Let Not Our Hearts Grow Numb

Were out of words because were out of thoughts because we said them all and spent them all after Columbine and Sandy Hook and Parkland. The shock was the lack of shock you felt when you heard. You indicted yourself: My heart has gotten cold. No, it hasnt, but the past quarter century its been numbing up.

We underestimate how demoralizing these shootings are. They hurt our faith in America (why cant we handle this?) and the future (what will it be like if this continues?). And theres the new part of the story that is disturbing, this senseweve had it beforethat the police reliably come to the scene but theyve got some kind of process or procedure that keeps them from fighting their way to the actual site of the shooting. Parents were massing at the school in Uvalde and screaming, Go in, go in! They themselves would have, and were possibly stopped. This aspect of the story is not yet clear but you cant see the emerging videos and not think something went very wrong.