Thursday was the perfect evening at Fenway Park. A gentle breeze, first place clash with the Orioles, the beautiful backdrop of the left field wall at sunset. Anticipation for a Sox win. Thoughts of … Orlando.
A beer and a hot dog. Children at their first Red Sox game, cheering at everything that happened. A David Ortiz home run. Thoughts of … Orlando.
Looking around at the 37,000 people at the game, realizing that at any moment , we could be the victims of a random act of violence by a gunman whose illness or ISIS affiliation caused the next attack.
It is, or should be impossible to thoroughly enjoy an activity these days without caution and concern due to our collective vulnerability to the constant occurrence of Orlando, Newtown and the hundreds of other mass killings. The paralysis of those entrusted with our protection has become a political embarrassment for the entire country. They lead us in thoughts and prayers for the victims but lack the political will to prevent the next act of terror.
We experience Fenway Park as our Field of Dreams on a beautiful night, but we live in The Killing Fields, an expansive baseball diamond of life and death where the umpires refuse to prevent the killers from going to bat, even though their bats should have been taken out of their hands a long time ago.
Steve Kramer
(formerly Greenfield)
Mashpee