Yet another school shooting in America yesterday. This year, 2018, is not even fully seven weeks old, yet already, this is the 18th school shooting for this calendar year!
Think about that!
Once again, we see horrific images of kids running from an active shooting in their school, having to take precautions so that local police know that they are not armed. Yet again, we see images from local news choppers of police storming into a school building. Yet again, we are hearing interviews from stunned students and faculty and family members.
And of course, the "thoughts and prayers" from our national politicians in Washington, which seem to comfort people less and less, and which never seem to be enough to prevent more mass shootings in the nation that far and away sees more such mass shootings than any other peacetime nation.
Of course, President Trump chimed in, slightly altering the traditional "thoughts and prayers" sentiment, but effectively saying much the same as he always says after mass shootings. Here is what President Trump said of the Florida school shooting:
"My prayers and condolences to the families of the victims of the terrible Florida shooting. No child, teacher or anyone else should ever feel unsafe in an American school."
This was the initial statement following yesterday's school shooting. Naturally, the President did not rant and rave about this, like he rants and raves about Islamic fundamentalism or Mexican immigrants. No angry tweets, and most certainly no calls for tighter gun control measures.
Today, however, President Trump had a bit more to say. Once again, however, conspicuous by it's absence, was any mention of tighter gun control measures:
“We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life that creates deep and meaningful human connections, and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends and neighbors.”
He went on to add:
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
So, it seems to me that the President's position on mass shootings in the aftermath of this latest mass shooting (the third such shooting that ranks among the ten deadliest in modern American history during President Trump's still short time in office) seems to be summed up in this way: increase surveillance on your fellow Americans and report anything that you believe to be suspicious. Otherwise, such incidents are probably your fault. And we need to focus on mental health, although the President himself has offered no solutions whatsoever to make healthcare that mental health victims would require more affordable. Also, and the most important part here: absolutely no steps will be taken towards gun control measures whatsoever. In fact, President Trump last year rolled back an Obama-era regulation which had made it more difficult for people with serious mental issues to acquire guns. This measure was one that essentially dated back to efforts to block access to guns for people with serious mental health issues, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Somehow, Trump forgot to mention this yesterday, he forgot to boast about his canceling this measure. Also, he forgot to mention just how much money the NRA contributed to his White House campaign, and how supportive they are of him.
But you can bet that there will at least be more thoughts and prayers will be available for the next tragedy.
Moving on...
There was one thing that was different in yesterday's shooting, however. Some prominent figures instantly called out the hypocrisy of prominent American politicians who shared their "thoughts and prayers."
Frankly, I think this is a refreshing change, because the level of hypocrisy of these politicians, many of whom not only loudly advertise their public support of second amendment gun rights, and many of whom also actively take significant funds from the NRA, get away with this, time and time again. It is beginning to quite literally resemble getting away with murder, even if these politicians were not physically present or pulling the trigger.
Today, however, President Trump had a bit more to say. Once again, however, conspicuous by it's absence, was any mention of tighter gun control measures:
“We must also work together to create a culture in our country that embraces the dignity of life that creates deep and meaningful human connections, and that turns classmates and colleagues into friends and neighbors.”
He went on to add:
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
So, it seems to me that the President's position on mass shootings in the aftermath of this latest mass shooting (the third such shooting that ranks among the ten deadliest in modern American history during President Trump's still short time in office) seems to be summed up in this way: increase surveillance on your fellow Americans and report anything that you believe to be suspicious. Otherwise, such incidents are probably your fault. And we need to focus on mental health, although the President himself has offered no solutions whatsoever to make healthcare that mental health victims would require more affordable. Also, and the most important part here: absolutely no steps will be taken towards gun control measures whatsoever. In fact, President Trump last year rolled back an Obama-era regulation which had made it more difficult for people with serious mental issues to acquire guns. This measure was one that essentially dated back to efforts to block access to guns for people with serious mental health issues, after the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Somehow, Trump forgot to mention this yesterday, he forgot to boast about his canceling this measure. Also, he forgot to mention just how much money the NRA contributed to his White House campaign, and how supportive they are of him.
But you can bet that there will at least be more thoughts and prayers will be available for the next tragedy.
Moving on...
There was one thing that was different in yesterday's shooting, however. Some prominent figures instantly called out the hypocrisy of prominent American politicians who shared their "thoughts and prayers."
Frankly, I think this is a refreshing change, because the level of hypocrisy of these politicians, many of whom not only loudly advertise their public support of second amendment gun rights, and many of whom also actively take significant funds from the NRA, get away with this, time and time again. It is beginning to quite literally resemble getting away with murder, even if these politicians were not physically present or pulling the trigger.
One of those politicians was Marco Rubio, a leading politician from Florida who ran for the White House in 2016, and took the opportunity to go on FOX News and state his opinions. His position as being pro-guns is well known, of course. This is some of what he said yesterday, after the mass shooting:
"I think it's important to know all of that before you jump to conclusions that there was some law that we could have passed that would have prevented it. And there may be, but shouldn't we at least know the facts?"
In other words, Rubio was warning against using this latest tragedy as an opportunity to call for tighter gun control measures. In this, he is certainly not alone, as pro-NRA politicians, most especially Republicans, always claim that reactions following mass shootings are efforts to "politicize tragedy."
However, some have had enough. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) went on the Senate floor after the shooting, and suggested that this latest shooting was “a consequence of our inaction” on gun violence. He went on to say that the problems with the frequency of these kinds of mass shooting incidents was unique to this country, and that this was a problem.
"I think you can always have that debate. But if you're gonna have that debate about this particular incident you should know the facts of that incident before you run out and prescribe some law that you claim could have prevented it."
"I've seen a lot of that on TV, and maybe there is a law that could have prevented this instance. But we don't know that and neither do they."
That might sound reasonable to some people, but here's the thing: politicians like Rubio say the same exact thing after every damn shooting, don't they? They told us not to rush to judgement or to tighten gun control laws after Columbine. They told us the same thing after Virginia Tech, after Tuscon, after Aurora, and after Sandy Hook. It still continued to happen. It happened San Bernardino, and then with what was then the largest mass shooting in modern American history in Orlando. It happened still again in Las Vegas last October, which right now ranks as the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. One of the largest ones, and the largest in Texas history, occurred just weeks after that, in Sutherland Springs. And now, the third largest school shooting in modern American history, and the worst since Sandy Hook.
At what point are Americans going to realize that this cannot be accepted as the "new normal?" That, in fact, there is absolutely nothing normal about this?
Marco Rubio ✔ @marcorubio Just spoke to Broward School Superintendent. Today is that terrible day you pray never comes. 4:34 PM - Feb 14, 2018
New York Daily News ✔ @NYDailyNews .@marcorubio received $90,205 in campaign donations from gun rights groups during the 2015-2016 campaign cycle and received an "A+" grade from the NRA. Rubio has received $3,303,355 over the course of his career as an elected official. http://nydn.us/2o7Sk0z #thoughtsandprayers https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/963889141149822976 … 5:15 PM - Feb 14, 2018
Another prominent pro-gun Republican Senator, Rob Portman, also received a quick response from the New York Daily News after sending his prayers. Here was the exchange:
Rob Portman ✔ @senrobportman Heartbreaking news out of Florida. Jane and I send our prayers to the school, the community, and the victims of this tragedy. 4:34 PM - Feb 14, 2018
New York Daily News ✔ @NYDailyNews Portman received $64,877 in campaign donations from gun rights groups during the 2015-2016 campaign cycle and received an "A" grade from the NRA. He's received $3,061,941 from the NRA over the course of his career as an elected official http://nydn.us/2o7Sk0z #thoughtsandprayers https://twitter.com/senrobportman/status/963889332984647681 … 5:24 PM - Feb 14, 2018
That was not it, either. The New York Daily News singled out other pro-gun Republican Senators, specifying the compensation that they had received from the NRA:
New York Daily News ✔ @NYDailyNews Cruz received $41,805 in campaign donations from gun rights groups during the 2015-2016 campaign cycle and received an "A+" grade from the NRA. http://nydn.us/2o7Sk0z #thoughtsandprayers https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/963885539274510336 … 6:04 PM - Feb 14, 2018
New York Daily News ✔ @NYDailyNews .@SenToomey received $79,908 in campaign donations from gun rights groups during the 2015-2016 campaign cycle. http://nydn.us/2o7Sk0z #thoughtsandprayers https://twitter.com/SenToomey/status/963896503948464129 … 5:51 PM - Feb 14, 2018
This, I think, is how the news sources need to handle this situation. The New York Daily News handled this well, prominently displaying the hypocrisy and, frankly, culpability of these pro-gun officials who so freely take NRA funding and advance the NRA's agenda, while then offering their supposedly heartfelt "thoughts and prayers" after every tragic incident like this. And for far too long, their hypocrisy was left alone, and they were not called out for the blood on their hands.
I sincerely hope that this marks the beginning of a real turnaround, although as an American who has seen firsthand the passion with which some guns right people will ignore these stories, or will use them to instantly point out their own logic regarding bad guys and good guys with guns, and who vehemently oppose any common sense measures at background checks or other gun control measures, I am skeptical that any real progress will be made.
But boy, I hope I am wrong!
After Florida Shooting, Trump Focuses on Mental Health Over Guns By KATIE ROGERS, FEB. 15, 2018:
FEB 28 2017, 8:39 PM ET Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People With Mental Illnesses by ALI VITALI
NY Daily News calls out GOP senators on NRA money BY JOSH DELK - 02/14/18 06:15 PM EST
Rubio warns against ‘jumping to conclusions’ after Florida school shooting BY JOSH DELK - 02/14/18 09:01 PM EST
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