El Paso Strong

I hesitated on whether or not to make a post about the tragic events that took place this weekend in El Paso, Texas and sadly a few hours later in Dayton, Ohio less than a week after another mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California.

Besides this being my Blog it is also my Cyber Journal. The events that took place on Saturday shook MY world, affected my beloved State of Texas targeted people of Hispanic origin that live along the border such as myself and my loved ones.

My morning routine is to turn on the television to my favorite 24-hour news channel as I set about doing my morning chores.  It did not take long before there was Breaking News that there were multiple shooters in an El Paso mall,  according to witnesses they had spotted three to four individuals running with guns.

As in most early events, the reports were not totally accurate but the sickening feeling in my stomach was so ever-present.  Most cable channels do not report fatalities unless it can be verified but the internet was full of reports.  When I saw that at least 20 people were reported dead I did not believe it. Sadly it was later confirmed.

I wish I could say I was shocked but I am not it was an event that due to our current political climate and the rhetoric coming from this Administration was bound to take place.  I am not going to rehash all the nasty, racists tweets and statements, all that is public record.

If the perpetrators of the last three mass shootings HAD NOT been young white males born in the United States it makes my head spin how fast this administration would have attacked them.  Instead, we had SILENCE, a short tweet in between other insignificant ones and no address to the Nation. Any other administration would have canceled their weekend plans and been the Comfort-in-Chief but we have learned not to expect that from this president.  After all, the majority of the victims in Gilroy and El Paso were Hispanic and the victims in Dayton, Ohio were African-American.  Coincidence?

I ask myself how does a young person develope so much hatred when they were raised in a predominantly white and affluent neighborhood totally unaffected by Hispanics?  How can an individual drive for ten hours to inflict carnage on an innocent border city and not have second thoughts about the repercussions his actions will have?

I do not want to hear he had mental issues, was influenced by the internet and video games.  Those are talking points of the NRA.  Why did the president not address gun control?  I will tell you WHY...Republicans are bought and paid for by the NRA.  When are we going to stand up to them?  What is it going to take to pass some form of gun control like a background check?

I know it makes people uneasy to think that Democrats are going to take their guns...but that is NOT true.  I myself am a gun owner but it would never cross my mind to own a high potency rifle such as an AK-whatever number.  Those are rifles to be used in war, not for hunting or personal protection.

If the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre of innocent children did not move legislators to pass gun legislation NOTHING is.  I have no hope that the last three mass shootings will move the needle, call me a pessimist but I would rather call myself a "realist"...there IS a difference.

I, as well as many of my friends, were glued to the television following this unfortunate event.  I dare say that there were many viewers not just from Texas but nationwide that followed the coverage of both events.  I bet if you were to interview individuals from any part of the nation they could easily name the two cities involved.  What did the President of the United States do when he has access to top advisors and the latest intelligence reports?...it saddens me to say...he confused Dayton, Ohio with Toledo...INEXCUSABLE!!!

This white supremacist not only killed American citizens but also took the lives of seven Mexican Nationals who were shopping at Walmart for back to school supplies. Let me clarify what I mean by Mexican Nationals...they are NOT undocumented aliens...they are Mexican citizens mostly from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua - México with visas that can legally cross the border and often do so to shop in El Paso.

I urge all my fellow Texans, Americans and concerned citizens to make your voice be heard.  Call your local representatives, congressmen, senators, and governors.  If they do not listen to you...VOTE THEM OUT...we do not have to put up with this...we have a choice.

Please, I urge you to use the most valuable resource that we have as American citizens...the power of our VOTE.