Innocence Lost

     Today is not a day for Snark... it is a day for mourning and asking "why?".

     The sad fact of the matter is that the answer will not help the Parents who sent their children off to school this morning not knowing that they would never come home again nor will it help the families of the adults who were also taken away.

     We are all stunned as a Nation... we all cry the same question, but perhaps we should be crying a different question... "how?".

     In the coming weeks some answers will come out as the surviving shooter is questioned by Police and examined by Psychiatrists but the "how" question goes much deeper than just the shooters to the society that created them. (edit- it was later announced that there was a single shooter, so the question of 'why' may never have an answer)

     Some say that this calls for tighter gun control or banning guns completely, but with the guns already out there in the hands of Americans they could make the sale of new guns illegal tomorrow and the issue would not go away because guns can last a very very very long time.  

     In order to get a handgun in many states you must fill out paperwork and have a background check run where they look for past criminal activity or recorded hospitalizations in a Psychiatric Hospital which could take up to a week... but in those same states a rifle can be purchased and carried home the same day with a 'quick check'. 

     With the ease in which identities can be stolen these days it would be all too easy for someone to get a gun in a name other than their own and get around this law.

     We could try licenses like a drivers license where gun owners must take safety courses and renew their license yearly with an eye exam and psychological evaluation... but once again, those that have guns illegally would not be doing this.

     At this point, gun regulation would be as effective as closing the gate after all the cows have escaped... they are already out there with no real way of tracking them.

      Some could argue that Schools need to be safer... but this school already had a lock-down policy in place where the doors were all locked once school was in session and any visitors had to ring a bell at the main door.  The School secretary would then use a camera and intercom system to visually and verbally identify the person at the door, ask for ID and their reason for visiting.  The shooters in this case were the adult children of one of the teachers and though it has not been stated as such, probably gained access because of that, giving a reason to see their Mother.

     But... as I stated before... the how goes back well beyond December 14, 2012... it has been stated (but not confirmed at this time) that one or both of the men had mental illness that was not being addressed.

     This is a serious issue in this country... the mentally ill that are unable to get treatment and are lost in the crowd and as families grow unable to handle them anymore often end up homeless on the streets endangering us all.  There is no system in place to help these people... no way to deal with those that refuse to be medically compliant.  (Many with mental illness do not want to take the medications meant to help them regulate their conditions because they are mind altering drugs that often feel like they are removing all emotion and leaving them a shell of a human being.  Others decide, while on medication, that they are now 'fine' and no longer need the drugs due to denial of the fact that is the drugs that is making them 'fine')

     As a society we turn a blind eye... we live the life of NIMBY (Not In My BackYard) and as long as our lives are comfortable and we are not confronted by these people we can forget that they exist.  Then something like today happens and we are asking "why?".

     My heart is aching badly for the families impacted by today's tragedy... innocent lives stolen... innocent children that will forever be touched by evil and will have to deal with a safe haven in their lives no longer feeling safe.  Childhood was stolen from every student at that school today... innocence forever gone.

     Today and tomorrow we grieve as a Nation... then it will be time to ask "how" and not "why" and what we can do as a Nation to see that this never happens again.  

     Those wishing to send a card or letter of condolence to the families of this tragedy can do so by sending them to-

Sandy Hook Elementary School
12 Dickenson Drive
Sandy Hook, CT     06482