Are We Letting Leftists Use San Bernardino to Push A Political Godless Agenda?
“God Isn’t Fixing This.” The words sprawled across the cover of the December 3 issue of The New York Daily News to describe the San Bernardino shooting at an office holiday party which killed fourteen people on December 2, have caused a national firestorm spiking strong negative responses from Conservative Christians. These words have offended so many because they essentially dismiss the role of God in society and insult people who have faith. The incendiary headline is followed by the words “As the latest batch of innocent Americans are left lying in pools of blood, cowards who could truly end gun scourge, continue to hide behind meaningless platitudes”. The cover is accented by a graphic depicting the images of Republican 2016 Presidential candidates Ted Cruz, Lindsey Graham, Rand Paul and House Speaker Paul Ryan tweeting prayers for the victims and their families.
Rich Schapiro’s article which the cover previews is titled “ GOP presidential candidates offer prayers – not solutions on gun control – after San Bernardino massacre. “ There are so many things wrong with the premise of Mr. Schapiro’s article. Fourteen people were murdered. What is wrong with the Republicans or anyone else for that matter offering up prayers? Is Mr. Schapiro trying to infer that prayers serve no purpose? Furthermore, the concept of praying for someone who has suffered some type of loss or been a victim of crime etc., has several components. First of all, there is respect. The Republicans, both those featured on the cover and those referenced in the article, were expressing respect and sympathy to the families of the victims. Secondly, when someone has experienced such a tragic loss as the death or in this case the murder of a family member, faith may be the only thing that keeps you going. Why in “God’s Name” would anyone try to tell someone who has lost so much that prayers don’t matter, faith doesn’t matter and God is powerless?
Furthermore, turning the San Bernardino tragedy into a platform to advocate for more gun control laws is both disrespectful to the victims and not reflective of the real situation. Over the last few days, we have learned that the two shooters U.S.-born Syed Rizwan Farook, 28 and his wife Tashfeen Malik, 29, a native of Pakistan, were radical Islamic terrorists. Farook, was an employee of the organization holding the party and had been on the organization’s premises earlier that day. Apparently, Malik pledged her allegiance to ISIS on Facebook, within hours of the shooting. There is also some evidence that Malik may have radicalized her husband. Mr. Schapiro and other liberals like him are trying to twist the narrative and make the San Bernardino story about gaps in gun control laws and not about a dangerous ideology which propels individuals to massacre others.
The FBI has moved from saying that they don’t have all the facts to now conveying that the murders were an act of terrorism. And there is plenty of evidence that the couple who carried out the murders were practitioners of a violent strain of Islam and preparing for future attacks. IEDs were found all over their home. Yet President Obama was still peddling the narrative that the shooting could have been work place violence. President Obama is now finally saying “It is entirely possible that these two attackers were radicalized to commit this act of terror.”. “And if so, it would underscore a threat we’ve been focused on for years — the danger of people succumbing to violent extremist ideologies.”
President Obama and the Democrat presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley are using this tragedy to push the gun control agenda. And of course, just when we thought the Daily News couldn’t stoop any lower than the “God Isn’t Fixing This” headline, on December 4, the publication’s cover called the National Rifle Association President Wayne LaPierre a terrorist. Now, the Left is very quick to accuse the Right of being hate mongers. How do they spin this comment? Furthermore, the right to bear arms is a constitutional right which enables Americans to protect ourselves against those who might do us harm.
Following the shooting, Hillary Clinton tweeted, “I refuse to accept this [The San Bernardino Shooting] as normal. We must take action to stop gun violence now.” What’s wrong with the left? Is every moment a political opportunity? Contrast her words with those of Ted Cruz: “Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and the first responders in San Bernardino who willingly go into harm’s way to save others”. Every Republican who delivered a public message following the San Bernardino murders included a reference to prayer in their statement.
What is the primary difference between the post San-Bernardino messages coming from the right and those coming from the left? One has empathy, hope and faith, while the other just has a political motive. Furthermore, no one has the right to tell anyone that God, faith, and prayers serve no purpose in the wake of a horrific tragedy. As citizens, we need to stand up to the politicians and the media who are serving up this twisted tale. We have the power of the vote and the power of the boycott. We need to use these powers, lest our words go on deaf ears.
Image: Courtesy Twitter