“If only . . .”

 

If only our nation and the rest of the world were not so seemingly overwhelmed with tragedy overload, then just possibly the recent March 27, 2023 mass murder of three young students and three adults at a Nashville, Tennessee school would not so soon be smothered away by other distractions. 

Just has been in sad degree the less than a year ago horrific massacre carried out on May 24, 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where nineteen students and two teachers lost their lives.

 And, if only we could today purge the world of all evil, then these herein noted could be the last in the heretofore seemingly endless series of such unthinkable atrocities.

However, should we find the elimination of all evil not timely doable, our nation’s school children could nevertheless be readily secured from the threat of mass murder—that is, if only we so-called adults in the room would provide our educational institutions with commonsense security against such threats.

Yes, commonsense security that, for example, acknowledges and responsibly deals with the fact that “Gun-Free Zones” are but irresponsible “magnets” for attacks by evil-doers, and that those committed to carrying out such atrocities could not care less about laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, signage, and other shalt-nots.

Commonsense security that also accepts the ever-so-likely existence of “good reason” why few if any among us choose to protect/secure our personal residences with “Gun-Free Zone” signs displayed in our front lawns and/or posted on or at our doorways, etc.

Commonsense security that in turn finds it a bit difficult to responsibly rationalize why “Gun-Free Zone” signage remains an acceptable security measure for school students and teaching staffs, etc., — but not, for example, for Kansas Supreme Court personnel when conducting their special session at our Parsons High School on Monday evening, October 3, 2022.  A session that included the very visible and plentiful “commonsense security” of armed law enforcement personnel; contraband screening procedures; etc.

Commonsense security that would also give serious and duly responsible consideration to following the successful lead of various other schools protected by one or more "voluntarily armed" and "properly trained" personnel (e.g., from teachers and/or other staff, and/or volunteers from duly vetted retirees from our military and/or law enforcement services, etc.).

Yes, if only we were willing to replace that historically demonstrated failure and proven invitation to life destroying evil-doers—the signage-declared “Gun-Free Zone”—with rational and realistic security against mass murder.   And if only we were to do so with the same unity of purpose, unlimited attention, and sense of priority that we so routinely extend to the many other extremely less crucial education system needs.

                                           —William James Moore   04/16/2023

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Please Note:  The above was also published as a Public Mind article on Page 4 of the Weekend, Saturday-Sunday, May 6-7, 2023, edition of our local newspaper, the Parsons Sun . . . [Re: Scanned copy via link inserted below; and scanned copy of related 'Letter of  Appreciation' to the Parsons Sun, also via link inserted below].

Public Mind Article titled, "If only . . ."

"Letter of Appreciation" to the Parsons Sun -  05/07/2023

“THE MANY FACES OF BIAS”

'Bias' is generally defined as “prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.”

Furthermore, ‘bias' can and does have many faces.   None the least by the many ways a newspaper can demonstrate the reality embodied in the following words often attributed to American journalist, A.J. Liebling (1904-1963) — “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.”

For example:

The Public Mind section of the Opinion page of the Weekend Saturday-Sunday, April 1-2, 2023, edition of the Parsons Sun included an article titled, “Advocate for strong gun laws.” A particular Public Mind view no doubt submitted by a concerned Parsons resident, and likewise no doubt prompted by atrocities such as the recent March 27, 2023 mass murder of three young students and three adults at a Nashville, Tennessee school; the horrific massacre carried out on May 24, 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where nineteen students and two teachers lost their lives; as well as the unthinkable others prior thereto, etc.

However—and while I and many others are also concerned citizens—the Parsons Sun chose “not” to publish any other Public Mind articles during the month of April 2023 . . . including any one of the “three” Public Mind articles I subsequently submitted during same month of April 2023, each of which advocating “commonsense security for our school systems.”

“Commonsense security” advocating “priority” consideration being given to the fact that those “Gun-Free Zone” signs at our schools and elsewhere are but irresponsible “magnets” for attacks by evil-doers—those same demented individuals who time and again demonstrate that they could not care less about laws, ordinances, rules, regulations, policies, signage, and other shalt-nots.

“Commonsense security” that finds it a bit difficult to responsibly rationalize why “Gun-Free Zone” signage remains an acceptable security measure for school students and teaching staffs, etc., — but not, for example, for Kansas Supreme Court personnel when conducting their special session at our Parsons High School on Monday evening, October 3, 2022.  A session that included the very visible and plentiful “commonsense security” of armed law enforcement personnel; contraband screening procedures; etc.

“Commonsense security” hence accepting the ever-so-likely existence of “good reason” why few if any among us choose to protect/secure our personal residences with “Gun-Free Zone” signs displayed in our front lawns and/or posted on or at our doorways, etc.

“Commonsense security” that therefore would also give serious and duly responsible consideration to following the successful lead of various other schools protected by one or more "voluntarily armed" and "properly trained" personnel (e.g., from teachers and/or other staff, and/or volunteers from duly vetted retirees from our military and/or law enforcement services, etc.).

Yes, “Commonsense security” entailing replacement of that historically demonstrated failure and proven invitation to life destroying evil-doers—the signage-declared “Gun-Free Zone”—with “rational” and “realistic” security against mass murder.  And undertaken with the same unity of purpose, unlimited attention, and sense of priority that we so routinely extend to the many other extremely less crucial education system needs.

However, what the Parsons Sun did choose to do was leave the Opinion page of the remaining April 2023 editions void of Public Mind articles such as those submitted by me and possibly others . . . and instead publish the following “other than” school security related editorials:

(1.) a Kansas Farm Bureau editorial titled, “From the ground up”; followed the next weekend by (2.) a For Kansas Reflector editorial titled, “A new franchise name should be a priority for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason”; followed by the next weekend by (3.) a lengthy For Kansas Reflector, 7.25" x 8," center-page, pro-WOKE, pro-Medicaid Expansion, pro-Environmental Activists, pro-ESG legislation, anti-Fossil Fuel, anti-MAGA (Make America Great Again), anti-Republican legislature, etc., editorial titled, "In their paroxysms against 'woke' culture, state legislators wound our health and environment."

Hence, further validating that ‘bias” can and does in fact have many faces.  That is, by further demonstrating that—as noted at the beginning of this post—“Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” 

That is . . . guaranteed of course as long as ignorance, apathy, complacency, denial, greed, counterproductive fears, and anti-First Amendment and anti-Second Amendment, etc., agendas don’t one day transform our precious constitutional republic into the individual-liberty void abyss of another North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, etc.   

                                                              —William James Moore

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Please Note: Inserted "below" are links to scanned copies of the 3 "not published" by the Parsons Sun Public Mind submissions discussed in above post; and also to a scanned copy of my subsequent 04/30/2023 letter of concern to the Parsons Sun.  
                                                              —William James Moore