Thoughts and prayers, right?
There is no safe place in America. The gunfire can break out anywhere, and at any moment.
The Kansas City Super Bowl celebration was the finale of the Chiefs’ championship season. It began joyfully, and ended in panic, chaos and death. There was one gunshot fatality and 21 people wounded.
The Kansas City shooting occurred on the 6th anniversary of the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the 16th anniversary of the mass killing at Northern Illinois University. In fact, there have been five mass shootings in America over the last 100 years on Valentine’s Day.
Thoughts and prayers, right? That’s what is supposed to be said in the moments after. Of course, it is always too soon to talk about what to do about this madness in the immediate aftermath, so this shooting will simply be a preface to the next one. Somewhere in America the magazine clips are being loaded. Somewhere the killer is planning. Somewhere the next victims are oblivious about being next. This is a societal sickness. This is a profound moral issue, and thus it must become a political cause that can break the system that holds we will live under a tyranny of the gun.
I wrote about democracy a few weeks back, referencing the story of a very disturbing prosecution underway in Warrren, Ohio, against a 31-year-old Black woman who miscarried at 21 weeks and five days at home after two visits to the hospital in the preceding days. The most shocking revelation in the story was that medical treatment was postponed while an ethics panel debated for eight hours around what to do regarding Ohio’s restrictive abortion laws since the 22-week line was 48 hours away.
I made this point:
It is all well and good to talk about the democracy that will be lost, but it is the case that it has already been lost for millions of Americans. Upon what planet can it be argued that Ms. Watts is a free person?
FDR talked about the four freedoms, including the freedom from fear. We don’t live in a democracy if overwhelming numbers of Americans are afraid to go outside and gather. Citizens of a free society are not prey.
Super Bowl LVIII was the most-watched global television event in history. The Super Bowl was watched all over the world, and the parade shooting will be too. They offer two divergent views of America, but make clear something beyond debate. The national pastimes of football and guns merged today. There is no space safe from the gun and the mass shooter. We have chosen tyranny over freedom, death over life, madness over sanity.
The greatest perversion in all of this is that a society that is menaced and teetering will always look for a strongman to fix it — even if the strongman precipitates the chaos.
There is nothing left to be said. The Chiefs’ season came to its end, not in Las Vegas on the field, but at home in Kansas City, where the Lombardi trophy was splattered in the proverbial blood of fans who just wanted to celebrate. America lost today. Life was lost today, and more were shattered.
I’ll keep this essay handy for next time.
MORE ON GUN VIOLENCE
Several months ago, I had the opportunity to speak with Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed in the Parkland shooting, as well as Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action.
These conversations have stuck with me, and I would encourage you to listen to what they have to say about the gun crisis in America. You can watch here, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast platform.
And for my conversation with Shannon, you can watch it here, or listen to it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
Unfortunately nothing will change. Take a look at the 2022 Election. Marjorie Taylor Greene, for instance. Not a legislator, not smart, not decent, not empathetic, does not care about this country. She is also a nihilist, a cynic, wacky, mean-spirited, nasty.
Remember how she chased down a victim of school gun violence?
In the last election cycle, she received 66 percent of the vote in her district. Almost double her opponent, a decent man. A resounding victory. Her constituents must love her and all that she is.
We live amongst the worst people imaginable and there is nothing we can do when they want to send people like her to the halls of government.
“In fact, there have been five mass shootings in America over the last 100 years on Valentine’s Day.”
Yup, and the most famous was the Valentine’s Day massacre masterminded by another famous mafia Don: Al Capone. Coincidence? I think not!
Al killed indiscriminately. Trump, a modern day version of Capone; just more intellectually challenged and kills by his demonic policies and agendas instead of by brut force; but not for lack of trying. Family separations; women’s reproductive rights, destroyer of civil liberties and democracy, etc….
At least with Capone, everyone knew he was a psychotic monster. With Trump, half the nation thinks he’s a savior.
I guess the adage is true: “ One man’s terrorist, is another man’s freedom fighter!…:)