I’ve had enough! More than enough, actually! I’ve had enough of breaking news alerts talking about an active shooter in whatever school in whatever community. I’ve had enough with the live news feeds from behind police barricades with reporters who don’t know any more than we do. I’ve had enough of sobbing parents whose hearts have just been ripped out and can’t have even a second of privacy because there are cameras stuck in their faces. I’ve had enough of body counts going up, and up, and up. And, in particular, I’ve had enough of the completely meaningless thoughts and prayers. Don’t misunderstand me; as a Christian, I know there is a lot of power in prayer. I’ve seen it firsthand. The thoughts and prayers I’m talking about are coming from the mouths of feckless, craven politicians. If you have it in your power to do something, to make a situation better, but you do absolutely nothing, then your thoughts and prayers are empty and meaningless. I have seen this movie so many times I’ve literally lost count. Shooting happens. Multiple children dead. Huge emotional reaction not only in the country but throughout the world. But then the politicians start flapping their gums. No, the problem isn’t guns. It’s mental illness. It’s violent video games. It’s because we kicked God out of schools (spoiler alert: Nobody kicked God out of anywhere). It’s the woke agenda. And on and on. Also, it’s too early to start politicizing this terrible tragedy. So, ultimately and predictably, the furor dies down, particularly when something else starts dominating the news cycle, usually within 1 or 2 days. And it’s all buried—until the next time. Our politicians are failing us in so many ways. Whenever even the most reasonable and sensible gun legislation is discussed, the tropes immediately come out regarding slippery slopes, government tyranny, jackbooted thugs kicking down your door to take your guns, etc., etc. Most, if not all, of this can be blamed on what a friend refers to as the nation’s most beloved terrorist organization, the National Rifle Association. They pass out money to lawmakers like it was Monopoly money, expecting them to do their bidding, and they always do. We’re told over and over that nothing can be done, this is the price we pay for freedom, blah blah something something liberty yotta yotta. And the beat, and the shootings, go on. As an ordinary citizen with no money and zero influence, I feel powerless. All I have is my vote, and sometimes I have to wonder if even that’s worth very much. But I will continue to vote, because that is what I can do. Also, today on Twitter, a friend suggested something else we could do, something that would be visible and couldn’t be missed. They suggested wearing black armbands in protest of the gun issue in particular, and America’s apparent march to authoritarianism in general. They’re not an influencer, nor do they want to be, so there’s no expectation that this will take off like some other campaigns have. But maybe those of us who choose to do this can add up to a decent number. The hashtag on Twitter is #WearOurValues. I ordered two black armbands this afternoon, one for myself and one for my wife, and I, at least, plan to start wearing mine as soon as it gets here tomorrow. And, if anyone asks why I’m wearing it, I will tell them. Again, it isn’t much, but it’s something this one person can do.
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