The PD coverage of the killing of a teen-ager, last night's prayer vigil, & moral injury

[Shepherd]

The Press Democrat, in my opinion, is doing an excellent job with its extensive coverage of the killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez with both its many articles and photos. Following are headlines of today's print version. KPFA, 94.1 FM radio, is also doing a lot of coverage. Especially for those who no longer read the print media, I suggest you consider reading today's paper.

I was at the prayer vigil last night, as were five TV stations, and most if not all the members of the Board of Supervisors, for which I thank them. It was a moving ceremony, especially with the many ancient dancers and families.

This is a really big story that reveals how gun-saturated and trigger-happy our culture has become. My concern is that this is a symptom of the further slide of America into violence. This is not an isolated incident. America is killing too many of its children and too many other people with its drones. In addition to a full inquiry into the militarized police action, we need to make these toy assault rifles illegal and sue the corporations that make and profit from them.

The budget of the U.S. military is about equal to those of all the other countries in the world. The U.S. arms industry is also the largest in the world, which includes these toy assault weapons, which condition children to buy the real ones. The U.S. has the largest per-capital of incarcerated people on the globe. The U.S. Empire is increasingly become a fortress, which invites rather than repels attack, and creates rather than reduces "terrorists."

When I was an officer in the U.S. Army, we were taught things such as being "an officer and a gentleman" and not engaging in "conduct unbecoming an officer." That did not happen with the killing of this child. The old fashioned way of facing ones opponents was face-to-face. I consider the use of drones and their indiscriminate killing of civilians at funerals and marriages to be cowardly, as well as engaging in war crimes.

I love the basic American values, such as freedom, liberty, free speech, and democracy. I just wish that in this 21st century we would practice them more here and internationally. America is becoming like the ancient Greek god who ate his children. We send our own teen-agers off to fight loosing wars. They return home, where more commit suicide than were killed in combat. Many of them have what was clinically called "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" and is now being called "moral injury" by many.

Special Coverage: Fatal shooting of 13-year-old Santa Rosa boy


Autopsy: Santa Rosa teen shot 7 times

Sheriff's deputy fired eight rounds at a Santa Rosa eighth grader who was spotted carrying a BB gun that resembled an AK-47 assault rifle during the fatal encounter, according to preliminary findings.

• Neighborhood struggles to make sense of shooting
• Vigil for Santa Rosa teen Thursday night
• Photos: March draws mourners, protests against shooting