I have started and stopped this post five times so far, because every time I try to start telling you about the fruit cake I made (and loved) last week, I am overcome with the feeling that it is nothing less than obscene of me to be writing about food and holidays and other such similar nonsense when the details of this story refuse to leave my mind's eye.
The thing is, I am so angry. I'm sad, yes, but tangibly, physically, speaking, I am filled with rage. Trembly, white-hot rage. I am so sick of these guns, these guns that pollute the United States, that threaten our schools and movie theaters, of the disgusting hypocrisy of politicians who bleat and bray about the sanctity of life when it comes to the contents of a woman's womb, but are silent – silent – when a classful of children are murdered, all shot multiple times, in a matter of minutes. The craven dishonesty, the glibness behind lines like "guns don't kill people, people kill people" revolt me. Tell that line to any of the parents who were ushered into a separate room last week once all the living children of the Sandy Hook elementary school had been reunited with their parents. Tell that to the children, the babies, really, who hid in a closet silently while their classmates were slaughtered on the other side of the door. Just the thought of children staring down big, black guns loaded with round after round of ammunition in their school and my heart races with fear and revulsion, but mostly rage.
I personally am of the persuasion that guns should not be available to the citizenry at all. That the Second Amendment has long outlived its purpose. I realize I am in the minority among my fellow citizens and that's alright. But what is not alright is that ordinary Americans are being made to live in fear because of the refusal of our politicans to deal with what should be matters of common sense. What is not alright is that once again we all are left to wonder how many more children will be killed before any meaningful change takes place. What is not alright is that the gun lobby has more money and power than any of the other players at the table, unfairly skewing the debate before it even starts.
When I sit back and take a breath, it feels futile and silly to write all this down. What on earth will my little rant do? It will not bring back the dead, it will not comfort the survivors, it will not effect any political change. It's simply more noise added to an already cacophonous exchange that flares up with each incident and then dies down again when the heat cools off. And that may be the worst thing of all.
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119 responses to “The Shootings”
p.s. Kristof had a good piece on where we could start: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-do-we-have-the-courage-to-stop-this.html?_r=0
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Dear Luisa,
It isn’t futile for you to raise your voice. Nothing will change until we all raise our voices and create a cacophony so loud – and, yes, so discordant – it can no longer be ignored.
And while I agree there are two sides to a position, the other side of this one does not resonate with me at all. This most hideous of all crimes was committed with three registered guns. I don’t feel that people with guns keep themselves safe; people with guns get shot.
Luisa, I remember my first grade classroom in Corpus Christi on West 121st Street so well and so fondly. At the back of the room for the girls there was a loft playhouse, under which was a little workshop for the boys. This is what George Carlin, who also attended the school (before me) said about it:
“In the 1940s, I attended a school still in existence: Corpus Christi in New York City. It was not a typical Catholic grammar school education. For one thing, we had boys and girls together. We did not wear uniforms. The desks were all movable. And, there were no report cards – no grades or report cards of any kind. It was a garden; it was a place that let me flower…”
I loved my school and walking there with my friends each morning. I cannot imagine it being turned into a place of carnage.
Something must be done NOW.
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Like everyone else, I’ve been shocked, saddened and angry about the events in Newtown, CT. Every time I hear or read something about in, tears run down my cheeks. I can’t begin to imagine what the families and friends of the deceased are going through. Nor can I imagine what the other people who were in the school or the first responders are going through.
I’m not a gun owner. I don’t remember ever having touched a gun. I understand having them for personal protection and hunting. I don’t like it, but I understand it. I don’t understand the need for automatic weapons. And I don’t like it.
Years ago, after some kind of similar tragedy, I heard or read that doing what you normally do isn’t disrespectful to those who are suffering and not doing it doesn’t honor or help them.
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Dana: Our culture has fallen deeply into an abyss of immorality and turned a blind eye to Christian beliefs. God is the only person who can save us from what our country has turned into.
Yes, this must be why in Europe, which is much less religious and much more politically progressive than the U.S., these types of mass killings are almost unknown, while we get several of them every year here. France and the U.K. are about to legalize gay marriage; when was the last time they had a mass shooting there? Could it have something to do with the more restrictive gun laws there?
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I have no words, or am still finding it impossible to find the right words, for what happened in Newtown so thank you for posting this and thank you for being honest about your opinions. I agree wholeheartedly and can only hope that this tragedy forces some kind of change to the gun laws.
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Like the others, I’ve been saddened an angered over the last few days.
I’m not a gun owner. I’ve never held a gun in my hands. I know very little about guns. The statement “guns don’t kill people, people do,” — well, it’s true. A gun isn’t dangerous until it is in someone’s hands. However, what is any gun for if not to kill?
Guns will never be outlawed in the U.S. I’d be satisfied to see automatic weapons and large magazines of ammunition outlawed. They do a lot of damage very quickly and have been used in every mass shooting that has occurred in recent years.
Luisa, you wrote, “I am overcome with the feeling that it is nothing less than obscene of me to be writing about food and holidays and other such similar nonsense when the details of this story refuse to leave my mind’s eye.”
I’ve read that sentiment in many places since last Friday and I strongly disagree. Years ago, after some kind of similar tragedy, I heard or read that doing what you normally do isn’t disrespectful to those who are suffering and not doing it doesn’t honor or help them.
In fact, it’s the rest of us going on with our daily activities that gives the support and structure needed by those who are most affected to grieve and heal. It doesn’t matter what your daily activities are, how large or small they are, how important or frivolous they may seem. No matter what you do, don’t minimize it’s value to the world.
You never know. You post the fruitcake recipe and someone may see the recipe, make the fruitcake and take it to a grieving family. It may be a little act of kindness that helps them through a day.
At times like this we need the food, holidays, joy and celebration to remind us that life is good and it will go on. We need the normalcy of it all.
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So very well said. And so, so tragic. I cannot stop picturing those little faces.
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The second amendment was written to protect us from an oppressive government. Many people seem to forget that. What happened was a terrible tragedy, but taking away our right to arms is not going to help anything. Mexican citizens are not allowed to own guns, but yet cartels have them and kill people daily. No one is pointing out the attack that happened in China were a man attacked 28 children under the age of 4 at a nursery school with a knife. If someone wants to hurt other people, they will find a way to do it, gun or no gun. Maybe people should start being kind to others and teaching their children to take responsibility for their actions. Talk to your children and be involved in their lives. Be a role model. Teach them about God. Those are the kinds of things that are going to make a difference in our society.
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Thank you for your words, and you are not a minority in this, or will hopefully not remain so for long.
It requires courage to make change, and I think we have that; it is now a question of finding our route to make a safer world a possibility.
All blessings.
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the right to bear arms is just as relevant a constitutional right as free speech and due process of law. guns are for the use, protection and empowerment of law abiding citizens. i am a mother, a wife and a business owner and support the use of guns. sorry to see that you saw your food blog as an appropriate place to share your knee jerk political platform.
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I didn’t really understand what the anti-gun crew were up against, or how brave you needed to be to align yourself this way until I read some of these comments. Wow. I know that there are complexities to the arguments that I will never get, but as an outsider, from the other side of the world, most of the pro-gun ranting sounds completely batshit crazy.
More power to you, Luisa. Seems like you and yours need all the help you can get.
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What do all these shootings usually have in common? A mentally unstable person.
There is no right to bear arms in Norway and yet some crazy man got hold of a gun and 70+ young people were killed.
Banning guns won’t fix this problem and it is the coward’s way of attempting to fix it.
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I am glad you posted your thoughts,
I am grateful for thoughtful human beings,
I remain hopeful for change.
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NH: yes, guns are common in Mexico because they’re smuggled in from the U.S. I’m glad to see we’re such a force for good in the world. And, yes, every gun-lover in the U.S. is talking about the attack in China, in which NO ONE DIED. There are lots of ways to kill people, but guns–especially automatic and semi-automatic guns–are terrifyingly effective at it, in a way other weapons are not. Nobody needs a semi-automatic weapon; maybe you’re willing to trade dead children for that right, but I’m not.
twoblueshoes: It sounds batshit crazy to many of us in the U.S., also, but we’ve been shouted down by NRA-funded politicians for WAY too long. I’m hopeful that we may be able to get an assault-weapon ban and a ban on large magazines passed in the wake of this awful shooting, but we’ll see.
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Dear Luisa,
What you said captures exactly how I feel about this awful tragedy – a mixture of sadness and rage And even on Christmas Day after a morning of presents and breakfast and reading and singing and dancing with y toddler t , these kids are in my thoughts – I tend to feel similarly about the senseless victims of all the stupid wars that egomaniac politiicians and scoundrels perpetuate- SO many families lose their little babies for nothing. Ive read your book and enjoyed it and I’m going to try to buy it for my sister – we have trouble connecting lately and your story may be one way. Much love and best wishes from a devoted reader.
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Thank you, Luisa, I agree. I just wish I could say it the way you do.
Adrian
Munich
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In complete agreement with you! I’m sure “the right to bear arms” did not mean the modern arms that are being used today.
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The kid used Pistols, not an assault rifle.
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I am very late to the party…I have cut myself from any media as the details were too soul crushing. I have immersed myself in helping where ever I could and my own dear granddaughters.
I do echo so many of your comments and those of others. I urge you all to act, write your senators, congressmen, and anyone else you can think of. Give vent to your feelings by acting. Do NOT let this tragedy slip away with out some significant change.
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