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Both sides need to stop politicizing tragedy

Mike Huckabee

August 29, 2018 |

 This is just one of many reasons why it’s a bad idea to try to politicize tragedies.  Both sides of the gun control debate embarrassed themselves in the immediate wake of this weekend’s shooting by a pro gamer at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.  As usual, those on the left couldn’t wait until they knew anything at all about the shooter, his motives or how he got his gun before they started blaming the shooting on lack of gun control laws in Florida.  It was soon reported that the killer bought his gun in his home state of Maryland, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the US.  Despite having a history of hospitalization for mental illness, including a doctor’s warning that he might lash out in anger and pose a threat to his mother, he somehow managed to pass every background check and other hurdles.

https://www.westernjournal.com/katz-bought-gun-maryland-state-strictest-gun-control-laws-us/

Meanwhile, some media outlets on the right responded too quickly by repeating an online claim that the shooter had been a Reddit user who was a known anti-Trump “resister.” That turned out to be a case of mistaken identity and had to be retracted. It was another example of the kind of lazy journalism we see more often on left-leaning sites, an attitude summed up so well by humorist James Thurber as “Don’t get it right, just get it written.”

As to which side embarrassed itself more, I’ll let the tiebreaker be the way some anti-gun leftists savaged Ivanka Trump for tweeting,  “As we await further details, our hearts are with Jacksonville and all those affected by today’s tragic mass shooting.” Yeah, where does she get off, going around expressing compassion like a human being?!

https://www.westernjournal.com/establishment-media-reams-ivanka-kindness-jacksonville-victims/

When tragedies strike, some people leap to use the crisis to advance their own agenda, and they lash out at those who respond by expressing sympathy and offering prayers.  They think that means they’re doing nothing.  But they’re actually doing the best thing anyone can do until we know enough about what happened to decide what, if anything, needs to be done or can be done. What we don’t need is a lot of people yelling, “Do something, even if it’s wrong!”  We already have more than enough people doing wrong things without thinking about the consequences.

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Comments 1-7 of 7

  • Kaye Burke

    08/31/2018 12:56 PM

    I agree. Stop politicizing this tragedy and others such as the black and white police stuff. These evil act could have been done by legals as well. I just want the whole process of immigration to become legal, easier and STOP all the fighting. AND the "other side" needs to stop all the criticizing of President Trump, is he perfect no, but neither was Obama. He did things as well to hurt our country and never suffered the criticism that President Trump does. I keep praying for protection for him and his family.

  • Gordon Larsen

    08/31/2018 10:37 AM

    Thank you, Mike for being a voice of reason in a sea of insanity. This article is a shining example of why I have stopped listening to broadcast news - TV and radio - and read your newsletters instead. Your level headed analysis, devoid of personal attacks, is quite refreshing. Keep up the good work!

  • A.W. Monk

    08/30/2018 06:08 PM

    Well Said!

  • David Colonna

    08/29/2018 06:37 PM

    Mike,
    Actually with Ivanka Trump's tweet I personally believe the right side is 2 points ahead, may be even a 3 point play. This is how both sides should have handled the situation. Since Ivanka is on the best or right side we are ahead.. I know this is not politically correct and yes I am truly hurt and saddened by the tradegy, but let's stick with the facts Ivanka handled this like most of us Republicans would.

  • Lynn Morgan

    08/29/2018 02:23 PM

    Thanks for a little common sense, it dosen't take much these days to out do the media, for shame. The government can't protect the individual all the time, so let the individual protect there selves, along with others, and the government can protect the community. The individual can help there too. From a gun nut in Colo. that would like to return to home in Hot Springs.

  • Amelia Little

    08/29/2018 12:07 PM

    While how a shooter obtained his guns in the high-profile shootings does come out after an investigation, whether or not the guns were legally obtained in other shootings never seem to make it into the news. In the "local" news I read or watch, at least there is no immediate rhetoric about the guns, and there is some background about the shooter (but after an investigation) there is no mention about how the shooter obtained the gun(s.) And then people start in on gun control without even knowing if s/he legally obtained their weapons. And, in even the high profile cases, if I didn't read your newsletter or watch some of the FOX programs, I would never know the truth as it seems some of the msm outlets that start out immediately blaming NRA, conservatism, religion and now, especially, Donald Trump for the state of mind of the shooter and go into gun-control lamenting. And, some either continue their false narrative or drop the reporting altogether so their listeners don't get the truth.

  • Tom Williams

    08/29/2018 11:30 AM

    Without doubt our instant messaging culture leads people on all sides of the political spectrum to say things that they wouldn't say to their friends of opposite persuasion to their face. Our President is also guilty of this as well, and it is coarsening our culture.

    I am praying for civility to take hold, in other words, a serious miracle.

Mike Huckabee

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