VA TECH AND GUN VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

My initial reaction to hearing the  news was "detachment" of sorts.

 I thought  about the big picture. I don't claim to know the current statistics but what I do know is this. There isn't a day that I don't fear being murdered either on the street or in my home. I think about and I am aware of guns almost constantly. That wouldn't be the case If I made enough money to own a car therefore enabling me to select a "safe" neighborhood to live in.

 And it wouldn't be the case if I didn't have to walk Baltimore's streets, wait on her bus stops and ride her buses. So, initially I thought, o.k. the media gives lots of attention to gun violence when more than one person in a day is murdered.

 But in places like Baltimore, where there are 1 to 4 murders a day, and probably hundreds of muggings per day, the media barely covers it.

 So initially I told myself that I wasn't going to watch too much coverage of VA tech. As it turns out, I've watched about 6 hours worth of coverage. It's been very interesting and at this point, I am processing it at a more emotional level. Because now, I've seen the faces, I know the names and a little bit about their lives. And I feel very sad.

 But ya know, I still think Blacksburg would be a fabulous place to live, because it's not a place where one has to continuously watch their back. And VA tech will once again be an amazing, peaceful, beautiful respite from our murderous society. I wonder if our gun control laws will toughen up? I guess it's rather unlikely. And those of us in urban America will continue to have to constantly watch our backs.