I Call BS!

A new day dawns after a memorial was held. Several candles remain lit.

On February 14, 2018, a 19-year-old former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with a history of problems shot and killed 14 students and three teachers in Parkland, Florida.

Killed were:

Carmen Schentrup, 16

Meadow Pollack, 18

Peter Wang, 15

Nicholas Dworet, 17

Luke Hoyer, 15

Alaina Petty, 14

Jamie Guttenberg, 14

Helena Ramsay, 17

Joaquin Oliver, 17

Cara Loughran, 14

Alyssa Alhadeff, 14

Gina Montalto, 14

Alexander Schacter, 14

Martin Duque, 14

Scott Beigel, 35 - Geography and Cross Country

Aaron Feis, 37 - Asst. Football Coach and Security Guard

Christopher Hixon, 49 - Athletic Director and Wrestling Coach  

I don't know why we, as a country, find it perfectly acceptable to allow large groups of people be murdered, usually by weapons that shouldn't be in the hands of a civilian, over and over and over again. It didn't take Great Britain more than one school shooting for them to change. Or Australia. Is it really that hard to enforce stricter laws on objects designed to eject projectiles that penetrate and injure or kill human beings?

When Trump came out to address the country, he didn't even bother to mention "gun". I could tell it was going to be an "it's not the right time to talk about it. Think of the families" moment. The president was right about that. It should've started in Columbine. Or Sandy Hook where 20 first-graders were killed. He didn't mention guns or the shooter. He did say that he is sending "thoughts and prayers". A hollow, heartless platitude expressed by Republican politicians when there is a mass shooting because they are spineless cowards too scared to look up at the gun lobby and tell them with no uncertain terms that the gun violence the NRA perpetuates needs to stop. None of them have anything better to say. And it seemed, once again, the populous was going to just go about our lives and the media would spend a few days on it and times goes on.

Except there was a segment of this population that does have

Emma González

something to say about that. They won't take no for an answer. What adults couldn't do, the surviving students, who had to walk past their murdered friends, classmates, and teachers, did. They stood up and, to quote Emma Gonzalez, "called BS."

The students carry the hopes, prayers, and love of a country that is tired of all the gun violence. And they completely know their ways around technologies and social media. They haven't known of a time without computers and most probably can't remember a time without smartphones. They have an expertise in different platforms and can communicate in ways that run circles around any

Busy At Work

politician, they're trying to get too. And they have a whole country of millions of kids their ages stepping up to say "Never Enough!" This is a galvanizing moment for children of all ages. This ability to have their voices heard...it will lead them to register to vote and to vote against the current establishment.

Unfortunately, these kids make up the "Mass Shooting Generation", having been born a year or two around Columbine. They are the first generation that has always lived with mass shootings. They were probably the first to have to go through lockdown drills, jumped at loud sounds, and made sure they knew every inch of their classrooms in case they had to hide. Somewhere around their middle school years, they watched on TV as the newsperson said

"The Mass Shooting Generation"

that 20 first graders were killed, along with six adults. And perhaps they glanced at their younger brothers and sisters and wondered what they were thinking. How much of the "Mass shooting Generation" was afraid to go to school in the past because yet another shooting happened? At Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, on February 14th. On Valentine's Day, 14 students and three teachers died there. Their worst nightmares came true and that fear was realized. Many in the building where the shooting took place had to walk by the bodies of their friends, classmates, and teachers in order to exit the building.

"We're The Mass Shooting Generation" (VIDEO)

From almost that moment on, students were talking about their experiences. They got together and spoke to the media, whenever they were asked. They challenged politicians on social media in ways that couldn't be replicated. Politicians could not get away. In

Survivor Sam Zeif with Nicole Hockley, who lost
her son Dylan at Sandy Hook Elementary, talking
at the White House.

the days following the shooting, busloads of students were bussing their way to Tallahassee and Washington D.C. In a town hall with Senator Marco Rubio, Senator Nelson, Representative Ted Deutch,  Dana Loesch from the NRA, and Sheriff Israel.

From Politico:  "Sen. Rubio, can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the NRA in the future?" Kasky asked.

The room erupted in cheers and applause.

Rubio didn't immediately answer.

Kasky then mused about confronting a spokeswoman for the NRA.

"So No. 1," Rubio responded, "the position I hold on these issues of

the Second Amendment  - I've held since the day I entered office in the city of West Miami as an elected official. No. 2 - no. The answer to the question is that people buy into my agenda. And I do support the right of you and everyone here to be able to go to school and be safe."

Kasky cut him off and re-asked his question: "No more - no more NRA money?"

Rubio: "This is the wrong way to look - first of all, the answer is, people buy into my agenda."

Kasky: "You can say no."

CNN Town Hall, Sunset, FL - 2-21-2018
R to L: Cameron Kasky, CNN's Jake Tapper, and Sen. Rubio

Rubio said that the influence of the NRA was not its money as much as "the influence...from the millions of people that agree with the agenda."

Kasky: "In the name of 17 people, you cannot ask the NRA to keep their money out of your campaign?"

Rubio: "I think in the name of 17 people, I can pledge to you that I will support any law that will prevent a killer like this from getting a gun."

"No," Kasky responded, "but I'm talking about NRA money."

Marco Rubio, in the end, said that he wouldn't stop taking money from the NRA. But all of them dodged questions. But Rubio and NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch got it the worst. One woman turned her back on her.

Emma González gave an impassioned speech that I won't even give even talk about it. She does well enough on her own. 

                                                   Emma González - February 17, 2018

                                          Emma González - March For Our Lives - 3-24-18
                                         

In Washington D.C., some of the survivors were invited to a Trump Town Hall. Where he sat and listened to each person and responded to each person with words that he had written on a piece of paper. And at the end, said the answer was to arm teachers. Obviously, he didn't "hear you."

Three weeks after the shooting, Florida's Congress passed a school safety and gun control bill. It's not enough, but Florida has a very strong NRA lobby. A woman named Marion Hammer (Marion Hammer NRA Lobbyist You Don't Want to Piss Off). She owns the Republican party here and they don't sneeze without her say so. We were the first to pass Stand Your Ground and Conceal and Carry. Hammer was largely the reason they passed. And when they passed, other states watching Florida also passed the same laws. And she is furious that this went through on her watch. 
Marion Hammer's Opinion on New FL Gun Laws

Rick Scott Signing School and Gun Safety Act

So it was a shock that over 60 Republicans with A+ voted for it. It was even more of a shock when Governor Rick Scott signed it into law. And what does it do? The age has been raised to 21 to buy rifles, ban bump stocks, and have a system in place where police can temporarily remove any weapons if there is a risk. There is a three day waiting period, and some staff will be allowed to be armed - not teachers who work full time in a classroom, though. Also included are mental health school programs, better communications between schools, law enforcement, and state agencies, creating a task force to study mistakes made in mass shootings nationally, make recommendations for more gun safety laws, and set up a hotline for students and staff to report someone who is threatening the school or has questionable behavior.  New Florida Gun Laws

In three weeks, they did something that no one else has been able to do for twenty years - enact gun control measures. And the NRA's reaction was to sue the state of Florida and Pam Bondi, the Attorney General. They didn't sue Governor Rick Scott because he is planning on running against Senator Bill Nelson. They would rather a Republican be in that seat. Apparently, it was too difficult to downgrade all of the politicians that voted against them.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas students' vision, born out of intense

grief has reached millions across this country and the world. Today is March 24th. This is the day the Parkland students set for a march on Washington, D.C. It was all handled and organized by them at Washington with hundreds of sibling marches also scheduled. There were over 800 cities and a march in every continent except Antartica.

The Never-Again movement is not only passionate but incredibly organized. They have strict standards and things they believe in, and these aren't for sale. Donations are appreciated unless there's an if. They won't endorse politicians or advertise a product for support. People have said that they don't know what they're talking about, they're kids. Have people forgotten that a lot of movements were started by young people? 

Locations of other marches that contacted the March For Our Lives website. And this isn't even the whole world!

Young people are idealistic and haven't been alive long enough to lose their optimism. They think big and demand answers. And they are every bit as intelligent about our politics, our laws, our economics, history. They know what is right and what is wrong, and will stand by that belief. And in the case of the Parkland students, they left many politicians sitting there with their mouths open. They were and are brutally frank and honest. And they are more adults than we are. While everyone on Facebook and Twitter

is bickering and thinking of ways to insult others, they are making statements. For the most point, they haven't responded to trolls. Instead of criticizing a bunch of teenagers who are asking for a change to save lives, we should be asking ourselves why do they have to do it? Why didn't we? Aren't we supposed to protect them?

The biggest gift that Marjory Stoneman Douglas students gave this country. A voice for their generation. These young people are either be 18 or will turn 18 before the November Mid-Terms. Those that aren't going to be able to vote will probably register when they can. Millennials make up the largest voting bloc - and also are least likely to vote. I have a feeling that a lot of Millennials will register, and will vote. 

To Emma, Cameron, David, Jaclyn, Chris, Delaney, Ryan, Alex and all the others across the country who traveled to demonstrations, participated in marches, protests, and anything else. Thank you for not allowing what happened to go unnoticed...

Change can happen. Thank you for showing us.

Many blessings throughout your lives.

LINKS THAT CONTRIBUTED:

60 Minutes Segment  VIDEO
What the Parkland Shooting Survivors Want You To Know  VIDEO
"We've Grown Up With The Looming Threat of School Shootings"
 CNN Town Hall on Stoneman Douglas Shooting ENTIRE VIDEO
 Senator Marco Rubio Defends His Agenda
 Asked to Reject NRA
 Marco Rubio at Town Hall