Branches vs Roots.

I've been reading a lot of murder mysteries lately.

C.J. Box. I'm obsessed. I've read like five books in the past week and just started another one this morning. They all happen in Wyoming and I love Wyoming. I also love that he threads in real Wyoming problems...Wind Mills vs. Sage Grouse Habitat, influx of oil-field workers that change the whole atmosphere of a place, tree-huggers vs ranchers....etc. into the plots of the stories. He does it in I think an unbiased way...maybe my own views are clouding my judgement but still. So I've been thinking of this whole two-sides-to-every-story thing a lot lately.

And today I saw an article about "Holmies".

I was sickened, saddened, and, truthfully, outraged about what happened in Colorado. It was terrible. I don't know very much about it, but to think that there are people out there defending this man, this man who made an exceptionally horrific choice, sickens me even more.

And I have a baby that's growing up in this world, people. So I care.

I also read a letter written to Holmes' parents, and it was very sad but raised some concerns.

I don't want to take a ton of time to research into schizophrenia or if James Holmes really does have that. I'm not a Holmie. I am not usually in favor of the death penalty, but in this case what happened is pretty clear-cut, at least to me. And I have long thought that when one person so blatantly and violently breaches the right of another person or persons, that person effectively forfeits their rights to be put out among society again. Do laws agree with me on this? Nope, they sure don't. But I wish they did. Like pedophiles, for instance. If it is conclusively shown that pedophiles are not re-habitable...well, then....why do they get out of prison? We have to protect our children. Abuse is a cycle. Lock them up and maybe we can start making dents in those cycles.

Those are other thoughts for another time, but in this case...Holmes...well, he did it. Maybe he was crazy, but he did it. And people died and that is a violent and final thing that can not be undone. Even if he is crazy, he's proven how dangerous he can be. My humble opinion is that there is nothing anyone can do to Holmes that will make it up to the families who lost their loved ones. Death penalty...because how can this man function safely in society? And after what he did, he no longer deserves the chance. This isn't coming from a "vigilante" perspective....I'm sick about the whole thing. But crazy or not, this guy is not ok. I know there are two sides to every story and yadda yadda yadda but...honestly...? It just doesn't matter to me in this case.

Which brings me to my branches vs. roots. I read a quote once that said something like...for every 10 men hacking away at the branches of evil, there is only one man hacking away at the roots. Which I think is, in most cases, true. And if Holmes did have a mental disorder and this could have been prevented....well, someone certainly overlooked that root and that really matters. Look what could have been avoided! We can scramble now and try to help others and we should...but at the same time, roots. Proper care and diagnosis. Adequate resources for family members. Etc. etc. etc. All of that may have prevented this. And someone knew, too. I guarantee you there is someone in this man's life that knew that Holmes was capable of something like this.

I teach young children. It's not just my career. It's my passion. And so I am in the business of roots. Bullying, on the rare occassion it does occur, stops everything in my classroom. We talk about it. We role-play better ways to handle situations. I make sure that every single student in my classroom knows how to treat another child, and I don't accept less. And at the end of the school year I send them out into the big wide world and I hope it sticks. I hope that they've got a foundation...roots...on how to be happy, successful, KIND people.

If you are around young children, you are in the business of roots, too. And I hope you take it as seriously as I do. Love them. Teach them. Pay attention to them. Give them good roots...not dark, twisty ones. Ultimately, each individual is responsible for their own choices, but everyone deserves to have people in their corner. Being proactive and preventative is probably the biggest way we can fight these kinds of evil. If you see children that need help, help them. Do what you can. Don't be afraid and let that fear hold you back...do something. We have to be better, try harder. Hack away at the roots of evil and soon we won't have to worry about the branches.

Peace. love. be good.