We are living a very long Freaky Friday moment that has lasted since Valentines’ Day. High School students are leading while our president and the first lady are behaving like irresponsible teenagers.
Since Valentines’ Day, I’ve watched the young adults of Parkland in awe because whatever one may think of their views about guns (and for the record, I agree with them) they spoke with more knowledge than our president and way too many members of Congress.
They handled interviews with journalists with ease, refreshing honesty and a strength never seen in this president or his cohorts in Congress. Trump can’t even face a functioning media that asks real questions.
I’ve watched with heartache because of what older generations did to their present and their future. I can’t begin to imagine how it feels to leave home every day even thinking about the possibility of getting shot in school.
But they showed leadership in the days following an experience too many children experienced at school, too many people of any age experienced in a movie theater or a church or at a baseball game.
Their message is simple and crystal clear to lawmakers: Do your job protecting us or get out.
I was never their age because we knew our school day would never end with wondering if our teachers and classmates are still alive. But I know a maturity beyond one’s years when I see it. Sometimes, it can be easy to forget that they are still in High School. They’ve got the sort of grit I wish was present in Congress.
But, they are still kids.
That’s what makes the fact that they are getting death threats and abuse from critics of their views especially revolting.
One of the survivors, Cameron Kasky is quitting Facebook because of the death threats. Here is what he said on Twitter.
“Temporarily got off Facebook because there’s no character count so the death threats from the @NRA cultists are a bit more graphic than those on Twitter. Will be back when I have the time for it. Busy getting my feelings hurt by teenagers at Br**tb*rt.”
Temporarily got off Facebook because there’s no character count so the death threats from the @NRA cultists are a bit more graphic than those on twitter. Will be back when I have the time for it. Busy getting my feelings hurt by fellow teenagers at Br**tb*rt
— Cameron Kasky (@cameron_kasky) February 21, 2018
We are seeing a Freaky Friday moment as this teenager knows about priorities and deals with adversity while our president has daily twitter tantrums.
I haven’t seen any conservative “adults” lecturing those Breitbart teens about respect. And while we’re at it, how can any responsible parent allow their kids to read the poison that Breitbart calls “news”?
Such “adults” were out in droves whining about “disrespect” for NRA Senator Rubio during the CNN Townhall.
Disrespect? Seriously? Rubio, like so many Republicans (and a couple of Democrats), has taken blood money from the NRA for decades, putting every American’s life at risk in the name of pushing the gun manufacturers’ agenda. He lost the right to expect respect the moment he chose guns over people, money over reasonable gun safety policy. The NRA over the children of his state.
It seems the people who are more passionate about their damn guns than they are about children aren’t above harassing children simply because they are RELATED to one of the students leading their effort for real change, serious policy not this stupidity of arming teachers and giving them stipends as an incentive to form an amateur SWAT team.
Our managing editor, Sarah Jones wrote about 14 year old Lauren Hogg’s appeal to First Lady, Melania Trump to do something.
Lauren’s words are so straightforward and powerful, I’m just going to quote them again.
“Hey @FLOTUS you say that your mission as First Lady is to stop cyber bullying, well then, don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your step-son @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which in turn put a target on my back & created a safe space for people all over the world to call me and my family horrific things that constantly re-victimizes us and our community,”
Lauren went on to say, “I’m 14 I should never have had to deal with any of this and even though I thought it couldn’t get worse it has because of your family,”
Hey @FLOTUS you say that your mission as First Lady is to stop cyber bullying, well then, don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your step-son @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which in turn put a target on my back
— Lauren Hogg (@lauren_hoggs) February 23, 2018
It’s a reasonable thing to ask given Melania’s promise to campaign against cyber bullying. But, it looks like she makes the same sort of promises her husband makes.
It’s just over a week since a pro Trump eighteen-year-old murdered 14 teenagers and 3 teachers in their school.
Politics isn’t a blood sport, at least it wasn’t until Mr. Trump started campaigning using the sort of tactics and rhetoric that has no more to do with America than Rubles and a first lady with an invisible anti-bullying campaign.
These are kids, Mrs. Trump. Are you seriously that full of self-pity that you can’t bring yourself to rein in your child/husband and his maniacal son?
Mr. Trump, are you so busy kissing Dana Loesch’s a$$ or so threatened by the fact that these kids know what they are doing that you can’t rein your MAGA people in?
Where the hell are the adults?
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