Roy Exum
I can’t remember when a spring has been as gorgeous as this one and, as I make my monthly trip into my garden for orchids and onions to share, I am in awe of my big rhododendron bush, awash in the prettiest purple blooms you ever saw. The roses look nice and, while I wish my grass would perk a bit better, we’ve got an ample armload of orchids and onions to share as we welcome June:
AN ORCHID for the life of Pat Rose. One of the most popular Mayors ever in Chattanooga, Pat died on Monday and we remember him with great fondness.
AN ONION to the Memorial Day horror in Chicago where the Sun-Times reports 52 people were shot over the holiday weekend, 10 dead.
And in the entire United States? Gun Violence Archives says 352 were shot over the long weekend.
AN ORCHID to Vanderbilt golfer Gordon Sargent, who won the individual title at the NCAA Championships on Monday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. And, hey, the Birmingham native is just a freshman.
AN ONION for the fact that six children - five 15-year-olds and one 13-year-old - were victims of one of the worst mass shootings in Chattanooga’s modern-day history. And who sells bullets to kids?
AN ORCHID for Tennessee’s soaring baseball team - The Vols are the top seed in the NCAA baseball tournament for the first time in program history. The Vols built upon their fantastic regular season by sweeping the SEC Tournament and enter the NCAA Tournament with a swarthy 53-7 record. (25-5 SEC).
AN ONION for the fact the shooter in Uvalde, Texas, was inside the Robb Elementary School for over an hour before he was taken down by Border Patrol officers.
AN ORCHID for the Baylor softball team and its seventh straight state title.
AN ONION for a federal survey that shows 7 in 10 public schools seeing a rising number of students seeking mental health services.
AN ONION to the student in Florida who posed with an automatic rifle and wrote a threatening note that he was going to shoot up a school. You are correct … he was arrested, despite the fact he is 10 years old.
AN ORCHID to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who announced the country will dramatically tighten access to firearms after a series of deadly mass shootings in the United States. He wants to freeze handgun sales and buy back assault weapons. “We need only look south of the border to know that if we do not take action, firmly and rapidly, it gets worse and worse," Trudeau said.
AN ONION to the findings of Gun Violence Archives that reveal in the first five months of 2022, about 230 mass shootings have taken place so far in the United States since the start of this year. In total, approximately 17,911 people have died from gun violence in America since January. Of those, 150 were children aged up to 11, and 529 were teens aged 12 up to 17.
AN ORCHID to the four children of Irma and Joe Garcia. She was killed trying to protect her fourth graders during the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting, and Joe, her grieving husband, died of a heart attack two days later. A fund with a goal of $10,000 was established for the Garcia children – as of yesterday it had grown to $2.7 million.
AN ONION to the zany idea we must raze Robb Elementary School because of the Texas tragedy and build another in its place. We can’t be that stupid, spending millions for nothing.
royexum@aol.com