Pop! Pop! Pop! Americans keep shooting Americans. and while hearts are breaking, tears are falling and nightmares rule both day and night, our so-called government’s lawmakers open their playbooks and recite: “Guns don’t kill; people do” and many other excuses from their playbook.
Spilled blood and shredded bodies of children and their protectors always disturb me the most. I’m distracted – not really getting work done under my blanket of sadness. Imagine what survivors go through, too sick to work, needing mental health counseling and government financial assistance for medical bills and clean-up, repair and rebuilding where the carnage took place. And who hires workers to replace the dead? The loss of human life and survivor’s attempts to build lives without the loved one is the worse part of assassinations. But, one would think that our economy minded leaders would at least be moved to consider the value of decreasing gun violence in order to stabilize our economy.
A student victim’s family and its supporting institutions invested in birth, vaccinations and school clothes, backpacks and books, school lunches, birthday parties, education, extra-curricular activities, and on and on – ending with the unexpected and unwanted funeral.
My desire for a safer land where more Americans will live long enough to realize their dreams will never end. But my faith in our government leaders’ commitment to my desire decreases day by day. Americans who want change will have to meet in the streets and scream until their ideas are given ear, and make their votes count in the ballot boxes.
Donna Manion
Bow