Gene’s Blog: The new “duck and cover”

Does the name Bert ring any bells? Bert The Turtle, if a full moniker helps?

He's the cartoon reptile the U.S. Defense Department created in the early 1950's to tell kids how they could survive a nuclear attack, something that had become a distinct possibility amid the growing Cold War tensions of the day.

Bert's animated heart may have been in the right place but his science was way off. We'd come to find out that nuclear fallout couldn't simply be brushed off one's person like so much dandruff, that hiding under a desk didn't provide nearly the protection one gets from an actual bomb shelter although that fancy hole in the ground was no bargain since all that awaited any survivor is, literally, scorched earth. 

There'd be talk of “missile gaps” and “mutually assured destruction” plus a walkin', talkin' crisis with Cuba and the Kremlin that brought us oh-so-close to finding out in real time whether or not Bert The Turtle's teachings held water. A nuclear test ban treaty would follow as cooler heads prevailed, to the point where Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev came within a hair of eliminating atomic weapons during their 1986 Icelandic summit. It didn't happen, but the globe sure gave it a noble try.

Unlike now.

Our newest scourge is mass death, meted out by terrorists, frustrated loners, and societal misfits, the latest incident happening Sunday in a tiny town near San Antonio, Texas. A lone killer mowed down 26 innocent churchgoers before, as is often the case, taking his own life without stating his motives. Authorities continue to flesh in the details of shooter's life and are coming closer to a definitive motive as we speak. It's part of the “template of tragedy” which includes (but isn't limited to) initial word of fresh incident, shock and/or revulsion amid a rising death count, some faulty reporting as to the ID/nationality of the perp (usually on social media where some are quick to affix blame, motive and political affiliation of the bad guy), and then the issuance of sympathies (“thoughts and prayers”). Next comes warnings against “politicizing” the fresh wound on our sensibilities along with admonishments for those guilty of what's deemed questionable timing (as in, “this isn't the time to be bringing up gun control/mental health”). Cable TV and radio talk shows take over from there with familiar faces making the usual claims, talking past each other while Congress lets the hubub die down in hopes that a fresh insult overtakes the news cycle, which usually happens within a few days. 

And nothing changes.

It is in that world that we see the advice of folks like security expert Ed Hinman who penned a piece called “How To Protect Yourself During A Mass Shooting” for the Washington Post. .Hinman borrows advice from another of his ilk who says, “You must be an active participant in your own survival” which doesn't lyrically fit into a jingle the way “Duck and Cover” does. 

Maybe “Situational Awareness” and “Move Off The X” do. They're techniques Hinman suggests we employ, worse-case scenario strategies meant to extract the reader from harm's way, many based on moves made by survivors or, sadly, not employed by past victims. If we can't stop or curtail such assaults, the thinking goes, we'd best learn from others, both good and bad.

We accept the mass shooting as a new reality, and live with our heads on swivels: put down that restaurant wine list and memorize where the exits are. Before asking about the special of the day, ask yourself, “If there's an attack, what will I do?” 

At least we dared to confront the danger of the nuke. No, the toothpaste couldn't be put back into the tube but as a planet we discussed the risks and made a move or two to prevent proliferation. Will we ever do same with the mass shooter? 

Las Vegas taught us about “bump stocks”, a device even the N-R-A admitted was in play for elimination, yet what's happened since? And, if we learned nothing from Sutherland Springs, Texas it's that there's a hole in the registration process, one that's only as good as the information fed into it. The Air Force admits it failed to alert the national database as to the activities of our most recent mass killer, which meant his weapons purchases happened without question. That omission cost 26 people their lives, left others wounded and put a rent in a quiet community that will never heal. 

It's time to change the algorithm of mayhem, starting with last Sunday. Instead of letting another tragedy fade with the status quo maintained, can we at least clean up the processes that are supposed to keep felons from arms? Maybe then we could reopen that chat about bump stocks. And, if it's “crazy that kills”, let's begin the mental health debate, one that has to include fresh ideas as to how to separate the innocent from the dangerous.

“Duck and cover” was no strategy in the black-and-white days of Lucy and Ethel. “Moving off the X” is something none of us want to think about having to employ in this, a supposedly more enlightened age. We can't fix a huge issue in one fell swoop, but is it too much to ask of our leaders to provide at least a baby step in making sure we can go to a theater, church or classroom without having to consult a floor plan for escape routes?

It's on us to demand better, to expect more, to call for an adult discussion about that which has taken way too many lives. No matter where you come down as to causes and solutions, can we at least agree that its time for grown up chats about fixing a problem that's uniquely and tragically very, very American?

That's a brand of “situational awareness” we should insist on, so no one has to duck or cover in places where safety should be assured, not on loan until madness assumes ownership of the proceedings.