The terrorist attack that occurred in Paris on Nov. 13 by The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has left France and the rest of the world shaken. However, mere hours after the attack and largely before the world was fully informed of the events, people were weighing in on what should have been done to prevent the tragedy. Politicians such as Donald Trump and Newt Gingrich, alongside political commentator Ann Coulter and journalist Judith Miller, showed insensitivity following the attack by launching into their political spiels about gun control. While there must be future discussions held about how to prevent a repeat of the tragic event, using a horrific act of terrorism to aggrandize one’s political agenda so soon after it occurred is appalling and disrespectful to the French victims.

Gun control is a heavily disputed topic between the two prominent political parties in our country. The flippant and condescending remarks toward France for its stringent gun laws so soon after the tragedy show a disregard for the suffering of others. Trump claimed to offer a solution by saying, “You can say what you want, but if they had guns, if our people had guns, if they were allowed to carry — it would’ve been a much, much different situation.” He is right, it would have been different — there would be warfare. Along with his lack of tact and appalling timing, Trump offered no real solution to the problem of international terrorism. His “solution” that everyone should be armed only adds another layer of violence and danger to an already terrible situation.

Miller’s comments on Twitter were the most disconcerting though. She tweeted, “Now maybe the whining adolescents at our universities can concentrate on something other than their need for ‘safe’ spaces…” Her crass commentary calls for concern on a more personal level. We should all be coming together to provide solidarity in the face of violence, but the idea that everyone should be armed and ready to fire threatens our ability to do so.

There is a time and place to discuss how to move forward — that time is not before all of the victims have been accounted for and it is certainly not on Twitter where confusion will rise due to a lack of solid information. There should certainly be a call to take action to prevent ISIS from taking any more lives. However, consideration regarding how France and other countries should proceed must be held with sensitivity. The icy detachment shown by these political figures and commentators will not provide the solidarity that is needed directly after such an event when everyone should be mourning such a senseless act of brutality.

About The Author

-- Online Editor-in-Chief Emeritus-- Digital Journalism

One Response

  1. Dan Hayes

    On this weekend , celebrating Christ the King, we all must reflect on how Christ lives with us, on how we are comfortable with our humanity as we live with Christ…..this image should help neutralize the anger that permeates the Political spheres.

    Such a relationship requires the honesty of love….willing to give self for another…..I and thou….always two sides….many voices, both sides always….

    For many, especially those who have completed the quests of youth and self fulfillment, the Terror in Paris was directed toward Western Civilization. Our warts, sins, and calamities of our cultural history, especially enslavement of others,must be reexamined, into an unknown future. The slavery of our time is not rooted in race, but in the willingness to segregate, dominate, abuse in the name of political philosophies…..We have seen sins of the left and the right.
    The Conservatives look to establish solutions to the Terror; they want not be dismissed as insensitive nor inherently out of step with a loudly present view promoted by Liberalism and an adopted Media. With deep sensitivity for the poor, the Liberals are willing to drive a politic of identity and new exclusion, even to the point of risking the protections of power.

    Your article assumes that we need all be at Peace, if only loyal opposition was silent. That seems a serious shortcoming.

    In the honesty of your heart, please find the Kingship of Christ in your life, accept that a Politic can never be our kingdom, stop vilifying those who do not see the world thru the lenses of a utopia,in which a human institution cares for all, or protects the ideals of separation and exclusion of an enemy…. and approach the solutions to the problems of Evil in our times with humility and honest respect for all in this engagement.

    Thank you Ariana

    Reply

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