17 more shooting victims. Mostly high schoolers and some staff. Shocked! Shocked? No way. Disgust, yes, but who can be shocked any longer? In just the past two years more people have been killed in this country by bullets than died in the Vietnam conflict. That means more than 58,000 people have been shot dead. The Vietnam body count spanned 10 years.

I opined after the Sandy Hook school massacre of 26 mostly 1st graders, back in 2011, that when the response from our elected “leaders” was nothing but lip service, that our country’s NRA strangle hold on the non discussion discussing the grotesque gun problem was OVER. Finito. If those children’s lives taken by a wacko with access to deadly ballistic weapons didn’t muster enough moral courage by our government to finally get a grip on reality and legislate against the ease with which people can legally get a literal grip on military style assault weapons, what could EVER provoke some sanity against the 2nd Amendment fanatic, mendacious mantra that is used to preempt serious responses to the never-ending carnage?

The main response is either “it’s too soon” to talk gun control after each massacre (i.e. let’s not politicize the tragedy) or “our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families”

Well, Sandy Hook is a bit more than six years ago. Not soon enough yet for that sober assessment of gun purchase policy, I guess. Not enough prayers either, it seems.

Oh, wait. It’s a “mental health” issue. The guns aren’t to blame. Big pharma to the rescue, with an uptick in ordering those straight white coocoo vests. Problem all solved! Guns don’t kill people. When will the rest of us finally understand?

Psycho babble…

…insane thinking. And that IS a problem. 80% of the public wants tightening of the swiss cheese gun legislation that currently permits the right to own guns of all sizes, and the right to use them no matter how fucking tightly wound and ready to snap may be the weapons-consumer;  no infringement on that 2nd Amendment!, and so the legal transaction takes place in purchasing a gatling gun, a bazooka, or a rocket launcher. No weapon is too badass, Rambo-ready for the next random splatter fest in the sociopathic pantheon of NRA slippery slope pretzel illogic

Well, I stand by Sandy Hook as the apparent exact point in time when the NRA could smugly claim END OF DISCUSSION. Seriously. No action even after that sickening episode of Gun Crazy?

So, what’s left? Oh, right those prayers! But to what god? I can’t think of any god who would approve of these savage acts of insane hate, so if the prayers have been going out, like desperate appeals to our legislators time and time again, I’d say both pleas for positive action are falling on earthly and heavenly deaf ears.

I know congress is bought and paid for by the NRA but…why…can’t our prayers be granted? Hey, up there. Will you please help down here?!

Cue the crickets…

Maybe the NRA has bought off all deities too. I wouldn’t put it pass that organization to at least try, goddamnit.