How Many More Children Will We Kill?

Yes, how many times can a man turn his head Pretending he just doesn’t see? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind. Yes, how many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, how many deaths will it take till he knows That too many people have died? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind The answer is blowin’ in the wind.    Words from Bob Dylan Blowin’ in the Wind -excerpted. Yes, I know that these words were written by Dylan as a protest song during the Vietnam War, but to me, they seem fitting now as another school is mourning its dead. In no other country are school children killed at the rate that America is permitting its children to die. Our politicians indeed pretend that they do not see, even as they attend the funerals of the dead or visit the families of the wounded. Do they not hear the cries of the mourners, see the trauma on the faces of the survivors? Just how many deaths indeed, will it take before they know that too many people have died, Dylan asked plaintively. We should ask the same questions. When are we, as a society, going to put in place safeguards to keep disturbed young men (and they, to my knowledge, have all been young men) from getting easy access to firearms that they subsequently used to murder their classmates? Obviously, Sandy Hook and Parkland were not awful enough to spur those we elect into action, so just how bad does the massacre have to be? In Colorado, alone, we have seen Aurora, Columbine, and the King Soopers store shootings in the lifetimes of my children, but many more shootings happened there over time, and that is just one state. Why do I mention my children? Well, now I have grandchildren and while school shootings occurred when my children were young, but were rare, now with the easier access to more powerful weapons, they are happening with greater frequency. And when we have parents who purchase these powerful weapons for 15-year-olds who do not always have the maturity to control their emotions, we get the result that was seen in Oxford, Michigan this week. They charged the parents with not controlling the access to this semi-automatic handgun, which they purchased for their son a few days before. This model is used by the Seals and is touted as being a good size for concealed carry. The school noted some warning signs in the student’s behavior and called the parents in for a conference; neither the parents nor the student mentioned his gun, and he returned to class after the meeting. The parents were told to arrange counseling immediately. Sadly, two hours later, the shootings began.    According to Education Week, there have been 29 school shootings so far this year and we still have a few weeks left in this calendar year, so, sadly, it may go even higher. So far there have been 11 people killed and 49 injured in these school shootings just this year.        Since 2018, it further reports, there have been 87 school shootings. The numbers decreased when many children were in virtual classrooms, as might be expected. However, no section of the country was immune, as the tragedies happened in twenty different states. It is well past time to bring back the assault weapons ban and to implement serious and sane gun registration and usage practices.   In recent days, the Supreme Court heard arguments about gun permitting in New York state and about abortion restrictions in Mississippi. I find a linkage here. Perhaps it is farfetched, but hear me out. The Court tea leaf readers thought the justices would strike down some restrictions for permitted carries in New York and would chip away at the supposedly settled law in Roe which held that abortions could occur until viability or around 23 weeks; the Mississippi law was written to create a challenge and reduce the term length to 15 weeks. Justice Thomas had long wanted to rule on gun rights cases after the limited ruling in Heller. Their decisions will probably be released in June, as is common with controversial cases.   In the decades since the assault weapons ban expired, more and more such guns have been purchased across this country. According to Forbes, there are over 20 million assault rifles in private hands in the US and at least 400 million additional firearms in private homes and businesses. That amounts to over one gun for every citizen of this country. Yet, the right-wing persists in reminding followers that the left is coming for your guns! This threat seems absurd, as to how would such a search be conducted? Do they really believe that Uncle Sam is going to go door to door and seize weapons? I remain wary of states with open carry and hope that those who want open carry laws to have interstate reciprocity by noting the permit is with the person, not the state, are defeated in this quest.   I think assault weapons should be banned because they have no purpose except to kill people; they are not used for hunting deer or other animals. I know many people would disagree with me, but I have yet to see an instance where such weapons have been used in civilian venues. A few years back, there was a shooting on a college campus in Oregon, where others were armed, but they did not shoot back because there was too great a chance of injuring passersby in cross fires. The police killed the shooter, but not before he killed ten people.   Listening to some of the conservative justices during the oral arguments in the Mississippi case was surreal. Despite all justices having said at one time or another that they would uphold precedents, few seemed to consider that in this instance, even saying that Brown could be overturned just as Plessy was. Justice Sotomayor was scathing in her comments, indicating that the stench of politics would be all over this court should they modify Roe in the way suggested.   Justice Barrett suggested that a mother could carry to term and drop her baby at the symbolic police station, hospital, or church steps under the safe haven principle. Hello, Justice Barrett–what part do you not understand about abortion–the point is not to have to carry a pregnancy for whatever reason, the mother felt was urgent enough to need to terminate her pregnancy. Pregnancy is not always good for every mother. Justice Kavanaugh, once thought to be moderate on this issue, was reportedly solidly on board with his conservative pals.   The Washington Post columnist, Ruth Marcus, has evaluated this current court in an article that is must reading for all who are concerned about the future of our democracy. This court, she says, is not as once thought, 3 liberals, 3 conservatives, and 3 moderates; no, she indicates, the conservatives are firmly in charge of a 6-3 court. She cites the Voting Rights decision in Brnovitch vs. the Democratic Party which challenged Arizona law that threatened to disenfranchise Native Americans who often did not vote in their home precinct. That law was upheld by the court in June. Mail voting is also difficult for this population, which often voted absentee and used collection points or neighbors to deliver ballots; this is now banned. Arizona throws out more ballots than any other state and this ruling will probably increase that statistic. Her conclusion is grim: “And so, for those who believe the court has a vital role to play in protecting democracy, promoting civil rights and achieving justice, “the outlook is not good at all,” said Donald B. Verrilli Jr., who served as solicitor general in the Obama administration. “Things may unfold more slowly or less completely than our worst fears. But I think most of our worst fears are going to be realized. It’s just a question of at what pace.”   If that grim diagnosis seems correct, the cure is more elusive. Some treatments, like court-packing, would be worse than the disease. Others, like imposing term limits, are harder to administer and wouldn’t be effective for years. Which means: The court is where it is. The Rule of Six is now in force. Conservatives have time to write their views into the law books, where they will remain for decades to come. The change they choose to enact will be swift or slow; it will be open or stealthy. But make no mistake: It is coming. The court, and the nation, will be worse off for it.”   This is another reason the Congress has to pass the Voting Rights Bill–hear me please, Senator Schumer–or will this get thrown under the proverbial bus along with legislation for Dreamers and immigration reform?   Some have thought that if the idea of upholding precedent can be overturned, is Gay marriage next? The Court decision in Obergefell vs. Hodges in 2015 was precedent setting and applauded by many, but not all. Just last year Justices Thomas and Alito blasted the Court for not taking up a case that had challenges to that ruling. And do not doubt the possibility that the right-wing is coming after contraception next.   Now, remember, that linkage I mentioned–well if one looks at loosened gun laws, and reduced personal rights and weighs the sanctity of life against measures that reduce the safety of lives, aren’t there contradictions here? If the court expands the use of guns and denies abortions, (increasing the chances of maternal deaths from illegal procedures) allows the death penalty, and lets children have guns that kill their classmates–where are the protections for personal life and liberty? Just wondering. Well, this has gone on for a bit, hasn’t it? I will just briefly look at COVID stats. *********************************************************************** The Omicron variant is here; no one quite knows what to make of it just yet. It seems to have 30 spike proteins, some of which can elude established vaccines. It is in Maryland and several other states, mostly from people who have been to South Africa recently. However, it is not yet dominant here. So, there is still time to get vaccinated; over 2 million vaccines were given in a single day last week, so that is a start. The Delta variant is still here; most likely the increase in numbers is because of the post-Thanksgiving surge. Maryland is 68% vaccinated and seems stuck there.   COVID stats – NY Times   Total US Cases: 49,044,822. New Cases: 109,822. Total US Deaths: 786,964. New Deaths: 1,178. Maryland Totals: Total Cases: 542,912. New Cases: 1,340.                             Total Deaths: 11,255. New Deaths: 11. *********************************************************************** In closing, I just want to note that Fox has gone lower than usual when it did not condemn the remarks of one of its hosts who compared Dr. Fauci to the Nazi docs who experimented on prisoners. Dr. Fauci spoke out about this.   “Til next week–Peace!