To the editor:
Peter, Paul and Mary sang “where have all the flowers gone, long time passing” but “where have all the people gone, gone to grave yards every one, when will they ever learn, when will we ever learn.” The latest shooting, one more reason to fully arm the populous? Now, if those baseball practicing senators were fully armed, that surely would not have happened – right? Wrong.
The more guns we place in the hands of the general population, the more horrific tragedies will occur and more and more frequently. Perhaps the NRA advocates think they can help the nation’s economy by creating the need for more bullet-proof clothing, more home and business alarm systems, more surveillance cameras, more iron bars on homes and stores, more gadgets to help us feel safe, perhaps a walking bullet proof bubble for all of us with an on and off speaker switch through which we could communicate when we’re not using our cell phones! Also – paid classes in gun safety – especially for the very young and teenagers to be sure they can protect themselves – against whom … me and you? Do you remember the old food fights in the school cafeterias – whoopee! Now we can have gun fights! No wonder our education system is in such disarray. Or perhaps we need more heroes.When our political leaders become more and more vulnerable, we can create some heroes that we lack here in the U.S.; more and more police people yeah! Job creation. Oh yes, arming the populous will unify us – huddled together waiting for the next assault to free and beautiful countries throughout the world especially here at home.
P.S. Do you remember the little jingle we said in grade school? “Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me!” Oh! But words do hurt and can deal the most serious blows to human life! Rhetoric designed to hurt or diminish an individual’s or group’s basic values, whether good or bad, can cause psychic wounds that create anger, fear, hate, lack of dignity and self worth often prompting retaliation to hurt back. Hate words do hurt – often more than physical blows. We don’t need “Polly Anna Glad Girls,” just civil decency and respect for the diversity of human life.
Carol Whitehead
Laurinburg