Guess our national leaders didn't expect this, hmm? Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful. They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness. The following is a portion of the transcript:

"Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of
men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of
violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the
deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must
not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers.

"The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out
in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA,
the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for
the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

"In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how
quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a
member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here
to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are
responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they
need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's
murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy-it was a
spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame
lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies
behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. "I wrote a poem just
four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. This was written way before
I knew I would be speaking here today:

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,
Your words are empty air.
You've stripped away our heritage,
You've outlawed simple prayer.
Now gunshots fill our classrooms,
And precious children die.
You seek for answers everywhere,
And ask the question "Why?"
You regulate restrictive laws,
Through legislative creed.
And yet you fail to understand,
That God is what we need!


"Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and
spirit When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create
a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and reek havoc.
Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of
our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological
seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation?
We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred
and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs
-- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They
immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away
our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restr ictive laws.
"Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of
gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre.
The real villain lies within our own hearts.

"As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two
friends murdered before his very eyes-He did not hesitate to pray in school.
I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young
person in America, and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999,
at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let
the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the
new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your
God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point
your finger at the NRA - I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine
your own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country
will not allow that to happen!"

we need to purge our goverment starting with bush
put common folk in there with common sence

They need to spend more time with what really matters and less time kissing special interest's ass. With the way our current system is set up, the politicians spend more time getting elected and more time with political party bickering than they do doing their job. If any of us worked that way...we would be fired.

Great post Ace.

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/outrage/scott.htm

True, and even thought-provoking (except for the part where he addressed a committee meeting, not a special session of Congress). I'm thankful that this one didn't include the media bias BS the one that got sent to my inbox did.

Good catch. I usually check, but I guess sometimes I wish they were true.

Any loss of our children is tragic. My sympathies and prayers go out to this father, and all those families that lost, or had children injured in this most tragic affair.

All of us share a certain degree of responsibility for the welfare, and care of all our children! For example, principally family, then friends, schools, and churches-religious institutions. The legal system, medical, and psychiatric groups, together with government, all contribute to the over all success of each other with social safety nets that work to some degree, but clearly not in all cases. Hopefully, these shortcomings will improve and become better over time.

With children, and young immature adults about, guns need to be locked-up, and made secure. As a private group, the NRA is at the forefront of educating the public with the dedication and promotion of these safety issues with firearms. In terms of children, and individuals that lack firearm understanding, or comprehension with safety issues, i.e., the maturity, and lack of emotional stability is more than enough reason to keep guns out of their hands. For most, knives (BTW, kitchen knives kill, and hurt more than your standard Buck Skinner), axes, drugs, alcohol, even tent poles, and cars should be considered equally as dangerous as firearms. The point is, experience suggests that even in the best, of the best families, people occasionally freak-out, e.g., with both deviant and bizarre behaviors! That is, they do not follow the prescribed norms, and laws that direct and instruct us with our interactions and conduct with others. Hence, firearm safety, and respect for others are extremely important factors and features to teach, and continually reinforce in the family.

In a free society we cannot rely on any one element, group, or individual to do the job, that is, of protecting our children either from themselves or others. With bureaucratic systems, such as government promotes, unfortunately the individual is often passed over as others in this thread have noted-for whatever reasons-all not good, nor justified. It is good and proper to voice our concerns about these issues, with the intent of perhaps raising a little awareness. Safety issues for the family is a key concern, especially, with the potential mix of children, firearms, and other potentially destructive, and dangerous items in the home.

I did snope it BTW, so left it like it was.

All I can say is...AMEN....to Mr Scott and this post!