America Under Siege: One Week, Three Mass Shootings, Two Dozen Dead

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Category: Crime

Published on Saturday, 03 August 2019 16:29

Written by Janet Walker

A lone gunman walked into a Walmart in El Paso Texas, and systematically shot, without provocation or warning, nearly 50 shoppers, killing 20 and injuring more than 26. It was the third mass shooting in America this week alone.

America is under siege. Today, as always our politicians, those in office and those who hope to be offer prayers to the victims, the injured, the families, first responders and even the nation as the grip of this insidious evil takes hold of those unable to understand and seek help before the urging overwhelms and another is killed.

This week started with a soft target shooting, as law enforcement become more equipped at securing hard targets shooters are taking their violence to the streets, to the places where we work, where we play, where we enjoying community and family days, soft targets, we are told as new security vernacular becomes common as coffee in the morning.

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Soft targets, shopping centers, festivals, community events, anywhere large groups gather and security is limited. This week’s death toll began in Northern California, the Gilroy Garlic Festival, where a lone gunman, a kid, all of 19, cut his way through a fence and proceeded to remind himself of the directions he was to shoot, "left to right, left to right," he is quoted as saying. Three dead, a city, community, and a nation mourn.

Just as the Garlic Family Festival was fading from the headlines, a second shooting, at a Southaven Walmart in Mississippi. This time a disgruntled employee walks into his old job and for whatever rationale he reasoned was justifiable, lay-off, a bad day, mentally unstable, whatever, two men are dead. Two men, two dad’s, two sons, brothers, husbands, fathers who won’t be home tonight. Two dead, and two injured and a city, community, and a nation mourn.

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And here we are today, Saturday, August 3, 2019. Mid-morning shoppers headed to Walmart in El Paso, Texas, preparing for a Sunday dinner, shopping, picking up groceries, a day of hanging out with family, and suddenly, the familiar pop, pop, pop, the sounds we once thought were the backfire of a car, a set of firecrackers, or heard only in the movies, are suddenly ringing in our ears again.

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More than 50 shoppers shot, 20 dead, 26 injured. The gun man, a 21-year-old, another lost mind, given over to messaging of hate. The feeling of control, the ultimate power controlling the life of another, one becomes a deity, a god.

50 shot, 20 dead, 26 injured, a city, community, families, and a nation mourns.

And here we go again. Sunday Talk show programming will now be dedicated to the El Paso shooting, with insight and in-depth coverage, with soundbites from the sitting president, who has already tweeted his condolences, so glad it was heartfelt.

Is it possible we could have more than 140 characters of sympathy, compassion, empathy and insight from the White House? Oh. I forgot he is given the extended version of twitter.

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So now, the same cycle of conversations, we hear after every mass shooting. Folks, I hate to break the bad news to you, but if your elected legislators wouldn’t act to reform gun law, to create common sense, simply common sense gun reform after Sandy Hook, when 20 first and second graders, and six educators, were gunned down, shot and left with baseball sized holes in their tiny bodies, they won’t now and won’t ever. Everyone wants to keep their job. Elected officials are elected. The people can vote them out and send them home.

When James Brady, the White House Press Secretary took a bullet in his brain, stopping then President Ronald Reagan from being more injured in an assassination attempt, it took Congress thirteen years to act to slightly modifying gun laws. And he was one of their own.

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Don’t hold your breath on changes. Now what? Possibly mandatory military service for non-college bound students. Kids, 19, 21, with no idea of the future, pick up a gun and hunt to hurt, kill to ease their own pain taking as many as possible down with them.

So . . .another three names to the list, Gilroy Garlic Festival, Walmart, and El Paso. Dozens dead, a city, a community, families and a nation mourn.