1. We can’t/won’t address the issue of gun control. The murder of 26 children and teachers isn’t enough to compel us to action. The murder of concert-goers in Las Vegas isn’t enough. The murder of those attending Christian and Jewish worship services isn’t enough. Places that are not safe now include movie theaters, political rallies, elementary and high school classes, churches, synagogues and nightclubs. All those places cannot be protected by armed guards, and places of assembly should not become armed camps anyway. More guns in the hands of more people is clearly not the answer to public safety. No other country has as many guns in the hands of private citizens as we do, and no other country murders its citizens at the rate we do.
2. We make our adversaries our enemies. Any attorney knows that the person on the other side of his or her argument or transaction is an opponent, an adversary but not an enemy. The same should be true of people running against each other for political office. We have a country, state, town to run. They are not battlegrounds, and the person on the other side is not your enemy. There should be room for more than one opinion. In a clash of opinions, compromise is called for. Persuasion is necessary. Attacking someone for the way they dress or worship or their color should be out of bounds. It is not productive, and it tears apart the fabric of our society.
