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Another Perspective
Shill Game
The great cooptation of our children by the president.
The hostage crisis goes on. Not the ones in Mali and Algeria; those have ended awfully. I refer to the President and all his friends in the Senate holding innocent children hostage in their quest for the moral high ground on gun violence.
The President put on a typical D.C. dog-and-pony show last week to announce his new initiatives on firearms. He surrounded himself on the stage with lovely young boys and girls, who were no doubt thrilled to enjoy such a privilege. They were being praised for writing letters to the White House asking for the President to save their lives from bad guys. No one could possibly fault them for doing something so sweet and innocent.
Instead of educating those youngsters that there are different ideas about how their safety can best be preserved, the man to whom we entrusted the safety of the free world chose to pander. Essentially he endorsed them as major policy geniuses who had eclipsed their tender years by penetrating through all the humbug and arriving at the master plan: take guns away from ordinary citizens.
Nobody explained to those children that on the very same day as the Newtown shooting, a deranged slasher attacked a public school in China, stabbing 22 kids. Not only that, there has been a series of such attacks in Chinese schools over the past several years. It turns out that taking one weapon away is not a guarantee of security for students against overwrought attackers.
By putting those children out front, the President essentially co-opted them to his cause. He sent a message to the country that people who support his measures are gentle folks who love children. Those who oppose his approach do not care about the welfare of our youth.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Gun owners as a class do not have fewer children than gun control types. They do not invest less time and money and energy in their children. In fact, I would love to see someone do an experiment. Take the NRA mailing list and send them a solicitation to donate to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, then do the same for a list of equal size populated with gun control activists. The results might be instructive.
Furthermore, many well-intentioned individuals studying the question of child safety believe that trying to achieve that by gun control is a chimera, but using armed guards is feasible. The first approach calls for removing several billion weapons in a country that has never been able to control drugs or human beings from crossing its borders. It hopes that police far away will be called and will arrive in time to enter a scene from the outside to take control. The second approach calls for a teacher or principal or security guard, some nice decent person, to be equipped to defend from the inside. Sounds much more doable to a simple layman like myself.
Now the Vice President, Senator Feinstein, and others have picked up the ball to push their major gun initiative forward, always citing the children as the ones asking for their safety to be guaranteed in this way.
During the 1996 Presidential election, the Town Hall debate began with a teacher saying to Bob Dole, “We can learn so much from our children. What would you answer to a 6-year-old in my class who asked…?” At that moment, my heart sank in genuine despair. We send teachers into classes with youngsters age 6 and they are going there to learn from the kids? We then pass the word along to the leaders of the country so they know how to govern? Seventeen years later, my worst fears have been confirmed.
How about if we send all the kids back to class and we teach them true history from true textbooks? How about if we teach them how to think and how not to be gulled by surface impressions? How about the adults get together and debate policy using adult-level education and mature intelligence?
Here is my plan. Let’s discuss these issues in depth and with real evidence. Only adults in the room. Parental guidance suggested.
About the Author
Jay D. Homnick, commentator and humorist, is a frequent contributor to The American Spectator. He also writes for Human Events. Here he speaks at the Rally for Religious Freedom in Miami on June 8, 2012.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
More Articles by Jay D. Homnick
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Robbins Mitchell| 1.25.13 @ 6:20AM
And this from the clown who as an Illinois State Senator thought that post failed abortion infanticide was just peachy keen..
Aristocat| 1.25.13 @ 7:36AM
Right, Obama has been responsible for thousands of babies being killed. They apparently are not worthy of protection.
Jay, what do you think of Ms.Feinstein, who is Jewish, using the cross as a symbol of gun control?
Alan| 1.25.13 @ 8:30AM
These corrupt lunatics will use anything to further their agenda.
TLP| 1.25.13 @ 9:55AM
I'm just surprised she wasn't slamming in an out of her Urination Canal, ala Linda Blair in the Excorsist.
If you go to Drudge, you'll find a Story about how Annie Oakley Feinstein's new proposals for Banning Everything with a Bullet in it, EXEMPTS HER, and her Fellow Ruling Class Members.
Just like Insider Trading, and Not Paying Taxes is okay for them. Just like Flying in Private Jets all over the place is and Driving SUVs, and Owning Multiple Mansions is okay for them.
Having your Multi-Million $ Yacht built in New Zealand and Docking it in Rhode Island, when you're a Senator from Massachusetts, because you DON'T WANNA PAY THE TAXES, is okay for them.
Stealing our Social Security is okay. Stealing our Tax Dollars for Campaign Contributions, in the form of Earmarks for their Districts, is okay for them. Spending our Children's Futures in to Oblivion is okay for them.
We need some Guillotines.
And, we need them NOW!
Alan| 1.25.13 @ 10:59AM
Mr. Fate has yet to play cards in this game that can change a lot of things instantly. History is filled with moments that nobody saw coming both good and bad and those cards usually get played when somebody thinks the game is over and are reaching for the pile of chips in the pot.
BShep| 1.25.13 @ 11:59AM
Guillotines were invented by a French doctor as a humane way to behead someone.
Guillotines are too good for them, I say we use rusty axes.
Appleby| 1.25.13 @ 6:58AM
I'd love to have a little child write a letter to Obama and ask him, 'Mr. President, why do you want Mommy to kill my little sister before she has a chance to be born, just because she's a girl?"
David Suzuki, our stealth Greenie Leader, had a series of commercials in which he ostensibly met with second and third graders in the darkened basements of their homes, by the light of an Eco-Lantern of some kind, to counsel them on how to rat out their parents for despoiling the Earth by being un-ECO. The kiddies eyes glowed by the light of the Eco Lantern, and with that fervor I last saw in the movie "Cabaret" when the little Nazi children sang "Tomorrow Belongs To Me", the little boys and girls say firmly, "Because it's OUR Future!" Even here in Kanukistan, those commercials creeped too many people out and they quickly slunk away. But believe me, these people are Out There.
P.S. Remember when Jimmy Carter cited his daughter Amy's advice on Nuclear Proliferation and the roar of laughter from his audience?
Job| 1.25.13 @ 9:12AM
I'd love to have a little child write a letter to Obama and ask him, 'Mr. President, why do you want Mommy to kill my little sister before she has a chance to be born, just because she's a girl?"
good one Appleby
Nancy in NC| 1.25.13 @ 7:22AM
Does anyone think these children wrote the letters without being prompted by their parents? Nice folks...they scare their children then promote the idea the government (obama) will solve the problem. They should be charged with child endangerment.
c. j. acworth| 1.25.13 @ 10:09AM
II wonder if any gun-owning parents have thought to ask their children to write to Obama and tell him about the good time they have with Mom Dad at the range and ask why he wants to make them stop?
If they did, would we ever hear about it?
Stephie| 1.25.13 @ 12:57PM
Nancy, I be they were "helped" write those letters by some union teacher.
Jim Adcox| 1.25.13 @ 8:22AM
As I and another mentioned last week, the children clumped around Baracko Mussolini perversely echoes the film "The Dead Zone," when presidential candidate Stillson holds up an infant to protect himself.
Pecos Pete| 1.25.13 @ 8:34AM
How many events, as described below, will happen before we outlaw children walking to school?
Source:
http://www.kob.com/article/stories/s2797915.shtml
It's been almost a week now and 10-year old Jessica Ridgeway still hasn't come home.
Overnight investigators found a dismembered body in a rural Colorado park about seven miles from Jessica's house.
So far, there has been no positive identification.
Officers hope to have a positive ID sometime Friday. For now, their investigation continues.
The intense search has focused on the neighborhood where the fifth grader disappeared during a morning walk to school.
Alice Moore| 1.25.13 @ 9:04AM
It's the mark of a dictator to use kiddie shields. There are pictures of Kim Il Sung, Stalin, Mao, and Hitler using the childrun to burnish their images. It was recently presented as montage and sent out a shudder of disgust.
Russel| 1.25.13 @ 10:46AM
That's the first thing to come to mind seeing this column . Zero may not be Hitler to a T , but I doubt he'd mind being dictator with a capital D . Not a day goes by now that these socialists' are attempting another erasure of a part of our Constitution . What I'd give if the house wrote them a letter that said " Whatever you want for the next four years , the answer is NO ". Ha , what a dream .
Stan Redmond| 1.26.13 @ 2:17PM
There is no doubt in my mind Obama would carry out a holocaust that would rival Hitler's. I am not using hyperbole here. There is a hate and mysanthropy about this man. He is so pro abortion he supports it after birth. Substitute the word "Jew" with "Conservative" (or his favorite strawman "there are those") and you will be hard pressed to find as much hate filled rhetoric in the writings or Mein Kampf or the social hygeine posters of Goebels that you find on MSNBC, Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, Obama's mentors and even Obama himself. I do think if he could get away with it he would round up every single political detractor and send the "east."
Bob K| 1.25.13 @ 11:29AM
All this that Obama has been doing has been done with the complicit cooperation of the media.
But it is hard for any writer, as a member of the media, who is not grounded in reality to first point this fact out to his readers. The readers have to be educated first before they can go out and educate the kid's teachers.
Jack London| 1.25.13 @ 1:02PM
"Gun owners as a class do not have fewer children than gun control types."
Oh yes they do thanks to leaving weapons that kids find to kill themselves or their friends.
Minuteman78| 1.25.13 @ 1:12PM
Congratulations. Stupid comment of the day.
Jack London| 1.25.13 @ 1:20PM
The truth hurts though - it's indisputable that several hundred kids die in gun accidents a year. Of course gun freaks can chalk up a whole classroom of other people's kids at Newtown too. That's freedom for you.
Appleby| 1.25.13 @ 1:49PM
So if the deranged guy who shot up the school had poured gasoline on the kids and tossed in a match, that'd be okay with you? Or suppose he tossed a few live grenades into the classroom -- no problemo? You may think these are stupid questions. Here in Kanukistan East we recently had a man who got house arrest for threatening his girlfriend with death, and actually assaulting her; he waylaid her as she left for work, stabbed her to death, poured gasoline on her body and set her afire. I asked my Canadian friends how they felt about this, since no guns were involved, and they said, "Well, at least no innocent bystanders were killed." Since the woman who WAS killed was totally innocent, I called non sequitur (this is a law office after all) but the Canadians just looked bewildered. How say you?
Stan Redmond| 1.26.13 @ 2:20PM
They also die accidentally by the thousands choking on hot dogs. Yet you aren't for a hotdog ban. Why not?
WhiteBikerTrash| 1.25.13 @ 5:43PM
Jack, I grew up in a gun culture, father was military. I was taught gun safety and the joys of shooting guns at a very early age. My brother and I grew up safely and passed that tradition to our sons. Dad never had to lock up his guns because we were taught GUN SAFETY. My son on the other hand has had to keep his guns locked up, as I lock mine up now because of theft and fools. The children of today see their parents and heroes on TV play with guns, then when they do the same, they find out the two rules that my father drilled into my head as I did to my son. 1. All guns are loaded until you unload it. 2. Never point any gun at anything that you are not willing to totally destroy and pay in total for!
Stan Redmond| 1.25.13 @ 1:15PM
Nasty Pelosi declared it will be the children running the House when she took the gavel. How right she was. ME ME ME with no sense of responsibility or how it's paid for.
Dave Williams| 1.25.13 @ 1:23PM
Adulthood took the fast train out of this country decades ago. We are now ruled by children guided only by emotion (i.e., leftists), who haven't a clue as to the consequences of their actions. It'll be a long time before adults get back in charge, if they ever do.
Hardcard| 1.25.13 @ 1:58PM
Did anybody see the photo of the fly landing on obamadingo's head? You can't fool a hungry fly.
hrgfue | 1.25.13 @ 7:52PM
NFL,NBA,2013 Fashion kickoff for u
15mwitkes| 1.28.13 @ 2:46PM
We are making a mistake, I think, when we call our political rivals “well-intentioned”. If it is obvious that their policies restrict our freedoms, and history has proven that result time and time again, then those advocating such policies would be more aptly defined as insane.