entire Douglas community and, to those who lost loved ones, my words alone cannot convey the depth of my sorrow for you. To everyone else, hug your babies just a little tighter tonight. I know I will!