19 Babies who will never grow up and 2 teachers who will never grow old were killed yesterday at Robb Elementary School. The Texas Shooting was not something anyone could understand yesterday. No one wanted to talk about it. It’s easier to think they can’t do anything or they don’t have the power to change it – so they accept it and live in fear for their loved ones. People said they heard and walked away or they seemed sad and didn’t say anything. I was shocked, outraged! I said, Please God do something. Why are evil people in charge of our lives? Why are they allowed to make us live in fear?
I have tried to help teens and families for years. I wanted to make a difference because I was a child when I lost my father to a drunk driver. Since then – airbags were put in cars. Drinking ages were raised. Punishments were severe to deter others from drinking and driving. Laws changed for the better!
I was angry, scared, and lost. I helped another boy that lost his Dad to cancer. We made each other stronger. Adults were saying all the wrong things to us. They were making excuses about our behavior. They were doing all the wrong things. They did not help us! Powerful people are doing all the wrong things now and making us all suffer! Why do they have those rights? Why are we all feeling helpless, frustrated, and scared?
Mental Illness is not an excuse. Parents can get their kids in support groups – today. They should be able to get them thrown in a hospital –no matter how old they are if they qualify the situation. I published poetry to help people understand that others have the same feelings. It’s like singers that you love because they just sang about your broken heart or situation out loud and you can relate to them. Bullying is not an excuse for killing others.
I have asked teens to have faith in tomorrow. I have asked parents to be brave and continue to live for their “other” children or “themselves” to make a difference – when they have suffered the death of their child due to illness, accidents, drugs, or suicide. “Help Save the Next Girl” was created by parents who lost their child to a serial killer. They make a difference now.
These shootings need to stop! Here is my idea:
Stop selling automatic weapons to the public. What good have they done? Does the bad outweigh the good? Pros and Cons adults. Make everyone who has a gun register it free of charge – announce it over and over on social media. If they do not comply and get caught with a gun – they pay a 10,000 dollar fine or spend some time doing community service. or jail. If people report others not registered – we will pay them a reward! Money talks people! It’s why we have this mess.
Raise the age of people allowed to buy guns. They can’t drink until they are 21 because their brains are not developed but they can buy guns at 18? They can go to war at 18. They need ID and to be 18 to buy Cigarettes but they can buy guns without background checks or references to their character? The tobacco and alcohol companies didn’t like their laws changed but they were stuck with them. Smokers can’t smoke inside public places anymore. Second-hand smoke hurts others. The laws were changed for the Good of the People. We ask for references to let someone babysit or work for us. Why can’t we ask for references and background checks of someone buying a gun? People with guns can ruin our lives with them. They can come into our jobs, stores, and schools and fire at us! They can kill our nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and parents. We need people of power to make it impossible for these shootings to happen. Change is needed now! If someone can ruin 21 families and change and horrify the world in one day – we can surely mandate new laws in one day.
PBS and Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, and other kids’ platforms are running new shows and trying to help the children and parents already. Why can’t the government move that fast? It’s easy if they care! The horror stories are real and happening to our families. They are getting closer and closer to the ones you love. The people of power need to help all the dead children killed while at school. Make them sing in heaven. We want the Angels to see “Change Happened and they saved other children.”
Everyone stand up! Stop! Fight and say NO! No! Those babies will never hear yes, yes again. They only heard you say, “No, we don’t care enough. We can’t do it alone.” The excuses are endless. I called Peter Yarrow today. He is family, a friend, my mentor, and a man with much wisdom. He has been an activist since the 60s. He has fought for justice, equality, freedom, and love. He has always written songs that people could sing along to and see what was right. He has always sung for peace and marched for Justice. He has been trying to get the world to hammer out love for his brothers and sisters all over the world since the 60s. He wrote a song for you that will come out soon. God gave him the creative gift to help people and stand up for the abused, broken, weak or sad.
Peter Yarrow united with Parkland Students and families to help them march and sing. He helped them channel their pain and create music. He stood up for the babies of Sandy Hook and tried to make a difference. I called him and said, I want to help! No matter how powerless we feel when we hear news like this…we must join others and become a force that is not weakened and does not give up. I want laws to change for all of us! HE SAID EVERY VOICE COUNTS!!!!
Do we need to hide in our houses like during Covid? Will people start doing that because they are afraid to send their kids to school or college? What about raising teens that could hurt someone? Parents can’t ignore their children’s issues. They need the proper channels to help them not harm themselves or others! Mental Health is so important! Let’s fight for change! Parents need more rights when their children are not well. “Fight” is the only word I can think of. We are at War people!
How do these shooters get so sick? How can an 18-year-old be that sick and no one notice? Did they ignore him? They noticed! Someone noticed! Who did they call? How does the person in the store that sold him the gun feel right now? Could he or she tell that the person was unstable? Did they ask how his day was going? Did they care? We are people but yet we act like robots! A lot of people don’t want to talk about their feelings because feelings are too personal and it makes them feel vulnerable. Those babies at school are vulnerable. Would you let wild dogs roam the hallways of school and hope that they didn’t attack if they were fed? Parent groups do well because parents have the same problems and feelings. Support groups help because people open up and feel the same. They ask for help. Mental Illness is not an excuse for killing people. Others can only be blamed if they sit back and watch it happen or allow that person to do it. The Texas Shooting has a lot of people that should feel guilty and responsible for it.
Sick People are on the loose. They are killing our babies, our brothers and sisters! Mental health is not an excuse! Guns are a means for sick people to destroy our lives! When someone suffers grief, everyone seems to understand and feel sad for them and with them. IF the grief continues for a long period of time – which it will. It’s forever a loss of a loved one or a child. If they continue to grieve out loud, some people will get uncomfortable and step away or say he or she has problems. They do! They are hurting inside. Their hearts were shattered like glass. Their lives will never be perfect again. Their emotions are out of control. They have no control over society. They feel helpless! They feel abused! They want justice! Give it to them!
Stoneman Douglas HS Students were devastated when they witnessed 17 of their friends killed. Peter Yarrow from Peter, Paul & Mary joined them and helped them come together and sing-speak out – march – create messages that would be heard. Those kids – the Survivors became adults that day. Some of them are old enough to vote now too! They did an HBO special. How many officials have listened to these kids sing while they cried inside every time they sang? What changes were made on their dead friends’ behalf? What about the families and parents of those babies – no matter how old they were – they were their babies. They had so much life ahead of them. Their families suffer every day with grief or on medications with PTSD or live in fear of losing their other children. What do we say to them now?
19 Babies were killed in cold blood at Robb Elementary School while sitting in their classrooms trying to learn, grow, laugh, and be children. They looked forward to seeing their families after school. They were excited about summer break. One teacher was a Mom of four. How do her kids feel right now? Are her parents alive? How about the other teacher that wanted to make a difference in the world? How do her parents feel right now?
This Elementary School shooting must unite the families of Sandy Hook and Stoneman Douglas High School. They must March! Sing! Demand Justice!
They need change today! Laws can be broken in a day. Laws can be changed in a day! Fix our society! Unite People! Let’s fight for all the dead kids and teachers! Let’s fight for the kids still alive!
What do we say to the Sandy Hook Families today suffering again – who live without their babies? The biggest elementary school massacre they say over and over on the news and in print – are they daring another mentally ill shooter to beat the record?
A Mom, Nelba Marquez – Greene suffers from grief after her 6-year-old was shot at Sandy Hook. She spoke out on the news today. She said, ” I received a text, don’t turn on the news.” She said, “Action is Love and Action is Faith!”
Parents that have lost their babies to gun violence need Faith that they will not lose another child. They need their Angels in Heaven to have justice for their loss of life on earth. Those babies will never play with their friends who watched them die. They will never sing. They will never celebrate a holiday with their families again. They never get to do the momentous stuff that Kids get to do like – drive, graduate, get married or vote. They will never have their own babies. They were babies! They were a Mom and Dad’s Baby. They were someone’s sister or brother. They will never be forgotten. Grieving families have a hard time facing reality and moving on with simple tasks like taking a shower, eating, or seeing their kids’ friends, and other parents. Do they change their bedrooms or make them shrines? Parents long for their child’s touch, voice, cry or laugh. They wonder what their poor child thought or felt the day they were killed in cold blood. They wonder if they screamed Mommy or Daddy. Parents will never have peace.
If we don’t change the gun law, maybe we should put a camera in every classroom so we can broadcast the actual killings and parents don’t have to wonder how their children died. Was it fast? Did they suffer? Did they cry? Did the others cry when they watched?
Like so many – I feel small. Let’s unite! We can change the world! A small match can make an explosion – right Katie Perry?