Latest US Tragedies

Two mass shootings in under two weeks time.

I quit watching the news after those atrocities, committed by the usual subjects---men with guns and issues.

The grieving angry families sharing their grief on national TV.  One mother screaming, literally, to stop sending "thoughts and prayers".   I can't blame her.   She's lost her boy, who somehow survived the Las Vegas mass shooting, carried out by another man with guns and issues, only to die in Thousand Oaks, at the hands of some other gun freaked weirdo.

Doctors are fighting back at the NRA, who told them to "stay in their lane" when they ask for gun violence to be viewed as a public health issue.  One doctor retorted "we're not anti gun, we are anti bullet holes in our patients." 

So it goes in America.

Now forest fires are consuming California.  California is bone dry and has its usual Santa Ana winds that fan flames from anything into monstrous hurricane like fires that consume everything and roar into towns at blinding speed.

I saw some of the videos taken by people trying to flee the flames destroying Paradise, CA in their cars, cinders and sparks falling all around them, some praying, some singing.  Some folks abandoned their cars in traffic jams of frantic people and tried to run for  it to escape.  Many died.

I think of the animals who had no way to escape and cringe.  Then I turn off the news and its been off.  I heard about our own President scolding California about the expense of the wildfires, blaming them, for unsound forest management.

These are not forests alone burning, these are towns and cities and there are too many people now, spread out everywhere, you can't do burn downs when there are people everywhere.   Hey Mr. President, pretend to like the American people, would you?  Don't proclaim you'll withhold wildfire funding.   Take a look at those videos of people running through fire for their lives with their kids and their animals.   Think if that was you having to do that.  Grow a beating heart. 

Our local fire departments are all sending down crews to help.  We have some great fire fighters in Oregon.  They get lots of practice.  I hope they stay safe, but I know they'll do a good job.

Ah enough from me.  I'm a nobody sitting here horrified at what ordinary Americans have been through the last couple of weeks, from gun crazy white guys, posting to facebook as they slaughter young people, to hurricane force wild fires engulfing entire towns.