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January 8, 2013
Punish the Guilty, not the Innocent
Thankfully, at least one Democratic senator gets the picture. Senator Heidi Heitkamp said that Vice President Joe Biden’s suggestion that we need stiffer gun laws is going way too far. I think she’s right.
Newly elected Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said on ABC News’ “This Week” today that the gun-control proposals under consideration in the Obama White House are “way in extreme” and are “not going to pass” in Congress.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that a group of administration officials being led by Vice President Joe Biden is crafting a set of gun-control proposals to present to President Barack Obama this month. According to the Post, the proposals “would require universal background checks for firearm buyers, track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, strengthen mental health checks, and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors.”
[…]
“Let’s start addressing the problem,” said Heitkamp. “And to me, one of the issues that I think screams out of this is the issue of mental health and the care for the mentally ill in our country, especially the dangerously mentally ill. And so we need to have a broad discussion before we start talking about gun control.”
[…]
“Well, I think you need to put everything on the table,” said Heitkamp. “But what I hear from the administration–if the Washington Post is to be believed–that’s way, way in extreme of what I think is necessary or even should be talked about. And it’s not going to pass.”
I’ll go one step further. If the Washington Post story is correct, Vice President Biden has outdone himself this time. In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, it takes real chutzpah (I would say “stupidity”, but I’m too diplomatic to do that) to even hint at stiffening penalties for carrying guns near schools. He and his task force should realize how much better off the students and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School would have been if someone nearby that fateful day had had a gun and knew how to use it.
The latest report says that the Sandy Hook shooter, Adam Lanza, wore ear plugs during his rampage. That’s what you do when you are taking target practice. In a diabolical way, that’s exactly what Lanza was doing, and it indicates that he had serious mental problems, but it doesn’t tell us anything else.
National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre suggested having armed security guards in our schools at least temporarily as a way to protect our children from the likes of Lanza. That makes sense to me. The last thing we need is a kneejerk response to a very real problem especially since it impinges on our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
As I said in a blog for American Thinker several days ago, let’s have a national discussion about gun violence, but let’s be honest. Jumping to the conclusion that stiffer gun laws will solve or reduce our gun violence problem at this juncture isn’t being honest. I would even go so far as to say that it is lazy and sophomoric.
As a nation, we have ignored the problems that we created when we released certifiably mentally ill people onto our streets; we have medicated them with drugs that have terrible side effects; and we have taken far too long to recognize the costs associated with our naiveté.
We have pretended that gratuitous violence as a form of entertainment isn’t a problem as well. The evidence is overwhelming. Businesses don’t pay millions of dollars for 1-minute and 2-minute commercials unless they know that those ads influence behavior. Hollywood moguls have pocketed hundreds of billions of dollars over decades of time by selling superfluous violence, gun violence in particular, to mass audiences. They’ve glamorized it and made it seem cool. Ignoring the effects of those images on our population isn’t just naïve: it’s idiotic.
I’ll be blunt: sane people don’t walk into an elementary school and shoot innocent students and teachers. That’s the work of an evil, demented, and/or insane person. The vast majority of gun owners, and by that I mean 99.99999% of gun owners, don’t fall into any of those categories. They are ordinary people who own guns for self-defense and recreation, period. Penalizing them in any way whatsoever because of the actions of individuals like Adam Lanza who need intensive medical treatment (i.e., institutionalization) or jail time will only make matters worse.
Judging by Vice President Biden’s kneejerk response to our very real problem, I have to conclude that Larry Pratt, Executive Director of Gun Owners of America, is correct: “The issue is not just about gun control. It’s about control.”
This SnyderTalk editorial first appeared in American Thinker.
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Ezekiel 40: 32-34
He brought me into the inner court toward the east. And he measured the gate according to those same measurements. Its guardrooms also, its side pillars and its porches were according to those same measurements. And the gate and its porches had windows all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. Its porches were toward the outer court; and palm tree ornaments were on its side pillars, on each side, and its stairway had eight steps.
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His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important. It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.
- God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
- “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
- “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
- Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)
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The Messiah May Return Sooner than You Think
To download the entire audio presentation, click here.
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Hosea 4: 6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
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Bennett to ‘Post’: Netanyahu wants Livni in next government
Bennett: Parties must pledge not to evacuate Jews
Livni, Yacimovich have ‘good’ meeting, but no deal
Chaos in Israel as rain and winds pound the country
Rand Paul in Israel: US foreign aid can’t be one-way
Police indict Leef, fail to give her timely notice
Syrians expect war after Assad’s speech of peace
Iran welcomes Assad’s Syrian peace plan
Morsi: Syrians must decide how to punish Assad
Court extends remand of alleged TA bus bomber
Jailed Barghouti calls for ‘Palestinian spring’
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Netanyahu: Left, Hareidim Plotting against Me
Min. Erdan: Netanyahu Wants Nationalist Gov’t
Shilo Find May Show It was Sacked by Philistines
Bennett: Netanyahu wants a Leftist Coalition
Feiglin: Justice System is Corrupt
Arabs Severely Beat Taxi Driver, Steal Cab
Iran: Patriots in Turkey Meant to Protect Israel
Libyan Leader Escapes Assassination Attempt
Assad Speech ‘Detached from Reality’, Says U.S.
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‘Left aims to recruit religious parties for alternative coalition’
‘Behavior unbecoming an officer’
‘Israel leads the West because of Yisrael Beytenu-Likud union’
Bennett stands by Netanyahu, says Left can’t form bloc
Golani base awarded for better combat fitness training
Police: Not enough evidence to investigate Netanyahu
‘Diskin sounds like someone who is deep in politics’
Obama to nominate Hagel for defense secretary
Anti-Semitic incidents doubled in Austria in 2012, says Jewish leader
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Defiant Assad pledges to continue fighting
US condemns Assad ‘puppets’ speech
Obama Appoints French Economist Funded by Saudi Billionaire to Shape US Global Development Policy
‘Palestine’ to be used officially
Ancient Afghan papers shed light on Jewish life
Afghans Release 250 Terrorists Captured by the United States
Hitler statue unveiled in Warsaw ghetto
Police suspended in new India ‘rape’
Report: White House mulls broader approach to gun control
Holmes’ hearing in theater shootings may serve as ‘mini-trial’
Top Dem Steered $150 Million in Gov Loans to Spanish Company
Pelosi hints at more tax increases
Analysis: Obama may turn Medicare reform into wider health debate
Health insurers jacking up rates by double digits in advance of Obamacare
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Aryeh Savir: Israeli Priest Hounded for His Support of Israel— Nadaf was excommunicated by the Orthodox Church Council after he expressed his belief that Christian youth in Israel should fully integrate into Israeli society, serving in the IDF or in the National Service. Since then, he and others, like Father André Alamiya, have been the target of virulent attacks from opponents to this idea. For example, Father Alamiya’s tires were slashed last weekend, and a rag saturated with blood was placed at his doorstep in Nazareth.
Gonen Ginat: Noni’s lust for power— Yedioth Ahronoth no longer has the power to choose who will and who won’t sit in the government. Now they are making every effort to return to their original positions of power, which clearly no longer exist.
Dror Eydar: The man who exposed the Harpaz document— “No one in the Harpaz affair report came out clean,” said Channel 2 commentator Amnon Abramovich after the report came out. His statement is true, and it includes Abramovich himself.
Dr. Aviad Hacohen: Rotten to the core— When a molehill turns out to be not just a mountain, but a volcano, reality demands an investigation. In the case of the Harpaz affair, a police investigation is preferable to a government-appointed investigative committee.
Isi Leibler: Habayit Hayehudi: Don’t blow this opportunity— Those of us with traditional religious Zionist inclinations yearn for Habayit Hayehudi to distance itself from demagogic populist policies and the messianic commitment to retaining land at any cost.
Bruce Bawer: No Hebrew, Please — This Is Europe—Across a continent, Jews are being terrorized into hiding their identity.
Michael Geer: Who (or What) Are They Looking For?—With the Benghazi official account breaking down like cheap cement with too much sand in the mix, we now know with near certainty that our very own Department of State has been recruiting and arming Al-Qaeda. So who are TSA and DHS looking for?
Dore Gold: The Difference Between Northern Cyprus and Judea, Samaria— Is there any basis for comparing Northern Cyprus to the situation with the West Bank? A number of glaring differences stand out. First, Israel entered the West Bank in a war of self-defense in 1967 when it faced an Arab war coalition that was massing forces along its borders. In contrast, the circumstances of the Turkish invasion were very different. Turkey did not face imminent attack from Cyprus, but rather was concerned with intercommunal tensions in Cyprus.
Michael Ledeen: The New Iranian Hostage Crisis— Over and over again, we are told that direct U.S.-Iranian negotiations would be a radical departure from past practice, and might decisively improve the “relationship.” Both claims are false. Direct negotiations would not be new — talks between the United States and the leaders of the Islamic Republic have been conducted by every administration since Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini brought down the shah — and there is no reason to believe that a “grand bargain” is on the horizon.
Daniel Greenfield: Are America and Russia Set for a Showdown in Syria?— A showdown between Russian and American forces has been talked about during every confrontation between Russian and American interests. And the closest we came to it was in Yugoslavia at Pristina Airport where a demented Wesley Clark did his best to start WW3, before being relived of duty prematurely by Clinton. But despite all the blustering from both sides, Russia was unable to save Yugoslavia. Similarly the United States was unable to save Georgia, which is back in the grip of the Russian bear.
Yaakov Ahimeir: The approaching Hagel storm— Hagel’s highly critical stance toward Israel stands out as one of the central arguments of those senators from both parties who oppose the appointment.
Jonathan S. Tobin: Hagel Means Iran Containment— The news that President Obama has finally decided to move ahead with the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel to be the secretary of defense illustrates the difference between politics and policy. Last year while in the midst of a re-election year Jewish charm offensive, the president not only reiterated that he would never allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon but explicitly disavowed any intention of backing off that pledge and adopting a policy centering on “containing” the Islamist regime. But election years are for promises and second terms are about policy implementation. The appointment of Hagel, who, despite strong opposition from the pro-Israel community and gays, is a lock to be confirmed by his former Senate colleagues, illustrates the gap between what Obama’s supporters were told and what is likely to happen over the next four years.
John Rosenberg: Chuck Hagel, Gay Rights, and Liberalism’s Incoherence—When Hagel promises his “commitment to their [LGBT] civil rights,” we can be sure that he has no idea whatsoever what he is actually promising, and neither does anyone else.
Bridget Johnson: GOPs Bracing for Hagel Nod with Pre-emptive Strikes—McConnell is the squishiest, though, on opposition to the expected Defense sec nod.
Mike Shedlock: Fearing Hagel— Many Democrats have been unenthusiastic as well, because he is a Republican and over a past statement criticising a Clinton-era diplomatic appointment as “openly, aggressively gay”.
Ben Shapiro: Hollywood Producer: John Wilkes Booth a “Poster Child for the Tea Party”—Hollywood leftists say they hate bullies. Too bad they are bullies.
Leo Rennert: Washington Post weeps for Gaza’s children but blames only Israel—No mention of the psychological scars of Israeli children under threat of rocket fire from Gaza.
James G. Wiles: Stark Evidence of US, British Naval Decline—Is it actually possible that, as you read this, the United States Navy has only one supercarrier battle group at sea? Read on – and be amazed.
Rick Moran: Delusional Assad offers peace plan—Syria’s President Bashir Assad, in a one hour televised speech, has outlined a new peace proposal so at odds with reality that one wonders if the strain of 22 months of civil war is getting to him.
Terence P. Jeffrey: Democratic Senator: WH Gun-Control Plans ‘Way in Extreme’—Newly elected Democratic Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota said on ABC News’ “This Week” today that the gun-control proposals under consideration in the Obama White House are “way in extreme” and are “not going to pass” in Congress.
Walter Williams: Why the Second Amendment—What the Founders really thought about the right to bear arms.
Jeffrey Folks: Why Exceptionalism Matters—America is exceptional, despite what our current president may think. It’s not hard — at least not for non-liberals — to understand why.
Jonathan S. Tobin: Christie’s GOP Disconnect— New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s temper tantrum about the temporary delay of action on the Hurricane Sandy relief bill earlier this week was depicted in some corners as an illustration of the disconnect between the Northeast and the southern and western base of the Republican Party. There was some truth in that. The bulk of the GOP caucus in the House doesn’t care much about the concerns of Northeast Republicans let alone those of anyone else in the region. That’s just one of many concerns that the GOP must confront as it starts thinking about how to win back the White House in 2016. But despite the party’s failings, Christie’s rant illustrates that the lack of communication is a two-way street.
Daniel Greenfield: Obama’s Crony Corporate Pork Bigger than Fiscal Cliff Tax Hike on the Rich— Speaking of paying their fair share, that just applies to people who don’t have the right political connections. Those who do don’t just fail to pay their fair share, they glut themselves with taxpayer money, stuffing it into their pockets and then waddling around Washington D.C. with it while their Buddy-in-Chief gives another speech about how ‘other’ rich should pay more.
Christopher Ford: ‘Air/Sea Battle,’ Escalation, and U.S. Strategy in the Pacific—U.S. strategy for a possible conflict with China has detractors fearing a quick escalation to nukes.
Michael Barone: Dodd-Frank’s Problems — and Potential Solutions—Over the next year, we will probably see much controversy over the implementation of Obamacare. Health insurance is something that almost every adult has some acquaintance with, and there seem to be glitches aplenty in the legislation, much delay in issuing regulations and some possible changes resulting from litigation.
John Fund: E-mail Scandal at the EPA—What was Lisa Jackson trying to hide?
Morgan Brittany: Obama’s Affirmative Action: Tax Increases for Everyone!— Here we go again folks, the Obama lies continue to flow. Remember when he said this? “I can make a firm pledge. Under my plan no family making under $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains, not any of your taxes.” Really. Then how is it that this week when people got their payroll checks they were a little thinner than they were in 2012? I’m not talking about the “evil rich”, but the average everyday worker.
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Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now. There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
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Other Books by Neil Snyder
- Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming. Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days. Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall. Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace. With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life? Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
- Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide. It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided. They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make. As they say, forewarned is forearmed. Click here to order the eBook. Click here to order the paperback.
