Saturday, December 15, 2012

I Pulled Down Today's Originally Scheduled Post.

black and white photo of a statue of two children standing with their heads bowed
Because of various commitments, I have great chunks of time when I the things I love fall by the wayside. Not to let them go completely, I try to schedule posts in batches ahead of time.

In fact, the original post scheduled for today was drafted over a week ago. When I realized the content of the post I pulled it down immediately. I am not saying that there was anything wrong with the post itself, but in light of yesterday's happenings, it was inappropriate.

Yesterday gave us another tragedy involving firearms, a school, and children.

People will want a 'boogeyman' to blame, like video games, music, education ... Some will claim that certain groups, simply by their existence, caused it. There are always many theories thrown out at a time like this, most of them repulsive.

But there isn't one handy boogeyman, and no quick fix. Yes, the shooter pulled the trigger. But our gun laws are laughable; mental health care when it is available is stigmatizing; and the types of things that are known to fuel such actions: abuse, bullying, intolerance, are excused and downplayed, even celebrated in some quarters.

I wish for the victims' families and all those affected in Newton, Connecticut, the comfort and support that they will undoubtedly need to find solace and healing. There is nothing that can can be said at a time like this to ease their pain, but perhaps as a nation there are actions we can take.

Here are a few links: here, here, here, here, here.

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