Bad things happen.
Published on Wed, Dec 2, 2009 by Beckye RandallRead More Voices
Writing this column is almost always the last thing I do for each publication. By the time I sit down at my laptop on Monday evening to put some thoughts on paper, I've already written and edited so much material my mind is getting mushy. So it's probably no wonder that I sometimes struggle for a relevant topic.
Tonight I keep coming back to the tragedies of the past few days.
Four police officers were gunned down in a Lakewood coffee shop as they prepared to start their day. The brave men and women who choose this line of work understand the inherent dangers, but the sheer brutality of the act is mind-boggling. There are still so many unanswered questions, as if knowing why Maurice Clemmons opened fire on his victims could help us understand and move on. The truth is, there can be no reason, no motive that explains a crime this heinous.
While we were all still reeling from the morning's news from the south, there was a horrendous crash on Hwy. 9 at 108th Street right here in Marysville that claimed the lives of four innocent people. Four more of our neighbors stolen from their families, their friends, this time at the hands of a drunk driver. Matthew McDonald, the driver of the Ford Explorer, didn't stop at the stop sign, and the passengers in the Hyundai sedan probably didn't even see him coming. Apparently, McDonald had a blood alcohol level of 1.23, about 1.5 times the legal limit.
Residents of Marysville are still mourning the senseless loss of Officer Timothy Brenton, a Seattle police officer who lived here in our community with his family. The tragedy of little Stormy Peters of Tulalip, shot to death by her own father, was front page news again during Richard Peters' recent sentencing. Another Tulalip family was shattered as James Fryberg was charged with the death of a toddler left in his care.
Maybe it's the gray November skies that darken northwest psyches, the shortened days and incessant rain that makes us gloomy. While I'm sure there are plenty of scientific studies that document the effects of sunshine deprivation, I don't think we can chalk all this insanity up to the weather.
Here at North County Outlook, we try to focus on the positive things that happen in our communities. But that doesn't mean we aren't affected by the negative ones.
Maybe December will be better.
Tonight I keep coming back to the tragedies of the past few days.
Four police officers were gunned down in a Lakewood coffee shop as they prepared to start their day. The brave men and women who choose this line of work understand the inherent dangers, but the sheer brutality of the act is mind-boggling. There are still so many unanswered questions, as if knowing why Maurice Clemmons opened fire on his victims could help us understand and move on. The truth is, there can be no reason, no motive that explains a crime this heinous.
While we were all still reeling from the morning's news from the south, there was a horrendous crash on Hwy. 9 at 108th Street right here in Marysville that claimed the lives of four innocent people. Four more of our neighbors stolen from their families, their friends, this time at the hands of a drunk driver. Matthew McDonald, the driver of the Ford Explorer, didn't stop at the stop sign, and the passengers in the Hyundai sedan probably didn't even see him coming. Apparently, McDonald had a blood alcohol level of 1.23, about 1.5 times the legal limit.
Residents of Marysville are still mourning the senseless loss of Officer Timothy Brenton, a Seattle police officer who lived here in our community with his family. The tragedy of little Stormy Peters of Tulalip, shot to death by her own father, was front page news again during Richard Peters' recent sentencing. Another Tulalip family was shattered as James Fryberg was charged with the death of a toddler left in his care.
Maybe it's the gray November skies that darken northwest psyches, the shortened days and incessant rain that makes us gloomy. While I'm sure there are plenty of scientific studies that document the effects of sunshine deprivation, I don't think we can chalk all this insanity up to the weather.
Here at North County Outlook, we try to focus on the positive things that happen in our communities. But that doesn't mean we aren't affected by the negative ones.
Maybe December will be better.
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