Charleston, SC

I wonder what it will take to stop political ideology, partisan gridlock and lobby groups like the NRA from preventing us taking any meaningful steps to reduce the seemingly unending stream of senseless gun violence and all too pervasive racial hatred that still persists in our so-called post-racial society. Jon Stewart hopes that this doesn't become the new normal. I think it's too late: it's completely normal. The ritual expressions of horror and surprise("how could this have happened?" "we don't know what he was thinking but he must have been mentally ill" "now isn't a time to make political points") followed by... nothing. Again and again and again.

Columbine, Sandy Hook elementary school, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech, Aurora Theatre, The Sikh temple shooting... those are the ones I can remember. But there are many many more. The last time in which a full calendar year passed without a mass shooting was 2002; and before that 1985. And as tragic as this is (on average 34 people killed every year) it pales by comparison to the number of homicides by gun which were averaging over 26 EVERY DAY (data for 2006 to 2011). The majority (72%) involved handguns and almost 80% were obtained legally.

Several hand-ringing journalist asked whether this was about guns, or race or mental illness (and Fox disingenuously suggested it was an attack on Christianity). It doesn’t have to be about one or the other; in fact here' it's probably all three. Picking one to avoid talking about the others as one are trying to do is just kicking the can further down the road - yet again. We are Douglas Adams' proverbial bowl of petunias in free fall towards the earth.