Thursday, February 15, 2018

Is It Enough Yet?!

I just watched an interview this morning on the Today show with a 17-year old girl who was one of the survivors of the Parkland school shooting yesterday. A 17-year old girl who bravely and gracefully recounted, at times through tears, her experience including how she was shot; how her best friend who was next to her was shot and didn't make it; how she was more concerned about her parents' concern and feelings than her own safety and well-being. A girl who in some ways, especially in her gestures, reminded me of my daughter, Santi.

Yeah.

Suffice to say, I am writing this with tears in my eyes and anger in my heart that here we go again. That this has become our reality, our "new normal". This endless loop of shooting, thoughts and prayers, repeat. An endless parade of politicians and talking heads telling us that it's still not time to talk about what's going on; and a country that is growing ever more numb.

Numb to the point that we know not a damn thing is going to be done. That we're ok with children being interviewed about surviving ordeals in places where they're supposed to be safe, while watching their friends and classmates near and around them lose their lives. Children! Who will have to live their lives as a statistic; for whom this day will be seared into their memories for the rest of their lives. This is what we've accepted and who we've become. Children.

More than not wanting to see another child go through this or have to be interviewed about what this was like, I don't want to see or hear another politician talk about "thoughts and prayers ", if that's all they're going to do. Thoughts and prayers aren't going to bring those kids back. Thoughts and prayers aren't going to prevent another shooting. If thoughts and prayers didn't do anything since Sandy Hook...

Children!