The response that you hear coming from Milwaukee and Wisconsin over the shooting in the Sikh temple is just what you would expect.
Sorrow. Sympathy. Praise for first responders. Condolences. Questioning why? Wondering about motive.
But I want to see anger. I want to see plain, brutal anger.
I want people angry about guns. About these damn weapons that find their way into the hands of madmen. Legal. Illegal. Internet or a shop in a mall. Black market or hand-me-downs.
All of these crimes have one thing in common: Guns. Guns designed to do nothing but kill people. Nobody is shooting these guns in the Olympics. Nobody takes them into the woods looking for a deer.
This whole cockamamie world with this "protect your castle" and concealed carry and all that crap is so crazy it almost doesn't deserve any kind of rational thought. The nuts are running this asylum and it is high time that those of us who have some sense of decency kick them out of their positions of influence.
I don't know what kind of weapons were used in the shooting at the Sikh Temple. I don't really care. What I care is that somebody this unbalanced was able to get these guns.
The temptation is to throw up your hands and shake your head in disappointment.
But instead I hope everyone gets angry. I hope our mayor or county executive stands up and say "no more." "Not here." I don't know what it will take, but let's pass the laws we need to try and stem the tide of these instruments of death.
When the National Rifle Association starts to complain, let's shout at them, "Shut up." What you have done is lead us to this insanity? None of our founding fathers, who you are so anxious to quote, ever thought about all of this crap. Never.
We need leadership to do this. But we also need an organic movement, coming from the bottom up. From everyday citizens like me and you.
With a history in Milwaukee stretching back decades, Dave tries to bring a unique perspective to his writing, whether it's sports, politics, theater or any other issue.
He's seen Milwaukee grow, suffer pangs of growth, strive for success and has been involved in many efforts to both shape and re-shape the city. He's a happy man, now that he's quit playing golf, and enjoys music, his children and grandchildren and the myriad of sports in this state. He loves great food and hates bullies and people who think they are smarter than everyone else.
This whole Internet thing continues to baffle him, but he's willing to play the game as long as OnMilwaukee.com keeps lending him a helping hand. He is constantly amazed that just a few dedicated people can provide so much news and information to a hungry public.
Despite some opinions to the contrary, Dave likes most stuff. But he is a skeptic who constantly wonders about the world around him. So many questions, so few answers.
