SHOTS, by William T. Buida

The shots rang out
And people ran to hide
The shots rang out
And people ducked and prayed
The shots rang out
And people fell and died

The news reported
On the terrible event
A man with guns
Killed sixty people in the crowd
More on the evening news at six
About this tragic event

And the people cried
Our prayers are with you in this hour
And the people cried
What can prevent such tragedy
What can we do
What is within our power

A voice was heard to ask
Why are guns so easy to get
A voice was heard to ask
Why so many automatic weapons
And other voices responded with
We should not discuss this yet

The NRA said
All guns are our right
So we can shoot
The thief at our front door
So we cabn shoot
Someone in a fight

And Congress met
With endless speeches and debates
Afraid to act
Afraid to offend the NRA
And so decided to leave
People's lives up to the fates

The tragic event passed
And nothing was done
The people in power
Did not change a law or rule
Did not take any action
Did not initiate any action
Did not limit any type of gun

And so life continued until

The shots rang out
And people ran to hide
The shots rang out
And people ducked and prayed
The shots rang out
And people fell and died
And the cycle began again

Here and There

The older Fio gets, the more she likes clouds. Hope that means she's headed to heaven someday.
*
 Ah, a new month, a new chance. And this month has Fio's birthday in it, which gives her a double chance.
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Fio's book is jolting along, and what drives it is some advice Fio's literary agent, Liza Dawson, gave her four years ago: every scene must move the story forward. (To which Fiorella adds what Tracy Wolff once said at an RWA meeting: let the POV be from the viewpoint of the person who has the most to lose.)
*
Fio's getting closer and closer to signing up for an on-line Spanish class. She just can't stand not knowing what the characters on the telenovelas are talking  about.
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Speaking of telenovelas, Minnesota Son said most of the guns the characters on La Piloto were toting were berrettas. Apparently there is not much diversity in the television gun wardrobe closet.

Anyone with Access

The jury's in.  It's impossible to tell who's going to pick up a gun and start shooting.

Some of the school shootings have been blamed on the victims--they must have bullied their murderers somewhere along the line.  Others have been blamed on the shooters' parents--they must not have brought their children up right.  Some have been blamed on the shooters' own unique psyches--they must have been resentful outsiders. But the shooting in Washington state belies all of these pop psychology explanations.  The shooter, who targeted his own relatives, was an insider, a popular football hero, and his family was supportive and loving.

Who will the next shooter be?  Anyone with access.

FLASH!

According to a Fox News poll, the majority of people think more guns rather than less guns will reduce crime.

And that Mitt Romney is sitting in the Oval Office.