Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The manhunt (as of press time) continues for the alleged killer who authorities say shot and killed five people execution-style. Simply because they asked him to stop the shooting. Media reports indicate that a family member asked the alleged suspect to stop shooting because a child was trying to sleep. Instead of being a good neighbor, the suspect named Francisco Oropeza, simply walked next door and proceeded to kill the family one-by-one, allegedly saying that “he had a right” to do whatever he wanted on his own property. A few minutes later, five innocent people including an eight-year-old child lay dead. It was another senseless killing where someone with a weapon of mass destruction (yes, a WMD) did what is seemingly becoming the norm in a nation that is awash with guns, where the conversation on what needs (not should) to be done, is a one-way conversation. Even in the aftermath of a mass shooting at a Memphis bank, the conversation on the national level is as stale as moldy bread. No one wants it. An 8-year-old is dead as well as four other people, and the only conversation heard is more “thousands and prayers” which we have all memorized by now. That’s what Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott did in a press statement, nothing about saying that “we” must do what we can to end the carnage caused by these mass shootings. Then when the governor did something that many were saying was beneath his office, when he “happens” to mention that the alleged shooter and victims were illegal immigrants. They asked, what did that have to do with them being killed? Why bring that up so soon after their deaths were announced? Where was the sympathy for the victims? Would things have been different if they weren’t what he called them, the buzzword that many conservatives like to use? Is the governor saying that’s why they’re dead? Perhaps that’s a way of saying that those victims didn’t belong in America. It makes their deaths seem so shallow and meaningless.

Texas is about as a gun-friendly state as they come, with some of the looser laws in the nation. The Republican-led state legislature and governor are doing all that they can to make sure that everyone can carry a gun, except in a courthouse, and yes at the Governor’s Mansion. One has to wonder why. Despite the fact that Texas has some of the most horrific shootings in the nation, there are no conversations by Republicans to even remotely address mass shootings in the state. 21 people including children and teachers died at an elementary school in Uvalde, TX just last year. Nothing happened from state officials. 23 people died in an El Paso Walmart back in 2019 and nothing happened. The list goes on. Instead, the conversation in Texas will be about finishing the border wall that Trump started to keep the “illegals” out, but again, nothing about the type of gun that murdered four adults and a child, whose lives were tragically cut short by someone “defending” his property rights. That’s ok. So what if the U.S. set a record surpassing mass shootings this year where the blame is sure to be placed on “illegal” immigrants because Americans don’t become involved in Mass shootings?

The governor announced a $50,000 reward for Oropeza’s capture, but as of press time, even law enforcement acknowledged that they “have no clue” as to his whereabouts. Abbott told us that authorities “will look under every rock” to apprehend the suspect, putting the emphasis on officers doing their jobs. Is the governor trying to “save face” knowing now that the victims can’t speak for themselves, as the governor knows that no statement, he can say will erase the fact that dead people are not welcomed in the U.S. if they live in Texas? Media reports indicate that officers were called to the suspect’s home on a previous shooting incident, but no details have been revealed if any action was taken. How long will the shooting continue across this nation before someone in leadership from the other side finally says enough is enough. We keep hearing that the U.S. as a nation, is “better” than this. Action speaks louder than words. First, the words need to start. Remember, the world is watching. So is God.