In the last two days there have been two mass murders in the United States. Yesterday thirteen innocent people were shot down by a depressed gunman. This morning, 3 police officers are reported killed when they responded to what they thought was a domestic dispute.
Again I wonder why I did not hear of shootings in Whitethorn and surrounding small towns. Of course the small population would rule out a statistical accounting, whereas we are presently looking at two incidents in the entire population of the United States. However, almost everyone in Whitethorn had guns, at the ready, in their homes and or in their pickups. Why didn't they shoot each other when they were depressed and angry?
Physical fights happened often enough for one observer to call fist fighting a community sport. I remember loggers traveling to bars with the specific intention of having a fight. The fights were brutal and sometimes involved everyone in the bar engaging in a violent brawl. The fights were later bragged about for weeks and even years. Guns were usually not considered by these tough loggers who prided themselves on their physical strength and courage.
Did the barroom sports events serve as a way to let off steam? Who knows? But that's the way it was when I was a kid growing up with loggers.
Copyright 2009 Sharon Porter Moxley
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