International Herald Tribune Editorial - The silence of politicians
International Herald Tribune Editorial - The silence of politicians
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: April 19, 2007
There are myriad questions from the evolving tragedy at Virginia Tech. One of the most pertinent is how the purchase of such lethal weaponry by such a troubled individual can somehow be pronounced entirely legal under the laws of a civilized nation.
The guns wielded by Cho Seung Hui were traced through the laissez-faire weapons marts of Virginia and found to be legitimately obtained. So, case closed. At least according to most of America's political leadership, so studiously ducking the morning-after question of whether anything serious can be done about such an appalling situation. The victims at Virginia Tech represent a mere tenth of 1 percent of the 30,000 gunshot deaths each year.
Yet the implicit lesson is that beyond the usual calls for prayers and closure, there's no sense these days for a politician, particularly one running for president, to get into the risky business of even talking about the gun problem.
Politicians should at least have the guts to tell the nation that retrogression is the state of gun control in America. But Congress' new Democratic majority is a study in caginess, its leaders obviously mindful of the warning - issued by Terry McAuliffe, the former party chairman who is now a principal in Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign - to avoid the subject as a third-rail loser. The question in the '08 campaign is whether major candidates will dare to speak of Virginia Tech as anything more than an occasion to express grief.
Copyright by The International Herald Tribune
Published: April 19, 2007
There are myriad questions from the evolving tragedy at Virginia Tech. One of the most pertinent is how the purchase of such lethal weaponry by such a troubled individual can somehow be pronounced entirely legal under the laws of a civilized nation.
The guns wielded by Cho Seung Hui were traced through the laissez-faire weapons marts of Virginia and found to be legitimately obtained. So, case closed. At least according to most of America's political leadership, so studiously ducking the morning-after question of whether anything serious can be done about such an appalling situation. The victims at Virginia Tech represent a mere tenth of 1 percent of the 30,000 gunshot deaths each year.
Yet the implicit lesson is that beyond the usual calls for prayers and closure, there's no sense these days for a politician, particularly one running for president, to get into the risky business of even talking about the gun problem.
Politicians should at least have the guts to tell the nation that retrogression is the state of gun control in America. But Congress' new Democratic majority is a study in caginess, its leaders obviously mindful of the warning - issued by Terry McAuliffe, the former party chairman who is now a principal in Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign - to avoid the subject as a third-rail loser. The question in the '08 campaign is whether major candidates will dare to speak of Virginia Tech as anything more than an occasion to express grief.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 8:49 AM
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