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I'm observing all this from the bizarre perspective of having known David Durham years ago (yeeeaaars ago - we're talking 7th grade for me, 8th grade for him!) and wondering what went wrong.  While we weren't the closest of friends I remember really appreciating him cause it was a catholic school and I wasn't catholic and this kid was very kind compared to some of the kids who viewed me as an outsider.  I don't think he was necessarily trying to be helpful but I just remember his personality being warm, friendly and easygoing.  I wasn't used to the concept that a boy could really be a friend.  For many years after my one year in a Catholic school (!) I always remembered him fondly and appreciatively for that when I eventually forgot most of the other kids.  I know a lot can happen in, oh, let's see, 30 years!  Including camo, apparently (is there a rolling eyes emoticon somewhere around here?!) but I can't help but wonder how that boy turned into this man.  I wonder greatly about the mental health piece of this (and yes guns).  I feel so terrible for this police officer...and yet - nuts as this sounds - I keep finding myself imagining that everyone in Waldport is safe (not true, I know, obviously) cause I imagine he's a good guy deep down who's terrified and mortified but that's ridiculous I know.  I keep slipping into seeing it through a 7th-grader's eyes and wanting to believe something just went very, very wrong in that moment - on that day.  And if he hadn't had a gun??  It all comes back to paranoid people and their guns, doesn't it?  As a mother of 3 boys who are surrounded by friends who have huge toy guns and who has given in to having toy guns in the house...I wonder where this obsession with guns (and camo in some boys' cases) starts. And maybe that's not relevant. Sorry for processing more than contributing, folks!  

posted 2 years, 3 months ago
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