Monthly Archives: November 2017

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From December 2000 to 2013, 1,043 people in the United States were wounded or killed by “active shooters” attempting to kill people “in a confined and populated area.”   Although there were more to date that are not  listed here of multiple deaths, you may sadly  remember these:

April 1999 - Two teenage schoolboys shot and killed 12 schoolmates and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

September 1999 - A gunman opened fire at a prayer service in Fort Worth, Texas, killing six people.

October 2002 - A series of sniper-style shootings occurred in Washington DC, leaving 10 dead.

March 2005 - A man opened fire at a church service in Brookfield, Wisconsin, killing seven people.

October 2006 - A truck driver killed five schoolgirls and seriously wounded six others in a school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania.

April 2007 - A student shot and killed 32 people and wounded 17 others at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, making it the deadliest mass shooting in the United States after 2000.

December 2007 - A 20-year-old man killed nine people and injured five others in a shopping centre in Omaha, Nebraska.  February 2008 - A man opened fire in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois, killing five students and wounding 16 others.   March 2009 - A 28-year-old laid-off worker opened fire while driving a car through several towns in Alabama, killing 10 people.  March 2009 - A heavily-armed gunman shot dead eight people, many of them elderly and sick people, in a private-owned nursing home in North Carolina.

April 2009 - A man shot dead 13 people at a civic center in Binghamton, New York.

July 2009 - Six people, including one student, were shot in a drive-by shooting at a community rally on the campus of Texas Southern University, Houston.   November 2009 - US army psychologist opened fire at a military base in Fort Hood, Texas, leaving 13 dead and 42 others wounded.   January 2011 - a gunman opened fire at a public gathering outside a grocery in Tuscon, Arizona, killing six people including a nine-year-old girl and wounding at least 12 others.

July 2012 -  The most injuries — 58 of them — resulted from a Colorado movie theater -12 people were killed.  Masked gunman opens fire at midnight cinema screen.

August 2012 - Gunman kills six people at Slkh temple in Wisconsin.

December 2012 A man forces his way into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. He kills 20 first-graders and six adults. Before arriving at the school, he had killed his mother at their home.

April 2013 - Two homemade bombs detonated near the finish line of the annual Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring several hundred others, including 16 who lost limbs.

June 2015 - A shooting in a historic black church in Charleston, SC kills nine people.

June 2016 - 49 people were killed by a heavily armed gunman at a popular Florida bar and wounded 53 others during a rampage.

October 2017 More than 50 people were killed and at least 500 others injured when a gunman opened fire at a country music festival near the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas Strip, authorities said.

November 2017 - 27 people were killed; including 12 to 14 children in the massacre in a Texas church on  the highest death toll for the smallest Americans since 21 kids were gunned down in Sandy Hook.

The statistics are staggering and there were others.   Listed together, one realizes the magnitude of carnage produced by mass murders in the USA.    It has been noted that 'deranged, and mentally ill people' perform these horrendous acts.   Others say that guns are to blame even though guns alone cannot kill - humans shoot them.   And others say 'we've always had violence and murders'.   Yes, there was, but isn't it different now than it was in the mid-50s?   Yes, there are many more incidents.
In the 50s, 60s, 70s & 80s, there were occasionally like situations but not like the increase we are experiencing now.   Memories of playing outside with friends  blocks away but making sure you got home before dark.   Leaving babies on open front porches to nap in the fresh air - who would even think of anyone 'stealing your child'?   Walking a couple of miles with same age friends at age 9 to attend religious class.    Neighbors looked out for each other.  People felt safe.
Today,  gatherings of large groups for concerts, sports, holidays, movies & performances create a possibility of harm doing.   Authorities are telling us to "always be on alert in big groups - be aware - look around."   What happened?   Are we increasing in mental illness or derangement?   Or has our culture changed?   Or both?
Culturally, our family structure has changed from family units to single parent or same sex parents.  Marriage is redefined.  Family is redefined.   Large percentages of fathers are absent; many mothers are, too.   Having babies is redefined from 'blessed events' to 'mistakes' or 'abort them'.   Life itself is redefined.    Mothers can legally put their wombed babies to death.  Grown children can put their aged parents to death.   People get offended over another's values and demand they change them.   If you don't, you are a 'hater'.  If you don't recognize someone as the opposite sex they prefer to be one day, you can be fined in some states,   If a family member exhibits mental problems or styles of derangement, is the family, a friend or neighbor there to warn the proper authorities about it?   Or ignore it?  Or not notice?  What happened to us?
We have taken God & His Commandments out of many schools.   With many absent or working parents, who is teaching young people about rules, be they secular or religious?  It is not uncommon to see people discard God or our nationalism.  They attack our law officers and applaud sick routines of comedians.    Instead of rules and healing faith building, everyone has cell phones that don't teach them about close, warm relationships.   Sending group holiday greetings is not the same as a personal card with feelings expressed or a bonding visit.  Even a special phone call.   Respect is at an all-time low - and selfies are at an all-time high.   Narcissism & 'anything goes'  has replaced sharing and caring about others' feelings.    Even the horrendous slayers are reported without their names  as it sometimes is found  they wanted to 'get their name in print and be glorified'.    Really?   What glory is there in murdering babies, young children or people you don't know?    What happened to us?