Gun Violence In America

The only time I ever carried a gun. 1960 During my three year enlistment in the U.S. Army. This picture is from Fort Devens, Mass. where I attended a six month school for Army Security Agency training. This is a "Battalion Parade" for our battalion commander and his wife. During one of the parades I threw up and dropped out of the parade. I thought for sure I would be court-martialed but no one bothered me. I was sick as a dog. I'll always remember the battalion commander's wife and her soft and filmy flowery dress moving gently in the wind that summer Friday afternoon (yes, I even remember the day of the week).

Me (right) September 1962 at the rifle range at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland for our annual qualification. This was the last time in my life that I held a rifle in my hands. Yes, I did qualify. To my right is Jim Harris of Binghamton New York. He was one of my good friends while I was stationed at Ft. Meade. I lost touch with him after I left the Army in January of 1963. I've often wondered if he is still alive. Every body else I knew from that period of my life has passed away. Seems like I'm the only survivor. I was at Ft. Meade for two and a half years. Bill told me he went through Ft. Meade in 1962. Interesting we came so close and didn't meet until two years later at a gay bar in Philadelphia. Life is interesting. 

 Yesterday Charlie Kirk, the well known and very popular right wing (Conservative) influencer of young people who, perhaps was responsible for electing the worst president in U.S. history was shot dead yesterday. He was at a college event in Utah.

Charlie Kirk was a hateful, homophobic, racist (and all the other bad adjectives) man of thirty-one years old. He was married and had two young daughters. 

Even though I disagree with almost everything he endorsed, including stoning to death homosexuals ("because it says so in the Bible" says "Christian" Charlie Kirk), killing him is not the answer. I condemn this murderous act one hundred percent. 

Also, even though I disagree with almost everything he espoused, I believe he had the right to say those awful things. That's because I live in a county that is supposed to extoll free speech even though you wouldn't know it these days with Trump and his thugs in power, unchecked by the cowardly Republicans in Congress and the conservative majority on the Supreme Court. 

This violence has to stop but I doubt that it will.

We are living in perilous times folks.

Stay safe.