Peter Marches with the Students

I’m writing this column from the perspective of an old, straight, white male. I am very comfortable being an old, straight, white male, but I am enough of a humanist to know that our world will only function properly if we have an all inclusive society, where everyone is accepted for who they are, and not what someone arbitrarily thinks that they should be.

Peter and Lois – Canadian Gothic

Sitting in my dear Lois’ front room, watching the television news on the morning of February 15th, 2018, I felt horror overcome me. Was I the only person to react with revulsion when the student matter of factly said “…we hid under the Kevlar blanket…”? And the media, of course, mentioned “…injured people…” Um no, if you fall out of a tree and sprain your knee, you are injured. If someone shoots a gun at you and hits you, you are either killed or wounded. I looked at Lois while watching the news and said to her “This time is different.”

The survivors of this mass murder are well spoken, well educated, intelligent young adults, who demand change.

And they are organizing. They are tech savvy and have resolve. They want the slaughter to end, now! They are mobilizing their peers, to ensure that they register to vote when they are old enough. And they will be old enough very soon. There were numerous demonstrations around the world crying out for justice and gun control.

Apparently, just last Saturday, there were over 800,000 demonstrators in in the streets of Washington, D.C., the seat of the American federal government. Where was the president? He was cowering in Florida, at his resort. As my dad used to say, “Gutless wonder.”

Trump lacks both the Intelligence and Poise of this Young Woman

And of course there’s pushback! Someone put up a picture showing garbage on the streets of Washington, one of the many sites for demos, and proclaiming something like “Well, they marched for lives and left garbage for others to pick up!” Um, have you ever seen a stadium after a major sporting event? They have a crew to clean up the mess left by the audience, and, of course, the same is true at movie theatres.

Someone sent me a video which purportedly showed participants in the march robbing a store. I asked for proof that this was real footage, and pointed out that even if this was real footage, there are always some people who take advantage of an event like this to loot and pillage. I mentioned that there have even been riots when a team has won a championship. I got no response to that statement.

Probably the most heinous thing has been the personal attacks on the survivors. “Faux Snooze” has been especially strident, coming up with fantastic conspiracy theories about “crisis actors”. I have, to my eternal disgust, seen clips denigrating these brave young adults, and I would say that they are made by people who should know better, but, it is, after all, Fox News. The “unfriend” button has been in use on my timeline.

All of you “March For Lives” young folks, you are building a groundswell of quiet, measured anger. You want change. You are exposing the NRA for what it now is, a political influence peddler. You are making some old white men nervous. This old white man is behind you 100 %.

Roll on the midterms.

See you soon.

=PJM=

A confirmed Cat person, Peter dabbled with being a water boy, a paper boy and an altar boy before finally settling on a career with the Canadian federal government.  Once, in his youth, he ate a Dutch  oven full of mashed potatoes to win a 5 cent bet with his beloved sister Mary’s boyfriend. (Of course he was much younger and a nickel went a lot farther!) He has retired to palatial “Chez Montreuil”, which he shares with his diabetic little buddy Reg the Cat. He is blessed to have his dear Lois in his life. He is not only a plastic aircraft modeller, but a proud “rivet counter”. Military aviation and live music are among other interests of his, and he tries to get out to as many shows as he can. He will be here for your enlightenment whenever the stars align. Profile photo courtesy of Pat Blythe, caricature courtesy of Peter Mossman.