Go figure. Republicans have made a bogus issue out of the September 11, 2012 incident at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. They sabotaged the nomination of Susan Rice to become Secretary of State even though she is eminently qualified. As tragic as it was, the number of Americans killed in Benghazi was four.
On December 14, 2012, a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut and killed close to thirty people, including his mother as well as eighteen to twenty children.
He didn’t do it with a knife; he didn’t do it with his fists; he didn’t do it with illegal biological or chemical weapons. He did it with a gun. Yet, what do we do? John Boehner tweeted that flags at the U.S. Capitol will be lowered. I’m sure that will prevent further gun carnage.
Even Democrats, including President Barack Obama, have been reluctant to take on the gun lobby. During the administration of President Bill Clinton, eleven kinds of assault weapons were banned. The law was allowed to expire, and assault weapons are back on the streets. Now we have Sandy Hook to add to the lists of Aurora, Columbine, Tucson, and others.
Is there something wrong with this picture? Boehner and others can’t let go of Benghazi. No public figure pontificating on it had his or her “feet on the ground” there. They don’t know what really happened. At the same time, we have hundreds of witnesses to the shooting massacres within the U.S.
Our priorities are way out of whack, even for Democrats. Let’s grow some cajones and at least ban assault weapons.