This will not be a well-written post. Nor will it be pretty. There will be no pictures.
We got a message from Zoey's principal that there will be a drill on Tuesday. And the principal doesn't call to tell parents about fire drills or earthquake drills. He said that the staff will not mention the Connecticut school shooting, but that there will be a drill.
A fucking drill.
I am so fucking angry. Not at the principal or her school, but at the very fact that there has to be a drill. And that I have to tell Zoey something about what happened so she doesn't hear about it from someone else. So tonight I told her. Tried to say it lightly, as if such things can be said without wanting to fucking tear at my throat. And when I told her, she asked if the kids died, and I said yes, some of them did, and she said that if something like that happens at her school she will kick the bad guy in the weenie, so there is no need to have a drill. I hugged her and said not to worry about it, that there is nothing to worry about because I am doing everything I can to make sure the bad guys don't have guns and that she is safe.
Don't worry.
As if it were that simple.
Fuck. That's what I keep coming back to. Fuck.
Like so many people, I have been completely shattered by this, as if everything around me is totally fucking broken. It wasn't until I told Zoey about it that I realized I don't have the luxury of feeling broken. Because I have to make this right by my kids, make it whole and right and, in my own way from 3,000 miles away, I have to honor those kids that died.
Which is why I promised Zoey I would do everything I could to make sure the bad guys don't have guns. Oh, I know this is simplified, but what's the alternative? Sitting around feeling sad? Clearly that's not working and hopeless inaction is no longer acceptable.
Instead I am taking action. Like I said, this is not a well-written post. Instead it is a fucking drill. Here is what we need to do:
Sign petitions lobbying President Obama for gun control
Support these gun control groups with time and donations
Donate to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Victims Relief Fund
And though I will never give that evil fuck shooter the (albeit infinitesimally small) glory of printing his name (I hate how the news gives him so much space), I do recognize that something needs to be done regarding how we treat the mentally ill. Can anyone point me to a good article, website or something...I don't even know where to start. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
UPDATE: Aha! My sister-in-law told me about Laura's Law. Read about it here and here.
For that matter, any ideas on how else to support gun control and/or how to help the victims' families...please leave them in the comments.
Hope you are all hanging in there.
xo,
S
Sunday, December 16, 2012
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7 comments:
Can I throw out one more idea? We need to change our culture that is so accepting of guns, so when you are out buying Christmas presents this year please avoid toy guns, video games that glorify violence and all that other crap. Fuck. I'm with you.
I just shared this on facebook. I love your blog, and your truthfulness, and Zoey's sweetness. My daughter was locked in the barnes and noble bathroom this past saturday night in Fashion Island cause some FUCK decided to fire a gun in the air, and at the ground. 50 rounds. The world has gone fucking mad.
Appletree--I totally agree. No guns, no violence. If my boy grows up and wants to play shoot 'em up he can use a stick; I will not buy guns.
And Amanda--oh, fuck. Just read about the Fashion Island incident. When will it be enough????? Glad your daughter is ok...hugs to you.
My son was in kindergarten when 9/11 happened. Try explaining that to a child that loved to travel and had just experienced his first plane ride not 6 months before. It pisses me off that his life has been peppered with one incidence of hate and violence after another. We have done our damnedest to raise him as a thoughtful, caring boy (now nearly man) but it is so hard, so very hard. How do you hold and protect someone who is nearly 6 feet tall? We talk about these things as he wants to and always let him know that we are there and his feelings count and have meaning. Other than that, we talk about mental illness, we talk about why guns aren't the answer. I do agree that we need more understanding of mental illness (that is a whole other post!) and we need to get these guns off our streets. Fuck indeed.
I love it when people argue that their freedom is compromised with gun control. What freedom? We're already afraid to get out of the house, what's left. I am from Europe where we have gun control; we also have national healthcare so mentally challenged children and adults can receive the necessary care they need.
It's been proven to work, all the United States needs to do is copy our system.
Read this and you know that we have many many ticking time bombs among us http://gawker.com/5968818?utm_campaign=socialflow_gawker_facebook&utm_source=gawker_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow
nice article
thanks for sharing
I love your blog. I am going to sing this petition you linked and I will pass it on. Good for you for taking action girl!!
Ally, San Juan Cap, CA
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