The news came in jolting bits: another gunman at another school. A short time later, the reporters shared the details; the weapon used, number of shots fired and, finally, the body count. This was the case last month in Centennial High School, a suburban campus in Colorado within driving distance of Columbine, a school forever linked to incomprehensible bloodshed.

One week later, police in Trinidad, Colorado took two kids into custody on suspicion of planning a similar attack. If you want to read about it, the sad story is here.

A lot’s changed since I was a kid and nothing makes the change more apparent than the sad fact that we’ve become somewhat immune to this horrific story.

For example, a short time after the Centennial shooting, a bearded reality television personality ignited a national controversy. The firestorm hinged upon free speech while simultaneously crossing the swords of religious scripture with discrimination. You know what I’m talking about. The bottom line is that strong words diverted our attention from a tangible darkness in our world. Furthermore, the arrests in Trinidad were barely worth reporting. It seems that when this evil rears its head, it’s still quite jarring, but it’s familiar enough to fade quickly… What a tragedy for us all. Seriously.

Call me crazy, but my heart is with Claire Davis’ family. It’s with the parents who hug their kid a little tighter simply because we live in a dangerous world, like this father. It’s with the kids who’ll forever live with the echo of gunshots. It’s full of hope that we can somehow come together and avoid living this kind of story again.

For that reason, I’m going to write something with this recurring horror in mind. I have no choice in the matter. It might offend a few people, but I can no longer be quiet or distracted by bullshit. I certainly can’t waste time worrying about this fool. Can any of us? LL

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