By Carol Lucas
Well, dear reader, I admit to being totally flummoxed as I sat down Sunday afternoon to compose my article. It certainly wasn’t a lack of possible subjects that confronted me; rather it was which one to choose.
As I sat pondering this dilemma, a musical ditty invaded my brain. It ran like this: Which one, which one will it be? I’ve got to choose one of the three.”
I swear this is true, but for the life of me, I couldn’t place the origin of that jingle. This is one time when the internet was gracious enough to provide some “viable” information.
Do you remember the old Monty Hall show “Let’s Make a Deal.” This was based on a brain teaser, in the form of a statistical probability puzzle.
Suppose you’re on a game show, and you’re given the choice of three doors: Behind one door is a car; behind the others, goats. You pick a door, say No. 1, and the host, who knows what’s behind the doors, opens another door, say No. 3, which hides a goat. He then says to you, “Do you want to pick door No. 2?” Is it to your advantage to switch your choice? (The American Statistician)
Just a sidebar from me: Note that two doors have behind them a goat. So much I could say, but I digress.
So, the menu on Sunday was voluminous. Which topic do I choose? The illegal Iran war and the seemingly unending consequences thereof? The ever-present don’t-lose-sight-of-the-Epstein-files? The removal of a dead raccoon’s penis by the deplorable head honcho of our health department?
In front of his kids, no less, but again, I digress. Sorry, dear reader, you cannot make this stuff up! Digression is simply too tempting.
And then, of course, the almost disastrous attack on the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, in Washington, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. In many respects it is disastrous because, once more, an innocent person took a bullet to the chest. While at this time he is said to be in good condition, the question is always, “What if?”
And so in the wake of this incident, do we talk about gun control? Perhaps not, given that the deaths of how many children, not to mention others, has brought about no substantive action.
On that note, however, was a quip, ill-timed as it was, by none other than White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt. She noted, prior to the scene that showed people under tables, that “tonight shots will be fired.” No, MAGAs, I don’t intend to make that sound prophetic, unless, of course, more comes to light.
It’s way too early to jump to conclusions about this incident. First let me be very clear. I am not gleeful about this. Regardless of what the perpetrator’s motives were, this should never be accepted as who we are … NEVER!
Furthermore, shots ringing out in a school is NOT who we are. I will add to this ICE is not who we are with their shots killing citizens.
I will stop here regarding the depths to which we have sunk, depths that have ultimately changed the world view of our country.
Information that I accessed on Sunday suggests that there is something to be investigated regarding the elevators at the Hilton Hotel where the perpetrator supposedly stayed the night before. The report stated that usually people must use their key to activate the elevators, that this has always been the case, and it is the first time anyone can remember that not being the case.
As I type, I have to believe more details will be made available in the coming days. Of course one can’t help but be reminded of the incident in Butler, Pa., and the so-called assassination attempt with the “miracle ear” regeneration. No, I’m not talking about a hearing aid … that would really be a digression.
I want to be optimistic; I want to think that my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will have a much better life that today’s situation portends. This much I know; we must turn ourselves around and follow a path that doesn’t include acceptance of shootings as part of who we are.
So, yes, I guess I have made this a gun control issue in spite of myself. We must not move on from this with a “ho-hum” attitude. We need stricter legislation that includes a waiting period and a background check at the very least. If you are legitimate, neither should bother you.
As it stands, I am saddened by what we have become, by what we are tolerating, by “who we are.” And I pray for better days ahead.
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”