My sweet four year old boy told me he is no longer afraid of the basement because
“Secret Agents like me are not afraid, Mommy.”
I smiled as he ran down the basement stairs and then I cried thinking of a room full of frightened children at a school in Connecticut.
And I cried for their parents.
And I reached out to friends.
And I read the newsfeeds.
And I said my piece.
“Prayers and thoughts must be followed by action.”
And I was reprimanded for not letting enough time pass between tragedy and outrage.
And I was admonished for adulterating my sympathies.
And I let myself be silenced.
Then I remembered…
February 22, 2012
Shooting at the Su Jung Health Sauna in Norcross, Georgia
Injured and killed: 5
April 2, 2012
Oikos University killings in Oakland, California
Injured and killed: 10
May 20, 2012
Seattle cafe shooting in Seattle, Washington
Injured and killed: 7
July 20, 2012
Shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado
Injured and killed: 70
August 5, 2012
Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin
Injured and killed: 10
September 27, 2012
Shooting at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Injured and killed: 8
December 11, 2012
Clackamas Town Center shooting in Portland, Oregon
Injured and killed: 3
December 14, 2012
Shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut
Injured and killed: 26
We’ve had enough moments of silence.
~~~~~~~~~
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Tagged: gun control, gun violence, mental health care, newtown connecticut, Sandy Hook Elementary School, school violence, violence against children, violence against men, violence against women
