Posted on 10/20/2002 4:13:23 AM PDT by Abundy
Of snipers and guns
I hope this column is out of date by the time you read it. But for the moment, as I write, all eyes in the nation are on Maryland and Virginia, watching for the most recent news of the elusive D.C. area sniper. His victims appear to be chosen at random, without regard for politics, religion, race, sex, or age, which makes him very frightening. But more than fear, I feel an intense, overwhelming anger.
As a mother, I am enraged beyond all reason when things like this happen. Please understand that under normal circumstances, I am really an exceedingly reasonable person. I believe that violence is never the answer. I marched with the million moms. You will find no more enthusiastic proponent of pacifism than me. I don't even like action films.
And if anyone ever laid a finger on my kids, I would personally cut out his spleen with a dull spoon.
If this murderer is caught alive, he must not be allowed to return to society. Ever. He must, in other words, never have access to my family. At the risk of sounding draconian, I don't care if he is locked up in a prison cell, in a mental hospital, or in a pine box six feet under, just as long as he can't get out. Some crimes are so vile that those who commit them forfeit all rights and freedoms; this is definitely one of those crimes.
But my anger is not by any means limited to the sniper himself. The entire situation would not even be possible if it weren't for the United States' fanatical pro-gun attitude, and I am angry at anyone who helps to perpetuate that culture of rampant violence. The number one movie at the box office last week was "Red Dragon," about a gruesome serial killer. Gee, I wonder how that happened.
So I am angry at the gun manufacturers and retailers who pervert the intent of the Second Amendment in the name of profit. I am angry at the National Rifle Association and at a craven government which for years has bowed to pressure from the gun lobby and refused to do the right thing. I am angry at those who market brutal video games in which the point is to shoot as many people as possible, and I am angry at parents who allow such games in their homes.
Finally, I am furious with the sniper's friends and family for protecting his identity. Someone must know this man, regardless of how much of a loner he may be. It is understandable for those close to him to be in a state of denial; it is also unforgivable. If I knew anyone with the kind of sharpshooting expertise that this man evidently has - heck, if I even knew anyone who owned a rifle - I would have asked myself long before now whether I could account for his whereabouts during every single attack. If I couldn't, it would take me about two seconds to give his name to the authorities.
How can someone be so amoral that he hunts human beings? A better question is this: How can a large segment of our society glorify fictional carnage, fight for the proliferation of firearms, and then dare to feign surprise when something like this happens?
Note towards the end how she would be turning in anyone she knew that owned a rifle or had this "expertise" - how many deer hunters are there in Maryland? They all qualify.
And people took me to task for being worried about Operation Tips....
As a mother, I am enraged beyond all reason when things like this happen.Beyond all reason is right, non-sequitor girl.
Let's see, wouldn't that make him a multiculturalist?
Very frightening indeed.
And if anyone ever laid a finger on my kids, I would personally cut out his spleen with a dull spoon.
Huh?
Ummmmmmm........because sicko Hollyweird (who contributes 99.9999% of their political donations to Democrats) made the movie?
I doubt that's how these murders will be stopped. Most likely they will be stopped by high velocity, hot lead. This moronic mom wants to bypass the bill of rights and somehow "feel" safer. Guns arn't the problem here, they are the solution.
Molon Labe !
I can't believe they actually published her picture. Now, anybody with a sharp kitchen knife or a heavy blunt object can get a free purse from her anytime they want. What a moron.
How can someone smart enough to write a complete sentence have thought processes so muddled and illogcal?
I think it would be in this Nation's best interest to ban all personal vehicles
and enforce public transportation.
Let's let the professionals, government trained and paid, do the driving.
It's for the children's sake.
My kids grew out of this phase at about age four. Looks like Ms. Carter never did.
As the old saying goes, some people never really grow up, they just get older.
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