Courtesy of The Mudflats:
Mothers of The Disappeared – U2
Courtesy of Americablog:
For those who are unfamiliar with the song, it’s about an Aussie soldier who was sent overseas to fight in WWI. The soldiers were sent into the meat grinder in Gallipoli, Turkey, where soldiers died and were wounded day after day…Whether in a formal war or everyday life, there’s nothing to like about guns and violence. Nothing.
The Pogues – The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
austinisafecker 
Maybe it’s not a coincidence, but flashes of WWI have been going through my mind. I think it’s something to do with surviving and also the haunting photograph of the children being walked out of the school with their little eyes squeezed closed, each holding the shoulder of the one in front.
They are so innocent, doing what they are told even although it must be such an extraordinary act of courage to walk and keep you eyes shut when terrifying things have happened and unknown things are happening all around you. Incredible trust – betrayed.
I know what I am going to say is true of all wars. It’s just that the First World War can be seen as a metaphor par excellence for the uncaring cynicism of power. And I’m talking about the cowardly and self interested who will not step up and take action to do something about gun violence in the US, never mind how many of our children are killed daily, by design, accident or by their own hand.
Soldiers in the Great War (!) were nothing but cannon fodder, but they still went voluntarily. They lied about their age. They did what they were told. In the UK anyway, they took boys as young as 12. The average life expectancy was measured in days.
And yet there were survivors. And there were survivors without physical damage. My dad and his brothers fought Gallipoli moved to Egypt then to Palistine, back for the second battle of the Somme where they had to kill the lice in the kilt seams by burning them with a candle. They were children, my dad was 14. Yet all 4 of them survived.
It’s better to survive. It’s better for you and your loved ones. But surviving is no picnic. I have the John McDermott version of The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. It’s all there, for survivors everywhere.
RIP blessed innocents. Love and hope for survivors.
Forty Watt, thank you for that comment. I have been rereading it all day. We celebrated ANZAC day in Australia. At the time, I had no idea of how awful it must have been for the survivors.
I have celebrated ANZAC day in Sydney. I was fed Fairy bread and ANZAC biscuits. I was always a bit suspicious they were sending me up with the Fairy bread tradition. 😉
I should have said the image above is of first responders at Sandy Hook – also survivors.
I knew that.
I’m trying to understand what this idiocy looks like to those who don’t live here. It’s insane. We have some very sick people trying to take us back to a time of wars and control of others. Look what our leaders are doing. Look what the media is doing. Spreading lies and hatred. The Republicans blocking every thing the President wants. Power. Money. Fear. Going to war for lies. Economy turned upside down. Job losses. Depression. 1% controlling everything. An armed nation because of fear. Religious nuts. A bunch of narcissists looking for attention. Guns. Fear. Money. Attention. It’s not just insane people killing the innocent in schools, theaters, shopping malls with guns that should never be available….it’s an illness that is taking over by those with the money who don’t know when enough is enough. Power! One man…Hitler…was on a mission. Now we have several Hitlers….on a mission of failure. By wiping out the helpless they feel more superior. The weak, the old, the poor, the Libruls are standing in their way. Time for the sane ones to take back the asylum. It’s hard to think straight when we are all in shock from the latest attack. The ONLY thing that a gun does is kill….in anyone’s hands.
You know I love you guys, but America is being portrayed as very extremist on this side of the pond.
And it should be! That is who is trying to control everyone. Please know, we are not all nuts. President Obama is doing a wonderful job in spite of all the opposition to make him a one-term President. We spoiled that! This madness must stop. They have derailed a good country for money. The fake Christians want to make us just like the people under the Taliban. Much of this country is under the influence of FOX News and the lies and fear they do 24/7. Clear Chanel radio has Rush Limbaugh on everyday spewing his lies and war mongering and putting down our black president. It’s like they are hypnotized by him. We are a divided country because of this. Often hatred in families about this. You can’t talk sense with them. We are going thru a very difficult time. This shooting has made us stop and think. Is this what we have turned into….shooting our children for the love of guns? We are a nation in shock and mourning. Let us all pray that these shootings will stop and we take a path of sanity. It has to stop now! Guns kill. Period!
I have also read and reread Forty Watt’s comment above. As awful as the deaths are, and they are unspeakable, I feel such heartache for the survivors- especially the children and the parents. They will continue to live with the thoughts and sights of that day. I can’t imagine the years of suffering some will go through.
As a parent, this mass tragedy seems to have hit me harder than others in the past (others- how sad is that). I just don’t know what the answer is, I don’t see any way we all can agree on a path out of this horrible legacy America has come to be famous for.
It will never leave the family. The town will mourn for years. I’m from the Columbine area and we still mourn those kids and teacher. Our police officers are now trained to go straight in to the area. Can you imagine what those responders felt going into a grade school? We are now preventing school shootings but it still happens. The parents will go thru shock, disbelief and anger. It’s becoming all too common and the laws about guns have to change. Fining gun manufacturers and the NRA for every person shot might get their attention and better laws to purchase their products could change. Having the owners pay registration fees and yearly fees just as we do for our cars could slow down their purchase. Having to renew that license and pass a test might help. We need to bring everything to the table to stop this insanity!
You’re right, MrsGunka, we definitely need to implement more regulations.
But how do we reverse the paranoia of the ignorant listeners of Fox and Limbaugh? They are the largest segment of the population with the guns. Ignorant and uneducated people are now terrified of the monster that right-wing media has continuously portrayed the President as being. A Black Muslim. I don’t think ALL of them started out as rabid racists either. But those propagandists have driven a wedge between whites and anyone who is not. And anyone who is not, is out to get them, their family, and destroy their country. Therefore, they NEED their guns and ammo. Even if there are a few loonies out there that abuse them. It’s a price they seem willing to pay.
You know, I keep hearing that if it wasn’t a gun, it would have been something else.
True, it could have been anything else. But it wasn’t, nor is it ever with these massacres and the majority of murders. Why? For the same reason the military uses guns- they are far more efficient.
Thanks for giving us a place to vent about this, Irishgirl. I’ve certainly done my share today. 😦
Yes. Somewhere I saw someone drawing attention to a recent incident in China where a guy went berserk with a knife and slashed 22 children at a school. What they neglected to mention is that those 22 children are still alive.
As you rightly say, guns are a damn sight more efficient at killing people.