No. We're not going to just "Get Over It"
Trump says out loud what the other MAGAts are thinking
Dan Rather beat me to the punch for my essay this week. Entitled, Trump on Latest School Shooting: ‘Get over it”, his piece addresses the disturbingly common occurrence of school shootings in the United States, focusing on a recent incident in Perry, Iowa. Dan criticizes the response of political figures, particularly Donald Trump.
Trump uttered a mind-blowingly contemptible thought right after the usual pablum of “thoughts & prayers” that Republicans spout in the aftermath of what has become an ongoing pandemic. Only this time, he said the thoughts part out loud – “but we have to get over it, we have to move forward.”
These soulless bastards don’t care about our kids and families and are sick and tired of having to respond with nothing other than faux sympathy for loved ones left behind. I can just picture the pious hypocrites I’ve confronted like “my” Congressman Morgan Griffith, former House judiciary chair, Bob Goodlatte, or the numerous republican Virginia state lawmakers I see every year. “We’re sorry for your loss, Mr. Parker” they’ll tell me, but deep down they also want to tell me, “Tough shit, but you need to get over it. That’s life in America, pal”. They won’t say it, but I know that’s what they’re thinking.
But now that Trump has given this response the proper MAGA oxygen, I won’t be surprised if one of these nut jobs in the General Assembly offers it up for those of us testifying for an assault weapons ban and other life-saving bills. Because their dear leader wants them to parrot his words and deeds.
We can NEVER accept the notion of school shootings as commonplace and something we just have to “deal with it”, but Trump and his minions are saying just that to fearful parents regarding their children's safety. To them, they are simply collateral damage to protect anybody who can fog a mirror and wants to get and use a gun.
As Dan and I maintain, activism and political engagement must be sustained as potential solutions. A protest organized by Iowa students that encouraged readers to contact elected officials for stronger gun control measures is taking place against the backdrop of the Iowa caucuses.
It’s time for a collective refusal to "get over" daily carnage, vote these monsters out, and keep their evil leader from returning to power.