...but of course it wasn't.
When the news hit that an unhinged person (supposedly from the Middle East) had left a large yellow truck in front of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City to explode, kill people, and destroy a symbol of the Federal Government, I was sure that the fringe right would fade back into the shadows of our society and those that had given them a voice in the media would divorce and destroy them. When two unhinged teenagers wrecked havoc in Columbine High School I was sure there would be changes...states would finally tightened up on gun laws, the NRA would loose credibility and the whole idea of guns would change. When another unhinged individual with a handgun entered a classroom at Virginia Tech and killed people I was sure that the 2nd Amendment fanatics would finally back down and people would demand gun control this time. I was sure there would be an attempt to do something to shore up the mental health system in our country. We wallowed in the sorrow of each incident, got over it, and moved on left with horrible images seared in our minds. The right wing fringe gained strength and not only found a voice but moved to the forefront. Gun advocates were able to make sure there was no discussion about gun control, and the Supreme Court ruled for the first time that the 2nd Amendment meant that individuals could own handguns. Mental health? There was change here....mental health facilities shut down, state budgets cut, no systems developed to identify troubled people and get something done. Then, Saturday morning another unhinged individual holding a Glock semi automatic with an extended clip and three others in his pocket (total of 90 rounds), walked out of a Safeway and shot 20 people, killing six. A United States Congresswoman who had been targeted by SarahPAC to be defeated in November was shot in the head and lies in a hospital fighting for her life.
This time I am trying desperately to believe that the minions who blindly follow the right wing screamers will come to their senses and turn away, that we will have a real discussion about guns, and mental health will become an issue to be dealt with other than to pad the pockets of companies that produce antidepressants.
GUNS... I started to say that I do not understand how guns became so ubiquitous in our society, but I do understand. What I do not understand is why people have allowed this to happen. Those that are so intent on making laws that comply only with the original intent of the Founders ignore original intent when it comes to the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. Who actually believes that James Madison wanted every individual to have a right to wield a weapon that could fire 31 rounds and easily be reloaded. The Amendment was added because the British army had confiscated weapons that had been stored by colonials to arm the local militia. These guns were not in individual homes, but placed in community locations such as barns or warehouses. They were for communal protection. It is a myth that every colonial had a gun. People who lived in the back county most likely had one rifle to shoot food or protect themselves against Indians, but every person who lived in Boston DID NOT OWN A GUN and did not think they had some right to do so. Those who were opposed to the ratification of the Constitution demanded that protection against over reaching power of the newly created central government be curbed; thus the Bill of Rights was added. Many feared that this new government would simply replace the British Monarchy. The 2nd Amendment does not refer to individuals, it references militia. The Supreme Court has recently reversed previous decisions and ruled that the Amendment does in fact refer to individuals. This is not the original intent of the Founders! (Rep Mike Rogers, Republican from Michigan is appearing on MSNBC as I write this. He is contending that "the shooting is not a gun problem, it is a mental health problem, this is not a political problem it is a mental health problem". And, of course referred to the recent Court decision). Politicians and the Media cower to the NRA and its power. This must change. Some brave, powerful person has got to come forward.
Then there is the POLITICAL CLIMATE...this little blog has spewed volumes about the right wing sound machine and it seems so redundant to say it all again. However, (you knew that was coming), there are several points to repeat. ALL media, not just Fox, has legitimized the fringe element of the Republican Party. It is all about ratings. Fringe elements have become empowered and when "lock and load" rhetoric becomes "we want Minnesota armed and dangerous", or cross hairs are placed over Congressional districts where SarahPAC wants to defeat Democratic candidates, we have to take pause and rethink what has been going on. Abandoning the Fairness Doctrine allowed just about anything to be broadcast. The airways are public, not owned by anyone, but that has been lost.
The MENTAL HEALTH piece of this horrible tragedy is as important. I fear that many will make this the only issue and the status quo will rule; then we will do nothing about mental health and sometime in the future we will be ringing our hands and mourning the deaths of who knows how many innocent people.
President Obama has an opportunity to make real history when he speaks in Tucson.
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