Claptrap, a useful word we rarely hear anymore, but a
perfect description of much of what we are now hearing from Republicans,
especially those on the religious right. The NRA itself has been remarkably
silent and absent for the past three days but not so some of their obvious
sympathizers. Perhaps the most outrageous claim came from Mike Huckabee, who
seems to think that “leaving God out of our schools” is what caused the
terrible tragedy at the Sandy Hook school. And of course there is the usual
chorus from those who seem to believe that the answer to gun violence should be
the addition of more guns. Louie “What’s his face,” a Representative from
Texas, who is living proof that one can be elected to high office (at least in
Texas) even though completely lacking a brain, expressed his great sorrow that
the Principal who gave her life trying to stop the shooter did not have her own
weapon so she could have “blown his head off” before he could carry out his
massacre. Along those same lines, Governor Snyder in Michigan is prepared to
sign a bill into law that would allow weapons to be carried into churches and
elementary schools. There are many Republicans that subscribe to the completely
illogical, even completely nonsensical belief, that if people only had more guns this
would solve the problem of gun violence. And there are still those who argue
passionately that “guns don’t kill people, people do.” That is true, guns do
not jump up and murder people on their own, but people who have easy access to
millions of guns (9 guns for every 10 people in the U.S.) kill people far more
easily than those who do not have such easy
access. It is unfortunately true, we are genuinely awash in an ocean of guns
and violence. Even most “Savages” did better at social control than we do.
I am trying very hard to suppress my atheistic urge to
comment on the recent ecumenical treatment of the tragedy at Sandy Hook. It
seems that people of several different faiths agree (more or less) that “God
the Father,” who looks after us and cares for us, has called his children “back
to heaven” (or whatever), and is that same “Father,” supposedly both
omnipresent and omnipotent, who just allowed the slaughter of 20 innocent
children and 6 heroic adults. He/She/It is believed somehow to be a benevolent
supernatural being worthy of our uncritical adoration. To me this is just
another version of claptrap, but if it really does make people feel better about
this cruel, unjust, inexplicable, horrible tragedy, that is fine. It doesn’t do
that for me.
Our virtually useless “one story” media allows us to not
even think about the tragedies that occur on a daily basis in Gaza, Syria,
Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere in the world. While we pretend we
can afford to rule the entire world we cannot afford to hear about it as that
is apparently too expensive (reporters have to be paid), so much for private
enterprise. Of course there is the distinct possibility that those who control
our news don’t want us to hear about it, or know about it, or think about it,
or comment on it, or talk about it, or form opinions about it, and it would
certainly not do were we to try to do anything about it. Such is life in the
little bubble of six-packs, sports, TV garbage, do-nothing politics, and local
tragedies (Lawrence O'Donnell is now interviewing two people who were Middle School students of the dead Principal 12 years ago!) we are allowed to experience, such is life in the “greatest country
on earth” in the early years of the 21st century.
When I went to bed last night there was one inch of snow on the ground. This morning there was a good 14 inches, maybe slightly more. I have been snowbound all day, perhaps I will be again tomorrow. But not to worry, I have my cats to keep me warm, food and drink, and, mercifully, lots of books.
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