And Now Orlando

Orlando: the 49 dead (NY Daily News collage)

Whatever we're doing now to stop these mass murders, it's not working. Young lives ended or permanently damaged by strangers is horrible, made more horrible by the reminder that a very black heart beats in some of us.

Nearly a week has gone by, and the reaction was disappointing but not unexpected. There was an instantaneous rush to judgment by thought leaders who seem to be most concerned about validation of their worldview. Can't they all just budge a little on their positions on guns and immigration, whether pro- or anti-? No compromise solution will eliminate terrorist killings entirely, but any reduction in severity and frequency will be a step forward.

I don't know what will be lost by compromising but I know who the big winners will be---the ordinary Americans whose faces will not be on the six o'clock news.