Heavy is my heart this Thanksgiving for families grieving the loss of a loved one
targeted in yet another mass shooting
Just this month through November 26, across these disunited states of America
thirty-seven mass shootings, forty-eight people killed, fifty-two injured
Total figures for 2022 alone: 613 mass shootings, 642 deaths, more than 2,500 people injured
At war with ourselves
The next family hit could be mine or yours
No public space is safe or sacred
When will we say ENOUGH?
When will we break free?
Trapped in a loop woven with false narratives
Three Worlds One Vision 
You will never break free so long as every lunatic in the country has the sacred right to own a machine gun.
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It certainly is madness
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You’re spot on, John! This “sacred right” is just one of our many false narratives.
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Exactly what I was going to say. Gun laws are our only hope.
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Thanks for adding your voice, Bridgette. All that’s needed is for we the people to agree and push for sensible gun laws.
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It is a tragedy. Very sad.
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It is, indeed, Thomas 😦
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The news should be counting them like they counted covid deaths. It’s another plague. You’re right. Next could be my family. That’s scary.
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Keric, when researching the data, I discovered that Gun Violence Archive (GVA), an independent data collection and research group with no affiliation with any advocacy organization, was started to provide such a record. It’s a “not for profit corporation formed in 2013 to provide free online public access to accurate information about gun-related violence in the United States.” Not even Thanksgiving Day was sacred: There was a mass shooting in Houston/Texas and, closer to home, in Costa Mesa/California.
The complete data is available at https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting
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Thank you for the update and the link.
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Dreadful
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It sure is, Derrick, and there’s nothing I can do to stop these killings.
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That is the dreadful bit
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I’m absolutely choked by what human beings are capable to do, Rosaliene!
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Martina, history has shown that we humans are capable of unspeakable violence and barbarity towards others.
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I cannot imagine how scary this would be and I’m so grateful that our country does not have this constant threat that could come from
Anywhere or anyone at anytime. My thoughts are with you Rosaliene, the statistics and figures are shocking.
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Kate, how I wish we in America could have sensible gun laws like other advanced economies. The story we tell ourselves about our right to bear arms as Americans make no sense in our modern world.
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I have a friend who was a dental nurse and retrained as a police woman, I cannot imagine what it would be like to deal with criminals that are all armed. It can happen here but is unlikely – in America it would happen all the time. The people that want a gun licence for hunting or sport can still obtain one here there is just a process that takes a little time and training and background checks. I don’t see what is wrong with that and I don’t see why any civilian would need a semi automatic machine gun.
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Compelling, heartfelt words, Rosaliene. 😦 The gun plague in the United States is sickening — and so preventable if gun manufacturers and other right-wing entities and people were more concerned with humanity than with profits and the desire to intimidate.
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Thanks, Dave. Our “gun plague” is definitely preventable if our lawmakers could break free from the NRA and gun manufacturers.
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So true, so sad, Rosaliene. I wish I had an answer.
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Thanks very much, Dr. Stein.
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Firearms should be illegal. Of course, that will never happen. What’s been happening is horrific, and our gun laws are heavily to blame.
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I agree, Neil. Powerful interests have our lawmakers in a stranglehold.
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A truly touching reflection, with two phrases that have stuck in my heart: We are “at war with ourselves” and We are “trapped in a loop woven with false narratives”
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Thanks very much, Luisa.
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You’re more than welcome!
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Very true. It’s heartbreaking, insane and it seems to be escalating not improving.
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Maggie & Richard, the data indicates that the situation is, indeed, escalating. Insanity is the perfect word to describe these shootings and our incapacity as a nation to stop them.
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I feel the weight of this every time I turn on the news but your summary in numbers is truly staggering. ENOUGH! Thanks for leading this call, Rosaliene!
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Thanks, Wynne. There have been so many others before me who have raised the alarm and are working for change.
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The pain, rage, and grief leap from this painting.
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Evelyn, I had the same response when I found Dibs painting on Pexels.
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This is absolute madness. Politicians who are puppets on a string for the NRA rule us. We have more guns than people. It’s frightening to think that many are sitting at home, armed to their teeth, just waiting for an event and/or any reason that would allow them to finally use their weapons. We are living in the Wild West.
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Bridget, you put it well when you say that our politicians are “puppets on a string for the NRA.” Our lives don’t matter to them. The days of the Wild West are tame in comparison when you consider the killing power of the assault rifles that our trigger-happy gunmen use today.
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The gunlaws in Ohio changed this year. Now everbody is allowed to wear a concelead weapon in public, even if they don’t have a permit. As much as I try to understand, for the life of me, I can’t. If it doesn’t make sense, it just doesn’t.
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It doesn’t make sense to me, either, Bridget.
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Guns and civil society don’t mix well.
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They definitely don’t mix, John. When do we stop being a civil society?
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It’s long been forgotten but in 1975 there was a shooting at the high school I’d attended (Brampton Centennial Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario). I knew the teacher who was killed as well as the students who died and the ones who were injured. It is not something that’s even remotely possible to forget. Each time I hear of a mass shooting in the U.S.A. I am brought back to that day.
I live in Canada and for the most part there aren’t as many horrific events such as you’ve been experiencing there for too long. I think the whole gun culture is vastly different – but the carnage still happens without guns – such as the man who plowed through the crowd on a busy Toronto street some years ago. I hope and I pray that we will awaken to the value and the sacredness of human life.
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Carol, thanks for sharing the impact a 1975 mass shooting has had on your life. When we allow ourselves to become numb to these shootings, we forget the lifelong trauma for those who have lost a loved one and for the survivors of such shootings.
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I think that as a society we have become numb to way too many horrors. The world seems to be a very dark place sometimes. Still, I hang onto my belief that people are intrinsically good. I hold onto hope of better leaders to negotiate these dark times. It’s hard sometimes to see the helpers and the heroes behind each and every tragedy. Yet I know they are there.
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Carol, very often we learn of helpers and heroes who risk their lives to overpower the gunman, thereby saving more lives.
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There are many brave souls out there.
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Very true. Even living in California with the strictest gun laws in the country doesn’t feel entirely safe
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Sad to say, Claire, but we in California are not immune to mass shootings.
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Yes. It was quite the reality check when that shooting happened at the Gilroy Garlic Festival a few years back!
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Amen. Enough is enough. Lord have mercy and grant wisdom and humility to our leaders and ourselves.
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Amen to that, Dawn. Wisdom and humility are not qualities that rank high among our leaders.
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we need to pray for them. ❤
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Rosaliene,
“We” are not doing the shooting. I’m sad for all needless deaths, whether from overt violence, or the more subtle violence of humanity gone bonkers over idealogy.
I hear the Gun Clubbers down the street now. I stay away from them, when I can, but I question whether the enforcers of the laws have the moral fortitude to determine who is qualified to pull any triggers.
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Gun Clubbers!? Thank the gods there are none in my neighborhood. It cannot be easy being a member of the police force when faced with an angry group of Gun Clubbers.
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The Gun Club is an old Savannah institution, with money for the land donated by my grandmother’s brother, who is buried there. I don’t like guns, but I learned to shoot a rifle in summer camp. At the Gun Club, they shoot skeet, or clay pigeons, with shotguns. The land and its environs is loaded with local history, including Bethesda orphanage, which was founded by Anglican preacher George Whitefield, who spent most of his middle and late years in the Northeast soliciting donors for the orphanage. I believe Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ s father was associated with Bethesda, at some point.
But the land itself, and the surrounding area, has been invaded by real estate developers, because is on the coastal waterways, with lots of salt marshes and islands only accessible by boat, or more recently, aircraft and bridges.
I grew up with the Gun Club right down the street, but I can hear it, now, more than ever, because over the years, all the intervening vegetation has been cleared for subdivisions and highway development.
I’m less afraid of the Gun Clubbers than of all those people who want to control by more subversive methods, like the politicians who keep changing the zoning for their corporate friends.
I’m sure this is more than you wanted to know about the Gun Club or Savannah. I’m only saying that guns have played a dominant role in American history since the Europeans discovered the “New World” and brought their diseases, horses, religions, and guns with them.
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Katherine, thanks for sharing the information about the Gun Club. I can now appreciate why you’re not afraid of the Gun Clubbers since you grew up among them.
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My whole family was involved in early Southern traditions, including the War Between the States and farther back than that, to the Revolutionary War. Although my immediate family was not in the military, except for short periods during the world wars, gun traditions go way back.
My father had guns, which I got rid of after he died, because I’m afraid of having them around. I still would defend the second amendment against anyone who would abolish that right.
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Katharine, thanks for sharing where you stand on this issue.
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Rosaliene,
I’ve long appreciated that I can be forthright with you. Your reasonableness is a valued asset.
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That’s good to know, Katharine. I believe that acceptance of our differences is essential for communicating and cooperating with each other for the good of all involved.
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Me, too. Differences and contrast add variety and beauty to all life.
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😦
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My feeling entirely, Betsy.
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These data are chilling. So many deaths in such a short time speak of a larger problem in American society. Reading it in your poem does nothing more than invite a very deep reflection. I live in Chile (South America) and our problems are of a different nature, but in the end, humanity is going through a very complicated stage that has disrupted our way of life. I hope you have an excellent week. A big hug.
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Thanks for adding your thoughts, Macalder, and for the big hug 🙂
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You are welcome
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It’s just become numbing.
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That’s the terrible part, Ken. In this way, it becomes easy to disconnect from the suffering of others.
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Killing has become their hobby, their consciences are dead. We live by God’s grace each day.
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We do, indeed, live by God’s grace, Zet Ar.
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Wow, those are very sobering statistics.
I hear staunch Conservatives saying “we need people to get back into churches, then we wouldn’t see these shootings!”, and then I see the same people saying or behaving in very hateful ways towards their neighbors who aren’t like them.
I think we have become so emboldened and entitled in our society that more and more people are feeling free to express unkindness, hatred, and cruelty freely, in person and on the internet.
This results in more and more people becoming hurt, as well as hatred becoming amplified to the point where a shooter breaks inside and feels the only possible solution is to pick up a gun and attempt to take matters into their own hands.
This is a time when we need MORE kindness, MORE compassion, and MORE respect for each other. If hatred can create negative ripples, then love can certainly create ripples too!
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Tamara, I believe that our social media platforms play an important role in amplifying this hate and violence. Sadly, acts of kindness, compassion, and respect don’t get as many clicks and shares on these platforms.
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That’s very true! No drama there!
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It is frightening what is happening. So many are suffering right now for the holidays. Prayers for them all, comfort from God and angels protection for us all during these times.
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Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts and prayers ❤
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“Disunited States” is right, Rosaliene. I realize there can be many reasons for what is happening in our country, but I definitely think that the consumption of processed foods, which can affect impulse control, plays a role. 🌞
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Lisa, thanks for raising the effects of our consumption of processed foods. Are there studies available about this?
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Yes, but I can’t presently find what I’ve read on the subject. When I run across it, Rosaliene, I’ll send you the link(s). Have a joyful week! 🌞
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Thanks, Lisa. A joyful week to you, too 🙂
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Thank you for sharing!!.. unfortunately today there are closed minded elements of society (not only in the USA but the world) who are desperately trying to deny change, holding on to the past, whether it be guns, climate or issues to numerous to mention.. the leadership is only going to do what the people put them in power to do… 🙂
The key, of course, is to use patience and not over react, there are many folks, like yourself, who are working to make change though not making the headlines.. “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” (Barack Obama )… 🙂
Hope your path is paved with peace and love and until we meet again..
May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!
(Irish Saying)
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Dutch 🙂 I’ve observed that, oftentimes, change-makers who make the headlines are quickly silenced or discredited. I believe that change will come, as though unexpectedly, as more and more of us change the way we live and relate with others who are different from ourselves. You are already way ahead on that path.
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