To comment on the shooting of teenage students in USA two weeks ago is something I have been avoiding, mainly because the horror of it all is beyond words.
But, in the meantime, while we are reeling at the thought of guns in the US and the utter madness that permits anyone over 18 to buy an assault rifle* and the resultant massacres that are all too frequent…… meanwhile (as I said), meanwhile, what is also way beyond words, meanwhile (again), in Syria – in the same time frame, 500 civilians have been massacred in what is supposedly a justified war. AND, of these 500 civilians, over 120 of them were children. (Take that in, if you can). So 17 students were shot and killed in USA and almost the whole world is shaken and horrified – and rightly so. It is an abomination that this can happen in an otherwise peaceful school setting. But, what of the children of all ages who have also been gunned down and bombed (to DEATH) in Syria? (And now, I read, have also been showered with deadly gas!) What about those little lives? More than seven times the US toll of dead children happened in Syria – and that’s just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. These were just part of the civilian toll for the past 2 weeks. Not to mention the dead, injured and maimed people of all ages. This is all beyond words, but I have to say it. I am full of admiration for the young people in USA who are taking on the disgusting NRA. It is such a shame that there is no matching movement to help the Syrians and others caught up in useless wars. And ‘USELESS’ is the operative word! War never achieves anything! Nothing, except horror, injury and death. My father was a soldier in the Northern Territory (Australia) way back during World War 2. He survived as he was not in Darwin when the Japanese rained bombs upon the land. And, for those almost 500 killed (just in Darwin) what was achieved? Nothing! And now Australia and Japan are ‘best friends’. So what was that all about in the 1940s? I have digressed from talking about the American school massacre to the meaning of war. I’m sorry, it’s all beyond words. And our Prime Minister wants Australia to boost its arms dealing..... Beyond words... *AR-15-style rifles have been used in recent mass shootings at in Aurora, Colo.; Santa Monica and San Bernardino, Calif.; Orlando, Florida and now Parkland.
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Author notesI choose to comment on social issues and write creatively on a variety of subjects - for a variety of audiences.
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