As we close out the year 2024 I am airing once again this episode begging for an end to the gun violence and mass shootings that plague our country.

In 2018, in the immediate aftermath of yet another senseless, hate driven mass shooting at the Tree Of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA, I wrote “Tree Of Life”. It’s a somber, mournful plea to find “a better way” to deal with gun violence and mass shootings. 

When I started this podcast in 2021 one of the first episodes I aired featured this song after yet another mass shooting. Then, in 2022, with the carnage continuing in schools and other public places, I aired the episode a second time. In September 2024, in the aftermath of yet another mass shooting in a school in Georgia, I aired the episode again. 

The cycle continues. The politicians offer only “thoughts and prayers”, but nothing changes and nothing gets done. Think about the fact that children attending school today must be taught what to do if there’s an active shooter! This is insanity. Why does this happen primarily in the U.S.? Maybe it’s because we have so many more guns in circulation than any other country. Maybe it’s because we haven’t outlawed automatic weapons designed for military use.  

The bottom line is that, as my song says, “we must find a better way - today”. Please contact your politicians and demand a solution to this terrible problem.

“Tree Of Life” Spotify link.