Clinging to Our G-d and Guns

Clinging to Our G-d and Guns
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
April 12, 2020

In the new world of coronavirus we find ourselves “living” in, while it is perfectly legal to procure food from a Church’s Chicken drive through, attempting to worship at one’s church is now considered a misdemeanor - even if outdoors in one’s vehicle. Something is most assuredly wrong with that picture.

Millions of people of faith and legal gun owners were mocked by Barack Obama for “cling[ing] to their guns and religion.” Thank G-d Obama is no longer occupying 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, because his antipathy toward both groups would prove even more damaging than it is today. Although President Donald Trump supports both groups, myriad governors and mayors continue Obama’s disdain for religion, religious people, guns and gun owners.

The list of non-essential businesses includes, but is not limited to, churches, synagogues, and gun stores. The list of essential businesses includes, but is not limited to, abortion clinics, liquor stores, and fast food establishments. So, at a time when Americans are at their most vulnerable, most defenseless, it is no wonder people are clinging to their guns and religion. Gun shops are deemed non-essential when they are at their most essential. The Second Amendment is the citizens’ protection against a tyrannical government. I don’t oppose medically necessary safety measures, but not when United States citizens are being thrown under the ambulance in favor of diabetic child molesters and sex offenders.

Shoplifting, break-ins of homes and businesses, and other so-called petty, low-level, non-violent quality of life crimes are being ignored, thanks to edicts by radical Democrat district attorneys like Larry Krasner of Philadelphia and Chesa Boudin in San Francisco. Prisons have even released convicted child molesters and sex offenders with diabetes who may be at risk of contracting the coronavirus for their protection, yet it seems perfectly acceptable to let these animals loose on decent society putting innocent Americans at risk. In fact, US Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), during an interview on MSNBC, advocated for blanket commutations of sentences to release prisoners due to the coronavirus. Where is the justice? 

If a supermarket can be open, as it should, so too should gun and ammunition shops be open allowing Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights to the Constitution. The same social-distancing and shoppers per square foot can be observed just as easily in a gun store as it can in a grocery store. If people can wait in lines outside stores like a Costco or Wal Mart, they can just as easily do likewise at a Bass Pro Shops or Cabela’s.

Unilateral decisions like that made by Champaign, IL mayor Deborah Frank Feinen (D) to issue a ban on guns and the closing of gun stores via executive order are dangerous. Quite frankly, no more dangerous than the unilateral decisions made by numerous governors and mayors pertaining to the stifling of Americans’ freedom of religion. 

Greenville, MS Mayor Errick Simmons, a Democrat supporter of presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, unilaterally banned all religious services, including those of the drive-in variety. Police in that city were sent en masse to the King James Bible Baptist Church where Pastor Charles Hamilton attempted to conduct a vehicular service. “I’m a good citizen,” said Hamilton. “I ain’t breaking no law, I ain’t selling no drugs, I’m just preaching the word of G-d, and look at all the police cars here,” continued the pastor. “Our rights don’t come from authority,” added Hamilton, sort of reminiscent of the old Hebrew National hot dog commercials - “We answer to a higher authority.” Although the parishioners at King James were given a warning, at Temple Baptist Church, also in Greenville, worshipers were fined $500 per person, not per vehicle. Beyond outrageous.

In the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Democrat Governor Andy Beshear unilaterally called on the state’s police force to record the license plate numbers of all church-goers attempting to worship, from their vehicles. “Taking license plates at church? Quarantining someone for being Christian on Easter Sunday? Someone needs to take a step back here,” said Senator Rand Paul (R-KY), also a doctor.

“Churches might be empty this Easter, but so is the grave,” said Pastor Todd Lester of Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church in Midway, KY. Lester was referring to his, and millions others’ belief, that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, following his crucifixion on Good Friday.

But such restrictions were not limited to just Democrats as Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb, a Republican, issued his own edicts ruffling the feathers of religious communities across the Hoosier State. Holcomb called for houses of worship to be closed. He also required that in the case of drive-in services, there should be no interaction with clergy or any other personnel from houses of worship. Vehicles must be at least every other parking space, with no more than members of a given household in the vehicle - which rules out taking a neighbor, friend, or other family member who has no transportation. No portable bathroom facilities are to be provided on the grounds, and preferably no giving of communion. If restrooms are not closed or restricted in places like supermarkets, where undoubtedly more people shop than presumably the number of worshipers at individual churches or synagogues, why the restriction during drive-in services? And why can’t a service he held outdoors where parishioners are more than six feet away from one another?

These Draconian restrictions are also affecting the Jewish community, as Wednesday night at sundown ushered in Passover - a religious holiday of eight days runs parallel to Holy Week for Christians. Synagogues are unable to hold traditional services for daily prayers - minyan, Shabbat observances, and now Passover Seders. Traditionally individual congregations hold community Seders during the first two nights of Passover that typically serve those who don’t have family or a Seder to attend. In addition to the inability for Christians to receive communion or give confession, without a public service attended by the requisite 10 people above bar mitzvah age, the Jewish community is prohibited from reciting certain prayers during daily worship services. And while Zoom is a useful technological tool, that does not satisfy the all important rule of having 10 people physically present for the recitation of certain specific prayers according to Jewish law - also answering to a higher authority.

Governors and presidents sign bills to become law - they don’t write them; that is the responsibility of the legislative branch - elected directly by the people. For the legislative branch to cede power is more than just a little bit troubling, as our fundamental right of religious freedom, as found in the First Amendment of the Constitution, has been suspended. Where does it end? Totalitarian dictatorship the likes of which is found in communist Cuba, communist China, and socialist Venezuela? Be fearful, for this is the life a liberal-progressive atheist seeks to make America - another G-dless, faithless, socialist regime.

It is imperative to remember the words of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (1706-90): “Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Holder's Race Card Deflects from Bigger Issue

Holder’s Race Card Deflects from Bigger Issue

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
April 13, 2014

Like Aesop’s little boy who cried wolf, Attorney General Eric Holder is once again crying racism, this time before the friendly audience of Al Sharpton’s National Action Network. Holder’s woe is me act is beyond long in the tooth and the more he and Barack Obama shout racism, it dilutes its actual power when it is necessary as well as deflects from more urgent issues.

Make no mistake, racism is not dead in the United States – it would be foolish to suggest that it is. That would be nice, and sure, that is the dream, but unlikely to ever become reality – but not for a lack of trying. Racism will likely never die in this nation, but this is still the country that elected a black man – Barack Obama – twice.

But as Holder claims racist treatment with the left side of his mouth, there is the slight of (hand) lip while attempting to deny rights to law abiding Americans with the right side of his mouth. He claims “unprecedented, unwarranted treatment.” Holder continues to obfuscate, delay, and outright deny Congressional committees and the American people true testimony pertaining to the IRS scandal as well as other incidents.

Holder and his Justice Department have turned a blind eye to voter fraud, voter intimidation by the New Black Panther party – see Pennsylvania 2008, while claiming he is being singled out because of the color of his skin. This is utter bilge that Holder would accuse the GOP of treating him infinitely harsher that his predecessors simply because he is black. Along with the above mentioned issues, could it be that Holder’s pronouncements are his attempt to deflect from a bigger, more incendiary problem?

The 2^nd Amendment: Friend of the Patriot, Foe of the Despotic Administration

United States Constitution, Amendment II: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” (Ratified December 15, 1791)

At 27 words, and for 223 years, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution is one of the shortest and one of the most important. In no uncertain terms it guarantees the right of the people – the American citizen to take appropriate, legal measures to possess firearms.

Yet, AG Holder, who already behaves as though he is above the law – a proven failure by the likes of better men, such as Richard M. Nixon – is determined to criminalize guns, legal gun ownership, and legal gun owners. He proposed a bracelet/GPS-type monitor for gun owners and guns themselves for the government to monitor and track.

G-d forbid the government should actually do its job, and pursue the real criminals instead of marking the legal, law abiding owners of firearms for potential prosecution and clearly for persecution. Legal, law abiding gun owners do not need tracking by the government, nor do they deserve such a violation of their right of privacy or a violation of their Fourth Amendment rights of illegal search and seizure. The potentiality of a wrist monitor – a la a criminal’s ankle monitor – smacks of a warrantless search. Such a tracking device seems akin to stalking. This seems beyond unreasonable.

It is positively frightening, but not surprising, that the Second Amendment continues to endure such assaults by the Obama administration. But this is a classic attempt of a despot, dictator, or authoritarian ruler to control the populous. After all, consider Germany’s Adolf Hitler, Russia’s Josef Stalin, China’s Mao Tze Tung, Uganda’s Idi Amin, and Cambodia’s Pol Pot. They had the collective goal of disarming their citizenry in order to control the lemmings as slaves or lambs led to slaughter by the millions.

Germany was considered a civilized and intelligent society, yet it allowed itself to be overrun by a hoard of fanatical hate mongers with the animalistic taste for blood. Hitler, a charismatic figure who was legally elected, said in 1942, “The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared for their own downfall by so doing.” (http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2013/01/adolf-hitler-the-most-foolish-mistake-we-could-make-would-be-to-allow-the-subject-races-to-possess-arms/)

The greater the gun control, the greater the gun-related crime statistics pile up. Look at cities like Chicago with one of the strictest gun control policies and people are being slaughtered in Second City. Mayors like Rahm Emanuel are obtuse to believe that keeping firearms out of the hands of the innocent, law abiding citizens will diminish gun violence.

Remember, in order to control the populous, government must strip the people of their ability to protect and defend themselves, their families, their businesses, and their private property. (Then said government takes over health care and outlaws private property.)

Ronald Reagan said it best when referencing foreign policy, “peace through strength.” The same sentiment holds true regarding the safety and security of the domestic population of the United States of America. The Second Amendment ensures all the other amendments remain ensconced in the American fabric. It is up to we the people to ensure the Second Amendment remains the strength that upholds the peace.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Obama Politicizes Navy Yard Memorial

Obama Politicizes Navy Yard Memorial
Commentary by Sanford D. Horn
September 23, 2013

On what should have been an occasion of solemnity and the reminder of the fragility of life, Barack Obama, never being one to miss an opportunity, turned a memorial into a political speech and talking points for future anti-gun candidates.

While none of the military and administration speakers preceding Obama called for gun control during their eulogies, Obama connected the names of the victims with the demand for more gun laws at the Navy Yard memorial following the slaughter of a dozen innocent people Monday, September 16.

“If we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work and go to school and walk our streets free from senseless violence without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we’re going to have to change,” said Obama, Sunday afternoon.

What Obama and the rest of the knee-jerk reactionary gun control crowd either fails to realize or is simply intentionally obtuse for political purposes, is that honest, law-abiding Americans are the ones affected by gun control laws. The United States does not need additional laws pertaining to the ownership and carrying of firearms. It needs to start by enforcing the laws already enacted.

Criminals, by their nature of being criminals, will continue to find ways to procure firearms and criminals are not impacted by potential restrictions to the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

In the case of this particular murderer, Aaron Alexis, 34, a former Navy Reservist and information technology contractor apparently wrestled with mental illness. Yet, he supposedly garnered his firearms legally. Where was the mental health system to stop Alexis from acquiring guns in the first place? Why didn’t his discharge record indicate a status that denied him the right to own a gun?

And if any law should be changed, it should be the repeal of a law signed by former President Bill Clinton denying employees on military bases or buildings like Fort Hood or the Navy Yard from carrying a firearm. In each case, where a dozen or more were slain, anyone with a firearm could have thwarted the murderer/terrorist from carrying out the heinous crimes perpetrated.

If history has taught us anything, it is that a well-armed citizenry has the ability to ward off the tyranny of a government swelled with unearned power. Those who would prefer to live in a world where guns are not accepted are free to do so – no doubt the local Starbucks will welcome you. For the rest of us who prefer to take personal responsibility for the protection of our families, homes, businesses, and property, the Second Amendment is still part of the Constitution.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Of Gastronomy and Guns

Of Gastronomy and Guns

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

January 22, 2013

Shortly upon his second coronation, King Barack, Queen Michelle and a band of Congressional minions adjourned to Statuary Hall where they dined on lobster, clam chowder sauce, bison, apple pie a la mode and other delights.*

I mentioned this to an ultra-liberal friend of mine who was basking in the glory of the day, January 21, who simply responded, “They’re entitled.” Hmm. That seems to sum up the entire attitude of this administration and all who fawn in its wake.

My point was not in the largesse of the meal. I couldn’t care less what the Obamas and members of Congress eat – so long as I am not paying for it, which, of course, on that day I, along with the rest of you were footing the bill. My point is, the over 3,000 calorie gastronomical feast on which they gorged demonstrates the continued hypocrisy of this administration, specifically Queen Michelle who has been hell bent on mandating a national diet for the rank and file – obese or not.

And after Mrs. Obama ordered us to eat our peas, there was no such legume on the inaugural luncheon menu.

As with so many aspects of this administration, it’s do as we say, not as we do. This edict can be applied to the Obama philosophy on guns.

While it is perfectly acceptable, and it is, for Obama’s daughters to be protected by armed guards, he does not want the rest of America’s children to enjoy the same security. Since the horrors of Sandy Hook in December there has been a cacophony calling for increased gun control as a knee-jerk reaction from the left.

Limiting the rights, as provided by the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution, will only put innocent people in grave danger, not make them safer.

“Why don’t we stop the bad guy from getting the gun in the first place,” declared Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), showing his abject naïveté. Is Schumer serious? Additional gun laws will stop criminals? Welcome to the Land of Oz, Senator.

The more people are armed, the less likely they will become victims.

On January 16 Obama signed 23 Executive Orders pertaining to guns and gun ownership bypassing Congress. I seem to recall a war for independence being fought (1775-83) to rid ourselves of the despotic and tyrannical rule of a monarch, King George III.

Why not enforce the hundreds, if not thousands of gun laws already on the books both federally as well as within the 50 states? No, that would be too practical and not feed the paranoia of the left if “all” the government did was work within the system already in place. Instead, the federal government needs to put on a show – replete with Obama photos supposedly skeet shooting. I’d sooner trust former VP Dick Cheney with a gun than Obama.

Arm schools at the front doors as we arm banks protecting our most important assets – our children, as we do our monetary assets. Protect the children of Mr. and Mrs. Main Street as we do Mr. and Mrs. Obama.

Bottom line, stripping away the Second Amendment to the Constitution one rifle, pistol, or handgun at a time will eventually ensure that all other amendments are stripped away, ending the democratic-republic as we once knew it.

*Inauguration Day Menu

First Course: Steamed Lobster with New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Lobster Tails
New England Clam Chowder Sauce
Sautéed Spinach
Sweet Potato Hay

Per Serving: Calories 783, Fat 45.7g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 247 mg, Sodium 1819 mg, Carbohydrates 55g, Dietary Fiber 7.5g, Sugar 14g, Protein 29g

Second Course: Hickory Grilled Bison with Red Potato Horseradish Cake and Wild Huckleberry Reduction
Bison
Butternut Squash Puree
Baby Golden Beets and Green Beans
Red Potato Horseradish Cake
Strawberry Preserve and Red Cabbage
Wild Huckleberry Reduction

Per Serving: Calories 1184, Fat 34.6g, Saturated Fat 16g, Cholesterol 177mg, Sodium 7445mg, Carbohydrates, 149g, Dietary Fiber 16.7, Sugar 97.2g, Protein 51g

Third Course: Hudson Valley Apple Pie with Sour Cream Ice Cream, Aged Cheese and Honey
Pie Dough
Cinnamon Crumble
Apples
Sour Cream Ice Cream
Maple Caramel Sauce
Garnish
Artisan Cheeses

Per Serving: Calories 1060, Fat 64.4g, Saturated Fat 39g, Cholesterol 331mg, Sodium 488mg, Carbohydrates, 108.5g, Dietary Fiber 1.7g, Sugar 75g, Protein 14g

Total Nutritional Counts (not including wine pairing): Calories 3027, Fat 145 g, Saturated Fat 71g (49% of fat), Sodium 9752 mg, Total Carbs 312.5g, Sugar 186.2g (59% of carbs)

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.

Of G-d and Guns

Of G-d and Guns

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

December 17, 2012

If there has been one constant amidst the hellish carnage and horror that not just befell Newtown, CT but shook the nation to its very core, it has been a clarion call for prayer.

From the teachers in Sandy Hook Elementary School and the survivors – student and staff alike who were interviewed, to politicians all the way to the White House and Barack Obama himself, “thoughts and prayers” were offered repeatedly and liberally.

Synagogue and church services across the nation, even athletic events from high school to the professional level, called for prayers and moments of silence for reflection – that was the immediate gut reaction – it is natural and it is normal. There can’t be too much prayer.

Even jaded newscasters repeatedly said “our thoughts and prayers” are with the victims’ families (unless it was reflexive lip service – yes, I can also be just as jaded).

Obama’s first words in addressing an assembly in Newtown on Sunday night were, “scripture tells us…,” later adding, “I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation.” Obama approached his conclusion with, “G-d has called them all home,” in reference to the 20 children as well as the six teachers and administrators who were senselessly massacred on Friday, December 14 by a piece of detritus whose name only deserves to be cursed for all eternity.

Yet, for all the synagogue and church services, the words of prayer, the quotes from scripture, the moments of silence, it begs the question of why we the people are not preemptively praying to begin with? How far has this nation sunk into the quagmire of moral decay and vituperativeness that prayer and the word of G-d are to be shunned, even mocked and ridiculed?

The constant barrage of attacks on religion in general, and this time of the year on Christmas, specifically demonstrates people’s lack of knowledge of the first 16 words of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

“…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” stand out most for me. Part of the moral decline of American society commenced with the removal of G-d from the classrooms – eliminating prayer in school, the removal of the 10 Commandments, the cessation of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance as well as the ability of a school to actually mete out real discipline.

“…or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” which allows for prayer in school – which admittedly should be optional for those Atheists who object, but not to have prayer eliminated because of the small number of said Atheists who object. A non-sectarian prayer that mentions G-d, but not Jesus; for although Christians are the majority faith in the US, not all students believe in Jesus, but the major religions do believe in G-d. After all the Declaration of Independence says we are endowed by our Creator.

Daily prayer recited in school when my parents, both of Blessed memory, grew up in New Jersey – the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) – did not turn them from observant Jews into Christians. As an observant Jew myself, I support prayer in school. If a student wants to pray in class before an exam or in the cafeteria before or after eating lunch, as long as it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s beliefs, they should be allowed to do so without penalty. The same support is offered for having a member of the local clergy offer a benediction at a graduation ceremony.

More G-d in people’s lives, especially in school, and fewer condoms in school would be a good start to reversing the trend of a godless moral decay.

With unfettered abortion on demand to the point where your daughter can be suspended from school for carrying and taking an aspirin, yet can get the surgical procedure to murder her unborn child without parental permission or even notification, life is sadly devalued. When life is devalued, it becomes easier to eliminate it.

This same devaluation of life is fervently visible in the motion pictures and video games created for mindless entertainment. Here too, when people, especially young people are exposed to the countless hours of such violent stimulation, they become desensitized – often to the point where fact and fiction become blurred and real news stories of, say, the tragedy in Newtown seem unreal or fictionalized. There becomes a point where those exposed to such stimuli become numb and lose their ability to empathize with a given situation.

Couple that with the gun culture that has manifested itself in American society. Make no mistake, I fervently support the Second Amendment to the Bill of Rights and believe that were an armed teacher, administrator, or security guard present at Sandy Hook Elementary School on that fateful Friday, the death toll would have been lessened.

And while there is a negative connotation to a gun culture – the ease of obtaining a firearm, the glorification of gun violence on television and the aforementioned entertainment genres of film and video games, a better armed society would be a safer society.

Responsible gun owners are typically the targets of government, really as the unintended consequences of legislation where gun control laws come into play, when the targets should be the criminals who will go to any lengths to procure firearms for their nefarious plans. Additional gun legislation is not needed when there are literally hundreds of laws already being violated daily by miscreants who shoot their way into schools and slaughter 26 people, or shoot up a movie theater killing a dozen innocent movie watchers, as occurred in Aurora, CO on July 12 of this year. Perhaps if another theater patron was armed, lives could have been saved.

Just as the answer to hate speech is not less, but more speech; the way to combat gun violence against innocent people is not by stripping them of their ability to defend themselves, but to enable them to not only defend themselves, but others as well. If more law abiding, responsible gun owners possessed conceal carry permits, it is less likely lunatics would shoot up schools or other venues. It was reported that when the murderer of 26 innocents at Sandy Hook was about to be confronted by law enforcement, the coward took his own life. Were there an armed guard on duty at the school lives would have been saved as the school already had its doors locked and the killer had to shoot his way into the building.

All schools – suburban, rural, inner city, public, parochial, charter – should have cameras positioned at all entrances and monitored in the main office, as well as metal detectors, armed security personnel, a strict sign-in/out policy for all visitors – whether UPS deliverymen or parent volunteers who come and go every day.

Retired police and military personnel returning from overseas duty would be optimal sources of security detail for schools. Many soldiers who serve 20 years and retire are still in the prime of their working years. The aforementioned security materials, as well as the existence of police and military as guards do not infringe upon the freedoms of the staff and students entering, exiting, and going about their daily lives in school.

However, Obama is prepared to limit the freedoms of all Americans. During his Newtown vigil speech Obama said, “Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”

According to the Constitution of the United States, the answer to Obama’s question is yes. Without sounding callous, there is a slippery slope of diminished freedoms – case in point, his healthcare program – and sacrificing one freedom leads to the loss of many more and this republic becomes an unrecognizable entity embracing socialism or worse. Stripping guns from the citizenry is how folks like Stalin and Hitler maintained and expanded their despotic regimes.

To be fair, and I know this will upset some uncompromising people, but I do believe the gun show loophole ought to be closed. If a potential firearm owner is required to undergo a background check when purchasing a gun from a gun store, why shouldn’t the same rules apply when seeking to procure a firearm at a gun show? There should be a level of consistency.

But here’s a quandary that concerns me as a Constitutionalist – what to do regarding military-style assault weapons. Should there be unfettered access to any and all firearms? How about artillery? Bazookas? How about parking a tank in one’s driveway? Where should the line be drawn? If there is a ban on assault rifles is that the beginning of the slippery slope toward too much government? On the other hand, for what does one need this kind of firepower? It certainly isn’t for the sport of hunting animals; and folks can protect their families and homes with any number of other firearms. There is a blur between the lines of too much and protecting Constitutional rights.

Further, while we have a responsibility to protect those who might do harm to themselves, we have the same responsibility to protect society from those very same unbalanced people by not permitting them to possess firearms. Clearly there are people in our world who are not in their right mind and they need help.

How often are serial killers and mass murderers described as solitary, quiet, loners who may have abused animals as a child, been abused at home, been bullied in school, are clinically depressed, are on the wrong medications, are part of Goth culture, have unnatural obsessions with Nazism and Hitler? Far too often; and signals are missed or diagnoses are not made because the mental health system works on a conveyer belt where a patient sees a doctor for maybe 10 minutes.

As a preemptive answer of how to pay for the increased security and mental health care, severe cuts to entitlements must be made. The safety of our children should take precedence. Additionally, a child in an unsafe environment is full of fear and not the knowledge to be provided by their teachers.

The above “symptoms” should not be ignored. They should be taken seriously and be paid attention to for the possibility of treatment. Society cannot lock them away simply because someone thinks they may commit a crime, but it is vital to monitor them for their own safety as well as the safety of others.

There is too large an incidence of mental instability among mass murderers. But, make no mistake, that is no excuse for their crimes against society. They must be removed from free society in order to preserve the freedoms of the innocent. They must suffer extreme consequences for their actions. And this is where Obama is dead wrong about sacrificing freedom for the potential safety of children.

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety,” said Benjamin Franklin and it is more poignant than ever before.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and educator living in Westfield, IN.