If ever historians were to reflect on an ugly episode in US history even they may be appalled at the actions at the Tennessee legislature last week. After the Covenant School massacre (including 3 nine year old children and 3 innocent adults) the elected “leaders” of that Tennessee body chose not to rise to the occasion and condemn the violence caused by the legal purchase of an assault weapon. They are so obsessed with their own campaign funding source, namely the gun lobby, that they are willing to watch children die without lifting a finger to object to the carnage. But when a few Democrats could not accept their refusal to even acknowledge the act and used a session intermission to express their frustration they were threatened with expulsion. In other words, the GOP super majority was saying “we don’t want you to remind us of our cowardice and selfishness by holding up the mirror and asking us to risk our jobs.” How sickening is that perspective!! It’s OK for kids to die as long as I keep my job. But I can’t let others reveal how perverted my priorities are. Then–to compound the pathetic cowardice–they expel only the two African-Americans who made the fuss. Talk about putting a point on the issue!! They as much as said “we will let the white woman stay but you two blacks are not welcome.” Another revelation to be sure. What’s really sad about this whole mess is that the white GOP members will be able to sleep at night because they’ve only revealed part of their DNA. They don’t see the evil of their actions just as Archie Bunker, the famous TV bigot, never realized how off-base he was. Just another day at the plant for them. How do you reach reality and fairness with an individual so corrupted that he/she can’t understand how wrong they are? God forbid but maybe the next time a child is blown apart by an assault weapon it might be a member of the “gun lobby” family. The revelations are damning; the culprits are labelled; the crimes are ethics violations; and the perps will continue business as usual. Not all revelations are positive–only the ones that inspire correction.
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