How dare we tell other countries how to deal with their citizens? How dare we claim to be special, godly, and stamp ourselves as leaders of the free world? Free to do what? Kill each other? Is it my imagination or is there a mass killing every week, seemingly every day with some kind of an assault rifle?
Two hours after the Uvalde, Texas execution of grade school children and their teachers, instead of talking basketball in the setting of prime-time play-offs, Golden State Warrior coach Steve Kerr valiantly found fault with his nation –
“Eighty-five miles from here, fourteen children, maybe more, lost their lives today … and there are fifty senators who would rather hold onto power than do something about this”, pleaded Kerr, referring to the Mitch McConnell Republicans and their Faustian bargain with the N.R.A..
Kerr has bona fide credentials when it comes to mass murder. In 1984 as president of American University in Lebanon, his father was among those assassinated in a political attack leaving a grieving son behind to personally deal with gun violence.
Here are my thoughts … when Governor Abbott of Texas first reported that a handgun was used, I thought to myself, that would be interesting – a mass shooter who could look each person in the eye when he shot his victim, bullet by bullet.
In this very weird and uniquely American way, mass killings and the cowardly use of assault rifles aren’t usually personal when it comes to the victims. Most likely, the executioner (almost always a he) isn’t executing these victims he doesn’t know, he’s executing the world around him, he’s executing the rest of us.
Then we hear McConnell and others say it’s not the gun, it’s the person. Sure Mitch, except for the fact that 30% of America is depressed. Or over-medicated. Or bipolar. Probably way more than 30%. Is that the Russian roulette we’re willing to play?
So where does that leave us? This week in America, nineteen children and their teachers were executed with an assault rifle, and on the same day, the Russians massively bombed eastern Ukraine and eight people were killed, twelve were injured.
Please tell me, what is the difference between bombs and assault rifles? Don’t they both employ the same ole’ ‘no one looking anyone in the eye’ kind of cowardly murder? And what’s the next step when it comes to weapons available to eighteen-year-olds? Will it all wind up in the lap of the Supreme Court?
And what will these supposed highly intelligent protectors of an 18th century Constitution that protected the right to use muskets, what will they do when some Marjorie Taylor Greene lunatic proposes upping the ante with the right to bear bombs?
You know, so we can all protect ourselves from the evils of government. Isn’t that why every citizen needs all of that firepower? I wonder what Clarence Thomas would say?
The right to bear bombs.
Have a great summer.
Hermione