Monday, December 17, 2012

What to do?


It is not my intent to make light of the tragic murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School, but it gives me pause to ponder three points.  The mass shooting in Newtown, Conn is only one mass shooting in a long list of killing sprees; by one account there have been 61 mass murders in the last 40 years.  It seems that they are occurring with greater frequency and with deadlier results. 

I don’t know that the Lord’s presence in school would have prevented Adam Lanza from taking his mother’s life, and that of all those teachers and children.  I don’t know that gun control laws would have prevented Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold from opening fire in Columbine.  And I don’t know that comprehensive psychiatric treatment would have prevented Jared Loughner’s senseless attack in Tucson.  The left rallies for gun control laws.  The right proclaims the need for prayer in school.  Mothers describe the fallacy that is the mental health care system.

As I said, I don’t know that prayer, gun control, or comprehensive psychiatric treatment would have prevented any of the mass murders in recent decades.  One thing I know for sure – I am willing to try them all.  Leftists, rightists, insurance companies and legislators, I ask all of you to stop your bitching.  We stand to lose absolutely nothing by putting greater controls on automatic weapons.  We stand to lose absolutely nothing by praying in schools.  We stand to lose absolutely nothing by improving our behavioral health care standards.  On the flip side, we stand to lose many more children by arguing about what to do, followed by doing absolutely nothing.
Social media is replete with comments about mothers hugging their children.  Great!  That’s a start.  How many of those mothers write to their state and federal legislators about gun control?  How many of those mothers advocate for improved treatment for children with behavioral health problems?  How many of those mothers lobby their school board to allow prayer in school?  Hug your children, and then take real action, PLEASE