A Word I should Not Use
By Dr. César Chelala
February 21, 2018 "Information
Clearing House"
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Growing up in Argentina, I
had an English teacher named Sarah, a kind
and knowledgeable woman. Reading one of my
papers, in which I called a character in the
story “a despicable man” she admonished me:
“You shouldn’t use that word, César, it is
too strong.” Now, decades later, I find that
perhaps that word is not strong enough to
describe the
Florida legislators who overwhelmingly voted
against a motion to consider legislation
that would “ban assault rifles and large
capacity magazines”. That this happened days
after the massacre at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School makes this even more
ludicrous.
The legislators’ move came as teenage
survivors of the Florida massacre watched
the proceedings from the gallery. That
wasn’t an obstacle for the GOP-controlled
Florida House, who showed no shame and no
regret for their actions. And I couldn’t
help but wonder: Do these people have
children? Do they have grandchildren? And if
they do, how can they act that way? As
Sheryl Acquaroli, a junior from Stoneman
Douglas told CNN after the 36-71 party-line
vote: “It seemed almost heartless how they
immediately pushed the button to say no.”
Their behavior, though, is far from unique.
Law-makers at the national level toe the
same line. Although they are mostly
Republicans, also some Democrats show the
same disregard for people’s lives and
safety, even for their own children and
colleagues. The sums involved in the NRA
donations are staggering, by any standard.
Millions of dollars are given to lawmakers
to vote according to NRA dictates. And the
legislators, lacking any sense of decency,
follow them.
I look at a photograph of members of the
Florida House, as they observe a moment of
silence for the victims of massacre. I
cannot help but think of the high degree of
hypocrisy that it demonstrates. They feel
sorry for the victims but are unable to do
anything meaningful to control sales of guns
in the country, now at an all time level. An
add in The New York Times by two gun control
advocacy groups shows a photo of students
leaving their school in fear during the
shooting and a quote from one of the
survivors: “We’re children. You guys are the
adults…get something done.”
They will not do what needs to be done to
completely eradicate gun violence in the
country. Too much money is at stake. And by
now we all know that in the confrontation
between money for political power and
ethics, money always wins. That those who
may become victims may be their own children
doesn’t enter into their consciousness.
Never Miss Another Story |
The following are the
representatives that received most money
from the NRA: John McCain (R, AZ) – $7.74
million; Richard Burr (R, NC) – $6.99
million; Roy Blunt (R, MO) – $4.55 million;
Thom Tillis (R, NC) – $4.42 million; Cory
Gardner (R, CO) – $3.88 million. That all of
them should be Republicans shouldn’t
surprise anybody now.
Alfonso Calderon, a MSDHS Junior student,
one of the survivors of the massacre and one
of the leaders of the #NeverAgain movement,
said at the Florida Capitol, “Everybody
should remember this, we are just
children…We aren’t being taken seriously
enough…but trust me, we understand. I was in
a closet, locked, for 4 hours, with people
whom I almost considered family crying, and
weeping and begging for their lives…I am
extremely angry and sad. But I want
everybody here to know that we will not be
stopped, we will not be discouraged, we will
not falter, and we will not stop this
movement.”
As a society we have become oblivious to the
suffering of others. That this lack of
empathy is so clearly shown among those that
are supposed to represent us is a sad
commentary on the human condition.
Dr. César Chelala is an international pubic
health consultant and writer.
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The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Information Clearing House.
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