"The silicon chip inside her head
Gets switched to overload
And nobody’s gonna go to school today
She’s gonna make them stay at home
And daddy doesn’t understand it
He always said she was good as gold
And he can see no reasons
'Cause there are no reasons
What reason do you need to be shown?"
On January 29, 1979 a sixteen year old girl in San Diego, took aim at a school playground from her home across the street, and started shooting with the rifle she had been given for her birthday. Two adults were killed, eight children and a police officer were wounded. Why, she was asked.
"I don't like Mondays."
Over thirty years later, we ask the same question, why? It's not likely we will ever know why the chip inside Adam Lanza's head got switched to overload. And while the voices become louder for more stringent gun control, discovering the cause for these increasing mental issues is far more important.
In this age where 1 in 88 children is identified as being under the autistic spectrum, where 5.2 million kids between the ages of 5-17 are diagnosed with ADHD, where so many, so many more have mental problems, diagnosed or not. Something has happened to the younger generations, something is causing the disintegration of the minds of our children.
Maybe sometime before another senseless killing takes place, we can get our legislators to stop adding pork to build bridges to nowhere, and start putting some real money to the multitude of mental health issues affecting this country.
Bob Geldof wrote the song "I Don't Like Mondays" after the 1979 shooting. Sadly, it is still relevant today.
The usual suspects in the media are already speculating that he had a personality disorder. As someone who is mentally ill, I'm sensitive to the illnesses of others. While we have to stop ostracizing the mentally ill, we also can't excuse anti-social behavior especially if the perpetrator got no help or rejected help.
ReplyDeleteHis mother, now dead, legally owned the weapons. She kept them in a house where he possibly mentally ill son could get them and use them on on her, 20 babies, and 6 brave people assigned to their cade.
There are so many questions that need to be answered. For now, I just hope we appreciate what we have and try to understand why it's taken so easily.
Forgive me. I would type more, but two youngest girls are playing outside and I haven't checked on them in about 6 minutes.
beautiful column
hugs to those beautiful girls...like I really need to tell you that. thanks lance.
ReplyDeletethere are serious issues here.we are the richest country in the world&our health care system sucks.cant get sentiments&words out.as a parent i hurt for 20 babies&6 teachers.good job Kath
ReplyDeletewish we didn't need to talk about this, over and over again.
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