|
|
The
views expressed
on this page are soley those of the author and do not
necessarily
represent the views of County News Online
|
 |
A time of mourning
By Bob Robinson
If there was one thing that upset me more than the President of the
United States on Sunday evening – a little over 48 hours after a
national tragedy – getting on network television and alluding to a
decades-long partisan debate, it’s the national media jumping on it
like a jackal on its first meal in days.
I expected President Obama’s message to be one of mourning and
consoling on behalf of 20 children who lost their lives in a little
town in Connecticut, and the six adults who gave their lives trying to
save their charges. It started that way… it ended that way… but in the
middle he lit the fuse to a powder keg.
At four the following morning CBS reported that the debate on gun
control was back on the table. And the feeding frenzy began. More gun
control laws on the left (the Obamamedia). Second Amendment on the
right (conservative talking heads). Only Fox News (yeah, that bastion
of the right that our president typically neglects in his selected
communications) attempted to address the debate with balanced gun
control discussion and in-depth reports on our loss and the suffering
it has caused to so many.
Color me – once again – naïve to think that we might respect a period
of grieving for those who lost so much on that day.
Obama said we need to “Make sure this never happens again.” Can we do
that? I wish we could, but we can’t. Any thinking person would
understand that.
He also said “We can do better.” Yes, of course we can. We can always
“do better.” But is now the time for that debate?
Today marks one week since a monster bypassed a seemingly solid
security system and massacred 20 innocents, plus six adults who had
been charged with their safety. The Birth of Jesus Christ – the Prince
of Peace – will be celebrated in four days.
As we prepare to rejoice in the Gift of the Christ Child on Tuesday,
may we have just a few more days to contemplate and cherish the rest of
His gifts – our children – no matter how brief their time among us has
been?
Let the political divisiveness begin; it always does. I will likely
weigh in on it. At a more appropriate time. Not today.
You can accuse me of being too emotional about this. I probably am.
Last Friday hit me hard. Very hard. As most of us do, I have children
and grandchildren, two of whom are babies. I believe this is the one
time of the year that we need a break from “politics.” This is the one
time of the year that we need to think about and celebrate the greatest
Gifts that God has bestowed upon us, and to mourn our loss when some of
those Gifts are snatched away from us.
It is a time to cherish those we hold dear, not weigh into a political
debate that will likely never be resolved to the satisfaction of all.
In four days it will be a time of celebration. On the fifth day, we can
begin anew an old debate. Until then, it is a time of mourning.
|
|
|
|
