I was going to begin my column today by saying there is so much in the news of the day for me to opine on that I wasn't sure where to begin. Then came the tragic news about the horrific shooting in South Carolina. Wow. What a dreadful, heinous crime; nine people murdered in cold blood by a vicious, spiteful racist. How can anyone hate so much? It is unfathomable and totally beyond my comprehension.
One thing I am sure of is that more gun control is not the answer. No law on the books could have prevented this mindless slaughter of innocent people. When President Obama spoke about this terrible crime and the need for more gun control I had to ask myself what possible new law would have prevented a crime like this from happening? I could think of none, unless we would agree to a total confiscation of guns, and that's never going to happen, nor should it.
This crime was committed by a deranged young man full of hatred. It set off a firestorm of debate about gun control, the right to carry, and whether guns should be allowed in church. It also raised an issue about pastors and congregants being armed. I don't know the answer. Reports I read indicated that the shooter reloaded several times. If any of the folks in the Bible study had been armed several lives, most likely, would have been spared because the shooter could have been prevented from reloading. The question is -- Do we really want or need our pastors packing heat? And what about the guy sitting next to us in the pew?
Trump is in
Moving on to something much less morbid, how about Donald Trump? It seems everybody agrees on one thing about him -- they hate him! The liberal media have gone crazy and the conservatives haven't done much better. It's Donald this or Donald that. He's too rich. He's too arrogant. He's a bully. He's too blunt. And, he is all of these things and many more, but you know what he really is? He is good for the race for the presidency. Love him or hate him, you have to listen to him. He's said a lot of things that other candidates are reluctant to say, such as he will build a wall on the southern border and make Mexico pay for it. He also said: "Mexico does not send us their best and brightest, instead they send us people who have problems. They bring drugs and crime." Have you heard anyone else say anything that resembles either of these remarks? Didn't think so.
I'm not taking any position on who the Republican candidate should be. It's way too early, and at least a dozen people have already announced. Most likely there will be four or five more and the election is still nearly 15 months away. But you must admit, Donald is almost larger than life. The field will eventually be winnowed as marginal candidates drop by the wayside. A few months from now Trump could be history, but I doubt it because he has staying power. For now, enjoy the show.
Another Hillary discrepancy
Remember when Hillary said she had turned over all her emails? In fact, these are her exact words: "My staff erred on the side of providing anything that could possibly be viewed as work related. I went above and beyond what I was requested to do." Recent events cast doubt on her words. A few days ago her pal Sydney Blumenthal testified in a closed session of the committee investigating Benghazi, and he brought with him several hundred pages of emails that the committee had not seen before. It was not clear whether Hillary had not turned over these emails to the State Department or if State had neglected to deliver them to the committee. In any event, someone is involved in a prevarication, or was it an oversight? Only time will tell. I opine, you decide.
-- Willie Williams is a Siloam Springs resident. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 06/24/2015