Archive [June 1999]

The Columbine High School shootings, which saw 15 dead and 23 wounded, took place in Littleton, Colorado on April 20. Within 48 hours, the First Couple had begun milking the tragedy for all it was worth. Before the week was out, they were tag teamed by the Second Couple. At this rate, this bunch will be able to ride the deaths of students right into the next election.

The shootings provide the Fab Four and their ilk a great opportunity to try to punish everyone not responsible for the killings: especially gun owners. Scott Pelley of CBS reported: “The President is proposing the most sweeping gun-control legislation since the 1960s. In an emotional speech, Mr. Clinton said opposition to gun control is ‘crazy.’” He has added Littleton to his foreign policy speeches — because, after all, that’s what’s wrong with the world, from Colorado to Kosovo: hate.

Hillary Clinton decided it was finally time for her to step in and fix the way you people are raising your kids: “As we stand here at the end of the century, I don’t think we have done as much as we could… we do not do enough to help families do a better job of caring for their own children.” In a speech before the New York State United Teachers as part of her Senate tease, Mrs. Clinton said: “We are going to have to do some serious thinking in this country about how we can take more control over what our children see and experience.” Ah — “take more control.” Hillary Clinton’s core belief.

Algore, too, wanted to play: “I think we should go for the child safety trigger lock.” That’s not all from the Una-Veep. “I think we can also take some bolder steps, especially where children need to be protected. The new V-chip program is going to be a big help where television is concerned.” That would have stopped the Littleton killings, for sure!

Gore continued: “I think we need some more guidance counseling, some more mental health care options.” Cue Tipper, who took the opportunity to announce that she had been treated for depression. And hey, she was going to host the handy-dandy White House Conference on Mental Health this month.

Oh, and by the way: since President Clinton took office, there has been a 40 percent drop in federal prosecutions for gun violations in America. Of the 250,000 felons caught by the Brady Bill’s background checks trying to illegally purchase firearms, none has been prosecuted by the Clinton Justice Department.

But why should they prosecute? Look at all the political mileage they’d lose!