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Originally Posted by jaminhealth
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That was a very nice and thoughtful letter.
Most people, like myself (and the Obamas), recognize that these Parkland survivors are just that: survivors of a hellish massacre. They all huddled in abject fear, hearing the gunshots take down their classmates.
The young lady whom vomited during her speech? Had been shot in the legs. I joined in her joy when she announced "I just threw up on worldwide television!", for she realized that there was a lot worse that could have happened to her rather than vomiting on television.
These young people are 'old enough' to recall the Pulse nightclub massacre, the Texas church killings, and the Las Vegas massacre (all in the past year). They recognize, as many do, the useless and pathetic 'thoughts and prayers' crap that politicians cough up each time such horrors are committed. I was proud of them for marching, for demanding that their government at least try something to remedy the situation.
I well recall the Vietnam protests. One must remember, when these protests began the American public was mainly against the protestors. We did not have such protests in Fort Worth, but I joined in spirit, since I did not want to be drafted upon turning 18 and sent to the rice fields and forests of Vietnam. As time went on, many Americans realized that the protests were, in fact, fully justified. That our government had been sending young American men to die in a war that the government knew full well could not be won (See: The Pentagon Papers).
In many ways, Vietnam was easy: our troops were brought back home, the draft ended. South Vietnam fell to the North in 1975, and our world continued. We now have active trade with Vietnam.
What these young people are fighting for is much tougher: asking that guns that are designed to kill many people quickly be banned. It will not stop all such killings, of course. I recall that Whitman, when he climbed that tower at the University of Texas, had a bolt-action rifle that he used to deadly effect.
Yet, in future (for even weapons have a shelf life), such weapons will be less common, and perhaps some individual will have to resort to a handgun or such; a weapon that may give 'a good man with a gun' a better chance to bring the person down, before too many lives are lost.
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