The guns that
shattered Newtown

What a sad Christmas it must be for the grief-stricken community of Newtown, Connecticut that, as of yesterday, had just started burying the dear little bodies of their beloved little boys and girls whose very young lives were snuffed out so heartlessly by a lone gunman, right at their primary school last Friday. One can just imagine how inconsolable their families, especially their parents, must be, to think that their little ones will not be with them this Christmas, or in any other Christmas that is coming.

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If there is any consolation to be had from the terrible slaughter of the innocent ones in the Sandy Hook School, it is that the American government is awakening to the fact that it has sadly been remiss in protecting its citizens by its neglect in passing a law that would limit gun ownership and imposing more stringent requirements as to the mental and psychological condition of those acquiring guns or permits and licenses for them.

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The recent attention on what had happened in Newtown had brought to national attention the fact there actually had been a ban on high-powered weapons but that it had lapsed about eight years ago, and nobody remembered to revive it. Now they are seeing the results of such negligence. It is hard to imagine how many of such deadly weapons there had been in the household of the gunman, identified as Adam Lanza, whose mother was also said to have a fetish for them. Reports said she loved to attend shooting events, and would take her son along to watch them. Ironically, she was the first one shot by this son, before he went on that rampage at Sandy Hook.

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But, would you believe? The right to bear arms is supposedly guaranteed by their Constitution. And that is what so many gunholders rely on when they procure them. I don’t think their Constitution also says that the right should be enjoyed only by those who the proper psychological condition so that they appreciate how harmful guns could be. Now both their Senate and House of Representatives are contemplating the passage of laws on the matter. How they will retrieve the weapons already in the hands of potential mass killers, is another frightening matter.

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If the American senators and congressmen need more justifications for imposing stricter rules for acquiring and possessing firearms, they should focus on such incidents that keep cropping up all over their country involving guns and lives. Only this week, reports have come out about incidents of gunholders shooting up malls or even parking areas in Oregon, and in the high-end city that is Newport in California. If they are serious about doing something about this proliferation of firepower in their country, they should do something about it now.

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Christmas is just a few days away and many of our relatives and friends who are now studying or living in other places, both in the country and abroad, are making plans to come home to be with us. That is why, it is understandable that some of our VIP detainees are also pressing for the privilege of a “furlough” that will allow them to also be with their families. Among them is former PAGCOR official Manuel Morato, who is now detained at a hospital. Unfortunately, the Sandiganbayan does not seem inclined to let him “be home for Christmas”, pointing out that they see a rash of demands from other detainees to also enjoy a furlough if they allow him.

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I’m sure many other TV viewers had seen those footages on the birthday of Manny Pacquiao Monday where the reporter stressed that everybody was enjoying the entertainment, especially with the presentation and singing of praise songs by his new group. I don’t believe everyone was enjoying the rituals, certainly not Pacquiao’s Mama, the unhappy Mommy Dionisia, who was caught by the camera standing in a corner looking very glum. Poor Mommy D. But just keep on praying, dear. Remember Santa Monica, and her once problem son, who, through her prayers, later became an icon of the Church, as St. Augustine. I’m not saying that Manny is saintly stuff, but, if anything could touch him, it can only be a mother’s prayer.

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I agree with those who want Justin Bieber boycotted and declared persona non grata here. That was an unforgivable insult (racist, too, maybe?) he made when he reportedly placed a “Simba” near the fallen Pacquiao’s photo and captioned it “Wake up, dad”. Was he implying that Pacquiao was a jungle beast? How wonderfully did the Filipinos welcome him and how many millions did he get when he performed in the Philippines? Shame on him.*

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