As I see yet another senseless shooting wound your nation. I hear all the old augments, excuses and positions. I have no desire to debate gun laws here. You have your laws we have ours, I prefer the latter. My question is why? What would drive someone to that level of slaughter. The ISIS terrorist because of some twisted doctrine of course but also a goal of immortality. Not just in the religious sense of the 2 dozen virgins or whatever but the mortal glory of immortality, Like a berserk viking hero who sword in hand enters not only Valhalla but the sagas too, if I can put it in western mythology.

Graffiti why? I was once asked when I was an age where I might understand. My answer then was " to defy your insignificance " . You never see it in a small village, where everybody knows everyone. For one thing everyone would know it was you and second no desire to. Most do not live in small villages now. We live in cities or suburbs of those cities where everywhere is much live everywhere else except for the weather So our young men and women write their names big and loud so as to be heard. They dream of instant fame, obtainable with all the talent and craft of cooking a microwave pudding. Youtube provides Warhols vision of the American dream. Your name writ large by the hits of a mouse.

What of the shootings? are they not some terrible form of graffiti? I read a post on here asking how many times have you moved? What stuck me was the vastness of the US its connectedness and its disconnectedness. Cities and communities so far apart but linked the media and infrastructure. The internet shows your fractures, like an x-ray. From the NRA rep white guy who would rather his neighbor die of cancer than a welfare mother get free penicillin. The black rap artist saying that the only piece of the dream he will get it is either with a ball in hand or a gun. The well meaning left who by European standards would be very tame indeed. The heavy metal grunge kid killing thousands a day in virtual reality takes it to the next level.

Whats to be done? Well thats a biggie Some ideas to think about. Well it`s about time the mothers of america got together and spoke LOUD. If your looking for inspiration, the women of northern Ireland might provide some. A civil war ended and guns off the streets. Politics is one thing but what can the individual do? Make your world a little smaller by making it bigger. Say hello to the person at the bus stop or drug store. Put a little flesh on the skeleton of highways. Talk to each other and create your own villages. Because I know this, nothing happens until people of different views but with a common aim get together and change it.