What are we doing?

With utter dismay I see that people are being maimed and killed by people again - now in Boston, at an event that should be a celebration of our humanity.

The sequence of events that I expect to see unfold has already begun and that scares me more than the bombs and the guns.

First, on social media, we see our initial reactions to the tragedy. We respond with horror and disbelief. We tell the victims that our hearts go out to them, that we are praying for them, that we are so sorry for what they've had to endure.

In a few days will come the candlelight vigils, prayer meetings, and gifts.

Then we'll have fundraisers so we can send them money.

We may even have a law or two enacted that deals with some aspect of the disaster - maybe they will outlaw waste receptacles on public streets because bombs can be hidden in them.

While I don't doubt, for even a second, the sincerity of our responses, I have to ask - what are we doing? Is this our best effort? Are we doing these things to make the victims feel better or to make ourselves feel better?

What if this had happened in Derby on our own Greenway during an event? What would you want to see happen afterwards?

There is a place for kindness and support, and resources are required to help those that have been subjected to such horrible damage, but that is not the solution to the problem. We must do more. We have to do more. Frankly, I'm frightened, aren't you?

Clearly Not

The 2013 municipal elections seem to be starting extra early in Derby - it's going to be a long year.

Judy Szewczyk (aka me) is the campaign manager for Mayor Staffieri who will be running in November for his 5th term. Judy Szewczyk (aka me) is also the creator/admin of Clearly Derby.

Clearly Derby will not get involved in the election or endorse any candidate(s). Clearly Derby does not have a side.

Judy Szewczyk (aka me) does have a very definite side and will be very involved in the campaign. I will fight for my candidate in every possible legal and moral way. I will sometimes be sarcastic and snide but I won't lie or cheat - not for the Mayor or anyone else.

I hope my wonderful peeps - who represent all sides of the political spectrum - will be understanding and patient for the next 11 months. I will try my best to do right by you and right by Derby and not drag Clearly Derby into the political mud.

Regarding the election - may the best man or woman win!

They Will Kill

Caleb Grotberg is being sought by Portland, Oregon police in connection with the attempted murder of his girlfriend. He tried to strangle her with one of his dreadlocks. This is a great example of why guns are not our only problem.

Too many people believe that gun control is the most effective way to safeguard our precious children. I believe that the people who pin all of their hopes on gun control are naive.

We've all been so angry at some point that we've wanted to kill someone but of course we didn't carry it out. We have something inside us, let's call it humanity, that stops us. We may scream, curse, and throw things, but we stop short of killing.

Killers obviously don't have that something inside them, that humanity. They are out of control or mentally ill. They will kill. They don't need to be given an opportunity or a handy weapon. They will kill.

The only way one can stop a person, who is intent on killing, is by either locking them up, medicating them, or killing them first.

What scares me is that we are wasting a lot of time and effort fighting over gun control, which is already heavily legislated, when we should be concentrating on the detection and management of persons who will kill. They are killers. They will kill.