Step right up to the greatest show in town. The politicians have again rallied around the “gun control” flagpole.
Leading the charge is nanny Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who pretty much wants to ban everything he sees.
Each and every time a tragedy occurs we hear, “Ban guns, stricter laws, more control.”
Understand that I grieve along with the rest of the country over the senseless crime in Newtown, Ct. It should never have occurred. But banning guns isn’t the only solution. There are many more factors involved. Ones that our elected officials don’t seem to care about, much less discuss.
It’s easier to take the gun away than to teach respect of life or deal with mental illness. Why should our youth be taught such arcane notions or properly treated?
When I was a child, my mom displayed all her glass tchotchkes around the room. I was taught not to touch them. She didn’t take them away, she just made sure I learned to respect her things. This taught me respect and self-control. My teachers and parents taught me the golden rules: no killing, no stealing, and no disrespecting. So I learned not to kill, not to steal, and to respect others.
The most crucial aspect of preventing tragedies like the shooting in Newtown is start at the bottom and fix the people.
Make no mistake about it — our educators have failed, too. These lessons need to be taught in every classroom in every school, as well as in the home, every day. Whether parochial, private or city, these basic tenets should be part of every curriculum.
For starters, how about teachers paste their rooms with posters that read, “Thou shall not kill,” “Thou shall not steal,” “Thou shall respect the teacher in this room.”
I know it all sounds rather biblical, however, I really believe that “Thou shall not kill” is more of a universal rule than a religious one. But I could be wrong.
After all, the liberals who set in place today’s policies would know much better. Take a look at their choices — rainbows, life style, prophylactics, how to be politically correct, and finally (the most important aspect of education), how to ace a citywide exam.
Yet, all we can come up with is “ban guns.”
Don’t ban songs that promote violence just as readily as it eschews amorality and crimes against women.
Don’t ban all those extremely violent video games that are targeted at young audiences.
Not for Nuthin™, but respect and self-control, albeit easy lessons to learn, are not taught to our youth. Maybe if these simple commandments were promulgated, instead of the tripe that passes for modern education, and more funds directed to the treatment of mental illness, instead of birth control for middle schoolers, there would be less of the tragedies that beset us, and our schools would again be safe for our children.
Wishing you all a safe and healthy new year.
Follow me on Twitter @JDelBuono.
Joanna DelBuono's column appears every Wednesday on BrooklynDaily.com. E-mail her at jdelbuono@cnglocal.com.
