This was the quote which made the headline in my morning paper.This in a town where the headline above the fold would have normally been “Longtime tree champion dies at 87.”

I couldn’t sleep much last night, so I put a favorite movie in my laptop and watched it on my conveniently-located tummy — The American President.  It’s a modern fairy tale, a romcom.  I normally love it, but this time, when the Annette Bening character is reaming the presidential character regarding how he allowed the crime bill to be watered-down, I wept.  She lashes out at the most powerful man in the world about passing a crime bill “with a mandatory five-day waiting period before a five-year-old can buy an Uzi.”

Guns always make me feel nauseated.  The last time I remember being around guns and feeling sick about it was a couple of years ago, when Elizabeth and I had a truly amazing trip to Egypt. I’m glad we went then, because that opportunity is lost now.  In many ways, it is one of my happiest memories.  Our State Department required the Egyptians to provide an armed guard for all American tourist groups of six or more.  They were glad to do this.  It was a great job opportunity for young Egyptian men.  You could spot them in a minute.  They were the only people at Karnak and Abu Simbel in suits.  Their large automatic guns were carried (supposedly concealed) under their suit coats, and they were forbidden to pull their coats open to expose the guns for photo ops.  One of our personal guards was a very dear sweet man who showed us pictures of his wife and young children.  And I  was grateful when another one automatically accompanied Elizabeth to the ATM.  Otherwise, I did not feel any safer.  I felt constantly on guard which is not my happiest memory of our trip.

Here is that sweet man with Elizabeth at Saqqara.

Here our Cairo guard turns to keep his eye on Elizabeth in the Khan al-Khalili (Grand Bazaar).

I didn’t know what this powerful weapon is properly called.  I thought of it as an UZI, but it wasn’t.  There is nothing Israeli in Egypt.  El Al couldn’t even fly into the Cairo airport.  Armed guards walked along the Aswan Dam because it is known that this would be a prime Israeli target.  I really don’t know what these young men with their thousands of bullets could do against an Israeli jet, flown by other young men who were trained in the USA.

But I digress.  This was middle-of-the-night stream-of semi-unconsciousness.

Some people believe that god will always “use” a tragedy to work some good.”  I do not adhere to this.  What kind of deity would “need” the slaughter of twenty children in order to get something done?  But my own prayer this morning is that maybe, just maybe, this will be the catalyst that will get us a gun law that will actually protect us.

I want to write something about guns tonight, but I can’t think what to write.  Do I feel safer because you live on my street and you have guns?  Not so much.  Not so much.  I know your son has “issues” and he gets angry.  You shot a raccoon in the alley that was annoying you.  I imagine my dogs annoy you occasionally too. Do I feel safer?  Not so much.  Not so much.

Our president was just talking about twenty dead little children.  He had to pause for a long time and wipe away a tear before he could continue.  As for me, I can’t think of anything else to write.  And I have no pictures for this post.

Trying to come up with what would be appropriate to do today, maybe at twelve minutes past noon PST.  Here’s an idea: Buy a dozen VooDoo Doughnuts and give one to the first twelve people you meet.  Or maybe the first eleven.  You should eat one yourself.