On my way to work Friday morning, I had a sudden realization: there have been so many tragedies and shootings that the flag seems to be in a perpetual state of half-mast. I also realized something else, something that made me sick to my stomach: I did not even know why the flag was at half-mast. It feels like just when I hear about one tragedy, another one rears its ugly head. Many of you may read this and become outraged at my lack of empathy, my lack of awareness, you may blame me for not watching or reading the news enough. But let me say something really quickly. You know about Orlando and Baton Rouge right? Who doesn’t? But what about Louisville, KY? Willingboro, NJ? Cincinnati, OH? These are all places where mass shooting have occurred since June 20th, 2016 which was the first day of summer. Don’t believe me? Check out my source: http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting. I genuinely do not know why the flag soars at half-mast sometimes, although I try my best to be well informed. But what I do know? My heart breaks for all the lives being lost, all the families being torn apart, and all the communities being splintered.
But why is this happening? Because something is wrong, very wrong. Or society is infected. I know that this is a complicated problem. A web filled with many different threads. We have the presence of ISIS pushing people over the edge, we have a mental health care system that needs work, we have a government that is under the control and pocket of the NRA, we have politicians who seem more comfortable sitting on the ground in useless sit ins rather than taking real action, we have the farce that is “gun control.” Yeah, I said it. Either you fix the mental health care system or you fix the gun control. I am not asking for your rights to be taken away, because I know there is at least one gun owner who is going to read this and flip the heck out. But really guys? Really? I know that guns are objects. That it is people who pick them up and kill people. But people should not have access to military grade guns. I know there are people claiming that it is not a “military grade gun” but a hunting rifle. Well, then make better hunting rifle gun control. Because….
I AM SICK OF IT. JUST SICK OF IT.
I want that flag to fly high and proud. I want to live a year of my life without seeing one at half-mast.
