Here we go again, making political hay out of a tragedy, a tragedy that likely could have been averted. We blame an inanimate object and not the perpetrator, nor the societal change that has spawned an increase in violence and a lack of concern for human life. Having lost a son, I know well the heart break being endured by the families of those killed in this heinous crime. I grieve for them and know that their pain will be ever present. Blaming a non-thinking, non-acting object will not enhance our safety or stop the increase in violence we are seeing. Blaming the gun is the easy way out and fails to address the root cause what is happening in our society. Unfortunately looking at the root causes would make us face the fact that many of us and our government have embraced programs and values that have degraded our respect for human life and brought many in our society to see violence as a means to an end that is acceptable. So lets look at some of the root causes.

The glorification of violence in our world is as common as a sunrise. We watch movies, television, hear music and use other media that highlights violence and glorifies those who commit it. Those who create our entertainment present us with repeated acts of violence in ever increasing volume and graphic detail. They then are some of the first to decry the need to blame the object when some miscreant acts out on what he or she has been watching for thousands of hours. They insist on the importance of disarming the public while they are protected by men with the very weapons they vilify. It seems as though Hollywood has run out of ideas. Any socially redeeming programming is either a remake of someone's old idea, or is so infused with political undertones designed to influence us to their set of values, that many of us find them offensive. With no fresh ideas, their plot then becomes a hail of bullets, explosions, four letter words, or sexual acts. Then they wonder why some in society act out. Maybe its because it's encouraged by images glorifying violence and portraying the perpetrators as fashionable, attractive heroes. Maybe it's because for hours on end the miscreant has been killing human like images, or watching them be killed, to the point that he or she becomes desensitized and life losses its value. Maybe we need to begin to look at what we are showing our children and quit providing them with visions that demonstrate the rewards they can earn using violence. But wait that would take someone in our entertainment and gaming industries to have a unique idea that would teach respect for human life and simple positive values. Maybe we should turn those images off in our homes and quit supporting those who are turning us toward violence.

The decline of respect for life in general is also a significant contributor. In a society where it is common place to allow the taking of the life of an innocent child in one circumstance and then claiming wrong doing in another is confusing at best. Life is either precious or it is not. Each year we allow the killing of thousands of babies in the womb in respect to the will of the mother and somehow think that it does not have an impact on societies view of the importance of human life. We now, in may areas, allow the killing up to and including at birth because of a woman's right to choose. We ignore the fact that she had a choice, in most incidences, to refrain from having unprotected sex, or to use protection before another life was involved in her decision. In today's world with the availability of modern contraceptives it is hard to see how an abortion can be justified when all that is needed is to choose to prevent the pregnancy before its inception. I find it interesting that many of those who vocally object to the killing of animals and would hang those who abuse them, find it easy to allow the killing of a human heart beat in, and now sometimes outside of, the womb. I find it hard to understand how you can decry violence and embrace abortion, and think that it sends no mixed message to those in our society who struggle with questionable values.

In our society we have drifted to a position where one is no longer responsible for his or her behavior. We see this repeatedly as those who commit acts of violence which result in their death are glorified, in spite of the fact that had they not been violent they would still be alive. We see those who violate our laws released back into society without consequences. We even witness criminal behaviors in the highest levels of government as our politicians enrich themselves and their families, using their positions to sell influence for profit, without consequences. I watched as one judge lectured an offender telling her he would not tolerate her illegal behavior, and he fined her two thousand dollars. She was leading a gang selling meth which had been netting thirty thousand dollars a week in sales in a small community. His sentence was not a deterrent and she was back in court within weeks. I have seen federal and local prosecutors refuse to prosecute or enhance prosecution of violent offenders in possession of firearms, and plea bargains which release gun offenders without consequences sufficient enough to have any deterrent affect. In spite of these situations many would have you believe that the solution is to take guns away from everyone, an act which will have little or no affect on those in our society who ignore our laws on a regular basis. To do this would only leave all of us at the mercy of those who have no respect for the law and no mercy for those who do. Could it be that holding one responsible for their criminal acts and removing them from society, might send a message to those inclined to commit violence. In our current environment we are sending the opposite message. If you fight with police, you are not the problem, police are, and if you are hurt or killed then you are the victim and you and your family are enriched because of your violent resistance to the enforcement of the very laws which keep us safe. When a public authority commits crime they should be punished, but that punishment should come after the same due process afforded others in our communities. No one should be tried in the press or the court of public opinion before all the facts are known. When we villainize those who are empowered to protect us, we welcome violence into our communities.

Our society is headed down the same path taken by so many societies before us. The values which made our country great have been replaced by the same hedonistic values which have destroyed many past cultures. Money is the primary driver in our country. Instead of asking what can I contribute to our society we ask, What am I owed? What do I get? The basic values historically accepted by Judaeo-Christian cultures have been set aside, and even blacklisted today. Thou shalt not steal, or kill, or commit adultery, or lie are looked upon as obsolete suggestions rather than commandments. Love they neighbor has been replaced by what can I get from my neighbor. Respect for authority, love of family, commitment to each other, have all been replaced by selfishness, arrogance and self importance. These changes have been influenced by many in high positions of government, entertainment, sports and even in our educational institutions. Until we recognize that moral values are an important part of a thriving society we are destined to continue to suffer the wages of moral decline.

Inanimate objects are not the problem in our culture. Instead a lack of moral values, a lack of accountability, a lack of respect for life and a societal change which has embraced violence, profanity and other uncivilized behaviors has prompted the changes we are seeing today. It is unfortunate that we will likely continue to blame the availability of guns as the problem. Our current debate will continue to focus on gun control. The powers in government, the elite in our society and those who would like to see us disarmed for political or surreptitious reasons will continue to guide the focus of the discussion away from the true reasons for our current problems with societal violence. Until we stop and face the root causes of our current situation, and work to correct them, we are destined to continue down the path taken by cultures before us and continued violence, social decline and eventual destruction lie ahead for us and our children.