The media, especially NPR, ran wall-to-wall coverage of the first anniversary of the Newtown massacre over the weekend.
The media paraded bereaved parents before the media, as scholars and journalists and talking heads furrowed their brows and clucked in the way that they’ve become accustomed to clucking about the whole thing.
As a parent, I can relate. Seeing peoples’ children being murdered is the mother of all gut-checks. It’s impossible not to feel that overwhelming flood of parental dread, a wave of human compassion, and a twinge “there but for the grace of God…” at stories like that.
But I noticed something absent in any of the mainstream media’s coverage of “gun violence” over the past year-and-almost-a-week; while the media has spent countless hours memorializing the children of Newtown, we’ve seen scarcely a word about the children murdered in Chicago – the crown jewel of American gun control, and the community controlled by the pals of the current administration.
In 2013 – which roughly corresponds to the year since Newtown – there’ve been 395 murders in Chicago. The toll is remarkable in that it is marginally a little lower than some previous years, but still a mind-numbing carnage.
And of those 395 murders, nine were of children under 12 years old. And 40 more were of people from 13-17 years old.
Counting everyone? That’s 16 Sandy Hook classrooms worth of carnage among children over the past year.
But the victims rated not a single day of national garment-rending. Scarcely an askance mention on National Public Radio.
Why?
Because they had the misfortune to be murdered in a city that is completely strangleheld by Democrats?
Or because none of them look like the children of NPR executives or “Protect” Minnesota leaders?
At least it appears that the Newtown impact has been somewhat blunted by the hard to deny request for privacy by people victimized by the murderer. Of course it didn’t go by unnoticed, but the media vampires were far more restrained than they might have been if left to their own inclinations.
The Chicago, and other Black or race-related crime issues, are certainly a stain on today’s media and their ability to report facts. I don’t believe that it is going unnoticed by the general public. Ignored by some maybe, but still present. It is more surprising that the Reverend Bacons of America have not taken up that issue, too. Their ignoring it is possibly even more shameful than the media’s.
It was good to see the GOCRA and MN Gun Owners pac sharing a table at the MN Weapons Collectors show at River Center this weekend. I was able to whine about my lack of membership response, commend them for their good work, and renew my membership. I hope that can continue. Visibility and accessibility are very important. I remain very impressed with their ability to effectively fight for the cause. I hope those who haven’t yet joined do so or make a donation. 2014 is not likely going to be an easy year for second amendment supporters.
“……2014 is not likely going to be an easy year for second amendment supporters.”
We just need to remember that elections do have consequences, that’s going to be where the battle is won (or lost).