And then I wrote...
by Dick Schilling, Editor Emeritus
... that with another Fourth of July in the rear window (for you now, not for me as this is being written) many of us are prone to wonder how much longer what that day signifies will be allowed; will be politically correct.
The knee-jerk reactions of some career politicians and political activists in the immediate wake of the tragic, racially inspired shooting in that Carolina church are examples of why nothing of significance seems to ever get done to solve major problems.
From the left, including the president, came the usual “solution” to an evil act by an individual, i.e. gun control. Never mind that this was a “controlled” gun legally purchased and legally given as a gift to a family member. The real problem is not the inanimate metal object called a gun, but the “why” anyone would make such a gift to someone with the inclinations of the killer. They did not know his racist feelings? Why not? He was barely of adult age, and there had to be hints as he was growing up.
And there is another problem. Even if they figured he was mentally unbalanced, they could not do anything about it. A parent, for example, can not have a child committed for mental problems against the child’s will. It takes a government action, and by then, it is too late.
The only gun control that would work is total disarmament of citizens, and in addition to running into constitutional barriers, that would be most unpopular in the light of what history has shown us are the actions of dictators in that arena.
After guns, the next whipping boy (... oops, unfortunate phrase, that!) was the flag of one of the former confederate states. If the gun didn’t kill those people, the flag did! Yep! Another inanimate object with murderous intent. Those who have had “southerners” as friends know that the various versions of the “Confederate Flag” have different meanings to different folks. One of the most gentlemanly, considerate and kind fellow officers I knew was from Texas, and whenever a Texas team lost a game or he lost a golf game, he would loudly proclaim: “The South will rise again!” Did he mean that literally? Of course not. And what is the literal meaning? It isn’t approval of slavery for many. Individual states’ rights rank right up there, too, as in the once-popular reference to The United States of America.
Note to Supreme Court. That’s states, not state.
Another note to the Supreme Court. The equalization of marriage decision often is being supported by quoting the 14th Amendment. Regardless of how you feel about the decision, that is an improper citation. It says nothing about marriage. The 14th is the middle of the three amendments called the Reconstruction Amendments and they were meant to apply only to status change for the newly-freed slaves.
Thoughts from someone born less than a week before the Fourth of July. No, not the first observance!
