Washington Post (July 29)
“Once again America woke up to news of a mass shooting. This time, it was at a popular food festival in California and among those killed was a 6-year-old boy, Stephen Romero, who had been playing at an inflatable bounce house when he was shot in the back.” Three died and twelve were injured. “It took just one horrific shooting spree in New Zealand to prompt leaders there to tighten gun laws, including a ban on most semiautomatic weapons. And so the question persists: “Why?”
Tags: Bounce house, California, Food festival, Gun laws, Injured, Mass shooting, New Zealand, Romero, Semiautomatic weapons, Shot, U.S., Why
Houston Chronicle (November 7)
“With due respect to the faith and beliefs of every person, especially the grieving residents of Sutherland Springs, the rote statements of politicians were almost blasphemous in their repetition and meaninglessness. From Japan, President Trump’s ‘thoughts and prayers’ riff was so stale and scripted that it conveyed all the sincerity of a robocall offering an extended warranty on a kitchen appliance. The irony no doubt escaped the president that he was speaking to tortured souls in small-town Texas from a nation with strict and sensible gun laws. A nation where gun violence is almost unheard of.”
Tags: Blasphemous, Faith, Grieving, Gun laws, Japan, Politicians, Sensible, Strict, Sutherland Springs, Thoughts and prayers, Trump, U.S., Violence