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Jewish World Review March 15, 2001/ 20 Adar, 5761
Marianne M. Jennings
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
THE gun control theme is not woven into the liberal lectures on the
shootings at Santana High. Faced with the inopportune timing and resulting
juxtaposition of the sentencing of Lionel Tate, a 14-year-old, to life in
prison for his pummeling to death a six-year-old girl, the taciturn Second
Amendment subversives realize the dichotomy. Still, they cannot bring
themselves to condemn Andrew Williams, 15, who stands accused of the Santee
shootings. They adhere to liberalism's notion that the only true crime is
the infiltration of moral absolutes into public discourse, or worse, conduct.
President Bush referred to the Santee shootings as "a disgraceful act of
cowardice," which sent Chris Matthews reeling on both content and his
relentless theme of our president's inarticulate nature. Geoffrey Fieger,
the lawyer who represented kindly Dr. Kevorkian, is outraged that a
15-year-old will be held criminally accountable for cold-blooded murder. Mr.
Fieger is not, however, opposed to civil liability for such shootings and
does represent Isaiah Shoels's family in their wrongful death suit re:
Columbine. Murder is murder when it comes to contingent fees.
Unwilling to face the steady deterioration of the souls of our youth and
silenced on guns, the liberal mind refocuses on new causation. A reader in
my local paper wrote, " A lot of the 'troubled teens' out there are so
because of the torment, abuse, name-calling, etc. by their peers." The
reader went on to write, "I am not endorsing what he did . . .". Endorsing
murder? Breathe a sigh of relief that the gentle reader will not lend her
support for such Draconian punishment for taunting.
The barriers between disgraceful acts of cowardice and accountability must be
removed. Two years ago, when our young turned on each other at Columbine, I
warned of another Columbine and another after that until we addressed the
underlying issues. We failed to do so. Our young kill again.
Bullying, taunting, or the high school caste systems do not cause these
shootings. High school has always been a bizarre right of passage that
involves cliques, insecurities, hormones and awkward physical changes with
their outward mark of acne. Those who enjoyed high school generally peak
there while the rest of the geeks, dweebs, and losers go on to become Bill
Gates and other highly successful life forms once free from the shackles of a
social system with the tolerance of the Politburo.
High school years in previous generations were, however, marked by: (a) no
shootings; (b) family support for teens to know that this too shall pass and
revenge comes from success, not murder; and (c) a moral code. Therein lies
causation.
Teens today have little family support on the rugged battlefield their peers
create. They have counselors who spout spiritually void platitudes. Their
family contact is minimal. One survey showed that only one-third of them
have dinner with their families. Following formative years in daycare
centers, this generation fends for itself.
Young Andrew Williams' mother of Maryland said she was shocked at her son's
shooting spree because when she spoke with her son "last month" from across
the country (he lived with his father in Santee) he seemed happy. One
cross-country phone call per month from mom won't get you a heart-to-heart.
Add to the lack of family support the void of moral absolutes and our young
people are gasoline-soaked rags next to Coleman lanterns. On the "Today"
show, the mother of Andrew's former girlfriend said she did not "agree" with
what Andrew did, as if a murderous spree should be debated like a "Hollywood
Squares" statement.
These youth have learned by example that any conduct is excused with
extenuating circumstances. They witness only moralizers condemning the
condemners, not the actions. Mr. Clinton is a lying adulterer, but the vast
right wing conspiracy is wrong to meddle in his private life. O.J. Simpson
killed his ex-wife and her friend, but must be acquitted because LA cops are
allegedly racist. An arsonist in Phoenix burns new homes, but is excused
because he's an environmentalist concerned about sprawl. Abortion is a
choice, not the taking of innocent life. Rationalization now haunts us.
Our president is correct - these shootings were a disgraceful act of
cowardice. Repeat that phrase again and again. Be judgmental about this
lad's spiritual void. A love affair with all that is secular has spawned a
generation that is "cold, callous and indescribably cruel," to use the words
of Judge Lazarus in the Tate case. Raising children in a valueless world with
few boundaries and limited adult supervision has given them the killer
instincts of roving bands of wolverines. Please, don't shoot me for calling
our young a
03/09/01: The lessons of Tom and Nicole
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