February 19, 2018

Grandstanding in the Face of Tragedy Is Inexcusable

The March for Our Lives is getting robust attention. But the “grownups” shouldn’t exploit grieving teens.

Less than a week ago, a massacre was perpetrated by a deranged killer in Parkland, Florida. But already there are numerous anti-gun demonstrations on the docket. One such demonstration that’s attracting robust attention — March for Our Lives — is slated to take place on March 24.

According to the event’s website, “The kids and families of March For Our Lives will take to the streets of Washington DC to demand that their lives and safety become a priority and that we end gun violence and mass shootings in our schools today. March with us in Washington DC or march in your own community.”

The march is being orchestrated by students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of last week’s atrocity. Those students unveiled details of their march on a variety of news outlets on Sunday, including Fox News.

According to student Cameron Kasky: “My message for people in office is you’re either with us or against us. We are losing our lives while the adults are playing around. This isn’t about the GOP, this isn’t about the Democrats, this is about us creating a badge of shame for any politicians accepting money from the NRA and using us as collateral.”

He added: “We are creating a badge of shame for any politicians who are accepting money from the NRA. It is a special interest group that has most certainly not our best interests in mind, and this cannot be the normal. This can be changed and it will be changed. And anybody who tells you that it can’t is buying into the facade that has been created by the people who have our blood on their hand.”

Student Emma Gonzalez likewise stated: “These kids are going to make this difference because the adults let us down. And … the adults in power who are funded by the NRA, I don’t even think we need them anymore because they’re going to be gone by midterm elections. There’s barely any time for them to save their skins. And if they don’t turn around right now and state their open support for this movement, they’re going to be left behind because you are either with us or against us at this point.”

These remarks are reminiscent of what we hear from “grownups” all the time following mass shootings. And while it would be easy to debunk each and every claim and contradiction these students made on Sunday, the fact of the matter is that Democrats are no longer simply exploiting dead children to enact gun control. Now they are allowing the surviving children themselves to do their bidding. This isn’t right — these are children the agenda-driven Leftmedia are interviewing.

It’s not the teens who should be chided. After all, they are young and impressionable. The fault lies squarely at the feet of the supposed adults in the room — Democrat politicians and the Leftmedia. They literally cannot wait to A) repeat the same tireless talking points that disgracefully prey on emotions and B) shove microphones and cameras into the victims’ faces. These teens already suffer from a fragile state of mind, and it’s made even worse by a barrage of punditry. The young generation is merely following the examples set forth by elitists who use their enormous influence to direct the national conversation.

Every media outlet should be ashamed for putting these students in the spotlight. There are two reasons they do this — ratings and political advantage for Democrats. There’s no doubt that the students mean well with the March for Our Lives. But the grownups who shamelessly promote it know that it’s a golden opportunity to rail against a fundamental American right that most children can’t rationally comprehend because the leftist-run education complex refuses to teach them why we have it in the first place.

Make no mistake: The March for Our Lives will garner far more attention than the March for Life ever does. What does that tell you about the Left’s broader goal?

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