When I was in high school and college, I ran cross-country. While this photo might look like me, it isn’t.

This isn't me

However, I wasn’t a good runner at all. Whether in high school or college, most of the team ran past me. My only real claim to fame as a runner was that I was better than those that never tried. This was my letter in high school, which graces the wall in my office.

In the six decades, since I attempted distance running, I have learned to think and question instead of being a runner. I look at what we are doing in the world and utter, “Run that past me again.”

Let me mention a couple of t hin gs that I have wanted someone to explain what some people claim is correct. For example, Trump lost the election against Biden. Despite Trump’s claim that the election was stolen from him, none of the 59 legal appeals to various courts made by Trump and his supporters were successful. Trump lost the election in addition to five dozen court rulings. Donald the Loser still maintains that he won. Run that past me again.

In the previous presidential election, the only reason Trump beat Clinton was due to the Electoral College. Clinton received three million more votes than Trump, giving Clinton 48% to Trump’s 46%.

Another issue facing America is civil rights. Black, Hispanics, and Asians are discriminated against. Who is discriminating and why? Whites are the group acting prejudicial, and fear is the reason for that behavior. Whites fear minorities who might take away their jobs, power, or status in our country. America had a Civil War over slavery, and many whites, especially in the South, still won’t accept the issue of equality. Whites maintain that they are superior to all races. That is equally true when it comes to the LGBTQ+ community. If one isn’t white, they aren’t equal to many whites. Run that past me again.

Women’s reproductive rights are still another issue, which many see from a sexist mindset. Men tell women what they can or can’t do with their bodies. And who came up with that imperative? Women. No. Men control what men do and, additionally, what women can do. If one is looking for blatant sexism, that is the cardinal example. Who gets women pregnant? Why not control men when it comes to reproduction? Apparently, women aren’t capable of determining their reproductive rights. Run that past me again.

@abcnews Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett says Congress has no role in legislation aimed at preventing more mass shootings in the wake of six people being shot and killed at a Nashville school. #news #nashville ♬ original sound - ABC News

On Monday of this week, three 9-year-old children and three adults were shot and killed by a person with two assault-style rifles and a handgun. The person responsible for the mass shooting attended the school where the killings occurred.

Mass shootings

In 2020, 45,222 people in America died by guns. So far this year, 132 victims have died in mass shootings. And what are we doing about these deaths? Whatever it is, it isn’t working. Why do American citizens assault-style rifles? AR-15 and that type of weapon were designed for wars. President Clinton signed legislation banning assault-style rifles in 1994, which expired a decade later.

In 2020, firearms caused more deaths among children between 1 and 19 than car accidents. Run that past me again.

And what are Republicans going to do to address this problem? Nothing. Listen to Rep. Tim Burchett, who represents the area around Knoxville, TN, when asked about his position regarding three nine-year-old children in Nashville.

@abcnews Tennessee GOP Rep. Tim Burchett says Congress has no role in legislation aimed at preventing more mass shootings in the wake of six people being shot and killed at a Nashville school. #news #nashville ♬ original sound - ABC News

Run that past me again. No, don’t repeat that stupid statement again. Elementary schools aren’t equivalent to Saipan, Imo Jima, or Okinawa during WWII. If your children were killed in a mass shooting, you wouldn’t tolerate someone parroting your imbecilic statement.