The survivors of the Parkland, Florida school shooting have a
message they’d like delivered. It is simple: Stop yacking and DO
something.
Here’s how one student put it on CNN: “Thoughts and prayers… we
need more than that. We need action. We are children. YOU guys are the adults.”
That’s from David Hogg, student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where
17 died last week.
President trump offered prayers. Speaker Ryan offered prayers.
Senator Rubio offered prayers.
Fat load of good that’s done.
There are articles all over the map saying that. Vicenews
headline: “I don’t want your condolences.” Or how about USA Today: “Prayers are
not enough.” And on and on. Except for the firing pinheads. Here’s
what The Federalist asks: “What kind of society condemns prayers at a time like
this?”
The answer is none that we know of. What it condemns is
inaction. What it condemns is stubborn misrepresentation by the highest
court in the land of the second amendment that grants militia members to bear
arms but doesn’t specify firearms.
It condemns the legislators who’ve been bought and paid for by the
gun makers, the ammo makers and the NRA.
You want to pray? Go ahead if it makes you feel better. It
won’t hurt anyone. But if that’s all you do, it makes you inadequate.
Chew on that for awhile.
What ever happened to “God helps those who help themselves.”
Everything else is God as Santa Claus. And most of us know there
IS no Santa Claus and if there is a God, his prayer-line iPad is on overload.
But maybe, just maybe the tide is turning.
Maybe there are more out there like one guy, overheard in a
convenience store. He’s the kind of man you wouldn’t give a second look.
Baseball hat and beard with a little gray. Pot belly. Jeans. The
kind of guy who probably owns some guns and probably has taken his kids hunting
since they could walk.
No, you wouldn’t give him a second look, but hearing him, you
might give him a second listen. “We have to do something about the number
and kinds of guns that are out there. We have to protect our children
from these people. And if the only way to do it is to restrict guns and gun
use, then let’s do it.”
This does not hold up as anything more than an anecdote.
When “regular people” start talking like this, maybe other regular people
will listen.
But like prayer, hope doesn’t do much by itself either. So
as young Mr. Hogg said “...you are the adults” and another student tweeted to
trump’s call for prayers “I don’t want your condolences… my classmates are
dead… prayers won’t fix this…”
SHRAPNEL:
--As if we needed a report… the Long Island Railroad says its
on-time performance fell to a ten year low in January, to 89.3 per cent, which
is grade inflation because rail “on time” is defined as reaching its
destination within six minutes of schedule. The LIRR carries 89 million
fares a year, the largest volume of any commuter railroad in the country. Maybe
things would change if they understood that “fares” and “people” are not the
same thing.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to
them. ®
Please address comments to wesrichards@gmail.com
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© WJR 2018
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