|
| A Moving Speech |
On Thursday, May 27, 1999, 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 sub-committee. 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, soul,
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 influences 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 restrictive 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. Political posturing and
restrictive legislation are not the answers. The young people of
our nation hold the key. There is a spiritual awakening taking
place that will not be squelched! We do not need more religion.
We do not need more gaudy television evangelists spewing out
verbal religious garbage. We do not need more million dollar
church buildings built while people with basic needs are being
ignored. We do need a change of heart and a humble acknowledgment
that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust
in God!"
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!"
Do what the media did not-let the nation hear this man's speech.
Please send this out to everyone you can!!!...... |
|
 |
|
