Why?

  I hadn't even finished writing about the pipe bombs that had sent the U.S. into chaos last week when the news of another mass shooting, this time in a synagogue in Pittsburgh, hit the air. While the entire country was lucky that not one bomb actually exploded, eleven people inside that house of worship were not so lucky. This yet again begs the question....what is wrong in the United States?

  Millions of people every weekend go to church or temple. Right now at nine in the morning people are sitting and kneeling in pews and benches praying to whomever they believe in. Peaceful and serene. But as with many times in the past, yesterday reminded us that no place is sacred. Or safe.

  Schools aren't safe. Movies theaters either. Not nightclubs. Or concerts. Malls. Sporting events. Airports. Private companies. Medical clinics, army bases, spas and the streets in your neighborhood are all fair game for mass shootings. Where does that leave? Nowhere. Once you leave your home nowhere is safe.

  Going back to my question of what's wrong in the U.S., I don't have an answer for you. Yes, access to automatic weapons plays a role. So does having a leader who embraces chaos and gives permission to create it. Feeling disenfranchised absolutely. Bigotry. Racism. Yes, yes and yes. However....there are countries with similar gun access and this isn't a common occurrence. There are dictators and fanatics in charge of many countries where this doesn't happen. Poor people without hope are worldwide. Bigots and racists live outside the U.S. as well. 

  So why is it commonplace there and nowhere else? I wish I knew. Being able to explain it might mean we could change it. Or stop it altogether. Right now we can all make assumptions and guesses but we are all grasping at straws. 

  After all, if the murder of 21 four and five-year-olds doesn't have people making radical changes......absolutely nothing will!

  Ang