Obama Breaks Silence on Gun Violence. And It’s Epic.
Today, Barack Obama broke his characteristic silence, this time on gun violence, prompted by the two mass murders this weekend that has taken 31 lives, wounded 44. I could summarize it, but it’s better read in long form. So here it is. Read it twice – it only gets better.
Michelle and I grieve with all the families in El Paso and Dayton who endured these latest mass shootings. Even if details are still emerging, there are a few things we already know to be true.
First, no other nation on Earth comes close to experiencing the frequency of mass shootings that we see in the United States. No other developed nation tolerates the levels of gun violence that we do. Every time this happens, we’re told that tougher gun laws won’t stop all murders; that they won’t stop every deranged individual from getting a weapon and shooting innocent people in public places. But the evidence shows that they can stop some killings. They can save some families from heartbreak. We are not helpless here. And until all of us stand up and insist on holding public officials accountable for changing our gun laws, these tragedies will keep happening.
Second, while the motivations behind these shootings may not yet be fully known, there are indications that the El Paso shooting follows a dangerous trend: troubled individuals who embrace racist ideologies and see themselves obligated to act violently to preserve white supremacy. Like the followers of ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations, these individuals may act alone, but they’ve been radicalized by white nationalist websites that proliferate on the internet. That means that both law enforcement agencies and internet platforms need to come up with better strategies to reduce the influence of these hate groups.
But just as important, all of us have to send a clarion call and behave with the values of tolerance and diversity that should be the hallmark of our democracy. We should soundly reject language coming out of the mouths of any of our leaders that feeds a climate of fear and hatred or normalizes racist sentiments; leaders who demonize those who don’t look like us, or suggest that other people, including immigrants, threaten our way of life, or refer to other people as sub-human, or imply that America belongs to just one certain type of people. Such language isn’t new – it’s been at the root of most human tragedy throughout history, here in America and around the world. It is at the root of slavery and Jim Crow, the Holocaust, the genocide in Rwanda and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. It has no place in our politics and our public life. And it’s time for the overwhelming majority of Americans of goodwill, of every race and faith and political party, to say as much – clearly and unequivocally.
Yes. Just, yes.
1Shared. Thank you Mr. Obama. Of course, Trump supporters will turn away as soon as they see the word “Obama”. They lack the courage to read another viewpoint.
2Amen!
3Thank you, President Obama. It seems like it has been 100 years since you left office. We miss having a real President!
4Well said Mr. President.
5Things like this make me sad. It make me miss coherence. I miss thoughtfulness. I miss sanity.
6I miss him SO much!
7I so long for a return to sanity.
8Yes, indeed.
9Thank you, President Obama. I live in the D.C. vicinity. Whenever I am in town I try to avoid 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on my route. I can’t even look at it anymore. I miss the grown-ups who only recently lived there. God bless you and your family.
10There are TWO important sides to our nature.
11The older one is tribalism, the search for security NOW among our own kind.
The newer, and massively more important one, is rationality, critical thinking about the future.
Trump feeds on the first, and when we hate him, he thrives.
Let’s talk about global heating and the future of mankind. Do you have solar on your roof, an electric car in your driveway, LED lights, a white roof?
Do you eat little or no meat? Do you vacation fly?
Are you part of the problem?