Archive [June 1999]

On April 20, two idiots gleefully massacred their classmates in Littleton, Colorado. Eight days later, officials in Manhattan, Kansas removed a five-foot high granite tablet engraved with the Ten Commandments that had stood outside Manhattan’s City Hall for more than 40 years.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Americans United for Separation of Church and State had sued the city, charging (of course) that the display of the tablet on city property violated the separation of church and state. Despite a petition signed by more than 4,000 residents, Manhattan decided against a court fight to keep the tablet. It was returned to its original 1950s donor, the Fraternal Order of Eagles.

Yep — that’s the problem with America today, according to the left. The threat of state-sponsored religion. Wacko kids are shooting up schools, but we need to make sure no one sees the inscription, “Thou shalt not kill,” on government property.

But Rush, you say — surely you’re not claiming that these two events are related? The Colorado killings and the removal of the Kansas tablet aren’t even remotely connected.

Not in the conventional sense, perhaps. But unarguably, both these phenomena — liberals’ desperation to protect the public from public expression of faith, as well as this new mode of adolescent rebellion, student school shootings — are unfolding cultural stories in America today. You may see them running on parallel tracks. But when you look at the big picture, those tracks intersect — or should I say, collide — time and time again. We are, it seems, at a societal fault line.

Indeed, both these trends stood in sharp relief in Littleton itself. The dissonance erupted as Columbine mourned its dead, as critics found the memorial service — attended by Al Gore, Colin Powell, and other luminaries — not sufficiently “inclusive.” I kid you not. Rabbi Stephen Foster of Temple Emanuel complained: “The entire community was invited to come and mourn, and then it turned into an evangelical prayer service.” The Rev. Patrick Demmer, president of the Greater Metro Denver Ministerial Alliance, castigated the service as “pretty vanilla.” He explained: “Having faces of color on the stage isn’t enough. Why didn’t they have any blacks or Hispanics or Asians speaking?” Rabbi Fred Greenspahn, who gave the service’s closing prayer, said the program exhibited “a pretty ignorant, narrow-minded streak of Christianity.”

This, remember, was to memorialize murdered students. Some of whom, as you know, were asked by the killers if they believed in God, and were shot when they answered in the affirmative. But heaven forbid we mention their faith in a memorial service for them! Several of those who remain incensed over the “divisive” service are scheduled to meet with the governor of Colorado, Bill Owens, who sponsored the service, to air their complaints.

And that isn’t all. Now there’s even a controversy over the content of a future memorial. As The Washington Post reports:

The last flowers, banners, and candles from the Columbine High School memorial have barely been cleared away and already debate is bubbling over whether 3 permanent memorials should take account of the deeply held religious faith of several of the slain students.

The Foothills Park and Recreation District, which manages Robert Clement Park next to the school, wants to build a monument to honor the victims of the worst school shooting in U.S. history. Organizers acknowledge there is strong community support for a memorial with a Christian or biblical theme, but some secular activists insist there should be no recognition of the religious faith that was so important to many of the slain students.

The 240-acre park, which was home to the sprawling impromptu memorial left in the wake of the April 20 massacre, is public property, and managers fear that any permanent religious fixture would invite a lawsuit. “I know there are people who would like to see a religious memorial,” says Edie Hylton, Foothills manager of community services. “[But] if the location for the permanent memorial is a public place, then we can’t do it by law. The Constitution won’t permit it.”

Two students, Cassie Bernall and Valeen Schnurr, were challenged by the gunmen to say whether they believed in God. When they said yes, the gunmen shot them. Valeen survived, but Cassie died. Says Sarah Caron, a 1998 graduate who visited the park on a recent sunny afternoon. “If God helped them through this, why shouldn’t that be shown at the memorial?”

Why indeed?

Meanwhile, the push is on to enact new gun laws. This despite the fact that there are more than 20,000 gun-control laws and regulations already on the books. This despite the fact that the laws on the books aren’t enforced. Case in point: federal (read: Clinton Justice Department) prosecutions under the Brady Act: zero in 1996, zero in 1997, one in 1998. This despite the fact that none of the proposed new laws would have stopped the massacre at Columbine High.

And, it behooves us to note that there were 1,800 students in that school. And 1,798 didn’t shoot anybody.

Yet the President runs over reporters in a race to the microphones to announced some phony crime bill, in what has become his daily encyclicals to the nation about how something is wrong with the rest of us, something wrong with the American people that he needs to fix. Yet when it comes to his own personal and official egregious conduct that has caused enormous harm to his office and to this nation, what does he do? He lies. He spins. He diverts. He excuses. He blames. He weasels.

Oh, and by the way, a spy was identified in the Los Alamos Lab in 1995 for alleged espionage. In my mind that’s treason against the nation. He wasn’t fired until very recently. And he still hasn’t been charged with anything. You favor gun control, Mr. President? Why don’t you maybe limit your sales of nuclear warheads to the Red Chinese to just one a month? How about a waiting period for the Red Chinese for nuclear weapons, say a 5-day waiting period before they can steal more, or a 7-day waiting period before you sell them more?

The President complains about gun shows and about individuals selling guns out of the trunks of cars. Shouldn’t this Administration stop the sale of nuclear technology out of the government’s trunks at the Pentagon and the Energy Department? Here’s an anti-gun-law for you: how about not arming the Red Chinese Army with nuclear guns?

And liberals think the real problem is the Ten Commandments near City Hall. Or a graduation prayer.

In fact, that has become a national tug of war every graduation season. The ACLU lies in wait, lawsuit in hand, ready for the faintest whiff of any acknowledgment of the Deity, while creative students try to get God mentioned in graduation ceremonies. It has become a national morality play. Some have used guerrilla tactics — the valedictorian sneezes during his or her speech, leading the assembled students to say, in unison: “God Bless You.” Dangerous waters!

The fact is, however, that young people are starved for the truth. But still, across the fruited plain, millions of graduates are treated to hours of drivel and poppycock from adults. They are flattered, stroked and misled, with speeches full of flying clichés. We have gone soft on kids. We let them tell us what it is they will do. We don’t want to injure the little darlings’ self-esteem. We don’t push them.

Well, I’m going to address you young skulls full of mush directly, to tell you the opposite of what everyone else is telling you. First of all, the future is not yours. Right now, in the positions you want and the careers you aspire to, are strong, competent individuals who are not about to roll over and hand you the keys to the kingdom. What you want, you have to earn. You must compete for it.

And there’s no reason why you can’t. You have stamina. Push yourself. Be tough. Although you are callow (look it up) and unwise due to inexperience, you are capable of far more than you know. Most of you have no idea what your real potential is. But you can best unlock it if you start with the right foundation. Here are the essential lessons you need to absorb, to keep your eyes clear and your head on straight. I am talking, primarily, to young people here. You adults: this is what you should be teaching the kids in your life:

• Life isn’t fair. If you grasp this one point, you will never fall prey to any liberal pronouncement, tempting though it may be. Because at the heart of liberalism is this dogma: life should be fair, and they will try to make it fair. Some people are smarter than others. Some are better looking. Some are more talented. Some have better fortune. If you understand this, accept it, and refuse to resent it, you can never be a victim.
• Don’t ever believe anybody who says you can’t do something. Don’t listen to those who tell you, “It’ll never work.” That’s what they said about my doing a national radio program. It had to be local, local, local. And at noon? Ha! You’ll never get an audience! I am still rediscovering the truth of this lesson.
• Do it yourself. Self-discipline is the secret to success. Do not look to Washington to solve your problems. Do not look to your parents. Do not look to some agency or entity. Just do it. Gut it up. There is nothing you will be prouder of in your life.
• Accomplishment first, self-esteem follows.
• Accomplishment first, rewards follow.
• It’s not anyone else’s fault. When you make a mistake, admit it, and get on with it. If you can do this, you will outclass everyone you work with. A corollary: Do not make the same mistake again.
• Tell the truth. Pursue the truth. Believe the truth. You will be surprised how many people you run into who are afraid of the truth. Never fear it; truth is sunlight and health. It stiffens the backbone. It braces. Living life with honor, which is just another way of basking in the truth, is a key to happiness.

According to an Associated Press story titled: “FBI DIRECTOR CALLS FOR INTEGRITY IN PUBLIC SERVICE,” Louis J. Freeh recently told graduates of Marymount University that “teaching honesty is crucial for students and public servants alike.” I’ll bet it is. He said he just got back from a visit to the D-Day beaches at Normandy, comparing those who fought in World War II to today’s high school students, who say their biggest challenges are ethical. Freeh said he tells new FBI agents that “the most important lessons come at age 2 or 3: tell the truth, be fair and compassionate, do not steal or lie.” Freeh said: “Those are the basic requirements that democracy particularly and civilization generally require of all of us.’ Absolutely true.”

• Always be skeptical. Never, ever accept without question statistics used by liberals. Never accept without examination claims of crisis or impending doom.
• Learn to be judgmental. There is such a thing as right and wrong. You will be under enormous pressure all your life to pretend otherwise. Don’t. The survival of civilization requires us all to make judgments, and even to express them aloud.

  If you want to see what happens when that ability is impaired, read what the father of one of the Littleton killers’ friends told The New York Times. “Yeah, they dressed a little differently, maybe they dressed in black. But so, what do priests dress in? Are priests anarchists? Do they blow up things? It’s just people trying to set other people apart because they’re different. That’s why we have so many of the problems in this world, because we try to set ourselves apart or set ourselves above.” Wrongo. We have so many problems because we refuse to make distinctions between crazed killers and priests.

• Be confident.
• Stay optimistic. After all, you are an American. Optimism is a choice, and it produces prodigious energy — both in yourself and in others. Pessimism saps strength.
• Do what you love. Whatever it is. That is the one thing virtually all successful people have in common.
• Don’t trust anyone under 30. They don’t know anything. Show a little humility in your ignorance. It’s the best attitude to allow the most learning. As someone once said, “Before you save the rainforest from the bloodsucking parasites of your parents’ generation, try cleaning out the closet in your room.”
• Tweak liberals. It is your duty as an American.
• Always vote for tax cuts.
• Trust in God.
• Remember, America is the greatest country on earth. And despite what you have been told, diversity is not what has made America what it is. Freedom is what makes America great. The freedom that allows ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Learn it, love it, live it. Most of all, protect it.

  And note well: the lesson of Littleton is that evil lost. What was sown in hatred has reaped calls for spiritual renewal, and a new national soul-searching. Though it infuriates liberals, America’s response has been prayer.