Enough is enough, right Washington?

Maybe it’s the hundreds of poetry essays moving in red folders across my table in the AP Literature scoring room, or the company of hundreds of English teachers, all equally obsessed over words, but as soon as I saw this morning’s headline on a discarded newspaper on the conference center cafeteria table, my mind flooded with questions and outrage about gun violence. I don’t want to minimize this latest shooting (prayers to all involved) but… this is what will cause Washington to become stunned over the  epidemic that has been spreading like wildfire in our communities?

headline on recent gun shooting

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still

Who could forget that cold December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, when a 20-year-old deranged man murdered 20 elementary children, as well as six school staff members? At the time our collective outrage was visceral and visible. The cold-blooded and senseless murders prompted an immediate demand for universal background checks, and for legislation to ban extremely dangerous semi-automatic firearms. And yet, as we face the 4th anniversary of this tragedy, and the 998 mass shootings since, there is little forward movement toward ending this violent epidemic ravaging every avenue along our collective landscape. headline4 Continue reading

Dear Donald

Dear Donald,

I wonder what it must feel like. From businessman to president-elect. Without the popular vote. Without the support of 18-25 year old voters. Without the endorsement of any previous US Presidents, regardless of political party. Without the support of even the conservative newspapers such as, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, The Detroit News, to name only a few. Without the overwhelming number of black voters. How hollow it must feel as you peer down from any one of your penthouse views and see so many lights blinking blankly back.

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