Twenty Innocent Little Lives 

Like the rest of the folks in our country, I am sitting here in shock, grief and disbelief as I contemplate the loss of twenty precious, innocent little lives in the Connecticut school shooting.  I can’t even begin to fathom what it must be like for the families of these children as they try to come to terms with such a horrific loss.  As I jot down these thoughts, it is less than 24 hours since this atrocity occurred…way too early to speculate.  Nevertheless, the reactions to the mass shooting of these children have already begun to highlight, once again, the vast difference between how progressives and traditional Americans approach a problem. 

Progs Look for Quick Fix 

It’s already clear that those (temporarily) in charge will take the easy way out and deploy their usual superficial approach, an approach that just happens to fit neatly with their long term plans to fundamentally change America.  Instead of seeking the root cause of this horrible incident they have already begun to lay the groundwork for placing the blame on ‘guns’.  Apparently Barack Obama has determined that this is another crisis that he will not let go to waste.  In his first public performance after the incident he tearfully stated that the country’s leaders must take “meaningful action” regardless of politics in response to the mass shooting.  Gosh, I wonder what he means by that.  If he succeeds, the progs will all pat themselves on the backs for a quick fix that only kicks the proverbial can farther down the road. 

They’ll Just Use Different Weapons 

The real problem will still be there and a new generation of twisted perpetrators will just use different weapons…like in China, where guns are strictly controlled.  Twenty-one people there, many of them children, were hacked to death and 90 injured with knives, hammers and cleavers in a spate of school attacks during a recent 18 month period.  Or perhaps like in Pakistan where explosives are the weapon of choice and many children have been blown to bits during school attacks.  Or maybe like in Uganda where fire is the weapon of choice and many children have been burned to death during school attacks.  What will the progs do then?  Instead, they should be trying to identify the contributing factors behind this incident, factors which now define the disturbing new society they have created.  Thoughtful Americans, on the other hand, have long been pointing out that some very negative changes in our society have led to many of the problems now plaguing us…and they are asking lots of questions. 

Someone Should Have Seen This Coming 

For the sake of these children who suffered such a brutal and unjust death, let us finally resolve to determine what it is about our current culture that enables such an act to occur.  In our country guns have been available for hunting and self defense since the Pilgrims first landed at Plymouth, not far from where this tragedy occurred, but it has only been in recent years that a few young men have used guns to commit mass murder.  What is different about our society today that has caused this change?  Is it the disintegration of the family unit as reflected in the 50% divorce rate?  Is it drug use?  Is it improper management of mentally disturbed individuals?  Is it poor parenting?  Is it too much screen time for children?  These are all questions which must be addressed.  Early information indicates that the perpetrator of this evil act was a teenager when his parents divorced, had a personality disorder, was remote, adopted the accoutrements of the gothic subculture and spent a lot of time playing video games.  You can draw your own conclusions, but it seems to me someone should have seen this coming. 

In God’s Loving Care   

All that notwithstanding, every missed opportunity to prevent this atrocity must be identified and corrective action must be taken when indicated, whether it involves mental health care providers, gun dealers, judges, legislators, lawyers or family members of the perpetrator.  Every one of us should be angry and outraged that such a thing could occur in our country, but we cannot begin to address this situation until we recognize that it is not the weapons, but the evil sociopaths behind them that are the problem.  From all indications thus far, the response of school officials, law enforcement and medical personnel to this incident has been outstanding and we salute these individuals for their professionalism.  More than anything else, however, our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones and for those twenty little children who are now in God’s loving care.