Friday, December 14, 2012

On risk and life and death. Mostly death.

"Risky behaviour?" the allergy nurse asked.

She was taking a medical history for their new, computerized record system.

I just looked at her, at a loss as to how to respond.
She thought I didn't understand the question.
I knew she'd be taken aback by the answer.

"Like HIV..." she said, trying to be helpful.
I just shook my head no.

Except when the sadist closes his hands around my neck, my risky behaviour doesn't seem to have any bearing on my asthma.

And besides.
I've made my decisions.
My activities may not always be safe,
but they are consensual.
We'll leave aside the issue of my sanity.

Still...
risky behaviour.

A child going to school...
this should not be risky behaviour.
We should -
should! -
be able to count on their coming home alive.

But this is the United States of NRA,*
where guns are easier to get than treatment for mental illness,
and little children
bleed out
their lives
on a classroom floor.
This isn't the lesson they were sent to school to learn.

And the lesson that is so clear to so many of us? The lesson we learn over and over, from one senseless massacre after another? Our politicians are too chicken shit to act on it. The election is over, and they're still being choked by the NRA's chain.

And people say we're perverted.


* NRA = National Rifle Association, which vehemently opposes any form of gun control.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It is our right to bare arms. Period. And it should always be our right to protect and defend ourselves and those we love. ( yes, even with guns)

What happened yesterday was due to evil. Not guns. Let us place blame where it is due ( and tho it is too early yet, I'm sure the school admin is partly to blame for their lack of security).


Unless we do away with all weapons or ANYTHING that can be used as one there will always be a chance. We need to pay attention. To the people around us. The people that are ill and need help and and action. We need to STOP being blind. We need to take that action.


I fear not when I sleep at night, knowing that I can protect myself and my children should someone break in and try to harm us.

It's no surprise that in states that allow things such as consealded weapons that crime and murder rates are lower. Would you risk trying to attack someone who you knew was armed? Evens the fields a bit.


It's also no surprise that in states( or commonwealths, or districts ) that DO NOT allow loaded weapons in the home sometimes end up being murder capital of the US. ( I should know, I lived there).

States are proven safer, when people are allowed to bare arms.

Gun control would not have stopped this monster, or any other for that matter. If someone is evil enough and sick enough they will find a way.

But I'm not gonna wait around on my ass while these monsters find another way. I will be ready if I can be. Any other parent would too.

In closing, respect, and more importantly than bitching about gun control,

My heart goes out to all of you suffering from this. As a parent of a five year old in kindergarten, who was at my child's school when this horrific thing happened, I can't begin to know your pain. Your all are in my prayers. And will be forever.


-e

oatmeal girl said...

I have no intention of getting into the right or desire of Michelle Obama to bare her arms, or the right or desire of other people to own or bear firearms.

However, it does seem advisable to insert a small amount of objective fact in response to Anonymous' statement that "States are proven safer, when people are allowed to bare arms."

In a review of scientific literature published by the Harvard School of Public Health, it was found again and again that where guns are more available, more people are killed. Period. This held across all 50 states and across all high-income countries.

Here is the link:

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/index.html

That closes this discussion.