By Carlyle Harry
Readers–It has happened again, last week Friday morning(4.18) I was in the midst of completing my Commentary for this Issue, when the Television station interrupted to announce that there was another school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas.
As a parent-like many of you, and because of my profound interest in this trail of tragedies, I felt compelled to scrap the piece that I was in the process of pulling together, and instead start afresh on this topic.
–Nine students and one teacher were killed, while ten students were seriously injured.
–Nine students and one teacher were killed, while ten students were seriously injured.
By now, the details of the Santa Fe shootings have been well published and narrated, hence I consider it more useful to dwell on the aftermath, which in summary witnessed (Republican) elected personnel and NRA officials refusing to blame the easy access to guns for this epidemic; while the Democrats and anti-gun advocates are repeating their plans to vote out the pro-NRA elected ones.
** After the Texas’ massacre, there have now been more students or teachers killed by guns in American schools, than active-duty Military deaths in 2018.
President Trump did the usual thing–offering his sympathy, prayers and promises of Governmental action(s)…His opponents were quick to criticize those verbal and tweeting patterns which are hardly followed up with positive Legislative initiatives.
WHAT HAPPENED
President Trump did the usual thing–offering his sympathy, prayers and promises of Governmental action(s)…His opponents were quick to criticize those verbal and tweeting patterns which are hardly followed up with positive Legislative initiatives.
WHAT HAPPENED
On Friday morning, May 18th, 17 year-old–Dimitrios Pagourtzis, wearing a “BORN TO KILL” T-shirt, yelling “surprise”, and toting two guns opened fire in his high school–slaughtering eight students and two staff-members,while wounding ten others.
He burst into a first period Art class around 7.30 a.m. armed with his father’s Remington shot gun and a 38 caliber revolver….
Pagourtzis first picked off students who tried to escape through a class room door, then he turned his sights on a supply closet where other classmates were hiding.
The shooting came just three months after a former student fatally shot 17 persons at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida.
He burst into a first period Art class around 7.30 a.m. armed with his father’s Remington shot gun and a 38 caliber revolver….
Pagourtzis first picked off students who tried to escape through a class room door, then he turned his sights on a supply closet where other classmates were hiding.
The shooting came just three months after a former student fatally shot 17 persons at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school in Parkland, Florida.
A FEW REACTIONS
Most of the students who were interviewed by the Media, observed that they were busy with preparations for their end of school year activities, when the shootings occurred; and now they had to turn their attention from celebrations to mourning(s) and burials….the Santa Fe High school is due to close on May 31st.
–Some students indicated that they were being increasingly attracted to home schooling
** New York’s NEW YORK POST’s Editorial of Saturday, May 19th stated”Another day, another 10 victims–nine students and a teacher–shot to death, this time in a high school in the Houston suburb of Santa Fe…And another reminder that Washington-from President Trump on down, has failed to do anything about comprehensive and sensible gun control measures.”
The Editorial went on”It’s a sadly familiar story, so is the repeated failure that Trump made yet again Friday to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools, and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and others…In the absence of strong Presidential leadership, a reflectively timid Congress has sat on its hands and done nothing.”
The Editorial went on”It’s a sadly familiar story, so is the repeated failure that Trump made yet again Friday to do everything in our power to protect our students, secure our schools, and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves and others…In the absence of strong Presidential leadership, a reflectively timid Congress has sat on its hands and done nothing.”
** New York’s DAILY NEWS’ Editorial of Saturday, May 19th stated”With the tragic predictability of a clock striking the hour, another American school has turned into a scene of carnage, inflicted by a student bearing heavy weaponry, and with guns blazing…It was an eerie echo of the massacre of 17, just three months ago at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High…And yes, guns and ammunition are far too easy for angry and unstable young men to obtain…In the face of such a serious sickness, leaders in Washington-we’re looking at you.”
** Governor Andrew Cuomo said”President Trump, you were elected to lead, do something…Your first responsibility is to the people of this country, not the NRA–do something.”
** Governor Andrew Cuomo said”President Trump, you were elected to lead, do something…Your first responsibility is to the people of this country, not the NRA–do something.”
–It was the same story all over again with President Trump and a queue of elected Officials from all over America greeting the incident with the usual “thoughts, prayers and platitudes script -outpourings of sympathy, empathy and good wishes, but with no guarantees that Legislative action(s) was going to be taken to reduce the access to guns in this country.
For example, Texas’ Lieutenant Governor–Dan Patrick instead of calling for fewer guns, called for fewer doors at Texas’ schools.
For example, Texas’ Lieutenant Governor–Dan Patrick instead of calling for fewer guns, called for fewer doors at Texas’ schools.
** Anti-gun advocate–Shanon Watts is contending that change will only come with voters using this year’s mid-term elections to elect Law Makers who would pass resolutions to curb the presence of guns in this society.
–On the other hand, in coming President of the NRA–Oliver North disclosed that the Association was aware of those threats, and was going to finance a multi-million membership-drive in time for November’s mid-term elections.
–On the other hand, in coming President of the NRA–Oliver North disclosed that the Association was aware of those threats, and was going to finance a multi-million membership-drive in time for November’s mid-term elections.
IN OTHER WORDS:–
In spite of the campaigns,
It has happened again.
More high school shootings
More student killings
More politicians’ outpourings
But no concrete offerings
to reduce guns’ acquisitions
and use of the weapons.
In spite of the campaigns,
It has happened again.
More high school shootings
More student killings
More politicians’ outpourings
But no concrete offerings
to reduce guns’ acquisitions
and use of the weapons.
and then 