Reflecting

Another back-Blip, this one from a morning stroll at Lake Padden on November 26 with my daughter and Phil, enjoying the sunshine and occasional glimpses of wildlife, including this handsome Mallard drake.

I wa planning to write another haiku to go with this journal entry, but today's (November 27) shocking shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, leaving three people dead and nine wounded, has driven beauty from my mind. 

I am heartily sick of white men with guns taking out their anger on innocent people.

As one of the more than 700 commenters wrote on The New York Times online article, "We have more to fear from American based domestic terrorism than terrorism from abroad. Unfortunately Americans are more and more willing to write off domestic terrorism as part of someone's right to bear arms." 

Also on the NYT web version was an article on how the G.O.P (Republican) presidential candidates are "Seemingly taking a cue from Donald J. Trump... cursing in public at a rate unheard of in modern presidential politics." 

It is increasingly difficult to recognize my own country. Civil discourse is no longer valued, and the Golden Rule forgotten.

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