May 27, 2022–But first, a message from our sponsor: As far as I’m concerned, any parent (of whatever-aged children) who does not support extreme gun control measures (i.e., ban on assault rifles and large magazines, strict background checks, age minimums, licensing, etc.), is implicitly if not explicitly in favor of school shootings. Uvalde, only the latest in our never-ending string of mass murders, has set the terms: it’s either/or. There is no gray area, nothing to debate. It’s literally die—or do! Time to choose. You’re either in favor of gun control or in favor of mass shootings.
Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott and the rest of the gun-owning cowards are working as hard as they can to set us Americans on a fast train to hell. Meanwhile, Abby Zimet of Common Dreams once again found the words to express our rage. How come it’s never the guilty who are massacred? How come it’s always the innocent?
As for how to prevent the next school shooting, the answer is simple: every single student of school age in this country, from kindergarten to college, should strike, starting now. That is, refuse to go to school. Play hooky, lie to your parents, stand up to them, attend demonstrations—whatever you have to do to not go to school. Older siblings, help your younger ones—to stay alive!—by refusing to attend.
The adults cannot guarantee that schools are safe, so why should any of our children attend them? You’re going to reassure your kids that it won’t happen today, or tomorrow? But that’s a lie, as you know. So you’re telling a lie that might get your child killed because what else are you going to do—right?
So kids, strike; quit school. Refuse to go until something is done. Boycott—the one really effective means of change. Refuse to support the murderous system.
There was in fact a walkout, as reported here. Good start—but what I’m suggesting is to make it permanent. A one-day boycott or walkout will change nothing. I’m afraid you’re going to have to make it permanent—until real change happens.
I know this is a lot to ask of small children—as if it were their problem to solve! But alas, adults—we’ve totally dropped the moral, practical, social, political balls. Greta Thunberg is right: the adults are acting like children, so the children have to act like adults.
It’s time to quit the whole murderous, dangerous mess, until the adults stop lying about schools being safe. You can get home-schooled, or better, educate yourselves, since the adults can’t do it and have no clue. What you call a lie, they call “being real” or “protecting rights.”
Theirs, not yours.