The lessons of Parkland

Interesting, isn’t it, how the Parkland shooting remains in the headlines weeks after it happened and the Vegas shooting, which killed over 3 times as many people, faded away in days. What’s different about this shooting?

The obvious is there were children involved. The other X factor is the kids, specifically David Hogg, who have taken the spotlight to advocate for gun control. Pardon my cynicism but I think it’s unseemly for Hogg and others to exploit the deaths of their classmates to further their obvious political agenda against guns. And shame on CNN for ceaselessly manipulating their audience with these kids for their own political gain.

As demonstrated in this space before, with a small fraction of one percent of the guns being used for evil, obviously the guns are not the problem. Crazy is the problem, and I applaud President Trump for having the courage to broach that subject when he suggested that we need more mental hospitals and more of these disturbed people in them. But solving that problem is a steep climb given the Supreme Court ruling and the large advocacy on the left for keeping these disturbed people on the street. Someone even told me there are brochures for the mentally ill to instruct them on how to find edible food in dumpsters. Don’t you think people dumpster diving would be better served in a mental institution that can tend to their daily needs and help them get well?

Given that we’re unlikely to win that battle anytime soon it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to save children’s lives. I’ve long advocated for a Designated Defender program in schools. Now we have a president with the guts to put that idea front and center. Meanwhile ‘Camera’ Hogg and his cohorts continue to blame Republicans. He actually said that Governor Rick Scott, the Republican governor of Florida, was responsible for the cowardly deputy who refused to enter the school and confront the shooter. No mention of Sheriff Israel because the good sheriff shares his views on gun grabbing.

These kids have now pressured companies like Delta and United along with practically every car rental company to sever ties with the NRA. What in the world does the NRA have to do with the shooting in Florida. It’s akin to blaming AAA for drunken driving deaths.

It’s time for good people to fight back. Google the list of companies that have cowardly bowed to the demands of the leftist gun grabbers and let them know how you feel.

Look, I have all the sympathy in the world for anyone who’s lived through the horror of a mass shooting, but that doesn’t make you an instant expert on guns or how to solve gun violence. The truth is the people on the ground in Parkland, Florida are largely to blame for this shooting. The sheriff’s department visited the killer’s home multiple times. The school didn’t want to report his criminal behavior at school for fear of blemishing their record. Nearly every student interviewed who knew this guy said they thought he was dangerous and would end up killing people. Did they say anything before he went on his rampage?

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from Parkland. We have to evaluate mentally ill people before they become dangerous. That is the primary lesson we should learn. We should also learn not to be complacent. See something, say something. Law enforcement needs to start connecting the dots. And the FBI needs to get off Russia and the NCAA and start protecting our kids.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

Who's to blame for a killer?

We may never know what drove Elliot Rodger to go on a killing spree in Santa Barbara, Ca. What we do know is that he was a seriously disturbed individual with a death wish and demented sense of revenge. He apparently blamed women who wouldn’t sleep with him for being a virgin — like there’s anything wrong with that at the tender age of 22 — as well as the guys who beat him to the punch.

Elliot Rodger killed seven people, including himself, and injured a dozen or so others. His list of weapons included a knife, a hammer, two machetes, a BMW, and three pistols. You can rest assured the mainstream media will fixate on the guns. They always do.

Hindsight is 20/20. His parents found out about his YouTube rant, in which he promised to kill as many people as possible, alerted authorities, and set out to Santa Barbara to stop him. 

They were too late.

Apparently he killed his three roommates with the hammer, the knife, and the machetes. He then went to a sorority house where he killed two sorority sisters on the sidewalk. He left the sorority house and drove around town randomly selecting his victims, killing one more innocent pedestrian before turning the gun on himself.

Reading his manifesto, it’s unbelievable that he truly felt as he did. What’s even more unbelievable is that no one knew he was nuts. Instead of trotting out the tired, old argument for banning guns, we need to start concentrating on the real problem. Quite frankly, there are too many crazy people roaming loose on the streets.

Now, crazy is a relative term. I’m sure we all have certain oddities that others might find strange. I’m not talking about locking up every eccentric in the country. What I’m talking about are danger signs. There’s no way Elliot Rodger wasn’t exhibiting them. He was obviously in therapy. Did his therapist know he was fantasizing about going on a killing rampage? Let’s hope not. But did he or she see signs that he might be violent?

Again, that’s quite subjective, but those of us who live in the real world know when someone is dangerous. A friend of mine who works with the animal rescue folks told me recently of a guy who cut the front legs off a cat. That guy should not only be punished for what he did, he should be watched like a hawk for the rest of his life. That’s the kind of person who ends up a serial killer or a multiple victim killer like Elliot Rodger.

One critic, Ann Hornaday from the Washington Post, was quick to blame Hollywood for white men promoting “escapist fantasies” that “revolve around vigilantism and sexual wish-fulfillment.” She went on to say Rodger’s misogynistic delusions were channeled through “male studio executives.” She singled out the movie “Neighbors,” and the movie’s star, Seth Rogen, and director, Judd Apatow. Apatow specializes in coming-of-age movies in which the inexperienced, immature guy gets the girl. Apparently, Ann Hornaday finds that distasteful.

We can blame Hollywood. We can blame video games. We can blame the “gun culture.” None of that gets us anywhere. There have been slasher movies as long as I can remember. Sure, some video games are violent. And, yes, we are a society that cherishes our Second Amendment right. All of those elements have been around for a long time. By blaming them, we ignore the obvious.

Too many people are too screwed up in the head, and too few of us take the time to notice.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.