Today isn't much better as far as the word selection goes, and besides, there are a multitude of people out there who can write about what took place - ones who will be able to put their emotions into articles and summaries and blog posts we can search for. There is sadness and there is anger, there are first-hand accounts of the horror which unfolded yesterday and there are heroes and first responders and emergency professionals who, with their immediate and fearless actions, saved lives. There are going to be plenty of angles to debate, but one thing I know; this is going to happen again and keep happening, because our society - for a thousand different reasons and causes and sources of blame - is beginning to crack.
There are no answers or magic solutions for what is taking place or that which lies ahead. There is however, one thing that stands out to me quite clearly; we need to stand with our first line of defense; we need to grow the hell up and focus on the people who are out there day in and day out dealing with these events. They are seeing things daily which at one time, maybe decades ago, were probably referred to as only a vague possibility, or a catastrophic event which could take place but never did, quite the way it does today. They are seeing these scenarios, responding to them, dealing with the dead bodies and carnage and regardless of what they do, STILL facing the scrutiny of the media and the Monday morning quarterbacking which inevitably follows. Can you even imagine trying to work like that? Who the hell wants a job which is on so many levels is pure chaos that you and I might run from in a panic, switch tv channels to avoid watching, or live with nightmares about for the rest of our lives?
And yet, this is what our men and women in law enforcement face far too often. A society which at every turn, questions and blames, leaps to accuse and second guess the decisions which are made. It's not enough that those who serve and protect encounter people every day who choose to show disrespect and hate, but after their shift is over, are WE doing the best we can for those on the front lines? We know what our police are dealing with out there each day - and yet an awful lot are just sitting back and watching.
There is no need to wait and see if the numbers of law enforcement suicides and illnesses, heart attacks and stress-related issues increase, because those statistics speak for themselves; but what we CAN change is our attitudes. "A community which stands together is far more of a source of strength than one divided."
