I had a very busy month the last couple of weeks. Yes, you read that right. I had more things going on in April than there were days in April! Some of them resulted in more than a few hilarious moments and were more than blog-worthy. Somehow, I couldn’t bring myself to write about any of them.
Last week there was an unsettling piece in the local news. Four and a half years almost to the day after the Tree of Life shootings added Pittsburgh the list of cities that had hosted mass shootings, jury selection finally began for the trial of the man seen on camera, walking into a local synagogue and shooting 13 people, 11 fatally, while they were attending Saturday morning services. Four and a half years those families had to watch other families of victims of violence find some solace and maybe even some closure from crimes that happens years after the massacre that took their loved ones. Are we so jaded by killing we can take our good old time seeking justice?
During those 4-1/2 years over 1,900 mass shootings have happened in the US (I’m using the definition of mass shooting is one where 4 people excluding the shooter are killed or injured in a single incident.), 53 in April. Perhaps the most heinous was one of the most recent occurring on April 29 when 5 people were killed after asking a neighbor to stop shooting his gun in the front yard in Cleveland, Texas.
After each of the 1,940 mass shootings in the last 4-1/2 years, calls for gun control have been made and successfully opposed in the name if the Second Amendment. You remember that one.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Some day, somebody from the NRA can tell me how killing 5 of your neighbors because they asked for some quiet, or killing 11 of them while they worshipped their God, is “necessary to the security of a free State.”
I’ll try to find some hilarious anecdotes for next week.
Too often we are defined by the work we do. Is that because we surround ourselves with work friends? We owe to ourselves and our closest contacts to see that our “loved ones” truly are our loved ones. In the most recent Uplift! we talk about why.
The Real Reality Show Blog 
Will you please run for President?
Thank you for the nomination but I don’t think I’d make a very good president. I have a nasty tendency to treat everyone fairly and equally and with a dash of common sense. Based on the most recent oh 50 or 60 years’ activities, it would seem there’s no place for that in Washington.
Gosh…I can’t offer a comment any better than what Susan just said. Yes, please. I’ll carry your notebooks and stuff. Fetch the snacks…you get the idea. 😊
Well now. That’s two of you. Hmm, this could be the start of a mandate. I may have to reconsider my decision not to run but I will need a steady supply of snacks!
I’m on it! 🤣🥰🤣
Let’s start out with chocolate covered potato chips. As long as I’m going to be President, I might as well indulge!
Yum! You’re so gourmet! 😜
This breaks my heart. 1,940 mass shootings. That’s inconceivable. And for the families of victims to have to wait so long for justice is just plain wrong. I appreciate your input–and love the fact that Vic and Sus want you to run for President. I’ll be a third to that.
It is an unbelievable number but the number it is. Yet somehow, nobody whose introduction starts with “The Honorable” seems to notice behind furring “thoughts and prayers.”
Vicki and Susan were quite persuasive and it looks like even against my best judgement, I’m running. You can be in charge of all the voters south of the Mason Dixon line!
I’m in, my friend! My influence goes so very far! (NOT!) But I truly would vote for you. Just saying.
This reminds me of the definition of insanity – doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. As a country, we have to decide to do something different – this is so heartbreaking.
It is heartbreaking Wynne, and they only different thing left to do is just stop. Those who have the authority to say “stop” are too busy being politicians instead of representatives of the people. Otherwise they’d have done something for us. Unfortunately they doing are everything for themselves.
Just stop — perfectly put, Michael. Just stop.