Opus 2015-179: Should-a-Beens: The Snake and the Frog

First, lets admit that recent church shooting was a case of violent, ugly murder.  It was not a hate crime, it was murder, pure and simple.  The fact that hate was involved is like saying that car keys cause DUI.  If they have arrested the right man, and I have no reason to believe they have not, he should face the death penalty even if the professionals claim he was insane.  Of course he was insane.  If he is treated and pronounced “cured” he will go out and do it again.

Now lets look at the hard part:  Where do we go from here and how do we keep this from happening again.  The fools in society are going to call for more gun control.  Wake up and smell the roses friends.  It is already illegal to walk into a church and murder nine people.  Keep in mind that the Columbine murderers used guns as a back up when their bombs didn’t work.  Killers will find a way to kill.

How do we protect ourselves from the garbage around us?  The recent shooting reinforces the two things we have seen before.  First, my guess is that this church was a “gun free zone”.  They might have even had a sign up pronouncing that solemn decision.  The truth also needs to be declared that if any one of the people in that church had been carrying a firearm this would have worked out entirely different.  Guns in the hands of the saints can stop the gun totting sinners.

Second, and this is the hardest to wrap our arms around, why do large groups of people sit and let someone shoot at them?  I have not read how many were in the prayer meeting.  I know he shot nine people.  All it would have taken to stop this fool would be for the eight still untouched when he shot the first victim, to stop being victims and attack the man with the gun.  He is going to shoot you anyway.  Jump him.  Beat him to death with hymnals and Bibles. 

Most people who are horrified at my suggestion have never fired a hand gun.  They don’t realize how often the shooter misses.  Only in the movies do crazy 21 year olds whip out a piece and pick off nine people one after another.  This morning I read he reloaded several times in his shooting spree.  What did these people do while he was reloading?

In high school I took biology in summer school to get it out of the way.  The teacher had a snake in the room that needed to eat.  I rode my bike across town to a place that had lots of frogs, collected a bunch and brought them back for dinner, the snakes, not mine.  It was fascinating to watch the process of consumption.  The snake stared at the frog.  The frog froze.  The snake slowly approached and casually put its mouth around the frog.  The frog sat there and let itself be swallowed whole. 

The only reason the frog died was because it wouldn’t move.  Are killers snakes?  With apologies to the snakes, yes.  Are we frogs?  I would hope not.  God forbid that this should ever happen to any of us but if it does, remember those frogs.  Remember the lesson airline passengers learned on 9/11.  Don’t let the bad guys win.  If you are going to die at least take a few with you.

I know it is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback, backseat driver and livingroom warrior.  If I am ever faced with this horror I hope I rise to the occasion.  I hope if you are there you will back my play.

homo unius libri