Evil Won't Be Legislated Away

Last Friday afternoon, as the details began to emerge about the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, I felt sick to my stomach. You see, I have 4 grandchildren ages 10 and below. Then, the following day as the photos of the victims of that senseless massacre became available...well, I just didn't know what to think or do. It just made me sick. How, how in the world could anyone walk into an elementary school and execute twenty beautiful six and seven-year-olds and the wonderful people that taught and watched over them?

I'm beginning to realize the answer to that question. Evil in all its ugliness and unbelievable horror, does exist in this world. Banning "assault" weapons and high-capacity magazines will make the legislators in favor feel like they've done something positive...but that will not stop the evil. Evil has been with us forever and we cannot banish it from our lives, as much as we'd love to do so.

Yes, I'm a Christian and I believe in a loving and caring God. No matter what the misguided idiots at the Westwood Baptist Church in Kentucky may believe, God did not cause this carnage to take place. But there is another side, one that has been present for millenniums and will be present until the end of this life and world as we know it. I believe it is a fact, a horrible fact that we don't want with us, but is true nonetheless. The devil, that fallen angel, and his ilk are real and they fight their battles using the most abhorrent means imaginable. We saw one of those instances last Friday, when beautiful, innocent young ones were massacred at the hands of one God-forsaken coward.

So, what do we do in our defense? In my case, I believe with all my heart that my God has given me the right to defend myself and my loved ones from this evil force when possible, and the second amendment to the Constitution reinforces that right. I do what I can to be prepared to meet that ugly force with my own force. I'm licensed to carry a concealed weapon...and I do. I've trained, I've practiced and I know that I am ready to do what I can to meet that evil force with the best I can muster; and I know that I will, should the unfortunate opportunity present itself. I'd be there for Jack and Emma, for Ben and Mitchell, as well as for myself.

So called "Gun Free Zones" are ridiculous. For those thousands of us that have taken the classes, done (and continued) the required training...are we different somehow if we enter the local grocery store than we are entering the local U.S. Post Office or elementary school? I think not. Had the principal of Sandy Hook Elementary approached the cowardly shooter with a loaded gun in her hand, I do believe things would have turned out somewhat differently. But, sadly, she could not have done that, by law. The carnage was over within ten minutes; how could the police department have stopped or reduced the 26 deaths?

We live with the evil among us; it is up to each of us to meet and repel that evil the best we can. It will not go away, as much as we'd like to think it will somehow.

Be safe, my friends, and be prepared to meet what will befall us.

The People that Touch Our Lives

I don’t know about you, but it amazes me that I have a hard time remembering the name of someone I met last week, yet a name from 50 years ago is right there waiting to be retrieved from its memory cell.

I’m talking about those people that made a huge impression, those that touched my life in such significant ways they’ll never be forgotten. Let’s trip back to 1953 and kindergarten class led by Mrs. Ross. Black hair brushed straight back and formed into a bun and the type of kind personality that helped a scared and confused kid get settled in his first class.

Fast-forward to third grade and Mrs. Carey comes to mind; a rotund lady with perfume that announced her presence from across a crowded classroom. She, too, made a difference in the life of this kid just beginning to grasp the intricacies of solving a seemingly complex math problem. Those two teachers at Kramer Elementary in Center Line, Michigan touched my life in very positive ways and it appears I’ll never forget them.

The one teacher that holds the first prize for “making a difference” is Clayton Hufnagel, my instructor (and mentor) through four years of English classes at Lutheran High School East in Harper Woods, Michigan. Mr. Hufnagel instilled a love of language and impressed upon a young teen how important expressing oneself clearly would be throughout life. Know what? He hit the nail on the head. I tried to throw him a curve when we were assigned the task of memorizing a “classic” poem and reciting it in class. I chose a very short excerpt from Chaucer’s Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and can still let it flow at a moment’s notice…in the original, Middle English, of course:

     Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
     The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
     And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
     Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
     Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
     Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
     The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
     Hath in the ram his halfe cours yronne,
     And smale foweles maken melodye

Enough of that, you get the idea. I can still remember Mr. Hufnagel standing at the back of the room, smiling, and his question, “so what does it mean?” when I finished. Whoa! Talk about a frozen moment! I took my best shot (guess) and must have done all right judging by the A+ grade received. He made me learn, to think and to remember. Great teachers and memorable folks will do that. Thanks, Clay.