Apalachee High School, My Thoughts are With You
My thoughts are with Apalachee High School. I’m not religious so I actively despise the thoughts and prayers crowd that pops up every time something tragic happens. Thoughts and prayers do Jack. I’m gonna be real for a few, I hope you can stick around to read.
Tragedy at Apalachee High School
The shooting that happened at Apalachee High School yesterday is beyond horrific. Every school shooting is horrible. As a teacher, I freeze with fear when I think about it happening again. And every time, I think about what would happen if it happened in my school, in my community.
Well, Winder is a mere 30 minutes from my house. I am a teacher in Georgia in Athens-Clarke County. Barrow is a neighboring county. So the horrible shooting that happened yesterday at Apalachee High School did happen in a community directly adjacent to my community. And that makes it hit different. It makes it more real. I’m rattled, shocked, and so very sad that it happened here. It really, really can happen anywhere now.
Politics
I am a lifelong Democrat and have lived in Georgia for the majority of my life, currently in a blue sea surrounded by an ocean of red. I’m a proud liberal and have only gotten more progressively liberal over the years. I remember my father used to always insist that I would become more conservative as I learned how the world works and well, jokes on him I guess. The opposite has happened.
Not interested
I don’t mind that this journal is an echo chamber. Nor do I invite voices from the other side of the aisle to any debate. I am not interested in talking to anyone who wants to spout right-wing talking points to me about how guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Because I don’t want to hear it. Something has to change.
It’s a gun issue. I don’t care what anyone has to say. Less access to guns, in a way that makes sense, is the only path forward.
Distanced Myself
I used to be a political blogger. I am appalled at the atmosphere of the current political sphere and have largely distanced myself from it, for my own mental health. But I stand strong here, on this issue. Guns are the issue. Mental health is the issue. Too much access to guns and not enough access to mental healthcare. Guess who votes for more access to guns and actively votes against making it easier to access mental health care?
Change
Yeah, it’s time to change. I hope that if there’s any one good thing that can come out of this horrible situation in Georgia it will be that more voters in Georgia will see that change has to happen, now. No one else needs to go to school or work and not come home at the end of the day because of mass school shooting events. Please. the only way it will stop is if voters vote the gun-loving, only-offer-prayers politicians out of office.
This is two posts in a row of more serious content, but usually, I post much lighter fare. I hope my readers will understand why the last few posts were necessary.
