Reflection

I was going to write a chippy little post about Ben, early morning thunderstorms and his ability to squeeze himself into the smallest spaces possible.

And then I got into the car this morning.

Tuned into NPR.

And learned about the tragic carnage at a movie theater in Colorado at midnight. I worked a mile from that mall back in the late 70s when we lived in Denver.

30-plus years ago and it still cuts close to the bone.

I am a history major and understand the Second Amendment, even back in the 18th century when the Constitution was written, signed and invasion was potentially a daily fact of life. But as a result, without logical evolution and revision, hamstrung by a a well-funded lobbying group, we now have the NRA, Stand Your Ground laws and, in the U.S.,  the most lax gun laws in the industrialized world.

James Holmes bought 4 lethal guns at area sporting goods stores in 4 weeks. Armed his apartment with chemical and incendiary booby-traps. It appears no one knew about it. Thanks to a national paralysis on this topic, we still  have the NRA, Stand Your Ground laws and, in the U.S.,  the most lax gun laws in the industrialized world.

Yeah, I'm feeling a little dark tonight.