March For Our Lives, Salem -- photos, video, commentary

Here's photos, a video of a moving song, and some commentary on today's uplifting March For Our Lives rally at the Capitol. The organizers estimate a crowd of 3,500, which seems believable to me. I enjoyed taking photos of people with creative signs that had great messages. We've got to act to prevent more mass shootings. Repeat: GOT TO. 

Click on the image below to see the Adobe Spark page I made.

Comments

[tucson]

I understand people's feelings and frustrations with these shootings, but it is going to get very ugly in an already ugly political environment in this country if law abiding, sane people feel they are going to lose their 2nd amendment rights. After all, these people didn't shoot and don't want to shoot children. Why should they lose their freedom to pursue their hobby/sport or defend themselves as they see fit?

My opinion is to place an armed security person in each school like the one in Mayland where an armed guard put an end to a shooting spree. We live in violent times. Good people need to be armed, not disarmed. That's just the way it is. It's too bad. Gun free zones are absurd. That's exactly where a bad guy with a gun will go, to where those who respect the rules will be unarmed.

This email I received today illustrates the attitude anti-gunners may encounter...

"Took dog for a long walk today. Down near the fire station I saw a sign on the side of the road in front of someone's house. The sign was probably made by a public school student: it was on a yardstick painted red that said "GunSense." This is the beginning of the end of the Second Amendment if we don't push back. When people begin to use their First Amendment rights to advocate the abolition of my Second Amendment rights, FUCK THEM. I broke the stick and tore up the sign. Since it's garbage day, I put the torn up sign in a nearby garbage bin.

I WILL NOT ALLOW THIS SHIT TO STAND!

Up the street from that place lives a hard leftist who has a "Not My President / Impeach Now!" sign. That one's OK. I don't agree with him, but at least his sign doesn't advocate taking away my Constitutional Rights like that other neighbor's sign does. I want the right to protest the next Democrat president like he protests the current Republican one.
Just don't shit on my 2nd Amendment right."

--Not a pleasant tone. Anti-gunners should be careful as this kind of anger could spread. A real hornet's nest.

[Dungeness]

*** my opinion iis to place an armed security person in each school like the one in Mayland where an armed guard put an end to a shooting spree. We live in violent times. Good people need to be armed, not disarmed. ***

Then you'll live in doubt and fear wherever you go.

P1: Oops, did you forgot the Glock, honey?
P2: [Sigh]
P1: Turn around, we'll have to skip tonight.

Workplace, theatre, concert, parade, Little League,
poker game, coven, seance, unchurch get-togethers....
Where does it end?

If you roll the dice and don't pack, can you be sure
everyone else showing up armed is a good guy/gal?
Even if it's just a dozen or so, what if a fire-fight breaks
out with several white hats returning fire, where can
you possibly be safe in a cross-fire? Who's gonna identify
the black hats?

Who'd wanna live in a society where that level of fear
and paranoia exist? And all because a minority hides
behind rhetoric about a slippery slope to take away
their 2nd amendment rights.

[tucson]

I have a ten year old cartoon on my wall about two guys, each with a gun, wondering if the other guy is a good guy with a gun or a bad guy with a gun so they end up shooting each other to stop what they decided was a bad guy with a gun when in actuality neither guy was a bad guy with a gun. Both were good guys with guns.

If you think times are crazy now, wait a few years. these are the good old days. The human nervous system has not had time to adapt to the fast paced digital age.

So, we get rid of the guns. They put them in a pile about the size of Fresno and melt 'em down. Then..

Is he a good guy with a knife or a bad guy with a knife?

Some time back there was a beyond horrific stabbing attack at a kindergarten/daycare. The time and place are a bit fuzzy but the number stayed with me. I think it was Japan or Scotland maybe 20 years ago. Some guy went in and stabbed and killed 27 little kids with a knife.

Life sucks sometimes and there's nothing you can do about it. If it isn't one thing, it's another.