In the wake of the horrible Florida school shooting, we have the mayor of Dallas asking the NRA not to hold their annual convention in his city and students holding a "lie in" at the White House, all demanding "stronger gun control" and "better gun laws".
Of course, it makes me ask questions. To the mayor and the students (and all the other voices like theirs, of which there is legion), what "stronger gun control"? What would you consider "good enough"? What will fix this problem? "We as teenagers want something to be done. It's not our parents, it's not adults. It's something that we truly believe needs to change," high school junior Eleanor Nuechterlein declared. So, what do you recommend? "Change" is an insufficient reply, because "change" could be removing all limitations or banning guns and anything in between. "Change" is just "something else". What will satisfy your demands? Two students suggested that disbanding the NRA and "stricter gun control laws" should help. That's both disturbing and nebulous. Maybe they think that promoting murder will help stop the violence?
To the lawmakers and legislators, what are you doing? Anything ... at all? And to all of the rest of us out here wondering, what do you think will fix this problem? Eliminate guns? Proliferate guns? Legislate guns? Maybe enforce the existing laws? Because I would suggest that these killings are not done by guns, and the problem is not solved by attempting to control or remove them. That would be a stopgap measure at best. "We're done with thoughts and prayers!" one protester shouted. Good job ... throw out the possibility of God's help in favor of new laws.
Did Something
You've probably seen this news item, but Billy Graham, age 99, died this week. He's someone who did something, bringing the Gospel to untold numbers. He has run the race; he has finished the course.
Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.That's the Problem
-- Billy Graham
Delaware Governor John Carney asked the Department of Education to figure out how to limit gender and racial identity bullying. The result is a possible new law currently marked Regulation 225 which will allow school-aged children (yes, like 5 year olds) to choose their gender and race. (Why not species?) In Delaware, if this bill passes, your white kindergarten boy could soon be a black kindergarten girl. And they won't inform the parents.
A member of the team that drafted the regulation, Mark Purpura, said they have received some 11,000 public comments, mostly negative. "A vast majority of those negative comments refuse to even acknowledge the existence that someone could be transgender. So that to me is problematic," Purpura said. Yeah, that's the problem. People who trust science to tell them that there are two genders and you don't get to pick your gender or your race are the problem. Instead, let's legislate science. Reasonable indeed.
Immigration Reform
The story is about immigration reform, about tightening controls over immigration, expediting deportations, and tightening qualifications for asylum. Do you suppose, since it is France and not the "evil Imperialist United States", it will be less offensive? Do you suppose that, since 63% of French citizens say there are too many immigrants in France, that will make it okay? I'd figure it's likely.
The End of the World as we Know it
A Hamilton County judge gave custody of a transgender teen to his grandparents rather than his parents because they refused to allow her to undergo hormone treatments and be called by her chosen male name. The parents argued that their daughter was not "even close to being able to make such a life-altering decision at this time." The county prosecuting attorney (they prosecute for this??) argued that it was the parents' religious beliefs that caused them to refuse to allow the insanity. The judge also "encouraged Ohio lawmakers to create legislation giving judges a framework in which they can evaluate a patient's right to gender therapy."
It's the end of parenthood. You don't get to decide what's best for your kids. You don't get to determine the best values, the best views, the best course for your kids. Loving them and providing for them and teaching them and guarding them is not enough. If your son believes that he's a female Chinese unicorn, you'd darn well better let him or you could find yourself in court facing a prosecutor and the loss of parental rights.
Mixed Messages?
As it turns out, there was an armed police officer at the Florida high school where a gunman killed 17 people last week. He just didn't do anything. The question I have is whether the masses will be upset that he didn't use his gun to stop the killing, or that he had a gun at all. Their response ought to tell you more about where they fall on gun control and guns in school than any other yelling they might do.
4 comments:
I can’t help but wonder how much of this violence is driven by a worldview and science education system that tells kids that human beings have no intrinsic value beyond any other organism and that the way nature works is that the strongest and most fit survive. Couple that with an industry that makes billions asserting that children aren’t human until some undefined time after they’re born, and you wonder why life is less valued.
Disband the NRA? I don't necessarily agree with that group, but do we really want a government that can disband private organizations that aren't doing anything illegal?
One of the arguments I've heard against an armed citizenry is that we have an armed police force for that. Problem I have with that is the time it takes for police to arrive, and if there is already a presence, they aren't necessarily going to be able to do anything about it, unless you create a police state where a heavily armed standing force (not just 1 or 2 officers) available within minutes of everywhere. It would be foolish to expect a lone officer with a lack of intel could do anything against a more heavily armed gunman. All he can do is lock down the area and wait for backup.
I completely agree with your first point, hadn’t even thought that far ahead. But it’s disturbing that people are ready to do so.
I’m pretty sure that your second point is pretty much the reason why scotus has ruled the way it has. Clearly there is no possible way for the police to prevent crime in most cases.
DO SOMETHING!!!
"Lie in" is an appropriate title for the gathering, as it unfortunately includes so many lies in their emotion driven attempt to affect change. I've been reluctant to speak about these kids and their activism, given what they've been through. But I don't think their trauma excuses falsehood, intentional or not. As with too many, their focus is misplaced.
Did Something
Too bad his work, and the work of other evangelists, isn't seen as "doing something" when it is the most important thing to do.
That's the Problem
I was going to say "how did things get so messed up?" But I know the answer. Too many won't listen to those like Billy Graham who are doing something, which can't help but lead to The End of the World as we Know it.
Mixed Messages?
Someone at my blog actually used this as a counter to the notion that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun". Sad.
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