shootings

Season’s Greetings

The night before

the gore,

they rehearsed

what was

in store 

or fantasized

their fetishized

distorted

tales 

of woe

that as far as

they know

mattered.

Battered by 

thoughts

and delusions,

the conclusions

of violence

would silence

the noises.

Their voices

screamed 

from the gun

one

message,

like Manson

said,

“…I’m 

already dead.”

Attacks 

on the innocent,

including the recent

ones in Syria,

Australia,

and at Brown

here in America,

may have different

motivations,

or justifications

but the ramifications

are the same.

Our grief

will be brief

before the next

act of audacity,

as our capacity

to respond

adequately

is diminished.

But the work

is unfinished,

and always

will be,

to see that

we can

live 

with dignity.

The Festival

of Lights

could be claimed

by many:

Diwali

and Christmas

and of course,

Hanukkah,

the one about

the menorah

lights 

for 8 nights

invites

us to 

illuminate

when the nights

are longest.

The strongest

need not

be a zealot

or one who

forgot

pain.

The main

point 

of the miracles

is light

when darkness

obscures

and lures

us with fright.

This prolonged

night 

when monsters

prey

upon the innocent

intent

on a violent

incident,

must not be met

with nothing.

Any thoughts

and prayers

are just layers

of abstinence—

absence

of light

that we might

enact

if our politics

weren’t so 

cynical.

In atypical

fashion,

compassion

and action

would be 

miraculous,

whether

or not 

you’re religious.

As they say

with cliche`,

“Take back

the night!”

“Be the light!”

It’s always

the season.

Mass Murder. Literally. Moms Demand Action

Children.

Children.

Children attending

Mass.

Murdered.

At School.

In Church

there.

Thoughts

and prayers

instead of laws

by naysayers

when kids 

were literally

shot

while praying.

Alas,

this is mass

murder,

literally

at mass.

How much

more crass

can we be?

I saw a

photo

like no

other

of a 

mother

running 

down the

street

in bare

feet

holding 

her shoes,

sprinting

toward 

the school,

with mother’s

fuel

and fear.

I tear

up just

thinking of

this image;

this extraordinary,

yet insanely

ordinary

scene.

Just back

to school.

Nothing

more cruel,

than doing

nothing

about

mass 

murder.

especially

of children.

Don’t accept

this

unconscionableness.

We can’t remain

still,

hopeless.

Momentum

takes time.

You can take action now:

https://momsdemandaction.org/

All Kidding/Assad

I’m in 

no position

to comment

on the transition

away

from the al-Assad

family

reign

in Syria.

The criteria 

for hope

is the scope

and sequence

of events

that unfold

as the yet

to be told

story 

of glory

of the rebels’

new power.

As of this

hour,

instead

of al-Assad

at the head

or jihad

far behind,

it’s not

quite clear

what we’re

in for.

The most

uncivil

war

that Syrians

endured

(or didn’t)

isn’t

going

to yield

instant

peace.

Every

ecosystem

is diverse.

So the perverse

use

of force

to endorse

an exclusionary

coarse

is of course

problematic-

not just 

for the 

tragic

victims

of violence,

but the silence

within which

those who

manage

to survive

barely

alive,

can not 

thrive

in oppressive

conditions.

Regressive

politicians

are having

their moment

to foment

and reorient

away

from the mainstay

of the postwar

order.

Chaos

is king.

No kidding.

Shooting

someone

on 5th 

(actually, 6th)

Avenue

came true,

and the

cheering 

and snark

and generally

dark

comments

mocking

what should

be a shocking

and sad

event

meant

that we

are losing

perspective

with invective.

Assad

was a nightmare;

the very

defintion

of evil.

I’m glad 

he’s gone

but this 

does not

feel like

the dawn

of a new 

day.

Those

inured

to the injured

or murdered

concerns

me.

Who are we

kidding?

Killing

doesn’t justify.

No one 

should die

to make

a point.

Capital Punishment

Mourners 

will gather

as funeral

arrangements

will be

made

for those

murdered

in their

classrooms.

The injured

endured

the unthinkable,

yet 

we shoulda

thunk it 

by now.

Why give

hunting

a pass?

Like it’s not

killling?

Instilling

what values?

Pro life?

We are 

our own

weapons

of mass

destruction

as long as

obstruction

of gun safety

laws

persists.

The silence

on violence

and intolerance

beyond

thoughts

and prayers

alone

or lone

wolves

who tell

us who

they are,

is far

from who

we need

to be.

Yes, 

it’s insanity.

If we only

gather

for our own,

and our own

is like 

a clique,

we stick

to 

the residue

of this

toxic

stew,

that is literally

killing us.

I know

you know 

this.

It’s one more

once more

we shouldn’t

ignore.

But we do.

Ok, they do,

but they are

still we

and it should be

clear

by now

that this 

is how

we could

die.

Spoiler Alert

You already know

What will happen.

It’s more 

Like a rerun 

Than a new

Show

Of thoughts

And prayers

After 

Each Episode.

Now every day

Is spoiled

By mass murders

En masse.

Families forever

Ruined.

Communities shattered.

And those 

Who relish

Spoiling

The possibility

Of success

Of an opponent

Will stand by

Horror,

And allow

Us

To be terrorized

By the tyranny

Of the crazed

With weapons

Of war

In anywhere,

USA

Any time

Because 

Freedom

To terrorize,

Maim,

And brutally

Murder

Innocent

Actual children

And their friends,

And teachers,

And preachers,

And relatives

Is freedom 

Of their

Sort.

Demand action

From every

Leader

And

Neighbor

And

Person

You know.

Spoiler alert:

For Mothers’ Day

I honored

My mother

With Contributions

To Moms Demand Action

For Gun Safety

And to the

Brigid Alliance.

Moms are being attacked,

And dare I say

Tortured 

Daily,

By fear

And actual assault

On bodily autonomy

Of themselves

And of their living

Kin.

My mother and father

Taught their children

To participate

And contribute

And improve 

Our communities.

I relish the gifts

My mother

Continues

To share with me

That inspire me

Each day.

You don’t need

Me to alert you

To those who

Would rather

Spoil our capacity

To live safely

Than limit

The possibility of 

One less

Shooting.

Demand better.

Do something.

Anything.

Don’t expect

Someone else

To contribute

Or sign

Or call

Or protest

So it’s done.

Sorry to spoil

It for you,

But your inaction

Is complicity.

Just like 

Thoughts

And

Prayers. 

At least 

For Mothers’ Day

Please do something

To contribute

To stopping

The current

Insanity

Killing us

Daily

While expressing

Condolences.

Nothing to See, Hear

Nothing to see,

Hear,

Just keep

Going.

We’ve got

This

Under 

Control.

Over controlled

Girls

And Women

Suffer alone

While we

Await

The next

Mass shooting.

Nothing to see,

Hear,

Or do,

When it’s legal.

Here 

The law

Is

Evil.

Personhood

Is claimed

For cells

And corporations

But 

A fetus

Is not exempt

To the IRS.

Nothing to see,

Hear,

But potential

Through ultrasound.

Yet potential

To massacre

With each

Purchase

Is abided

Because

It is

Legal.

We are

Not

Blind

Or Deaf

Just hostages

Of Prayers

And 

The 18th Century.

Not known

For nuance

Or complexity

But purity,

Our reality

Is 

Complicated

By myths

And systems

That feign

Deliberation

And calibration.

Yet absolutism

Is our DNA–
From Puritans

To Purell.

Unintended 

Consequences

Are nothing

To see here.

Litmus Test

 

 A guy shoots up a newsroom, killing 5 journalists. President says nothing in response to event or to reporters’ questions following the incident. That night, the video of  the President silently walking past reporters, ignoring their questions about the mass shooting at the Capital Gazette newsroom, was aired on tv and social media. A long day later, he stated that “journalists shouldn’t have to be fearful of being attacked while doing their jobs”. But  to Trump, journalists are “the enemy of the people”.  

So, another mass shooting that couldn’t be prevented, because how could we possibly stop the outlier? Each time? Beforehand?  We could arm teachers! Where are those good guys with guns? 

This is a reflection of our culture and politics. We live in danger of being shot anywhere because we won’t regulate lethal weaponry and have poor mental healthcare. Guns are considered masculine, even when women use them. They are the ultimate symbol of American individualism and self sufficiency. They are said to be for protection, but they are for killing (or injuring) full human  (and other) beings. They are meant to cause suffering and fear.

Even those who want to see loopholes closed, better screening , and better mental healthcare across the country, understand that there is a cultural affinity for guns, legitimized by the Second Amendment. 

Why, then, has abortion become the litmus test of our culture and politics? Why has Roe v Wade, which legalized abortion, always seemed dispensable ? The “Right to Life” is only valid as a potential life, but not once born—an actual life? Many like to mock the Clintons’ stance that abortions should be “safe, legal, and rare”, because, well, Hilary said that. The circumstance of pregnancy is unique. But it does include women’s health, and I do think abortions should be safe, legal, and rare.

 Abortion is not some newfangled cultural phenomena that began with The Feminine Mystique. Abortions have always existed, and have been dangerous (and criminal) until I was 10. But the cultural zeal and singular voting issue that has overridden everything in my lifetime has been the issue of abortion. 

Physicians have been shot (and killed) over the idea of getting rid of Roe v Wade, thereby criminalizing abortions (and OBGYNs who might perform the procedure). Right to life?

The President of Trumpistan understands that putting an anti-abortion judge on The Supreme Court will keep his base applauding, and his congressional lackeys collecting contributions. The ridiculous argument that gets put forward that it should be a states’ rights issue, not a federal one, sticks because it is an effective political move to limit access in Red states. Culturally and politically, the so-called “Right to Lifers” have all but eradicated the legality of early termination of a pregnancy, while opening up the floodgates for more semiautomatic weaponry without restrictions on use. 

Sure, there are several issues that delineate the views of the Supreme Court, but none are as contentious as Roe v Wade. Not even guns. We have deluded ourselves across our culture and politics into accepting certain rights as necessary for freedom and, ironically, life, and others as oppressive. Moreover, we have been so divided and hateful over this issue. We have so little room for accepting differing concepts, or compromising. 

Abortion is the issue that most are concerned about now that Kennedy is stepping down from the high court. Shouldn’t we be talking more about the mass murder at a newsroom? 

Dismissal

Hasn’t it all been said already? The Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida yesterday killing 17, shot another round through the heart of America.

While I was getting ready for my Valentine’s Day dinner, a celebration of love and romance, the news was on with interviews with a teacher, students, the superintendent, doctors, and police. I had to leave the room. I had heard the initial reports and interviews a bit earlier, and the rehashing and inevitable platitudes and explanations were nauseating.

I heard the police chief urge, “If you see something, say something.” The heat of anger began to pulse through my arteries. If only people had said something? That was it?

I thought about the timing of this unspeakable act of terror in a school not far from where I lived until a couple months ago. The shooting rampage began near the end of the school day. I thought about the shooter’s’ plan: As kids would be getting ready for dismissal, on an especially social day, Valentine’s Day, the shooter could exact revenge for his own misery.

We have a gun problem in America. But that gets dismissed. We have a violence problem in America. But that gets dismissed. We have a mental health problem in America. But that gets dismissed. We have an education problem in America. But that gets dismissed. We have an economic disparity problem in America. But that gets dismissed. We have a Culture problem in America. But that gets dismissed. And we have a grave political problem in America that too many try to dismiss.

If your heart is heavy, as is mine, don’t dismiss the love you feel. Don’t dismiss the possibility you can envision. And don’t dismiss the reality of misery, violence, access to weapons, political cowardice, and the consequences—intended or otherwise—of dismissal.

Taking Our Pulse

It’s been an intense time.

Most of us are neither cavalier nor warrior, yet find ourselves oscillating between the two, even if only in our beliefs.

We have been inundated with commentaries and reactions, hoping for a new way to parse the constant barrage of anxiety provoking events—political and societal. The intensity of our politics and divisions only seems to get interrupted by terrorist attacks at home and abroad, when we aren’t mourning cultural icons whom we have worshipped and found ourselves grieving as though we lost a family member (along with our youth).

The anxiety and grief are difficult enough, but the incessant barrage of audio and video clips, articles, tweets, and responses heighten our anxieties and negative emotions and leave us enervated.

The issues that seem so acute and immediate, and the seemingly always extreme rhetoric, may continue to demand attention, but also seem to be repetitive and unable to be reasonably resolved. It feels like unending noise—often overwhelming, and too often threatening to our sensibilities, yet commanding visceral responses while we crave rational and critical thought. It feels like adrenaline overload; like living near a war zone, except we know our situation is not quite that grave, nor are our political fights matters of imminent life and death, despite the fear mongering.

We may be deeply divided politically and economically, as well as ideologically in many ways, but we seem to be united in states of anxiety and fear, and strangely enough, united in states of exasperation and a sense of insufficiency.

After seemingly endless violent attacks at home—whether by homegrown terrorists, and/or hate, or by individuals so detached and driven toward violence with the easy accessibility of guns and endless rounds of ammunition, we have seen and are reeling from the confluence of factors that seem to generate increasingly frequent episodes of gun violence— especially the intentional killing of innocent folks.

Last week’s massacre during Latin Night at the LGBT club Pulse in Orlando felt at once like a familiar spasm, and also like a new or more unendurable convulsion. It was like a grand mal—even more horrific than we had previously seen.

The typical response to such horror and terror—the moment of silence and prayer—was disrupted with cries of despair and demands for change through action (legislation). The silence wasn’t doing anything. United in a state of grief, Pulse became ours. Whether we knew anyone at the club or not, we knew that those affected by the massacre were our extended kin.

With all the commentary and reactions, and the overwhelming noise, it is easy to want to disconnect. But Taking our Pulse reveals that we are indeed united in our state of grief and despair, recognizing that hate and terror come from internal as well as external arteries. Our vital signs are a bit iffy, but after our Pulse was taken last week, we may now be ready for more moderate exercise.

It is too soon to know if our heart rate is still resting, or if a subtle shift has occurred since our Pulse was taken. Using well established protocols and procedures, there is a palpable response and a bit of resuscitation of character and strength to restore our health. We may not be able to avert all attacks, but if Taking our Pulse will cause us to respond more thoughtfully and courageously to make it at least as cumbersome to get guns, especially assault weapons and ammunition, as it is to get an abortion, or vote, or as regulated as buying Sudafed, then we will at least have honored those who were senselessly slain. And we may even be stronger and healthier going forward.

Cowardly Lyin’

RIP Cecil. By now you know about the beloved lion, Cecil, who was lured away from a national park in Zimbabwe so that a dentist from Minnesota, Walter James Palmer, could have an opportunity to hunt Cecil outside the confines of the national park for $50,000.00. I won’t recount the gory details here. Suffice it to say, that while nothing will bring back Cecil the Lion, the public condemnation of Palmer’s big game hunt is forcing consequences that he obviously never imagined. In the face of serious threats, Palmer admitted to killing Cecil, but claimed that he was led to believe that the transaction and the hunt were legal. Whether or not they were legal, they were cowardly. And, at the very least, he’s lying to himself to convince himself that his hunting was justifiable.

Humans lie. Sometimes the lie is small and the consequences are insignificant beyond the immediate saving face. Other times, the lies are great to cover serious acts—perhaps criminal or to save lives. Lying to oneself is more insidious. Humans have tremendous capacities for convincing, and as Stephen Colbert taught us, “truthiness”. We contrive information and situations to suit our beliefs and our stories—even our morals.

We lie when we are afraid. And we tend to feel superior—even brave—when we think we are speaking truth to power. Sometimes, though, people confuse speaking truth to power, with speaking power to truthiness. People may disagree and still speak truthfully. Sadly, we are bombarded with cowardice and lying, in the guise of bully tactics and outrageous attempts to discredit perceived threats to one’s beliefs and/or power.

The current controversy over a “secret” (and edited) video created by abortion foes to discredit (and defund) Planned Parenthood is infuriating and tragic to me. The incredible, intentional distortion used to suggest that Planned Parenthood is a nefarious operation engaged in trafficking fetal body parts for profit, is disturbing not because if it were true it would be horrifying, but because there are those who feel compelled to lie and distort to suit their so-called morals. I have no objection to those who oppose abortion on moral grounds. I may respectfully disagree. I have objections to those who seek to ruin people by suggesting horror through distortion. It is cowardly to lie to make a point. It is also tragic.

Remember when Representative Joe Wilson yelled, “You lie!!” at the President during Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress? It was startling and cringe-worthy, not because there was another important side or other information to consider (there usually is), but because disagreement is not an excuse for distortion, obnoxious behavior, outrageous statements, or lying (much less lying about lying). The assumption that someone who represents other ideas must be lying is small minded. However, when someone speaks and/or acts in a way that includes taking down another to make a point, one wonders about why one might need to distort and/or lie.

Are we so threatened and frightened by everyone else that lying or yelling “You lie!”, (or worse), or intentionally distorting the truth (lying) is all we have? Certainly, demanding the truth is necessary, and the ways in which that can be accomplished can be done with more critical thought and analysis. Our communications revolution has facilitated the ways in which people can be seen and heard, and allows for seemingly endless opportunities for distortion. The instantaneousness that technology provides encourages immediate reactions and responses, and a myriad of platforms to put forth one’s views.

Humans have always lied. Now, though, they can distort images and audio, or even just distort the truth for all to consume constantly. They can spew hate on global platforms heard and/or seen instantly and repeatedly. Even worse, it seems like so many will buy into lies, or at least into “truthiness”.

People often lie when they feel threatened or have a distorted sense of power and value. When they seek to bring down another, they are cowards. Cowardly lyin’, no matter how creative the lies or distortions, sustains negativity and can’t create positive change.
There will always be threatening people and ideas. Some will seek veracity, truth and compassion through truth. Others will seek power without compassion and distort the truth. They are cowardly lyin’.