A Time For Reasoned Discussion

Since 1994 there have been 70 school shootings. 70. Let that number sink in for a minute. I own weapons and enjoy shooting. I am not naive enough to believe that simply passing laws will prevent madmen armed with ill intent from harming our children. Although people constantly ignore the "well-regulated" aspect of the Second Amendment, I do agree that we as Americans should have the right to own firearms. But the time has come for this nation to have a legitimate conversation about how do we reduce gun violence in our country. That conversation must include a discussion about the need for average citizens to own large capacity magazines, about the ability to buy firearms without some kind of registration, about the need for some type of firearm safety training, about improved mental healthcare for our citizens, about the effect of video games and movies on impressionable young minds, and about anything else that even remotely might be a contributing factor in the levels of gun violence plaguing our cities and schools and people in general. Silly rhetoric about prying guns from your cold, dead hands or about the need for banning violent video games or anything else muttered as a defense of the status quo needs to end and be replaced with legitimate, reasoned debate on what steps we should take to end this travesty. The blood of our children cries out for adults to step up and make the hard choices necessary to protect our kids and others from vicious people hell-bent to inflict carnage on innocents. 70 school shootings demand our attention. 20 precious angels and their 6 protectors who died in the halls and classrooms of an elementary school shout for change that will show their sacrifice to have not been in vain. Soon the television cameras will pack up and move on to the next big story and the focus of our people will have shifted to events far from Sandy Hook. Time is ticking toward 71 and the question remains, "What will we do to stop it?" What is your answer?

Mike Huckabee and Fox Zealots

For the record, Mike Huckabee is representative of everything that is wrong with Fox and their conservative, anti-public school zealots. First, the idea that any mortal could stop God from going anywhere He wishes or is wanted is ludicrous. Second, the lie that keeps getting spun around Facebook and Right-wing media sites that someone has kicked God out of school is so easily disproven it requires either the gullible or simple-minded to believe it. We have Christian student clubs in our schools that have every right that any other club has in school. Students, teachers, and community the members routinely stage See You the at the Pole events. Teachers and students routinely pray before meals and other events and have Bibles with them in their class. What has been stopped is having the school force one brand of religion or another on a captive audience. I don't want some school administrator telling me and my children how to pray. For Huckabee, or anyone else, to say that the reason these poor children and their teachers were murdered in cold blood is because public schools have turned their backs on God is completely absurd and insulting to the families who lost love ones today and Huckabee and those like them should be holding their heads in shame.

Huckabee Proves He is Out of Touch