It was just a political cartoon1 in my Twitter feed, but this one felt like a gut punch. My shoulders sagged with the heaviness of its truth. Its simplicity depicted the stark reality of the state of Florida’s psyche where so many people, especially legislators, are numb to the killing of children with a military type weapon but apoplectic that a child might see Michelangelo’s statue of a naked David.
I let it all sink in; grieving the senseless loss of so many children as well as the loss of humanity that is rampant in our country and our state. I began to wonder what all the people who love DeSantis and his fascist agenda think, actually feel, about the killing of our youth and our nearest and dearest..
I wondered if DeSantis’s flock ever allow themselves to feel the suffering of those who have experienced the horror of cheerfully sending their beloveds off to school or work or the grocery store or church or the movies and then just a short time later releasing a primal scream because they will never hold that human again and wailing too because they feel in their guts the panic, shock, and confusion their loved ones must have felt as bullets tore thru them. I wonder if the die-hard DeSantis supporters allow themselves to feel even for the briefest of seconds the horror that so many parents, spouses, siblings, guardians, friends, colleagues have had to bear.
I write this the day after Florida passed HB 543, which DeSantis signed behind closed doors surrounded by his NRA handlers; a despicable law that allows Floridians to carry and conceal a gun without a permit or training. According to the Center for American Progress, a 2019 study found that U.S. state gun laws have become more permissive in recent decades, concluding: “States with more permissive gun laws and greater gun ownership had higher rates of mass shootings, and a growing divide appears to be emerging between restrictive and permissive states.”2 The Giffords Law Center has found that "On average, someone is killed with a gun every 3 hours in Florida."3 Does anyone really believe that more unregulated guns in our state will decrease the 3 hour time frame? The passing of this bill will definitely accelerate the proliferation of guns; and the continual fear mongering from DeSantis will make it just a matter of time before yet another tragedy befalls our beautiful state and country.
Florida’s problem is the lawmakers who stoke the fear of a changing America; who inflame terror of “the other'' who don't “look, act, or think like me.“ The usual fascist targets: Black & Brown, LGBTQA+, non-Christian, non-binary, pro-choice, gun reform activists, drag queens, indigenous, immigrant, poor. DeSantis and his Republican cronies have disdain for those they don’t deem worthy. They poison this beautiful melting pot with fear.They stir up and manipulate fears that feed the lizard brain and release hate that make people feel powerful and righteous. I see it in the contorted faces of the upstanding, of the virtuous as they raise fists,or march with torches, or attack synagogues and churches, or pass bills that dehumanize, or send death threats, or who pick up guns in their rage and kill innocent others. I know not everyone is hateful, not even the majority. But I do think that there are too many people suffering from atrophied vocal cords. They don’t speak up. They don’t hold elected officials accountable for voting against gun reform & safety laws that could save our kids, our elders, our prime of lifers, our youth with their bright future ahead of them, our mothers & fathers, our neighbors, anyone who just wants to live a full and happy life. Instead, the only words they can squeak out are canned responses we've heard for decades: 2nd amendment, gun rights, good guy with a gun/bad guy with a gun, now’s not the time, it’s not the gun it’s the person, thoughts & prayers, harden the schools, one way in/one way out, arm the teachers, etc. I wonder if they really believe these talking points or do those words just shield them from feeling the sorrow of others and taking responsibility for the sorry state in which we find ourselves.
I’m sick of mass shootings and gun violence as the national disease it is. I’m sick of cowards in Tallahassee who fall in line and vote for whatever illiberal law DeSantis puts before them. I’m sick of legislators who value an AK47 more than a kindergartner. I realize that speaking up in Florida falls on many deaf ears. Regardless, I will continue to call, text, write, protest and vote. I’ll continue to do my best to create dialogue with others who drink the DeSantis kool aid, hoping to awaken their humanity so they may find a path to real change. Disappointment is a possibility for sure. Even so, I am certain that one day, if I, if more of us, keep pushing, change will come and our children can one day live without fear of dying in school and who can freely and safely take in the beauty of a famous 16th century statue.
https://twitter.com/cathywilcox1/status/1640819746315833348/photo/1 Note: this is the cartoon mentioned. Warning: it could be triggering or considered offensive.