Where Does It End

Shane Geoghegan stepped out of his house on Sunday. A car drove past, shots were fired, and the man was dead.

He was somewhat well known, owing to his skills at rugby, but he resembled someone else and for that he's dead.

The town of Limerick is no different than the ghettos that ring the city of Chicago. Drug lords fight for turf, guns are plentiful in spite of a ban, and murders are a regular occurrence. Innocent people get caught in the cross-fire and innocent people die.

The citizens are outraged, they demand action, but what action will work? Law enforcement is floundering, trying to prosecute criminals when the victims are terrified into silence.

The priests will offer prayers, Mr. Geoghegan's team mates will speak of his character, the man's family will grieve, and before long the process will repeat with another innocent victim.

Where does it end? When users boycott the drug dealers and drug traffic grinds to a halt? When witnesses sacrifice their homes and families in return for a new life under a new identity? When a neighbor braves retribution and speaks up?

Shane Geoghegan was gunned down outside of his house in Limerick because drug dealers want to kill off the competition, and there's too much money involved to worry about making a mistake. They'll just head back out and find the right man to murder.

Where does it end? If anyone had an answer, there wouldn't be hundreds of people killed every year for another's greed.