How Come we never hear this kind of breaking news story?
- "Fox and Friends at FOXNEWS slaughtered by one lone gunman wearing dressed all in pink."
- "Governor Huckabee found tortured and killed hanging over favorite tree branch with his guitar shoved up his a--!"
- "Rush Limbaugh has heart attack and literally explodes while on air!! Three killed from blast hunting in nearby woods!"
- "Bill O’Reilly’s car is still burning with a fierce heat after two weeks following bombing. Authorities and scientists remain puzzled!"
- "Matt Drudge found dead no one can confirm where. No one knew he was gone these past two weeks."
In related stories:
Jon Stewart found drunk lying amongst filth next to curb in lower Manhattan. A cleaned up Stewart was caught later screaming, “I got nothing to report!! What kind of cruel almighty f*ucking God would do this to me?” Similar stories how been reported most notably Lewis Black dancing like a deranged ballerina in a
pink tutu and tights in and around Times Square singing “Where the Boys Are”.
Preposterous? Yes. In bad taste considering what has just happened in Connecticut? Yes again. But would any of this above ever happen? No probably not. So it begs the question for me. Why not?
Fox and Friends have participated in the last decade in a constant of stream of lies, dissembling, decieving and in the case of Governor Huckabee himself in his reaction to the shootings at Sandy Hook a man of dishonor and possessing a mental acumen that would be exceeded by the extinct Neanderthals. Bill O'Reilly is a delusional massacre with PowerPoint.
These innocuous personalities will continue to broadcast their news even though it has no basis in actual fact and when pushed with their back to the wall they call themselves ENTERTAINERS, and we must look at them as satarists. I look at them as failed journalists who are hiding behind still another lie - this time about themselves. Stewart and Black are actual entertainers and work mightily at their professions. I thank them for bringing the nation the truth through their fake news and commentaries. The irony is startling.
Nothing like those headlines will fortunately never be seen. The places where these folks do their fraudulent business are foritified and security is tight. They all maintain some kind of personal secuity as well. So since the truth is constantly being challenged by the aforementioned folks a dissonance is created.
When the truth becomes a non-reality then we seek a reality that we can’t refute.
THE REAL TRAGEDIES
The real tragedies, in the always too recent past, all had one thing in common. They happened at public facilities. Vulnerable areas that we all thought were inviolate. Places not guarded with heavy security. Open and inclusive areas where we congregate to live and enjoy our lives. The people gathering at these highly accesssable place become easy targets for the few of that have crossed a line. A line where they are no longer are joined with us. Even in the case of the of Fort Hood in Texas the spot of that horror happened in a public shared space within the base and was perpetrated by an officer and psychiatrist.
The shootings on our sacred shared soil are all sickening but this last one was not only horrendous but also an unspeakable act and yet I fear we will do nothing but condemn it and never act.. Children? Isn’t that a red line enough for everyone? Aurora wasn’t. House Member Gabby Gifford’s open forum wasn’t. All the others weren’t either. When do we not just talk but seek a way to end this now?
So I ask this of Wayne LaPierre of the NRA Speaker Boehner. If you don’t like gun control how about gun safety? Is that PC enough for you or do you remain fearful of still losing your guns even now as you hide behind them? I have heard that American gun owners writ large reached a point of saturation long ago and want action taken that will bring us more safety. Please tell me gentlemen and your leadership teams if I am not showing you enough respect? Should I treat you with more dignity? HOW ABOUT THE RESPECT THAT WAS NOT SHOWN TO TWENTY DEAD CHILDREN AT SHADY HOOK??!! Where is their dignity now? Gone is where their dignity, respect and their futures are now. Also gonel are the countless dreams that were held by their parents.
BUT we must now not be fearful and hide behind our guns and religion and the false sense of accomplishment by praying for dead. We must take responsibility as though all these children are members of our immediate family and work together to stop it from ever happening again.
REAL SAFETY IN NUMBERS
There is real safety in numbers. But not in numbers of strangers but in the bond that bring us together as Americans - the right of all to life and liberty. We all feel safe at a mall or in movie theatre, concert or any public setting and we should. But devolving into people who question everything and everyone is not the answer to maintaining it. Instead I feel that should we engage with strangers. As will Rogers said at time in our history where suspicion was very high, "A stranger is just a friend I've never met." Nothing too much needs to happen. Just a smile! We really can make each other feel and actually be safe.
I know it’s hard. We keep our heads down and don’t want to make eye contact. Then we split off into our little enclaves of the vetted where if we might feel like ridiculing others to make ourselves feel better we do. Feeling superior is delusional and dangerous. Facebook and Twitter have made us more aware of the humanity around us and yet we don’t do that much too really know the outsider we actually physically encounter.
One thing that seems to be a constant about the people who have committed these brutalities s that they are loners. They have dropped out and as a consequence created a false reality where only they exist and the rest of us are at best a video game. We must not to let that happen. We must engage the loners. Some have become loners because they are house bound for a variety of reasons. Facebook and Twitter et al help but human to human contact can be a game changer. I know one person who makes it her business and with no car mind you right here in LA, seeks the lonely out and lets them know they are not alone. You don’t how powerful that is.
If you are worried to do this alone that is perfectly understandable. So invite a few friends to go with you. Not a whole lot mind you I mean when you’ve been alone for weeks and suddenly you have a half a dozen people it can overwhelm a soul and might even push them more into isolation. So be easy and “Let love be your guide.” A cliché sure but it does
FALSE SECURITY IS JUST THAT
Fortifying all our structures and particularly our open spaces with technology and guns is not the answer. It gives us a false sense of security but does not prevent these crimes.
Remember guns don’t kill people. People do.
So let's make strangers at least acquaintances. A smile is a great start. Every time you lose heart think of those teachers in Connecticut who stood in their classroom alone after securing their children to a safe place and awaited their fate. Now that’s immeasurable courage. Courage we all can believe in. Where have I heard something like that before?
