Parkland, Santa Fe: Will You Remember in November?

This is the fifth month of 2018, and we have already had 22 incidents of gun violence at public facilities.  The most recent one occurred on Friday at a high school in the Houston suburb of Santa Fe, Texas (not to be confused--nor would they want to be--with Santa Fe, New Mexico and the railroad now known as Burlington Northern Santa Fe), where ten people lost their lives to a teenager with a gun.

The suspect, according to reports, has been taken into custody but is not expected to serve much jail time (he's 17).  In addition to the weapon he allegedly used, there were reports of explosives found inside the school.  One of his victims, reportedly, was the girlfriend who rejected his advances.

(An aside:  Among all the BS women have to put up with when dealing with men, they shouldn't have to risk their lives if they turn down a date.)

All this comes three months after the last major shooting, when 17 were gunned down at a high school in Parkland, FL.  That led to students taking to the streets, pleading with lawmakers to pass new restrictions on guns and to make their schools safer.  It has also made celebrities out of activists David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez, students at the school who were dismissed by the right as tools of the left.

Results have been mixed.  Some states have been more receptive to the students' concerns than others on this issue, but Washington is still beholden to the wealth and power of the National Rifle Association.  "Thoughts and prayers" are the rules of the day.

Now that it's happened again, expect the usual round of "thoughts and prayers" and victim-bashing while nothing gets done. 

And nothing will be done as long as there are people with attitudes like Texas' lieutenant governor Dan Patrick (no relation to the sportscaster), who blamed the shooting on such things as violent video games and too many school entrances.  The NRA, who just named another celebrity in Oliver North (of Iran/Contra fame) to be their new president, has named Ritalin as a culprit.  In other words, people who will blame gun violence on everything except the gun itself, while spending billions of dollars to help keep it that way.

There are calls for people to remember the lack of action on weapons and its consequences at this year's midterm elections, and to choose those who pledge to change things in Congress and state legislatures across the country.  That's all well and good, except for one thing:

What happened in Parkland, Santa Fe and a dozen other places will be ancient history by the time November rolls around.  Politicians from both parties are counting on the fickleness of the American voter, not to mention the jury-rigging of some districts in their favor.  And, oh yes, there's the antics of President Donald Trump to consider. 

So what's it going to take for things to turn around at the ballot box?  Another massacre in the fall?  Or is it already too late?