get small... 10/4/2017 0 Comments   by E.L. Christianson Jr. The news reports elicit various feelings internally for those receiving those reports.  We are moved to receive 'fake news' as real news by the corporate media that promotes whatever propaganda is in the current agenda.  One never truly knows how to 'take' the news. Most news passes through our very limited attention span without so much as a ripple.  Murder and torture in our prison system hardly gets a notice.  Giant corporations stealing fantastic sums of money from our country is so normal that it seems not worth reporting.  Crooked politicians lie and cheat Americans in so many different ways that it is difficult to follow the story line.  War against this 'enemy' or that doesn't even warrant TV time. And then against a back-drop of the real 'America', we have a terrorist attack of immense proportions.  In Las Vegas, shooting from a high-rise building, a man kills a whole lot of people and wounds a whole bunch more.  It is devastating to the callous American soul.  We actually have the capacity to feel 'that one'. But, then, this is America.  Amidst the emotional grieving for the victims the brain starts to work, start to ask questions... were these murderers Muslim?  If so, all hell will break loose.  Were the murderers black?  There will be no end to the repercussions if they were. Then we get the updates on the news and learn that, despite the awful tragedy, despite the personal loss for families of the dead and wounded, despite everything, there is no problem.  The shooter was a white male.  Whew!  What a relief.  It is reported minute by minute, so that we don't get confused, the shooter was a 'lone wolf' and not a 'terrorists'... thank you god for that. With the knowledge of the carnage pigeon-holed into something we can easily understand, we can move on with our lives.  Writers write lies about the second amendment to justify in advance the next episode of mass murder in our society.  Rather than attempting to govern, politicians offer the stupidest of statements as pretend advice, such as South Dakota's Senator John Thune.  He suggests that each of us is individually responsible for saving our own lives.  “I think people are going to have to take steps in their own lives to take precautions to protect themselves. And in situations like that, you know, try to stay safe. As somebody said — get small.” Yeah, that'll work - "get small" - good advice.  He could also advise that we all stay at home and never leave the house - probably more effective than 'get small'. ​But, it really seems that if we could rub some brain cells together, we could imagine something else that we can do, something better, something rational and reasonable... but, probably not in our life-time, and that's the truth !!!